Religion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Religion - Research Paper Example A shaman is an individual considered as having access to, and power in, the world of malevolent and benevolent spirits, who normally gets into a state of trance during a ritual and practices healing and divination (Kehoe 3). Rituals play a significant role in establishing and sustaining group solidarity. In totemic communities, each descent group has a plant, animal or geographical element through which they claim descent (Baldick 33). Totems are at the peak of ancestor of clans. Clan members cannot kill or devour their totem, except after one year when the clan members assembled for ceremonies in honor of the totem (Baldick 33). Totemism is a religion wherein elements of nature perform as sanctified templates for society through means of emblematic association. They express their religion by using nature as a model for society. Each and every descent cluster has a totem, which inhabits a particular niche in nature. Also, social differences echo the natural arrangement of the environment (Baldick 34). For instance, the Ahimsa of the Hindu doctrine of nonviolence (a religion that is well known to practice Totemism) forbids the murdering of animals. Finally, totems express their religions through intimate association of friendship and defense between an individual and a natural object or a specific animal (at times, between an individual and different species of animals); the natural object can offer unique power to its holder (Baldick 34). Shamanism is comprehended by some individuals to be a prehistoric form of religio-magic or religion practiced by the aboriginals of the northern part of Asia and by all other aboriginals in other areas of the globe (Kehoe 56). This view is held by Kharuzin, Mikhailowski, as well as other Russian scholars (Kehoe 56). Others argue that Shamanism was merely one form of religious expression of the cult of the northern part of

Brrokstone’s business Essay Example for Free

Brrokstone’s business Essay Brookstone is a nationwide specialty retailer that sells a variety of consumer products with distinctive function, excellent quality and design, which are not available in other retailers. The company develops strong positioning as a specialty retailer selling the â€Å"hard-to-find tools† in Popular Mechanics Magazine in 1965. The main concerns of Brookstone is to provide customers with the quality of products and quality of services, which served by the quality of people. The company first catalog is printed in black-and-white in the 24 pages that present the detailed and no-nonsense information regarding the product features, materials, measurements, capabilities, and any other useful information to guide customers in buying the suitable products for them (Brookstone, 2009). The successful catalog-type company has encouraged Brookstone to open their first retail store in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Right now, the company is headquartered in Merrimack, New Hampshire, which backed up by vast distribution center and customer service department that handle mail and telephone orders that located in Mexico, Missouri (Brookstone, 2009). The company also has over 305 retail stores within the United States and Puerto Rico. Mostly, the retail stores are located in leading shopping malls, the nation’s busiest airport, and lifestyle center. In order to cope with the demands, the company, on average, opens 10 to 15 new stores each year (Brookstone, 2009). As a catalog company, Brookstone employ a multifaceted Direct-Marketing approach by using two catalogs and Internet operation (www. brookstone. com) to help boosting the orders. The two catalogs are Brookstone catalog and the Hard-to-Find Tools catalog. The Brookstone catalog presents the branded products that available at stores and merchandise from key vendors of Brookstone. Meanwhile, the Hard to Find Tools catalog features customers with high-quality and unique solutions for the home. In addition, the corporate website (www. brookstone. com) acts as the combine catalogs that features all offering that placed in the two printed catalogs. Figure 1 shows the current offering in the corporate website. Figure 1 Brookstone corporate website Source: www. brookstone. com 1. Market Attractiveness Assessment 1. 1. Environment Overview Qatar is actually the country who has the highest per-capita income in 2007. This however, was effect of its overwhelming petroleum resources. Its high level of income nevertheless, has been influencing other aspects of people’s lives also. In this chapter, I will display short elaboration on several aspects of Qatar’s environment. 1. 1. 1. Political Environment Qatar is a politically active nation. The country is home to many Islamic activist and pro-Islamic views. Country officials however, refused to the confirmed of any connections with terrorist groups. Nevertheless, the country maintained very good relationship with the US government. The country is home to the largest US airbase in Middle East, outside of Iraq and it also support a US Naval base. The country has a large magnitude of gas projects, converging with Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch/Shell. These businesses significantly enhanced Qatar’s importance to the vital Western Political interests and also economic interests. Many have said that Qatar’s ‘balancing’ political and economic programs are actually quite difficult to understand. However, analysts have also understood that this willingness to court both sides aggressively has given the country such a high political and economic profile compared to other nations in the Middle East. Despite the bomb attack that happened in 2005, Qatar’s political atmosphere is actually conducive for business. It is revealed that there are no ruling families holding control of the political activities, even though conservative elements of the society are still unease with recent foreign policy changes which have brought thousands of foreigners into the country. We should hold in our understanding however, that Qatar is still a\reforming country. One of the good signs of positive developments is that the ruler of the country has been actively encouraging education and open political debates as key elements of his reform strategy. The latest banking environment also reveals that the country in overall, enjoy stable political conditions.

Water Filtration And Purification And Its Effects Environmental Sciences Essay

Water Filtration And Purification And Its Effects Environmental Sciences Essay Filtering and Purifying water, before you drink it, has now become a crucial part of living in a rapidly growing, economically expanding world. In todays society water is reused over and over again. Not only to recycle but to produce enough to sustain people in their everyday lives. The process of filtration makes our water clean by removing visible and non-visible particles. The process of purification makes the water safe and clean to drink. Taking these processes seriously can keep you and the people around you safe and free of harmful substances found in water. A ten step quality process of filtering spring water begins by: Selecting a source and monitoring the water you chose (Arrowhead 7). Some drinking water such as Arrowhead source is a natural spring source (Arrowhead 7). The selection of springs is based on the natural composition, lack of bacteria, availability, and taste (Arrowhead 7). Especially trained geologists and hydrologists monitor the springs on a regular schedule at the place of the source. (Arrowhead 7). Sourcing the water receiving and monitoring the source (Arrowhead 7). Receiving the source water can be as much of a challenge and discovering the source. By following simple steps the water we buy and drink gets to the site in order to begin the filtration process. Spring water is transported by food-grade pipelines, or often by clean stainless steel tanker trucks. Which eventually go directly to the water filter plants (Arrowhead 7). Filters called One-micron filters remove sand and/or other particles that are partially visible or present in the water(Arrowhead 7). The Storage of water (Arrowhead 7) This temporary state of storing the water is done in food-grade storage tanks (Arrowhead8). The water in the tanks is tested (Arrowhead 8). Micro-Filtering the spring water (Arrowhead 8). Two-stage, micro-filters, filter the raw spring water collected from the source (Arrowhead 8). These filters are created to filter out particles and tiny as 0.2 micron in diameter (Arrowhead 8). The Ultraviolent light and Ozone disinfection stage (Arrowhead 8). The Ultraviolent process removes non-visible bacteria (Arrowhead 8). The Micro-filtration is like a second step that adds to the removal of bacteria (Arrowhead 8). Another filtration system called the HydRO-7 process is used by Aquafina Inc. Unlike companies that use spring water Aquafina reuses public water. Here are the 7 simple steps enabling a public water source to be safe and clean to drink. Step One: Removes particles with Pre-filtration. Step Two: Seizes even smaller particles. Step Three: Removes organic matter by UV. Step Four: Removes solid minerals by using reverse osmosis. Step Five: Sets apart trace elements by using an Activated Carbon Filter. Step Six: Makes the water very clear by using a Polishing Filter. Step Seven: the final purification stage is done in an Ozonized Water Tank and the Ozone Generator. (I received all of the information in the past paragraph from (http://www.aquafina.com/) Other water products similar to Arrowhead and Aquafina all have to follow the required statement under California law. These laws determine what waters are safe and what departments are allowed to develop and sell bottled water. Water in California is produced and used from sources such as; lakes, rivers, streams, reservoirs, ponds, wells, and springs. Often water that has traveled through the earth picks up natural elements, and substances that are found due to human and animals natural activities such as pollution (Arrowhead 23). Benefits following the filtration and purification process done by companies such as Suburban Water Systems include; the removal of dangerous elements such as Arsenic, Barium, Cadmium, Chromium, Fluoride, Lead, Mercury, Nitrates, and Radium. These elements are removed by an advance process of reverse osmosis. Other assets include; improvement in taste, bathing water, laundry, dishwashing, cleansing water, and maintenance as well (www.subwater.com). Filtering and purifying your water is a basic survival skill too. One basic rule of wilderness survival is; filter + purify = safe to drink. So if you are ever caught in a situation of survival remember this rule. (Bryan 1) The Earth has a system that has been around since the beginning of time, we know it as the Water Cycle. All of the earths features (including us) depend on the Water Cycle. It explains why the earth never runs out of water and only changes state or form (Usborne 51). But society today has damaged this system by polluting the land, sea, and air. Causing much of the pure water to be used and polluted. We use so many chemicals and man-made systems to make the water safe to drink. It makes you wonder whether or not this water is truly safe to be used (Usborne 51). Different types of water found in the U.S. include; Bottled water which refers to any type of water being contained in a sealed container primarily for domestic use by humans. Vended Water, meaning that it has not undergone the same advanced treatment as bottled water and is dispensed through a public water facility. Both are the two forms of clean water available in California. Each is protected under the CDPH or California Department of Public Health (www.cdph.ca.gov). When survival skills are needed finding water can be a challenge. Dehydration is a common result of lack of healthy water, leading most of the time to serious medical conditions. Make sure to note that if you are ever caught in a challenging situation in search of water that you check your source and make sure it is safe and clean to drink. Contaminated water is sometimes easily noticed if you look for obvious signs; turbidity (cloudiness of water), pesticides, fertilizers (from agricultural land nearby), and a more noticed pest called Giardia Lambia. When looking for water along a trail or when camping use your map. Most maps show any sources of water these maps are called Topo maps (Wilderness-suvival-skills.com). Water is a basic part of living. Making sure your water is clean is the first step in staying healthy. Since majority of our water is recycled we should make sure we know what types are best. Purifying water is just as necessary as filtering it, if not even more important. Purifying water is done in order to clean the water of non-visible elements. In doing this you make the water clear and able to be digested safely into our bodies. Purifying is done in water plants as mentioned before. But if you find yourself in a situation in need of water you must filter and purify it yourself. When or if this problem ever arises you must filter your water using available items and then boil the water. This makes the water somewhat clean and safe to drink. Thanks to advancements in our ways of cleaning our water, we now have clean safe water for our use at the turn of a nob. When using water we should make sure we use it wisely and are cautious to the harmful pollution in water outside. So when outdoors drink out of a water bottle and dont drink out of the stream†¦ But if found without a clean water at hand remember filter + purify=safe to drink!

Should We All Move To Moorsetown? :: essays research papers

Should We All Move To Moorsetown?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why do people choose to live where they do? With a country as big and diverse as the United States is it possible that most people can agree on the best place to live? Money Magazine and CNN/Money (2005) just published their Best Places to Live 2005 study. According to Money, Moorsetown, New Jersey is the best place to live in the whole country. Money says Moorestown has, â€Å"a Main Street made for the cover of the Saturday Evening Post†. Moorestown also has, â€Å"Top schools†, â€Å"Good Jobs† and â€Å"Nice homes at reasonable prices†. Moorestown sounds like a great place to live but, would everyone put it at the top of there list?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Money started their survey with 40,000 places (not necessarily official cities or towns) across the United States. Money based their survey on data collected from the US Census Board, the Bureau of Labor, the IRS, and other sources. Money only considered places with more than 14,000 people, above-median household income, and population growth and real estate appreciation over the past 5 years. These filters narrowed their list to 1,231 places. Money then rated each place based on criteria in eight areas. These areas were: affordable housing; plentiful leisure activities; plentiful cultural options; low pollution; low crime rate; low auto insurance; short commute time; and access to quality health care. The Money study also focused on areas considered most important for people raising families. Money gave economic, education, and safety factors twice the weight they gave to other social and leisure factors. Finally, Money visited the top places and interviewed resi dents to make the final ranking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The issue of the â€Å"best place to live† caught my attention because the town where I live, Tolland, Connecticut, was ranked 29th on the Money Magazine list. The town proudly displays this recognition on their Home Page. Tolland is 29th in the Top 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S. (Town of Tolland, n.d.).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The local weekly newspaper (Ciparelli, 2005) wrote a front page story about the honor of Tolland being 29th on the list. Tolland is a small town in north-eastern Connecticut about 25 miles from Hartford, 75 miles from Boston, and 120 miles from New York City. Tolland has a population of about 15,000 people spread over 40 square miles. Why did Tolland make the list? According to Ciparelli, Tolland scored well in several key criteria used by Money Magazine.

The Da Vinci Code Chapter 7-9

CHAPTER 7 The modest dwelling within the Church of Saint-Sulpice was located on the second floor of the church itself, to the left of the choir balcony. A two-room suite with a stone floor and minimal furnishings, it had been home to Sister Sandrine Bieil for over a decade. The nearby convent washer formal residence, if anyone asked, but she preferred the quiet of the church and had made herself quite comfortable upstairs with a bed, phone, and hot plate. As the church's conservatrice d'affaires, Sister Sandrine was responsible for overseeing all nonreligious aspects of church operations – general maintenance, hiring support staff and guides, securing the building after hours, and ordering supplies like communion wine and wafers. Tonight, asleep in her small bed, she awoke to the shrill of her telephone. Tiredly, she lifted the receiver. â€Å"Soeur Sandrine. Eglise Saint-Sulpice.† â€Å"Hello, Sister,† the man said in French. Sister Sandrine sat up. What time is it? Although she recognized her boss's voice, in fifteen years she had never been awoken by him. The abbe was a deeply pious man who went home to bed immediately after mass. â€Å"I apologize if I have awoken you, Sister,† the abbe said, his own voice sounding groggy and on edge. â€Å"I have a favor to ask of you. I just received a call from an influential American bishop. Perhaps you know him? Manuel Aringarosa?† â€Å"The head of Opus Dei?† Of course I know of him.Who in the Church doesn't? Aringarosa's conservative prelature had grown powerful in recent years. Their ascension to grace was jump-started in 1982 when Pope John Paul II unexpectedly elevated them to a† personal prelature of the Pope,† officially sanctioning all of their practices. Suspiciously, Opus Dei's elevation occurred the same year the wealthy sect allegedly had transferred almost one billion dollars into the Vatican's Institute for Religious Works – commonly known as the Vatican Bank – bailing it out of an embarrassing bankruptcy. In a second maneuver that raised eyebrows, the Pope placed the founder of Opus Dei on the† fast track† for sainthood, accelerating an often century-long waiting period for canonization to a mere twenty years. Sister Sandrine could not help but feel that Opus Dei's good standing in Rome was suspect, but one did not argue with the Holy See. â€Å"Bishop Aringarosa called to ask me a favor,† the abbe told her, his voice nervous. â€Å"One of his numeraries is in Paris tonight†¦Ã¢â‚¬  As Sister Sandrine listened to the odd request, she felt a deepening confusion. â€Å"I'm sorry, you say this visiting Opus Dei numerary cannot wait until morning?† â€Å"I'm afraid not. His plane leaves very early. He has always dreamed of seeing Saint-Sulpice.† â€Å"But the church is far more interesting by day. The sun's rays through the oculus, the graduated shadows on the gnomon, this is what makes Saint-Sulpice unique.† â€Å"Sister, I agree, and yet I would consider it a personal favor if you could let him in tonight. He can be there at†¦ say one o'clock? That's in twenty minutes.† Sister Sandrine frowned. â€Å"Of course. It would be my pleasure.† The abbe thanked her and hung up. Puzzled, Sister Sandrine remained a moment in the warmth of her bed, trying to shake off the cobwebs of sleep. Her sixty-year-old body did not awake as fast as it used to, although tonight's phone call had certainly roused her senses. Opus Dei had always made her uneasy. Beyond the prelature's adherence to the arcane ritual of corporal mortification, their views on women were medieval at best. She had been shocked to learn that female numeraries were forced to clean the men's residence halls for no pay while the men were at mass; women slept on hardwood floors, while the men had straw mats; and women were forced to endure additional requirements of corporal mortification†¦ all as added penance for original sin. It seemed Eve's bite from the apple of knowledge was a debt women were doomed to pay for eternity. Sadly, while most of the Catholic Church was gradually moving in the right direction with respect to women's rights, Opus Dei threatened to reverse the progress. Even so, Sister Sandrine had her orders. Swinging her legs off the bed, she stood slowly, chilled by the cold stone on the soles of her bare feet. As the chill rose through her flesh, she felt an unexpected apprehension. Women's intuition? A follower of God, Sister Sandrine had learned to find peace in the calming voices of her own soul. Tonight, however, those voices were as silent as the empty church around her. CHAPTER 8 Langdon couldn't tear his eyes from the glowing purple text scrawled across the parquet floor. Jacques Sauniere's final communication seemed as unlikely a departing message as any Langdon could imagine. The message read: 13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5 O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint! Although Langdon had not the slightest idea what it meant, he did understand Fache's instinct that the pentacle had something to do with devil worship. O, Draconian devil! Sauniere had left a literal reference to the devil. Equally as bizarre was the series of numbers. â€Å"Part of it looks like a numeric cipher.† â€Å"Yes,† Fache said. â€Å"Our cryptographers are already working on it. We believe these numbers maybe the key to who killed him. Maybe a telephone exchange or some kind of social identification. Do the numbers have any symbolic meaning to you?† Langdon looked again at the digits, sensing it would take him hours to extract any symbolic meaning. If Sauniere had even intended any.To Langdon, the numbers looked totally random. He was accustomed to symbolic progressions that made some semblance of sense, but everything here – the pentacle, the text, the numbers – seemed disparate at the most fundamental level. â€Å"You alleged earlier,† Fache said,† that Sauniere's actions here were all in an effort to send some sort of message†¦ goddess worship or something in that vein? How does this message fit in?† Langdon knew the question was rhetorical. This bizarre communique obviously did not fit Langdon's scenario of goddess worship at all. O, Draconian devil? Oh, lame saint? Fache said, â€Å"This text appears to be an accusation of some sort. Wouldn't you agree?† Langdon tried to imagine the curator's final minutes trapped alone in the Grand Gallery, knowing he was about to die. It seemed logical. â€Å"An accusation against his murderer makes sense, I suppose.† â€Å"My job, of course, is to put a name to that person. Let me ask you this, Mr. Langdon. To your eye, beyond the numbers, what about this message is most strange?† Most strange? A dying man had barricaded himself in the gallery, drawn a pentacle on himself, and scrawled a mysterious accusation on the floor. What about the scenario wasn't strange? â€Å"The word ‘Draconian'?† he ventured, offering the first thing that came to mind. Langdon was fairly certain that a reference to Draco – the ruthless seventh-century B. C. politician – was an unlikely dying thought. † ‘Draconian devil' seems an odd choice of vocabulary.† â€Å"Draconian?† Fache's tone came with a tinge of impatience now. â€Å"Sauniere's choice of vocabulary hardly seems the primary issue here.† Langdon wasn't sure what issue Fache had in mind, but he was starting to suspect that Draco and Fache would have gotten along well. â€Å"Sauniere was a Frenchman,† Fache said flatly. â€Å"He lived in Paris. And yet he chose to write this message†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"In English,† Langdon said, now realizing the captain's meaning. Fache nodded. â€Å"Precisement.Any idea why?† Langdon knew Sauniere spoke impeccable English, and yet the reason he had chosen English as the language in which to write his final words escaped Langdon. He shrugged. Fache motioned back to the pentacle on Sauniere's abdomen. â€Å"Nothing to do with devil worship? Are you still certain?† Langdon was certain of nothing anymore. â€Å"The symbology and text don't seem to coincide. I'm sorry I can't be of more help.† â€Å"Perhaps this will clarify.† Fache backed away from the body and raised the black light again, letting the beam spread out in a wider angle. â€Å"And now?† To Langdon's amazement, a rudimentary circle glowed around the curator's body. Sauniere had apparently lay down and swung the pen around himself in several long arcs, essentially inscribing himself inside a circle. In a flash, the meaning became clear. â€Å"The Vitruvian Man,†Langdon gasped. Sauniere had created a life-sized replica of Leonardo Da Vinci's most famous sketch. Considered the most anatomically correct drawing of its day, Da Vinci's The Vitruvian Man had become a modern-day icon of culture, appearing on posters, mouse pads, and T-shirts around the world. The celebrated sketch consisted of a perfect circle in which was inscribed a nude male†¦ his arms and legs outstretched in a naked spread eagle. Da Vinci.Langdon felt a shiver of amazement. The clarity of Sauniere's intentions could not be denied. In his final moments of life, the curator had stripped off his clothing and arranged his body in a clear image of Leonardo Da Vinci's VitruvianMan. The circle had been the missing critical element. A feminine symbol of protection, the circle around the naked man's body completed Da Vinci's intended message – male and female harmony. The question now, though, was why Sauniere would imitate a famous drawing. â€Å"Mr. Langdon,† Fache said,† certainly a man like yourself is aware that Leonardo Da Vinci had a tendency toward the darker arts.† Langdon was surprised by Fache's knowledge of Da Vinci, and it certainly went a long way toward explaining the captain's suspicions about devil worship. Da Vinci had always been an awkward subject for historians, especially in the Christian tradition. Despite the visionary's genius, he was a flamboyant homosexual and worshipper of Nature's divine order, both of which placed him in a perpetual state of sin against God. Moreover, the artist's eerie eccentricities projected an admittedly demonic aura: Da Vinci exhumed corpses to study human anatomy; he kept mysterious journals in illegible reverse handwriting; he believed he possessed the alchemic power to turn lead into gold and even cheat God by creating an elixir to postpone death; and his inventions included horrific, never-before-imagined weapons of war and torture. Misunderstanding breeds distrust, Langdon thought. Even Da Vinci's enormous output of breathtaking Christian art only furthered the artist's reputation for spiritual hypocrisy. Accepting hundreds of lucrative Vatican commissions, Da Vinci painted Christian themes not as an expression of his own beliefs but rather as a commercial venture – a means of funding a lavish lifestyle. Unfortunately, Da Vinci was a prankster who often amused himself by quietly gnawing at the hand that fed him. He incorporated in many of his Christian paintings hidden symbolism that was anything but Christian – tributes to his own beliefs and a subtle thumbing of his nose at the Church. Langdon had even given a lecture once at the National Gallery in London entitled:† The Secret Life of Leonardo: Pagan Symbolism in Christian Art.† â€Å"I understand your concerns,† Langdon now said, â€Å"but Da Vinci never really practiced any dark arts. He was an exceptionally spiritual man, albeit one in constant conflict with the Church.† As Langdon said this, an odd thought popped into his mind. He glanced down at the message on the floor again. O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint! â€Å"Yes?† Fache said. Langdon weighed his words carefully. â€Å"I was just thinking that Sauniere shared a lot of spiritual ideologies with Da Vinci, including a concern over the Church's elimination of the sacred feminine from modern religion. Maybe, by imitating a famous Da Vinci drawing, Sauniere was simply echoing some of their shared frustrations with the modern Church's demonization of the goddess.† Fache's eyes hardened. â€Å"You think Sauniere is calling the Church a lame saint and a Draconian devil?† Langdon had to admit it seemed far-fetched, and yet the pentacle seemed to endorse the idea on some level. â€Å"All I am saying is that Mr. Sauniere dedicated his life to studying the history of the goddess, and nothing has done more to erase that history than the Catholic Church. It seems reasonable that Sauniere might have chosen to express his disappointment in his final good-bye.† â€Å"Disappointment?† Fache demanded, sounding hostile now. â€Å"This message sounds more enragedthan disappointed, wouldn't you say?† Langdon was reaching the end of his patience. â€Å"Captain, you asked for my instincts as to what Sauniere is trying to say here, and that's what I'm giving you.† â€Å"That this is an indictment of the Church?† Fache's jaw tightened as he spoke through clenched teeth. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, I have seen a lot of death in my work, and let me tell you something. When a man is murdered by another man, I do not believe his final thoughts are to write an obscure spiritual statement that no one will understand. I believe he is thinking of one thing only.† Fache's whispery voice sliced the air. â€Å"La vengeance.I believe Sauniere wrote this note to tell us who killed him.† Langdon stared. â€Å"But that makes no sense whatsoever.† â€Å"No?† â€Å"No,† he fired back, tired and frustrated. â€Å"You told me Sauniere was attacked in his office by someone he had apparently invited in.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"So it seems reasonable to conclude that the curator knew his attacker.† Fache nodded. â€Å"Go on.† â€Å"So if Sauniere knew the person who killed him, what kind of indictment is this?† He pointed at the floor. â€Å"Numeric codes? Lame saints? Draconian devils? Pentacles on his stomach? It's all too cryptic.† Fache frowned as if the idea had never occurred to him. â€Å"You have a point.† â€Å"Considering the circumstances,† Langdon said,† I would assume that if Sauniere wanted to tell you who killed him, he would have written down somebody's name.† As Langdon spoke those words, a smug smile crossed Fache's lips for the first time all night. â€Å"Precisement,†Fache said. â€Å"Precisement.† I am witnessing the work of a master, mused Lieutenant Collet as he tweaked his audio gear and listened to Fache's voice coming through the headphones. The agent superieur knew it was moments like these that had lifted the captain to the pinnacle of French law enforcement. Fache will do what no one else dares. The delicate art of cajoler was a lost skill in modern law enforcement, one that required exceptional poise under pressure. Few men possessed the necessary sangfroid for this kind of operation, but Fache seemed born for it. His restraint and patience bordered on the robotic. Fache's sole emotion this evening seemed to be one of intense resolve, as if this arrest were somehow personal to him. Fache's briefing of his agents an hour ago had been unusually succinct and assured. I know who murdered Jacques Sauniere, Fache had said. You know what to do.No mistakes tonight. And so far, no mistakes had been made. Collet was not yet privy to the evidence that had cemented Fache's certainty of their suspect's guilt, but he knew better than to question the instincts of the Bull. Fache's intuition seemed almost supernatural at times. God whispers in his ear, one agent had insisted after a particularly impressive display of Fache's sixth sense. Collet had to admit, if there was a God, Bezu Fache would be on His A-list. The captain attended mass and confession with zealous regularity – far more than the requisite holiday attendance fulfilled by other officials in the name of good public relations. When the Pope visited Paris a few years back, Fache had used all his muscle to obtain the honor of an audience. A photo of Fache with the Pope now hung in his office. The Papal Bull, the agents secretly called it. Collet found it ironic that one of Fache's rare popular public stances in recent years had been his outspoken reaction to the Catholic pedophilia scandal. These priests should be hanged twice! Fache had declared. Once for their crimes against children.And once for shaming the good name of theCatholic Church.Collet had the odd sense it was the latter that angered Fache more. Turning now to his laptop computer, Collet attended to the other half of his responsibilities here tonight – the GPS tracking system. The image onscreen revealed a detailed floor plan of the Denon Wing, a structural schematic uploaded from the Louvre Security Office. Letting his eyes trace the maze of galleries and hallways, Collet found what he was looking for. Deep in the heart of the Grand Gallery blinked a tiny red dot. La marque. Fache was keeping his prey on a very tight leash tonight. Wisely so. Robert Langdon had proven himself one cool customer. CHAPTER 9 To ensure his conversation with Mr. Langdon would not be interrupted, Bezu Fache had turned off his cellular phone. Unfortunately, it was an expensive model equipped with a two-way radio feature, which, contrary to his orders, was now being used by one of his agents to page him. â€Å"Capitaine?† The phone crackled like a walkie-talkie. Fache felt his teeth clench in rage. He could imagine nothing important enough that Collet would interrupt this surveillance cachee – especially at this critical juncture. He gave Langdon a calm look of apology. â€Å"One moment please.† He pulled the phone from his belt and pressed the radio transmission button. â€Å"Oui?† â€Å"Capitaine, un agent du Departement de Cryptographie est arrive.† Fache's anger stalled momentarily. A cryptographer? Despite the lousy timing, this was probably good news. Fache, after finding Sauniere's cryptic text on the floor, had uploaded photographs of the entire crime scene to the Cryptography Department in hopes someone there could tell him what the hell Sauniere was trying to say. If a code breaker had now arrived, it most likely meant someone had decrypted Sauniere's message. â€Å"I'm busy at the moment,† Fache radioed back, leaving no doubt in his tone that a line had been crossed. â€Å"Ask the cryptographer to wait at the command post. I'll speak to him when I'm done.† â€Å"Her,†the voice corrected. â€Å"It's Agent Neveu.† Fache was becoming less amused with this call every passing moment. Sophie Neveu was one of DCPJ's biggest mistakes. A young Parisian dechiffreuse who had studied cryptography in England at the Royal Holloway, Sophie Neveu had been foisted on Fache two years ago as part of the ministry's attempt to incorporate more women into the police force. The ministry's ongoing foray into political correctness, Fache argued, was weakening the department. Women not only lacked the physicality necessary for police work, but their mere presence posed a dangerous distraction to the men in the field. As Fache had feared, Sophie Neveu was proving far more distracting than most. At thirty-two years old, she had a dogged determination that bordered on obstinate. Her eager espousal of Britain's new cryptologic methodology continually exasperated the veteran French cryptographers above her. And by far the most troubling to Fache was the inescapable universal truth that in an office of middle-aged men, an attractive young woman always drew eyes away from the work at hand. The man on the radio said,† Agent Neveu insisted on speaking to you immediately, Captain. I tried to stop her, but she's on her way into the gallery.† Fache recoiled in disbelief. â€Å"Unacceptable! I made it very clear – â€Å" For a moment, Robert Langdon thought Bezu Fache was suffering a stroke. The captain was mid- sentence when his jaw stopped moving and his eyes bulged. His blistering gaze seemed fixated on something over Langdon's shoulder. Before Langdon could turn to see what it was, he heard a woman's voice chime out behind him. â€Å"Excusez-moi, messieurs.† Langdon turned to see a young woman approaching. She was moving down the corridor toward them with long, fluid strides†¦ a haunting certainty to her gait. Dressed casually in a knee-length, cream-colored Irish sweater over black leggings, she was attractive and looked to be about thirty. Her thick burgundy hair fell unstyled to her shoulders, framing the warmth of her face. Unlike the waifish, cookie-cutter blondes that adorned Harvard dorm room walls, this woman was healthy with an unembellished beauty and genuineness that radiated a striking personal confidence. To Langdon's surprise, the woman walked directly up to him and extended a polite hand.† Monsieur Langdon, I am Agent Neveu from DCPJ's Cryptology Department.† Her words curved richly around her muted Anglo-Franco accent. â€Å"It is a pleasure to meet you.† Langdon took her soft palm in his and felt himself momentarily fixed in her strong gaze. Her eyes were olive-green – incisive and clear. Fache drew a seething inhalation, clearly preparing to launch into a reprimand. â€Å"Captain,† she said, turning quickly and beating him to the punch, â€Å"please excuse the interruption, but – â€Å" â€Å"Ce n'est pas le moment!† Fache sputtered. â€Å"I tried to phone you.† Sophie continued in English, as if out of courtesy to Langdon. â€Å"But your cell phone was turned off.† â€Å"I turned it off for a reason,† Fache hissed. â€Å"I am speaking to Mr. Langdon.† â€Å"I've deciphered the numeric code,† she said flatly. Langdon felt a pulse of excitement. She broke the code? Fache looked uncertain how to respond. â€Å"Before I explain,† Sophie said,† I have an urgent message for Mr. Langdon.† Fache's expression turned to one of deepening concern. â€Å"For Mr. Langdon?† She nodded, turning back to Langdon. â€Å"You need to contact the U. S. Embassy, Mr. Langdon. They have a message for you from the States.† Langdon reacted with surprise, his excitement over the code giving way to a sudden ripple of concern. A message from the States? He tried to imagine who could be trying to reach him. Only a few of his colleagues knew he was in Paris. Fache's broad jaw had tightened with the news. â€Å"The U. S. Embassy?† he demanded, sounding suspicious. â€Å"How would they know to find Mr. Langdon here?† Sophie shrugged. â€Å"Apparently they called Mr. Langdon's hotel, and the concierge told them Mr. Langdon had been collected by a DCPJ agent.† Fache looked troubled. â€Å"And the embassy contacted DCPJ Cryptography?† â€Å"No, sir,† Sophie said, her voice firm. â€Å"When I called the DCPJ switchboard in an attempt to contact you, they had a message waiting for Mr. Langdon and asked me to pass it along if I got through to you.† Fache's brow furrowed in apparent confusion. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sophie had already turned back to Langdon. â€Å"Mr. Langdon,† she declared, pulling a small slip of paper from her pocket,† this is the number for your embassy's messaging service. They asked that you phone in as soon as possible.† She handed him the paper with an intent gaze. â€Å"While I explain the code to Captain Fache, you need to make this call.† Langdon studied the slip. It had a Paris phone number and extension on it. â€Å"Thank you,† he said, feeling worried now. â€Å"Where do I find a phone?† Sophie began to pull a cell phone from her sweater pocket, but Fache waved her off. He now looked like Mount Vesuvius about to erupt. Without taking his eyes off Sophie, he produced his own cell phone and held it out. â€Å"This line is secure, Mr. Langdon. You may use it.† Langdon felt mystified by Fache's anger with the young woman. Feeling uneasy, he accepted the captain's phone. Fache immediately marched Sophie several steps away and began chastising her in hushed tones. Disliking the captain more and more, Langdon turned away from the odd confrontation and switched on the cell phone. Checking the slip of paper Sophie had given him, Langdon dialed the number. The line began to ring. One ring†¦ two rings†¦ three rings†¦ Finally the call connected. Langdon expected to hear an embassy operator, but he found himself instead listening to an answering machine. Oddly, the voice on the tape was familiar. It was that of Sophie Neveu. â€Å"Bonjour, vous etes bien chez Sophie Neveu,† the woman's voice said. â€Å"Je suis absenle pour le moment, mais†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Confused, Langdon turned back toward Sophie. â€Å"I'm sorry, Ms. Neveu? I think you may have given me – â€Å" â€Å"No, that's the right number,† Sophie interjected quickly, as if anticipating Langdon's confusion.† The embassy has an automated message system. You have to dial an access code to pick up your messages.† Langdon stared. â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"It's the three-digit code on the paper I gave you.† Langdon opened his mouth to explain the bizarre error, but Sophie flashed him a silencing glare that lasted only an instant. Her green eyes sent a crystal-clear message. Don't ask questions. Just do it. Bewildered, Langdon punched in the extension on the slip of paper: 454. Sophie's outgoing message immediately cut off, and Langdon heard an electronic voice announce in French: â€Å"You have one new message.† Apparently, 454 was Sophie's remote access code for picking up her messages while away from home. I'm picking up this woman's messages? Langdon could hear the tape rewinding now. Finally, it stopped, and the machine engaged. Langdon listened as the message began to play. Again, the voice on the line was Sophie's. â€Å"Mr. Langdon,† the message began in a fearful whisper. â€Å"Do not react to this message. Just listen calmly. You are in danger right now. Follow my directions very closely.†

Indigenous Empowerment essays

Indigenous Empowerment essays REPORT - WORKING WITH AND EMPOWERING INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES The power point attached to this report on Indigenous service provision in Kalgoorlie (Goldfields), demonstrates that a plethora of knowledge can be obtained prior to engaging with any community by looking beneath the surface. A practitioner must make an effort to fully understand the historical issues, contemporary challenges and dilemmas of the Indigenous community first. They must appreciate that Indigenous languages, cultures, history, political influences vary in some contexts significantly. This report is detailed in four sections that I advocate should be considered as a practitioner in building relationships with Indigenous communities, these are: I hold the view that practitioners must become empowered by drilling down to the central issues and evaluating any previous work that could be used as best practice. Utilizing best practice can save both time and money and assist improvement in practice, as well as considering future projects. This can be conceptualized by: A best practice is a proven method, technique, or process for achieving a specific outcome under a specific circumstance in an effective way, a concept based on lessons learned by one group, which can be passed on to another group that is facing a similar set of circumstances and the experiences learned from one community or organization that can be shared with another. By evaluating the work prior to engagement the practitioner can involve other community members in the strategy of planning and accomplishment of the task, ensure that any staff participating with you is culturally competent, identify and prioritize tasks that you deem as most important to the peoples needs. Early success can gain confidence in the organisation you represent which then empowers and motivates all participants, identify any cultural or social barriers: ensuring men, women and children feel safe within th...