John Gibbons Truth in Action :: John Gibbons Truth Action Essays

lav Gibbons Truth in Action ABSTRACT John Gibbons tries to show that the notion of similarities and differences between contrastive cases of events reveals the relevance of relational properties, which atomic number 18 of causative relevance. Based on such considerations, Gibbons main claim is that the virtue note nourish somebody assigns to his or her beliefs has causal power. This means that the deflationary theory of right becomes false. The questions therefore ar (1) What are the similarities and differences between different cases? (2) What kind of properties are relational properties? (3) What is the causal relevance of such relational properties, and why should the truth assess be of causal relevance? (4) Why can Gibbons not show that the truth value has the relevant causal power? On the basis of some examples John Gibbons tries to show that the notion of similarities and differences between different cases of events reveals the relevance of relational properties, which are of causal relevance. Based on such considerations Gibbons main claim is that the truth value somebody assigns to his beliefs has causal power. And so the deflationary theory of truth becomes false. So, the questions are what are (i) similarities and differences between different cases, (ii) what kind of properties are relational properties, and (iii) what is the causal relevance of such relational properties, and why should the truth value be of causal relevance? (iv) Why Gibbons cannot show that the truth value has the relevant causal power?(i) What are similarities and differences between different cases?Gibbons assumes events (1) to communicate about cases of particular actions and of particular physical states of affairs, however, he does not fork them, he simply speaks in both cases about behavior and their causes or about behavioral events. The example of behavioral events E1 and E2 Gibbons uses is the following The pure actions A are A1 Marcia stopped at the inf lamed light. A2 Greg stopped at the red light. The action for achieving A (2) AA1 squeezing a lever with the right chip in AA2 pressing a pedal with the foot Additional features of A af1 cast a shadow in my direction ??? af2 ??? (3) The aim of action A is aiml wanted to avoid acquire a ticket. aim2 wanted to avoid getting a ticket.

African American and Personal Essay Essay

For freshman appli stomachts only. This personal sample is a very principal(prenominal) part of your application. It assists the University in k in a flashing you as an individual, independent of test heaps and other objective data. We ask that you respond to two of the topics below. Your personal essay should be no longer than 250 words per question for a ingrained of 500 words for both personal essays in the space provided below. The surpass personal essay is not necessarily the longest. The essay will be requested if it is not the appropriate length. What qualities or unique characteristics do you get that would all(prenominal)ow you to post to the university community? Describe an activity, interest, experience, or achievement in your life (this could be a book, a movie, or an activity or experience at travel, home, or school) that has been particularly meaningful for you. How has your family history, culture, or surround influenced who you are? 1. When I think of what I basin contribute to the university to community, I begin to look at what the university is all about.Florida A M University is all about warmth and acceptance. Its all about driving students from all walks of life to perform to the best of their capabilities. There all about have Afri pile American students and encouraging them to lease greater heights. My only care is that I will be given a chance to contribute even in the smallest of way, in helping the university keep its reputation and the prestigiousness it deserves. Doing so is not an impossible task for I believe that merely being myself will be a contribution itself.I candidly believe that I am strong enough to face the octuple challenges that will come along the way as I hire my studies. More everywhere, I believe that being an African American I can contribute to the cultural diversity of the university. FAMU is known for preserving and uplifting the cultural and historical heritage of the African Amer icans. Furthermore, the school is known to encourage African Americans to pursue their studies and become competitive in the world.I firmly believe that with my willingness to find and to succeed, can contribute to the cause. In my little way, I can zeal an example to my fellow African Americans on how to actively pursue and work towards ones goals. My belief that education is vital in achieving victor is parallel with that of the university and somehow, in my everyday dealings with other students, I can help strengthen such belief. My contribution to the university community may not be grand .However through my constant strives for success I will be able to prove how valuable the education that FAMU provides can be. 2. Something that has been particularly meaningful to me is the passing of my little sister Laura in the effluence on April 2, 2011. She was 11 years old, she died n a car stroke on her way home with our neighbors, the tire blew out and the car flipped over 6 times killing her and 6 others. My sister was an A student, took all honors classes and never troubled anyone, she was a happy hearted person, loved to be rough people.She looked up to me and asked to be just like me, for instance she wish cheerleading, color guard, band, and track. those are some of the sports I participate in now and now that she is gone I look up to her and I want to Graduate High school and get into College for my Parents, myself and for her because she would of been so proud of me to pass that day I walk that stage in remembrance of her I will do anything it takes to fulfill her dreams and mines, its what she would have wanted.

Analysis of My Big Fat Greek Wedding

During the movie, My Big fatty Greek Wedding, there was a lot of positive and negative dialogue that influenced the main characters purport decisions. The story is about a young womilitary personnel, named Toula, that is of Greek decent who is fearful of being stuck in the life she is now living. She is a frumpy girl that works in her familys restaurant because she has not been adequate to find a Greek man to marry, and because of this, her family claims that she is old and has failed in life. She is allowed to attend college, which in turn, gives her new confidence and she is subject to fall in love with a non-Greek man that is named, Ian.During the movie she struggles to yield her family to accept him as the man she loves, and she similarly finally comes to terms with her inheritance and cultural identity. At the end of the movie, Ian is accepted into the family, he becomes a call Greek, agrees to marry in the Greek Orthodox Church and participate in the Greek culture. Desp ite the happy ending of the movie, Toula struggled to follow the rules and values of her culture, serious nonverbal communication with Ian, and received empathy from her mformer(a) while Ian had to deal with a language bulwark of English and Greek.Toula has a hard time evaluate the culture of her family. From the movie, it seems as though the Greek culture is a lofty context culture. High context cultures carry a strong soul of tradition and fib, and they do not diversity much over time. In the beginning of the movie, Toula states that her family expects her to marry a Greek boy, make Greek babies, and run through everyone in the family till the day she dies. Since she has not been married she is stuck working in the family restaurant until she does. She breaks tradition when she starts dating and then marries, Ian, because he is not a Greek boy, and not from a Greek family. She also does the unthinkable since she marryed Ian and changes the history and tradition of the cu lture, as high context cultures do not change over time. It is also a tradition for the Greeks to redeem big families Toula explains to Ian that she has cardinal first cousins and Ian seems to be very interested in what she is telling him because he hardly has cardinal cousins. Ians family is Ameri after part and they are the opposite of Toulas family, they are part of the low context culture, like many other American families.One of the biggest differences is that Toulas family is loud, big and always to stomachher and Ians family is small, quite, and only see each other on special occasions. Toula and Ian practiced disparate forms of nonverbal communication during the movie. Nonverbal communication means messages expressed by nonlinguistic means. Ian and Toula have both utilise face and eyes as a form of nonverbal communication. When Toula was still working as a waitress in her family restaurant, the dancing Zorbas, she was caught staring at Ian by Ian and his friend.Her st aring suggests that she was very interested in Ian and design that he was handsome scarcely Ians friend assumed that she was crazy because of how she was staring at Ian. Toula also caught Ian staring at her in the window of the travel agency that her aunty owns. Ians staring at Toula suggested that he was interested in her and thought that she was pretty. Ian used substituting, a form of nonverbal communication, to say hi to Toula in the window of the travel agency by waving and smiling at her. There were no words spoken to each other during this scene.Toula used body orientation to hide from Ian in her familys restaurant lav the counter as he was leaving. She did this because she may have been embarrassed for get caught staring at him and she may have also been shy. The same function also happened in the travel agency when Toula hid behind the water dispenser when Ian dour his back to her to talk with his friend. When he turned back around he could not find her and he walked off. Before Ian ran into the older lady on the street in front of the travel agency, he was using the apparent movement of possibly a duck, to get Toulas attention and to make her laugh.This gesticulate made her laugh and smile and it was able to help her loosen up and feel a unforesightful more comfortable. Ian had to deal with the language barrier a few times in the movie, precisely there were two scenes that were quite comical. Ian asked Nick, how do you say thank you in Greek and he also asked Angelo, Toulas cousin, how to say everyone lets go in the house, and both times he was told something entirely different. This is similar to the English-speaking deputy of a U. S. soft drink manufacturer naively drew laughs from Mexican customers when she offered free samples of Fresca soda pop.In Mexican slang, the word fresca means lesbian(Adler). In both of these cases, Ian and the representative thought they were saying one thing barely it meant something else in the other lang uage. Empathy was shown in the movie when Toula was turned down by her father for involveing to go to college for computer classes. When this happened her mother, Maria, showed empathy. Empathy means being able to experience the world form the other persons rank of view. Maria explained to Toula that Toula was just like her when she was her age.Maria stated that she knew how she felt and she would talk to Toulas father about the computer classes. Maria showed the emotional dimension that helped her to get closer to Toulas feelings. She also showed genuine concern for the welfare her lady friend Toula. I can relate to people being interested in my culture just as Ian was very interested in Toulas culture because it is different, but unlike Toula, I enjoy my culture and I embrace it. I have found that having a different culture, because about of my family is not from America, as a good thing.Even though it makes you a little different, it also makes you unique and it adds to your i dentity as a person. If I were in the situations that Toula was in, I would have done some things different. If I were her, I would have told my parents before anything got serious, because it was shown in the movie that lies only lead to more problems. relative them early that she found someone non-Greek would have also cause problems but because they wanted her to get married so bad, I think they would have became welcoming sooner.It is important to be proud of your culture and not guilty because your culture and the people that raise you make you who you are. Also, many facial expressions can be perceived as in ways that you would not want or expect, like Toula getting caught staring at Ian and his friend, thinking that she was a little crazy. So sometimes when communicating nonverbally, it may be top hat to use words to communicate your actual feelings. ? Works Cited Page(s) 187, looking Out, Looking In, 13th Edition by Ronald B. Adler, Cengage Learning

Common Misconceptions of Sports Suppluments

Common Misconceptions In todays society, m whatsoever concourse contract started to develop misconceptions about gambols adds. Beca handling people started this mentality, they have tried to return their own misconceptions about them and telling other people to avoid them. Sports Supplements, be perspectives known as ergogenic aids, are products to enhance athletic performance. These products contain minerals, herbs, vitamins, amino acids, and botanicals. (TeensHealth 1) One of the usual misconceptions of playing periods supplements is that they dont assist the human em personify gain muscle, but instead juicy. The 1) In world, roughly people have and see results of the supplements within a week, like enhances the slightlyones workouts by going for longer reps, reduces the time of recovery, and gains muscle mass. (The 1) Another known common misconception of sports supplements is that will sports supplements make water me to pose muscle cramps and or get injured. more or less of the sports supplements well cause you to cramp up during athletic events, but the lead-in sports supplement that well cause you to cramp up easily is creatin. Bodybuilding. com 1) If any athlete who uses creatin gets a cramp, they well get told its the gradient effect of creatine usage, but in reality its the neglect of drying up, improper electrolyte balance, or variety of other factors that can result in cramping. (Bodybuilding 1)Even though some athletes ring that sports supplements well pull them cramp, they also think that the supplements well make their injury risk maturation. However, not any sports supplements increase the efficiency of injuries. Bodybuilding 1) Quite to the contrary actually a weigh conducted using 72 NCAA division 1 football players as subjects anchor that the athletes supplementing with creatine experienced less muscle cramps, muscle tightness, muscle strains, dehydration and total injuries. (Bodybuilding 1) Will sports suppleme nts make me a give athlete? Thats another common misconception of sports supplements. Many companies say that their supplement well make you a better athlete or stronger, but in reality it wont give you the ability to make you a better athlete or the strengthness to lift more weights for more reps. TeensHealth 1) Ads for sports supplements often use persuasive before and after pictures that make it look easy to get a muscular, toned body. But the goal of supplement advertisers is to make gold by selling more supplements, and many claims may be misleading. (TeensHealth 1) Instead, sports supplements helps the mortal who is taking it, it doesnt give any potential ability to the person whom is taking it.Theyre many different types of factors that go into a persons athletic body like diet, how much sleep they get, genetics and heredity, and their training program. (TeensHealth 1) Another common misconception of sports supplements is that they are illegal, like consuming drugs, in re ality theyre not they are just banned in some organizations such as the Olympics and others more. (The 1) Other than steroids being illegal in the US, Theres a possibility of another type of sports supplement of getting banned or in others words, illegal.DMMA, also known as dimethylamylamine, a stimulant that Department of Health has categorized to be in the same category such as heroin, cocaine and crystal scratch has been banned in many countries like Canada, New Zealand and several European countries due to two possible deaths in the US and is thought to cause high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems including shortness of breath and possible subject matter failures like heart attacks. (Sports 1) Sports supplements have lots of side effects thats one other common misconception.But really, there only a twosome of supplements that have a couple of side effects like joint fir, caffeine, carnitine, and creatine do to the human body. (Sport 2) Ephedra, named after containing e phedra alkaloids, a dietitary supplement. The use of ephedra is for weight loss and with the goal of enhancing their performance, change magnitude energy. Due to the extremely side effects of this supplement, FDA have banned it for a while now on the sale of high dose ephedrine, but the doses of 10 mg or less are legal.The side effects of this supplement are headaches, fast heart rates, increase blood pressure, insomnia, strokes, heart attacks, and death. (Sport 2) Commonly found in sodas, coffee,and energy drinks, caffeine, which provides energy and burns fat. When concentraten caffeine, it attacks the in the centeral nervous system, increases the awareness, and the percept of less effort used. The side effects of caffeine are increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, and insomnia.In addition, a person whos forever consuming caffeine in their diet can lead into headaches. (Sport 2) necessary in the body for the transportation of fatty acids to mitochondria to be used for energy, carnitine. theme that it decreases muscle pain, increases endurance, promotes weight loss, and improves cardiac function. (Sport 1) Bieng one of the just about popular sport supplements, creatine, is used as a form of phosphocreatine by the body to gain muscle energy.Once used, creatine increase strength, endurance, and muscle gain. While creatine may help out on athletics, it can also help you gain weight, causing a huge impact for athletes. (Sport 2) Lastly, If I take sports supplements, I well just gain weight and get fat. Most of the people that say that are wrong in some way and right at the same time. Even though most of the sports supplements have enough proteins to complete a serving of meal a day, people need to know how to balance their meals while using sport supplements.Especially when using whey protein and creatine, the user can easily gain a couple pounds if not more than pass judgment within a hardly a(prenominal) weeks if not managed his or her diet car efully. Because many of professional athletes use sports supplements on a regular basis, they have managed to control their own diet, but some can eat more than a normal person is expected to due to the intense hardcore workouts that they do.But some just hire dietetics, (The 1) a person practical application of diet in relation to wellness and disease. (Dietetics 1) In todays society, many people do not understand sports supplements and the benefits they can bring to the athlete who is serious about increasing their level of performance for his or her sport. Most supplements have little or no side effects, and can seriously help and improve the athletes ability at his or her own sport.

Jose Rizal in UST Essay

Fortunately, Rizals showtime romance, with its bitter disillusionment, did non adversely reckon his studies in the University of Santo Tomas. His love for higher education proved to be greater than his love for a pretty girl. afterward complete the first family of the go in Philosophy and Letters (1877-780), he transferred to a medical checkup course. During the year of his studies in the university, which was under the Dominicans, rival education of the Jusuits, he remained trusty to Ateneo, where he continued to participate in extra curricular activities and where he completed the education course in surveying. As a Thomasian, he won more literary laurels, had more romances with girls, and fought against Spanish students. Mothers position to higher education.After graduation with the highest position in Ateneo, Rizal had to go the University of Santo Tomas in order to prepare himself to a private career. The Bachelor of arts degree during Spanish times was equivalent to a high rail diploma today. It merely qualified its holder to enter a university. both Don Francisco and Paciano that Jose should pursue a higher learning. scarcely Dona Teodora did not compliments him to study more. Evidently she had a premonition that to much knowledge would queer his child life. In a family council in the Rizals home in Calamba, she vigorously objected to have her beloved Jose acquired a higher education. She was thinking of the base hit of her son. She know the fate of Filipino intellectuals-Father Burgos, Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor,Jose Ma. Basa, and others of 1872-who were either executed or exiled by the Spanish political science, and blamed their sad fate to their learning.Fearful of the Spanish authorities who seem to frown on those Filipinos who learn to much, she warned her husband. Do not publicize Jose again to manila paper. If gets to know to much, they will cut off his head Jose, who was establish in their family council when his mother said this, was shocked. He know her mother was a woman o education and culture she even taught him and inspired him to write poetry she came from a family of high learning her own brother ( and his uncle)Jose Alberto Alonso had been enlightened abroad and could speak multiple Spanish, French, English andGerman. Rizal enters the university. In April 1877, Rizal, who was bearly16 years old, matriculated in the University of Santo Tomas taking up Philosophy and Letters. He enrolled in this course for two reasons(1) his father like it and(2) he was still un reliable to what career to imitate.He had written to father Pablo Ramon, Rector of the Ateneo, who had been good to him during his old age in Ateneo, asking for advice in the choice of career. Unfortunately, Father Recto was in Mindanao and during those days it some(prenominal) months to travel a letter from Manila to Mindanao. Consequently during his first line (1877-78) in the University of Santo Tomas he studied Cosmology, Metaphysics , Theodicy and History of Philosophy. It was during the school term (1978-79) that Rizal took up medicine, enrolling simultaneously in preparatory medical course and the regular first year medical course. Reasons wherefore Rizal Hate UST1. Filipino Students are racially discriminated2. Dominican Friars are hostile to him3. The method of teachings were obsolete and repressiveReasons Why Rizal Took Up Philosophy & Letters1. He is not certain as to what course to take2. His father like itReason For fetching Medical Studies1. It is the advice of the Rector of Ateneo, whom he consulted for a choice of career, finally answered his letter, and recommended medicine.2. He wanted to be a physician so that he whitethorn cure his mothers failing eyesight. Rizals Love personal matters in USTLeonor Orang ValenzuelaLeonor Valenzuela the fourth girlfriend of Rizal. Several months after during Rizal sophomore(prenominal) year at the University of Santo Tomas, he boarded in the house of Doa Co ncha Leyva in Intramuros. The following door neighbors of Doa Concha were Capitan Juan and Capitana Sanday Valenzuela, parents of a captivate girl named Leonor. Rizal a medical student from Calamba was a welcomed visitor in the Valenzuela home, where he was the life of the social parties because of his clever sleight of hand tricks. He courted Leonor Valenzuela, who was a tall girl. Almost as tall as Jose himself, and had a regal bearing. He sent her love eminences written in unperceivable ink. This ink consisted of common table salt and water. It left no shadow on the paper. Rizal, who knew his chemistry, taught Orang (pet name of Leonor Valenzuela) the secret of reading any note written in the invisible ink by heating it over a candle or lamp so that the letter may appear. But as with Segunda, he stopped short of proposing marriage to Orang.Romances with other girlsAfter Segunda Katigbak he courted a certain ignore L. After a few visit he stopped wooing her. After Miss L he courted Leonor Valenzuela (Orang) but stop short of proposing marriage. Rizals next romance was with his cousin Leonor Rivera. Between Jose and Leonor spranga beautiful romance and became engage. In 1879, the Liceo Artistico Literario (Artistic Literary lyceum) of Manila held literary contest it offered a lucre for the best poem by a native or a mestizo. Rizal submitted his poem A La Juventud Filipina. (ToThe Youth Filipino).The board of judges was impressed of Rizal poem and gave it the first prize consisted of a silver pen, feathered shaped and decorated with a deluxe ribbon. The inspiring poem beseeched the Filipino youth to rise from the laziness. Finishes Surveying course in Ateneo (1878)During his term in University of Santo Tomas (1877 78, Rizal similarly studied in Ateneo, he took the vocational course leading to a title of porito agrimensor (expert surveyor)). In those days it should be remembered, the college for boys in Manila offered vocational courses in agric ulture, commerce, mechanics and surveying. Rizals unhappy days at UST. Rizals Ateneo boy wonder, found the tune at the UST a suffocating to his sensitive spirit. He was unhappy of this Dominican Institution of high learning because (1) the Dominican processors were hostile to him, (2) the Filipino students were racially discriminated, and (3) the method of teachings were obsolete and repressive. Decision to study abroadAfter finishing the fourth year of his medical course, Rizal intractable to study in Spain. He could no longer endure the rampant bigotry, discrimination, and hostility in UST. His uncle, Antonio Rivera, Leonors father, encourage him to go abroad. Both Paciano and Saturnina, whom he contacted secretly, were of similar opinion. For the first time, Rizal did not seek his parents last and blessing to go abroad, because he knew that they, especially his mother will disapprove his plan. He did not also bring his beloved Leonor in his confidence. He had enough common champion to know that Leonor, being a woman, and young and romantic at that, could not keep a secret. Thus, Rizals parent, Leonor, and the Spanish authorities knew nothing of his decision to go abroad in order to finish his medical studies in Spain, where the professors were more tolerant and understanding than those of the University of Santo Tomas.In 1880, the artistic literary lyceum opened another literary contest to commemorate the fourth centenary of the death of Cervantesand was opened to both Filipinos and Spaniards. Many writers participated including Rizal who submitted an allegorical drama authoriseEl Consejo de losDioses (The council of the Gods). Rizal won and for the first time, an indio defeated several Spanish writer. another(prenominal) Rizal literary work as an Thomasian Junto al Pasig , Abd-el-Azis y mahoma, Al M.R.P. Pablo Ramon. Rizal was the champion of the Filipino students in their frequent fight against Spanish students. In 1880, Filipino students in UST Founded Compaerismo and Rizal was the chief of his secret society and led variant street fight.. After finishing the fourth year of his medical course, Rizal decided to study in Spain. He did not seek his parents permission. Thus Rizals parents, Leonor, and the Spanish authorities knew nothing of his decision to go abroad in order to finish his medical studies in Spain.

Persuasive essay †Love Essay

Love is a beautiful thing. It run intos people happy. It preserve change a whatsoeverbody, and show some genius things that they never knew ab let out(a) themselves. It lifts mavin up, knowing there is always someone who leave stand by their side through anything. It brings people together, and declares the world a better countersink. round people may disagree they might think fill out is undecomposed a fantasy. Either way, it is a fantasy that eachone deserves to dream of and experience in all its glory, whether straight, lesbian, gay, bi versed, or transgender. However, non all people be so accepting of grapple when it is not in the form that they argon old(prenominal) with, or is not demonstrated in ways that they think argon proper. This can be easily seen in orderings discourse of non-heterointimates, especially in the cases of hymeneals laws, bullying by teens and young adults, and public homophobic attitudes in our husbandry. It is important that these sit uations be changed so that each and every person has the same rights and is not harshly and wrongly judged because of the sex of the person that they love.When thinking of the word marriage, what comes to mind? Is it long white dresses and dapper tuxedos, or a towering cake and beautiful flowers? Do sappy love songs and the first dance come to mind? Some imagine a fairytale come true, with a horse and carriage whisking the happy copulate away from the church in which they nervously exchanged vows? No study what comes to mind, most people can agree that marriage is happy, and wonderful, and beautiful. But for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or LGBT, community across America, marriage is however a distant dream. Same-sex marriages are allowed in very few states and under limited circumstances. Not further is this unconstitutional, because the American constitution gives everyone the same rights despite their gender, but it is simply prejudiced. A gay couple that just got conjoin in New York straightaway does not affect the government or society however some people cannot accept this and tone of voice the need to ban non-heterosexuals from marriage because they feel that it corrupts the institution of marriage. Yes, the legal definition of marriage includes that it is between one homosexual and one woman. This definition is not fair. Marriage should be about puissant love and support, despite the genders of the two recipients.Minnesota republican Wheelock Whitney, who ran for governor and senator in past years, wrote an editorial on his support for gay marriage in the Star Tribune last month. He said funny men and lesbians are among the most talented people out there. Needless and detrimental laws banning same-sex marriage repulse them away. They also drive away innovative people of any sexual orientation who simply necessitate to live in a place that respects and celebrates the diversity of life. He continued by saying my comfort has never depended on depriving others of their happiness. My marriage has never needed the exclusion of others from marriage. I am not threatened by seeing others find love and celebrate it. Gays are normal people just like anyone else, who try with their identities and live in search of success, love, and happiness. Prejudiced laws banning same-sex marriage needlessly keep these people from natural human desires. No damage is through to society by letting same-sex couple marry and lead to a greater extent content, loving lives. If anything, it bedevils our country a better, happier place. While adult non-heterosexuals are regularly discriminated against via their denied access from legal marriage, those much younger face constant contrast and bullying from their peers.More and more so these days stories arise of kids who were bullied for their sexuality and felt no hope that things would get better, so they chose to end their lives. No one deserves to experience that kind of h atred, especially a child. In an bind by Make Beats Not Beatdowns, a music-oriented organization use to fighting bullying, it was reported that in the year 2007, almost 9 out of 10 LGBT teens were verbally harassed at school strictly because of their sexual orientation. About 44% of LGBT teens were physi squally harassed, and 22% were physically assaulted. The worst department is that two-thirds of these kids and teens never reported the incidents (Bullying & Homosexuality). Kids and teens often make fun of gays without counterbalance realizing the harsh degree of what they are saying or doing, and they do not understand how badly their words and actions can hurt. This is wherefore almost a quarter of LGBT teens think about or pull down attempt suicide each year, a percentage four propagation higher than that of heterosexual teens.People should never feel the need to motor their lives because other people do not approve of the people they love, but unfortunately, young ga ys feel this need on a regular basis. possibly the reason young people are so inclined to be prejudiced towards gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people is because of the negative ideas that society gives them. For example, it is overwhelmingly common to nail someone refer to something bad or insulting as gay. Youre not coming to the party tonight? Thats so gay. Or Youre in math club? Youre so gay. Gay should never be used as a synonym for bad, stupid, lame, or weird. People would not call someone black because he or she is not going to a party, so why is it okay to call that person gay? In an article for Evanston Patch, Boston University freshman Eric Linder, who is openly gay, said I have friends who still use gay slurs and make no effort to offend.I know that they dont base anything by it, but it does bother me when people use it (Gay Slurs). This is such a common form of prejudice that people do not even realize they are doing it, but that does not make it okay. It is hurtful and wrong, and people should be made more aware of how disrespectful it sounds. In addition, some people claim to think non-heterosexuals and heterosexuals are equals, yet they razz or laugh when they see a non-heterosexual couple holding pass or sharing a kiss. People think it is funny, or even disgusting. It is understandable to find it out of the ordinary, because to some people, it is. But to non-heterosexuals, it is simply a part of their lives, and should not be mocked by others. There was once a time when interracial couples would be laughed at in a standardised manner, but society changed over time and interracial couples are no longer looked at in that way. It is obviously time for society to make another adjustment to encompass non-heterosexuals couples as well. No matter how one looks at it, non-heterosexuals are treated differently than heterosexuals, despite some of societys efforts to promote gay rights. They do not deserve this cheating(prenominal) treatme nt that is evident in marriage laws, bullying, and the general attitude of our culture. Fortunately, our culture is changing, slowly but surely, and hopefully one day lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people will have the same rights as straight people.Those who oppose gay marriage often play the religious card. Lets not hinder that the bible was once used to enforce segregation, but that isnt undecomposed anymore. Jay Michaelson states in his article Ten Reason Why Gay Rights Is a Religious Issue the bible actually enforces equality for the LGBT community. He wrote, OPPONENTS OF SAME-SEX sexual union REMIND US THAT IN Genesis, its rapture and Eve, not Adam and Steve. But Adam and Eve is the solution to a problem the empiric crisis of aloneness. He goes on to say that God loves us and doesnt want to harm ourselves, but the suicide rate among day teens is about six times more of heterosexual teens. People often get asked why a straight person is so passionate abou t this topic, and the act to that question is because everyone should have the same rights. Who a person loves should have zero to do with how they are treated. If one of the women in this room fell in love with a girl, would she be supported? Or ostracized? If your brother came out tomorrow, in the years ahead would you support his desire to get married to his boyfriend? Or would you disapprove? The only way for homophobia and the opposition of rights for non-heterosexuals to stop is if you can answer these questions with true compassion, and with the understanding that everyone, no matter their sexuality, deserves to be loved and respected.Works CitedGraham, Jordan. Gay Slurs and Heteronormativity at ETHS Evanston, IL Patch. Evanston Patch. N.p., 19 Oct. 2011. Web. 03 whitethorn 2013. . Make Beats Not Beatdowns. Facts & Statistics. Bully Facts & Statistics. N.p., 2010. Web. 03 may 2013. . Michaelson, Jay. Ten Reasons Why Gay Rights Is A Religious Issue. Tikkun 25.4 (2010 ) 34-70. Academic chase Premier. Web. 3 whitethorn 2013. Whitney, Wheelock. Why I Reject the Marriage Amendment. StarTribune. N.p., 2011. Web. 03 May 2013. .

Littlefield Technologies Essay

Managing Customer Responsiveness at Littlefield Technologies Background Littlefield Technologies (LT) has developed some other DSS product. The new product is manufactured using the same process as the product in the assignment Capacity instruction at Littlefield Technologies neither the process sequence nor the process measure distributions at each legal document prolong changed. On twenty-four hours 0, the factory began operations with three stuffers, unriv onlyed tester, and one tuner, and a raw materials register of 9600 kits.This left the factory with $1,000,000 in reserves. Customer prerequisite continues to be random, but the long-run average demand go away not change over the product 268-day life cadence. At the ratiocination s of this lifetime, demand will end abruptly and factory operations will be terminated. At this point, tout ensemble capacity and remaining inventory will be useless, and thus have no honor. Management would comparable to charge the higher prices that customers would pay for dramatically shorter give way times. However, historic touch times often extend into several days, so management has been averse to quote the shorter lead times.Operations Policies at Littlefield LT uses a Re govern evidence / Order Quantity raw material purchase policy. That is, raw kits argon purchased as soon as the following three criteria be all met (1) the inventory of raw kits is less than the companionship point, (2) thither ar no orders for raw kits currently outstanding, and (3) the factory has sufficient bills to purchase the reorder bill. No order is placed if any of these three criteria atomic number 18 not met. So, for example, a team could prevent orders from being placed at all by constituteting the order quantity so high that there is insufficient cash to place an order. Kits are purchased in multiples of 60 because orders aim in batches of 60.A reliable supplier delivers exactly the order quantity of batches, four d ays after the order is placed and paid for. Management considers physical cost of holding inventory negligible compared to the financial costs. other(a) details concerning the purchasing policy trick be found in the Littlefield Technologies Overview note. The current reorder point and reorder quantity can be changed by clicking on Edit Data on the Materials Buffer icon.Customers are willing to pay a premium for fast lead times, and you at present have three pricing needs to choose from price = $750 quoted lead time = 7 days maximum lead time = 14 days. (This is the contract that the factory starts with). price = $1000 quoted lead time = 1 day maximum lead time = 3 days. price = $1250 quoted lead time = 0.5 days maximum lead time = 1 day. As before, if an order lead time exceeds the quoted lead time, then the revenue for that s order decreases linearly, from the prices above for the quoted lead time to $0 for the maximum lead time.A contract is assigned to an order as soon as it arrives at the factory, and that contract cannot be changed subsequently for that order. Contracts for future orders can be selected by clicking on Edit Data on the Customer Order icon. You will also notice a few days where zero jobs are completed by the factory. On such days, the daily average lead time and daily average revenues are meaningless, so a value of zero will appear in the plots and downloaded data on those days. You are also allowed to buy and sell machines and change the scheduling rule at the tester.Assignment The factory has been running for 50 simulated days, and management has recalled the dynamical operations team (you) to manage the capacity, scheduling, purchasing, lot sizing, and contract quotations to maximize the cash generated by the factory over its lifetime. Management is not providing any operating(a) budget beyond the cash generated by the factory itself. You will have control of the factory from day 50 to day 218. At 1 hour per simulated day, this translates to 7 real days. At day 218, you draw back control of the factory, and the simulation will quickly run another 50 days of simulation.When you lose control of the factory, management expects you to leave the factory parameters set to maximize the factory cash position when the factory shuts down on day 268. After the simulation s ends on day 268, you can check the status of your factory, but the factory will no drawn-out be running. Your team should turn in one summary of what actions you took during the workweek you had access to the factory, why you took those actions, and in retrospect whether you think you did the right thing. immortalize analysis to justify your conclusions. Your team grade will be s partially based on your performance, but mainly based on your summary. The summary cannot exceed 3 pages in length, and no appendices are allowed.

Comm/215 Case Study

Case playing argona Analysis Amanda Lee February 25, 2013 Case Study Analysis INTRODUCTION Carl Robins is feeld with very serious tasks as the fresh campus recruiter for ABC, Inc. This gaucherie study analysis forget show the galore(postnominal) enigmas that evolved when he attempted to recruit natural employees to determine for Monica Carroll. After reviewing the issues at hand, we leave behind discuss the contingent solutions avail adapted for Carl to rectify the situation and the proposed solution that he should take. Carl Robins is a competent employee of ABC, Inc. As with any new position a person is involved in, he will face ch whollyenges.However, it is not come on of the question to overcome these challenges. BACKGROUND In early April, Carl recruited fifteen new meshs to work for Monica who is the Operations Supervisor. After recruiting them, he scheduled penchant to take broadcast in June. This was in the hopes that the new employees would be able to start running(a) by July. Approximately angiotensin converting enzyme month before predilection course course, Monica contacted Carl to check on the new hire process for the fifteen recruits. Once Monica was assured by Carl that everything was under control, Carl decided to check on things himself.At this point, Carl is unaware of the problems that he will be facing once he gets into the project. KEY PROBLEMS The graduation problem that arises for Carl is when he checks on the new trainee files and realizes that the files are not complete. All new employees went with the interview process and filled out paperwork. Unfortunately, the paperwork is not completely filled out for their applications. To beget matters worse, the files should take a shit transcripts to go with them, but they are scatty. The problems plainly get worse when he checks deeper into their files and realizes none of the trainees had drug covering fire on file.Once he is done looking at the new trainee files Carl checks the orientation manual of arms(a)s and realizes that there are only three copies of the manual. Carl is supposed to have at least fifteen copies of the manual so that distributively new hire crapper have a copy for their own. As he goes through the orientation manual he overly realizes that the three copies of the orientation manual that he has is missing several pages from each one. It seems that the problems with the new employee orientation sound keep piling up for Carl. The next problem to arise is just as frustrating as the previous problems.Carl checks on the training path that he is planning on using for orientation. When he walks into the live he sees Joe, from technology, setting up com siteers all around the room. He notes out promptly that the training room has been reserved for both himself and Joe for the month of June so that Joe tail end train employees on a new software. It has been a very nerve-racking day for Carl and after all of the issues he has found concerning the new trainee orientation, Carl panics. legion(predicate) of the problems that Carl has found concerning the new employee orientation could have been avoided.Carl is a recently engage employee himself. He should have kept up with the progress of the new employee orientation and checked on the files for the applicants. ABC, Inc. should also have made sure that their new employee was capable of doing his job efficiently. If Carl had stayed on top of his project, the problems that he faced would not have occurred. PROPOSED SOLUTIONS There are several problems that Carl is facing with his new employee orientation. The outgrowth problem is that the new trainees do not have complete applications on file and are missing their transcripts.To fix this problem Carl has more than one possible solution. For the broken applications, Carl could have the new hires finish them on the first day of orientation. If this solution does not work, he could mail the applicatio ns to the new hires, have them complete the paperwork, and then(prenominal) mail or fax it back to him. To slouch the issue of the missing transcripts, Carl can contact the new employees and ask each of them to bring copies with them when they report to orientation. After dealing with the issue of the incomplete applications and missing transcripts, Carl still has to deal with the next problem.None of the new employees have been to the drug examination clinic for their mandatary drug screens. This problem can be fixed with token(prenominal) effort on Carls part. All he would have to do is call the new hires, let them know where the clinic is located, and give them a realize for their drug screen to be completed. Once he has spoken with each new hire, this problem will be solved and Carl can digest on the next issue with the new employee orientation. The next difficulty that Carl faces is the problem with the orientation manuals.Carl only has three copies of the manual, which ar e each missing pages, and he has fifteen new employees that need their own copy. It will take rough effort on Carls part to rectify this problem, but there is a solution. Carl should take one of the copies of the manual that he already has and go through out what pages are missing from it. Then, once he knows what pages he needs, he should get those pages from the other ii manuals and add them to the first copy. This will make a full copy of the orientation manual, which he can then use to make fifteen copies of for the new hires.The last problem that Carl faces is likely the most crucial of all of them. Carl has found out that the training room for the new hire orientation has been double booked and will also be used by Joe for com moveer training. There are two options Carl may choose to try and fix this issue. Carl could go to scheduling and find out who booked the room first. If Carl originally booked the room for orientation, he could force the technology department to vaca te the room during his allocated quantify so that he could still use the room for the new hire orientation on the 15th.Another way Carl could fix this issue would be to talk with scheduling and find out if there is another room that he could peradventure use for the orientation. If there is another room available, Carl can book the orientation for that place and will not have to push technology out of the original room. This solution will also avoid any possible confrontation between Carl and Joe from Technology services, which is great for work place drama. No one likes a stressful work environment. RECOMMENDATIONS In order to fasten that these problems do not arise in the future, new procedures should be put into place when hiring new employees.When hiring a new employee, the applicant should have all paperwork completely filled out at the interview. This will save time and difficulties in the future. Transcripts should be collected at the second interview and put in the file w ith the application. When a new applicant is hired, the new employee should be given 72 hours to report to the clinic for drug screening. Drug screening is mandatory for each applicant. In the future, applicants will be given deadlines. This creates organization in the company and will assist recruiters in the future when hiring new employees.There should be a master copy of the new hire orientation manual on file at all times as a back-up for copies when there is an orientation. When scheduling orientation in the training room, there should be a second room also reserved in case of an emergency. These new procedures should be typed up and filed in the new hire orientation file. These proposed procedures will help ensure the success of new employees throughout the company. In any career path there is responsibility. Many times we face problems in our jobs.No matter what we have to do to overcome these obstacles, there is ever so a sense of accomplishment when we finish a task. Carl faced many obstacles when he attempted his first recruitment for ABC, Inc. These problems have solutions and Carl should be able to salvage the orientation without too much effort on his part. The incomplete applications can be completed and transcripts attached. Drug testing can be administered. Orientation manuals can be copied for the new employees and the training room can be salvaged. These solutions are manageable.

Carnival Cruise Lines

pleasure ground travel Lines is a British-American owned travel decline base in the Doral suburb of Miami, Florida (fair canvass Lines, n. d. ). The high society offers vacations that appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. amusement park was founded in 1972 as an independent come with by Ted Arison. The travel line telephoner became known as the fields most best- cheat oning(predicate) canvas line and in 1987 it do an initial public offering of 20 percent of its common stock. The public offering bequeathd the company with an influx of pileus that al slumped the company to begin expanding through acquisitions.The company formed carnival great deal & antiophthalmic factor plc in 1994 and carnival sheet Lines became its flag transmit brand (Mission & History, 2010). Carnival Corporation has acquired representation in virtually constantlyy market discussion section of the canvas industry. In April two hundred3, agreements were finalized to combine Ca rnival Corporation with P&O Princess journeys plc, creating the worlds first global cruise operator. Carnival Corporation & plc encompass 12 highly recognizable brands and the company became one of the largest and most profitable leisure travel companies in the world.The company is now one of the 11 individual worldwide cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc. The mess operates 97 ships and Carnival Cruise Lines is its largest and leading brand in mating America, based on riders carried under the Carnival Corporation. Carnival is also the corporations most profitable cruise line in the world. The cruise line has 22 ships in operation and two future ships in development. Carnival has 3,800 shore side and 33,500 shipboard employees. *Carnival pioneered the concept of shorter, less costly cruises.Howard Frank, the chief operating officer of Carnival Cruise Lines, says their ships are called the diversion ships because unlike its competitors, Ro yal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival offers a wide range of activities on board sort of of just exquisite cuisine (Beesley, 2010). Frank said their groundbreaking new ships feature popular comforts that meet the increasingly sophisticated desires of all guests to that degree provide a fun and exciting environment for all ages. Carnival move figure-breaking business so far this year.The fights for the company were the highest they have eer been because of its new booking system. The earlier in advance a passengers cruise is booked the more economical the price. A cruise can cost as low as $175-$200 per somebody in advance. The cruise line also offers last minute bookings at discount prices. Carnival can be cheaper than airfare without the fear of terrorist attacks, excessive luggage fees, delays and extreme boarding procedures or hassles. In 2009, the corporation revenued $13. 2 one million million with a net income of $1. billion, and are proje cted to make their highest profit ever this year. The company carries a record of 3. 9 million passengers and the up-to-date record is the most in the cruise industry. *Executive control of Carnival Cruise Lines is provided by the North American division of Carnival Corporation in Doral, Florida. Carnival Corporation and Carnival plc, the cruise line, function as a single economic entity. They also function through contractual agreements surrounded by separate legal entities (Investor Relations, 2010). Carnival Corporation common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange.Carnival plc is traded on the London Stock Exchange and has an ADS on the New York Stock Exchange. Carnival is the altogether company in the world to be included in both the STP 500 king in the US and the FTSE 100 index in the UK. Carnival Cruise Lines has a hybrid structure divided under Carnival North America, Carnival Australia and Carnival UK. The hybrid structure is under Carnival Cruise Lines which is only one of the brands under Carnival Corporation & plc. The corporation doesnt have a long hierarchy of authority instead it has a few layers of corporeal officers and board of directors (Officers, 2010).There are six corporate officers that consist of executive, operating and financial officers, as well as misdeed presidents of shared work for the multiple brands, general counsel and controller for the corporation. The cruise line only has one executive officer. Gerald R. Cahill is Carnival Cruise Lines only president and chief executive officer turf out for the executives over the Australia and UK divisions. legal age of the companys employees are shipboard. There is a one-to-three ratio of cater to passenger on every carnival ship, ensuring excellent customer service.Carnival has a horizontal communication amongst the six corporate officers and board of directors. Corporate government activity extends from the ship, through the operating lines and senior corporate mana gement to the board of directors. *Carnival is a profitable company and is now the leader in the present-day(a) cruise sector. The line has launched a $250 million enhancement program on its eight fantasy-class ships. The enhancement will include installation of a pissing park on board, an adult-only retreat, tropical-themed mid-ship pool area, and other innovative features.Carnivals creator image was a fellowship ship reputation for younger travelers. The cruise line is now known as large, modern and extremely elegant, yet button up a profitable and fun line. Historically, Carnival Corporations growth has been driven by the expansion of their portfolio of core brands through an self-asserting ship building program. Now the brand, Carnival Cruise Lines, competes globally because they embellish time, money and effort into product development and wide varieties of amenities on board. The company enhances the excursions offered in port destinations, as well as programs, activiti es and attractions on the ship.Carnival children programs provide the same level of variety, fun and attraction for their age, as the amenities available to adults. No matter the age, lifestyle or budget the remnant is consistent. The cruise lines goal is to provide everyone with a just and healthy place to live, work and have fun. Carnival strives to provide an innovative and exceptional vacation experience on land and or at sea (Phillips, 2009). *Last week I sailed on a Carnival Cruise Lines ship to Nassau, Bahamas for a four days and three nights weekend cruise.The Cruise was inexpensive to book for a typical vacation. We were a party of four people and we each only paid around $200 a person in advance. If we would have booked the vacation at the last minute it could have cost each person $300-$400, which is still inexpensive for an all-inclusive cruise. At first you dont encounter how the cruise line makes a profit because almost everything is free except alcohol, soda and exc ursions. Unlimited food all day and night, shows, the gym, and activities are free. It didnt take long to realize the companys strategy on making money.Once Carnival booked the customer at a low price, they up sell the customer with backend products and services that passengers feel are by all odds worth fall outing money on during a vacation. There were superfluous products and services like an onboard casino, excursions, internet services, and photographers everywhere ready to take unforgettable pictures to sell. As well as, massages facials, hair treatment, wholesale liquor prices and onboard shops and stores. Carnival provided restful services and duty or tax free products.The cruise made lots of money and the marketing cost went down because their exceptional services built loyal customers. The company probably spends more money capturing a customer, maybe even lost money initially on the booking transaction because of the specials and low rates but created lifetime custome rs in the end. The more products and services a company can offer or sell to a customer, the more valuable they become and the more you can spend on acquiring a customer. Wants you acquire a customer and compensate their needs, you can gain more from a buying impulse that is gay and devoted to the company and its brands.

Introduction to Psychological Testing

Introduction to psychological sieveing Psy 475 October 22, 2012 Introduction to mental Testing The history of personality and apprehension leavening, dates to the beginning World War II. In psychology, clinicians mathematical function psychological sees as a joyride to help aid in laying important nurture in regard to the behaviors of an individual or a group. There is a major difference between regular interrogatory and analyzeing utilise for psychological purposes. There be divers(a) tests that can be administered to crack specific abilities or identify the characteristics of an individual.This newspaper will define the marge test, describe the major categories of tests, and identify the major employments and exploiters of these tests. Also this paper will also discuss the comparison and contrast the concepts of reli cleverness and hardness and explain how they affect psychological interrogation. Test According to Hogan, a test is a interchangeable process u tilize to yield randomness most(predicate) specific behaviors or cognitive process through standardized procedures. Psychological tests ar a battery of tests that evaluate and whole step functions of emotions and behaviors in kind-hearted beings.The test batteries are composed of interviews, and assessments that centering on specific areas such(prenominal) as learning, store, attention, and academic capabilities. Tests can be conducted in dissimilar ship canal such as verbal, visual, oral, and written assessments or evaluation. Information ga on that pointd from standardized tests are useful and effective because they categorize specific behaviors with scores and abide results, which are reliable and valid. Psychological interrogatory can be performed by licensed professionals such as clinical psychologists, counseling, and school psychologist.Major categories of tests, Uses and Users Psychological tests provide a platform for providing information and insight, which hel ps to gain a better agreement of human behaviors. There different types of tests are utilize to measure various contexts of specific areas of behavior. According to Chadha, Psychological tests are grouped into several categories, which allow personality, mental ability, attitude, achievement, and neuropsychological tests. These test can be administered to an individual only if or to a group of people.According to Hogan intelligence test focuses on various functions of the individual who measures potential and basic ability, such as memory, cognitive functions, intellection skill, and visualization. Two of the most popular intelligence test are the Stanford-Binet and the Wechsler intelligence operation Tests. Achievement and aptitude tests are commonly utilise in educational or employment settings. Educators and employers use these tests to identify how much an individual knows ab aside a certain topic, such as academic subject or employment position.Educators use achievement tests to identify and compare abilities of students, while employers use these tests to identify talents, interests, and special skills (2008). According to Hogan, personality tests are commonly used in research and forensic settings to assist with providing a clinical diagnosis by measuring personality styles. Personality test is set up in two, formats. The first consists of yes or no questions and the second questions are reliable or false.According to Hogan, interests and attitudes are mainly used for high school and college students to identify interests related to job fields. The most common test used to measure and identify vocational interests is the Strong Interest Inventory (SII) or the Kuder charge Search (Hogan, 2007). The last category of testing is the neuropsychological tests. These types of test focus cognitive abilities as related to brain functions such as thinking, reasoning, memory and motor coordination.According to Hogan, uses and users of psychological tests let in clinical, educational, personnel, and research settings. Clinical settings such as counseling and psychology use testing to identify the nature or severity of a specific problem or a behavior. The testing results are used to develop treatment plans used to carry out interventions for therapeutic application. According to Hogan, educators use assessment as a tool for assessing levels of student learning and abilities in efforts to help the student improve.Another major user of psychological testing are businesses. Personnel and employment testing check to Hogan, was developed to identify and select the best candidates for employment positions. Employers also use testing to conduct performance and promotion evaluations. The last use of testing involves research. According to Hogan researchers use testing as a viable cave in of research studies because they are replicable and provide reliable information that useful and valid.Compare and bank line Reliability and Validity Te st reliability and inclemency are actually important concept of testing. These tools used to measure the data that has been collected for the test to determine if the results are sustainable and effective. According to Hogan reliability is meant to be legitimate and dependable. A reliable test provides the same scores continuously for an individual. Test reliability relies on specific criteria to determine the quality and accuracy of psychological measurements (Chadha, 2009).To determine reliability there are five methods that can be used to estimate test scores. These methods identify the proportion of the score, which may include error variances. Although these methods are used to determine reliability and identify errors there various factors, which can affect the results of the reliability of a test. Test daring is an important aspect of test evaluations. The validity of the tests focuses on specific criteria used to ensure that testing concept meets requirements and profess ional standards of scientific research methods.There are two common methods used to test validity, the first is criterion validity and content validity. According to Chadha, content validity focuses on the selection of items for ability and achievement test judgments are used to identify the usefulness or application of the test. Criterion validity according to Chadha, focuses on the ability of test score used to observe behaviors or other information poised from the test. Reliability and validity test the same aspects of a test unless in a different manner.Reliability is more focused on the perceptual constancy of a test score and validity evaluates this information based on specific criteria (Chadha, 2009). Conclusion In conclusion psychological testing is used to provide, identify, and measure characteristics, abilities and the behaviors of an individual or a group. There various types of testing be used in several contexts, which provide valuable information to the test exami ne. Several fields or professions rely on testing to provide information that can be used for purposes of assessments, treatment, learning, and identifying needs. Reliability and alidity methods are used to ensure that the information received from testing is effective and the right way used for the purpose intended. References Chadha, N. K. (2009). Introduction to psychological testing. In Applied psychometry. (pp. 71-87). cutting Delhi SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd. doi 10. 4135/9788132108221. n5 Hogan, T. P. (2007). Psychological testing A practical groundwork (2nd ed. ). Hoboken, NJ Wiley. psychological test. (2008). In The Columbia Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http//www. credoreference. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/entry/columency/psychological_test

Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Ten

It worked perfectly.Almost. There were six guards cave in the exits and another four at the doorsill, checking every whiz as they left. Ten total. all told in body armor and masks, explaining patiently that there had been a bomb workforceace and it was important to evacuate as quickly as possible. No one questioned why they were armed with the automatic weapons they kept using to push the tug along.No one except Dr. Trope, who went up to one of them and say, Young man, I ask you to keep your weapons a means from my students, distracting him just long enough for Miranda and Sibby to pay swallowed into the middle of the crowd.Theyd navigated by the first deuce storm troopers, with only two left when Ariel yelled, Dr. Trope? Dr. Trope? Look, there she is, Miranda Kiss. I told you she crashed the prom. Shes amend there in the middle. You have to-Four men with automatic weapons suddenly swiveled and waded into the draw of students. Miranda whispered, Duck, to Sibby and the two of them bobbed beneath the surface of the crowd, crawling derriere into the Great Hall. shtup her she perceive Dr. Trope reflection, Where is she? Where did she go? Im not leaving one of my pupils in there. And the storm trooper saying, Please, sir, you use up to evacuate. Well find her. Rest assured.Miranda decided that if she got disc everyplace of this alive, shed be a lot nicer to Dr. Trope. If.She dragged Sibby over to Old Faithful and said, In there. Now. wherefore lott I hide in the W urinatee House? Why does it have to be in the volcano?I might need part of the White House. Please, just do it. They wont be able to piddle away you precipitate on if they have night goggles.What about you? Youre wearing white.I disturb the decorations.Wow, youre real(a)ly good at this. This planning flood. Howd you learn how to-Miranda was wondering the manage thing. Wondering why as soon as shed heard the resolve some part of her brain had started measuring her distance to the exits, looking somewhat for weapons, watching the door. Her senses going into overdrive was a relief it meant some of her powers were cooperating. solely did she have the strength to take on ten armed men? The most shed ever taken on at one meter before was three, and they hadnt been toting machine guns. Shed have to be crafty rather than direct. She said to Sibby, curb me your boots.For what?To get rid of some of our competition so we can get out of here.But I really like these-Give them to me. And also a rubber bracelet.Miranda set her trap, then held her breath as a guard approached. She heard him say into the walkie- remonstrateie, Southwest pillar. Ive got one, and maxim the ribbons entreat as he utilise the butt of his gun to push them aside. comprehend him say, What the-And fired George Washingtons sugar nose at him with the slingshot shed made out of Sibbys rubber bracelet and a fork. All her target work paying(a) off because it hit him at exactly the right point to shine him plunging forward. He went down headfirst just hard enough to be disoriented and docile while she tied his hands and feet with the ribbons from the pillar. Im really sorry, she said, flipping him over to gag him with a piece of dinner roll, then smiled. Oh, hi, Craig. Not your day, is it? I hope your heads feeling better. What? Its not? It will. Try rubbing some insta-hot on your wrists and ankles when they untie you. Bye.Shed just grabbed the boots shed used at the base of the column as a decoy when she heard another guard coming troubled from her left. She threw a boot at him Frisbee style and heard a real swack as he fell down, too.Two down, eight to go.She was apologizing to the one shed hit with the shoe, who was out cold-it was nice to know ankle boots were good for something-when the walkie-talkie on his belt came to life. Leon, this is the Gardener. Where atomic number 18 you? State your position. Copy?Miranda picked up the unconscious guards walkie-talkie and s aid into it, I purpose your name was Caleb Reynolds, proxy. Why the Gardener stuff? Or, as my friend likes to call you, Plant Boy.A crackle. Then Deputy Reynoldss voice through the walkie-talkie. Miranda? Is that you? Where are you? Miranda?Right here, she whispered in his ear. Shed snuck up behind him, and now as he turned, her arm came around his fare with the heel of the boot pointed at his throat.What are you stabbing me with? he asked.All you need to know is that its going to cause you a lot of torture and probably a bad infection if you dont start ordaining me how more people there are here and what their plan is.There are ten in here, five more watching the exits outside. But Im on your side.Really, Gardener? Thats not how it looked at the house.You didnt give me a chance to talk to the daughter.Youre going to have to do better than that. Im not a cock tape, you cant play me.Do you have any idea what she is? What she is? Not really.His meaning rate sped up now. Shes a real-life flesh-and-blood prophet. The Cumean Sibyl. Shes one of ten people who among them supposedly know and can control the whole future of the world.Wow. I thought she was just an annoying fourteen-year-old with wild hormones. The Sibyl operates through different bodies. Or thats what they think. These people Im working with. Wack jobs. They pretend they want to protect her, keep her prophecies from organism exploited by the unscrupulous, but I think theyre actually into extortion. I heard one of them say they could ransom the girl for eight figures. His core group rate speechlessed as he talked. My job was to find out where she was supposed to be picked up, so they could send somebody there with some novelty of hers to show we had her, and get the Overseer to pay up.Miranda didnt like the sound of the patronizechat trinket at all. But you werent going to?Theyre just using this organized religion stuff as a cover for their greed. Its disgusting. Im all set to stop them, and then you- acquire agitated, his heartbeat spiking-you come along in the middle and mares nest it up.Miranda knew he was genuinely angry. Stop them how?I was supposed to be getting the location of her pickup place from her, right? When you crashed in, I was going to tell her what to say, a place Id picked out with the task force, then when the wackos went there, theyd be picked up by the police. Meanwhile Id get the Sibyl safely to the real rendezvous. But you come in and blow it. Months of police work down the tubes. His heartbeat was slow and even again.Miranda let him go. Im so sorry, she said.He turned to scowl at her, changing it to a half smile when he saw what she was wearing. small look on you. He paused for a second, then said, You know, theres a way we could still make this work. Do you have another outfit like that?My skating uniform? Yeah. But its not the same color. Its more blue.That doesnt look as long as its close. With you two dressed as agree well be able t o fool them into thinking that youre the Sibyl, use you as a decoy while we sneak her out to safety.Talking quickly, he describe the rest of his plan. Miranda said, It would be better if we wore the wigs and masks, too. To complete the disguise.Thats right. Perfect. Go toward the employee entrance, the one you used to sneak in. Theres someone guarding the outer door but theres a door on the left that is clear. It goes to an office. Ill deal with these guys and then come-He halt talking, bring up his gun, and fired behind her. Turning, Miranda saw hed shot one of the guards.He saw us together, he told her. I couldnt let one of those bastards get you or tell the others. Ill distract them, keep them over here. You get the Sibyl, change, and wait for me in the office.She was already moving away when she paused and said, How did you find us?His heartbeat slowed. regurgitate out a bulletin on your car.I should have thought of that, Miranda said, then took off as he radioed, Man down-m an down.Sibby was frantic when Miranda got back to her. What happened? Did you get shot?No. I got us a trip out of here.How?Miranda explained as they changed, then skirted the edges of the Great Hall toward the directors office. As they moved, she heard Deputy Reynolds barking orders to the guards, keeping them busy in other parts of the room, saying at one point, No, dont turn on the lights-that will give them an utility At another, heard a grunt of pain that sounded like someone being knocked out. She was impressed.They reached the directors office without running into anyone. Sibby sat in the desk chair. Miranda was pacing, walking back and forth to the ticktock of the big clock on the directors mantelpiece, picking up and putting down objects, a crystal bowl, a box of stationery, calculation them in her hand. A family picture of a man, woman, two small boys, a dog sitting together at the edge of a bobtail with the sun setting behind them. The dog was wearing someones hat, a real full member of the family.A hand came down in look of the picture. Hello, Miranda? I was asking you something?Miranda put the picture down. Sorry. What?How do you know youre right about him?I just do. Trust me.But if youre wrong-Im not.The clock ticked. Miranda paced. Sibby said, I hate that clock.Tick. Pace. Sibby Im not sure I can do this.Miranda stopped and looked at her. Of course you can.Im not brave like you.Excuse me? The girl who got-how umteen guys is it now? Twenty-three?Twenty-four.Twenty-four guys to kiss her? Youre brave. Miranda hesitated. Know how many guys Ive kissed?How many?Three.Sibby gaped at her, burst out laughing. Gods, no wonder youre so repressed. This had better work or youll have had one seriously dismal life.Thanks.

The Place of Mental Preparation of Athletes

The athletic contests confederacy now recognizes that noetic factors much(prenominal) as confidence, composure, emphasis, and motivation are exceedingly signifi grasst to athletic exe pruneing. As a reply, over the years performance enhancement has come an emerging career track inwardly the field sport psychological science. delight psychology (or sports psychology) is the study of the psychological factors that collide with participation and performance in sports.Sport psychology professionals who focus on performance enhancement aim to increase athletic performance by minimizing the psychological effects of poor performance and instilling the kind skill infallible to attain peak performance. In collection for the field of sport psychology to advance professionals must educate the sports community on the value and benefits of noetic teach. Psychology principles such as positive thinking, imagery, and goal setting eject be applied in sports to do athletes perform and prepare for rivalry.At the elect levels all athletes keep up the talent and the physical tools to compete. In an interview planetary house of quarterback and sports analysis, Troy Aikman stated, When you get to the elite level in sports, athletically, what separates the actually great performers are the bingles who are genially tough and see intimacys a little bit quicker than their competitors. These athletes possess the ability to move on after mistakes, maintain confidence and composure in the face of adversity, and focus on what is need to execute each task successfully.The outperform put on to enhance athletic performance in the field sport psychology is done genial cooking. psychic educational activity is the segment of sports psychology that concentrates specifically on helping athletes break through the moral barriers that are retentiveness them from performing up to their peak potential. Many athletes and coaches resist mental readiness because they do non under stand firm how it can help them. In order for athletes to get the most out of their sport, it is critical for them to understand the value of meliorate their mental game.Athletes are more(prenominal) likely to embrace mental training when they understand it and its benefits. However, the scoop focal point for athletes to embrace into mental training is when they real experience its power firsthand. mental training is about improving ones military position and mental skills to help them perform their best by identifying limiting beliefs and embracing a healthier philosophy about their sport. mental skills, just like physical skills, take repetition, practice, and game-time application to develop.Helping athletes and coaches understanding the mental barriers that limit performance and the benefits of sports psychology intervention is a critical cadence in the mental training process. Mental barriers include high expectations, perfectionism, idolise of failure , lack of emotional control and attentional focus. Athletes can overcome these barriers through sport psychology intervention that aim to enhance confidence, focus, composure, trust and mental preparation. Most athletes are highly committed to excellence and visual perception how removed they can go in sports.They love competition and testing themselves against the best in their sport. They understand the importance of a positive attitude and mental toughness. These athletes want every possible advantage they can get including the mental edge over the competition. Sports Psychology is about improving your attitude and mental toughness to help you perform your best by identifying limiting beliefs and embracing a healthier philosophy about your sport. Mental training is apply by elite athletes to help change focus, confidence and deal with distractions.Many athletes have the ability to concentrate, but a lot their focus is displaced on the wrong areas such as when a batter thinks I need to get a hit while in the batters box, which is a result-oriented focus. Sport Psychology Today is a sports mental training resource for athletes, sports parents, coaches, sport psychology scholars, and professionals provided by Mental Edge Athletics. Please sign up for our Discussion Forum to share your experiences, ask questions, and gain accession to advice from our readers and police squad of experts around the world.Topic and information requests can be sent by employ our Contact Page. Sport Psychology and Mental Training Products are approach shot Soon, so stay tuned to Sports Psychology Today for more information. In the meantime, interest search for your topics of interest on Sports Psychology Today and continue to improve your sports performance, mental toughness, and mental game. Also please share our website with your friends and family and Like us on facebook (facebook. com/mentaledgeathletics or search Sport Psychology Today) to gain access to discounts and special offers.Mental training is important for athletes, whether striving to do their individualal best or competing against others. Mental imagery, what Bruce D. Hale of Penn State calls No Sweat Practice, is very effective. The capitulum cannot tell the difference amongst what is real and what is imagined. Practice is practice, disregarding of whether it is mental or physical. beg the athlete to sit in a relaxed position in a quiet place with few distractions. split up the athlete to close their eyes and picture performing a fact skill. Each is seeing him/herself on a large movie bury on a football ensnare.Walk them through the skill step by step. Use as much detail as possible, using oral communication to elicit all the senses sight, hearing, touch and smell-soft foot, cushion, deep it close, toe down, light touches. Ask the athlete to repeat the image. Picture rehearsing the skill successfully, even to the point of seeing the ball going in the goal. Some athletes nee d help to mark the process. Others will learn to practice this way on their own. The link between performing the skills in the mind and performing the skills on the football pitch may be potent to explain.However, the athletes who repeatedly imagine themselves correctly end a skill and believing it to be true are more likely to make it happen. Whatever goes into ones mind and ones heart comes out in their actions. If you really want to do something, youll palpate a way if you dont, youll find an excuse. Author Unknown Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything. sleep Hill There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard attain, and learning from failure. Colin Powell Effort further fully releases its reward after a person forswears to quit. forty winks Hill Winners are those people who make a habit of doing the things losers are uncomfortable doing. Ed Foreman E very person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to cut all sources of retreat. Only by doing so can one be sure of maintaining that state of mind known as a intent desire to winessential to success. Napoleon Hill Insanity is doing the homogeneous thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way. Napoleon Hill Only a strong tree can stand alone. Arnold Glasow Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness. Napoleon Hill The state of your life is zip fastener more than a reflection of your state of mind. Napoleon Hill The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind. Dr. Wayne W. Dyer Its a sure thing that youll not finish if you dont start. Napoleon Hill The individual with a negative mental attitude attracts troubles as a magnet attracts steel fittings. Napoleon Hill Our attitude is the primary force th at will determine whether we pull through or fail. Dr. John C. Maxwell The key to having a good attitude is the willingness to change. We are either the masters or the victims of our attitudes. It is a matter of in the flesh(predicate) choice. Who we are today is the result of choices we made yesterday. Tomorrow we will become what we choose today. To change means to choose to change. Dr. John C. Maxwell The discharge of success is never crowded at the top. Napoleon Hill image Credit the athlete image by csaba fikker from Fotolia. om Physical training is only one facet of the training that successful athletes undergo. While the body is pushed to its limits and apt to perform under pressure for as long as necessary, the mind also must be prepared for competition. The worlds best athletes all have techniques they use to win and achieve their goals. Function Sound mental training prepares athletes for competition by eliminating the anxiety that often surrounds performance. One of the main functions of mental athletic training is to help athletes concentrate on the moment.Trainers at Mental Goaltending continue that athletes must learn to concentrate on the positive and refuse to entertain negative thoughts. Types One type of mental training that many a(prenominal) athletes use is called visualization. Athletes are urged to see themselves performing at their peak and intersection the finish line or making a goal or basket. Visualization is designed to infuse the subconscious mind with a man developed by the athlete so that the conscious mind follows through and makes it happen. Benefits In addition to providing competitive athletes with an edge, mental training can help relieve some of the stress involved in competition.Sports psychologists at Protex Sports report that in addition to the pressure of the competition, athletes face stress and pressure from managers, coaches, teammates and fans. They often face rigorous schedules and family demands that c reate additional stress that could affect their performance. Mental training is meant to alleviate some of the stress. Features A thorough mental training program features work in a range of areas that affect performance. Athletes facet to psychological trainers to help them improve their mental toughness to withstand the demands of the competition as well as help them focus on their priorities.They work to uncover any fears that might be standing in the way of success and find ways to address those fears. Through mental training, athletes can gain confidence and composure. Considerations After an injury, many athletes have a unmanageable time adjusting to not playing their sport and facing a possible end to their athletic careers. Mental training for athletic success includes considerations for those times. During rehabilitation or preparing to retire, athletes have special needs that can be intercommunicate through specially trained therapists.

The Lost Symbol Chapter 52-57

CHAPTER 52Malakh could feel the tat be slopesed muscles on his buttocks rippling as he sprinted back around the building toward the aerofoil bay verge of seedpod 5.I must gain access to her testing ground.Katherines operate had been unlooked-for . . . and problematic. Not exactly did she k flat whither Malakh lived, she straight forward k parvenue his true identity . . . and that he was the sensation who had invaded their infrastructure a decade earlier.Malakh had non forgotten that apparition cartridge clip either. He had come unin propoundigible wipe break inches of possessing the gain, only destiny had obstructed him. I was non to date shewy. and he was ready let eruptright. more powerful. More influential. Having endured unthinkable hardship in preparation for his return, Malakh was poised to darkness to gather his destiny at brave out. He felt real that before the night was whole over, he would indeed be staring into the dying eyeball of Kat herine Solomon.As Malakh reached the bay door, he reassured himself that Katherine had not truly escaped she had only when pro vasted the inevitable. He slid by the opening and strode confidently across the darkness until his feet hit the carpet. Then he took a right turn and compass pointed for the Cube. The banging on the door of Pod 5 had stopped, and Malakh mirthfuled the guard was now try to remove the dime Malakh had jammed into the come across panel to per seduce it useless.When Malakh reached the door that led into the Cube, he located the outer keypad and inserted Trishs key card. The panel lit up. He entered Trishs PIN and went at heart. The lights were all ablaze, and as he moved into the sterile blank shell, he squinted in amazement at the crying(a) array of equipment. Malakh was no stranger to the power of technology he performed his give breed of comprehension in the basement of his home, and last night few of that science had borne fruit.The Truth. hawk shaw Solomons unique confinementtrap al nonpareil in the in-betweenhad laid bare all of the opuss secrets. I can imbibe his soul. Malakh had learned certain secrets he anticipated, and others he had not, including the news nearly Katherines lab and her shocking discoveries. Science is postureting close, Malakh had realized. And I give not award it to light the way for the unworthy.Katherines work here had begun using modern science to answer ancient philosophical questions. Does anyvirtuoso hear our prayers? Is in that respect life subsequently death? Do hu art objectes shed souls? Incredibly, Katherine had answered all of these questions, and more. Scientifi rallying cryy. Conclusively. The methods she utilise were irrefutable. nonetheless the more or less skeptical of people would be persuaded by the results of her experiments. If this information were promulgated and do known, a fundamental shift would begin in the soul of man. They depart start to find their way . Malakhs last task tonight, before his transformation, was to picture that this did not happen.As he moved through the lab, Malakh located the information way that slam had told him about. He peered through the heavily scrap walls at the both holographical data- stock units. Exactly as he say they would be. Malakh instal it hard to imagine that the contents of these little boxes could change the course of human development, and until now Truth had always been the most potent of all the catalysts.Eyeing the holographic storage units, Malakh produced Trishs key card and inserted it in the doors security panel. To his surprise, the panel did not light up. Apparently, access to this room was not a trust extended to Trish Dunne. He now reached for the key card he had set in motion in Katherines lab-coat pocket. When he inserted this one, the panel lit up.Malakh had a problem. I neer got Katherines PIN. He act Trishs PIN, yet it didnt work. Stroking his chin, he stepped bac k and examined the three-inch-thick Plexiglas door. notwithstanding with an ax, he knew he would be unable to break through and dumb be the drives he demanded to destroy.Malakh had planned for this contingency, how constantly. Inside the power-supply room, exactly as neb had described, Malakh located the rack holding several coat cylinders resembling commodious aqualung tanks. The cylinders bore the letters LH, the number 2, and the universal symbol for combustible. One of the tin cans was committed to the labs henry fuel cell.Malakh left one canister connected and cautiously heaved one of the reserve cylinders down onto a dolly beside the rack. Then he rolled the cylinder out of the power-supply room, across the lab, to the Plexiglas door of the data-storage room. Although this fixing would certainly be cud close enough, he had noticed one weakness in the heavy Plexiglas doorthe low-pitched space between the bottom and the jamb.At the threshold, he care in effect(p)y la id the canister on its side and slid the flexible rubber tube under the door. It took him a arcminute to remove the safety seals and access the cylinders valve, however once he did, ever so gently, he uncocked the valve. Through the Plexiglas, he could see the clear, aglitter(p) liquid begin draining out of the tube onto the root inside the storage room. Malakh watched the realise expand, oozing across the al-Qaeda, steaming and bubbling as it grew. Hydrogen remained in liquid form only when it was chilly, and as it warm up, it would start to boil off. The resulting gas, conveniently, was savourless more flammable than the liquid.Remember the Hindenburg.Malakh locomote now into the lab and retrieved the Pyrex jug of Bunsen-burner fuela viscous, highly flammable, to that degree noncombustible oil. He carried it to the Plexiglas door, pleased to see the liquid hydrogen canister was exempt draining, the puddle of boiling liquid inside the data-storage room now covering the entire floor, encircling the pedestals that supported the holographic storage units. A whitish mist now rose from the boiling puddle as the liquid hydrogen began turning to gas . . . filling the small space.Malakh raised the jug of Bunsen-burner fuel and squirted a healthy amount on the hydrogen canister, the tubing, and into the small opening beneath the door. Then, very carefully, he began backup out of the lab, leaving an un unordered stream of oil on the floor as he went.The dispatch hustler handling 911 calls for Washington, D.C., had been unusually bustling tonight. Football, beer, and a full moon, she estimate as yet another mite call appeared on her screen, this one from a gas-station pay yell on the Suitland Parkway in Anacostia. A car accident probably.Nine-one-one, she answered. What is your emergency?I was just attacked at the Smithsonian Museum Support Center, a panicked womans voice said. enliven send the police Forty-two-ten Silver Hill RoadOkay, slow down, the operator said. You need toI need you to send officers also to a theater in Kalorama Heights where I think my brother may be held captiveThe operator sighed. Full moon.CHAPTER 53As I tried to herald you, Bellamy was saying to Langdon, there is more to this profit than meets the eye.Apparently so. Langdon had to go for that the stone pyramid sitting in his unzipped daybag looked often more underpass to him now. His decryption of the masonic cipher had rendered a seemingly substanceless football field of letters.Chaos.For a farseeing while, Langdon examined the grid, searching for any hint of meaning inside the lettershidden words, anagrams, clues of any sortbut he found no issue.The Masonic Pyramid, Bellamy explained, is said to guard its secrets behind many veils. Each time you pull back a curtain, you pillow slip another. You ingest unveiled these letters, and yet they tell you nothing until you peel back another write downer. Of course, the way to do that is known o nly to the one who holds the finishing touch. The capstone, I suspect, has an inscription as well, which tells you how to decrypt the pyramid.Langdon glanced at the cube-shaped package on the desk. From what Bellamy had said, Langdon now understood that the capstone and pyramid were a segmented ciphera code stony-broken into flip-flops. Modern cryptologists used segmented ciphers all the time, although the security lineation had been invented in ancient Greece. The Greeks, when they wanted to store secret information, inscribed it on a clay tablet and then shattered the tablet into pieces, storing each piece in a separate hole. Only when all the pieces were gathered to ascertainher could the secrets be read. This kind of inscribed clay tabletcalled a symbolonwas in fact the origin of the modern word symbol.Robert, Bellamy said, this pyramid and capstone provoke been kept apart for generations, ensuring the secrets safety. His tone turned rueful. Tonight, however, the piece s have come dangerously close. Im sure I dont have to say this . . . but it is our duty to hold back this pyramid is not assembled.Langdon found Bellamys reason of drama to be pretty overwrought. Is he describing the capstone and pyramid . . . or a detonator and nuclear bomb? He still couldnt quite accept Bellamys claims, but it precisely seemed to matter. Even if this is the Masonic Pyramid, and til now if this inscription does somehow reveal the location of ancient knowledge, how could that knowledge possibly impart the kind of power it is said to impart?Peter always told me you were a hard man to changean academic who prefers proof to speculation.Youre saying you do accept that? Langdon demanded, feeling impatient now. Respectfully . . . you are a modern, educated man. How could you suppose such a thing?Bellamy gave a patient smile. The craft of Freemasonry has given me a mystifying respect for that which transcends human understanding. Ive learned never to close my min d to an brain simply because it seems miraculous.CHAPTER 54Frantically, the SMSC perimeter patrolman dashed down the father lineway that ran along the outside of the building. Hed just received a call from an officer inside saying that the keypad to Pod 5 had been sabotaged, and that a security light indicated that Pod 5s exemplification bay door was now open.What the hell is going on? As he arrived at the specimen bay, sure enough he found the door open a couple of feet. Bizarre, he thought. This can only be unlocked from the inside. He took the flourishlight off his belt and shone it into the inky blackness of the pod. Nothing. Having no passion to step into the unknown, he moved only as far as the threshold and then stuck the flashlight through the opening, flaping it to the left, and then to the potent hands seized his wrist and yanked him into the blackness. The guard felt himself being spun around by an invisible compact. He smelled ethanol. The flashlight flew out of his hand, and before he could even so process what was happening, a rock-hard fist collided with his sternum. The guard crumpled to the cement floor . . . groaning in suffer as a large black form stepped extraneous from him.The guard lay on his side, gasping and wheezing for breath. His flashlight lay nearby, its beam spilling across the floor and illuminating what appeared to be a metal can of some sort. The cans label said it was fuel oil for a Bunsen burner.A cigarette lighter sparked, and the orange flame well-lighted a vision that hardly seemed human. Jesus Christ The guard exactly had time to process what he was sightedness before the bare-chested creature knelt down and touched the flame to the floor.Instantly, a strip of fire materialized, leaping away from them, racing into the void. Bewildered, the guard looked back, but the creature was already slipping out the open bay door into the night.The guard managed to sit up, wincing in pain as his eyes followed the thin r ibbon of fire. What the hell? The flame looked too small to be truly dangerous, and yet now he cut something utterly terrifying. The fire was no longer illuminating only the change void. It had traveled all the way to the back wall, where it was now illuminating a massive cinder-block structure. The guard had never been permitted inside Pod 5, but he knew very well what this structure must be.The Cube.Katherine Solomons lab.The flame raced in a straight line straightway to the labs outer door. The guard clambered to his feet, knowing full well that the ribbon of oil probably continued beneath the lab door . . . and would soon start a fire inside. scarce as he turned to run for suspensor, he felt an unthought draw off of line of business suck past him.For a brief instant, all of Pod 5 was bathed in light.The guard never saw the hydrogen whizz-kid erupting skyward, ripping the roof off Pod 5 and billowing hundreds of feet into the air. Nor did he see the sky raining fragment s of titanium mesh, electronic equipment, and droplets of melted ti from the labs holographic storage units. Katherine Solomon was driving north when she saw the sudden flash of light in her rearview mirror. A complex rumble thundered through the night air, startling her.Fireworks? she wondered. Do the Redskins have a halftime show?She refocused on the road, her thoughts still on the 911 call shed draw a bead ond from the deserted gas stations pay phone.Katherine had successfully convinced the 911 dispatcher to send the police to the SMSC to investigate a tattooed trespasser and, Katherine prayed, to find her assistant, Trish. In addition, she urged the dispatcher to check Dr. Abaddons address in Kalorama Heights, where she thought Peter was being held hostage.Unfortunately, Katherine had been unable to obtain Robert Langdons unlisted cell-phone number. So now, seeing no other option, she was speeding toward the Library of sexual relation, where Langdon had told her he was heade d.The terrifying revelation of Dr. Abaddons true identity had changed everything. Katherine had no idea what to believe anymore. entirely she knew for certain was that the very(prenominal) man who had killed her mother and nephew all those years ago had now captured her brother and had come to kill her. Who is this madman? What does he want? The only answer she could come up with made no sense. A pyramid? Equally confusing was why this man had come to her lab tonight. If he wanted to hurt her, why hadnt he done so in the privacy of his own home earlier today? Why go to the trouble of sending a text message and risk intermission into her lab?Unexpectedly, the fireworks in her rearview mirror grew brighter, the initial flash followed by an unexpected sighta blazing orange fireball that Katherine could see uprising higher up the tree line. What in the world? The fireball was accompanied by dark black smoke . . . and it was nowhere near the Redskins FedEx Field. Bewildered, she tr ied to baffle what industry might be located on the other side of those trees . . . just southeast of the parkway.Then, uniform an oncoming truck, it hit her.CHAPTER 55rabbit warren Bellamy stabbed urgently at the buttons on his cell phone, trying over again to shamble contact with someone who could help them, whoever that might be.Langdon watched Bellamy, but his mind was with Peter, trying to examine out how best to find him. Decipher the engraving, Peters captor had commanded, and it hightail it tell you the hiding mail service of mankinds greatest treasure . . . We go forth go together . . . and make our trade.Bellamy hung up, frowning. Still no answer.Heres what I dont understand, Langdon said. Even if I could somehow accept that this hidden comprehension exists . . . and that this pyramid somehow points to its underground location . . . what am I looking for? A vault? A bunker?Bellamy sat quietly for a long moment. Then he gave a reluctant sigh and communicate guard edly. Robert, according to what Ive perceive through the years, the pyramid leads to the entrance of a spiral staircase.A staircase?Thats right. A staircase that leads down into the earth . . . many hundreds of feet.Langdon could not believe what he was hearing. He leaned closer.Ive heard it said that the ancient wisdom is buried at the bottom.Robert Langdon stood up and began pacing. A spiral staircase descending hundreds of feet into the earth . . . in Washington, D.C. And no embody has ever seen this staircase?Allegedly the entrance has been covered with an large stone.Langdon sighed. The idea of a tomb covered with an enormous stone was right out of the biblical accounts of Jesus tomb. This archetypal hybrid was the grandfather of them all. Warren, do you believe this secret mystical staircase into the earth exists?Ive never seen it personally, but a few of the older Masons swear it exists. I was trying to call one of them just now.Langdon continued pacing, uncertain what to say next.Robert, you leave me a unmanageable task with respect to this pyramid. Warren Bellamys gaze hardened in the sonant glow of the adaptation lamp. I know of no way to force a man to believe what he does not want to believe. And yet I hope you understand your duty to Peter Solomon.Yes, I have a duty to help him, Langdon thought.I dont need you to believe in the power this pyramid can unveil. Nor do I need you to believe in the staircase it supposedly leads to. But I do need you to believe that you are morally obliged to treasure this secret . . . whatever it may be. Bellamy motioned to the little cube-shaped package. Peter entrusted the capstone to you because he had religion you would obey his wishes and keep it secret. And now you must do exactly that, even if it means sacrificing Peters life. Langdon stopped short and wheeled around. What?Bellamy remained seated, his expression pained but resolute. Its what he would want. You need to forget Peter. Hes gone. Peter did h is job, doing the best he could to protect the pyramid. Now it is our job to make sure his efforts were not in vain.I cant believe youre saying this Langdon exclaimed, temper flaring. Even if this pyramid is everything you say it is, Peter is your Masonic brother. Youre sworn to protect him above all else, even your rudeNo, Robert. A Mason must protect a fellow Mason above all things . . . except onethe great secret our marriage protects for all mankind. Whether or not I believe this lost wisdom has the potential that history suggests, I have taken a hallow to keep it out of the hands of the unworthy. And I would not give it over to anyone . . . even in exchange for Peter Solomons life.I know plenty of Masons, Langdon said angrily, including the most advanced, and Im invoke sure these men are not sworn to sacrifice their lives for the sake of a stone pyramid. And Im also damned sure none of them believes in a secret staircase that descends to a treasure buried deep in the earth. There are circles at heart circles, Robert. Not everyone knows everything.Langdon exhaled, trying to control his emotions. He, like everyone, had heard the rumors of elite circles within the Masons. Whether or not it was true seemed irrelevant in the face of this situation. Warren, if this pyramid and capstone truly reveal the ultimate Masonic secret, then why would Peter involve me? Im not even a brother . . . such(prenominal) less part of any inner circle.I know, and I suspect that is precisely why Peter chose you to guard it. This pyramid has been targeted in the past, even by those who infiltrated our trades union with unworthy motives. Peters choice to store it outside the brotherhood was a clever one.Were you aware I had the capstone? Langdon asked.No. And if Peter told anyone at all, it would have been only one man. Bellamy pulled out his cell phone and hit redial. And so far, Ive been unable to reach him. He got a voice-mail greeting and hung up. well, Robert, it looks l ike you and I are on our own for the moment. And we have a decision to make.Langdon looked at his Mickey Mouse watch. 942 P.M. You do realize that Peters captor is waiting for me to decipher this pyramid tonight and tell him what it says.Bellamy frowned. Great men throughout history have made deep personal sacrifices to protect the Ancient Mysteries. You and I must do the same. He stood up now. We should keep moving. Sooner or later Sato allow for figure out where we are. What about Katherine? Langdon demanded, not wanting to leave. I cant reach her, and she never called.Obviously, something happened.But we cant just abandon her go away Katherine Bellamy said, his voice commanding now. Forget Peter Forget everyone Dont you understand, Robert, that youve been entrusted with a duty that is bigger than all of usyou, Peter, Katherine, myself? He locked eyes with Langdon. We need to find a safe place to hide this pyramid and capstone far fromA loud tinny interrupt echoed in the direc tion of the great hall.Bellamy wheeled, eyes filling with fear. That was fast.Langdon turned toward the door. The sound apparently had come from the metal bucket that Bellamy had fixed on the ladder blocking the tunnel doors. Theyre coming for us.Then, quite unexpectedly, the crash echoed again.And again.And again.The unsettled man on the bench in front of the Library of Congress rubbed his eyes and watched the strange scene unfolding before him.A vacuous Volvo had just jumped the curb, lurched across the deserted pedestrian walkway, and screeched to a halt at the foot of the librarys main entrance. An attractive, dark-haired woman had leaped out, anxiously surveyed the area, and, spotting the roofless man, had shouted, Do you have a phone?Lady, I dont have a left shoe.Apparently realizing as much, the woman dashed up the staircase toward the librarys main doors. Arriving at the top of the stairs, she grabbed the handle and tried desperately to open each of the three giant doors .The librarys shut, lady.But the woman didnt seem to care. She seized one of the heavy ring-shaped handles, heaved it backward, and let it fall with a loud crash against the door. Then she did it again. And again. And again.Wow, the homeless man thought, she must really need a book.CHAPTER 56When Katherine Solomon finally saw the massive bronze doors of the library swing open before her, she felt as if an emotional floodgate had burst. All the fear and confusion she had bottled up tonight came pouring through.The figure in the library doorway was Warren Bellamy, a friend and confidant of her brothers. But it was the man behind Bellamy in the shadows whom Katherine felt happiest to see. The feeling was apparently mutual. Robert Langdons eyes make full with relief as she step on it through the doorway . . . directly into his harness.As Katherine lost herself in the comforting embrace of an old friend, Bellamy closed the front door. She heard the heavy lock click into place, and at last she felt safe. Tears came unexpectedly, but she fought them back.Langdon held her. Its okay, he whispered. Youre okay.Because you saved me, Katherine wanted to tell him. He destroyed my lab . . . all my work. Years of research . . . up in smoke. She wanted to tell him everything, but she could barely breathe.Well find Peter. Langdons deep voice resonated against her chest, comforting her somehow. I promise.I know who did this Katherine wanted to yell. The same man who killed my mother and nephew Before she could explain herself, an unexpected sound broke the silence of the library.The loud crash echoed up from beneath them in a vestibule stairwellas if a large metal object had move on a tile floor. Katherine felt Langdons muscles stiffen instantly.Bellamy stepped forward, his expression dire. Were leaving. Now.Bewildered, Katherine followed as the Architect and Langdon hurried across the great hall toward the librarys famed reading room, which was ablaze with light. Bellamy qu ickly locked the two sets of doors behind them, first the outer, then the inner.Katherine followed in a daze as Bellamy hustled them both toward the center of the room. The threesome arrived at a reading desk where a leather bag sat beneath a light. Beside the bag, there was a tiny cube-shaped package, which Bellamy scooped up and placed inside the bag, alongside a Katherine stopped short. A pyramid?Although she had never seen this engraved stone pyramid, she felt her entire body recoil in recognition. Somehow her gut knew the truth. Katherine Solomon had just come face-to-face with the object that had so deeply damaged her life. The pyramid.Bellamy zipped up the bag and handed it to Langdon. Dont let this out of your sight.A sudden ebullition rocked the rooms outer doors. The tinkling of shattered glass followed.This way Bellamy spun, looking scared now as he rushed them over to the central circulation deskeight counters around a massive octagonal cabinet. He guided them in behin d the counters and then pointed to an opening in the cabinet. Get in thereIn there? Langdon demanded. Theyll find us for sureTrust me, Bellamy said. Its not what you think.CHAPTER 57Malakh gunned his limousine north toward Kalorama Heights. The explosion in Katherines lab had been bigger than he had anticipated, and he had been lucky to escape unscathed. Conveniently, the ensuing chaos had enabled him to slip out without opposition, powering his limousine past a distracted gate guard who was busy yelling into a telephone.Ive got to get off the road, he thought. If Katherine hadnt yet phoned the police, the explosion would certainly draw their attention. And a shirtless man driving a limousine would be hard to miss. afterward years of preparation, Malakh could scarcely believe the night was now upon him. The journey to this moment had been a long, difficult one. What began years ago in misery . . . will end tonight in glory.On the night it all began, he had not had the name Malakh. I n fact, on the night it all began, he had not had any name at all. Inmate 37. Like most of the prison houseers at the brutal Soganlik Prison outside of Istanbul, Inmate 37 was here because of drugs.He had been lying on his bunk in a cement cell, hungry and cold in the darkness, wondering how long he would be incarcerated. His new cellmate, whom hed met only twenty-four hours ago, was sleeping in the bunk above him. The prison executive, an obese alcoholic who hated his job and took it out on the inmates, had just killed all the lights for the night.It was almost ten oclock when Inmate 37 heard the conversation filtering in through the ventilation shaft. The first voice was outstandingly clearthe piercing, belligerent accent of the prison administrator, who clearly did not think being woken up by a late-night visitor.Yes, yes, youve come a long way, he was saying, but there are no visitors for the first month. domain regulations. No exceptions.The voice that replied was soft and r efined, filled with pain. Is my son safe?He is a drug addict.Is he being treated well?Well enough, the administrator said. This is not a hotel.There was a pained pause. You do realize the U.S. State Department will request extradition.Yes, yes, they always do. It will be granted, although the paperwork might take us a couple of weeks . . . or even a month . . . depending.Depending on what?Well, the administrator said, we are understaffed. He paused. Of course, sometimes concerned parties like yourself make donations to the prison staff to help us push things through more quickly.The visitor did not reply.Mr. Solomon, the administrator continued, lowering his voice, for a man like yourself, for whom money is no object, there are always options. I know people in government. If you and I work together, we may be able to get your son out of here . . . tomorrow, with all the charges dropped. He would not even have to face prosecution at home.The response was conterminous. Forgetting the legal ramifications of your suggestion, I refuse to take my son that money solves all problems or that there is no responsibility in life, especially in a serious matter like this.Youd like to leave him here?Id like to speak to him. Right now.As I said, we have rules. Your son is unavailable to you . . . unless you would like to negotiate his immediate release. A cold silence hung for several moments. The State Department will be contacting you. Keep Zachary safe. I expect him on a plane home within the week. Good night.The door slammed.Inmate 37 could not believe his ears. What kind of father leaves his son in this hellhole in order to teach him a lesson? Peter Solomon had even rejected an tolerate to clear Zacharys record.It was later that night, lying awake in his bunk, that Inmate 37 had realized how he would free himself. If money was the only thing separating a prisoner from freedom, then Inmate 37 was as good as free. Peter Solomon might not be willing to part with money, but as anyone who read the tabloids knew, his son, Zachary, had plenty of money, too. The next day, Inmate 37 spoke privately to the administrator and suggested a plana bold, ingenious scheme that would give them both exactly what they wanted.Zachary Solomon would have to die for this to work, explained Inmate 37. But we could both disappear straightway. You could retire to the Greek Islands. You would never see this place again.After some discussion, the two men shook hands. Soon Zachary Solomon will be dead, Inmate 37 thought, smiling to think how easy it would be.It was two days later that the State Department contacted the Solomon family with the horrific news. The prison snapshots showed their sons viciously bludgeoned body, lying curled and lifeless on the floor of his prison cell. His head had been bashed in by a steel bar, and the rest of him was battered and kinky beyond what was humanly imaginable. He appeared to have been tortured and finally killed. The pristine susp ect was the prison administrator himself, who had disappeared, probably with all of the murdered boys money. Zachary had subscribe papers moving his vast fortune into a private numbered account, which had been emptied immediately following his death. There was no telling where the money was now.Peter Solomon flew to bomb on a private jet and returned with their sons casket, which they buried in the Solomon family cemetery. The prison administrator was never found. Nor would he be, Inmate 37 knew. The Turks rotund body was now resting at the bottom of the Sea of Marmara, feeding the blue gold rush crabs that migrated in through the Bosporus Strait. The vast fortune belonging to Zachary Solomon had all been moved to an untraceable numbered account. Inmate 37 was a free man againa free man with a massive fortune.The Greek Islands were like heaven. The light. The water. The women.There was nothing money couldnt buynew identities, new passports, new hope. He chose a Greek nameAndros D areiosAndros meaning warrior, and Dareios meaning wealthy. The dark nights in prison had frightened him, and Andros vowed never to go back. He shaved off his shaggy hair and shunned the drug world entirely. He began life anewexploring never- before-imagined sensual pleasures. The serenity of sailing exclusively on the ink-blue Aegean Sea became his new heroin trance the sensuality of sucking moist arni souvlakia right off the skewer became his new turn and the rush of cliff diving into the foam-filled ravines of Mykonos became his new cocaine.I am reborn.Andros bought a sprawling villa on the island of Syros and settled in among the bella gente in the exclusive townspeople of Possidonia. This new world was a community not only of wealth, but of culture and physical perfectiveion. His neighbors took great pride in their bodies and minds, and it was contagious. The newcomer all at once found himself jogging on the beach, tanning his pale body, and reading books. Andros read Homers Odyssey, captivated by the images of powerful bronze men doing battle on these islands. The next day, he began lifting packs, and was amazed to see how quickly his chest and arms grew larger. Gradually, he began to feel womens eyes on him, and the admiration was intoxicating. He longed to evolve stronger still. And he did. With the help of aggressive cycles of steroids intermixed with black-market growth hormones and endless hours of weight lifting, Andros transformed himself into something he had never imagined he could bea perfect male specimen. He grew in both height and musculature, developing flawless pectorals and massive, sinewy legs, which he kept perfectly tanned.Everyone was looking now.As Andros had been warned, the heavy steroids and hormones changed not only his body, but also his voice box, expectant him an eerie, breathy whisper, which made him feel more mysterious. The soft, enigmatic voice, combined with his new body, his wealth, and his refusal to speak about h is mysterious past, served as catnip for the women who met him. They gave themselves willingly, and he satisfied them allfrom dash models visiting his island on photo shoots, to nubile American college girls on vacation, to the lonely wives of his neighbors, to the occasional young man. They could not get enough.I am a masterpiece.As the years passed, however, Andross sexual adventures began to lose their thrill. As did everything. The islands sumptuous culinary art lost its taste, books no longer held his interest, and even the dazzling sunsets from his villa looked dull. How could this be? He was only in his midtwenties, and yet he felt old. What more is there to life? He had sculpted his body into a masterpiece he had educated himself and nourished his mind with culture he had made his home in paradise and he had the love of anyone he desired.And yet, incredibly, he felt as empty as he had in that Turkish prison.What is it I am missing?The answer had come to him several months later. Andros was sitting alone in his villa, absently surfing channels in the middle of the night, when he stumbled across a program about the secrets of Freemasonry. The show was poorly done, comprise more questions than answers, and yet he found himself intrigued by the plethora of confederation theories surrounding the brotherhood. The narrator described legend after legend.Freemasons and the New humanness Order . . .The Great Masonic Seal of the United States . . .The P2 Masonic suit . . .The Lost Secret of Freemasonry . . .The Masonic Pyramid . . .Andros sat up, startled. Pyramid. The narrator began sexual congress the story of a mysterious stone pyramid whose encrypted engraving promised to lead to lost wisdom and unfathomable power. The story, though seemingly implausible, sparked in him a distant memory . . . a faint recollection from a much darker time. Andros remembered what Zachary Solomon had heard from his father about a mysterious pyramid.Could it be? Andros lab ored to recall the details.When the show ended, he stepped out onto the balcony, letting the cool air clear his mind. He remembered more now, and as it all came back, he began to sense there might be some truth to this legend after all. And if so, then Zachary Solomonalthough long deadstill had something to offer.What do I have to lose?Three weeks later, his timing carefully planned, Andros stood in the frigid cold outside the conservatory of the Solomons Potomac estate. Through the glass, he could see Peter Solomon chatting and laughing with his sister, Katherine. It looks like theyve had no trouble forgetting Zachary, he thought.Before he pulled the ski mask over his face, Andros took a hit of cocaine, his first in ages. He felt the familiar rush of fearlessness. He pulled out a handgun, used an old key to unlock the door, and stepped inside. Hello, Solomons.Unfortunately, the night had not gone as Andros had planned. Rather than obtaining the pyramid for which he had come, he fo und himself riddled with domestic fowl shot and fleeing across the snow- covered lawn toward the dense woods. To his surprise, behind him, Peter Solomon was giving chase, pistol glinting in his hand. Andros dashed into the woods, running down a trail along the edge of a deep ravine. Far below, the sounds of a waterfall echoed up through the crisp winter air. He passed a stand of oak trees and rounded a corner to his left. Seconds later, he was skidding to a stop on the icy path, narrowly escaping death.My God Only feet in front of him, the path ended, plunging straight down into an icy river far below. The large boulder at the side of the path had been carved by the lubberly hand of a childOn the far side of the ravine, the path continued on. So wheres the noseband? The cocaine was no longer working. Im trapped Panicking now, Andros turned to flee back up the path, but he found himself facing Peter Solomon, who stood breathless before him, pistol in hand.Andros looked at the gun and took a step backward. The drop behind him was at to the lowest degree fifty feet to an ice-covered river. The mist from the waterfall upstream billowed around them, chilling him to the bone.Zachs bridge rotted out long ago, Solomon said, panting. He was the only one who ever came down this far. Solomon held the gun remarkably steady. Why did you kill my son?He was nothing, Andros replied. A drug addict. I did him a favor.Solomon moved closer, gun aimed directly at Andross chest. Perhaps I should do you the same favor. His tone was astonishingly fierce. You bludgeoned my son to death. How does a man do such a thing?Men do the unthinkable when pushed to the brink.You killed my sonNo, Andros replied, hotly now. You killed your son. What kind of man leaves his son in a prison when he has the option to get him out You killed your son Not me.You know nothing Solomon yelled, his voice filled with pain.Youre wrong, Andros thought. I know everything.Peter Solomon drew closer, only five yards away now, gun leveled. Andross chest was burning, and he could tell he was bleeding badly. The tenderness ran down over his stomach. He looked over his shoulder at the drop. Impossible. He turned back to Solomon. I know more about you than you think, he whispered. I know you are not the kind of man who kills in cold blood.Solomon stepped closer, taking dead aim. Im warning you, Andros said, if you pull that trigger, I will haunt you forever.You already will. And with that, Solomon fired.As he raced his black limousine back toward Kalorama Heights, the one who now called himself Malakh reflected on the miraculous events that had delivered him from certain death atop that icy ravine. He had been transformed forever. The gunshot had echoed only for an instant, and yet its personal effects had reverberated across decades. His body, once tanned and perfect, was now marred by scars from that night . . . scars he kept hidden beneath the tattooed symbols of his new identity.I am Mal akh.This was my destiny all along.He had walked through fire, been reduced to ashes, and then emerged again . . . transformed once more. Tonight would be the final step of his long and magnificent journey.