The Da Vinci Code Chapter 33-37

CHAPTER 33 Sophie's SmartCar tore through the diplomatic quarter, weaving past embassies and consulates, finally racing out a side street and taking a right turn back onto the massive thoroughfare of Champs-Elysees. Langdon sat white-knuckled in the passenger seat, twisted backward, scanning behind them for any signs of the police. He suddenly wished he had not decided to run. You didn't, he reminded himself. Sophie had made the decision for him when she threw the GPS dot out the bathroom window. Now, as they sped away from the embassy, serpentining through sparse traffic on Champs-Elysees, Langdon felt his options deteriorating. Although Sophie seemed to have lost the police, at least for the moment, Langdon doubted their luck would hold for long. Behind the wheel Sophie was fishing in her sweater pocket. She removed a small metal object and held it out for him. â€Å"Robert, you'd better have a look at this. This is what my grandfather left me behind Madonna of the Rocks.† Feeling a shiver of anticipation, Langdon took the object and examined it. It was heavy and shaped like a cruciform. His first instinct was that he was holding a funeral pieu – a miniature version of a memorial spike designed to be stuck into the ground at a gravesite. But then he noted the shaft protruding from the cruciform was prismatic and triangular. The shaft was also pockmarked with hundreds of tiny hexagons that appeared to be finely tooled and scattered at random. â€Å"It's a laser-cut key,† Sophie told him. â€Å"Those hexagons are read by an electric eye.† A key? Langdon had never seen anything like it. â€Å"Look at the other side,† she said, changing lanes and sailing through an intersection. When Langdon turned the key, he felt his jaw drop. There, intricately embossed on the center of the cross, was a stylized fleur-de-lis with the initials P. S. !† Sophie,† he said,† this is the seal I told you about! The official device of the Priory of Sion.† She nodded. â€Å"As I told you, I saw the key a long time ago. He told me never to speak of it again.† Langdon's eyes were still riveted on the embossed key. Its high-tech tooling and age-oldsymbolism exuded an eerie fusion of ancient and modern worlds. â€Å"He told me the key opened a box where he kept many secrets.† Langdon felt a chill to imagine what kind of secrets a man like Jacques Sauniere might keep. What an ancient brotherhood was doing with a futuristic key, Langdon had no idea. The Priory existed for the sole purpose of protecting a secret. A secret of incredible power. Could this key have something to do with it? The thought was overwhelming. â€Å"Do you know what it opens?† Sophie looked disappointed. â€Å"I was hoping you knew.† Langdon remained silent as he turned the cruciform in his hand, examining it. â€Å"It looks Christian,† Sophie pressed. Langdon was not so sure about that. The head of this key was not the traditional long-stemmed Christian cross but rather was a square cross – with four arms of equal length – which predated Christianity by fifteen hundred years. This kind of cross carried none of the Christian connotations of crucifixion associated with the longer-stemmed Latin Cross, originated by Romans as a torture device. Langdon was always surprised how few Christians who gazed upon† the crucifix† realized their symbol's violent history was reflected in its very name:† cross† and† crucifix† came from the Latin verb cruciare – to torture. â€Å"Sophie,† he said,† all I can tell you is that equal-armed crosses like this one are considered peaceful crosses. Their square configurations make them impractical for use in crucifixion, and their balanced vertical and horizontal elements convey a natural union of male and female, making them symbolically consistent with Priory philosophy.† She gave him a weary look. â€Å"You have no idea, do you?† Langdon frowned. â€Å"Not a clue.† â€Å"Okay, we have to get off the road.† Sophie checked her rearview mirror. â€Å"We need a safe place to figure out what that key opens.† Langdon thought longingly of his comfortable room at the Ritz. Obviously, that was not an option. â€Å"How about my hosts at the American University of Paris?† â€Å"Too obvious. Fache will check with them.† â€Å"You must know people. You live here.† â€Å"Fache will run my phone and e-mail records, talk to my coworkers. My contacts are compromised, and finding a hotel is no good because they all require identification.† Langdon wondered again if he might have been better off taking his chances letting Fache arrest him at the Louvre. â€Å"Let's call the embassy. I can explain the situation and have the embassy send someone to meet us somewhere.† â€Å"Meet us?† Sophie turned and stared at him as if he were crazy. â€Å"Robert, you're dreaming. Your embassy has no jurisdiction except on their own property. Sending someone to retrieve us would be considered aiding a fugitive of the French government. It won't happen. If you walk into your embassy and request temporary asylum, that's one thing, but asking them to take action against French law enforcement in the field?† She shook her head. â€Å"Call your embassy right now, and they are going to tell you to avoid further damage and turn yourself over to Fache. Then they'll promise to pursue diplomatic channels to get you a fair trial.† She gazed up the line of elegant storefronts on Champs-Elysees. â€Å"How much cash do you have?† Langdon checked his wallet. â€Å"A hundred dollars. A few euro. Why?† â€Å"Credit cards?† â€Å"Of course.† As Sophie accelerated, Langdon sensed she was formulating a plan. Dead ahead, at the end of Champs-Elysees, stood the Arc de Triomphe – Napoleon's 164-foot-tall tribute to his own military potency – encircled by France's largest rotary, a nine-lane behemoth. Sophie's eyes were on the rearview mirror again as they approached the rotary. â€Å"We lost them for the time being,† she said,† but we won't last another five minutes if we stay in this car.† So steal a different one, Langdon mused, now that we're criminals. â€Å"What are you going to do?† Sophie gunned the SmartCar into the rotary. â€Å"Trust me.† Langdon made no response. Trust had not gotten him very far this evening. Pulling back the sleeve of his jacket, he checked his watch – a vintage, collector's-edition Mickey Mouse wristwatch that had been a gift from his parents on his tenth birthday. Although its juvenile dial often drew odd looks, Langdon had never owned any other watch; Disney animations had been his first introduction to the magic of form and color, and Mickey now served as Langdon's daily reminder to stay young at heart. At the moment, however, Mickey's arms were skewed at an awkward angle, indicating an equally awkward hour. 2:51 A. M. â€Å"Interesting watch,† Sophie said, glancing at his wrist and maneuvering the SmartCar around the wide, counterclockwise rotary. â€Å"Long story,† he said, pulling his sleeve back down. â€Å"I imagine it would have to be.† She gave him a quick smile and exited the rotary, heading due north, away from the city center. Barely making two green lights, she reached the third intersection and took a hard right onto Boulevard Malesherbes. They'd left the rich, tree-lined streets of the diplomatic neighborhood and plunged into a darker industrial neighborhood. Sophie took a quick left, and a moment later, Langdon realized where they were. Gare Saint-Lazare. Ahead of them, the glass-roofed train terminal resembled the awkward offspring of an airplane hangar and a greenhouse. European train stations never slept. Even at this hour, a half-dozen taxi sidled near the main entrance. Vendors manned carts of sandwiches and mineral water while grungy kids in backpacks emerged from the station rubbing their eyes, looking around as if trying to remember what city they were in now. Up ahead on the street, a couple of city policemen stood on the curb giving directions to some co nfused tourists. Sophie pulled her SmartCar in behind the line of taxis and parked in a red zone despite plenty of legal parking across the street. Before Langdon could ask what was going on, she was out of the car. She hurried to the window of the taxi in front of them and began speaking to the driver. As Langdon got out of the SmartCar, he saw Sophie hand the taxi driver a big wad of cash. The taxi driver nodded and then, to Langdon's bewilderment, sped off without them. â€Å"What happened?† Langdon demanded, joining Sophie on the curb as the taxi disappeared. Sophie was already heading for the train station entrance. â€Å"Come on. We're buying two tickets on the next train out of Paris.† Langdon hurried along beside her. What had begun as a one-mile dash to the U. S. Embassy had now become a full-fledged evacuation from Paris. Langdon was liking this idea less and less. CHAPTER 34 The driver who collected Bishop Aringarosa from Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport pulled up in a small, unimpressive black Fiat sedan. Aringarosa recalled a day when all Vatican transports were big luxury cars that sported grille-plate medallions and flags emblazoned with the seal of the Holy See. Those days are gone.Vatican cars were now less ostentatious and almost always unmarked. The Vatican claimed this was to cut costs to better serve their dioceses, but Aringarosa suspected it was more of a security measure. The world had gone mad, and in many parts of Europe, advertising your love of Jesus Christ was like painting a bull's-eye on the roof of your car. Bundling his black cassock around himself, Aringarosa climbed into the back seat and settled in for the long drive to Castel Gandolfo. It would be the same ride he had taken five months ago. Last year's trip to Rome, he sighed. The longest night of my life. Five months ago, the Vatican had phoned to request Aringarosa's immediate presence in Rome. They offered no explanation. Your tickets are at the airport.The Holy See worked hard to retain a veil of mystery, even for its highest clergy. The mysterious summons, Aringarosa suspected, was probably a photo opportunity for the Pope and other Vatican officials to piggyback on Opus Dei's recent public success – the completion of their World Headquarters in New York City. Architectural Digest had called Opus Dei's building† a shining beacon of Catholicism sublimely integrated with the modern landscape,† and lately the Vatican seemed to be drawn to anything and everything that included the word† modern.† Aringarosa had no choice but to accept the invitation, albeit reluctantly. Not a fan of the current papal administration, Aringarosa, like most conservative clergy, had watched with grave concern as the new Pope settled into his first year in office. An unprecedented liberal, His Holiness had secured the papacy through one of the most controversial and unusual conclaves in Vatican history. Now, rather than being humbled by his unexpected rise to power, the Holy Father had wasted no time flexing all the muscle associated with the highest office in Christendom. Drawing on an unsettling tide of liberal support within the College of Cardinals, the Pope was now declaring his papal mission to be† rejuvenation of Vatican doctrine and updating Catholicism into the third millennium.† The translation, Aringarosa feared, was that the man was actually arrogant enough to think he could rewrite God's laws and win back the hearts of those who felt the demands of true Catholicism had become too inconvenient in a modern world. Aringarosa had been using all of his political sway – substantial considering the size of the Opus Dei constituency and their bankroll – to persuade the Pope and his advisers that softening the Church's laws was not only faithless and cowardly, but political suicide. He reminded them that previous tempering of Church law – the Vatican II fiasco – had left a devastating legacy: Church attendance was now lower than ever, donations were drying up, and there were not even enough Catholic priests to preside over their churches. People need structure and direction from the Church, Aringarosa insisted, not coddling and indulgence! On that night, months ago, as the Fiat had left the airport, Aringarosa was surprised to find himself heading not toward Vatican City but rather eastward up a sinuous mountain road. â€Å"Where are we going?† he had demanded of his driver. â€Å"Alban Hills,† the man replied. â€Å"Your meeting is at Castel Gandolfo.† The Pope's summer residence? Aringarosa had never been, nor had he ever desired to see it. In addition to being the Pope's summer vacation home, the sixteenth-century citadel housed the Specula Vaticana – the Vatican Observatory – one of the most advanced astronomical observatories in Europe. Aringarosa had never been comfortable with the Vatican's historical need to dabble in science. What was the rationale for fusing science and faith? Unbiased science could not possibly be performed by a man who possessed faith in God. Nor did faith have any need for physical confirmation of its beliefs. Nonetheless, there it is, he thought as Castel Gandolfo came into view, rising against a star-filled November sky. From the access road, Gandolfo resembled a great stone monster pondering a suicidal leap. Perched at the very edge of a cliff, the castle leaned out over the cradle of Italian civilization – the valley where the Curiazi and Orazi clans fought long before the founding of Rome. Even in silhouette, Gandolfo was a sight to behold – an impressive example of tiered, defensive architecture, echoing the potency of this dramatic cliff side setting. Sadly, Aringarosa now saw, the Vatican had ruined the building by constructing two huge aluminum telescope domes atop the roof, leaving this once dignified edifice looking like a proud warrior wearing a couple of party hats. When Aringarosa got out of the car, a young Jesuit priest hurried out and greeted him. â€Å"Bishop, welcome. I am Father Mangano. An astronomer here.† Good for you.Aringarosa grumbled his hello and followed his host into the castle's foyer – a wide- open space whose decor was a graceless blend of Renaissance art and astronomy images. Following his escort up the wide travertine marble staircase, Aringarosa saw signs for conference centers, science lecture halls, and tourist information services. It amazed him to think the Vatican was failing at every turn to provide coherent, stringent guidelines for spiritual growth and yet somehow still found time to give astrophysics lectures to tourists. â€Å"Tell me,† Aringarosa said to the young priest,† when did the tail start wagging the dog?† The priest gave him an odd look. â€Å"Sir?† Aringarosa waved it off, deciding not to launch into that particular offensive again this evening. The Vatican has gone mad.Like a lazy parent who found it easier to acquiesce to the whims of a spoiled child than to stand firm and teach values, the Church just kept softening at every turn, trying to reinvent itself to accommodate a culture gone astray. The top floor's corridor was wide, lushly appointed, and led in only one direction – toward a huge set of oak doors with a brass sign. BIBLIOTECA ASTRONOMICA Aringarosa had heard of this place – the Vatican's Astronomy Library – rumored to contain more than twenty-five thousand volumes, including rare works of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and Secchi. Allegedly, it was also the place in which the Pope's highest officers held private meetings†¦ those meetings they preferred not to hold within the walls of Vatican City. Approaching the door, Bishop Aringarosa would never have imagined the shocking news he was about to receive inside, or the deadly chain of events it would put into motion. It was not until an hour later, as he staggered from the meeting, that the devastating implications settled in. Six monthsfrom now! he had thought. God help us! Now, seated in the Fiat, Bishop Aringarosa realized his fists were clenched just thinking about that first meeting. He released his grip and forced a slow inhalation, relaxing his muscles. Everything will be fine, he told himself as the Fiat wound higher into the mountains. Still, he wished his cell phone would ring. Why hasn't the Teacher called me? Silas should have the keystone by now. Trying to ease his nerves, the bishop meditated on the purple amethyst in his ring. Feeling the textures of the mitre-crozier applique and the facets of the diamonds, he reminded himself that this ring was a symbol of power far less than that which he would soon attain. CHAPTER 35 The inside of Gare Saint-Lazare looked like every other train station in Europe, a gaping indoor- outdoor cavern dotted with the usual suspects – homeless men holding cardboard signs, collections of bleary-eyed college kids sleeping on backpacks and zoning out to their portable MP3 players, and clusters of blue-clad baggage porters smoking cigarettes. Sophie raised her eyes to the enormous departure board overhead. The black and white tabs reshuffled, ruffling downward as the information refreshed. When the update was finished, Langdon eyed the offerings. The topmost listing read: LYON – RAPIDE – 3:06 â€Å"I wish it left sooner,† Sophie said,† but Lyon will have to do.† Sooner? Langdon checked his watch 2:59 A. M. The train left in seven minutes and they didn't even have tickets yet. Sophie guided Langdon toward the ticket window and said,† Buy us two tickets with your credit card.† â€Å"I thought credit card usage could be traced by – â€Å"Exactly.† Langdon decided to stop trying to keep ahead of Sophie Neveu. Using his Visa card, he purchased two coach tickets to Lyon and handed them to Sophie. Sophie guided him out toward the tracks, where a familiar tone chimed overhead and a P. A. announcer gave the final boarding call for Lyon. Sixteen separate tracks spread out before them. In the distance to the right, at quay three, the train to Lyon was belching and wheezing in preparation for departure, but Sophie already had her arm through Langdon's and was guiding him in the exact opposite direction. They hurried through a side lobby, past an all-night cafe, and finally out a side door onto a quiet street on the west side of the station. A lone taxi sat idling by the doorway. The driver saw Sophie and flicked his lights. Sophie jumped in the back seat. Langdon got in after her. As the taxi pulled away from station, Sophie took out their newly purchased train tickets and tore them up. Langdon sighed. Seventy dollars well spent. It was not until their taxi had settled into a monotonous northbound hum on Rue de Clichy that Langdon felt they'd actually escaped. Out the window to his right, he could see Montmartre and the beautiful dome of Sacre-Coeur. The image was interrupted by the flash of police lights sailing past them in the opposite direction. Langdon and Sophie ducked down as the sirens faded. Sophie had told the cab driver simply to head out of the city, and from her firmly set jaw, Langdon sensed she was trying to figure out their next move. Langdon examined the cruciform key again, holding it to the window, bringing it close to his eyes in an effort to find any markings on it that might indicate where the key had been made. In the intermittent glow of passing streetlights, he saw no markings except the Priory seal. â€Å"It doesn't make sense,† he finally said. â€Å"Which part?† â€Å"That your grandfather would go to so much trouble to give you a key that you wouldn't know what to do with.† â€Å"I agree.† â€Å"Are you sure he didn't write anything else on the back of the painting?† â€Å"I searched the whole area. This is all there was. This key, wedged behind the painting. I saw the Priory seal, stuck the key in my pocket, then we left.† Langdon frowned, peering now at the blunt end of the triangular shaft. Nothing. Squinting, he brought the key close to his eyes and examined the rim of the head. Nothing there either. â€Å"I think this key was cleaned recently.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"It smells like rubbing alcohol.† She turned. â€Å"I'm sorry?† â€Å"It smells like somebody polished it with a cleaner.† Langdon held the key to his nose and sniffed. â€Å"It's stronger on the other side.† He flipped it over. â€Å"Yes, it's alcohol-based, like it's been buffed with a cleaner or – † Langdon stopped. â€Å"What?† He angled the key to the light and looked at the smooth surface on the broad arm of the cross. It seemed to shimmer in places†¦ like it was wet. â€Å"How well did you look at the back of this key before you put it in your pocket?† â€Å"What? Not well. I was in a hurry.† Langdon turned to her. â€Å"Do you still have the black light?† Sophie reached in her pocket and produced the UV penlight. Langdon took it and switched it on, shining the beam on the back of the key. The back luminesced instantly. There was writing there. In penmanship that was hurried but legible. â€Å"Well,† Langdon said, smiling. â€Å"I guess we know what the alcohol smell was.† Sophie stared in amazement at the purple writing on the back of the key. 24 Rue Haxo An address! My grandfather wrote down an address! â€Å"Where is this?† Langdon asked. Sophie had no idea. Facing front again, she leaned forward and excitedly asked the driver,†Connaissez-vous la Rue Haxo?† The driver thought a moment and then nodded. He told Sophie it was out near the tennis stadium on the western outskirts of Paris. She asked him to take them there immediately. â€Å"Fastest route is through Bois de Boulogne,† the driver told her in French. â€Å"Is that okay?† Sophie frowned. She could think of far less scandalous routes, but tonight she was not going to be picky. â€Å"Oui.† We can shock the visiting American. Sophie looked back at the key and wondered what they would possibly find at 24 Rue Haxo. A church? Some kind of Priory headquarters? Her mind filled again with images of the secret ritual she had witnessed in the basement grotto ten years ago, and she heaved a long sigh. â€Å"Robert, I have a lot of things to tell you.† She paused, locking eyes with him as the taxi raced westward. â€Å"But first I want you to tell me everything you know about this Priory of Sion.† CHAPTER 36 Outside the Salle des Etats, Bezu Fache was fuming as Louvre warden Grouard explained how Sophie and Langdon had disarmed him. Why didn't you just shoot the blessed painting! â€Å"Captain?† Lieutenant Collet loped toward them from the direction of the command post. â€Å"Captain, I just heard. They located Agent Neveu's car.† â€Å"Did she make the embassy?† â€Å"No. Train station. Bought two tickets. Train just left.† Fache waved off warden Grouard and led Collet to a nearby alcove, addressing him in hushed tones. â€Å"What was the destination?† â€Å"Lyon.† â€Å"Probably a decoy.† Fache exhaled, formulating a plan. â€Å"Okay, alert the next station, have the train stopped and searched, just in case. Leave her car where it is and put plainclothes on watch in case they try to come back to it. Send men to search the streets around the station in case they fled on foot. Are buses running from the station?† â€Å"Not at this hour, sir. Only the taxi queue.† â€Å"Good. Question the drivers. See if they saw anything. Then contact the taxi company dispatcher with descriptions. I'm calling Interpol.† Collet looked surprised. â€Å"You're putting this on the wire?† Fache regretted the potential embarrassment, but he saw no other choice. Close the net fast, and close it tight. The first hour was critical. Fugitives were predictable the first hour after escape. They always needed the same thing. Travel.Lodging.Cash.The Holy Trinity. Interpol had the power to make all three disappear in the blink of an eye. By broadcast-faxing photos of Langdon and Sophie to Paris travel authorities, hotels, and banks, Interpol would leave no options – no way to leave the city, no place to hide, and no way to withdraw cash without being recognized. Usually, fugitives panicked on the street and did something stupid. Stole a car. Robbed a store. Used a bank card in desperation. Whatever mistake they committed, they quickly made their whereabouts known to local authorities. â€Å"Only Langdon, right?† Collet said. â€Å"You're not flagging Sophie Neveu. She's our own agent.† â€Å"Of course I'm flagging her!† Fache snapped. â€Å"What good is flagging Langdon if she can do all his dirty work? I plan to run Neveu's employment file – friends, family, personal contacts – anyone she might turn to for help. I don't know what she thinks she's doing out there, but it's going to cost her one hell of a lot more than her job!† â€Å"Do you want me on the phones or in the field?† â€Å"Field. Get over to the train station and coordinate the team. You've got the reins, but don't make a move without talking to me.† â€Å"Yes, sir.† Collet ran out. Fache felt rigid as he stood in the alcove. Outside the window, the glass pyramid shone, its reflection rippling in the windswept pools. They slipped through my fingers.He told himself to relax. Even a trained field agent would be lucky to withstand the pressure that Interpol was about to apply. A female cryptologist and a schoolteacher? They wouldn't last till dawn. CHAPTER 37 The heavily forested park known as the Bois de Boulogne was called many things, but the Parisian cognoscenti knew it as† the Garden of Earthly Delights.† The epithet, despite sounding flattering, was quite to the contrary. Anyone who had seen the lurid Bosch painting of the same name understood the jab; the painting, like the forest, was dark and twisted, a purgatory for freaks and fetishists. At night, the forest's winding lanes were lined with hundreds of glistening bodies for hire, earthly delights to satisfy one's deepest unspoken desires – male, female, and everything in between. As Langdon gathered his thoughts to tell Sophie about the Priory of Sion, their taxi passed through the wooded entrance to the park and began heading west on the cobblestone cross fare. Langdon was having trouble concentrating as a scattering of the park's nocturnal residents were already emerging from the shadows and flaunting their wares in the glare of the headlights. Ahead, two topless teenage girls shot smoldering gazes into the taxi. Beyond them, a well-oiled black man in a G-string turned and flexed his buttocks. Beside him, a gorgeous blond woman lifted her miniskirt to reveal that she was not, in fact, a woman. Heaven help me! Langdon turned his gaze back inside the cab and took a deep breath. â€Å"Tell me about the Priory of Sion,† Sophie said. Langdon nodded, unable to imagine a less congruous a backdrop for the legend he was about to tell. He wondered where to begin. The brotherhood's history spanned more than a millennium†¦ an astonishing chronicle of secrets, blackmail, betrayal, and even brutal torture at the hands of an angry Pope. â€Å"The Priory of Sion,† he began,† was founded in Jerusalem in 1099 by a French king named Godefroi de Bouillon, immediately after he had conquered the city.† Sophie nodded, her eyes riveted on him.† King Godefroi was allegedly the possessor of a powerful secret – a secret that had been in his family since the time of Christ. Fearing his secret might be lost when he died, he founded a secret brotherhood – the Priory of Sion – and charged them with protecting his secret by quietly passing it on from generation to generation. During their years in Jerusalem, the Priory learned of a stash of hidden documents buried beneath the ruins of Herod's temple, which had been built atop the earlier ruins of Solomon's Temple. These documents, they believed, corroborated Godefroi's powerful secret and were so explosive in nature that the Church would stop at nothing to get them.† Sophie looked uncertain. â€Å"The Priory vowed that no matter how long it took, these documents must be recovered from the rubble beneath the temple and protected forever, so the truth would never die. In order to retrieve the documents from within the ruins, the Priory created a military arm – a group of nine knights called the Order of the Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon.† Langdon paused. â€Å"More commonly known as the Knights Templar.† Sophie glanced up with a surprised look of recognition. Langdon had lectured often enough on the Knights Templar to know that almost everyone on earth had heard of them, at least abstractedly. For academics, the Templars' history was a precarious world where fact, lore, and misinformation had become so intertwined that extracting a pristine truth was almost impossible. Nowadays, Langdon hesitated even to mention the Knights Templar while lecturing because it invariably led to a barrage of convoluted inquiries into assorted conspiracy theories. Sophie already looked troubled. â€Å"You're saying the Knights Templar were founded by the Priory of Sion to retrieve a collection of secret documents? I thought the Templars were created to protect the Holy Land.† â€Å"A common misconception. The idea of protection of pilgrims was the guise under which the Templars ran their mission. Their true goal in the Holy Land was to retrieve the documents from beneath the ruins of the temple.† â€Å"And did they find them?† Langdon grinned. â€Å"Nobody knows for sure, but the one thing on which all academics agree is this: The Knights discovered something down there in the ruins†¦ something that made them wealthy and powerful beyond anyone's wildest imagination.† Langdon quickly gave Sophie the standard academic sketch of the accepted Knights Templar history, explaining how the Knights were in the Holy Land during the Second Crusade and told King Baldwin II that they were there to protect Christian pilgrims on the roadways. Although unpaid and sworn to poverty, the Knights told the king they required basic shelter and requested his permission to take up residence in the stables under the ruins of the temple. King Baldwin granted the soldiers' request, and the Knights took up their meager residence inside the devastated shrine. The odd choice of lodging, Langdon explained, had been anything but random. The Knights believed the documents the Priory sought were buried deep under the ruins – beneath the Holy of Holies, a sacred chamber where God Himself was believed to reside. Literally, the very center of the Jewish faith. For almost a decade, the nine Knights lived in the ruins, excavating in total secrecy through solid rock. Sophie looked over. â€Å"And you said they discovered something?† â€Å"They certainly did,† Langdon said, explaining how it had taken nine years, but the Knights had finally found what they had been searching for. They took the treasure from the temple and traveled to Europe, where their influence seemed to solidify overnight. Nobody was certain whether the Knights had blackmailed the Vatican or whether the Church simply tried to buy the Knights' silence, but Pope Innocent II immediately issued an unprecedented papal bull that afforded the Knights Templar limitless power and declared them† a law unto themselves† – an autonomous army independent of all interference from kings and prelates, both religious and political. With their new carte blanche from the Vatican, the Knights Templar expanded at a staggering rate, both in numbers and political force, amassing vast estates in over a dozen countries. They began extending credit to bankrupt royals and charging interest in return, thereby establishing modern banking and broadening their wealth and influence still further. By the 1300s, the Vatican sanction had helped the Knights amass so much power that Pope Clement V decided that something had to be done. Working in concert with France's King Philippe IV, the Pope devised an ingeniously planned sting operation to quash the Templars and seize their treasure, thus taking control of the secrets held over the Vatican. In a military maneuver worthy of the CIA, Pope Clement issued secret sealed orders to be opened simultaneously by his soldiers all across Europe on Friday, October 13 of 1307. At dawn on the thirteenth, the documents were unsealed and their appalling contents revealed. Clement's letter claimed that God had visited him in a vision and warned him that the Knights Templar were heretics guilty of devil worship, homosexuality, defiling the cross, sodomy, and other blasphemous behavior. Pope Clement had been asked by God to cleanse the earth by rounding up all the Knights and torturing them until they confessed their crimes against God. Clement's Machiavellian operation came off with clockwork precision. On that day, countless Knights were captured, tortured mercilessly, and finally burned at the stake as heretics. Echoes of the tragedy still resonated in modern culture; to this day, Friday the thirteenth was considered unlucky. Sophie looked confused. â€Å"The Knights Templar were obliterated? I thought fraternities of Templars still exist today?† â€Å"They do, under a variety of names. Despite Clement's false charges and best efforts to eradicate them, the Knights had powerful allies, and some managed to escape the Vatican purges. The Templars' potent treasure trove of documents, which had apparently been their source of power, was Clement's true objective, but it slipped through his fingers. The documents had long since been entrusted to the Templars' shadowy architects, the Priory of Sion, whose veil of secrecy had kept them safely out of range of the Vatican's onslaught. As the Vatican closed in, the Priory smuggled their documents from a Paris preceptory by night onto Templar ships in La Rochelle.† â€Å"Where did the documents go?† Langdon shrugged. â€Å"That mystery's answer is known only to the Priory of Sion. Because the documents remain the source of constant investigation and speculation even today, they are believed to have been moved and rehidden several times. Current speculation places the documents somewhere in the United Kingdom.† Sophie looked uneasy. â€Å"For a thousand years,† Langdon continued,† legends of this secret have been passed on. The entire collection of documents, its power, and the secret it reveals have become known by a single name – Sangreal. Hundreds of books have been written about it, and few mysteries have caused as much interest among historians as the Sangreal.† â€Å"The Sangreal? Does the word have anything to do with the French word sang or Spanish sangre – meaning ‘blood'?† Langdon nodded. Blood was the backbone of the Sangreal, and yet not in the way Sophie probably imagined. â€Å"The legend is complicated, but the important thing to remember is that the Priory guards the proof, and is purportedly awaiting the right moment in history to reveal the truth.† â€Å"What truth? What secret could possibly be that powerful?† Langdon took a deep breath and gazed out at the underbelly of Paris leering in the shadows.† Sophie, the word Sangreal is an ancient word. It has evolved over the years into another term†¦ a more modern name.† He paused. â€Å"When I tell you it's modern name, you'll realize you already know a lot about it. In fact, almost everyone on earth has heard the story of the Sangreal.† Sophie looked skeptical. â€Å"I've never heard of it.† â€Å"Sure you have.† Langdon smiled. â€Å"You're just used to hearing it called by the name ‘Holy Grail. ‘†

Media Studies

April 5, 2013Unit 3 – Lesson 14 – Key Question #30Keitlin Okell In today’s society the media can portray different â€Å"groups† in certain ways towards society. One of these groups are teenagers; the realities that are portrayed within this specific group can be very misunderstood or very accurate depending on what is â€Å"seen† and â€Å"not seen†, values are also constructed within the media around us as teenagers not valuing what was valued in the past generations.Finally with the different media surrounding everyone’s lives, the commercial factors do influence the media with the â€Å"teenager† topic with giving teenagers a bad image sometimes but however the commercial factors can give a positive look on teenagers. If people were asked what their first thoughts of when they heard the word â€Å"teenager†, the first thoughts that come to their mind will probably shock you, with it being; negative, wild, irresponsibl e, immortal, violent, monsters, etc. These type of thoughts that are constructed about teenagers come from the media and what is â€Å"seen† and â€Å"not seen†.What is seen in the media the â€Å"glamorous† lifestyles of teenagers that go out to drink, party, abuse alcohol and drugs, deal with violence, and other inappropriate actions; all these actions are shown within movies, TV shows (reality or not), newspaper and even music. An example is the movie â€Å"Mean Girls†, this movie is about cliches, and how the high school life â€Å"is†, with the lies, sex, drinking, and not showing the positives of being a teenager and the difficulties that every teenager goes through. The media doesn’t show the hard part of being a teenager such as being bullied, exams, stress and insecurities.Also what is not shown within the media about teenagers is that they do care about politics, society’s issues, the environment, volunteering, their school work and other positive activities. Realistic wise, the media over exaggerates the topic of being a teenager because the media thrives on scandals even if that includes over reacting the â€Å"life of a teenager†; this is to get the audiences reaction, awareness and entertainment all at once. The values that are represented about teenagers are right but are also wrong.The negative values that are represented for teenagers is that they don’t care about â€Å"anything†, self-discipline, self- control is not as important as it was before. Teenage girls seem to be known to have the values of â€Å"teenage pregnancy†, while other teenagers have values of smoking weed, drinking, having a good time rather than having a good education, a future and moral values that will be needed to everyday life. On the other hand the positive values that are shown about teenagers are their families, education, respecting ourselves including our bodies, and some people might th ink this is bad but it could be a good thing, technology.Technology is growing every day and affecting everybody’s lives one way or another so the opinion that the teenager values technology all depends on the person’s thoughts. The social consequences of media portraying teenagers in this manner is that teenagers get a bad â€Å"image† and when someone sees a teenager now a days they will think they are up to no good, having no hope for the future generations including us and the generation after us. Teenagers have this â€Å"bad image† of being irresponsible, untrusted, and just unappreciated takes a toll on someone and they can act out and do the actions everybody expects them to do.Also what could happen is that with such a high expectation for somebody it can just be too much for that one person and that is where more problems can appear. Other social consequences that the media can contribute to is when on the TV, teenagers see these celebrities eat so much but yet have those â€Å"perfect† bodies that everybody seem to want, having commercials with models that look flawless when in reality they don’t look like that but of course the media doesn’t tell the audience that.The final discussion I want to talk about is the commercial factors that influence the media; the media mostly shows a Caucasian attractive person who is very confident and it seems to be that this â€Å"person† is in every TV show, commercial, movie, etc. The commercials that are shown in today’s society vary different objectives in the audience in what they want to sell or promote, it can be from a new smartphone (new technology) to a campaign about stopping bullying. The media is influencing the commercial factors by showing the audience of what â€Å"teenagers want† and what â€Å"teenagers need† as in help having a voice in bullying for example.The commercials can either show a positive look on teenagers or a negative look, normally the media has a little of both and that can influence a teenager either in a good way or bad. For example you see commercials that set awareness of drinking and driving or texting and driving giving teenagers a new outlook of what could possibly happen if they do these actions which in this case will leave a positive influence on teenagers in making the right choice. Commercial factors can influence teenagers, but in the end it all depends on the eenager and their thoughts and values. In the end, media does influence teenagers as it also portrays a good and bad image even if it’s realistic or not. The media has two sides of this, the â€Å"seen† and the â€Å"not seen† realities of teenagers, the values can be depicted by the audience if the teenagers values are true or not. The social consequences can vary but can be very serious with the media surrounding everybody every day and with the commercial factors that are also influenced by the media the teenager topic can either be looked at in a positive way or negative. Media Studies April 5, 2013Unit 3 – Lesson 14 – Key Question #30Keitlin Okell In today’s society the media can portray different â€Å"groups† in certain ways towards society. One of these groups are teenagers; the realities that are portrayed within this specific group can be very misunderstood or very accurate depending on what is â€Å"seen† and â€Å"not seen†, values are also constructed within the media around us as teenagers not valuing what was valued in the past generations.Finally with the different media surrounding everyone’s lives, the commercial factors do influence the media with the â€Å"teenager† topic with giving teenagers a bad image sometimes but however the commercial factors can give a positive look on teenagers. If people were asked what their first thoughts of when they heard the word â€Å"teenager†, the first thoughts that come to their mind will probably shock you, with it being; negative, wild, irresponsibl e, immortal, violent, monsters, etc. These type of thoughts that are constructed about teenagers come from the media and what is â€Å"seen† and â€Å"not seen†.What is seen in the media the â€Å"glamorous† lifestyles of teenagers that go out to drink, party, abuse alcohol and drugs, deal with violence, and other inappropriate actions; all these actions are shown within movies, TV shows (reality or not), newspaper and even music. An example is the movie â€Å"Mean Girls†, this movie is about cliches, and how the high school life â€Å"is†, with the lies, sex, drinking, and not showing the positives of being a teenager and the difficulties that every teenager goes through. The media doesn’t show the hard part of being a teenager such as being bullied, exams, stress and insecurities.Also what is not shown within the media about teenagers is that they do care about politics, society’s issues, the environment, volunteering, their school work and other positive activities. Realistic wise, the media over exaggerates the topic of being a teenager because the media thrives on scandals even if that includes over reacting the â€Å"life of a teenager†; this is to get the audiences reaction, awareness and entertainment all at once. The values that are represented about teenagers are right but are also wrong.The negative values that are represented for teenagers is that they don’t care about â€Å"anything†, self-discipline, self- control is not as important as it was before. Teenage girls seem to be known to have the values of â€Å"teenage pregnancy†, while other teenagers have values of smoking weed, drinking, having a good time rather than having a good education, a future and moral values that will be needed to everyday life. On the other hand the positive values that are shown about teenagers are their families, education, respecting ourselves including our bodies, and some people might th ink this is bad but it could be a good thing, technology.Technology is growing every day and affecting everybody’s lives one way or another so the opinion that the teenager values technology all depends on the person’s thoughts. The social consequences of media portraying teenagers in this manner is that teenagers get a bad â€Å"image† and when someone sees a teenager now a days they will think they are up to no good, having no hope for the future generations including us and the generation after us. Teenagers have this â€Å"bad image† of being irresponsible, untrusted, and just unappreciated takes a toll on someone and they can act out and do the actions everybody expects them to do.Also what could happen is that with such a high expectation for somebody it can just be too much for that one person and that is where more problems can appear. Other social consequences that the media can contribute to is when on the TV, teenagers see these celebrities eat so much but yet have those â€Å"perfect† bodies that everybody seem to want, having commercials with models that look flawless when in reality they don’t look like that but of course the media doesn’t tell the audience that.The final discussion I want to talk about is the commercial factors that influence the media; the media mostly shows a Caucasian attractive person who is very confident and it seems to be that this â€Å"person† is in every TV show, commercial, movie, etc. The commercials that are shown in today’s society vary different objectives in the audience in what they want to sell or promote, it can be from a new smartphone (new technology) to a campaign about stopping bullying. The media is influencing the commercial factors by showing the audience of what â€Å"teenagers want† and what â€Å"teenagers need† as in help having a voice in bullying for example.The commercials can either show a positive look on teenagers or a negative look, normally the media has a little of both and that can influence a teenager either in a good way or bad. For example you see commercials that set awareness of drinking and driving or texting and driving giving teenagers a new outlook of what could possibly happen if they do these actions which in this case will leave a positive influence on teenagers in making the right choice. Commercial factors can influence teenagers, but in the end it all depends on the eenager and their thoughts and values. In the end, media does influence teenagers as it also portrays a good and bad image even if it’s realistic or not. The media has two sides of this, the â€Å"seen† and the â€Å"not seen† realities of teenagers, the values can be depicted by the audience if the teenagers values are true or not. The social consequences can vary but can be very serious with the media surrounding everybody every day and with the commercial factors that are also influenced by the media the teenager topic can either be looked at in a positive way or negative.

How I Spent My Holiday

How you spent your last holiday During my last school holidays, I spent a few days at my cousin’s house at Morib, a well-known sea resort. I shall never forget that visit. On the day I arrived at Morib, my cousin told me that he would do to make my stay there a very interesting one. He said that he would make a raft to use it in the sea. Then he would buy fishing net to catch some fish in the shallow water near the coast. When I heard all this, I was very delighted because it was one of the reasons that I had decided to visit my cousin.We then walked up to the beach which is near his house. While we were there, sometime in the evening, the sea looked extremely beautiful. I saw the islands and hills in the distance, the birds in the air, and a few boys and girls playing on the beach. I also saw some fishermen coming out of the water with their catch. All this was indeed very interesting to look at. On the next day, my cousin and I collected some tree trunks from the forest near by. As my cousin’s house is close to the sea, we decided to make the raft on the beach itself.It took us almost the whole morning to make the raft. We then had our lunch and went to Banting, the nearest town, to buy fishing net. After that we returned to my cousin’s house. In the evening we put the raft on the sea. The water was still high, but the raft floated quite well. My cousin and I sat on it and began to row it by using the oars that we had made ourselves. We felt very happy indeed and continued to row it. We remained on it for a long time, but as it was already getting dark we did not go far.We returned to the shore and tied the raft to a tree. On the next day, we went out to catch some crabs and fish. We used the net that we had bought and caught a lot of fish. Then, we had our lunch and went out again on the raft. We continued to row it as far as we could. It was really a pleasure to be away from the shore. The sea was calm and we could row with ease. My cous in told me many interesting things about Morib. We then returned to the shore. In this way, I spent my holidays happily at Morib, a place I shall never forget.

Accounts Report for JT Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Accounts Report for JT Engineering - Essay Example Net profit margin, on the other hand analyzes the profitability of the company before deducting the taxation and finance charges from the earningsThe statement of financial position tells the shareholder above the financial outlook of a company and the status of the assets and liabilities. Statement of financial position is usually divided into three parts, Assets, Liabilities and Shareholder equity. Assets are further divided into non-current assets and current assets whereas liabilities are divided in to non-current and current as well. Usually a company which has higher assets base and positive equity portrays stronger and better financial outlook. From shareholder’s perspective, the statement of financial position is very important as it guides them to take important decision pertaining to the investment in the shares of the company.Non-current assets are those which are held by entity for a longer period of time and maturity or the useful life of these assets are usually more than one year. Example of non-current assets would be Property, Plant and Equipment, Deferred acquisition cost and loans and advances given

Factory Girls Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Factory Girls - Essay Example Having read and comprehended Leslie T. Chang’s Factory Girls, I would like to categorically state that the decision of the girls to relocate from the village to the urban centers was a sign of progress. However, challenging it was, it put them in the right path of improving their lives and moving towards the achievement of their goals. Indeed, the living conditions in the rural China at the time were quite depressing. It was quite unpleasant for the young girls to live in deplorable conditions characterized poverty, hunger and other social agonies. This necessitated their move to the urban centers to look for jobs and better living conditions. Had it not been for their movement, they would not have managed to get employment opportunities, acquire new clothes, fashionable shoes, mobile phones and manage to send money back to their families. To explore this topic, I would like to use Lu Qingwin (Min) as a case study. After getting fed up with the poor living conditions in her rural home, she opts to immigrate to the urban centre. Here, she hopes to lead a totally new life. She is convinced that relocating to the town will enable her to get a job and enjoy the pleasant town life. Even if she is faced with several problems, such as poor living conditions in the overcrowded dormitories, loneliness, low wages, long working hours, late salary payments, heavy fining policy on petty offenses, she lands into a job. It was a sign of progress because it granted her a chance to improve her life, further her education through attending evening classes, make new friends like Huang Jiao’e and Liang Rong and get money to buy clothes and high-heeled shoes and send back to her poor parents in the village. Had she not gone to the town, she would not have acquired such level of exposure. These are things which were unheard of in th e villages

The use of deep breathing exercises as a stress management technique Essay

The use of deep breathing exercises as a stress management technique for elementary school children - Essay Example Stress refers to the physical or psychological result of external or internal pressure (AllPsych Online). Stress is also considered a normal physical response to any stimulus causing threat or that which upsets the balance of an individual in some way. Factors causing stress may include external pressure, encompassing the physical environment, like home, work, school, inter-relationships, challenges and difficulties, or even expectations that an individual faces every day. In addition, internal pressures may also cause stress; these cover the over-all health and fitness level of the person, his emotional well-being and mental capacity. The latter in part, determines the body’s ability to respond to external stress-inducing factors (Understanding stress, helpguide.org). It has been ascertained that there are abundant potential causes of stress uniquely expressed for each individual. However, for this particular study, the focus shall be on the factors of stress in school performance of elementary pupils in the United Kingdom. Based on gathered research and studies conducted in UK context, students in primary education particularly those from the ages of 5 up to 12 years old are now generally experiencing school stress which results to a variety of physical and psychological conditions. Stress manifests in different forms, especially among children ages 5 years old or younger since they are still incapable of recognizing and communicating feelings of stress to their parents or guardians. However, stress indicators like clinging to parents, unusual crying, display of temper tantrums and other regressive behaviour (i.e. thumb sucking, bedwetting), and rocking, biting and even toilet accidents are evident. Likewise, children ages 6 to 11 years old, or school-aged children, are more articulate with their emotions and experiences toward stress-related incidences, and the obvious reactions are physical complaints and uncharacteristic

Food Inc. Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Food Inc. Reflection - Essay Example Thus, purchasing cucumbers or tomatoes in winter consumers are just content with up-to-date service without any reflections about the quality or presence of the vitamins in vegetables. We do not know all the truth about today’s food production and the most grievous thing is that the biggest part of us does not even wish to find it out, eating those food items that damage the state of health. We have got used to be unaware and allow listless companies to hide crucial information that brings them big profits at the expense of our lives. But now, due to a documentary movie â€Å"Food Inc.† by Robert Kenner, it is the right time to see things clearly and make an attempt to change something. Everything is in our hands, because where there is a will, there is a way. After watching mentioned documentary film a lot of food items that have been quite acceptable for you earlier start to be prohibited by your conscience so abruptly. Represented pictures of scared hogs in slaughter house along with crippled and unable to walk cows in the farms bring a shock to your mind. Having another portion of fry potatoes for your dinner, you have never thought about how exactly fast-food restaurants get raw materials for their menus. You have never imagined the conditions of cultivation and treatment of animals while choosing meal. Making a bite of hamburger, you have never known the story of three-year-old Kevin, who died because of the E-coli infection and whose mother still tries to reach justice. A documentary movie manages to open your eyes on the things that have been hidden from you for so many years. With its help you begin to realize that all this time you have been just a marionette in a rough fight for profits of food companies that do not care for your life, making production â€Å"faster, fatter, bigger, cheaper† (Kenner, 2008). The main point of the movie is an idea of own health protection with a help of persnickety and conscious food choice. â€Å" Food Inc.† reveals the process of whole industrial system changes. Nowadays agriculture develops rapidly. However, despite high technological level, the quality of the agricultural products continues to decrease. Companies cheat on consumers, providing them with attractively packed products, meanwhile, farmers feed animals with corn to make them grow faster and bigger that afterwards allow to cut prices. Tyson grower, Vince Edwards, stated, â€Å"If you can grow a chicken in forty nine days then why would you want to grow it in three month? More money in your pocket† (Kenner, 2008). This proves the fact that food companies make everything to receive additional revenue, being indifferent to ethical policy. Realizing all the consequences of unhealthy meals with a help of â€Å"Food Inc.†, I start to care about where my food comes from more carefully, while formerly this information has been totally uninteresting for me. When you do not know obvious things, you sinc erely believe that everything that tastes good is clean and healthy. In addition, fast food products cost much cheaper than vegetables and fruits. That manages to make them so popular and attractive, creating a problem of people’s inability to buy expensive, though healthy, food. Divulging the secrets of food industry, stated documentary film compels you to think about your own diet more thoroughly. Pictures of nasty and dusting chicken houses repulse and induce to reflect about

Imperial China 1600 to 1900 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Imperial China 1600 to 1900 - Research Paper Example Therefore the imperial China from 1600-1900 is defined by about 44 years under the Ming dynasty and the rest under the Qing dynasty. The period from 1600 to 1644 marked the downfall of the Ming dynasty, which had earlier established a strong internal governance system in the country. Threats from external imperialists who partitioned and reduced the Chinese territory and devastating earthquake strained the Ming dynasty greatly and it eventually succumbed to the Qing dynasty. According to Johan, one of the most enduring remnant of the Ming dynasty is the China’s Great Wall that was strategically build to protect the country from foreign invaders(73). On ascending to power, the Qing dynasty made drastic changes in the social and political system of the country. Initially it concentrated on reviving the social economy and this required changes on previous structures that had been entrenched by the Ming dynasty. The reforms strengthened the central governance and the imperial rulings (Elman and Woodside 63). Johan notes that by the mid of 18 century China had achieved remarkable economic and scientific developments credited to prudent economic and political administration by the Qing rulers (104). China experienced a long period of peace and stability after the Qing dynasty ascended to power. This enabled expansion of Chinese society in virtually all realms. For instance, the population grew tremendously and other economic sectors developed (Susan 86). In addition, China opened its borders to international trade becoming a trading partner of several European countries, including Great Britain. China was an important source of silk, tea and porcelain (Susan 99). During Qing dynasty, the influence of Chinese art spread in the western countries and other trading partners. Moreover, China expanded its territory courtesy of a

Building and ethical organization procedure and characteristics the Essay

Building and ethical organization procedure and characteristics the case of Medicare Services Ltd - Essay Example The organization has been divided into two major parts, the Human Needs section and the Medical Needs section. The first one refers exclusively to the provision of psychological support in various cases including mental illnesses of temporary or permanent character. The above support is provided without a differentiation between the mental illnesses that have a genetic cause and those that have been developed gradually or by accident after a severe psychological pressure. As for the pure Medical department, this can handle all types of medical problems even severe injuries. The reason for such an extended area of activity is that the institute’s human resources department decided to include a multi – skills element when deciding the structure, the roles and the knowledge of the organizational workforce. The only problem seems to be the absence of sufficient space for a long-term ‘residence’ of patients. At the moment, in both departments only a short term residence is available, however, there is a plan for the extension of the institute’s space through the‘re-construction’ of a near-by building which is also included in the institute’s property.

Comparison of Paradise lost and Inferno Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comparison of Paradise lost and Inferno - Essay Example Both the writings portray Satan as an angel of God who turned astray and denounced the superiority of God. The devil assumed that he was equal in status of God and yearned to be greater than him. For this insolence, he was banished to have hell as his eternal abode. Milton’s description of Satan is quite interesting. According to Milton, Hell was Satan’s land where he ruled over the sinners. He had chosen to stay in the hell because according to him it was better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven. (Peter) In ‘Inferno’, Dante has portrayed devil as a ferocious being, whose sight instills fear in the hearts of the beholders. Satan has been given the opposite of what he has yearned, he desired for supremacy and sovereignty and even though he appears to be powerful and huge, he is small and helpless and his fate has been sealed to remain frozen in ice till eternity. Hell in Dante’s view was an endless torment to the sinners who were destined to ent er it. The hell is a place where there is no connection with the warmth of life and bitter frost and isolation is the only destiny. Even the Satan, the most foreboding prisoner of the hell had the bitterest fate. Milton presents a similar picture of the hell. According to him, even though hell was full of flames and fire, there was only darkness and hopelessness prevalent in its atmosphere. (Alighieri) Inferno and ‘Paradise lost’ provide captivating and detailed yet different views of Satan and hell and this difference is clearly evident in their writings.

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 9

Assignment Example Community health care can be defined as the overall healthcare provision service that is formulated to deliver health care services to the homesteads. It is a decentralized avenue of taking the services to the lowest level of households. It ensures healthcare services accessibility to the marginalized, coronary illness victims and generally reaches to the disadvantaged at the ground level. It is designed to help people live as independent as possible within the confines of their homes and communities. The trends of interconnectedness in global practices have led to sharing of positive effects as well as negative effects as regards to the various health care systems. On the positives, globalization has led to the easy spread of favorable healthcare practices at all the care systems from one country to another. However, infectious diseases are easily spread within the era of globalization through easy travelling from one place to another. In my own opinion, improvements in the health c are systems notable within the US can be attributed highly to globalization. This is because there is easy movement in technology and improvements. However, globalization has also adversely affected the health sector in that there is a high rate of new infections due to easy movement. Health care teams have noted effects on the ever increasing numbers of immigrant nurses. Despite the great need for nursing services within many countries, the mass movement of nurses towards the other countries especially the developed countries has been disturbing. Much of the concern is due to the increased competition which in turn leads to strain in resources within the management teams in catering to the rising costs to maintain these immigrants. Moreover, the management teams may find it hard to effectively handling the ever-growing number of these immigrants. Though cultural diversity may be interpreted in different perspective, the challenges that accompany it are widely spoken of. Majorly, ma nagement practices vary due to the reasons of the varying cultural practices as well as believe. Moreover, interpersonal relations may be affected by the cultural lineages. Organizational management as well as better communication strategies is among other effective strategies that the nurse leaders within culturally diverse working group may use to ascertain effectiveness in their roles (Contino, 2004, 1-2 of 11). Through proper organization, the diversity in cultural orientation would be positively interpreted for the sake of productivity. Moreover, efficiency in communication would bring cohesion within the nursing fraternity and hence success in management. As a nurse, the future success in the profession requires certain professional as well as personal attributes through which the effectiveness of a nurse is analyzed. Nursing is a profession and as many other professional careers are, they are guided by set values, ethics and regulations for work. Moreover, personal attributes are very basic for the personal effectiveness as a nurse. Among the strengths that would drive me towards realizing competency in the field of nursing are the basic professional values which are globally biding. Nevertheless, some of these values and traits are human developed and as such requires personal efforts to cultivate. The self attributes of compassion, empathy, self awareness, selflessness as well as knowledge-ability equally befits me for a successful nursing career in the future. Image

Hypochlorite in Endodontics Essay Example for Free

Hypochlorite in Endodontics Essay Abstract Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) in various concentrations is the most widely used endodontic irrigant, but it can be an irritant to vital tissues. There are several reports about the complications of irrigation with NaOCl during root canal therapy. Most of the complications are the result of accidental extrusion of the solution from the apical foramen or accessory canals or perforations into the periapical area. This article is a review and comparison of all reported NaOCl accidents in the literature. The impetus behind root canal cleaning and shaping is the elimination of tissue remnants, bacteria, and toxins from the root canal system. This is generally accepted to be a major factor in the success of root canal treatment. Mechanical procedures alone are insufficient for total canal cleaning. Residual pulpal tissue, bacteria, and dentin debris may persist in the irregularities of canal systems. Therefore, irrigating solutions should support and complement endodontic preparation. These irrigants should flush out dentin debris, dissolve organic tissue, disinfect the canal system, and provide lubrication during instrumentation, without irritating the surrounding tissues. Some of the irrigants currently used include hydrogen peroxide, physiologic saline, water, sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), chlorhexidine, and electrochemically activated water. Because of its physicochemical and antibacterial properties, NaOCl is one of the most popular irrigants. A 0.5% solution of NaOCl was used effectively during World War I to clean contaminated wounds.1 In 1920, Crane described the use of Dakins solution (NaOCl buffered with sodium bicarbonate) for root canal debridement and sterilization. Since then NaOCl has become a popular and effective intracanal irrigant.2 It is an inexpensive, readily available, and easily used chemical that usually rates well in research.3,4 A variety of NaOCl concentrations ranging from 0.5% to 5.25% have been advocated, as well as a variety of temperatures. The longer the solution can remain in contact with tissue, the higher the temperature of the solution, and the higher the concentration, the greater the ability of NaOCl to dissolve the tissue.5-7 The optimum concentration for use clinically is still a matter of controversy. Consequently, the clinician must decide on the concentration and temperature of the NaOCl and the potential consequences of this choice.5,8,9 Advantages of NaOCl The ability of NaOCl to dissolve organic soft tissue of the pulp and predentin is a result of oxidation. The powerful oxidative activity of hypochlorite not only dissolves the pulpal and dentinal tissue but also acts as a potent antimicrobial agent.3 It is well recognized to be effective against a broad range of pathogens: gram-positive and gramnegative bacteria, fungi, spores, and viruses including the human immunodeficiency virus.10 NaOCl, especially when used in high concentrations, is known to be effective in dissolving organic tissue remnants and disinfecting the canal system.4 Effective concentrations of NaOCl range from 2.6% o 5.25%. The dilution of NaOCl was suggested because it has been proved that concentrations over 0.5% are cytotoxic.11 Compared with a chlorhexidine gel, NaOCl not only has a higher capacity to kill microorganisms but is also more able to remove cells from the root canal.12 Water is not effective in removing dentine debris from grooves in the apical portio n of root canals.13 Disadvantages of NaOCl Acute inflammation followed by necrosis results when NaOCl comes into contact with vital tissue. It causes severe inflammation and cellular destruction in all tissues except heavily keratinized epithelium.5 The cytotoxic effect of 5.25% NaOCl on vital tissues, resulting in hemolysis, is well documented, and its use warrants proper care. The clinical efficacy of NaOCl relates to its nonspecific ability to oxidize, hydrolyze, and osmotically draw fluids out of tissues.5 The severity of the reaction depends on the concentration of the solution, its pH, and the duration of exposure. NaOCl has a pH of 11 to 12.5, which causes injury primarily by oxidation of proteins. In high concentrations, severe necrotic changes could be observed.14 The higher concentrations also have some irritating effects on the periodontal ligament.15 One report cites periodontal side effects of NaOCl with lower concentrations.16 However, when confined to the canal space as an intracanal endodontic irrigant, clinic al toxicity of NaOCl is no greater than the clinical toxicity of normal saline solution.6 NaOCl causes vascular permeability in blood vessels, probably as a result of damage to the vessels as well as the release of chemical mediators, such as histamine, from involved tissue. This characteristic causes immediate swelling and often profuse bleeding through the root canal when NaOCl is not used properly as an endodontic irrigant.17 There is only 1 report of hypersensitivity to NaOCl, which can easily be detected by skin patch testing.18 There are reports about the effects of improper use of NaOCl, including inadvertent injection into the maxillary sinus19 or splashing solution into the eyes.20 The extrusion of NaOCl can cause facial nerve weakness in addition to other soft-tissue damage.21 In addition to its toxicity to vital tissues, NaOCl has an unpleasant odor and causes damage if it comes into contact with clothing. 22 There are 2 reports of inadvertently injecting NaOCl instead of anesthetic solution. One resulted in severe palatal tissue necrosis,23 and the second involved edema in the pterygomandibular space and peritonsillar and pharyngeal areas because of mandibular block injection with NaOCl instead of anesthetic solution. In the second case, the patient was admitted to an intensive care unit for probable airway obstruction and given opioid analgesic intravenously for pain reduction.24 Damage to permanent tooth follicles, peripheral tissue, and oral mucosa have been reported during careless NaOCl use in pediatric endodontics. 25 There are only a small number of cases in the literature that have reported postoperative skin complications, long-term paresthesia, and altered nerve sensations arising from the use of NaOCl as an endodontic irrigant.26 There are 23 reported cases of NaOCl accidents in the literature.14,19,21,26-41 Almost all of the cases have similar sequelae including severe pain, edema, and profuse hemorrhage both interstitially and through the tooth. The reports mentioned several days of increasing edema and ecchymosis accompanied by tissue necrosis and paresthesia; in some cases, secondary infections have been observed. Most of the cases had complete resolution within a few weeks but a few were marked by long-term paresthesia or scarring. Remaining residual paresthesia indicates some permanent damage to the nerve endings in the affected area.36 NaOCl Accident Management Proper management of a NaOCl accident is important for achieving the best outcomes. The following lists some important factors for managing a NaOCl accident: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Early recognition of the problem; the patient should be informed of the cause and nature of the accident (Table 2, see end of the article) Immediate irrigation of the canal with normal saline to dilute the NaOCl Allow bleeding response to flush the irritant out of the tissues Reassure patient Provide patient with both verbal and written home care instructions Monitor the patient After the NaOCl accident has been recognized and the patient has been informed, the authors recommend a treatment that focuses on palliative care, including cold and warm compresses, saline rinses, pain control, prophylactic antibiotics, steroid therapy, and monitoring (Table 3). It is important to reassure the patient throughout treatment because of the amount of time it will take for the inflammation to resolve. Avoiding NaOCl Accidents The following steps can help clinicians avoid NaOCl accidents: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Adequate access preparation Good working length control Irrigation needle placed 1 mm to 3 mm short of working length Needle placed passively and not locked in the canal Irrigant expressed into the root canal slowly Constant in and out movements of the irrigating needle into the canal space Flowback of solution as it is expressed into the canal should be observed Use side delivery needles that are specifically designed for endodontic purposes Discussion NaOCl is tissue cytotoxic. When it comes into contact with tissue, it causes hemolysis and ulceration, inhibits neutrophil migration, and damages endothelial and fibroblast cells.14,42 Incorrect determination of working length, lateral perforation, and wedging of the irrigating needle are the most common procedural accidents associated with adverse NaOCl reactions.29 The optimal clinical concentration of NaOCl is still controversial. A 1% concentration of NaOCl provides tissue dissolution and an antimicrobial effect, but the concentration reported in the literature has been as high as 5.25%.43,44 Evidence demonstrates that high concentrations of NaOCl have enhanced antimicrobial activity.45 Irrigation time may increase the antimicrobial effect of endodontic irrigants without affecting the surrounding tissues. It has been found that 0.5% NaOCl had nearly the same bactericidal effect as 5.25% NaOCl when used for 30 minutes.46 After a NaOCl accident, early and aggressive treatment is advocated to reduce potentially serious complications. The use of antibiotics is recommended because there is a possibility of tissue necrosis and infection.47 Steroids also may be useful. Depending on the degree of injury, some cases might require surgical intervention. The aim of any surgical procedure should be to provide decompression and facilitate drainage, and to create an environment conducive to healing. The other advantage of surgery is meticulous debridement of grossly necrotic tissue and direct irrigation of affected sites.25 Conclusion NaOCl is an effective antibacterial agent but can be highly irritating when it comes in contact with vital tissue. Most of the reported complications occurred because of incorrect determination of endodontic working length, iatrogenic widening of the apical foramen, lateral perforation, or wedging of the irrigating needle. If a perforation or open apex exists, then great care should be exercised to prevent a NaOCl accident or an alternative irrigation solution should be considered. Table 2—How to recognize a NaOCl accident †¢ Immediate severe pain (for 2-6 minutes) †¢ Ballooning or immediate edema in adjacent soft tissue because of perfusion to the loose connective tissue †¢ Extension of edema to a large site of the face such as cheeks, peri- orbital region, or lips †¢ Ecchymosis on skin or mucosa as a result of profuse interstitial bleeding †¢ Profuse intraoral bleeding directly from root canal †¢ Chlorine taste or smell because of injected NaOCl to maxillary sinus †¢ Severe initial pain replaced with a constant discomfort or numbness, related to tissue destruction and distension †¢ Reversible or persistent anesthesia †¢ Possibility of secondary infection or spreading of former infection Table 3—How to treat a NaOCl accident †¢ Remain calm and inform the patient about the cause and nature of the complication. †¢ Immediately irrigate with normal saline to decrease the soft-tissue irritation by diluting the NaOCl. †¢ Let the bleeding response continue as it helps to flush the irritant out of the tissues. †¢ Recommend ice bag compresses for 24 hours (15-minute intervals)to minimize swelling. †¢ Recommend warm, moist compresses after 24 hours (15-minute intervals). †¢ Recommend rinsing with normal saline for 1 week to improve circulation to the affected area. †¢ For pain control †¢ Initial control of acute pain could be achieved with anesthetic nerve block. †¢ Acetaminophen-based narcotic analgesics for 3 to 7 days (NSAID analgesic should be avoided to decrease the amount of bleeding into the soft tissues). †¢ Prophylactic antibiotic coverage for 7 to 10 days to prevent secondary infection or spreading of the present infection. †¢ Steroid therapy with methylprednisolone for 2 to 3 days to control inflammatory reaction. †¢ Daily contact to monitor recovery. †¢ In severe cases such as respiratory distress, accessing the local emergency service via 911 is appropriate. †¢ Reassure the patient about the lengthy resolution of the inflammatory reaction. †¢ Provide the patient with both verbal and written home care instructions. †¢ Monitor the patient for pain control, secondary infection, and rea ssurance. References 1. Dakin HD. The use of certain antiseptic substances in treatment of infected wounds. Br Med J. 1915;2:318-320. 2. Crane AB. A Practicable Root Canal Technique. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lea Febiger; 1920:69. 3. Mentz TC. The use of sodium hypochlorite as a general endodontic medicament. Int Endod J. 1982;15:132-136. 4. Ayhan H, Sultan N, Cirak M, et al. Antimicrobial effects of various endodontic irrigants on selected microorganisms. Int Endod J. 1999;32:99-102. 5. Thà © SD, Maltha JC, Plasschaert JM. Reactions of guinea pig subcutaneous connective tissue following exposure to sodium hypochlorite. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1980;49: 460-466. 6. Nakamura H, Asai K, Fujita H, et al. The solvent action of sodium hypochlorite bovine tendon collagen, bovine pulp, and bovine gingiva. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1985;60:322-326. 7. Pashley EL, Bridson NL, Bowman K, et al. Cytotoxic effects of NaOCl on vital tissue. J Endod. 1985;11:525-528. 8. Harrison JW, Svec TA, Baumgartner JC. Analysis of clinical toxicity of endodontic irrigants. J Endod. 1978;4:6-11. 9. Lamers AC, van Mullem PJ, Simon M. Tissue reactions to sodium hypochlorite and iodine potassium iodide under clinical conditions in monkey teeth. J Endod. 1980;6:788-792. 10. Resnik L, Veren K, Salahuddin SZ, et al. Stability and inactivation of HTLVIII/LAV under clinical and laboratory environments. JAMA. 1986;255:1887-1891. 11. Spangberg L, Engstrà ¶m B, Langeland K. Biologic effect of dental materials. 3. Toxicity and antimicrobial effect of endodontic antiseptics in vitro. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1973;36:856-871. 12. Vianna ME, Horz HP, Gomes BP, et al. In vivo evaluation of microbial reduction after chemo-mechanical preparation of human root canals containing necrotic pulp tissue. Int Endod J. 2006;39:484-492. 13. van der Sluis LW, Gambarini G, Wu MK, et al. The influence of volume, type of irrigant and flushing method on removing artificially placed dentine debris from the apical root canal during passive ultrasonic irrigation. Int Endod J. 2006;39:472-476. 14. Gatot A, Arbelle J, Leiberman A, et al. Effects of sodium hypochlorite on soft tissues after its inadvertent injection beyond the root apex. J Endod. 1991;17:573574. 15. Tanomaru Filho M, Leonardo MR, Silva LA, et al. Inflammatory response to different endodontic irrigating solutions. Int Endod J. 2002;35:735-739. 16. Watts A, Paterson RC. Atypical lesions detected during a study of short-term tissue responses to three different endodontic instrumentation techniques. Endod Dent Traumatol. 1993;9:200-210. 17. Rutberg M, Spangberg E, Spangberg L. Evaluation of enhanced vascular permeability of endodontic medicaments in vivo. J Endod. 1977;3:347-351. 18. Kaufman AY, Keila S. Hypersensitivity to sodium hypochlorite. J Endod. 1989;15:224-226. 19. Ehrich DG, Brian JD Jr, Walker WA. Sodium hypochlorite accident: inadvertent injection into maxillary sinus. J Endod. 1993;19:180-182. 20. Ingram TA 3rd. Response of the human eye to accidental exposure to sodium hypochlorite. J Endod. 1990;16:235-238. 21. Witton R, Henthorn K, Ethunandan M, et al. Neurological complications following extrusion of sodium hypochlorite solution during root canal treatment. Int Endod J. 2005;38:843-848. 22. Serper A, Ozbek M, Calt S. Accidental sodium hypochlorite-induced skin injury during endodontic treatment. J Endod. 2004;30:180-181. 23. Gursoy UK, Bostanci V, Kosger HH. Palatal mucosa necrosis because of accidental sodium hypochlorite injection instead of anesthetic solution. Int Endod J. 2006;39:157-161. 24. Herrmann JW, Heicht RC. Complications in therapeutic use of sodium hypochlorite. J Endod. 1979;5:160-163. 25. Onà §aâ‚ ¬ O, Ho?gà ¶r M, Hilmioâ‚ ¬lu S, et al. Comparison of antibacteri al and toxic effects of various root canal irrigants. Int Endod J. 2003;36:423-432. 26. Reeh ES, Messer HH. Long-term paresthesia following inadvertent forcing of sodium hypochlorite through perforation in maxillary incisor. Endod Dent Traumatol. 1989;5:200-203. 27. Gernhardt CR, Eppendorf K, Kozlowski A, et al. Toxicity of concentrated sodium hypochlorite used as an endodontic irrigant. Int Endod J. 2004;37:272-280. 28. Hales JJ, Jackson CR, Everett AP, et al. Treatment protocol for the management of a sodium hypochlorite accident during endodontic therapy. Gen Dent. 2001;49:278-281. 29. Hà ¼lsmann M, Hahn W. Complications during root canal irrigation—literature review and case reports. Int Endod J. 2000; 33:186-193. 30. Mehra P, Clancy C, Wu J. Formation of facial hematoma during endodontic therapy. J Am Dent Assoc. 2000;131:67-71. 31. Kavanagh CP, Taylor J. Inadvertent injection of sodium hypochlorite to the maxillary sinus. Br Dent J. 1998;185:336-337. 32. Tosti A, Piraccini BM, Pazagglia M, et al. Severe facial edema following root canal therapy. Arch Dermatol. 1996;132:231-233. 33. Cymbler DM, Ardakani P. Sodium hypochlorite injection into periapical tissues. Dent Update. 1994;21:345-346. 34. Cali?kan MK, Tà ¼rkà ¼n M, Alper S. Allergy to sodium hypochlorite during root canal therapy: a case report. Int Endod J. 1994;27:163-167. 35. Linn JL, Messer HH. Hypochlorite injury to the lip following injection via a labial perforation. Case report. Aust Dent J. 1993;38:280-282. 36. Joffe E. Complication during root canal therapy following accidental extrusion of sodium hypochlorite through the apical foramen. Gen Dent. 1991;39:460-461. 37. Becking AG. Complications in the use of sodium hypochlorite during endodontic treatment. Report of three cases. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1991;71:346348. 38. Neaverth EJ, Swindle R. A serious complication following the inadvertent injection of sodium hypochlorite outside the root canal system. Compend Cont Educ Dent. 1990;11:474-481. 39. Sabala CL, Powell SE. Sodium hypochlorite injection into periapical tissues. J Endod. 1989;15:490-492. 40. Grob R. [An incident with sodium hypochlorite—only my error?]. Schweiz Monatsschr Zahnmed. 1984;94:661-662. 41. Becker GL, Cohen S, Borer R. The sequelae of accidentally injecting sodium hypochlorite beyond the root apex. Report of a case. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1974;38:633-638. 42. Kozol RD, Gillies C, Elgebaly SA. Effects of sodium hypochlorit e (Dakin’s solution) on cells of the wound module. Arch Surg. 1988;123:420-427. 43. Harrison JW. Irrigation of the root canal system. Dent Clin North Am. 1984;28:797-808. 44. Spangberg L. Instruments, materials, and devices. In: Cohen S, Burns RC, eds. Pathways of the Pulp. 9th ed. St Louis, Mo: Mosby; 1980:545-546. 45. Yesilsoy C, Whitaker E, Cleveland D, et al. Antimicrobial and toxic effects of established and potential root canal irrigants. J Endod. 1995;21:513-515. 46. Gomes BP, Ferraz CC, Vianna ME, et al. In vitro antimicrobial activity of several concentrations of sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine gluconate in the elimination of Enterococcus faecalis. Int Endod J. 2001;34:424-428. 47. Marais JT, Williams WP. Antimicrobial effectiveness of electro-chemically activated water as an endodontic irrigation solution. Int Endod J. 2001;34:237243.

Managing Communication: Knowledge and Information

Managing Communication: Knowledge and Information In the background of twenty first century, the firms are competing with each other in this challenging and complex environment. It is transformed by numerous factors such as diffusion of technologies, technological development, and information technology along with the use of right knowledge (Hitt, Keats, DeMarie, 1998). This landscape requires every firm to act differently to flourish and survive. For that they have look for new resources of the competitive advantage and some new forms of competition. This it requires the proper understanding of information, knowledge and the proper communication process for gaining competitive advantage. Information is required and it acts as the back bone of the todays business and vital part of large business firms. The massive storage of data needs the purposes from the decision making processes to risk management process. Ernst Young have adopted the combination of information, knowledge and communication ties strategic themes on the basis of globalization such as operational excellence, clients, financial stability and people. This firm confines and takes action on the knowledge within their organization. Information, knowledge and communication process describes their strategies to ensure that they are acting upon to gaining competitive advantage. This large firm uses ERP for their work so that they have achieved higher operational excellence in their work. They use internet and intranet within their organization and its all offices are interconnected with each other. For carrying out the communication process, they held regular meetings for transferring information form one department to other departments. Thus makes it easy for them to gain competitive advantage by adding strategies to their business growth. The large scale business is globally distributed and having reliable as well as stable infrastructure along with the network administration. Its applications handle and run the fast processing. The information technology has enabled the business firm to offer services well. The business communication process has become very vital for managing business growth as well its success. The Ernst Young Company has achieved efficiency with network-based communications such as email and web presence. These tools have supported the customer support that has grown the companies to compete in the larger markets. Some communication applications have made it easier for the firm to communicate and collaborate efficiently with their clients and customers. Thus there is a strong need of the combination of information, knowledge and communication process in the organization. The firm has gained competitive advantage by establishing and providing professional services. This company has provided a broad collection of services for capturing growth and managing risk just by adopting proper communication process. The information, knowledge and communication plays an important role for gaining competitive advantage and it is a better meaning of providing competitive advantage. They all are required in the tangible form to meet the needs of the company. The companies fail due to its inability for managing these points to meet internal as well as external requirements (Hodgson, 1999). As it s discussed in the previous section, EY has adopted information system for communicating with their clients and customers. The company has achieved efficiency with network-based communications. These tools have supported the customer support that has grown the companies to compete in the larger markets. Thus it helps them to grow in the global market. The company has gained the competitive advantage by achieving excellence at the firms level. What managers are doing to improve decision making by using information and knowledge internally and externally to improve decision making and taking? Answer Generally managers make decision on the basis of their perception, understanding, events and people around them. They can experience some instances where their perception is taken as mistakes. The perception along with the right information and knowledge plays an important role in decision making. But it has suggested that managers may get into some problems that result from wrong perceptions, and are considered as rare and they are often negligible. For any decision to be effective, it should make use of relevant, timely and accurate use of information (Ajayi et al., 2007). Managers work on knowledge based activities while decision making. Broadly these activities are divided into two categories such as process and practice oriented practices. The managers use process oriented approach by getting the tactic knowledge. This knowledge can be taken from formal interviews and meetings. The requirements of knowledge and information are known as an outline of the decisions that are to be proved as effective in decision making. The importance of information has not only been at present, but had played quite an important role even in earlier days as Mudrick Rose (1971) suggested that for an organization to survive, information plays supreme role. Managers gather the knowledge and information from some internal and external sources. On the basis of the available data, they implement it for the decision making. The managers in Ernst Young firm play an important role in decision making and they are having good decision making capabilities. The managers take decision on the basis of collected information and gathered knowledge from internal and external sources. They conduct meeting with their peers, their juniors and with their other executives for better decision making process. By doing this, they can get the information at internal level. Also they collect information from the external sources. They communicate with their clients and customers for getting feedback and for knowing about the needs. In addition to these, the time in todays scenario makes use of various ERPs for information handling. Big giants like Ernst Young make use of these information handling techniques for better decision making process. Even the organizations today make use of software tools such as SAP, which has its own intelligence techniques to recommend for better performance and growth of an organization. Managers use these tools for their decision making and various strategic decisions too. Therefore, the time has changed and the approach of managing situations too has changed. Thus, MIS has been in use increasingly at present times. The technique helps in finding the disturbances that are there within the system to help the management take a step for getting against the problem (Obi, 2003). The first step of any decision making process involves the process to define the problem. Managers need to define the problem that exists within their organization. For this purpose, they arrange meetings with their colleagues to know about the exact situation. Based on the analysis made from the meetings, strategic level of management finds out the exact problem statement within an organization. This problem is then taken as the main factor to collect the information related to it there within the organization (and that existing outside the organization as well). From the information collected, various conclusions are drawn that help in exploration of ways to sort out the situation. The management then makes use of the information along with the problem statement to process the information. This processed information is further made use of to come to the final conclusion by making decisions. What are the strategies to increase personal networking to widen Employees Involvement in the decision-making process? Answer Involvement of employee in decision making process creates the basic need of todays marketplace. Managers make an effort to increase the involvement of employees in the organization. Therefore, the well integrated organization results in better outcomes. There are a number of ways by which an organization makes an effort to increase the employee involvement in decision making process using the personal networking approach. The increased rights given to employee to raise his voice and involve in decision making process helps him attain outcomes (Macleod Bradey, 2004). The strategic management department makes an effort to arrange regular get together there within the organization to raise the number of communication of employees. This raises the strength of relationship of members with each other. This also helps them feel comfortable in working with each other. The employees make an effort to communicate with each other at such instances and get rid of any personal distances. This helps in creation of better relations of employees, which raises the opportunity of better performance. The employees work with each other in a better manner using the personal network (Robinson et al., 2004). Therefore, the importance of personal network cannot be ignored. The personal networking helps in establishing better relations there within the organization. The employee feels comfortable working with the organization, thus acts in favour of the organization. Increased power provided to the employee is the root cause of this change in behaviour. The management shall increasingly favour creative and innovative ideas in the meetings and give the employees an opportunity to represent these ideas in meetings. This would help in better opportunities among employees to participate in organizational activities. Therefore, the decision making opportunities are increased. This would further result in motivation among individuals due to increased importance provided to them. Therefore, the operational activities are improved of individuals. The management enjoys benefits due to this act, as the innovation and creativity gives an opportunity of accomplishment and new insights among individuals. The very common cause of employee leaving an organization to join the other is due to lack of importance provided to the employee. Other factors besides this include promotion and rewards (CIPD, 2007). If an organization gives the individuals an opportunity to participate in decision making process, this helps them motivate to work for the organization. Therefore, the management shall incorporate such a kind of strategy at work place that there are improved personal relations of employees there within the organization, and therefore, results in improved performance for the success and growth. Employees shall give the employees an opportunity to discuss directly with the top management in case of any problem. The problems shall be duly heard by the managers. This would further help in improved personal relations of employees. This would act in favour of individuals as well as organization. The staff would be increasingly active to participate in decision making process. This would act as a strong motivating factor for individuals. In addition to this, the employees shall be given an opportunity to discuss their experience with others. There should not be stiff restrictions at place for the management process. This would ensure better flow of information transfer and communication process. Therefore, would help in betterment of the organizational objectives. One should remember that the retention of top performers is of supreme importance for an organization. Therefore, personal networking should retain the employees for long term success. Develop a communication process to improve the decision making and organizational knowledge for your chosen organization. Answer Decision is considered as the form of a communication which takes social prospects of the people in the organizations (Andersen, 2003). There are three groups of the communication process: temporal prospects to the future, accurate prospects at the organization and social prospects that are directed at the participants in the communication process. Communication process plays supreme role for the success of an organization. There should be thorough communication between the two or more entities to ensure the proper flow of information. For Ernest and Young, it is suggested that managers shall arrange regular meetings with their team to motivate them. The targets shall be clearly stated by the managers (As they are at present), along with the motivational meetings. At present there is a hierarchical process for communication between different staff members. However, it is recommended to make use of the shorter channel. There should be a separate software application at work place to communicate. The staff members shall make use of this application to communicate with each other. This should be more or less like Skype. Therefore, the staff would be able to communicate with each other in a faster manner. This communication shall not restrict to particular group of people, but the integration should be of such an extent that an operator can even communicate with the strategic level of management. Thus, the hierarchical structure would be able to communicate with each other without the limitation of any particular group of people. This would be of help in ensuring that there is faster communication within the organization and the prop er strategic decisions are made. The operational level of staff would be able to communicate with the strategic level, thus helping them getting rid of problem conditions, if any. This would ensure the right use of technology and healthy work flow of the staff operations. Decision is an organizational process and can be created when the decisions are interconnected with each other and that can cause the uncertainty in decision making. It is considered that first decision in the process is no longer evaluated further (Seidl and Becker, 2006). The organization would be able to make better decisions thereon. The management would be able to communicate with each other through a direct channel. Therefore, the chances of miscommunication would reduce greatly. This would help in reduction of problem conditions. The flow of information would take place smoothly through this approach within the organization. This would further result in reduced risks of wrong information transfer. The back- up of whole information transfer, whether audio or textual or video, would be recorded to the main server. Therefore, the details are completely saved to the main database. This would help in reviewing all the discussions done, as and when required. Furthermore, the access of previous discussion would also help in analysing the flaw areas that exist within the complete network of Ernst and Young. The business is expected to grow through this strategy. Increased pace of communication and decision making process would help in attaining better results. The decision makers would thus be able to utilize the previous communication details to know about the approach that had helped them gain in the past. Based on this analysis, they can formulate future strategies for growth. This would help them to minimize the risks and make optimal solution of resources. Thus, the strategy is expected to help them in gaining better results. The organizations revenues are also expected to increase through this strategy. What role Knowledge Management plays in managing organisation strategically? Knowledge enables the companies to compete with each other. Knowledge about the customers, competitors, their strategies is very required. Firms have adopted knowledge management in their organization as the strategic orientation. For an example, low cost strategies are required for cost cutting in the organizations. Lowering prices and shortening of cycle times are some differentiation strategies that add value to the organizations. Thus it differentiates firms from their competition. Organizational knowledge theory tells how the knowledge plays an important role for managing organizations strategically. Organizational knowledge is known as the implicit and explicit knowledge that every individual try to acquire about the products, process and systems. The tactic knowledge can be gained by using the forms of cultures, routines etc and explicit knowledge is gained by some databases and manuals (Nahapiet Ghoshal, 1998; Grant, 1996; Nonaka Takeuchi, 1995). Knowledge management is very critical to achieve competitive advantage. External as well as internal sources are considered as important factors of the firms (Kogut Zander, 1992). Ernst young is an independent firm and it is renowned as most admired knowledge enterprises (MAKE). This organization is well known for its corporate knowledge driven firm and it works more on becoming strategically important. This firm creates and leverages the easy access to their knowledge to their clients as well as their practitioners and that has differentiated itself from other companies in the market. The main strategy of the company is that it emphasizes on both learning as well as sharing of knowledge. It connects the skill and ability of their people with the firm to be better that their competitors. EY have adopted client oriented approach or strategy that has been transmitted form the company to the teams for its applications. An applied knowledge management protocol has been implemented for making use of information in decision making, work and information alignment for optimizing performance levels, facilitating problem solving and distribution of knowledge for strategic purpose (CAPa, 1997). This application is effectively assisting the high and value added activities with the strategic context. It also broadcasts its business practices to meet differences. Generally there are two types of organizations that rely on codifying knowledge strategy to make total use of knowledge for individual stores it for easy access by using information and communication technology tools. There are the companies that rely on the personalization strategy for channeling of individual expertise to the right place for person to person interaction. Ernst Young is making explicit knowledge and inserting it in the store areas. It also promotes people network along with the technology based networks. It has also worked for knowledge management strategy but with the interpersonal relationship with their clients. This has emerged as a core concept for the firm. They create better balance between the internal as well as external part with the view of the globalised world (Ezingeard et al., 2002; Bartlett, 2000; Collins, 2002, 1998). The figure states the two dimensions in which one axis shows the degree for developing knowledge management on the technological frameworks from low degree to high. The other axis represents the personal networks on which the organization develops its knowledge sharing capabilities at personal level. The high degree shows the strong integration with the knowledge networks. It is high in the case of the EY firm. It has become a fact that new venture are growing rapidly, thus they have adopted the knowledge management in their organization to become strategically strong. It has been argued that knowledge management is not different issue. Xxxx company have some unique feature of the knowledge management how they are managing the knowledge strategically. This firm has emphasized different knowledge management activities. The adoption of organizational knowledge theory has become very important phenomenon for this firm. Effect of Caffeinated Sports Drink: Exercise and Heart Rate Effect of Caffeinated Sports Drink: Exercise and Heart Rate Manpreet Nijjar The Effect of a Sports Drink containing caffeine or Carbohydrates and the combination combined on Exercise and Heart Rate INVESTIGATION TASK This study investigated the effects of different energy drinks (a carbohydrate based sports drink, a caffeine based sports drink, a drink with the carbohydrates and caffeine combined), on resting heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), run time-to-exhaustion (RTTE), peak exercise HR, and return time to resting HR. RESEARCH QUESTION Would the consumption of particular energy drinks affect one’s heart rate and ability to exercise for longer? BACKGROUND INFORMATION Sports science which incorporates the effective use of nutrition and exercise science is now widely recognised in contributing factor optimising athlete performance. It follows that if an athlete wants to train for longer periods and minimise recovery period between exercises then he or she needs to be well nourished. Many of the body’s metabolic processes involved in exercise are dependent on the components of an athlete’s diet and therefore by adjusting these components, they may be able to change athletic capacity. Recently amongst many young people the use of energy drinks has become fashionable in addition to the more traditional use of multivitamins to improve athletic performance. Illicit taking of performance enhancing drugs, such as anabolic steroids, is also widely-recognised as a means of achieving rapidly improved athletic capabilities. [1, 2]. Despite these widely held beliefs, there is minimal evidence to underpin the claims of manufactures of these energy drinks that they have any significant effect on cardiovascular efficaciousness and overall performance, in particular that of short duration exercise. [3] There is no evidence to suggest that water alone is superior when compared to sports drinks in achieving increased exercise duration and capacity although the reverse has often been demonstrated. [1,5,8] [5-9 not used] A review of various research articles on the use of energy drinks and exercise performance reveals apparently inconsistent findings: Improved performance levels in exercises such as sprint cycling and cycling duration, weight lifting and sprinting. [10-15] No significant difference in exercise performance [11,14,15] Ingredients in the most popular sport drinks include caffeine, and the amino acid taurine, which both may impact on heart rate [18,19], Bichler and colleagues [20] investigated the combination of caffeine and taurine vs. a placebo and found it actually caused a significant decline in heart rate. Additional ingredients are carbohydrates, flavorings, herbs and B-vitamins. The amount and types of carbohydrate found in sports drinks was found to be variable. There were some ‘diet’ energy drinks that had zero carbohydrates compared to some with medium amounts (e.g. Powerade at 3.9g/100ml), and some very high amounts (KX drinks at 9g/100ml). The capacity of the drink to enhance performance is governed by its carbohydrate content. Simple carbohydrates (a combination of sucrose, glucose, and fructose) have been shown to be absorbed swiftly and oxidised easily to release energy; two factors vital to athletes to improve performance. [5,6]. The body uses carbohydrates to do ‘work’ – it is the preferred material for muscle contraction, the central nervous system and fat oxidisation. The body would prefer to use carbohydrates rather than have to break up proteins for energy. Ingested carbohydrates are digested into the bloodstream in the stomach and small intestines as smaller sugar components mainly of fructose, galactose and glucose. Fructose and galactose are then converted to glucose in the liver and released back into the bloodstream where it is used as required. The brain can only use glucose for its energy requirements. After ingestion of carbohydrates, the glucose levels increase in the bloodstream as per the above mechanism. If the body does not utilise this glucose, the excess glucose is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen which is initiated by the enzyme insulin released by the pancreas. The human body can only store about 20000 calories equivalent of glycogen. Excess glycogen above this level is stored as fat (adipose tissue). When the body is exercising, it will use up the glucose as first choice. When the glucose levels have been depleted, an enzyme called glucagon will reverse the above process –turning glycogen back to glucose- and thus glucose levels in the bloodstream will increase. As muscles can only use the glycogen in them – they cannot borrow from resting muscles – so once the glycogen levels have been used, muscle fatigue results. It is thus important for athletes to restore glycogen levels back to their original levels by consuming carbohydrates. The use of a carbohydrate drink should thus aid by increasing the glucose levels directly after absorption from the stomach – typically 20 minutes after ingestion – and keep glucose levels high so that exercise can be done for longer duration. It should also help recovery time as any used glycogen can be quickly replenished. Another benefit that energy drinks could give the athlete is the restoration of any depleted electrolytes. An action potential sent down a nerve causes the muscle to contract which requires certain electrolytes for it to happen. It the muscle is repeatedly contracted, the electrolytes will become spent. As sports drinks contain electrolytes in them, these spent electrolytes are replaced and thus muscle contraction could happen at peak level. From the above, it can be reasonably assumed that ingestion of a carbohydrate energy sports drink 20 minutes before the commencement of exercise should enhance the athlete’s performance and also aid post exercise recovery. Caffeine, a naturally occurring alkaloid also known as trimethylxanthine, is found in coffee and tea plants and acts as an agonist of the central nervous system. Caffeine is also found in chocolate (from cocoa bean) and used as an additive in fizzy drinks. The percentage found in fizzy drinks is relatively small (approx.12mg/100ml) whereas in sports drinks, it is generally a lot higher (approx. 40mg/1000ml). Caffeine, which has a half-life of between three to five hours, (i.e. the time taken to decrease its concentration by half), is absorbed in the small intestine, then broken down into its components in the liver cell and distributed to body tissues within 45 minutes of ingestion. Caffeine breaks down into the following components [22]: Caffeine Metabolites Of the three metabolites of caffeine, theophylline, which only accounts for 4%, has minimal effect on the body. Of the other two, theobromine, formerly known as xantheose, is a bitter alkaloid and causes vasodilation and decreased ADH hormone production in the kidneys and thus leads to increased urine volume. The final metabolite of caffeine is paraxantine, a competitive nonselective phosphodiesterase inhibitor and a non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist. The effect of paraxantine on the human body is to: raise intracellular cAMP (a second messenger)which would lead to increased bloodstream glucose levels. A second messenger is a molecule that relays signals received at receptors on the cell surface to the target molecules in the cytosol and/or nucleus and will sometimes amplify this signal. raise free fatty acid concentration in serum by lipolysis (lipid breakdown) -raise plasma epinephrine (adrenaline) levels and increase diastolic blood pressure The overall mechanism and enzymes that caffeine interacts in order to be broken down are shown below, which is taken from PharmGKB website. [27]: [27] From the above information, it is reasonable to expect that following ingestion of a caffeine drink 20 minutes prior to exercise that the resting heart rate would increase due to the release of adrenaline by the caffeine metabolites. One would also expect the athlete to perform better and recover quicker after exercise as the caffeine increases lipolysis and increased glucose levels. Post exercise the resting heart rate will still be higher as the half-life of caffeine is between 3-5 hours. Composition of the drinks used in the experiment: Carbohydrate sports drink Carbonated water, Dextrose (87%), Maltodextrin, Magnesium Carbonate, Acidifier (Citric Acid), Anti-Caking Agent (Magnesium Salts of Fatty Acids), Flavouring, Vitamin C, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6 Caffeine content 0mg per 250ml serving Carbohydrate content 24.2g per 250ml serving KX sugar free stimulation drink Carbonated water, citric acid, taurine (0.4% ), acidity regulator (trisodium citrate), flavouring, guarana extract (0.12%), colour, sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame K) caffeine , preservative (potassium sorbate), inositol, B vitamins. Caffeine content 80mg per 250ml serving Carbohydrate content 0mg per 250 ml serving KX simulation drink Citric Acid, Flavouring, Stabilisers (Acacia, Glycerol Esters of Wood Rosins), Caffeine, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Inositol, B Vitamins (Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12) Caffeine content 80mg per 250ml serving Carbohydrate content 25g per 250ml serving Placebo drink Carbonated water, flavouring Caffeine content 0mg Carbohydrate content 0g Hypothà ¨ses Hypothesis General Prediction: The consumption of the carbohydrate energy drink will result in no appreciable increase in resting heart rate as well as after any physical activity. I would expect the participants to be able to do physical activity for longer and at a higher intensity. The consumption of the high caffeine energy drink will result in an increase in the resting heart rate and pre and post physical activity. I would also expect the participants to be able to do physical activity for longer and at a higher intensity. The consumption of the combined high caffeine and high carbohydrate drink will I believe increase the resting heart rate due to the caffeine content and also after physical activity it will still remain high. The amount of and intensity of physical activity done by the participants should be higher than the carbohydrate or caffeine drink alone. Post exercise the resting heart rate will be higher although one would expect the recovery time to be quicker than the other drinks. The placebo drink should have no appreciable difference on any resting heart rate or physical activity. Hypothesis: Carbohydrate drink: Consumption of carbohydrates will increase the amount of glucose in the bloodstream after absorption from the GIT. This means a temporarily high amount of glucose in the bloodstream after approximately 20 minutes but if resting, this high glucose amount will induce the production of insulin which will convert the excess glucose to glycogen. This glycogen conversion will reduce the glucose levels in the bloodstream to levels prior to the consumption of the carbohydrate drink. Although there is a popular belief that consumption of sugar-containing food or beverages can lead to temporary hyperactivity, sometimes referred to as a ‘sugar rush’, this is in fact scientifically disproven. [28] Caffeine drink: ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is produced by almost all living things in their cells organelles called mitochondria, and it is one of the nucleotides that make up DNA. It also acts as a cellular signal and the triphosphate acts an energy source for enzymatic reactions. It is not energy itself, but rather temporarily stores energy in its phosphodiester bonds. When the third phosphate bond is created, it immediately is broken and energy is released that can fuel the metabolic chemical reactions required by living organisms, which otherwise would be inefficient. This creates ADP which has one less phosphate attached to the group. An analogy to use with ATP is to think of it as a battery that is getting charged and when it is fully charged, it lets off a spark. This spark initiates the chemical reaction to start to do work in the body. Caffeine acts as an agonist(stimulant) on adenosine receptors but in a very general sense. As caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant which increases metabolism and therefore, the cellular consumption of ATP will cause the heart rate to elevate. So, post consumption, caffeine increases ATP levels in the body, which causes heart rate to elevate. Post exercise the heart rate will stay elevated (higher resting rate) because the presence of caffeine causes increased levels of cAMP, and at the same time enables cAMP to stay active for longer. Increased levels of cAMP result in an increase in ATP; resulting in an elevated heart rate for a longer period. METHOD: To ascertain whether the energy drink affects the resting heart rate: I will be choosing one subject and will be observing the effects the energy drink has on the heart rate at rest as well as after physical activity . Subject must be of normal BMI and without any health ailments in order to make sure I do not have any other factors affecting Subject’s heart rate. First I will be monitoring and recording the subject’s heart rate at fixed intervals after consumption of caffeine. Through this I will be able to conclude the amount of increment in the heart rate caused by the consumption of the energy drink I will also be able to determine the amount time it takes for the heart rate to reach its highest level after the consumption of an energy drink. Further on I will test the effect the energy drink has on the heart rate after physical activity. First I will record the heart rate of subject after running on the treadmill for time of 2 minutes on set speed of 7 km/ph which will give me subject’s heart rate after physical activity without the effect on the energy drink. After which I will make the subject perform the same . I will be making the subject perform this physical activity only after subject reaches peak heart rate after consuming the energy drink (Red Bull).