Saturday, August 22, 2020

What can be done to curb concussions in hockey Explain your reasoning Essay

What should be possible to control blackouts in hockey Explain your thinking - Essay Example Blackout is the most widely recognized sort of hockey-related injury. As indicated by the National Hockey League, the explanations behind the expanded rates of blackout incorporate incidental hits, players being struck by pucks, impact with colleagues, or striking the ice or the sheets in the wake of being hit legitimately (Syd and Johnson, 1). Instruction and bodychecking has been actualized to control blackouts in hockey yet the rates of blackout simply multiplied which directed various examinations to presume that bodychecking just outcome in declining of blackouts among hockey players in Canada. Indeed, Canadian information recommend that bodychecking represents 45%-86% of wounds among youth ice hockey players (Emery et al., 2265). All in all, what should be possible to check blackouts in hockey? The appropriate response is straightforward: that is, disposal of bodychecking in youngsters more youthful than 15 years. There is extensive proof that bodychecking is the most well-known reason for all ice hockey wounds, especially blackout. We comprehend the need to check the abilities of the players so as to become powerful and complete players yet bodychecking ought not be applied to kids more youthful than 15 years due varieties in size, physical development, and quality that may lead littler players in danger for wounds because of confused with bigger players in a similar section (Syd and Johnson, 2). Subsequently, bodychecking at a more youthful age may just prompt significant damage and that it ought to be dispensed with and not be instructed among these gatherings. Supporters of the standard which wipe out bodychecking at a more youthful age contend that bringing down as far as possible for bodychecking empowers youthful hockey players to create other hockey aptitudes such skating, puck-and stick-dealing with, getting, and shooting (Cusimano et al., 58). Beside upgraded hawking abilities, bodychecking will lessen current occurrences of blackouts among youngsters and wounds at more established ages in light of the fact that the rehashed fortification of appropriate method will show hockey players on

Thursday, July 16, 2020

Self Efficacy and Why Believing in Yourself Matters

Self Efficacy and Why Believing in Yourself Matters Theories Personality Psychology Print Self Efficacy and Why Believing in Yourself Matters By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Kendra Cherry Updated on October 07, 2019 Studio Firma/Stocksy United More in Theories Personality Psychology Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Behavioral Psychology Cognitive Psychology Developmental Psychology Social Psychology Biological Psychology Psychosocial Psychology In This Article Table of Contents Expand Overview Role Sources Examples Strength of Self-Efficacy Building Self-Efficacy View All Back To Top When facing a challenge, do you feel like you can rise up and accomplish your goal or do you give up in defeat? Are you like the famous little train engine from the classic childrens book (I think I can, I think I can!), or do you doubt your own abilities to rise up and overcome the difficulties that life throws your way? Self-efficacy, or your belief in your own abilities to deal with various situations, can play a role in not only how you feel about yourself, but whether or not you successfully achieve your goals in life. The concept of self-efficacy is central to psychologist Albert Bandura’s  social cognitive theory, which emphasizes the role of  observational learning, social experience, and  reciprocal determinism  in developing a personality. According to Bandura, a person’s attitudes, abilities, and cognitive skills comprise what is known as the self-system. This system plays a major role in how we perceive situations and how we behave in response to different situations. Self-efficacy is an essential part of this self-system. Overview According to  Albert Bandura, self-efficacy is the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations. In other words, self-efficacy is a person’s belief in his or her ability to succeed in a particular situation. Bandura described these beliefs as determinants of how people think, behave, and feel.?? Since Bandura published his seminal 1977 paper, Self-Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change, the subject has become one of the most studied topics in psychology. Why has self-efficacy become such an important topic among psychologists and educators? As Bandura and other researchers have demonstrated, self-efficacy can have an impact on everything from psychological states to behavior to motivation.?? Our belief in our own ability to succeed plays a role in how we think, how we act, and how we feel about our place in the world. Self-efficacy also determines what goals we choose to pursue, how we go about accomplishing those goals, and how we reflect upon our own performance. Role Virtually all people can identify goals they want to accomplish, things they would like to  change, and things they would like to achieve. However, most people also realize that putting these plans into action is not quite so simple. Bandura and others have found that an individual’s self-efficacy plays a major role in how goals, tasks, and challenges are approached.?? People with a strong sense of self-efficacy: View challenging problems as tasks to be masteredDevelop a deeper interest in the activities in which they participateForm a stronger sense of commitment to their interests and activitiesRecover quickly from setbacks and disappointments People with a weak sense of self-efficacy: Avoid challenging tasksBelieve that difficult tasks and situations are beyond their capabilitiesFocus on personal failings and negative outcomesQuickly lose confidence in personal abilities Sources How does self-efficacy develop? These beliefs begin to form in  early childhood  as children deal with a wide variety of experiences, tasks, and situations. However, the growth of self-efficacy does not end during youth  but continues to evolve throughout life as people acquire new skills, experiences, and understanding.?? According to Bandura, there are four major sources of self-efficacy: 1. Mastery Experiences The most effective way of developing a strong sense of efficacy is through mastery experiences, Bandura explained. Performing a task successfully strengthens our sense of self-efficacy. However, failing to adequately deal with a task or challenge can undermine and weaken self-efficacy.?? 2. Social Modeling Witnessing other people successfully completing a task is another important source of self-efficacy.?? According to Bandura, Seeing people similar to oneself succeed by sustained effort raises observers beliefs that they too possess the capabilities to master comparable activities to succeed. 3.  Social Persuasion Bandura also asserted that people could be persuaded to believe that they have the skills and capabilities to succeed. Consider a time when someone said something positive and encouraging that helped you achieve a goal. Getting verbal encouragement from others helps people overcome self-doubt and instead focus on giving their best effort to the task at hand.?? 4. Psychological Responses Our own responses and emotional reactions to situations also play an important role in self-efficacy. Moods,  emotional states, physical reactions, and stress levels can all impact how a person feels about their personal abilities in a particular situation. A person who becomes extremely nervous before speaking in public may develop a weak sense of self-efficacy in these situations.?? However, Bandura also notes it is not the sheer intensity of emotional and physical reactions that is important but rather how they are perceived and interpreted.?? By learning how to minimize stress and elevate mood when facing difficult or challenging tasks, people can improve their sense of self-efficacy. Examples So what exactly does high self-efficacy look like? You can probably think of some examples from your own life including areas where you feel a great deal of efficacy. People may possess a general sense of self-efficacy or in a specific domain where they believe they can do well such as school, work, friendships, parenting, sports, hobbies, and other areas. Some examples of strong self-efficacy include: A student who feels confident that she will be able to learn the information and do well on a test.A woman who has just accepted a job position in a role she has never performed before but feels that she has the ability to learn and perform her job well.A man who is struggling to manage his chronic illness but feels confident that he can get back on track and improve his health by working hard and following his doctors recommendations. Self-efficacy can play an important role in health psychology and how people manage their health, nutrition, and illness. For example, having a strong sense of self-efficacy can help people who are trying to quit smoking stick to their goals. Maintaining a weight loss plan, managing chronic pain, giving up alcohol, sticking to an exercise schedule, and following an eating plan can all be influenced by a persons levels of self-efficacy.?? Bandura suggests that self-efficacy can benefit a persons sense of well-being in a number of ways. Because individuals with high self-efficacy look at difficulties as challenges rather than threats, they tend to be more intrinsically interested in the tasks they pursue. Difficulty and failure dont mean defeat; instead, these individuals redouble their efforts and look for new ways to overcome. They remain optimistic and confident in their abilities, even when things become difficult. People who are low in self-efficacy tend to see difficult tasks as threats they should avoid. Because of this, they also tend to avoid setting goals and have low levels of commitment to the ones they do make. When setbacks happen, they tend to give up quickly. Because they dont have much confidence in their ability to achieve, they are more likely to experience feelings of failure and depression. Stressful situations can also be very hard to deal with and those with low self-efficacy are less resilient and less likely to bounce back.?? Strength of Self-Efficacy There are a number of different scales that are used to evaluate levels of self-efficacy including the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) and the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. For a quick, informal assessment of your own self-efficacy levels, consider the following questions: Do you feel like you can handle problems if you are willing to work hard?Are you confident in your ability to achieve your goals?Do you feel like you can manage unexpected events that come up?Are you able to bounce back fairly quickly after stressful events?Do you feel like you can come up with solutions when you are facing a problem?Do you keep trying even when things seem difficult?Are you good at staying calm even in the face of chaos?Do you perform well even under pressure?Do you tend to focus on your progress rather than getting overwhelmed by all you still have to do?Do you believe that hard work will eventually pay off? If you can answer yes to many or most of these questions, then chances are good that you have a fairly strong sense of self-efficacy.?? If you feel like your self-efficacy could use a boost, consider some of the following strategies for improving your sense of efficacy. Building Self-Efficacy Fortunately, self-efficacy is a psychological skill that you can foster and strengthen. Start by looking for ways that you can incorporate Banduras sources of self-efficacy into your own life. Celebrate Your Success Mastery experiences play a critical role in the establishment of self-efficacy. Bandura actually identified this as the single most effective way to create a strong sense of self-belief. When you succeed at something, you are able to build a powerful belief in your ability. Failure, on the other hand, can undermine these feelings, particularly if you are still in the early phases of building a sense of personal efficacy.?? The ideal sorts of successes, however, are not necessarily those that come easily. If you experience a lot of easy success, you may find yourself giving up more readily when you finally do encounter failure. So work on setting goals that are achievable, but not necessarily easy. They will take work and perseverance, but you will emerge with a stronger belief in your own abilities once you achieve them. Observe Others Bandura also identified vicarious experiences obtained through peer modeling as another important means of establishing and strengthening self-efficacy. Seeing others putting in effort and succeeding, as a result, can increase your belief in your own ability to succeed. One factor that plays a key role in the effectiveness of this approach is how similar the model is to yourself. The more alike you feel you are, the more likely it is that your observations will increase your sense of self-efficacy.?? Seek Positive Affirmations Hearing positive feedback from others can also help improve your sense of self-efficacy. By that same token, try to avoid asking for feedback from people who you know are more likely to have a negative or critical view of your performance. For example, your doctor telling you that you are doing a good job sticking to your diet plan can be encouraging. Feedback from friends, mentors, health practitioners, and people who you respect can help you feel greater confidence in your own abilities. Positive social feedback can be helpful for strengthening your already existing sense of efficacy, but negative comments can often have a powerful undermining effect. Bandura suggested that social feedback alone is not enough to build your self-belief, but it can be a useful tool when you need a little extra encouragement.?? Pay Attention to Your Thoughts and Emotions If you find yourself getting stressed out or nervous before a challenging event, you might feel less sure of your ability to cope with the task at hand. Another way to boost your self-efficacy is to look for ways to manage your thoughts and emotions about what you are trying to accomplish. Do you feel anxious? Looking for ways to ease your stress levels can help you feel more confident in your capabilities. Do you find yourself dwelling on negative thoughts? Look for ways to replace negativity with positive self-talk that promotes self-belief.?? A Word From Verywell Developing a strong sense of self-efficacy can play an important role in almost every aspect of your life. Life is full of challenges and high levels of self-efficacy can help you better deal with these difficulties more effectively. Your belief in your abilities can predict how motivated you feel, how you feel about yourself, and the amount of effort you put into achieving your goals.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Tense When Using the Subjunctive Mood of Spanish

Learning not only when to use the subjunctive mood, but which form of the subjunctive to use, can be one of the most difficult parts of learning Spanish verb usage. The rules can appear quite complicated at first, partly because the subjunctive mood is nearly absent in English. But learning the tenses — either in the traditional way of memorizing rules and then applying them or by becoming familiar enough with the language to know what sounds right — is essential to gaining fluency. Four Subjunctive Tenses in Everyday Use In normal usage, Spanish uses the subjunctive mood in a single simple present tense as well as three tenses that can refer real or hypothetical past actions: Present subjunctivePresent perfect subjunctiveImperfect subjunctivePast perfect (or pluperfect) subjunctive Remember that, generally speaking, the subjunctive is used in dependent clauses. Which form of the subjunctive is used depends on two factors: The tense of the verb in the main clauseThe time relationship between the subjunctive verb in the dependent clause and the main verb Although there are exceptions, and the rules of grammar in real life are more fluid than is suggested here, the following list shows the most common (but not only) ways in which the tenses are differentiated: If the main verb is in the present, future, or present perfect tense or the imperative mood, and the dependent (subjunctive) verb refers to action that takes place (whether in actuality or not) at the same time or after the main verb, then the dependent verb should be in the present subjunctive. Example: Espero que comas. (I hope you eat.)If the main verb is in the present, future or present perfect tense or imperative mood, and the dependent (subjunctive) verb refers to action that has been completed (whether in actuality or not), then the dependent verb should be in the present perfect subjunctive. Example: Espero que hayas comido. (I hope you have eaten.)If the main verb is in the preterite, imperfect, past perfect or conditional tense, and the dependent (subjunctive) verb refers to action that takes place (whether in actuality or not) at the same time or after the action of the main verb, then the imperfect subjunctive is used. Example: Esperà © que comieras. (I hoped you ate.)I f the main verb is in the preterite, imperfect, past perfect or conditional tense, and the dependent verb refers to action that has been completed (whether in actuality or not), then the past perfect subjunctive (also called pluperfect subjunctive) is used. Example: Esperà © que hubieras comido. (I hoped you had eaten.) These verbs are often the equivalent of English verbs taking the form of had participle. Note that in many cases there are various ways of translating the sentence to English. For example, espero que comas also could be translated as I hope that you will eat. Because there is no future subjunctive in everyday use, verbs in the present subjunctive form often are translated into English using the future tense. Dudo que me compres recuerdos, I doubt you will buy souvenirs for me. Another Analysis of Subjunctive Tenses Heres another way to look at the sequence of verb tenses: If the main verb is in a present or future tense, use either the present subjunctive or present perfect subjunctive, depending on whether the subjunctive verb refers to action (or presumed action) that has been completed.If the main verb is in a past or conditional tense, use either the imperfect or past perfect subjunctive, depending on whether the subjunctive verb refers to action has has been completed (or presumably completed) at the time of the action in the main verb. These tenses can seem confusing at first. But as you learn the language they will become second nature. To learn more about this topic explained in a different way, see the lesson on the sequence of tenses. Sample Sentences Using the Subjunctive Tenses  ¿Por quà © preferimos que Siri sea una mujer? (Why do we prefer that Siri be a woman?) Both the main verb, preferemos, and the dependent verb, sea (from ser) are in the present tense. The dependent verb refers to an action that takes place in the present. No estoy feliz que el presidente haya ganado la eleccià ³n. (I am not happy that that the president has won the election.) The present perfect subjunctive is used because the election is a completed action. Sus amigos consolaron a Pablo luego de que à ©l perdiera el juego. (His friends consoled Pablo after he lost the game.) Because the main verb is in the preterite and its action clearly took place after the action in the dependent clause, the imperfect tense is used to refer to the completed action. La doctora negà ³ que hubiera comprado un apartamento en ese edificio. (The doctor denied she had bought an apartment in that building.) The action of the dependent verb took place (or didnt) at an indefinite time, and the main verb is in the preterite, so the pluperfect is used.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms And Explosives

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is a law enforcement agency in the United States’ Department of Justice. Accordingly, the bureau’s primary mission is to safeguard the public from the most violent criminals and organized criminal enterprises through the enforcement of the United States federal firearms laws. In furtherance of this responsibility, ATF provides management and oversight for the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) network, a national database of interconnected automated ballistics imaging system terminals. While NIBIN has been in existence since 2003, the program being assessed was consequently established and formalized in 2014. Using NIBIN machines, tool mark evidence†¦show more content†¦The primary activities and components for the NIBIN program consist of Comprehensive Collection, Timely Turnaround , Follow-Up, Feedback Loop, and Training. Effective program strategies are paramount for the successful use of resources and activities. Historically, the NIBIN program has primarily focused on the technical aspect of laboratory functions. In the current logic model; however, ATF has implemented the use of the NIBIN system and resources as an investigative lead tool. Accordingly, the emphasis is placed to identify â€Å"Trigger Pullers.† While the scientific process is very relevant for the introduction of evidence pursuant to criminal prosecution, this methodology is time consuming. The NIBIN Executive Board is a representation from the law enforcement agencies that are key stakeholders in the NIBIN program. As such, members of the executive team meet to review performance, operational policies, and set strategic goals. Therefore, the leadership board is instrumental in providing oversight as to the overall success of the program. The staffing model consists of a Group Supervisor to oversee overall NIBIN operations. The NIBIN Contractor facilitates NIBIN entries, triages unconfirmed and confirmed NIBIN hits, tracks success, and provides training. ATF Industry Operations Investigators are utilized to assist with Crime Gun tracing and identify high risk Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL’s). ATF Special Agents and Task Force Officers conduct criminalShow MoreRelatedThe Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, And Explosives1330 Words   |  6 Pages The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, otherwise known as the ATF, is one of 60 criminal justice programs under the Department of Justice. Their mission is to regulate and investigate crimes related to the above mentioned items. The ATF has been around in one way or another since the beginning of our nation. It started in 1791, when the first tax on distilled spirits was implemented by the new Secretary to the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton (1). 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Angels Demons Chapter 113-117 Free Essays

string(23) " worked the next lock\." 113 Something was wrong. Lieutenant Chartrand stood outside the Pope’s office and sensed in the uneasy stance of the soldier standing with him that they shared the same anxiety. The private meeting they were shielding, Rocher had said, could save the Vatican from destruction. We will write a custom essay sample on Angels Demons Chapter 113-117 or any similar topic only for you Order Now So Chartrand wondered why his protective instincts were tingling. And why was Rocher acting so strangely? Something definitely was awry. Captain Rocher stood to Chartrand’s right, staring dead ahead, his sharp gaze uncharacteristically distant. Chartrand barely recognized the captain. Rocher had not been himself in the last hour. His decisions made no sense. Someone should be present inside this meeting! Chartrand thought. He had heard Maximilian Kohler bolt the door after he entered. Why had Rocher permitted this? But there was so much more bothering Chartrand. The cardinals. The cardinals were still locked in the Sistine Chapel. This was absolute insanity. The camerlegno had wanted them evacuated fifteen minutes ago! Rocher had overruled the decision and not informed the camerlegno. Chartrand had expressed concern, and Rocher had almost taken off his head. Chain of command was never questioned in the Swiss Guard, and Rocher was now top dog. Half an hour, Rocher thought, discreetly checking his Swiss chronometer in the dim light of the candelabra lighting the hall. Please hurry. Chartrand wished he could hear what was happening on the other side of the doors. Still, he knew there was no one he would rather have handling this crisis than the camerlegno. The man had been tested beyond reason tonight, and he had not flinched. He had confronted the problem head-on†¦ truthful, candid, shining like an example to all. Chartrand felt proud right now to be a Catholic. The Illuminati had made a mistake when they challenged Camerlegno Ventresca. At that moment, however, Chartrand’s thoughts were jolted by an unexpected sound. A banging. It was coming from down the hall. The pounding was distant and muffled, but incessant. Rocher looked up. The captain turned to Chartrand and motioned down the hall. Chartrand understood. He turned on his flashlight and took off to investigate. The banging was more desperate now. Chartrand ran thirty yards down the corridor to an intersection. The noise seemed to be coming from around the corner, beyond the Sala Clementina. Chartrand felt perplexed. There was only one room back there – the Pope’s private library. His Holiness’s private library had been locked since the Pope’s death. Nobody could possibly be in there! Chartrand hurried down the second corridor, turned another corner, and rushed to the library door. The wooden portico was diminutive, but it stood in the dark like a dour sentinel. The banging was coming from somewhere inside. Chartrand hesitated. He had never been inside the private library. Few had. No one was allowed in without an escort by the Pope himself. Tentatively, Chartrand reached for the doorknob and turned. As he had imagined, the door was locked. He put his ear to the door. The banging was louder. Then he heard something else. Voices! Someone calling out! He could not make out the words, but he could hear the panic in their shouts. Was someone trapped in the library? Had the Swiss Guard not properly evacuated the building? Chartrand hesitated, wondering if he should go back and consult Rocher. The hell with that. Chartrand had been trained to make decisions, and he would make one now. He pulled out his side arm and fired a single shot into the door latch. The wood exploded, and the door swung open. Beyond the threshold Chartrand saw nothing but blackness. He shone his flashlight. The room was rectangular – oriental carpets, high oak shelves packed with books, a stitched leather couch, and a marble fireplace. Chartrand had heard stories of this place – three thousand ancient volumes side by side with hundreds of current magazines and periodicals, anything His Holiness requested. The coffee table was covered with journals of science and politics. The banging was clearer now. Chartrand shone his light across the room toward the sound. On the far wall, beyond the sitting area, was a huge door made of iron. It looked impenetrable as a vault. It had four mammoth locks. The tiny etched letters dead center of the door took Chartrand’s breath away. IL PASSETTO Chartrand stared. The Pope’s secret escape route! Chartrand had certainly heard of Il Passetto, and he had even heard rumors that it had once had an entrance here in the library, but the tunnel had not been used in ages! Who could be banging on the other side? Chartrand took his flashlight and rapped on the door. There was a muffled exultation from the other side. The banging stopped, and the voices yelled louder. Chartrand could barely make out their words through the barricade. â€Å"†¦ Kohler†¦ lie†¦ camerlegno†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Who is that?† Chartrand yelled. â€Å"†¦ ert Langdon†¦ Vittoria Ve†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Chartrand understood enough to be confused. I thought you were dead! â€Å"†¦ the door,† the voices yelled. â€Å"Open†¦!† Chartrand looked at the iron barrier and knew he would need dynamite to get through there. â€Å"Impossible!† he yelled. â€Å"Too thick!† â€Å"†¦ meeting†¦ stop†¦ erlegno†¦ danger†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Despite his training on the hazards of panic, Chartrand felt a sudden rush of fear at the last few words. Had he understood correctly? Heart pounding, he turned to run back to the office. As he turned, though, he stalled. His gaze had fallen to something on the door†¦ something more shocking even than the message coming from beyond it. Emerging from the keyholes of each of the door’s massive locks were keys. Chartrand stared. The keys were here? He blinked in disbelief. The keys to this door were supposed to be in a vault someplace! This passage was never used – not for centuries! Chartrand dropped his flashlight on the floor. He grabbed the first key and turned. The mechanism was rusted and stiff, but it still worked. Someone had opened it recently. Chartrand worked the next lock. You read "Angels Demons Chapter 113-117" in category "Essay examples" And the next. When the last bolt slid aside, Chartrand pulled. The slab of iron creaked open. He grabbed his light and shone it into the passage. Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra looked like apparitions as they staggered into the library. Both were ragged and tired, but they were very much alive. â€Å"What is this!† Chartrand demanded. â€Å"What’s going on! Where did you come from?† â€Å"Where’s Max Kohler?† Langdon demanded. Chartrand pointed. â€Å"In a private meeting with the camer – â€Å" Langdon and Vittoria pushed past him and ran down the darkened hall. Chartrand turned, instinctively raising his gun at their backs. He quickly lowered it and ran after them. Rocher apparently heard them coming, because as they arrived outside the Pope’s office, Rocher had spread his legs in a protective stance and was leveling his gun at them. â€Å"Alt!† â€Å"The camerlegno is in danger!† Langdon yelled, raising his arms in surrender as he slid to a stop. â€Å"Open the door! Max Kohler is going to kill the camerlegno!† Rocher looked angry. â€Å"Open the door!† Vittoria said. â€Å"Hurry!† But it was too late. From inside the Pope’s office came a bloodcurdling scream. It was the camerlegno. 114 The confrontation lasted only seconds. Camerlegno Ventresca was still screaming when Chartrand stepped past Rocher and blew open the door of the Pope’s office. The guards dashed in. Langdon and Vittoria ran in behind them. The scene before them was staggering. The chamber was lit only by candlelight and a dying fire. Kohler was near the fireplace, standing awkwardly in front of his wheelchair. He brandished a pistol, aimed at the camerlegno, who lay on the floor at his feet, writhing in agony. The camerlegno’s cassock was torn open, and his bare chest was seared black. Langdon could not make out the symbol from across the room, but a large, square brand lay on the floor near Kohler. The metal still glowed red. Two of the Swiss Guards acted without hesitation. They opened fire. The bullets smashed into Kohler’s chest, driving him backward. Kohler collapsed into his wheelchair, his chest gurgling blood. His gun went skittering across the floor. Langdon stood stunned in the doorway. Vittoria seemed paralyzed. â€Å"Max†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she whispered. The camerlegno, still twisting on the floor, rolled toward Rocher, and with the trancelike terror of the early witch hunts, pointed his index finger at Rocher and yelled a single word. â€Å"ILLUMINATUS!† â€Å"You bastard,† Rocher said, running at him. â€Å"You sanctimonious bas – â€Å" This time it was Chartrand who reacted on instinct, putting three bullets in Rocher’s back. The captain fell face first on the tile floor and slid lifeless through his own blood. Chartrand and the guards dashed immediately to the camerlegno, who lay clutching himself, convulsing in pain. Both guards let out exclamations of horror when they saw the symbol seared on the camerlegno’s chest. The second guard saw the brand upside down and immediately staggered backward with fear in his eyes. Chartrand, looking equally overwhelmed by the symbol, pulled the camerlegno’s torn cassock up over the burn, shielding it from view. Langdon felt delirious as he moved across the room. Through a mist of insanity and violence, he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. A crippled scientist, in a final act of symbolic dominance, had flown into Vatican City and branded the church’s highest official. Some things are worth dying for, the Hassassin had said. Langdon wondered how a handicapped man could possibly have overpowered the camerlegno. Then again, Kohler had a gun. It doesn’t matter how he did it! Kohler accomplished his mission! Langdon moved toward the gruesome scene. The camerlegno was being attended, and Langdon felt himself drawn toward the smoking brand on the floor near Kohler’s wheelchair. The sixth brand? The closer Langdon got, the more confused he became. The brand seemed to be a perfect square, quite large, and had obviously come from the sacred center compartment of the chest in the Illuminati Lair. A sixth and final brand, the Hassassin had said. The most brilliant of all. Langdon knelt beside Kohler and reached for the object. The metal still radiated heat. Grasping the wooden handle, Langdon picked it up. He was not sure what he expected to see, but it most certainly was not this. Angels Demons Langdon stared a long, confused moment. Nothing was making sense. Why had the guards cried out in horror when they saw this? It was a square of meaningless squiggles. The most brilliant of all? It was symmetrical, Langdon could tell as he rotated it in his hand, but it was gibberish. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, Langdon looked up, expecting Vittoria. The hand, however, was covered with blood. It belonged to Maximilian Kohler, who was reaching out from his wheelchair. Langdon dropped the brand and staggered to his feet. Kohler’s still alive! Slumped in his wheelchair, the dying director was still breathing, albeit barely, sucking in sputtering gasps. Kohler’s eyes met Langdon’s, and it was the same stony gaze that had greeted Langdon at CERN earlier that day. The eyes looked even harder in death, the loathing and enmity rising to the surface. The scientist’s body quivered, and Langdon sensed he was trying to move. Everyone else in the room was focused on the camerlegno, and Langdon wanted to call out, but he could not react. He was transfixed by the intensity radiating from Kohler in these final seconds of his life. The director, with tremulous effort, lifted his arm and pulled a small device off the arm of his wheelchair. It was the size of a matchbox. He held it out, quivering. For an instant, Langdon feared Kohler had a weapon. But it was something else. â€Å"G-give†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Kohler’s final words were a gurgling whisper. â€Å"G-give this†¦ to the m-media.† Kohler collapsed motionless, and the device fell in his lap. Shocked, Langdon stared at the device. It was electronic. The words SONY RUVI were printed across the front. Langdon recognized it as one of those new ultraminiature, palm-held camcorders. The balls on this guy! he thought. Kohler had apparently recorded some sort of final suicide message he wanted the media to broadcast†¦ no doubt some sermon about the importance of science and the evils of religion. Langdon decided he had done enough for this man’s cause tonight. Before Chartrand saw Kohler’s camcorder, Langdon slipped it into his deepest jacket pocket. Kohler’s final message can rot in hell! It was the voice of the camerlegno that broke the silence. He was trying to sit up. â€Å"The cardinals,† he gasped to Chartrand. â€Å"Still in the Sistine Chapel!† Chartrand exclaimed. â€Å"Captain Rocher ordered – † â€Å"Evacuate†¦ now. Everyone.† Chartrand sent one of the other guards running off to let the cardinals out. The camerlegno grimaced in pain. â€Å"Helicopter†¦ out front†¦ get me to a hospital.† 115 In St. Peter’s Square, the Swiss Guard pilot sat in the cockpit of the parked Vatican helicopter and rubbed his temples. The chaos in the square around him was so loud that it drowned out the sound of his idling rotors. This was no solemn candlelight vigil. He was amazed a riot had not broken out yet. With less than twenty-five minutes left until midnight, the people were still packed together, some praying, some weeping for the church, others screaming obscenities and proclaiming that this was what the church deserved, still others chanting apocalyptic Bible verses. The pilot’s head pounded as the media lights glinted off his windshield. He squinted out at the clamorous masses. Banners waved over the crowd. Antimatter is the Antichrist! Scientist=Satanist Where is your God now? The pilot groaned, his headache worsening. He half considered grabbing the windshield’s vinyl covering and putting it up so he wouldn’t have to watch, but he knew he would be airborne in a matter of minutes. Lieutenant Chartrand had just radioed with terrible news. The camerlegno had been attacked by Maximilian Kohler and seriously injured. Chartrand, the American, and the woman were carrying the camerlegno out now so he could be evacuated to a hospital. The pilot felt personally responsible for the attack. He reprimanded himself for not acting on his gut. Earlier, when he had picked up Kohler at the airport, he had sensed something in the scientist’s dead eyes. He couldn’t place it, but he didn’t like it. Not that it mattered. Rocher was running the show, and Rocher insisted this was the guy. Rocher had apparently been wrong. A new clamor arose from the crowd, and the pilot looked over to see a line of cardinals processing solemnly out of the Vatican onto St. Peter’s Square. The cardinals’ relief to be leaving ground zero seemed to be quickly overcome by looks of bewilderment at the spectacle now going on outside the church. The crowd noise intensified yet again. The pilot’s head pounded. He needed an aspirin. Maybe three. He didn’t like to fly on medication, but a few aspirin would certainly be less debilitating than this raging headache. He reached for the first-aid kit, kept with assorted maps and manuals in a cargo box bolted between the two front seats. When he tried to open the box, though, he found it locked. He looked around for the key and then finally gave up. Tonight was clearly not his lucky night. He went back to massaging his temples. Inside the darkened basilica, Langdon, Vittoria, and the two guards strained breathlessly toward the main exit. Unable to find anything more suitable, the four of them were transporting the wounded camerlegno on a narrow table, balancing the inert body between them as though on a stretcher. Outside the doors, the faint roar of human chaos was now audible. The camerlegno teetered on the brink of unconsciousness. Time was running out. 116 It was 11:39 P.M. when Langdon stepped with the others from St. Peter’s Basilica. The glare that hit his eyes was searing. The media lights shone off the white marble like sunlight off a snowy tundra. Langdon squinted, trying to find refuge behind the faà §ade’s enormous columns, but the light came from all directions. In front of him, a collage of massive video screens rose above the crowd. Standing there atop the magnificent stairs that spilled down to the piazza below, Langdon felt like a reluctant player on the world’s biggest stage. Somewhere beyond the glaring lights, Langdon heard an idling helicopter and the roar of a hundred thousand voices. To their left, a procession of cardinals was now evacuating onto the square. They all stopped in apparent distress to see the scene now unfolding on the staircase. â€Å"Careful now,† Chartrand urged, sounding focused as the group began descending the stairs toward the helicopter. Langdon felt like they were moving underwater. His arms ached from the weight of the camerlegno and the table. He wondered how the moment could get much less dignified. Then he saw the answer. The two BBC reporters had apparently been crossing the open square on their way back to the press area. But now, with the roar of the crowd, they had turned. Glick and Macri were now running back toward them. Macri’s camera was raised and rolling. Here come the vultures, Langdon thought. â€Å"Alt!† Chartrand yelled. â€Å"Get back!† But the reporters kept coming. Langdon guessed the other networks would take about six seconds to pick up this live BBC feed again. He was wrong. They took two. As if connected by some sort of universal consciousness, every last media screen in the piazza cut away from their countdown clocks and their Vatican experts and began transmitting the same picture – a jiggling action footage swooping up the Vatican stairs. Now, everywhere Langdon looked, he saw the camerlegno’s limp body in a Technicolor close-up. This is wrong! Langdon thought. He wanted to run down the stairs and interfere, but he could not. It wouldn’t have helped anyway. Whether it was the roar of the crowd or the cool night air that caused it, Langdon would never know, but at that moment, the inconceivable occurred. Like a man awakening from a nightmare, the camerlegno’s eyes shot open and he sat bolt upright. Taken entirely by surprise, Langdon and the others fumbled with the shifting weight. The front of the table dipped. The camerlegno began to slide. They tried to recover by setting the table down, but it was too late. The camerlegno slid off the front. Incredibly, he did not fall. His feet hit the marble, and he swayed upright. He stood a moment, looking disoriented, and then, before anyone could stop him, he lurched forward, staggering down the stairs toward Macri. â€Å"No!† Langdon screamed. Chartrand rushed forward, trying to reign in the camerlegno. But the camerlegno turned on him, wild-eyed, crazed. â€Å"Leave me!† Chartrand jumped back. The scene went from bad to worse. The camerlegno’s torn cassock, having been only laid over his chest by Chartrand, began to slip lower. For a moment, Langdon thought the garment might hold, but that moment passed. The cassock let go, sliding off his shoulders down around his waist. The gasp that went up from the crowd seemed to travel around the globe and back in an instant. Cameras rolled, flashbulbs exploded. On media screens everywhere, the image of the camerlegno’s branded chest was projected, towering and in grisly detail. Some screens were even freezing the image and rotating it 180 degrees. The ultimate Illuminati victory. Langdon stared at the brand on the screens. Although it was the imprint of the square brand he had held earlier, the symbol now made sense. Perfect sense. The marking’s awesome power hit Langdon like a train. Orientation. Langdon had forgotten the first rule of symbology. When is a square not a square? He had also forgotten that iron brands, just like rubber stamps, never looked like their imprints. They were in reverse. Langdon had been looking at the brand’s negative! As the chaos grew, an old Illuminati quote echoed with new meaning: â€Å"A flawless diamond, born of the ancient elements with such perfection that all those who saw it could only stare in wonder.† Langdon knew now the myth was true. Earth, Air, Fire, Water. The Illuminati Diamond. Angels Demons 117 Robert Langdon had little doubt that the chaos and hysteria coursing through St. Peter’s Square at this very instant exceeded anything Vatican Hill had ever witnessed. No battle, no crucifixion, no pilgrimage, no mystical vision†¦ nothing in the shrine’s 2,000-year history could possibly match the scope and drama of this very moment. As the tragedy unfolded, Langdon felt oddly separate, as if hovering there beside Vittoria at the top of the stairs. The action seemed to distend, as if in a time warp, all the insanity slowing to a crawl†¦ The branded camerlegno†¦ raving for the world to see†¦ The Illuminati Diamond†¦ unveiled in its diabolical genius†¦ The countdown clock registering the final twenty minutes of Vatican history†¦ The drama, however, had only just begun. The camerlegno, as if in some sort of post-traumatic trance, seemed suddenly puissant, possessed by demons. He began babbling, whispering to unseen spirits, looking up at the sky and raising his arms to God. â€Å"Speak!† the camerlegno yelled to the heavens. â€Å"Yes, I hear you!† In that moment, Langdon understood. His heart dropped like a rock. Vittoria apparently understood too. She went white. â€Å"He’s in shock,† she said. â€Å"He’s hallucinating. He thinks he’s talking to God!† Somebody’s got to stop this, Langdon thought. It was a wretched and embarrassing end. Get this man to a hospital! Below them on the stairs, Chinita Macri was poised and filming, apparently having located her ideal vantage point. The images she filmed appeared instantly across the square behind her on media screens†¦ like endless drive-in movies all playing the same grisly tragedy. The whole scene felt epic. The camerlegno, in his torn cassock, with the scorched brand on his chest, looked like some sort of battered champion who had overcome the rings of hell for this one moment of revelation. He bellowed to the heavens. â€Å"Ti sento, Dio! I hear you, God!† Chartrand backed off, a look of awe on his face. The hush that fell across the crowd was instant and absolute. For a moment it was as if the silence had fallen across the entire planet†¦ everyone in front of their TVs rigid, a communal holding of breath. The camerlegno stood on the stairs, before the world, and held out his arms. He looked almost Christlike, bare and wounded before the world. He raised his arms to the heavens and, looking up, exclaimed, â€Å"Grazie! Grazie, Dio!† The silence of the masses never broke. â€Å"Grazie, Dio!† the camerlegno cried out again. Like the sun breaking through a stormy sky, a look of joy spread across his face. â€Å"Grazie, Dio!† Thank you, God? Langdon stared in wonder. The camerlegno was radiant now, his eerie transformation complete. He looked up at the sky, still nodding furiously. He shouted to the heavens, â€Å"Upon this rock I will build my church!† Langdon knew the words, but he had no idea why the camerlegno could possibly be shouting them. The camerlegno turned back to the crowd and bellowed again into the night. â€Å"Upon this rock I will build my church!† Then he raised his hands to the sky and laughed out loud. â€Å"Grazie, Dio! Grazie!† The man had clearly gone mad. The world watched, spellbound. The culmination, however, was something no one expected. With a final joyous exultation, the camerlegno turned and dashed back into St. Peter’s Basilica. How to cite Angels Demons Chapter 113-117, Essay examples

Saturday, April 25, 2020

To Kill A Mocking Bird Essays (947 words) - To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mocking Bird To Kill A Mocking Bird ? To Kill A Mockingbird Classic, a term one uses to describe many things, such as a defining moment or an object such as a book. When used in this context, such as describing a book, it persuades the reader to examine the novel further to discover what makes this piece of literature so memorable to people who have read it. One such novel is Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. One may describe this novel as a classic because the messages described in the novel can be perceived on so many different levels that any reader, no matter the level, can observe these messages. The prime messages observed in this novel is that of racism, how the actions of a community, not just a parent, can affect a child, and how rumors and invalidated facts can destroy anyone's reputation. Racism is mentioned throughout the second part of the novel. It is the prime and most mentioned part of this section of the novel. This message is displayed on many levels so even the lowest level reader can visibly ask o neself why this is occurring. The easiest way to observe this may be the town's actions toward Tom Robinson, the negro on trial. The townspeople, for the most part, dismissed the entire trial on the basis on that it does not matter what Atticus can do, Mr. Robinson is automatically guilty. This message can also be seen in a severely symbolic manner, Tom Robinson's death. The manner in which he dies is that he escapes and attempts to climb the fence to freedom, however he only has one good arm and that is his detriment. It slows him up enough to allow the police to shoot him numerous times. Symbolically this can be viewed as a glimmer of hope to end this suppression. As this glimmer of hope is about to reach the mainstream and acceptance that racism is evil, it is shot down and dead, thus ending the opportunity. Mr. Robinson got into this position by the jury giving in a guilty verdict, despite numerous evidence to the contrary. The jury gave a racist verdict, showing Harper Lee's op inion of the evil a racist society can do to a minority. This verdict had repercussions not just to Mr. Robinson, but to the community. One can observe that this verdict influenced the town in a manner no one expected, it twisted the minds of many children. A popular saying is that the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray, this is what began to happen to the children of the town, best viewed when observing the Finch children. Despite Atticus' plans to raise children who do not have this type of hate within them, they have these feelings due to some community actions, Atticus' plan going astray. A prime example is Scout's answer to the question of the manner in which the prosecuting attorney addressed Mr. Robinson during his cross examination. Her answer was that he could do that because ...he's just a negro.(p. 199) This issue is not just the white community pressing an idea into someone's head. It can also happen in the black community. When Atticus Finch asks Calpurnia, his housekeeper, to watch his children for him while he is out, Calpurnia accepts and takes the children with her to church, a black church. When she arrives with the children they are all greeted with hospitality except for a few people. These people use the same argument as in the last example as to why they should not be there, because they are white. What both races have done is shun the other race, now what happens if a child is born with blood from both races. What happens is an isolated race that is exiled from both races because that child has blood from the other race. This evil act can be seen in the novel. The county practically exiles the children of Dolphus Raymond and his black spouse. It is done to the point that these children are forced to live in the non-racist north where they would not be looked down on as genetic