Looking for patterns in elements of life Essay

Looking for patterns in elements 59 of the 92 naturally occurring elements had been discovered by 1850. Much of the work of trying to search for patterns in the elements was done by Johann Dobereiner and Lother Meyer in Germany John Newlands in England Dimitri Mendeleev In Russia Mendeleev’s Groupings Group1 Group2 Group3 Group4 Group5 Group6 Group7 Group8 Period1 H Period2 Li Be B C N O F Period3 Na Mg Al Si P SCl Period4 K/Cu Ca/Zn / Ti/ V/As Cr/Se Mn/Br Fe,Co,Ni Period5 Rb/Ag Sr/Cd Y/In Zr/Sn Nb/Sb Mo/Te /I Ru,Rh,Pd. Indicates element yet to be discovered Mendeleevs groupings were seen as more credible than previous attempts to find patterns in element. Unlike newlands, mendeleev left gaps in his table. They allowed for the discovery of new elements. He predicted the properties of an element called eka-silicon. He predicted that the element would go between silicon and tin in his table. The element was discovered in 1886 and called germanium. Since mendellevs death in 1907:   8 elements have been discovered   24 elements have been made in the laboratory the modern periodic table is based on mendellevs original table. See: Assignment 3 Activity EL3. 1 Activity EL3. 2 Activity EL3. 3 Ideas 1. 2 Ideas 11. 1 Ideas11. 2.

Women Enpowerment

Power is a relational dynamic between individuals or between groups of people and is often unequally distributed. This inequality results in control or domination. The pattern in which power is distributed in a society or the power structure of society is strengthened by the force of tradition ,values,history and by the prevalent ways of thinking and behaving. Any effort to change the balance of power entails change in the existing power structure. Women's empowerment is the process by which women negotiate a more equitable distribution of power , a greater space in the critical decision making processes in the home ,in the community and in the economic and political life. The aim of empowerment of women is the fuller and wholesome development of both men and women. Empowerment of women is anti-men. It is against patriarchy. Changes in law pertaining to marriage ,property, sexual harassment ,dowry,rape and other forms of violence, so as to bring in laws favouring or supporting women's empowerment are necessary but not enough. Enabling women to actually access to the benefits of appropriate laws is the key task of the empowerment process. The process of empowerment which seeks an equitable and active share for women has to deal with the burden of ideas and values which are passed on to women as part of their socialization process from their very childhood. This social conditioning becomes part of her person and mindset and influences her behavior. The empowerment process must begin with women changing their own ways of thinking and behaving . They must try to appreciate themselves more and to recognize and value their knowledge and skills and their contribution of the sustainability of the households and the community. Women then, must wage a multi-prolonged battle at many levels and this battle has necessarily to begin with the women themselves at a personal and individual level . As the empowerment process advances ,men loose their traditional power and control over women and this process must begin within the family. Women setting out to empower themselves must be aware and also prepared for the backlash they might have to face from the men who suddenly find themselves losing their traditional power and control. The road to empowerment is long, lonely and often frightening. In fact, the struggle is the process of empowerment. In recent decades, while individual women have been waging a very personal struggle, they have not been alone. Women within 34 communities, within countries and across the globe have been linking within one another to expand and to sharpen their efforts for their own empowerment. Economic Empowerment of women: Poverty Eradication: Since women comprise the majority of the population below the poverty line and are very often in situations of extreme poverty, given the harsh realities of intra-household and social discrimination, macroeconomic policies and poverty eradication programmes will specifically address the needs and problems of such women. There will be improved implementation of programmes which are already women oriented with special targets for women. Steps will be taken for mobilization of poor women and convergence of services, by offering them a range of economic and social options, along with necessary support measures to enhance their capabilities Micro Credit: In order to enhance women’s access to credit for consumption and production, the establishment of new, and strengthening of existing micro-credit mechanisms and micro-finance institution will be undertaken so that the outreach of credit is enhanced. Other supportive measures would be taken to ensure adequate flow of credit through extant financial institutions and banks, so that all women below poverty line have easy access to credit. Women and Economy: Women’s perspectives will be included in designing and implementing macro-economic and social policies by institutionalizing their participation in such processes. Their contribution to socio-economic development as producers and workers will be recognized in the formal and informal sectors (including home based workers) and appropriate policies relating to employment and to her working conditions will be drawn up. Such measures could include: Women and Agriculture: In view of the critical role of women in the agriculture and allied sectors, as producers, concentrated efforts will be made to ensure that benefits of training, extension and various programmes will reach them in proportion to their numbers. The programmes for training women in soil conservation, social forestry, dairy development and other occupations allied to agriculture like horticulture, livestock including small animal husbandry, poultry, fisheries etc. will be expanded to benefit women workers in the griculture sector. Women and Industry: The important role played by women in electronics, information technology and food processing and agro industry and textiles has been crucial to the development of these sectors. They would be given comprehensive support in terms of labour legislation, social security and other support services to participate in various industrial sectors. Women at present cannot work in night shift in fact ories even if they wish to. Suitable measures will be taken to enable women to work on the night shift in factories. This will be accompanied with support services for security, transportation etc. Social Empowerment of Women: Education: Equal access to education for women and girls will be ensured. Special measures will be taken to eliminate discrimination, universalize education, eradicate illiteracy, create a gender-sensitive educational system, increase enrolment and retention rates of girls and improve the quality of education to facilitate life-long learning as well as development of occupation/vocation/technical skills by women. Reducing the gender gap in secondary and higher education would be a focus area. Sectoral time targets in existing policies will be achieved, with a special focus on girls and women, particularly those belonging to weaker sections including the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes/Other Backward Classes/Minorities. Gender sensitive curricula would be developed at all levels of educational system in order to address sex stereotyping as one of the causes of gender discrimination. Health: A holistic approach to women’s health which includes both nutrition and health services will be adopted and special attention will be given to the needs of women and the girl at all stages of the life cycle. The reduction of infant mortality and maternal mortality, which are sensitive indicators of human development, is a priority concern. This policy reiterates the national demographic goals for Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) set out in the National Population Policy 2000. Women should have access to comprehensive, affordable and quality health care. Measures will be adopted that take into account the reproductive rights of women to enable them to exercise informed choices, their vulnerability to sexual and health problems together with endemic, infectious and communicable diseases such as malaria, TB, and water borne diseases as well as hypertension and cardio-pulmonary diseases. The social, developmental and health consequences of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases will be tackled from a gender perspective. Nutrition: Intra-household discrimination in nutritional matters vis-a-vis girls and women will be sought to be ended through appropriate strategies. Widespread use of nutrition education would be made to address the issues of intra-household imbalances in nutrition and the special needs of pregnant and lactating women. Women’s participation will also be ensured in the planning, superintendence and delivery of the system. Violence against women: All forms of violence against women, physical and mental, whether at domestic or societal levels, including those arising from customs, traditions or accepted practices shall be dealt with effectively with a view to eliminate its incidence. Institutions and mechanisms/schemes for assistance will be created and strengthened for prevention of such violence , including sexual harassment at work place and customs like dowry; for the rehabilitation of the victims of violence and for taking effective action against the perpetrators of such violence. A special emphasis will also be laid on programmes and measures to deal with trafficking in women and girls. Rights of the Girl Child: All forms of discrimination against the girl child and violation of her rights shall be eliminated by undertaking strong measures both preventive and punitive within and outside the family. These would relate specifically to strict enforcement of laws against prenatal sex selection and the practices of female foeticide, female infanticide, child marriage, child abuse and child prostitution etc. Removal of discrimination in the treatment of the girl child within the family and outside and projection of a positive image of the girl child will be actively fostered. There will be special emphasis on the needs of the girl child and earmarking of substantial investments in the areas relating to food and nutrition, health and education, and in vocational education. In implementing programmes for eliminating child labour, there will be a special focus on girl children. Mass Media: Media will be used to portray images consistent with human dignity of girls and women. The Policy will specifically strive to remove demeaning, degrading and negative conventional stereotypical images of women and violence against women. Private sector partners and media networks will be involved at all levels to ensure equal access for women particularly in the area of information and communication echnologies. The media would be encouraged to develop codes of conduct, professional guidelines and other self regulatory mechanisms to remove gender stereotypes and promote balanced portrayals of women and men. Operational Strategies: Institutional Mechanisms: National and State Resource Centres on women will be established with mandates for collection and dissemination of information, undertaking research work, conducting surveys, implementing training and awareness gener ation programmes, etc. These Centers will link up with Women’s Studies Centres and other research and academic institutions through suitable information networking systems. While institutions at the district level will be strengthened, at the grass-roots, women will be helped by Government through its programmes to organize and strengthen into Self-Help Groups (SHGs) at the Anganwadi/Village/Town level. The women’s groups will be helped to institutionalize themselves into registered societies and to federate at the Panchyat/Municipal level. These societies will bring about synergistic implementation of all the social and economic development programmes by drawing resources made available through Government and Non-Government channels, including banks and financial institutions and by establishing a close Interface with the Panchayats/ Municipalities. Resource Management: a. Assessment of benefits flowing to women and resource allocation to the programmes relating to them through an exercise of gender budgeting. Appropriate changes in policies will be made to optimize benefits to women under these schemes; b. Adequate resource allocation to develop and promote the policy outlined earlier based on (a) above by concerned Departments. c. Developing synergy between personnel of Health, Rural Development, Education and Women & Child Development Department at field level and other village level functionaries’ d. Meeting credit needs by banks and financial credit institutions through suitable policy initiatives and development of new institutions in coordination with the Department of Women & Child Development. Women’s Component Plan: The strategy of Women’s Component Plan adopted in the Ninth Plan of ensuring that not less than 30% of benefits/funds flow to women from all Ministries and Departments will be implemented effectively so that the needs and interests of women and girls are addressed by all concerned sectors. The Department of Women and Child Development being the nodal Ministry will monitor and review the progress of the implementation of the Component Plan from time to time, in terms of both quality and quantity in collaboration with the Planning Commission. Legislation a. Strict enforcement of all relevant legal provisions and speedy redressal of grievances will be ensured, with a special focus on violence and gender related atrocities. b. Measures to prevent and punish sexual harassment at the place of work, protection for women workers in the organized/ unorganized sector and strict enforcement of relevant laws such as Equal Remuneration Act and Minimum Wages Act will be undertaken, c. Crimes against women, their incidence, prevention, investigation, detection and prosecution will be regularly reviewed at all Crime Review fora and Conferences at the Central, State and District levels. Recognised, local, voluntary organizations will be authorized to lodge Complaints and facilitate registration, investigations and legal proceedings related to violence and atrocities against girls and women. d. Women’s Cells in Police Stations, Encourage Women Police Stations Family Courts, Mahila Courts, Counselling Centers, Legal Aid Centers and Nyaya Panchayats will be strengthened and expanded to eliminate violence and atrocities against women. e. Widespread dissemination of information on all aspects of legal rights, human rights and other entitlements of women, through specially designed legal literacy programmes and rights information programmes will be done. Gender Sensitization: a. Promoting societal awareness to gender issues and women’s human rights. b. Review of curriculum and educational materials to include gender education and human rights issues c. Removal of all references derogatory to the dignity of women from all public documents and legal instruments. . Use of different forms of mass media to communicate social messages relating to women’s equality and empowerment. Partnership with the voluntary sector organizations: The involvement of voluntary organizations, associations, federations, trade unions, non-governmental organizations, women’s organizations, as well as institutions dealing with education, training and research will be ensured in the formulation, implementation, monitoring and review of all policies and programmes affecting women. Towards this end, they will be provided with appropriate support related to resources and capacity building and facilitated to participate actively in the process of the empowerment of women. Women Reservation Bill: Reservation for women at each level of legislative decision-making, starting with the Lok Sabha, down to state and local legislatures. If the Bill is passed, one-third of the total available seats would be reserved for women in national, state, or local governments. In continuation of the existing provisions already mandating reservations for scheduled caste and scheduled tribes, one-third of such SC and ST candidates must be women. Political pundits, sociologists, political scientists, feminists and historians and almost everybody has said that if the bill becomes an act then it will be the biggest socio-political news since independence. The central government cleared the Bill on February 25, 2010. For such a bill to pass, the Constitution has laid out an elaborate procedure. So, even if the Rajya Sabha passes the bill its real impact will be felt only when it passes through the Lok Sabha. On March 8, it's difficult to say how the government will manage order in the Upper House so that members favouring the bill can vote without disruption or chaos created by opposing members. Article on Women Empowerment Women Empowerment : Women are the integral part of our country that is not only limited to bring up the children but also to contribute equally for the development of our country. They are such human bodies which are made of patience, tolerance, perseverance, strength and dedication towards their families. They play a dynamic role in each and every activity. Moreover, there is not even a single field left where they have not left their footprints whether it’s about opposition of Government in ‘Geetika Murder Case’ (An airhostess, Delhi) or their raising of voices against the rape of ‘Delhi’s Medical student’. We can clearly feel their presence in our life and figure out what we are without them. However, in this male-dominated world, women have no option left except dealing with the problems which they come across on regular basis. They are better than men in all the areas and that cannot be denied by all of us. As per the data, 84000 cases were registered against the men for the sexual violence of women in 2014 which itself is a ‘Statistics of Shame’ for our country folk. More than 6 million female fetuses have been aborted in the last decade which shows our law and order and its delaying in the decision. Besides all these, 825000 cases or violence are still pending in our trustworthy said courts. These statistics show that how much developed we are in terms of oppression on women. In case of ‘Delhi Rape’ few politicians blamed the victims for their movement towards westernization and adopting western culture knowing that most of women who are victimized are either poor or illiterate by birth. So, rather than pointing out their incapability, they should amend such laws that not only protect them but also become medium of grave punishment for the doers. When women can do all that is required for the enhancement and modernization of the world, why women are not much powered as compare to the men who still believe in disrespecting the women of our country and making us feel embarrassed. They are educated and aware of their own rights. Most importantly, they need not depend on their male mates to get their work done. They have emerged as supernatural power which knows no restriction and boundation and they are both mentally and physically able to respond. Now, the time has come for women to empower themselves so that every criminal may think twice before he comments or molests any of the women of our country. Apart from these, Govt. hould step forward and run campaign for the overall awareness of women across the country. Through these alternatives, we can dream of liberation once again which is meant for both men and women equally. Women empowerment will help all the women to come forward and understand their rights for their stability in this staggering male world. They will be more educated and aware of laws which they usually do not get to know till they die. In this way, they can feel empowered and live safer than ever.

The Lost Symbol Chapter 127-128

CHAPTER 127 The breeze felt cold outside CIA headquarters in Langley. Nola Kaye was shivering as she followed sys-sec Rick Parrish across the agency's moonlit central courtyard. Where is Rick taking me? The crisis of the Masonic video had been averted, thank God, but Nola still felt uneasy. The redacted file on the CIA director's partition remained a mystery, and it was nagging at her. She and Sato would debrief in the morning, and Nola wanted all the facts. Finally, she had called Rick Parrish and demanded his help. Now, as she followed Rick to some unknown location outside, Nola could not push the bizarre phrases from her memory: Secret location underground where the . . . somewhere in Washington, D.C., the coordinates . . . uncovered an ancient portal that led . . . warning the pyramid holds dangerous . . . decipher this engraved symbolon to unveil . . . â€Å"You and I agree,† Parrish said as they walked, â€Å"that the hacker who spidered those keywords was definitely searching for information about the Masonic Pyramid.† Obviously, Nola thought. â€Å"It turns out, though, the hacker stumbled onto a facet of the Masonic mystery I don't think he expected.† â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"Nola, you know how the CIA director sponsors an internal discussion forum for Agency employees to share their ideas about all kinds of things?† â€Å"Of course.† The forums provided Agency personnel a safe place to chat online about various topics and gave the director a kind of virtual gateway to his staff. â€Å"The director's forums are hosted on his private partition, and yet in order to provide access to employees of all clearance levels, they're located outside the director's classified firewall.† â€Å"What are you getting at?† she demanded as they rounded a corner near the Agency cafeteria. â€Å"In a word . . .† Parrish pointed into the darkness. â€Å"That.† Nola glanced up. Across the plaza in front of them was a massive metal sculpture glimmering in the moonlight. In an agency that boasted over five hundred pieces of original art, this sculpture–titled Kryptos–was by far the most famous. Greek for â€Å"hidden,† Kryptos was the work of American artist James Sanborn and had become something of a legend here at the CIA. The work consisted of a massive S-shaped panel of copper, set on its edge like a curling metal wall. Engraved into the expansive surface of the wall were nearly two thousand letters . . . organized into a baffling code. As if this were not enigmatic enough, positioned carefully in the area around the encrypted S-wall were numerous other sculptural elements–granite slabs at odd angles, a compass rose, a magnetic lodestone, and even a message in Morse code that referenced â€Å"lucid memory† and â€Å"shadow forces.† Most fans believed that these pieces were clues that would reveal how to decipher the sculpture. Kryptos was art . . . but it was also an enigma. Attempting to decipher its encoded secret had become an obsession for cryptologists both inside and outside the CIA. Finally, a few years back, a portion of the code had been broken, and it became national news. Although much of Kryptos's code remained unsolved to this day, the sections that had been deciphered were so bizarre that they made the sculpture only more mysterious. It referenced secret underground locations, portals that led into ancient tombs, longitudes and latitudes . . . Nola could still recall bits and pieces of the deciphered sections: The information was gathered and transmitted underground to an unknown location . . . It was totally invisible . . . hows that possible . . . they used the earths magnetic field . . . Nola had never paid much attention to the sculpture or cared if it was ever fully deciphered. At the moment, however, she wanted answers. â€Å"Why are you showing me Kryptos?† Parrish gave her a conspiratorial smile and dramatically extracted a folded sheet of paper from his pocket. â€Å"Voila, the mysterious redacted document you were so concerned about. I accessed the complete text.† Nola jumped. â€Å"You snooped the director's classified partition?† â€Å"No. That's what I was getting at earlier. Have a look.† He handed her the file. Nola seized the page and unfolded it. When she saw the standard Agency headers at the top of the page, she cocked her head in surprise. This document was not classified. Not even close. EMPLOYEE DISCUSSION BOARD: KRYPTOS COMPRESSED STORAGE: THREAD #2456282.5 Nola found herself looking at a series of postings that had been compressed into a single page for more efficient storage. â€Å"Your keyword document,† Rick said, â€Å"is some cipher-punks rambling about Kryptos.† Nola scanned down the document until she spotted a sentence containing a familiar set of keywords. Jim, the sculpture says it was transmitted to a secret location UNDERGROUND where the info was hidden. â€Å"This text is from the director's online Kryptos forum,† Rick explained. â€Å"The forum's been going for years. There are literally thousands of postings. I'm not surprised one of them happened to contain all the keywords.† Nola kept scanning down until she spotted another posting containing keywords. Even though Mark said the code's lat/long headings point somewhere in WASHINGTON, D.C., the coordinates he used were off by one degree–Kryptos basically points back to itself. Parrish walked over to the statue and ran his palm across the cryptic sea of letters. â€Å"A lot of this code has yet to be deciphered, and there are plenty of people who think the message might actually relate to ancient Masonic secrets.† Nola now recalled murmurs of a Masonic/Kryptos link, but she tended to ignore the lunatic fringe. Then again, looking around at the various pieces of the sculpture arranged around the plaza, she realized that it was a code in pieces–a symbolon–just like the Masonic Pyramid. Odd. For a moment, Nola could almost see Kryptos as a modern Masonic Pyramid–a code in many pieces, made of different materials, each playing a role. â€Å"Do you think there's any way Kryptos and the Masonic Pyramid might be hiding the same secret?† â€Å"Who knows?† Parrish shot Kryptos a frustrated look. â€Å"I doubt we'll ever know the whole message. That is, unless someone can convince the director to unlock his safe and sneak a peek at the solution.† Nola nodded. It was all coming back to her now. When Kryptos was installed, it arrived with a sealed envelope containing a complete decryption of the sculpture's codes. The sealed solution was entrusted to then – CIA director William Webster, who locked it in his office safe. The document was allegedly still there, having been transferred from director to director over the years. Strangely, Nola's thoughts of William Webster sparked her memory, bringing back yet another portion of Kryptos's deciphered text: IT'S BURIED OUT THERE SOMEWHERE. WHO KNOWS THE EXACT LOCATION? ONLY WW. Although nobody knew exactly what was buried out there, most people believed the WW was a reference to William Webster. Nola had heard whispers once that it referred in fact to a man named William Whiston–a Royal Society theologian–although she had never bothered to give it much thought. Rick was talking again. â€Å"I've got to admit, I'm not really into artists, but I think this guy Sanborn's a serious genius. I was just looking online at his Cyrillic Projector project? It shines giant Russian letters from a KGB document on mind control. Freaky.† Nola was no longer listening. She was examining the paper, where she had found the third key phrase in another posting. Right, that whole section is verbatim from some famous archaeologist's diary, telling about the moment he dug down and uncovered an ANCIENT PORTAL that led to the tomb of Tutankhamen. The archaeologist who was quoted on Kryptos, Nola knew, was in fact famed Egyptologist Howard Carter. The next posting referenced him by name. I just skimmed the rest of Carter's field notes online, and it sounds like he found a clay tablet warning the PYRAMID holds dangerous consequences for anyone who disturbs the peace of the pharaoh. A curse! Should we be worried? 🙂 Nola scowled. â€Å"Rick, for God's sake, this idiot's pyramid reference isn't even right. Tutankhamen wasn't buried in a pyramid. He was buried in the Valley of the Kings. Don't cryptologists watch the Discovery Channel?† Parrish shrugged. â€Å"Techies.† Nola now saw the final key phrase. Guys, you know I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but Jim and Dave had better decipher this ENGRAVED SYMBOLON to unveil its final secret before the world ends in 2012 . . . Ciao. â€Å"Anyhow,† Parrish said, â€Å"I figured you'd want to know about the Kryptos forum before you accused the CIA director of harboring classified documentation about an ancient Masonic legend. Somehow, I doubt a man as powerful as the CIA director has time for that sort of thing.† Nola pictured the Masonic video and its images of all the influential men participating in an ancient rite. If Rick had any idea . . . In the end, she knew, whatever Kryptos ultimately revealed, the message definitely had mystical undertones. She gazed up at the gleaming piece of art–a three-dimensional code standing silently at the heart of one of the nation's premier intelligence agencies–and she wondered if it would ever give up its final secret. As she and Rick headed back inside, Nola had to smile. It's buried out there somewhere. CHAPTER 128 This is crazy. Blindfolded, Robert Langdon could see nothing as the Escalade sped southward along the deserted streets. On the seat beside him, Peter Solomon remained silent. Where is he taking me? Langdon's curiosity was a mix of intrigue and apprehension, his imagination in overdrive as it tried desperately to put the pieces together. Peter had not wavered from his claim. The Lost Word? Buried at the bottom of a staircase that's covered by a massive, engraved stone? It all seemed impossible. The stone's alleged engraving was still lodged in Langdon's memory . . . and yet the seven symbols, as far as he could tell, made no sense together at all. The Stonemason's Square: the symbol of honesty and being â€Å"true.† The letters Au: the scientific abbreviation for the element gold. The Sigma: the Greek letter S, the mathematical symbol for the sum of all parts. The Pyramid: the Egyptian symbol of man reaching heavenward. The Delta: the Greek letter D, the mathematical symbol for change. Mercury: as depicted by its most ancient alchemical symbol. The Ouroboros: the symbol of wholeness and at-one-ment. Solomon still insisted these seven symbols were a â€Å"message.† But if this was true, then it was a message Langdon had no idea how to read. The Escalade slowed suddenly and turned sharply right, onto a different surface, as if into a driveway or access road. Langdon perked up, listening intently for clues as to their whereabouts. They'd been driving for less than ten minutes, and although Langdon had tried to follow in his mind, he had lost his bearings quickly. For all he knew, they were now pulling back into the House of the Temple. The Escalade came to a stop, and Langdon heard the window roll down. â€Å"Agent Simkins, CIA,† their driver announced. â€Å"I believe you're expecting us.† â€Å"Yes, sir,† a sharp military voice replied. â€Å"Director Sato phoned ahead. One moment while I move the security barricade.† Langdon listened with rising confusion, now sensing they were entering a military base. As the car began moving again, along an unusually smooth stretch of pavement, he turned his head blindly toward Solomon. â€Å"Where are we, Peter?† he demanded. â€Å"Do not remove your blindfold.† Peter's voice was stern. The vehicle continued a short distance and again slowed to a stop. Simkins killed the engine. More voices. Military. Someone asked for Simkins's identification. The agent got out and spoke to the men in hushed tones. Langdon's door was suddenly being opened, and powerful hands assisted him out of the car. The air felt cold. It was windy. Solomon was beside him. â€Å"Robert, just let Agent Simkins lead you inside.† Langdon heard metal keys in a lock . . . and then the creak of a heavy iron door swinging open. It sounded like an ancient bulkhead. Where the hell are they taking me?! Simkins's hands guided Langdon in the direction of the metal door. They stepped over a threshold. â€Å"Straight ahead, Professor.† It was suddenly quiet. Dead. Deserted. The air inside smelled sterile and processed. Simkins and Solomon flanked Langdon now, guiding him blindly down a reverberating corridor. The floor felt like stone beneath his loafers. Behind them, the metal door slammed loudly, and Langdon jumped. The locks turned. He was sweating now beneath his blindfold. He wanted only to tear it off. They stopped walking now. Simkins let go of Langdon's arm, and there was a series of electronic beeps followed by an unexpected rumble in front of them, which Langdon imagined had to be a security door sliding open automatically. â€Å"Mr. Solomon, you and Mr. Langdon continue on alone. I'll wait for you here,† Simkins said. â€Å"Take my flashlight.† â€Å"Thank you,† Solomon said. â€Å"We won't be long.† Flashlight?! Langdon's heart was pounding wildly now. Peter took Langdon's arm in his own and inched forward. â€Å"Walk with me, Robert.† They moved slowly together across another threshold, and the security door rumbled shut behind them. Peter stopped short. â€Å"Is something wrong?† Langdon was suddenly feeling queasy and off balance. â€Å"I think I just need to take off this blindfold.† â€Å"Not yet, we're almost there.† â€Å"Almost where?† Langdon felt a growing heaviness in the pit of his stomach. â€Å"I told you–I'm taking you to see the staircase that descends to the Lost Word.† â€Å"Peter, this isn't funny!† â€Å"It's not meant to be. It's meant to open your mind, Robert. It's meant to remind you that there are mysteries in this world that even you have yet to lay eyes upon. And before I take one more step with you, I want you to do something for me. I want you to believe . . . just for an instant . . . believe in the legend. Believe that you are about to peer down a winding staircase that plunges hundreds of feet to one of humankind's greatest lost treasures.† Langdon felt dizzy. As much as he wanted to believe his dear friend, he could not. â€Å"Is it much farther?† His velvet hoodwink was drenched in sweat. â€Å"No. Only a few more steps, actually. Through one last door. I'll open it now.† Solomon let go of him for a moment, and as he did so, Langdon swayed, feeling light-headed. Unsteady, he reached out for stability, and Peter was quickly back at his side. The sound of a heavy automatic door rumbled in front of them. Peter took Langdon's arm and they moved forward again. â€Å"This way.† They inched across another threshold, and the door slid closed behind them. Silence. Cold. Langdon immediately sensed that this place, whatever it was, had nothing to do with the world on the other side of the security doors. The air was dank and chilly, like a tomb. The acoustics felt dull and cramped. He felt an irrational bout of claustrophobia settling in. â€Å"A few more steps.† Solomon guided him blindly around a corner and positioned him precisely. Finally, he said, â€Å"Take off your blindfold.† Langdon seized the velvet hoodwink and tore it from his face. He looked all around to find out where he was, but he was still blind. He rubbed his eyes. Nothing. â€Å"Peter, it's pitch-black!† â€Å"Yes, I know. Reach in front of you. There's a railing. Grasp it.† Langdon groped in the darkness and found an iron railing. â€Å"Now watch.† He could hear Peter fumbling with something, and suddenly a blazing flashlight beam pierced the darkness. It was pointed at the floor, and before Langdon could take in his surroundings, Solomon directed the flashlight out over the railing and pointed the beam straight down. Langdon was suddenly staring into a bottomless shaft . . . an endless winding staircase that plunged deep into the earth. My God! His knees nearly buckled, and he gripped the railing for support. The staircase was a traditional square spiral, and he could see at least thirty landings descending into the earth before the flashlight faded to nothing. I can't even see the bottom! â€Å"Peter . . .† he stammered. â€Å"What is this place!† â€Å"I'll take you to the bottom of the staircase in a moment, but before I do, you need to see something else.† Too overwhelmed to protest, Langdon let Peter guide him away from the stairwell and across the strange little chamber. Peter kept the flashlight trained on the worn stone floor beneath their feet, and Langdon could get no real sense of the space around them . . . except that it was small. A tiny stone chamber. They arrived quickly at the room's opposite wall, in which was embedded a rectangle of glass. Langdon thought it might be a window into a room beyond, and yet from where he stood, he saw only darkness on the other side. â€Å"Go ahead,† Peter said. â€Å"Have a look.† â€Å"What's in there?† Langdon flashed for an instant on the Chamber of Reflection beneath the Capitol Building, and how he had believed, for a moment, that it might contain a portal to some giant underground cavern. â€Å"Just look, Robert.† Solomon inched him forward. â€Å"And brace yourself, because the sight will shock you.† Having no idea what to expect, Langdon moved toward the glass. As he neared the portal, Peter turned out the flashlight, plunging the tiny chamber into total darkness. As his eyes adjusted, Langdon groped in front of him, his hands finding the wall, finding the glass, his face moving closer to the transparent portal. Still only darkness beyond. He leaned closer . . . pressing his face to the glass. Then he saw it. The wave of shock and disorientation that tore through Langdon's body reached down inside and spun his internal compass upside down. He nearly fell backward as his mind strained to accept the utterly unanticipated sight that was before him. In his wildest dreams, Robert Langdon would never have guessed what lay on the other side of this glass. The vision was a glorious sight. There in the darkness, a brilliant white light shone like a gleaming jewel. Langdon now understood it all–the barricade on the access road . . . the guards at the main entrance . . . the heavy metal door outside . . . the automatic doors that rumbled open and closed . . . the heaviness in his stomach . . . the lightness in his head . . . and now this tiny stone chamber. â€Å"Robert,† Peter whispered behind him, â€Å"sometimes a change of perspective is all it takes to see the light.† Speechless, Langdon stared out through the window. His gaze traveled into the darkness of the night, traversing more than a mile of empty space, dropping lower . . . lower . . . through the darkness . . . until it came to rest atop the brilliantly illuminated, stark white dome of the U.S. Capitol Building. Langdon had never seen the Capitol from this perspective–hovering 555 feet in the air atop America's great Egyptian obelisk. Tonight, for the first time in his life, he had ridden the elevator up to the tiny viewing chamber . . . at the pinnacle of the Washington Monument.

Viral Marketing: Effectiveness and Implementation

Word-Of-Mouth Marketing: Effectiveness and Implementation Submitted by: Spandana Araga Marketing II Term Paper How it works Advertising agencies and marketing experts get paid big money to create ads that are unforgettable. But getting those ads seen and getting people to talk about them are two of the biggest challenges facing any advertiser these days. It is a common misconception that memorable marketing campaigns require big budgets. Somewhere along the line, marketers came up with a brilliant solution: let the customers spread the word themselves.Word-OfMouth Marketing(WOM), also known as Viral Marketing consists of advertising campaigns and messages that depend on peer to peer forwarding. WOM plays on the common sense that when a person likes something, they want to talk about it. They create a potential for exponential growth like a â€Å"virus†, and hence the name. Trusav et al (2009) in a study of WOM versus traditional marketing found that WOM referrals have a strong impact on new customer acquisition. The long-term elasticity of signups with respect to WOM was estimated to be . 3. The elasticity for WOM is approximately 20 times higher than that for marketing events and 30 times that of media appearances Effectiveness of WOM According to the article, â€Å"Word-Of-Mouth Marketing will change your business† by Hedges and Chung word-of-mouth marketing â€Å"gives brands a powerful and influential way to engage their target audience. The article talks about how consumers are very vocal about their views especially when it comes to personal care products like cosmetics.Projections by eMarketer predict 72 million U. S. adults will regularly give WOM advice about products or services in 2011, up from 65 million in 2006. There are 3. 5 billion WOM conversations occurring daily in the U. S. , according to the Keller Fay Group. Though 92% of these conversations are through off line means- face to face or phone- a vast majority of the influencer s depend on the internet to get more information and make decisions.From plain old word of mouth, now with the use of social networking sites such as facebook, youtube and twitter, the effects of viral marketing campaigns can be amplified. For example Barack Obama got the youth to vote, a task many thought impossible, by utilizing social networking sites. He accomplished this by strategically tapping into nearly every major social media outlet. At the time of Obama's inauguration in January 2009, the President had 3 million friends on facebook, 3000 videos on Youtube and several followers on twitter and myspace.Implementation Though most marketers will agree that WOM is an effective marketing tool, surprisingly, not many choose to utilise it. A CMO Council survey found 56% of senior marketers saying their companies have no programs to track or propagate positive WOM. Marketers would benefit by keeping track of what is being said about their product and learning ways to infiltrate, i nfluence and spark conversations about their products. Word of Mouth Marketing Association outlines some positive WOM guidelines. The first is creating communities and connecting people.This can be in the form of creating user groups and fan clubs, supporting independent groups that form around your product, hosting discussions and message boards about your products. Avon hired Communispace to create a private online customer community, where the company can develop and maintain relationships with its brand advocates. Another guideline is motivating brand advocates and evangelists to actively promote a product by providing recognition and tools to active advocates, recruiting new advocates, and teaching new advocates about the benefits of the products and encouraging them to spread the word.For example WOM services such as SheSpeaks and BzzAgent are a great way to recruit new brand advocates and engage them into the brand. The initial conversation starter is product sampling, but lo ng-lasting relationships can be formed. It is of outmost importance to engage in transparent conversation. WOM campaigns work best when the marketer can engage in two-way conversation with consumers. Some simple ways to execute include creating blogs and other tools to share information or participating openly on online blogs and discussions.For a brand to build an impactful WOM online or off -line campaign some touch-points need to be defined. First the marketer needs to identify who the â€Å"Talkers† are-the ideal brand advocates who will tell their friends about the brand. This target group has to be defined and then be wooed to become true advocates for the brand. Next, the â€Å"Tools† have to be identified- the campaign mediums or resources through which the message can travel (online, off-line or integrated).An effective tactic to make the message spread faster is to disguise the message as something which is entertaining and interesting enough that it begs to be passed around. It needs to be remembered that viral marketing is not about the product but about the message. Next it is to be decided how the brand owner will be â€Å"Taking Part†- how the marketer should directly or indirectly join the conversation while being careful not to be heavy-handed and giving thousands or millions of potential customers a platform to interact. An important final step is â€Å"Tracking†.It has to be decided on how the research will be collected, analyzed, disseminated and utilized to best impact the brand. A mistake many marketers do is rushing into a WOM campaign without a clear strategy or vision. There is a dangerous flipside to WOM- in the absence of an authentic, wellconstructed brand message, consumers will unleash their own impressions which could be positive or negative to fill the void, and today’s speed of light communication platforms enable those homemade brand messages to travel at lightening speed.Brands must fiercely protect the brand assets and remain loyal to the core brand identity in order to gain the respect of the masses. Profitable brands can be built on deploying WOM smartly. The online success of the beauty brand e. l. f. Cosmetics is a good example. Joseph Shamah, the brand’s CEO says that WOM has been very effective for them and more than 80% of their customers say they heard about the brand from a friend.

Human Rights and Economic Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human Rights and Economic Development - Essay Example The present time and age has witnessed human rights falling to its lowest ebb, which has essentially meant that it is indeed one of the most talked about subjects within the domains of the people and the society takes the brunt for the same anomalies (Gosine 2011). Human rights are universal and do not come about just because they are accepted by a culture or a society or completely shunned by it. They remain equal to all men and women present on the face of this world. This is the reason why it is seen in a similar perspective within the first world (developed) nations as it is perceived within the third world (underdeveloped) countries. The need is to understand how human rights, as a composite factor is able to sustain itself and be deemed as the savior for all human beings. However, it is an entirely different matter altogether that human rights are given more significance in the developed nations than the underdeveloped ones. These distinctions essentially outline the shortfall on the part of the human rights undertakings and actions happening on a global basis (Gavrielides 2011). The universal basis of human rights ensures that it is a problem for the entire world and not selected to a certain area or population. Thus the need is to find out how these anomalies can be taken care of and what more could be done to thwart such instances in the coming times. As far as understanding particular issues with human rights in the world, the need is to comprehend where human rights come about or pose as a problem. They are more often witnessed within the underdeveloped countries where people do not have access to proper clothing, quality food and shelter above their heads. This is the aspect that draws attention towards the point that human rights in all its forms and manifestations, remains a much quintessential factor. Men and women are being slaughtered in the name of cultural issues which is apparently a human rights

HR article review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HR article review - Essay Example With an identified knowledge gap in the relationship between human resource practices and employees’ performance, the study investigated relationships between human resource management practices such as recruitment and selection, training and development, employees’ participation, reward, maintenance, and separation, and employees’ performance. A cross sectional survey design was implemented and data collected a sample of 285 participants, out of which 198 offered the required information. A scale was used to aid data collection and regression analysis used to investigate relationships between the different human resource management practices and employees’ performance. Results identified significance of some of the human resources practices but not all. Recruitment and selection, level of employee involvement in an organization, reward, and maintenance had significant effects on employee performance. Other practices identified insignificant relationships to employee performance. The factors were further correlated and the authors recommends continuous evaluation of the human resource management practices in an organization because of effects of time factor and the developed knowledge is significant and comprehensive to human resource management that deals with issues relating to organizations’ employees (Tabiu and Nura 247- 256). Tabiu, Abubakar, and Nura, Abubakar. â€Å"Assessing the effects of human resource management (HRM) practices on employee job performance: A study of USMANU Danfodiyo University Sokoto†. Journal of Busines Studies Quarterly 5.2 (2013), 247-259,

The Raisin In The Sun Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Raisin In The Sun - Research Paper Example The original play tackles the transformational processes of the various challenges of an older generation of working destitute black Americans compared to a younger generation. The movie, thus, gives cultural insight of generational straggles between conservative forces (evil) and transformational forces (good). This paper will discuss how embodiments and characterizations of good and evil are represented in the script and the film. It will also provide arguments served by the films interpretations of these forces. The paper will finally explore reviewer’s reactions to the film’s manifestations of good and evil arguments with regard to the films interpretations. The play tells a story of a younger family who lives in South Side, Chicago, in a crowded one-room apartment. The family is faced with a lot of antagonism with regard to how money inherited from Lena’s husband should be utilized by the family with each family member having a different proposal. For instan ce, Lena prefers using the money to buy a family house in the neighborhood; Walter Lee wants the same money to be given to him to start a business with his friends who are planning to open a liquor store which, he believes, will give him good returns. Beneatha, on the other hand, hopes to be given the money to enable her pursue her education. The result of these forces pulling in different direction creates an awareness of conflict between the forces of good and evil among the play’s characters as each attempts to win the battle. The forces of sexism are very much evident in the film as portrayed by Walter Lee. He opens the play with a discussion with her wife, Ruth, arguing, â€Å"Black women are the most backward of all women in the world (Green 1).† He says that this is due to the fact that they do not provide support to their fellow black men. This shows how male chauvinists expect to be given support and are looking down upon women. This also provides the supporti ng rhetoric for Water Lee as a patriarchal head of the family. This is an evil force that despises women in the society and feels that they are the voice of everything. In fact, the manner at which he calls these women looks like an abuse, especially calling them the most backward people in the world. The film depicts Beneatha as a new black voice, an ambitious girl who aspires to become a doctor despite what the society perceives. She is influenced by new ideas which put her at cross roads between joining black bourgeois status and black poverty. In the film, Beneatha suffers a lot from patriarchy and sexism in her quest to achieve her dreams (Green 1). Her ambition and aspiration of becoming a doctor, not a nurse, confronts the limitations of psychology that sexist and racist society has for black women. This puts her at loggerheads with adults who challenge her for conforming to their â€Å"beliefs† with regard to what role a woman play and how they are expected to behave (Poitier and McNeil 1). The question that may be asked is whether she is a feminist or not. However, throughout the film, she does not reveal any control over her own life since most of the time she depends on others for survival. In this case, Beneatha is depicted as a good character in the society with passion and aspiration to transform her life. On the other hand, the adults who challenge her dream represent the evil forces, as they do not want to see her pursue her education. As the film begins,