Angels Demons Chapter 130-133

130 The camerlegno began to feel the fog of wonder and adrenaline dissipating. As the Swiss Guard helped him down the Royal Staircase toward the Sistine Chapel, the camerlegno heard singing in St. Peter's Square and he knew that mountains had been moved. Grazie Dio. He had prayed for strength, and God had given it to him. At moments when he had doubted, God had spoken. Yours is a Holy mission, God had said. I will give you strength. Even with God's strength, the camerlegno had felt fear, questioning the righteousness of his path. If not you, God had challenged, then Who? If not now, then When? If not this way, then How? Jesus, God reminded him, had saved them all†¦ saved them from their own apathy. With two deeds, Jesus had opened their eyes. Horror and Hope. The crucifixion and the resurrection. He had changed the world. But that was millennia ago. Time had eroded the miracle. People had forgotten. They had turned to false idols – techno-deities and miracles of the mind. What about miracles of the heart! The camerlegno had often prayed to God to show him how to make the people believe again. But God had been silent. It was not until the camerlegno's moment of deepest darkness that God had come to him. Oh, the horror of that night! The camerlegno could still remember lying on the floor in tattered nightclothes, clawing at his own flesh, trying to purge his soul of the pain brought on by a vile truth he had just learned. It cannot be! he had screamed. And yet he knew it was. The deception tore at him like the fires of hell. The bishop who had taken him in, the man who had been like a father to him, the clergyman whom the camerlegno had stood beside while he rose to the papacy†¦ was a fraud. A common sinner. Lying to the world about a deed so traitorous at its core that the camerlegno doubted even God could forgive it. â€Å"Your vow!† the camerlegno had screamed at the Pope. â€Å"You broke your vow to God! You, of all men!† The Pope had tried to explain himself, but the camerlegno could not listen. He had run out, staggering blindly through the hallways, vomiting, tearing at his own skin, until he found himself bloody and alone, lying on the cold earthen floor before St. Peter's tomb. Mother Mary, what do I do? It was in that moment of pain and betrayal, as the camerlegno lay devastated in the Necropolis, praying for God to take him from this faithless world, that God had come. The voice in his head resounded like peals of thunder. â€Å"Did you vow to serve your God?† â€Å"Yes!† the camerlegno cried out. â€Å"Would you die for your God?† â€Å"Yes! Take me now!† â€Å"Would you die for your church?† â€Å"Yes! Please deliver me!† â€Å"But would you die for†¦ mankind?† It was in the silence that followed that the camerlegno felt himself falling into the abyss. He tumbled farther, faster, out of control. And yet he knew the answer. He had always known. â€Å"Yes!† he shouted into the madness. â€Å"I would die for man! Like your son, I would die for them!† Hours later, the camerlegno still lay shivering on his floor. He saw his mother's face. God has plans for you, she was saying. The camerlegno plunged deeper into madness. It was then God had spoken again. This time with silence. But the camerlegno understood. Restore their faith. If not me†¦ then who? If not now†¦ then when? As the guards unbolted the door of the Sistine Chapel, Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca felt the power moving in his veins†¦ exactly as it had when he was a boy. God had chosen him. Long ago. His will be done. The camerlegno felt reborn. The Swiss Guard had bandaged his chest, bathed him, and dressed him in a fresh white linen robe. They had also given him an injection of morphine for the burn. The camerlegno wished they had not given him painkillers. Jesus endured his pain for three days on the cross! He could already feel the drug uprooting his senses†¦ a dizzying undertow. As he walked into the chapel, he was not at all surprised to see the cardinals staring at him in wonder. They are in awe of God, he reminded himself. Not of me, but how God works THROUGH me. As he moved up the center aisle, he saw bewilderment in every face. And yet, with each new face he passed, he sensed something else in their eyes. What was it? The camerlegno had tried to imagine how they would receive him tonight. Joyfully? Reverently? He tried to read their eyes and saw neither emotion. It was then the camerlegno looked at the altar and saw Robert Langdon. 131 Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca stood in the aisle of the Sistine Chapel. The cardinals were all standing near the front of the church, turned, staring at him. Robert Langdon was on the altar beside a television that was on endless loop, playing a scene the camerlegno recognized but could not imagine how it had come to be. Vittoria Vetra stood beside him, her face drawn. The camerlegno closed his eyes for a moment, hoping the morphine was making him hallucinate and that when he opened them the scene might be different. But it was not. They knew. Oddly, he felt no fear. Show me the way, Father. Give me the words that I can make them see Your vision. But the camerlegno heard no reply. Father, We have come too far together to fail now. Silence. They do not understand what We have done. The camerlegno did not know whose voice he heard in his own mind, but the message was stark. And the truth shall set you free†¦ And so it was that Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca held his head high as he walked toward the front of the Sistine Chapel. As he moved toward the cardinals, not even the diffused light of the candles could soften the eyes boring into him. Explain yourself, the faces said. Make sense of this madness. Tell us our fears are wrong! Truth, the camerlegno told himself. Only truth. There were too many secrets in these walls†¦ one so dark it had driven him to madness. But from the madness had come the light. â€Å"If you could give your own soul to save millions,† the camerlegno said, as he moved down the aisle, â€Å"would you?† The faces in the chapel simply stared. No one moved. No one spoke. Beyond the walls, the joyous strains of song could be heard in the square. The camerlegno walked toward them. â€Å"Which is the greater sin? Killing one's enemy? Or standing idle while your true love is strangled?† They are singing in St. Peter's Square! The camerlegno stopped for a moment and gazed up at the ceiling of the Sistine. Michelangelo's God was staring down from the darkened vault†¦ and He seemed pleased. â€Å"I could no longer stand by,† the camerlegno said. Still, as he drew nearer, he saw no flicker of understanding in anyone's eyes. Didn't they see the radiant simplicity of his deeds? Didn't they see the utter necessity! It had been so pure. The Illuminati. Science and Satan as one. Resurrect the ancient fear. Then crush it. Horror and Hope. Make them believe again. Tonight, the power of the Illuminati had been unleashed anew†¦ and with glorious consequence. The apathy had evaporated. The fear had shot out across the world like a bolt of lightning, uniting the people. And then God's majesty had vanquished the darkness. I could not stand idly by! The inspiration had been God's own – appearing like a beacon in the camerlegno's night of agony. Oh, this faithless world! Someone must deliver them. You. If not you, who? You have been saved for a reason. Show them the old demons. Remind them of their fear. Apathy is death. Without darkness, there is no light. Without evil, there is no good. Make them choose. Dark or light. Where is the fear? Where are the heroes? If not now, when? The camerlegno walked up the center aisle directly toward the crowd of standing cardinals. He felt like Moses as the sea of red sashes and caps parted before him, allowing him to pass. On the altar, Robert Langdon switched off the television, took Vittoria's hand, and relinquished the altar. The fact that Robert Langdon had survived, the camerlegno knew, could only have been God's will. God had saved Robert Langdon. The camerlegno wondered why. The voice that broke the silence was the voice of the only woman in the Sistine Chapel. â€Å"You killed my father?† she said, stepping forward. When the camerlegno turned to Vittoria Vetra, the look on her face was one he could not quite understand – pain yes, but anger? Certainly she must understand. Her father's genius was deadly. He had to be stopped. For the good of Mankind. â€Å"He was doing God's work,† Vittoria said. â€Å"God's work is not done in a lab. It is done in the heart.† â€Å"My father's heart was pure! And his research proved – â€Å" â€Å"His research proved yet again that man's mind is progressing faster than his soul!† The camerlegno's voice was sharper than he had expected. He lowered his voice. â€Å"If a man as spiritual as your father could create a weapon like the one we saw tonight, imagine what an ordinary man will do with his technology.† â€Å"A man like you?† The camerlegno took a deep breath. Did she not see? Man's morality was not advancing as fast as man's science. Mankind was not spiritually evolved enough for the powers he possessed. We have never created a weapon we have not used! And yet he knew that antimatter was nothing – another weapon in man's already burgeoning arsenal. Man could already destroy. Man learned to kill long ago. And his mother's blood rained down. Leonardo Vetra's genius was dangerous for another reason. â€Å"For centuries,† the camerlegno said, â€Å"the church has stood by while science picked away at religion bit by bit. Debunking miracles. Training the mind to overcome the heart. Condemning religion as the opiate of the masses. They denounce God as a hallucination – a delusional crutch for those too weak to accept that life is meaningless. I could not stand by while science presumed to harness the power of God himself! Proof, you say? Yes, proof of science's ignorance! What is wrong with the admission that something exists beyond our understanding? The day science substantiates God in a lab is the day people stop needing faith!† â€Å"You mean the day they stop needing the church,† Vittoria challenged, moving toward him. â€Å"Doubt is your last shred of control. It is doubt that brings souls to you. Our need to know that life has meaning. Man's insecurity and need for an enlightened soul assuring him everything is part of a master plan. But the church is not the only enlightened soul on the planet! We all seek God in different ways. What are you afraid of? That God will show himself somewhere other than inside these walls? That people will find him in their own lives and leave your antiquated rituals behind? Religions evolve! The mind finds answers, the heart grapples with new truths. My father was on your quest! A parallel path! Why couldn't you see that? God is not some omnipotent authority looking down from above, threatening to throw us into a pit of fire if we disobey. God is the energy that flows through the synapses of our nervous system and the chambers of our hearts! God is in all things!â €  â€Å"Except science,† the camerlegno fired back, his eyes showing only pity. â€Å"Science, by definition, is soulless. Divorced from the heart. Intellectual miracles like antimatter arrive in this world with no ethical instructions attached. This in itself is perilous! But when science heralds its Godless pursuits as the enlightened path? Promising answers to questions whose beauty is that they have no answers?† He shook his head. â€Å"No.† There was a moment of silence. The camerlegno felt suddenly tired as he returned Vittoria's unbending stare. This was not how it was supposed to be. Is this God's final test? It was Mortati who broke the spell. â€Å"The preferiti,† he said in a horrified whisper. â€Å"Baggia and the others. Please tell me you did not†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The camerlegno turned to him, surprised by the pain in his voice. Certainly Mortati could understand. Headlines carried science's miracles every day. How long had it been for religion? Centuries? Religion needed a miracle! Something to awaken a sleeping world. Bring them back to the path of righteousness. Restore faith. The preferiti were not leaders anyway, they were transformers – liberals prepared to embrace the new world and abandon the old ways! This was the only way. A new leader. Young. Powerful. Vibrant. Miraculous. The preferiti served the church far more effectively in death than they ever could alive. Horror and Hope. Offer four souls to save millions. The world would remember them forever as martyrs. The church would raise glorious tribute to their names. How many thousands have died for the glory of God? They are only four. â€Å"The preferiti,† Mortati repeated. â€Å"I shared their pain,† the camerlegno defended, motioning to his chest. â€Å"And I too would die for God, but my work is only just begun. They are singing in St. Peter's Square!† The camerlegno saw the horror in Mortati's eyes and again felt confused. Was it the morphine? Mortati was looking at him as if the camerlegno himself had killed these men with his bare hands. I would do even that for God, the camerlegno thought, and yet he had not. The deeds had been carried out by the Hassassin – a heathen soul tricked into thinking he was doing the work of the Illuminati. I am Janus, the camerlegno had told him. I will prove my power. And he had. The Hassassin's hatred had made him God's pawn. â€Å"Listen to the singing,† the camerlegno said, smiling, his own heart rejoicing. â€Å"Nothing unites hearts like the presence of evil. Burn a church and the community rises up, holding hands, singing hymns of defiance as they rebuild. Look how they flock tonight. Fear has brought them home. Forge modern demons for modern man. Apathy is dead. Show them the face of evil – Satanists lurking among us – running our governments, our banks, our schools, threatening to obliterate the very House of God with their misguided science. Depravity runs deep. Man must be vigilant. Seek the goodness. Become the goodness!† In the silence, the camerlegno hoped they now understood. The Illuminati had not resurfaced. The Illuminati were long deceased. Only their myth was alive. The camerlegno had resurrected the Illuminati as a reminder. Those who knew the Illuminati history relived their evil. Those who did not, had learned of it and were amazed how blind they had been. The ancient demons had been resurrected to awaken an indifferent world. â€Å"But†¦ the brands?† Mortati's voice was stiff with outrage. The camerlegno did not answer. Mortati had no way of knowing, but the brands had been confiscated by the Vatican over a century ago. They had been locked away, forgotten and dust covered, in the Papal Vault – the Pope's private reliquary, deep within his Borgia apartments. The Papal Vault contained those items the church deemed too dangerous for anyone's eyes except the Pope's. Why did they hide that which inspired fear? Fear brought people to God! The vault's key was passed down from Pope to Pope. Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca had purloined the key and ventured inside; the myth of what the vault contained was bewitching – the original manuscript for the fourteen unpublished books of the Bible known as the Apocrypha, the third prophecy of Fatima, the first two having come true and the third so terrifying the church would never reveal it. In addition to these, the camerlegno had found the Illuminati Collection – all the secrets the church had uncovered after banishing the group from Rome†¦ their contemptible Path of Illumination†¦ the cunning deceit of the Vatican's head artist, Bernini†¦ Europe's top scientists mocking religion as they secretly assembled in the Vatican's own Castle St. Angelo. The collection included a pentagon box containing iron brands, one of them the mythical Illuminati Diamond. This was a part of Vatican history the ancients thought best forgotten. The camerlegno, however, had dis agreed. â€Å"But the antimatter†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Vittoria demanded. â€Å"You risked destroying the Vatican!† â€Å"There is no risk when God is at your side,† the camerlegno said. â€Å"This cause was His.† â€Å"You're insane!† she seethed. â€Å"Millions were saved.† â€Å"People were killed!† â€Å"Souls were saved.† â€Å"Tell that to my father and Max Kohler!† â€Å"CERN's arrogance needed to be revealed. A droplet of liquid that can vaporize a half mile? And you call me mad?† The camerlegno felt a rage rising in him. Did they think his was a simple charge? â€Å"Those who believe undergo great tests for God! God asked Abraham to sacrifice his child! God commanded Jesus to endure crucifixion! And so we hang the symbol of the crucifix before our eyes – bloody, painful, agonizing – to remind us of evil's power! To keep our hearts vigilant! The scars on Jesus' body are a living reminder of the powers of darkness! My scars are a living reminder! Evil lives, but the power of God will overcome!† His shouts echoed off the back wall of the Sistine Chapel and then a profound silence fell. Time seemed to stop. Michelangelo's Last Judgment rose ominously behind him†¦ Jesus casting sinners into hell. Tears brimmed in Mortati's eyes. â€Å"What have you done, Carlo?† Mortati asked in a whisper. He closed his eyes, and a tear rolled. â€Å"His Holiness?† A collective sigh of pain went up, as if everyone in the room had forgotten until that very moment. The Pope. Poisoned. â€Å"A vile liar,† the camerlegno said. Mortati looked shattered. â€Å"What do you mean? He was honest! He†¦ loved you.† â€Å"And I him.† Oh, how I loved him! But the deceit! The broken vows to God! The camerlegno knew they did not understand right now, but they would. When he told them, they would see! His Holiness was the most nefarious deceiver the church had ever seen. The camerlegno still remembered that terrible night. He had returned from his trip to CERN with news of Vetra's Genesis and of antimatter's horrific power. The camerlegno was certain the Pope would see the perils, but the Holy Father saw only hope in Vetra's breakthrough. He even suggested the Vatican fund Vetra's work as a gesture of goodwill toward spiritually based scientific research. Madness! The church investing in research that threatened to make the church obsolete? Work that spawned weapons of mass destruction? The bomb that had killed his mother†¦ â€Å"But†¦ you can't!† the camerlegno had exclaimed. â€Å"I owe a deep debt to science,† the Pope had replied. â€Å"Something I have hidden my entire life. Science gave me a gift when I was a young man. A gift I have never forgotten.† â€Å"I don't understand. What does science have to offer a man of God?† â€Å"It is complicated,† the Pope had said. â€Å"I will need time to make you understand. But first, there is a simple fact about me that you must know. I have kept it hidden all these years. I believe it is time I told you.† Then the Pope had told him the astonishing truth. 132 The camerlegno lay curled in a ball on the dirt floor in front of St. Peter's tomb. The Necropolis was cold, but it helped clot the blood flowing from the wounds he had torn at his own flesh. His Holiness would not find him here. Nobody would find him here†¦ â€Å"It is complicated,† the Pope's voice echoed in his mind. â€Å"I will need time to make you understand†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But the camerlegno knew no amount of time could make him understand. Liar! I believed in you! GOD believed in you! With a single sentence, the Pope had brought the camerlegno's world crashing down around him. Everything the camerlegno had ever believed about his mentor was shattered before his eyes. The truth drilled into the camerlegno's heart with such force that he staggered backward out of the Pope's office and vomited in the hallway. â€Å"Wait!† the Pope had cried, chasing after him. â€Å"Please let me explain!† But the camerlegno ran off. How could His Holiness expect him to endure any more? Oh, the wretched depravity of it! What if someone else found out? Imagine the desecration to the church! Did the Pope's holy vows mean nothing? The madness came quickly, screaming in his ears, until he awoke before St. Peter's tomb. It was then that God came to him with an awesome fierceness. Yours is a Vengeful God! Together, they made their plans. Together they would protect the church. Together they would restore faith to this faithless world. Evil was everywhere. And yet the world had become immune! Together they would unveil the darkness for the world to see†¦ and God would overcome! Horror and Hope. Then the world would believe! God's first test had been less horrible than the camerlegno imagined. Sneaking into the Papal bed chambers†¦ filling his syringe†¦ covering the deceiver's mouth as his body spasmed into death. In the moonlight, the camerlegno could see in the Pope's wild eyes there was something he wanted to say. But it was too late. The Pope had said enough. 133 â€Å"The Pope fathered a child.† Inside the Sistine Chapel, the camerlegno stood unwavering as he spoke. Five solitary words of astonishing disclosure. The entire assembly seemed to recoil in unison. The cardinals' accusing miens evaporated into aghast stares, as if every soul in the room were praying the camerlegno was wrong. The Pope fathered a child. Langdon felt the shock wave hit him too. Vittoria's hand, tight in his, jolted, while Langdon's mind, already numb with unanswered questions, wrestled to find a center of gravity. The camerlegno's utterance seemed like it would hang forever in the air above them. Even in the camerlegno's frenzied eyes, Langdon could see pure conviction. Langdon wanted to disengage, tell himself he was lost in some grotesque nightmare, soon to wake up in a world that made sense. â€Å"This must be a lie!† one of the cardinals yelled. â€Å"I will not believe it!† another protested. â€Å"His Holiness was as devout a man as ever lived!† It was Mortati who spoke next, his voice thin with devastation. â€Å"My friends. What the camerlegno says is true.† Every cardinal in the chapel spun as though Mortati had just shouted an obscenity. â€Å"The Pope indeed fathered a child.† The cardinals blanched with dread. The camerlegno looked stunned. â€Å"You knew? But†¦ how could you possibly know this?† Mortati sighed. â€Å"When His Holiness was elected†¦ I was the Devil's Advocate.† There was a communal gasp. Langdon understood. This meant the information was probably true. The infamous â€Å"Devil's Advocate† was the authority when it came to scandalous information inside the Vatican. Skeletons in a Pope's closet were dangerous, and prior to elections, secret inquiries into a candidate's background were carried out by a lone cardinal who served as the â€Å"Devil's Advocate† – that individual responsible for unearthing reasons why the eligible cardinals should not become Pope. The Devil's Advocate was appointed in advance by the reigning Pope in preparation for his own death. The Devil's Advocate was never supposed to reveal his identity. Ever. â€Å"I was the Devil's Advocate,† Mortati repeated. â€Å"That is how I found out.† Mouths dropped. Apparently tonight was a night when all the rules were going out the window. The camerlegno felt his heart filling with rage. â€Å"And you†¦ told no one?† â€Å"I confronted His Holiness,† Mortati said. â€Å"And he confessed. He explained the entire story and asked only that I let my heart guide my decision as to whether or not to reveal his secret.† â€Å"And your heart told you to bury the information?† â€Å"He was the runaway favorite for the papacy. People loved him. The scandal would have hurt the church deeply.† â€Å"But he fathered a child! He broke his sacred vow of celibacy!† The camerlegno was screaming now. He could hear his mother's voice. A promise to God is the most important promise of all. Never break a promise to God. â€Å"The Pope broke his vow!† Mortati looked delirious with angst. â€Å"Carlo, his love†¦ was chaste. He had broken no vow. He didn't explain it to you?† â€Å"Explain what?† The camerlegno remembered running out of the Pope's office while the Pope was calling to him. Let me explain! Slowly, sadly, Mortati let the tale unfold. Many years ago, the Pope, when he was still just a priest, had fallen in love with a young nun. Both of them had taken vows of celibacy and never even considered breaking their covenant with God. Still, as they fell deeper in love, although they could resist the temptations of the flesh, they both found themselves longing for something they never expected – to participate in God's ultimate miracle of creation – a child. Their child. The yearning, especially in her, became overwhelming. Still, God came first. A year later, when the frustration had reached almost unbearable proportions, she came to him in a whirl of excitement. She had just read an article about a new miracle of science – a process by which two people, without ever having sexual relations, could have a child. She sensed this was a sign from God. The priest could see the happiness in her eyes and agreed. A year later she had a child through the miracle of artificial insemination†¦ â€Å"This cannot†¦ be true,† the camerlegno said, panicked, hoping it was the morphine washing over his senses. Certainly he was hearing things. Mortati now had tears in his eyes. â€Å"Carlo, this is why His Holiness has always had an affection for the sciences. He felt he owed a debt to science. Science let him experience the joys of fatherhood without breaking his vow of celibacy. His Holiness told me he had no regrets except one – that his advancing stature in the church prohibited him from being with the woman he loved and seeing his infant grow up.† Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca felt the madness setting in again. He wanted to claw at his flesh. How could I have known? â€Å"The Pope committed no sin, Carlo. He was chaste.† â€Å"But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The camerlegno searched his anguished mind for any kind of rationale. â€Å"Think of the jeopardy†¦ of his deeds.† His voice felt weak. â€Å"What if this whore of his came forward? Or, heaven forbid, his child? Imagine the shame the church would endure.† Mortati's voice was tremulous. â€Å"The child has already come forward.† Everything stopped. â€Å"Carlo†¦?† Mortati crumbled. â€Å"His Holiness's child†¦ is you.† At that moment, the camerlegno could feel the fire of faith dim in his heart. He stood trembling on the altar, framed by Michelangelo's towering Last Judgment. He knew he had just glimpsed hell itself. He opened his mouth to speak, but his lips wavered, soundless. â€Å"Don't you see?† Mortati choked. â€Å"That is why His Holiness came to you in the hospital in Palermo when you were a boy. That is why he took you in and raised you. The nun he loved was Maria†¦ your mother. She left the nunnery to raise you, but she never abandoned her strict devotion to God. When the Pope heard she had died in an explosion and that you, his son, had miraculously survived†¦ he swore to God he would never leave you alone again. Carlo, your parents were both virgins. They kept their vows to God. And still they found a way to bring you into the world. You were their miraculous child.† The camerlegno covered his ears, trying to block out the words. He stood paralyzed on the altar. Then, with his world yanked from beneath him, he fell violently to his knees and let out a wail of anguish. Seconds. Minutes. Hours. Time seemed to have lost all meaning inside the four walls of the chapel. Vittoria felt herself slowly breaking free of the paralysis that seemed to have gripped them all. She let go of Langdon's hand and began moving through the crowd of cardinals. The chapel door seemed miles away, and she felt like she was moving underwater†¦ slow motion. As she maneuvered through the robes, her motion seemed to pull others from their trance. Some of the cardinals began to pray. Others wept. Some turned to watch her go, their blank expressions turning slowly to a foreboding cognition as she moved toward the door. She had almost reached the back of the crowd when a hand caught her arm. The touch was frail but resolute. She turned, face to face with a wizened cardinal. His visage was clouded by fear. â€Å"No,† the man whispered. â€Å"You cannot.† Vittoria stared, incredulous. Another cardinal was at her side now. â€Å"We must think before we act.† And another. â€Å"The pain this could cause†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Vittoria was surrounded. She looked at them all, stunned. â€Å"But these deeds here today, tonight†¦ certainly the world should know the truth.† â€Å"My heart agrees,† the wizened cardinal said, still holding her arm, â€Å"and yet it is a path from which there is no return. We must consider the shattered hopes. The cynicism. How could the people ever trust again?† Suddenly, more cardinals seemed to be blocking her way. There was a wall of black robes before her. â€Å"Listen to the people in the square,† one said. â€Å"What will this do to their hearts? We must exercise prudence.† â€Å"We need time to think and pray,† another said. â€Å"We must act with foresight. The repercussions of this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"He killed my father!† Vittoria said. â€Å"He killed his own father!† â€Å"I'm certain he will pay for his sins,† the cardinal holding her arm said sadly. Vittoria was certain too, and she intended to ensure he paid. She tried to push toward the door again, but the cardinals huddled closer, their faces frightened. â€Å"What are you going to do?† she exclaimed. â€Å"Kill me?† The old men blanched, and Vittoria immediately regretted her words. She could see these men were gentle souls. They had seen enough violence tonight. They meant no threat. They were simply trapped. Scared. Trying to get their bearings. â€Å"I want†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the wizened cardinal said, â€Å"†¦ to do what is right.† â€Å"Then you will let her out,† a deep voice declared behind her. The words were calm but absolute. Robert Langdon arrived at her side, and she felt his hand take hers. â€Å"Ms. Vetra and I are leaving this chapel. Right now.† Faltering, hesitant, the cardinals began to step aside. â€Å"Wait!† It was Mortati. He moved toward them now, down the center aisle, leaving the camerlegno alone and defeated on the altar. Mortati looked older all of a sudden, wearied beyond his years. His motion was burdened with shame. He arrived, putting a hand on Langdon's shoulder and one on Vittoria's as well. Vittoria felt sincerity in his touch. The man's eyes were more tearful now. â€Å"Of course you are free to go,† Mortati said. â€Å"Of course.† The man paused, his grief almost tangible. â€Å"I ask only this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stared down at his feet a long moment then back up at Vittoria and Langdon. â€Å"Let me do it. I will go into the square right now and find a way. I will tell them. I don't know how†¦ but I will find a way. The church's confession should come from within. Our failures should be our own to expose.† Mortati turned sadly back toward the altar. â€Å"Carlo, you have brought this church to a disastrous juncture.† He paused, looking around. The altar was bare. There was a rustle of cloth down the side aisle, and the door clicked shut. The camerlegno was gone.

Example: Economics

Importance Of Economics Everyone is a part of economy and everyone uses the rules of economy too. From the time we are born, we become consumers of various products and services (say, medical services, baby foods, and so on). We grow and diversify to attain various different roles as producers, traders, mediators and agents. Today’s world is that of â€Å"economic imperialism†, where economical factors, most importantly, money dictates all the elements of the society, not to forget close family relations. With recession wreaking havoc, economics is something which even ignorant households are learning.Economics is a science which deals with production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. Therefore, we can conclude that whatever involves â€Å"transfer of money† includes â€Å"economics†. There are two schools of economics, namely, microeconomics and macroeconomics. The combined results of these two determine the actual effect of economics o n people. To list all the important functions of economics would be literary impossible as newer issues keep creeping up. In the following lines, we have described some broad and basic functions of economics. Significance Of Economics Optimizes Resource UsageIn today’s world, the amount of resources available to us is reducing each day. This condition will only worsen, if we keep using our resources with low efficiency and effectiveness. Economics provides a mechanism for looking at possible ways to optimize resource utilization and reduce wastages. Utilizes the â€Å"Opportunity Cost† This is another principle used for resources in which the scarce resources are utilized efficiently, after calculating and checking the opportunity cost. A simple theory of exclusion is put into play. If you choose something over another thing, then what loss you sustain is the opportunity  cost.If we minimize the opportunity cost, we get maximum profits. For example, a person who inve sts $10,000 in a stock denies himself the interest that could have been accrued, by leaving the $10,000 in the bank account instead. The opportunity cost of the decision to invest in stock, is the value of the interest. When this principle is used in budget allocations by government, it results in better growth rates. Gains Social Efficiency If a society keeps on putting money into its economy with no profits or loss, then the economy becomes inefficient and so does the society, as it gets dependent on the economy.If the input into an economy is larger than the output, then the society starts disintegrating and falls prey to destructive social evils, like unemployment and poverty. The same is the case if the economy is stagnant. Understanding of economics leads to better planned economy. Also, profitable economic steps introduced largely aid in the society’s overall prosperity. Stabilizes The Overall Economy The stability of an economy is inevitable to any country or society. Only through economically sound practices can we ensure that the economy is stable and growing at the same time.In recent times, when the world’s economy fell, only a few countries were able to sustain their growth rate and prevent severe monetary impacts on their citizens. Understands Individual Economics This is important for the growth of individuals economically. A person needs to understand the economic situations and stipulations present in his own life. He may not need the hardcore subjective understanding of economics, but he definitely needs to understand the economic practices that he must follow to eradicate chances of going broke or bankrupt.Also, understanding of economics helps in using the resources in the best possible way and gaining maximum profit. What is Economics? A Definition of Economics Ever wonder why food costs rise when gas prices spike? Ever question why U. S. politicians worry when other countries talk of going bankrupt? Ever wonder why you canâ €™t get a good interest rate on your savings account? All of these phenomena can be explained through economics. Economics is the study of the production and consumption of goods and the transfer of wealth to produce and obtain those goods.Economics explains how people interact within markets to get what they want or accomplish certain goals. Since economics is a driving force of human interaction, studying it often reveals why people and governments behave in particular ways. There are two main types of economics:  macroeconomics  andmicroeconomics. Microeconomicsfocuses on the actions of individuals and industries, like the dynamics between buyers and sellers, borrowers and lenders. Macroeconomics, on the other hand, takes a much broader view by analyzing the economic activity of an entire country or the international marketplace.A study of economics can describe all aspects of a country’s economy, such as how a country uses its resources, how much time laborers dev ote to work and leisure, the outcome of investing in industries or financial products, the effect of taxes on a population, and why businesses succeed or fail. People who study economics are called economists. Economists seek to answer important questions about how people, industries, and countries can maximize their productivity, create wealth, and maintain financial stability.Because the study of economics encompasses many factors that interact in complex ways, economists have different theories as to how people and governments should behave within markets. Adam Smith, known as the Father of Economics, established the first modern economic theory, called the Classical School, in 1776. Smith believed that people who acted in their own self-interest produced goods and wealth that benefited all of society. He believed that governments should not restrict or interfere in markets because they could regulate themselves and, thereby, produce wealth at maximum efficiency.Classical theory forms the basis of capitalism and is still prominent today. A second theory known as Marxism states that capitalism will eventually fail because factory owners and CEOs exploit labor to generate wealth for themselves. Karl Marx, the theory’s namesake, believed that such exploitation leads to social unrest and class conflict. To ensure social and economic stability, he theorized, laborers should own and control the means of production. While Marxism has been widely rejected in capitalistic societies, its description of capitalism’s flaws remains relevant.A more recent economic theory, the Keynesian School, describes how governments can act within capitalistic economies to promote economic stability. It calls for reduced taxes and increased government spending when the economy becomes stagnant, and increased taxes and reduced spending when the economy becomes overly active. This theory strongly influences U. S. economic policy today. As one can see, economics shapes the world. Through economics, people and countries become wealthy. Because buying and selling are activities vital to survival and success, studying economics can help one understand human thought and behavior.Branches of Economics Economics has two branches: microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics  is the branch of economics that deals with the personal decisions of consumers and entrepreneurs. Its primary concern is to help consumers and investors make their lives better by increasing their earnings and satisfying their needs despite limited resources. Also included in its study are the consumers' decisions on what products to buy and how the cost of commodities is determined. Macroeconomics  deals with the larger aspects of a nation's economy, such as the sectors of agriculture, industry, and service.It aims to (a) speed up the economy's growth rate and increase total production; (b) increase the rate of employment; (c) keep the prices of commodities stable so that they remain affordable; and (d) have sufficient reserves for foreign exchange for importing goods and paying off loans. Economists help in solving problems like unfair wages, rapid population growth, people migration to city centers, high crime incidence, and loss of human resources due to overseas migration. Economic Methodology What is the difference between positive and normative economics?Positive economics  is objective and fact based, while  normative economics  is subjective and value based. Positive economic statements do not have to be correct, but they must be able to be tested and proved or disproved. Normative economic statements are opinion based, so they cannot be proved or disproved. While this distinction seems simple, it is not always easy to differentiate between the positive and the normative. Many widely-accepted statements that people hold as fact are actually value based.For example, the statement, â€Å"government should provide basic healthcare to all citi zens† is a normative economic statement. There is no way to prove whether government â€Å"should† provide healthcare; this statement is based on opinions about the role of government in individuals' lives, the importance of healthcare and who should pay for it. The statement, â€Å"government-provided healthcare increases public expenditures† is a positive economic statement, because it can be proved or disproved by examining healthcare spending data in countries like  Canada  and  Britain  where the government provides healthcare.Disagreements over public policies typically revolve around normative economic statements, and the disagreements persist because neither side can prove that it is correct or that its opponent is incorrect. A clear understanding of the difference between positive and normative economics should lead to better policy making, if policies are made based on facts (positive economics), not opinions (normative economics). Nonetheless, numerous policies on issues ranging from international trade to  welfare  are at least partially based on normative economics.Deduction in Economics Deductive economics starts with a set of axioms about economies and how they work, and relies on these principles to explain individual cases or events. Supply and demand analysis, a staple in any introductory economics course, is an example of deductive reasoning because it involves a set of generally accepted principles about demand and supply. To summarize, deduction in economics starts with a generally accepted principle and proceeds to the specific. Induction in EconomicsInductive reasoning in economics does the reverse of deductive reasoning; namely, it begins with an individual problem or question and proceeds to form a general principle based on the evidence observed in the real world of economic activity. For example, an economist who asks if a government program of public works spending will stimulate a region's economy wi ll proceed to research the issue, collect and analyze data, and based on conclusions, form a general theory about the economic impact of fiscal policies. Classification of economic resources? here are two types of economic resources: a. Property resources b. human resources Human resources  is the set of individuals who make up the  workforce  of an  organization,  business sector  or an  economy. â€Å"Human capital† is sometimes used synonymously with human resources, although human capital typically refers to a more narrow view; i. e. , the knowledge the individuals embody and can contribute to an organization. Likewise, other terms sometimes used include â€Å"manpower†, â€Å"talent†, â€Å"labour†/†labor† or simply â€Å"people†. The Four Factors of Production in EconomicsLand Land refers to the natural resources that are available and used in the production of goods. For example, a heavy mining industry could not ex ist without the natural deposits of valuable minerals in the ground, while a thriving farming community would have a hard time surviving with poor soil and no rainfall. Labor Labor refers to the human inputs of work to produce the goods and services. For example, the training required for employees to successfully operate machines to produce cars would be considered as part of labor.In addition, the mental capacity to perform tasks and invent new products is also part of labor. The only human element not included in labor is entrepreneurship. Capital Capital refers to the tools and machines that are required for the production of the product. For example, when making cars, the capital would include the factory and all the machinery in the factory used in making the car. On a farm, the capital would include the tractors, harvesters and other equipment used to grow crops or raise livestock. EntrepreneurshipEntrepreneurship refers to the economic motivation for an individual to attempt to make a profit from an idea. For example, people may know how to build cars, machines may be available and the land for the factories for sale, but it takes an entrepreneur to put those factors together in an attempt to make a profit. Entrepreneurs put their own resources at stake by personally investing in the company. For example, a business owner is not paid an hourly wage like the people who work for her. Instead, her income depends on the success or failure of the business venture. production possibility curveA graphical  representation  of the alternative  combinations  of the  amounts  of two  goods  or  services  that an  economy  can  produce  by transferring  resources  from one  good  or  service  to the other. This  curve  helps in determining what  quantity  of a nonessential good or a service an economy can  afford  to produce without jeopardizing the  required  production  of an  essential good  or servi ce. Also calledtransformation curve. What are the three basic economic problems? the basic economic problem is the unlimited wants and needs of human which results to scarcity of resources. what are the needs? the needs are the things we must posses in order to survive like food,water, clothing,shelter. while the wants are those things that human would like to have in order to improve there status in life. we limited resources that'a why encounter this problem. the economic resources like land, labor,and capital which are the factors if production are insufficient to satisfy our needs and wants. All 3 problems are more clearly explained using a ppf/ppc: 1) What to produce: This problem is what should the  economy  produce in order to satisfy consumer wants (as seen by demand curves) as best as possible using the limited resources available.If a country produces goods in a way that maximises  consumer satisfaction  then the economy is allocatively efficient. 2) How to produce : This problem is how to combine production inputs to produce the goods decided in problem 1 as most efficiently as possible. An  economy  achieves productive efficiency if it produces goods using the least resources possible. A productively effiecient economy is represented by an economy that is able to produce a combination of goods on the actual curve of the PPF. 3) For whom to produce: Should the economy produce goods targetted towards those who have high incomes or those who have low incomes.What sort of demographic group should the goods in the economy that are produced be targetted towards? If the economy is addresses this problem then it has reached preto efficiency or pareto optimality. If all three problems are addressed at any one time then the economy has achieved static efficiency. If the economy achieves static efficiency over a period of time then it is dynamically efficient. All these problems are focused around the problem of unlimited wants and limited resource s. Where resources are the fators of production (such as labor, capital, technology, land.. ) which are used to produce the products that satisy the wants. conomic system An  organized  way in which a state or  nation  allocates  its  resources  and  apportions  goods and services  in the national  community. Types of Economic Systems â€Å"You can't always get what you want. † That's what the Rolling Stones sang, anyway (check it out: great song even if it's a bit before your time). And while Mick Jagger probably didn't have Econ 101 in mind, he managed to sum up perfectly the core concept underlying all economics. Scarcity  is the fundamental challenge confronting all individuals and nations. We all face limitations†¦ so we all have to make choices.We can't always get what we want. How we deal with these limitations—that is, how we prioritize and allocate our limited income, time, and resources—is the basic economic challenge that has confronted individuals and nations throughout history. But not every nation has addressed this challenge in the same way. Societies have developed different broad economic approaches to manage their resources. Economists generally recognize four basic types of economic systems—traditional, command, market, and mixed—but they don’t completely agree on the question of which system best addresses the challenge of scarcity.A  traditional economic system  is—here's a shocker—shaped by tradition. The work that people do, the goods and services they provide, how they use and exchange resources†¦ all tend to follow long-established patterns. These economic systems are not very dynamic—things don’t change very much. Standards of living are static; individuals don’t enjoy much financial or occupational mobility. But economic behaviors and relationships are predictable. You know what you are supposed to do, who you trade with , and what to expect from others. In many traditional economies, community interests take precedence over the individual.Individuals may be expected to combine their efforts and share equally in the proceeds of their labor. In other traditional economies, some sort of private property is respected, but it is restrained by a strong set of obligations that individuals owe to their community. Today you can find traditional economic systems at work among Australian aborigines and some isolated tribes in the Amazon. In the past, they could be found everywhere—in the feudal agrarian villages of medieval Europe, for example. In a  command economic system  or  planned economy, the government controls the economy.The state decides how to use and distribute resources. The government regulates prices and wages; it may even determine what sorts of work individuals do. Socialism  is a type of command economic system. Historically, the government has assumed varying degrees of cont rol over the economy in socialist countries. In some, only major industries have been subjected to government management; in others, the government has exercised far more extensive control over the economy. The classic (failed) example of a command economy was the communist Soviet Union. The collapse of the communist bloc in the late 1980s led to the emise of many command economies around the world; Cuba continues to hold on to its planned economy even today. In  market economies, economic decisions are made by individuals. The unfettered interaction of individuals and companies in the marketplace determines how resources are allocated and goods are distributed. Individuals choose how to invest their personal resources—what training to pursue, what jobs to take, what goods or services to produce. And individuals decide what to consume. Within a  pure market economy  the government is entirely absent from economic affairs.The United States in the late nineteenth century, at the height of the lassez-faire era, was about as close as we've seen to a pure market economy in modern practice. A  mixed economic system  combines elements of the market and command economy. Many economic decisions are made in the market by individuals. But the government also plays a role in the allocation and distribution of resources. The United States today, like most advanced nations, is a mixed economy. The eternal question for mixed economies is just what the right mix between the public and private sectors of the economy should be. Why It Matters TodayHalf of the twentieth century went down as a global battle between defenders of free markets (democratic capitalist nations, led by the United States) and believers in command economies (the communist bloc, led by the Soviet Union). The US and USSR never went to war against each other directly, but dozens of smaller (yet still tragic and significant) wars unfolded around the world as bitter fights over economic system s turned bloody. Korea, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Angola†¦ millions of people died in the various â€Å"hot† theaters of a Cold War fought to decide whether markets or states should control economic affairs.The great irony was that the Cold War finally ended not on a battlefield, but because the Soviet economy finally self-destructed by the late 1980s. For most of the world, the Soviet collapse proved that command economies were simply inferior to the market-dominated mixed economies of the capitalist world. Of course, China – still ruled politically by an authoritarian Communist Party, even though its economy is now more mixed if not exactly free – is now the biggest creditor nation to the United States. What are six major economic goals of a market economy? Freedom, efficiency, equality, stability, security, growth.The 6 Economic Goals Objectives: – Summarize the basic economic goals societies share 6 Economic Goals – Economic Efficie ncy – Making the most of resources – Societies must be efficient – Economic Freedom – Freedom from govt intervention in the production & distribution of G & S – Economic Security and Predictability – We want to know that G & S will be available (Paychecks too) – Safety Net- – govt programs that protect ppl experiencing unfavorable economic conditions 6 Economic Goals Cont. – Economic Equity – Fair distribution of wealth – Economic Growth and Innovation Innovation leads to growth, and economic growth leads to a higher standard living – Standard of Living- – level of economic prosperity – Other Goals – Environmental Protection, Consumer Safety Millennium Development Goals â€Å"MDG† redirects here. For other uses, see  MDG (disambiguation). The Millennium Development Goals are aUN  initiative. The  Millennium Development Goals  (MDGs) are eight  international devel opment  goals  that were officially established following theMillennium Summit  of the  United Nations  in 2000, following the adoption of the  United Nations Millennium Declaration.All 193 United Nations  member states  and at least 23  international organizations  have agreed to achieve these goals by the year 2015. The goals are: Eradicating  extreme poverty and hunger, Achieving  universal primary education, Promoting  gender equality  and  empowering  women, Reducing  child mortality  rates, Improving  maternal health, Combating  HIV/AIDS,  malaria, and other diseases, Ensuring environmental  sustainability, and Developing a global partnership for development. [1]Each of the goals has specific stated targets and dates for achieving those targets. To accelerate progress, the  G8  Finance Ministers agreed in June 2005 to provide enough funds to the  World Bank, the  International Monetary Fund  (IMF), and the  African Develo pment Bank  (AfDB) to cancel an additional $40 to $55  billion in debt owed by members of theHeavily Indebted Poor Countries  (HIPC) to allow impoverished countries to rechannel the resources saved from the forgiven debt to social programs for improving health and education and for alleviating poverty.Debate has surrounded adoption of the MDGs, focusing on lack of analysis and justification behind the chosen objectives, the difficulty or lack of measurements for some of the goals, and uneven progress towards reaching the goals, among other criticisms. Although developed countries' aid for achieving the MDGs has been rising over recent years, more than half the aid is towards debt relief owed by poor countries, with much of the remaining aid money going towards natural disaster relief and military aid which do not further development.Progress towards reaching the goals has been uneven. Some countries have achieved many of the goals, while others are not on track to realize any. A UN conference in September 2010 reviewed progress to date and concluded with the adoption of a global action plan to achieve the eight anti-poverty goals by their 2015 target date.There were also new commitments on women's and children's health, and new initiatives in the worldwide battle against poverty, hunger, and disease. Government organizations assist in achieving those goals, among them are the United Nations Millennium Campaign, the Millennium Promise Alliance, Inc. , the Global Poverty Project, the  Micah Challenge, The Youth in Action EU Programme, â€Å"Cartoons in Action† video project, and the 8 Visions of Hope global art project.

Financial Management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financial Management - Term Paper Example It is considered as the largest and leading company that brews perfected beer with a volume of 49.2% share of beer sales (Anheuser-Busch InBev, 2008). In terms of volume of brewing it was considered as third in the world’s leading distributors of beer before it was acquired by In Bev in 2008 July and the merger was completed in November 2008. Based on revenue it was considered as the top notch in its industry. It operates 12 branches (breweries) in the United States of America and 17 other branches overseas. The products best known are Budweiser, Busch, Michelob, Natural light, Ice. In Bev: In Bev on the other hand was the second largest brewery in the world. While its core business is beer, it also deals in the soft drink market as well. It is a merger of Am Bev and Interbrew. Its headquarters was in Leuven, Belgium where Anheuser Busch is now located. It had approximately 86,000 employees who managed the day to day activities like production and supply of finished products ( beer and soft drinks) around the world (Anheuser-Busch InBev, 2008). Before the merger with Am Bev, Interbrew was the third largest brewing company in the world by volume. In Bev had many operations in over 30 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia pacific. Description of merger The merger between Anheuser Busch and In Bev created the global leader in beer followed by SAB Miller Company. It is also one of the top five Companies that produce commercial products like beer. In Bev was the second largest brewer in the world while Anheuser Busch was the largest brewing Company in the United States of America and also had the highest revenue or returns in investment (Anheuser-Busch InBev, 2008). Type of merger: This merger is a vertical merger or acquisition due to the fact that Anheuser Busch and In Bev are in the same level of operation, production and organization. The two companies also produce similar products like Budweiser. In Bev and Anheuser Busch were in the same product ion level because they produced many beer types resulting in a vertical merger. The merger amid the 2 organizations is a responsive merger, acquisition, takeover because it has a situation in which a target company’s management and board of directors agree to be acquired by another Company. In this case In Bev taking over Anheuser Busch. Here a public offer of stock or cash was made by In Bev and the board of directors of Anheuser Busch Company was publicly approved the buyout terms. They may be subject to regulatory or shareholder approval. Competitors: The major competitors that Anheuser Busch in Bev faces are the following: - Carlsberg, Heineken, SAB Miller Carlsberg is the fourth largest Company in the world. They have major markets in Asia and Europe with Northern Europe acquiring the largest markets of beers produced by Carlsberg. Their products or brands are many, over 500 to be exact (McShane, Sampson and Restrepo, 2008). Carlsberg does not only deal with beer alone, it also deals in soft drinks like coca cola whose production occurs in Denmark and Finland. Beer and soft drinks are the major products that help Carlsberg in achieving their desired returns in investment thereby realizing their initial objectives. These are some of the factors that help this thriving Company attain the fourth position when it comes to production and supply of products around. Brands differ significantly in

Case Study - Veterans preference Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Study - Veterans preference - Essay Example ollowing the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 will be addressed as well with emphasis on its fiscal sustainability; additionally the civil issues involved will be addressed. (U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 2000 p 3) The United States Office of Personnel Management which has control over the hiring procedures of the entire United States Federal employment roster has sought to promote additional benefits for veterans through various legislative approaches as well as the use of studies. One report by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management showed that, â€Å"the percentage of veterans in the workforce represented by agencies in our sample ranged from a low of 8.4 percent to a high of 47 percent†¦Agencies with a low percentage were specifically clerical or science related while those with a high percentage were Department of Defense related.† (U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 2000 p 4) In another paper the case Massachusetts v. Feeney brought the challenge that it is unfair to others who may be better qualified than the veterans as a result of the use of the absolute point preference system which will always place a potentially low scoring veteran above a better scoring civilian candidate. â€Å"The lower court had found that the veterans’ preference served worthy and legitimate purposes†¦it had not been enacted specifically to discriminate against women.† (Browne, 1980 p 1118) The idea that was brought forth by the plaintiff in this case was that the congressional act allowing absolute preference was unfair to other potentially better qualified candidates. In looking at the approach currently taken by the various government agencies that are hiring regularly there is something to be said for that. In fact in many cases candidates with specific job experience and additional education are being turned down for less qualified veterans which while being the law currently, may not be an effective strategy in employment and would not work well

Strategic Management Businesss with Marketing Degree Assignment

Strategic Management Businesss with Marketing Degree - Assignment Example SWOT Analysis The primary strength of Virgin is its strong presence in the market. It could be realized that it’s the number one brand in UK with strong presence in Europe and US. In US is has performed while competition with the giants like Apple TV and Google TV. A growing tendency for consumers to access increasingly personalized on-demand content has spawned various devices and gadgets seeking to provide an integrated experience across a proliferating number of online and mobile platforms, has encouraged Virgin Media to come up with innovative technologies in the market with regard to media and communications. The company is the largest providers in UK in terms of residential broadband internet, TV and telephone services if compared by number of customers. (VMED Annual Report, 2010) Another Strength of VMED is its advanced and excellent Research & Development capability, efficient and effective supply chain, and mass production at a competitive production cost. These compe titive strategies of VMED have helped it to become a market leader in many products. In 2010, VMED launched TiVo set top boxes, thereby developing next generation set top boxes by partnering with TiVo Inc (VMED Annual Report, 2010). This was a shear display of Research initiatives of the company. With the use of technologies like e-commerce, the company had created an efficient supply chain which helps it with seamless flow of information and products among resources. Mass production done by VMED helps it achieve economies of scale thereby increasing operating profits of the company. The primary weakness of the company is that it is investing a lot of amount in restructure activities involving spin-off of certain subsidiaries and disposal of assets. In Jun-10, the company also sold British Sky Broadcasting as well as Kestrel Broadcasting as a part of its restructuring and disposal activities (VMED Annual Report, 2010). In the same year company also recognized impairment charges from such transactions. These activities may be beneficial for the long wrong if executed correctly but they reduce profit making capability of the company. The company should concentrate more on the activities involving expansion and research for innovative technologies. Another Weakness of VMED is its low market share in emerging economies. To be a cash cow for the future every technology company should be in search for opportunities in the emerging markets as they give the advantage of escalated growth compared to developed markets where growth stagnates after a point of time. It should be noted that VMED has a low presence in emerging economies e.g. India whilst many other companies like Apple and Sony are aggressively gaining market share in these countries. To retain market capitalization VMED needs to expand its operations aggressively to emerging countries. Primary opportunity for VMED is expanding into markets with the help of joint ventures, tie-up and agreement with other com panies. This would give VMED the advantage of achieving economies of scale and also act as a risk hedging activity while entering new markets. It could be realized from the fact that in 2009, VMED entered into patent cross license agreement with IBM (VMED Announcements, 2011). The Consumer Electronics Association, an industry trade group, expects US sales of connected TVs to grow from about 3.2

One HUndred Years of Solitude Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

One HUndred Years of Solitude - Essay Example Depicting seven generations of people, Marquez critically examines their values nad traditions as the main issues of culture and political life. For instance, the Macondoans' reactions are not merely inappropriate or out of proportion to the strangeness of the events, they are actually inverted. On the one hand, the gypsies flying carpet and Remedios the Beauty's ascension into heaven are regarded as normal everyday occur rences; on the other hand, the natural phenomenon of ice and the all-too-explicable massacre of demonstrators appear implausible, paranormal, too fantastic to be believed. Thus, in Macondo not only does the fantastic become banal but, by a kind of chiasmus, the banal also becomes fantastic. Neverthe less, the dialogue between the normal and the paranormal still continues in One Hundred Years of Solitude, although their relative positions have been reversed. The work is particularly relevant to fiction in that it reaches conclusions about the oppressive nature of mod ern society through direct confrontation with the ideology that formerly had been the inspiration for numerous political visions. Marquez uses satire and acute irony to unveil totalitarian traditions of his society.

Short answers Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Short answers - Research Paper Example This is illustrated by Phillips curve where as unemployment falls, inflation increases. The government should step in to solve unemployment problems according to Keynes. This is done through Central bank that ensures that there is more money in circulation (Froyen, 1995). The classical would advocate that the Federal Government supply money so as to match the rate of unemployment growth. If the two do not match, then there will be excess supply, which could be as a result of increased price of labour. In addition, the government should restrain from applying any stabilization measures (Tucker, 2011). Despite being expensive, the procedures employed by the United State drug and food administration are essential. This is to ensure that they are quality and fit for human consumption. The government can however, subsidize the prices so as to reduce their prices and be able to manage inflation (Harris, 2006). On the other hand, the government should not eliminate such requirements on hot dog content since it is not a basic need. A combination of fiscal and monetary policy should be employed in the current U.S. economy. Some of the fiscal policies include; government purchases and transfer payments. On the other hand, monetary policies such as Open Market Operation among others could be employed (Tucker,

Investigating the relationship between personality and Leadership Essay

Investigating the relationship between personality and Leadership - Essay Example One such example is application of the trait theory of personality to the leadership skills displayed by Jack Welch when he was the CEO of GE. The definition of personality as a group of traits owes a lot to Raymond Cattell who fully supported the idea of a personality being formed as a mixture of various elements (Statt, 2004). He presented sixteen different factors which affect human personality and considered them to be the source traits from which other traits were to be found in humans. The collection of these traits and the way a person responds to various situations creates a surface persona which we think of as the personality of an individual (Plucker, 2007). Cattell’s research shows us that personality plays a great role in how people react to situations and leaders are one group of people who often have to respond to changing situations on a rapid basis (Plucker, 2007). They may also have to guide and lead people towards a given goal, share their vision with the followers and motivate the followers when their intrinsic motivation is lacking. Such constructs of personality are certainly supported by research as well as business analysts of which Welch (2005) reports that leadership connects deeply with the personality of an individual. Leadership itself is a rather difficult term to define because many different philosophers, thinkers and even business professionals have give different meanings for it. However, the general directions given by analysts like Welch (2005), Byrne (1998) and Gardner (1995) have several common points with the definition given by House (2004) who states that the quality of leadership is, â€Å"The ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members (House, 2004, Pg. 15)†. With this definition, the importance of leadership in business can be fully understood if it is applied to the

Birch Paper Case Essay Example for Free

Birch Paper Case Essay The division cant very well show a profit by putting in bids that dont even cover a fair share of overheadcosts,let alone give us a profit. Birch Paper Company was a medium-sized,partly integrated paper company, producing white and kraft papers and paperboard. A portion of its paperboard output was converted into corrugated boxes by the Thompson Division, which also printed and colored the outside surface of the boxes. Including Thompson,the companyhad four producingdivisions and a timberland division, which supplied part of the companyspulp requirements. For severalyears, eachdivision had beenjudged independently on the basis of its profit and return on investment. Top managementhad been working to gain effectiveresults from a policy of decentralizing responsibility and authority for all decisionsexcept those relating to overall companypolicy. The companys top officials believed that in the past few years the concept of decentralization had been applied successfullyand that the companysprofits and competitive position definitely had improved. The Northern Division had designeda special display box for one of its papers in conjunction with the ThompsonDivision, which was equippedto make the box. Thompsonsstaff for packagedesign and developmentspent several months perfecting the design, production methods,and materials to be used. Becauseof the unusual color and shape, these were far from standard. According to an agreement between the two divisions, the Thompson Division was reimbursed by the Northern Division for the cost of its design and developmentwork. When all the specificationswere prepared,the Northern Division askedfor bids on the box from the ThompsonDivision and from two outside companies. Each division manager was normally free to buy from whatever supplier he wished, and evenon saleswithin the company, divisions were expectedto meet the going market price if they wanted the business. During this period, the profit margins of such converters as the Thompson Division were being squeezed. Thompson,as did many other similar converters,bought its paperboard,and its function was to print, cut, and shapeit into boxes. Though it bought most of its materials from other Birch divisions, most of Thompsonssaleswere made to outside customers. If Thompsongot the order from Northern, it probably would buy its linerboard and corrugating medium from the Southern Division of Birch. The walls of a corrugated box This case was prepared by William Rotch under the supervision of Neil Harlan, Harvard Business School. Copyright 158-001. by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Harvard Business School case i Case6-2 Birch PaperCompany 2 consist of outside and inside sheets of linerboard sandwiching the fluted corrugating medium. About 70 percent of Thompsons out-of-pocketcostof$400 for the order representedthe cost of linerboard and corrugating medium. Though Southern had beenrunning below capacity and had excess inventory, it quoted the market price, which had not noticeably weakenedas a result of the oversupply. Its out-of-pocket costs on both liner and corrugating medium were about 60 percent of the selling price. The Northern Division receivedbids on the boxesof $480 a thousand from the ThompsonDivision, $430 a thousand from West Paper Company,and $432 a thousand from Eire Papers,Ltd. Eire Papers offered to buy from Birch the outside linerboard with the specialprinting already on it, but would supply its own inside liner and corrugating medium. The outside liner would be supplied by the Southern Division at a price equivalent of $90 a thousand boxes,and it would be printed for $30 a thousand by the Thompson Division. Of the $30, about $25 would be out-of-pocketcosts. Since this situation appearedto be a little unusual, William Kenton, manager of the Northern Division, discussedthe wide discrepancy of bids with Birchs commercialvice president. He told the vice president:We sell in a very competitivemarket, where higher costscannot be passedon. How canwe be expectedto show a decent profit and return on investment if we have to buy our supplies at more than 10 percent over the going market? Knowing that Mr. Brunner on occasionin the past few months had beenunable to operate the Thompson Division at capacity,it seemedodd to the vice president that Mr. Brunner would add the full 20 percent overheadand profit chargeto his out-of-pocketcosts. When he was asked about this, Mr. Brunners answer was the statement that appears at the beginning of the case. He went on to say that having donethe developmentalwork on the box, and having receivedno profit on that, he felt entitled to a goodmarkup on the production of the box itself. The vice president explored further the cost structures of the various divisions. He remembereda comment that the controller had made at a meeting the week before to the effect that costs which were variable for one division could be largely fIXedfor the companyas a whole. He knew that in the absence of specific orders from top management Mr. Kenton would acceptthe lowest bid, which was that of the West Paper Companyfor $430. However,it would be possiblefor top managementto order the acceptance another bid if the situof ation warranted such action. And though the volume representedby the transactionsin questionwas less than 5 percent of the volume of any of the divisions involved, other transactions would conceivablyraise similar problemslater. Questions 1. Which bid should Northern Division acceptthat is in the best interests of Birch Paper Company? 2. Should Mr. Kenton acceptthis bid? Why or why not? 3. Should the vice president of Birch Paper Companytake any action? 4. In the controversydescribed,how,if at all, is the transfer price system dysfunctional? Doesthis problem call for somechange,or changes, the transin fer pricing policy of the overall firm? If so, what specific changesdo you suggest?

Summary of Chua Essay Example for Free

Summary of Chua Essay To change the emphasis of mainstream accounting research from hypothetico-deductivism and technical control assumptions to alternative views and obtain a fundamentally different and potentially rich research insights. Aim 1. To enable accounting researchers to self-reflect on the dominant assumptions that they share and, more importantly, the consequence of adopting this position. a. Limited the types of problems studied b. The use of research methods c. The possible research insights that could be obtained Author believes that such limitations can only become clear when they are exposed to the challenge of alternative world-views 2. To introduce such alternative set of assumptions, illustrate how they change both problem definition and solution, and offer research which is fundamentally different from that currently prevailing. 3. To argue that, not only are these alternative world-views different, they can potentially enrich and extend our understanding of accounting. Authors intended audience Positivist researchers, Public, Professionals, academics, All researchers Arguments presented to support main point Recent classifications of accounting perspectives Cooper (19830 ad Hopper ad Powel (1985) rely on the sociological work of Burrell and Morgan (1979) * Classification of accounting literature: 1. social sciences – includes assumptions about: * ontology of the social world (realism v. nominalism) * epistemology (positivism v. anti-positivism) * human nature (determinism v. voluntarism) * methodology (nomothetic v. ideographic) 2. society – characterizes it as orderly or subject to fundamental conflict Burell and Morgan (1979) Four paradigms used to classify accounting theories * Functionalist * Interpretive * Radical humanist Radical structuralist Problems persisted so accounting perspectives are differentiated with reference to underlying assumptions about knowledge, the empirical phenomena under study, and the relationship between theory and the practical world of human affairs. A classification of assumptions â€Å"knowledge is produced by people, for people, and is about people and their social and physical environm ent† Beliefs about knowledge Epistemological assumptions * Decide what to count about acceptable truth by specifying the criteria and process of assessing truth claims * E. . an epistemological assumption might state that a theory is considered true if it is repeatedly not falsifiable by empirical events Methodological assumptions * Indicate that research methods deemed appropriate for the gathering of valid evidence. * E. g. large-scale sample surveys or laboratory experiments that are â€Å"statistically sound† may be considered acceptable research methods. Both sets of assumptions are closely related. What is a â€Å"correct† research method will depend on how truth is defined. Belief about physical and social reality Ontology Object of Study * People may be viewed as identical to physical objects and be studied in the same manner * Criticism: people cannot be treated as natural scientific objects because they are self-interpretive beings who create the structures around them (Habermas, (1978) and winch (1958)) How people relate to one another and society as a whole * Every social theory makes assumptions about the nature of human society-is it, for example full of conflict or essentially stable and orderly Relationship between theory and practice Questions Purpose of knowledge in the world of practice, How may it be employed to better people’s welfare * Theory may be related to practice in several ways, each representing a particular value position on the part of the scientist (Fay (1975)). Unlike Burell and Morgan, this set of assumptions is used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of alternative perspectives in accounting. This is not an attempt to describe world-views in a value-free, non-evaluatory language

History of Makeup in Film

History of Makeup in Film Makeup has been around and enduring changes since 3100- 2907 BC. Men and women in Egypt started with creams to keep their skin soft and glowing. Soon other countries started created their own form of makeup. Makeup has been around for centuries and is still widely used today. The egyptians used dark green colors for eyeshadows and for mascara they would tint eyelashes with kohl. Sometimes they would use the kohl for eyeliner. This kohl was actually made from soot. In Rome they had the same ideas on how apply makeup but the ways they did it were dangerous. The Romans believed that to be rich your skin had to be pale. To achive this look they would use chalk and even white lead. Because these methods were so dangerous many women died due to lead poisoning it caused a lot of health problems such as hair loss,stomach problems and death. Eventually they started making makeup products from natural food ingredients. In the victorian era it was believed that if you were wearing makeup then you were a prostitutes or actresses. Any heavy makeup or even a slight color change in hair, they would be looked down upon. By this time makeup was evolving and people got tired of using harmful chemicals on their face. Women had stopped using kohl for their eyelashes and started using hot wax and other oils. Instead of using flour to powder noses Max Factor created a press powder around 1914. In film makeup actors would usually do their own makeup which caused them to just grab anything. Most of the products they used contained lead and mercury. To get the desired look they would use an extremely heavy grease paint that was pink in color to re correct the lighting from the film equipment. If the paint was applied to lightly the actors would look pale. To try to fight that they would also use black and red liners to try to hollow out their eyes. They would sweat under all of those stage lights and every mark on their face would show. Max Factor and George Westmore realized this was a problem so Max created a special kind of grease paint that was a lighter product. You were able to build it up to however thick you wanted to and it hardly showed any harsh lines. He would set that grease paint with his pancake makeup which was really his new pressed powder. They still used the red and black liners to hollow out their eyes. His pancake makeup was used in Vogues of 1938 and Goldwyns Follies. It was only used in movies but soon everyone was wearing it offscreen. Max Factor went on to create his beauty empire. He started making foundations, lipsticks, eyeshadows, cheek tints etc. George Westmore went from a wig maker to a makeup artist. George invented a lot of tips and tricks for cinema makeup. Even the invention of false lashes. George opened a tiny makeup studio in 1917. He had big clients like Mary Pickford. He actually found a way to fake her curls everyday. Film makeup has not changed. They use safer materials that have actually been tested. Also, they have also gotten more creative. For example they have been able to make rubber pieces to attach onto the skin and how to paint faces to look more like a character or a monster. Spirit gum was also introduced to the makeup world along with latex. The latex works great for making small wrinkles. Lon Chaney used to use wire and toilet paper to curve his nose up for one of his roles. It was a very dangerous way to curve his nose because the wire would make his nose bleed. The first time that horror makeup was used in a movie was Nov. 30th in 1925 with the Phantom of the Opera. In order to get the makeup effect, Lon Chaney would put his wig on along with a prosthetic piece for his forehead. He used black shadow for the underneath his eye to make it look like his eye was pulled down with a little bit of white on his bottom lash line to make the eye appear bigger. Also, he used a fish skin material and glued it down with spirit gum. They tried to glue his nose down with just spirit gum but it would always fall back down. They had wires running from his nose into his wig piece and the wire was secured with the fish skin. They also had little wires for his mouth. His face had little tiny wrinkles all over the place white and black makeup was used to make him look a bit deadish. Then the last step was to give him new teeth to complete the look. In 1935 The Bride of Frankenstein was the next movie to use special effects makeup. Normally actors would do their own makeup but for this movie they brought in a makeup artist named Jack P. Pierce. Jack created two scars under her chin that went into her hair. The scar making process took about an hour. They covered her face with foundation lipstick and false eyelashes. Then for her hair they just combed her hair upwards onto a little cage and added grey streaks. The creature of the Black Lagoon in 1954. The costume was made from molded rubber sponge. In 1973 The Exorcist used some sort of forehead piece. They covered up her eyebrows. Also, they used latex to create the cuts on her face and a little bit of bruise colors around her face to make her look possessed with the help of contacts. To create the vomit they used pea soup. In 1977 The Incredible Melting Man came out. For this makeup look they gave the actor an oversized helmet that they painted to look skeletal then with a flesh tone. Then they would put syrup and paint all over the mask. Each take they would have to apply more and more so it would look fresh. Next is Alien from 1979. For this movie they used a soft modeling material and snake vertebrates. Also, they used cooling tubes from a car. In 1984 Nightmare on Elm Street became popular because of Freddys burns across his face. To create these burns the makeup artist used individual pieces to lay on the actors face. First, he started off by securing a bald cap on with spirit gum then latex. Then had to block out the eyebrows and his beard with a glue stick so the prosthetic pieces would not get stuck to the hair when he glued them down. He put the head piece on first, then the neck piece, he would secure the face piece and then the chin piece. All together there was 11 pieces that were put on. The makeup took about three hours to put on and taking it off. When all of the edges were blended and secure he would go over all of the burns with red paint then very lightly with a white color. The face pieces were sculpted out of silicone so they wouldnt have to start from scratch each day. In 1990 Edward Scissorhands came out and they brought in a mechanic to work on his hands. For his makeup he has a pale shade on his face, the underneath of his eyes have dark bags and that can be done with just a black eyeshadow thats lightly dusted. For the cuts on his face a small layer of latex is all the sfx makeup this movie needed. In 2000 The X-Men was released. For Mystique they had a full body cast to sculpt the 110 pieces. About 60% of her body was covered in prosthetics. They did plaster casts of mostly all of the cast members. Also, they did casts for Wolverines hands. The makeup took around seven hours for just Mystique. 2004 Hellboy was released. The makeup for Hellboy took four hours. First they used all foam pieces. They applied his back piece and put it over his head to attach to his chest. The last pieces that were applied were the facial prosthetic pieces that only left his lower lip. He was then painted all red.They would attach the lower lip part right before they started filming so he could eat or drink. Special effects makeup has gotten more advanced as the time goes by. The artist now have the choice to make prosthetics to make their job easier. The variety of makeup choices are larger. For example airbrushing in now a possibility. Instead of having to hand paint all of the prosthetics, it takes less time to airbrush than to paint every individual piece. Once youre done airbrushing you can spend more time focusing on the more important details.

Human Rights Violations :: Human Rights Essays

Human Rights Violations in Afghanistan Since the departure of the Soviets from Afghanistan basic human rights of the Afghanistanis have not just been trampled on but summarily done away with. After the widespread destruction of the power struggle, the ruling party, the Taliban, have committed atrocities against the people of Afghanistan that few would believe still exist in the world today. Especially targeted are the Shiite minority and the women of Afghanistan. Despite every effort of the Taliban to limit reporters and documentation of the crimes being committed, there is tremendous information being made public worldwide. The violations present a unique situation in the world and command reaction from the world at large. http://www.tabloid.net/1999/01/21/taliban_990121.html : Tabloid news services - Kabul, Afghanistan What has become norm these to Afghanis are straight out of a horror movie for most of the civilized world. The Taliban regime has enacted their own form of justice under the banner of Islam. This news piece from the capital tells of a typical day of sentencing, severed hands and feet of thieves hanging in the busiest part of the town to serve as a warning to others. One of the most unique punishments is for the sodomists. The presumed guilty stands in front of a wall, which is bulldozed on him while a crowd watches. **http://my.rawa.org/rawa.html Rawa, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, was started under the Soviet rule. These women campaigned against the atrocities of the Soviets and brought to public view their heinous crimes. Since their departure this group has enlarged its scope to include resistance to the fundamentalists as well as the mistreatment of the women and girls of Afghanistan. The Taliban have been especially cruel towards women since they believe women should not be allowed to work or go to school. Women and girl who still pursue these goals are frequently stopped by the morality police and beaten or worse. The Rawa org. is doing an incredible job exposing these violation under their harsh circumstances. http://www.rawa.org/herat-p.htm In May of 1999, the Taliban suppressed a coup by the Iran backed Hezb-e-Wahdat(shiite group). After the confrontation, they thought it would be prudent to seek out all of the Hazaras Shiite minority living in Herat. The Taliban went on an armed house-to-house search of the entire town.

The High Price of In Vitro Fertilization :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The High Price of In Vitro Fertilization MAKE A DREAM COME TRUE. GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE! BE AN EGG DONOR. $6,500 STIPEND AND EXPENSES PAID. When twenty-year-old Maria Slone first saw the ad in her college newspaper, she remembers thinking, â€Å"Damn, that’s a lot of money!† She called up immediately, envisioning an egg-plucking process that would be as quick and effortless as sperm donation. Disappointingly, the receptionist at Woman to Woman Fertility Clinic didn’t give her the time of day, mostly because that was last spring and Maria wasn’t twenty-one yet, but also because she seemed a tad too money-hungry for the well-to-do clinic. Looking back, Maria smiles a little sheepishly. Now, one year later, and halfway through the process of donating her eggs to an infertile couple, she knows what she’s in for, both emotionally and physically. Already, she’s wrestled with the idea of selling her genetic material to strangers—she’s taking the unusual step of meeting with the couple who chose her genes from a stack of manila folders. And now she’s overcoming a lifelong abhorrence of needles by playing doctor—she’s injecting a syringe full of milk into a grapefruit, mentally bracing herself for the ovary-stimulating hormones she’ll inject into her own thighs and buttocks for ten days next month. But Maria’s taking both the emotional and physical sacrifices in stride because at the end of August—after ten or more of her eggs are retrieved from her ovaries—the Woman to Woman Fertility Clinic will cut her a $4,000 check. The payment promises a soothing aloe to Maria’s staggering list of financial woes: crushing legal fees, spiraling credit card debt, student loan payments, and a hankering for a liposuction procedure that could cost up to $4,000. Already, she spends long, hot Saturdays babysitting for a hyper five-year-old boy, and on weekdays leads troops of rowdy teenagers on tours through the State Capitol. Both jobs barely subsidize rent, groceries, and the weekend recreational pleasures that 21-year-old college students indulge in. That’s why, after being rebuffed once, Maria called again four months ago. The information packet came in the mail only three days after Maria dialed the 1-800 number. From the vital statistics she provided over the phone—blond hair, blue eyes—she was an instant hit. The receptionist at the fertility clinic made her voice buttery sweet, over-eager to please.

Deception Point Page 105

127 The Triton fell†¦ Michael Tolland staggered to his feet on the inclined deck and peered over the anchor spool at the frayed winch cable where the Triton used to hang. Wheeling toward the stern, he scanned the water. The Triton was just now emerging from under the Goya on the current. Relieved at least to see the sub intact, Tolland eyed the hatch, wanting nothing more than to see it open up and Rachel climb out unscathed. But the hatch remained closed. Tolland wondered if maybe she had been knocked out by the violent fall. Even from the deck, Tolland could see the Triton was riding exceptionally low in the water-far below its normal diving trim waterline. It's sinking. Tolland could not imagine why, but the reason at the moment was immaterial. I have to get Rachel out. Now. As Tolland stood to dash for the edge of the deck, a shower of machine-gun fire exploded above him, sparking off the heavy anchor spool overhead. He dropped back to his knees. Shit! He peered around the spool only long enough to see Pickering on the upper deck, taking aim like a sniper. The Delta soldier had dropped his machine gun while climbing into the doomed helicopter and Pickering had apparently recovered it. Now the director had scrambled to the high ground. Trapped behind the spool, Tolland looked back toward the sinking Triton. Come on, Rachel! Get out! He waited for the hatch to open. Nothing. Looking back to the deck of the Goya, Tolland's eyes measured the open area between his position and the stern railing. Twenty feet. A long way without any cover. Tolland took a deep breath and made up his mind. Ripping off his shirt, he hurled it to his right onto the open deck. While Pickering blew the shirt full of holes, Tolland dashed left, down the inclined deck, banking toward the stern. With a wild leap he launched himself over the railing, off the back of the ship. Arcing high in the air, Tolland heard the bullets whizzing all around him and knew a single graze would make him a shark feast the instant he hit the water. Rachel Sexton felt like a wild animal trapped in a cage. She had tried the hatch again and again with no luck. She could hear a tank somewhere beneath her filling with water, and she sensed the sub gaining weight. The darkness of the ocean was inching higher up the transparent dome, a black curtain rising in reverse. Through the lower half of the glass, Rachel could see the void of the ocean beckoning like a tomb. The empty vastness beneath threatened to swallow her whole. She grabbed the hatch mechanism and tried to twist it open one more time, but it wouldn't budge. Her lungs strained now, the dank stench of excess carbon dioxide acrid in her nostrils. Through it all, one recurring thought haunted her. I'm going to die alone underwater. She scanned the Triton's control panels and levers for something that could help, but all the indicators were black. No power. She was locked in a dead steel crypt sinking toward the bottom of the sea. The gurgling in the tanks seemed to be accelerating now, and the ocean rose to within a few feet of the top of the glass. In the distance, across the endless flat expanse, a band of crimson was inching across the horizon. Morning was on its way. Rachel feared it would be the last light she ever saw. Closing her eyes to block out her impending fate, Rachel felt the terrifying childhood images rushing into her mind. Falling through the ice. Sliding underwater. Breathless. Unable to lift herself. Sinking. Her mother calling for her. â€Å"Rachel! Rachel!† A pounding on the outside of the sub jolted Rachel out of the delirium. Her eyes snapped open. â€Å"Rachel!† The voice was muffled. A ghostly face appeared against the glass, upside down, dark hair swirling. She could barely make him out in the darkness. â€Å"Michael!† Tolland surfaced, exhaling in relief to see Rachel moving inside the sub. She's alive. Tolland swam with powerful strokes to the rear of the Triton and climbed up onto the submerged engine platform. The ocean currents felt hot and leaden around him as he positioned himself to grab the circular portal screw, staying low and hoping he was out of range of Pickering's gun. The Triton's hull was almost entirely underwater now, and Tolland knew if he were going to open the hatch and pull Rachel out, he would have to hurry. He had a ten-inch draw that was diminishing fast. Once the hatch was submerged, opening it would send a torrent of seawater gushing into the Triton, trapping Rachel inside and sending the sub into a free fall to the bottom. â€Å"Now or never,† he gasped as he grabbed the hatch wheel and heaved it counterclockwise. Nothing happened. He tried again, throwing all of his force into it. Again, the hatch refused to turn. He could hear Rachel inside, on the other side of the portal. Her voice was stifled, but he sensed her terror. â€Å"I tried!† she shouted. â€Å"I couldn't turn it!† The water was lapping across the portal lid now. â€Å"Turn together!† he shouted to her. â€Å"You're clockwise in there!† He knew the dial was clearly marked. â€Å"Okay, now!† Tolland braced himself against the ballast air tanks and strained with all his energy. He could hear Rachel below him doing the same. The dial turned a half inch and ground to a dead stop. Now Tolland saw it. The portal lid was not set evenly in the aperture. Like the lid of a jar that had been placed on crooked and screwed down hard, it was stuck. Although the rubber seal was properly set, the hatch-dogs were bent, meaning the only way that door was opening was with a welding torch. As the top of the sub sank below the surface, Tolland was filled with a sudden, overwhelming dread. Rachel Sexton would not be escaping from the Triton. Two thousand feet below, the crumpled fuselage of the bomb-laden Kiowa chopper was sinking fast, a prisoner of gravity and the powerful drag of the deepwater vortex. Inside the cockpit, Delta-One's lifeless body was no longer recognizable, disfigured by the crushing pressure of the deep. As the aircraft spiraled downward, its Hellfire missiles still attached, the glowing magma dome waited on the ocean floor like a red-hot landing pad. Beneath its three-meter-thick crust, a head of boiling lava simmered at a thousand degrees Celsius, a volcano waiting to explode. 128 Tolland stood knee-deep in water on the engine box of the sinking Triton and searched his brain for some way to save Rachel. Don't let the sub sink! He looked back toward the Goya, wondering if there were any way to get a winch connected to the Triton to keep it near the surface. Impossible. It was fifty yards away now, and Pickering was standing high on the bridge like a Roman emperor with a prime seat at some bloody Colosseum spectacle. Think! Tolland told himself. Why is the sub sinking? The mechanics of sub buoyancy were painfully simple: ballast tanks pumped full of either air or water adjusted the sub's buoyancy to move it up or down in the water. Obviously, the ballast tanks were filling up. But they shouldn't be! Every sub's ballast tanks were equipped with holes both topside and underneath. The lower openings, called â€Å"flooding holes,† always remained open, while the holes on top, â€Å"vent valves,† could be opened and closed to let air escape so water would flood in. Maybe the Triton's vent valves were open for some reason? Tolland could not imagine why. He floundered across the submerged engine platform, his hands groping one of the Triton's ballast trim tanks. The vent valves were closed. But as he felt the valves, his fingers found something else. Bullet holes. Shit! The Triton had been riddled with bullets when Rachel jumped in. Tolland immediately dove down and swam beneath the sub, running his hand carefully across the Triton's more important ballast tank-the negative tank. The Brits called this tank â€Å"the down express.† The Germans called it â€Å"putting on lead shoes.† Either way, the meaning was clear. The negative tank, when filled, took the sub down.