Las Casas Anticipated the Thoughts of Hobbes

I accept, Las Casas had foreseen the idea of Hobbes somehow or another. One of the call to war of Las Casas is a tranquil and peaceful war. Hobbes in the principal law he proposed, states that: â€Å"Every man should attempt harmony, to the extent he has any expectation of acquiring it, and when he can't get it, that he may look for and utilize all aides and preferences of war. (Leviathan as refered to in Williams 2006).Both of them had favored that each man should look to have tranquility with other men. Las Casas had additionally utilized the term â€Å"natural rights† (Carozza 2003) which was likewise utilized by Hobbes in clarifying that under the characteristic condition of man, man has the privilege to be rough towards other men (Williams 2006). The circumstances of the Indian slaves drove Las Casas to battle for human rights. It coordinated individual right with the collectivities in network and in the public arena in general.Moreover Hobbes likewise assumed, the assem blage of people to frame a province that would furnish related agreement with the most noteworthy type of social association (Kemerling 2001). Las Casas immovably had faith in human opportunity among Indians as well as over the globe. He before long understood that what he needed for the blacks was to be free workers and not simply slaves (Carozza, 2003).Hobbes had comparably followed the idea of certified opportunity simply like La Casas when he said that the â€Å"genuine human freedom† is the point at which one work on his/her volition without meddling with others (Kemerling 2001). Las Casas had connected on bargains and obviously passed law on liberating the Indian slaves, hobbes then again had imagined a sovereign society where individuals had settled upon as the defender of their inclinations. Constantly, both upheld a law that would secure every person in a serene way.

Protective Value of Estuarine and Coastal Ecosystem

Question: Examine about the Protective Value of Estuarine and Coastal Ecosystem. Answer: Presentation: Kim works a pastry kitchen which has some expertise in making distinctive sort of bread and related items, for example, cakes and pies. The business has been battling in the ongoing months and is either making misfortunes or little benefit in most recent couple of months. He is of the view that primary issue with the business is the estimating of various items. Issue with estimating of various items The serious issue at the pastry shop is to cost all the individual items that the organization has on offer. Since the asset gauge for every one of the items are not very much characterized, there are odds of over valuing one item and undervaluing the other. He decides utilizing his target manner of thinking what is the likely estimation of the item and that is the way they set the evaluating of the item. Kim has recognized that there is a need to distinguish the real item cost and afterward set up an edge above it which will protect that not a solitary item is sold in misfortune. On the off chance that this system is executed appropriately, at that point there wont be any issue with the evaluating of the item. It has been seen generally in any business in the event that one can recognize the costing of the item in the correct way and can energize the blemish on the costing to the client, the business wont perceive any misfortunes (Beguera, 2014). Cost Aspects As should be obvious from the different parts of expenses in the bread kitchen, there are some which qualifies as fixed expenses and some which qualifies as Variable expenses to the item. The fixed expense is something which is recuperated over some undefined time frame, while variable expense of the expenses of merchandise offered should be recouped in the crude valuing of the item. For this situation lease, bread kitchen gear, protection approach are fixed expenses and that is something which should be recouped from the commitment edge (Beguera, 2014). While different costs, for example, expenses of crude material, power, warming, notice, and staff cost are variable expenses. These arrangement of costs should be recuperated inside the evaluating. The fundamental trouble which Kim has in deciding the expenses are the way that what cost goes to which product offering. As found for the situation Kim has diverse product offerings and subsequently what parts of the expense goes to which head is essential to decide. Evaluating Model The evaluating model for this situation which Kim needs to actualize is estimating recuperation model. Under this model the business means to recoup all parts of the expense and ensure that all cost heads are incorporated with the cost. This sort of model functions admirably into an assembling framework as every part of cost is very much characterized. Anyway if there should be an occurrence of administration of complex contributions to the item it turns out to be hard to decide the specific cost of the item. Guidance for Kim It is fitting to Kim that he separates every single fine information which goes into conclusive item arrangement. This will help in penetrating down the specific expense of the item. It is significant that item has every single imaginable contribution on evaluating. This is the motivation behind why Kim should take a shot at deciding every single basic part of the business and afterward delineate which asset is going into which creation unit. This will at long last assistance in mapping all parts of the business and afterward do legitimate costing exercise. Planning is one of the most basic exercise and it is significant that all associations stick to it in every conceivable detail. This is one yearly exercise which whenever acted in subtleties assists people in meeting all necessities of the association. Planning will in general become the benchmark for an association to follow. Planning is a significant procedure in the entire business framework. The spending plans are for the most part made toward the beginning of money related year or might be toward the finish of the past monetary year. Parcel of noteworthy data is utilized and afterward the equivalent is mapped on the present market circumstance. Spending plans remain to turn into the benchmark which the business need to follow consistently and report to the administration of the organization. The financial plans are commonly endorsed by the leading group of the organization and are utilized to analyze the real execution of the organization vis- - vis the spending plan. The presen tation appraisal of the business includes parcel of examination and one should perceive what are the potential targets or benchmark with which one looks at the real numbers. In arrangement of the spending all objectives that the business needs to accomplish or can accomplish are incorporated with the financial plan. This is then utilized effectively by the business and afterward the equivalent is mapped with every other part of the business. It is normal that from any business house that they will detail out all parts of the business as numbers. This numbers are driven by various business work heads who articulate the normal income numbers. This income numbers are capacity of business circumstance, recorded income numbers, piece of the overall industry of the business and the conceivable technique and the resultant development in the coming year. The cutting edge organizations flourishes with the financial plan and the administration infers part of its system dependent on the spendi ng plan. The planning numbers help in circulating focuses to the line supervisor. The line administrator at that point will in general take it to the entire deals group who are liable for genuine deals. On the opposite side there are individuals included who are liable for legitimate cost the board. The costs of the organization in a perfect world ought not cross the planned figures. This is the place individuals who are liable for costs need to screen utilizing the spending all the costs. Any changes that can happen under this class presently should be accounted for and affirmed by the administration. The spending plan watches out for a decent benchmark vis- - vis which business thinks about itself. All the changes whether income or costs should be accounted for to the administration who will at that point disclose it to the board. The change following in organizations vis- - vis the financial plan is a significant movement across business houses. The purpose behind the equivalent is the way that it enables the business to keep up checks and authority over its exhibitions and take restorative activities assuming any. Let us see with a model on how an ordinary organization should seriously think about scarcely any business choices before making a financial plan. A portion of the key activities got ready for Company X for Jan17 Mar18 are and change the executives strategy might be considered for these: Promoting objective US advertise; Conveyance system to address worldwide customers other MCO Covance will have clearness once we have the showcasing procedure set up; Upgradation of Product to cloud-based rendition accessible across gadgets with included functionalities; Encryption of web-facilitated db (customer information) for site; Movement to HRMS cloud-based arrangement continuous procedure of assessment of merchants from the practical and infosec point of view; Execution of a Learning Mgmt Solution for estimating preparing adequacy; Movement to INDas for A/c (outside change); Execution of GST (outside change); Improvement of BCP abilities to incorporate situation of essential site server shared drive not available for forms run on ICRON organize; Capacities to work consistently as a multi-locational unit with plausibility of setting up a little conveyance place in another city; Appropriation of new advances like perception ..; Movement to ISO 9001:2015. So this run of the mill business house need to consider this contributions as more extensive point of view before accepting a planning call. As should be obvious organization plan to take some new costs in the coming year for better income stream, this is the place the costing groups need to join every single imaginable cost and money outpouring from the organization. We have now had the option to perceive any reason why planning is so significant and why every single basic information thoroughly mean a great deal when making a spending plan. References: Beguera, S., Leandri, M. furthermore, Campos, P., 2014, May. A usable ecological bookkeeping structure for woodland land blue water creation. InEGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts(Vol. 16, p. 4962) Dong, M., Ryan, S. furthermore, Zhang, X.J., 2014. Safeguarding amortized costs inside a reasonable worth bookkeeping system: renaming of additions and misfortunes on ready to move endless supply of Accounting Studies,19(1), pp.242-280 Barbier, E.B., 2016. The Protective Value of Estuarine and Coastal Ecosystem Services in a Wealth Accounting Framework.Environmental and Resource Economics,64(1), pp.37-58 Zimmermann, J. furthermore, Werner, J.R., 2013. Clarifying the Evolution of a New Accounting Framework.InRegulating Capitalism?(pp. 3-12). Palgrave Macmillan UK Kemme, D. M., Koleyni, K. (2016). Conversion scale Regimes and Welfare Losses from Foreign Crises: The Impact of the US Financial Crisis on Mexico.Review of International Economics. Kirton, J. (2016). G8 Financial Crisis Governance.Journal of European Social Policy,26(3), 1-20.

The Connection Between ADHD and Smoking

The Connection Between ADHD and Smoking ADHD Living With ADD/ADHD Print The Connection Between ADHD and Smoking By Keath Low Keath Low, MA, is a therapist and clinical scientist with the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities at the University of North Carolina. She specializes in treatment of ADD/ADHD. Learn about our editorial policy Keath Low Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on August 05, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on January 31, 2020 ADHD Overview Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Living With In Children Diverse Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images Teenagers and adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to smoke cigarettes and become nicotine-dependent than their peers who do not have ADHD.?? They are also more likely to start smoking at an earlier age and have a more difficult time successfully quitting as compared to the general population. This is obviously a public health concern because the regular use of cigarettes is associated with a host of negative health consequences. In addition, for many people, cigarette use can be a gateway to drug use. Use of Smoking With ADHD There are a number of factors that seem to contribute to this risk for smoking/tobacco use by those with ADHD. Genetics may play a large role. Both ADHD and smoking are highly heritable. Studies have identified a number of similar genetic markers associated with both ADHD and smoking.?? These findings suggest that there are common neurobiological factors that may contribute to the development of ADHD and a persons risk for tobacco use. Studies that have examined the relationship between genes, smoking  and ADHD have shown that ADHD symptoms interact with genes to increase smoking risk. In addition, in utero smoking exposure may interact with genes to increase the odds of ADHD.?? Problems with impulse control might also explain why more teens and adults with ADHD are more likely to engage in risky habits such as smoking. ADHD can make it more difficult to look clearly to the future and take into account the negative health consequences of current actions. Though we dont understand fully all the mechanisms responsible, both neurobiological and behavioral factors seem to contribute to these higher rates of smoking in teens and adults with ADHD. ?? Social influences such as being exposed to smoking by family members and peers also raise this risk for cigarette use. Nicotine and Self-Medication Nicotine is a known central nervous system stimulant and appears to act on the brain in a similar way as the psychostimulantsâ€"methylphenidate and dextroamphetamineâ€"that are most commonly used to treat ADHD. For some people, nicotine (the primary addictive substance in tobacco) in cigarettes may serve as a form of self-medication for ADHD symptoms. A number of studies have found that nicotine can improve attention.?? Nicotine exerts beneficial effects on a range of processes know to be disrupted in individuals with ADHD, including attention, inhibitory control, and working memory, writes Dr. Scott Kollins, associate professor of psychiatry and medical psychology at the Duke University School of Medicine and director of the Duke ADHD Program.?? As such, it has often been proposed that those with ADHD are at heightened risk for smoking because of the beneficial effects of nicotine across a range of cognitive processes. It is possible that nicotine may help some smokers with ADHD compensate for their low levels of attention, arousal, and concentration. Additional research is needed in this area to more fully understand the effect of nicotine on symptoms of ADHD and how this might increase the  risk of smoking in teens and adults with ADHD. Reducing Risk for Smoking We know that people with ADHD smoke at rates that are significantly higher than their non-ADHD peer group. It is also suspected that smoking for those with ADHD may be linked to self-medication for ADHD symptoms.?? Therefore, it is possible that identifying and treating ADHD earlier may prevent the onset of smoking altogether. Studies show promise that treatment for ADHD may indeed contribute to a reduced risk of smoking in teens with ADHD.?? In one report, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School conducted a two-year, prospective clinical trial of extended-release methylphenidate for smoking prevention in adolescents. They compared clinical trial subjects with ADHD receiving extended-release methylphenidate (Ritalin) with a sample of “naturalistic” adolescent ADHD subjects  â€" some of whom were receiving stimulants â€" as well as with adolescents who did not have ADHD. The smoking rate at the end of the study was significantly lower in ADHD subjects who were receiving stimulant treatment than it was in ADHD subjects who were not, and there was no significant difference between ADHD subjects receiving stimulant treatment and non-ADHD subjects.?? Although considered preliminary until replicated in future randomized clinical trials, the findings from this single-site, open-label study suggest that stimulant treatment may contribute to a decreased risk for smoking in adolescents with ADHD, said the researchers. If confirmed, this finding would have significant clinical and public health impacts. Future research is needed to help us better understand the link between ADHD and smoking so that more effective prevention and treatment strategies can be developed, particularly targeted prevention programs for youth with ADHD.

I Identify As A Heterosexual Woman, My Pronouns Are She

I identify as a heterosexual woman, my pronouns are she and her, I grew up with a clear understanding of my sexuality, and what I mean by that is I knew I was sexually attracted to men. After answering the heterosexual questionnaire, I realized how insulting it all is to be questioned about something extremely personal, honestly no one else’s business, as well as how insulting it all can be, for example, â€Å"What do you think caused your heterosexuality?† and â€Å"Is it possible your heterosexuality is just a phase you may grow out of?† (1972, Rochlin) I mean seriously? While I did feel some questions were just ridiculous, I did find some of the questions difficult to answer. I constantly think back to the reading from like the beginning of class†¦show more content†¦But now I am thinking maybe I never paid attention because it was heterosexual couples displaying affection, thinking back do I ever really see couples of different sexual orientations ex pressing themselves as well? The second question that stuck with me, because I think it is a very honest question, was question 17, â€Å"How can you enjoy an emotionally fulfilling experience with a person of the other sex when there are such vast differences between you? How can a man know what pleases a woman sexually or vice-versa?† (1972, Rochlin). This is definitely something to think about and I feel it is definitely intersectional, ones cultural (Race), as well as the gender one identifies with are also factors not just how one identities sexually. For example, when it comes to race the text discusses interracial marriage and how interracial couples may be more common in society, but marriage to someone of another race is conditional, â€Å"†¦couples that represent traditional gender and racial messages†¦tell us that interracial couples can be acceptable when†¦male authority is embraced, whiteness is retained, and American middle-class ideology is sustained.† (2016, Nemoto). Basically I can be with my boyfriend as long as he is white, (and remains so, not sure how being with me would change his race), as long as I remain feminine and do nothing to question his masculinity/manhood and of course give him a home with children by having sex with himShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Bonnie Norton s The Question Who Am I Essay1748 Words   |  7 PagesIn Bonnie Norton’s Fact and Fiction in Language Learning (2000), she writes, â€Å"The question ‘Who am I?’ cannot be understood apart from the question ‘What am I allowed to do?’ (pg. 8)†. While the chapter in which this question is found discusses the ways in which immigrant women cultivate their identity through their privileges - or lack there of - in society, this question can be applied to a multitude of minoritized groups and used to analyze the impact unequal power representations have on theRead MoreThe Other Biological Aspect Of My Identity880 Words   |  4 Pag esaspect of my identity is that I am a cisgendered female. What this means is that I identify with the sex I was assigned at birth. I am a female, because of my biology. Cisgender is dominant over transgender, and I feel like this put me at an advantage. People who are transgendered have to struggle with issues that I’ve never had to think about, like being born into the wrong sex. As a cisgender person, people always use to correct pronouns when addressing me. I’ve never had to think about my sex orRead MoreThe Sociological Phenomenon Of Transgenderism992 Words   |  4 Pagesacquired visibility. Time magazine has recently featured a woman named Lavern Cox on the cover along with the feature article titled The Transgendered Tipping Point. Which discusses the new civil rights frontier that Lavern Cox has played a huge part towards. She was on Time magazines 2015 list of 100 Most Influential People, as well as being the first transgendered person to be nominated for an Emmy award. In 2014 she was named Woman of the Year by Glamour magazine, and was included in PeopleRead MoreSex Marriage And Same Sex Parental Adoption1482 Words   |  6 Pagesof the government, in order for Wife B to have full custody privileges to the child, she must apply for a second parent adoption. This is necessary for Wife B not only to have rights over the child in the state of which both wives married, but should they travel, Wife B will maintain custody. If the couple went to another state and something happened to Wife A, the child could be taken away from Wife B if she never adopted the child. For this specific case study, the following will be examined:Read MoreLeft Hand Of Darkness By Ursula Le Guin2430 Words   |  10 PagesLeft Hand of Darkness, in which she subliminally addresses themes of gender and sexuality in a way that contradicted the mainstream’s unchangeable ideas towards gender and sexuality. She used her book to defy the gender, sexual and so ciopolitical binary in a time that was far less welcoming towards people who didn’t fit within the closet of normality. Even though her book is a science fiction novel about and alien planet and was first published in 1969 many ideas she touches on are completely relevantRead MoreGender Identity : Gender And Masculinity Essay1509 Words   |  7 Pagesboth biologically and socially defined. People are expected to conform to these traits depending on their biological sex. However, there are people who do not relate to either masculine or feminine traits, and do not feel that they are a â€Å"man† or a â€Å"woman†. This is when the topic of gender identity comes into the discussion. In the past decades, more research and on gender identity have been conducted. Gender identity is significant in how people are viewed and treated in society. Gender identityRead MoreThe Issue Of Trans People1900 Words   |  8 Pagesway that these drastic numbers can be lowered? Are we doing everything we can to help trans individuals? In discussions of Transgender Rights some view the issue as trans people deserve the rights given to any other human being, should be able to identify as a gender other than the one they were born with, and should be protected. â€Å"On average, a transgender person is murdered because of their identity every month... Transgender people are regularly evicted from their homes, fired from their jobs,Read MorePositive And Negative Aspects Of The Lgbt Community2526 Words   |  11 Pagesideas surrounding them. As a person explores their formative years they seek out groups with which they have something in common. They are drawn to the lifestyles with which they identify most. It is in this association that many traits and behaviors from these groups start be emulated. Taking this relatively simple concept, I will apply this to theatre and infer whether there are any positive or negative effects pertaining to gay themes found on stage. Further elaborating on the connection between formativeRead More A Unique Perspective of The Yellow Wallpaper2853 Words   |  12 Pages      Ã‚  Ã‚  My perspective of Gilman’s short story, The Yellow Wall-Paper is influenced by a great number of different and diverse methods of reading. However, one cannot overlook the feminist theorists’ on this story, for the story is often proclaimed to be a founding work of feminism. Further, the historical and biographical contexts the story was written in can be enlightened by mentioning Gilman’s relationship with S. Weir Mitchell. And I can’t help but read the story and think of Foucault’s conceptRead More Carol Ann Duffys Revision of Masculinist Representations of Female Identity3217 Words   |  13 Pagesoppressed group, as victims of male domination, and has tried to formulate ways of analysing power as it manifests itself and as it is resisted in the relations of everyday life. (p.78) It is these aspects of Duffys work that I wish to address here by examining the ways in which she subverts masculinist assumptions and discourses in the following ways: by giving voice to previously marginalised or silenced figures, by re-presenting stereotypes and power relations, through comic reappropriation of myth

Frederick Douglass And Mary Prince - 959 Words

Narratives by fugitive slaves before the Civil war are necessary to help our understanding of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries of American history and literature. These slave narratives acted as sources, telling of the experiences from the point of view of those who lived through slavery as slaves themselves. Written primarily in the 1840s and 1850s, slave narratives revealed the struggles that southern slaves faced such as poor living conditions, working conditions, and excessive punishment and abuse. Two former slaves that addressed these concerns in their narratives were Frederick Douglass and Mary Prince. In their narratives, they share the hardships faced as well as the effect they had on their physical and emotional well-beings. In his narrative, Frederick Douglass dedicates large parts of his narrative to explain the perception that a slave is made at birth. Such is the case when he talks about his mother. When Douglass was born, his master immediately separated him from his mother. The purpose of this was to take away the bond that would be made between mother and child. By doing this, it makes it seem natural that blacks were to be born into slavery. Douglass however finds this to be unnatural, explaining that slave owners mislead slaves into thinking they are not among men and are to be treated in a different manner. In â€Å"Chapter I† of his narrative, Douglass says of being separated from his mother, â€Å"Never having enjoyed, to any considerable extent, herShow MoreRelatedComparison Of Slavery InThe Classic Slave Narratives By Mary Prince And Frederick Douglass?1180 Words   |  5 Pagesthe story of Mary Prince and Frederick Douglas you see all the heart ache that these slaves had to go thr ough. There is similarity in which all slaves stories are the same but different in their own way. When learning about slavery we already know about all the bad things they went through but its all different when you actually hear it from their point of few. Which is really horrifying to learn the truth of what these slaves had to face. When it comes to Mary Prince and Frederick Douglas thereRead MoreThe Language Of Family Is A Universal Essay2019 Words   |  9 Pageslife and living conditions given to us by slaves show just how determined white slave owners were to make their constructed stereotypes realities, and expose justifications for slavery as just that- justifications. Former slaves like Frederick Douglass, Mary Prince, Venture Smith, James Mars, and William Grimes shared their stories not only to aid in the fight to end slavery, but all of the harmful stereotypes about people of African descent that had developed along with the institution of slaveryRead MoreJacobs Douglass: An Insight Into The Experience of The American Slave1019 Words   |  5 Pagesrapes. The slave narrative of Frederick Douglas and Harriet Jacobs: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl themes come from the existence of the slaves morality that they are forced compromise to live. Both narrators show slave narratives in the point of view of both men and women slaves that had to deal with physical, mental, and moral abuse during the times of slavery. (Lee 44) Violence was almost an everyday occupancy in the life of a slave, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs had to acceptRead More Essay on Literacy in African-American Literature2284 Words   |  10 PagesLife of Frederick Douglass, Song of Solomon, and Push      Ã‚  Ã‚   Through literacy will come emancipation. So runs a theme throughout the various selections we have read thus far. But emancipation comes in many forms, as does literacy. The various aspects of academic literacy are rather obvious in relation to emancipation, especially when one is confronted with exclusion from membership in the dominant culture. In the various slave narratives we have examined, all but one writer, Mary Prince, managedRead MoreLiterary Analysis: Slave Narratives Essay1188 Words   |  5 Pagesresilience and ingenuity. Frederick Douglass’s and Harriet Jacobs’s narratives both focused on self-made individuals who experienced upward mobility through their own efforts and hard work, therefore partaking in the positive redefining of African Americans. The writing methods of each differed in the style in which they presented their narratives where Douglass took on a sermonic style and Jacobs employed the â€Å"sentimental novel† (Alonzo 119) formula. While Douglass presented the sufferings ofRead MoreRacism and Slavery Essay example1811 Words   |  8 Pagesbody and the pleasure of having sex with them. In many cases the black women were forced to concede because if they didn’t obey, they ran the risk of being beat to death. Still many preferred to resist rape and take their chances. Mary Prince, a West Indian slave states: â€Å" He had an ugly fashion of stripping himself quite naked and ordering me then to wash him in a tub of water. This was worse to me than the licks.† 1 Also, the image of the female slave as aRead MoreEssay on Analysis of Aaron McGruder ´s The Boondocks2374 Words   |  10 PagesWhen studying the black diaspora within the United States, the story typically starts with the classic slave narratives including those of Frederick Douglass and Mary Price and ends with the affirmative action decisions of the late 1990s. History tells the story of an internal racial identity struggle through the institutions of slavery and oppression, resistance and rebellion, cultural reawakening and civil rights which evokes the question: what does it mean to be African American? Aaron McGruder’sRead MoreAmerican Spirit Volume I3787 Words   |  16 PagesPuritan Mistreatment of Quakers (1660) 47 * C. The Rule of Biblical Law 49 1. The Blue Laws of Connecticut (1672) 49 2. A Defense of Buying Indian Land (1722) 50 D. Indian-White Relations in Colonial New England: Three Views of King Philips War 50 1. Mary Rowlandson Is Captured by Indians (1675) 50 2. Plymouth Officials Justify the War (1675) 54 3. A Rhode Island Quaker Sympathizes with the Indians (1675) 56 E. Founding the Middle Colonies 58 1. The Misrule of Peter the Headstrong (1650) 58 2. Early

The Da Vinci Code Chapter 33-37 Free Essays

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

Wuthering Heights By Bronte; (798 words) Essay Example For Students

Wuthering Heights By Bronte; (798 words) Essay Wuthering Heights By BronteWuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is a novel full of passion, love and betrayal. It explores the love of two individuals and their influence on theirsurroundings. The story occurs in a small town. In this area are the two homesof Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. The vast contrasts between thesehouses symbolizes the people who reside their and how these individuals effectthe homes. Wuthering Heights is portrayed as a dark, dismal mausoleum. There arelong, narrow hallways with little light. In fact, when Isabella returns frombeing married, she has trouble finding her way across the house because it is sopoorly lit. There is a dark presence about Wuthering Heights. The residence isrun down and the walls are fading and peeling. Also it is a cold, drafty place. We will write a custom essay on Wuthering Heights By Bronte; (798 words) specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In fact, Linton always has fires going because it is always so chilly. WutheringHeights is a gloomy, oppressive place. On the other hand, Thrushcross Grange hasa light, joyful presence. At this home, love is bountiful and its occupants arehappy. It is the picture of a loving husband and wife with two beautifulchildren. The kids are seen playing with a dog, laughing, and having fun. Infact, when Catherine, the main character visits them, she stays for months. Theytreat her well, and she comes home refined and happy. Thrushcross Grangeprovides a feeling of a house redolent with joy. Just as the homes differgreatly, so do the homes inhabitants. Both of these houses symbolize theirmain occupants. Heathcliff, Hareton, and Linton all live at Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff is the dark, brooding character. He is mean, angry, and full ofrevenge. He viciously beats his own son and niece. Then Heathcliff forces themto marry each other, so that he can have control over Wuthering Heights andThrushcross Grange when his son dies. Heathcliff also marries Isabella, a womenhe hates. He does this to get revenge on her and her brother for havingcommented unfavorably about him. She is treated so atrociously that she runsaway while pregnant. Yet, Heathcliff does not care and does not bother goingafter her. These are only a few of the actions of Heathcliff, yet they show hiscruel nature and dark personality. Heathcliff also treats Hareton abdominallyand thus Hareton becomes a younger version of Heathcliff. Hareton, too, is meanand vengeful. He never says anything nice to anyone and shuts himself away fromothers. Linton is Heathcliffs son, and is a manipulative scoundrel. He useshis illness to coerce his cousin Cathy to visit him. Linton knows his fatherwill force Cathy to marry him, but afraid of a beating, he still asks Cathy tocome. Linton then allows Cathy to be held hostage in his home. He could obtainthe key to let her out, but he is too scared for himself to rescue his cousin. Apparent is the selfish and cruel characteristics of these individuals. There isno joy in their lives, but they are filled with bitter anger. These feelings aretransferred to Wuthering Heights and thus both the house and its occupants seemdismal and sinister. Residing at Thrushcross Grange are Edgar, Catherine, andCathy. They epitomize good people who are kind and not drawn to violence. Edgarnever raises his hand to anyone. He shows a sweet, gentle love to Catherine. Heworries about her and take cares of her when she is ill. Edgar never becomes madwhen she spends time with Heathcliff. He gives her anything she wants and isalways kind to her. Although Catherine is not perfect, she is basically a kindindividual. She cares about Edgar and never yells at him or harms him. Yet, itis really Catherines outer beauty that is representative of ThrushcrossGrange. Catherine is fair and beautiful. She appears angelic and thus thisbeauty is translated to her home. Cathy is a fine, young lady. She loves herfather and stays at his side constantly when he is ill. She even consents tomarry Linton, so she can see her father. Cathy is even kind to Linton who is awhining brat. Cathy is young, spirited, and happy. These same traits are foundat Thrushcross Grange. There is a impression of peace that is felt by all. .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add , .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add .postImageUrl , .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add , .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add:hover , .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add:visited , .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add:active { border:0!important; } .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add:active , .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u216100eb6377fe4da9673cd578e40add:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Discharging Student Loans Into Bankruptcy EssayAlthough it may seem that the homes control its occupants, it is actually theother way around. As the inhabitants change, so do the homes. In the end,Wuthering Heights becomes a happy, joyful place. It is surrounded by flowers andis a warm, safe haven. Much of this change is due to the people living there. Heathcliff is no longer present and his negative presence has disappeared. Hareton sheds his pessimistic demeanor and becomes a good person. Cathy alsocomes to reside at Wuthering Heights and adds here positive attributes. When theindividuals are pleased, the houses seem like a happy place. Yet, when thedwellers are mean and pessimistic, the homes seem dull and dreary. Thus it isobvious that the residences alter to fit its inhabitants.