Saturday, August 31, 2019

Angels Demons Chapter 126-129

126 Cardinal Mortati knew there were no words in any language that could have added to the mystery of this moment. The silence of the vision over St. Peter's Square sang louder than any chorus of angels. As he stared up at Camerlegno Ventresca, Mortati felt the paralyzing collision of his heart and mind. The vision seemed real, tangible. And yet†¦ how could it be? Everyone had seen the camerlegno get in the helicopter. They had all witnessed the ball of light in the sky. And now, somehow, the camerlegno stood high above them on the rooftop terrace. Transported by angels? Reincarnated by the hand of God? This is impossible†¦ Mortati's heart wanted nothing more than to believe, but his mind cried out for reason. And yet all around him, the cardinals stared up, obviously seeing what he was seeing, paralyzed with wonder. It was the camerlegno. There was no doubt. But he looked different somehow. Divine. As if he had been purified. A spirit? A man? His white flesh shone in the spotlights with an incorporeal weightlessness. In the square there was crying, cheering, spontaneous applause. A group of nuns fell to their knees and wailed saetas. A pulsing grew from in the crowd. Suddenly, the entire square was chanting the camerlegno's name. The cardinals, some with tears rolling down their faces, joined in. Mortati looked around him and tried to comprehend. Is this really happening? Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca stood on the rooftop terrace of St. Peter's Basilica and looked down over the multitudes of people staring up at him. Was he awake or dreaming? He felt transformed, otherworldly. He wondered if it was his body or just his spirit that had floated down from heaven toward the soft, darkened expanse of the Vatican City Gardens†¦ alighting like a silent angel on the deserted lawns, his black parachute shrouded from the madness by the towering shadow of St. Peter's Basilica. He wondered if it was his body or his spirit that had possessed the strength to climb the ancient Stairway of Medallions to the rooftop terrace where he now stood. He felt as light as a ghost. Although the people below were chanting his name, he knew it was not him they were cheering. They were cheering from impulsive joy, the same kind of joy he felt every day of his life as he pondered the Almighty. They were experiencing what each of them had always longed for†¦ an assurance of the beyond†¦ a substantiation of the power of the Creator. Camerlegno Ventresca had prayed all his life for this moment, and still, even he could not fathom that God had found a way to make it manifest. He wanted to cry out to them. Your God is a living God! Behold the miracles all around you! He stood there a while, numb and yet feeling more than he had ever felt. When, at last, the spirit moved him, he bowed his head and stepped back from the edge. Alone now, he knelt on the roof, and prayed. 127 The images around him blurred, drifting in and out. Langdon's eyes slowly began to focus. His legs ached, and his body felt like it had been run over by a truck. He was lying on his side on the ground. Something stunk, like bile. He could still hear the incessant sound of lapping water. It no longer sounded peaceful to him. There were other sounds too – talking close around him. He saw blurry white forms. Were they all wearing white? Langdon decided he was either in an asylum or heaven. From the burning in his throat, Langdon decided it could not be heaven. â€Å"He's finished vomiting,† one man said in Italian. â€Å"Turn him.† The voice was firm and professional. Langdon felt hands slowly rolling him onto his back. His head swam. He tried to sit up, but the hands gently forced him back down. His body submitted. Then Langdon felt someone going through his pockets, removing items. Then he passed out cold. Dr. Jacobus was not a religious man; the science of medicine had bred that from him long ago. And yet, the events in Vatican City tonight had put his systematic logic to the test. Now bodies are falling from the sky? Dr. Jacobus felt the pulse of the bedraggled man they had just pulled from the Tiber River. The doctor decided that God himself had hand-delivered this one to safety. The concussion of hitting the water had knocked the victim unconscious, and if it had not been for Jacobus and his crew standing out on the shore watching the spectacle in the sky, this falling soul would surely have gone unnoticed and drowned. â€Å"e Americano,† a nurse said, going through the man's wallet after they pulled him to dry land. American? Romans often joked that Americans had gotten so abundant in Rome that hamburgers should become the official Italian food. But Americans falling from the sky? Jacobus flicked a penlight in the man's eyes, testing his dilation. â€Å"Sir? Can you hear me? Do you know where you are?† The man was unconscious again. Jacobus was not surprised. The man had vomited a lot of water after Jacobus had performed CPR. â€Å"Si chiama Robert Langdon,† the nurse said, reading the man's driver's license. The group assembled on the dock all stopped short. â€Å"Impossibile!† Jacobus declared. Robert Langdon was the man from the television – the American professor who had been helping the Vatican. Jacobus had seen Mr. Langdon, only minutes ago, getting into a helicopter in St. Peter's Square and flying miles up into the air. Jacobus and the others had run out to the dock to witness the antimatter explosion – a tremendous sphere of light like nothing any of them had ever seen. How could this be the same man! â€Å"It's him!† the nurse exclaimed, brushing his soaked hair back. â€Å"And I recognize his tweed coat!† Suddenly someone was yelling from the hospital entryway. It was one of the patients. She was screaming, going mad, holding her portable radio to the sky and praising God. Apparently Camerlegno Ventresca had just miraculously appeared on the roof of the Vatican. Dr. Jacobus decided, when his shift got off at 8 A.M., he was going straight to church. The lights over Langdon's head were brighter now, sterile. He was on some kind of examination table. He smelled astringents, strange chemicals. Someone had just given him an injection, and they had removed his clothes. Definitely not gypsies, he decided in his semiconscious delirium. Aliens, perhaps? Yes, he had heard about things like this. Fortunately these beings would not harm him. All they wanted were his – â€Å"Not on your life!† Langdon sat bolt upright, eyes flying open. â€Å"Attento!† one of the creatures yelled, steadying him. His badge read Dr. Jacobus. He looked remarkably human. Langdon stammered, â€Å"I†¦ thought†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Easy, Mr. Langdon. You're in a hospital.† The fog began to lift. Langdon felt a wave of relief. He hated hospitals, but they certainly beat aliens harvesting his testicles. â€Å"My name is Dr. Jacobus,† the man said. He explained what had just happened. â€Å"You are very lucky to be alive.† Langdon did not feel lucky. He could barely make sense of his own memories†¦ the helicopter†¦ the camerlegno. His body ached everywhere. They gave him some water, and he rinsed out his mouth. They placed a new gauze on his palm. â€Å"Where are my clothes?† Langdon asked. He was wearing a paper robe. One of the nurses motioned to a dripping wad of shredded khaki and tweed on the counter. â€Å"They were soaked. We had to cut them off you.† Langdon looked at his shredded Harris tweed and frowned. â€Å"You had some Kleenex in your pocket,† the nurse said. It was then that Langdon saw the ravaged shreds of parchment clinging all over the lining of his jacket. The folio from Galileo's Diagramma. The last copy on earth had just dissolved. He was too numb to know how to react. He just stared. â€Å"We saved your personal items.† She held up a plastic bin. â€Å"Wallet, camcorder, and pen. I dried the camcorder off the best I could.† â€Å"I don't own a camcorder.† The nurse frowned and held out the bin. Langdon looked at the contents. Along with his wallet and pen was a tiny Sony RUVI camcorder. He recalled it now. Kohler had handed it to him and asked him to give it to the media. â€Å"We found it in your pocket. I think you'll need a new one, though.† The nurse flipped open the two-inch screen on the back. â€Å"Your viewer is cracked.† Then she brightened. â€Å"The sound still works, though. Barely.† She held the device up to her ear. â€Å"Keeps playing something over and over.† She listened a moment and then scowled, handing it to Langdon. â€Å"Two guys arguing, I think.† Puzzled, Langdon took the camcorder and held it to his ear. The voices were pinched and metallic, but they were discernible. One close. One far away. Langdon recognized them both. Sitting there in his paper gown, Langdon listened in amazement to the conversation. Although he couldn't see what was happening, when he heard the shocking finale, he was thankful he had been spared the visual. My God! As the conversation began playing again from the beginning, Langdon lowered the camcorder from his ear and sat in appalled mystification. The antimatter†¦ the helicopter†¦ Langdon's mind now kicked into gear. But that means†¦ He wanted to vomit again. With a rising fury of disorientation and rage, Langdon got off the table and stood on shaky legs. â€Å"Mr. Langdon!† the doctor said, trying to stop him. â€Å"I need some clothes,† Langdon demanded, feeling the draft on his rear from the backless gown. â€Å"But, you need to rest.† â€Å"I'm checking out. Now. I need some clothes.† â€Å"But, sir, you – â€Å" â€Å"Now!† Everyone exchanged bewildered looks. â€Å"We have no clothes,† the doctor said. â€Å"Perhaps tomorrow a friend could bring you some.† Langdon drew a slow patient breath and locked eyes with the doctor. â€Å"Dr. Jacobus, I am walking out your door right now. I need clothes. I am going to Vatican City. One does not go to Vatican City with one's ass hanging out. Do I make myself clear?† Dr. Jacobus swallowed hard. â€Å"Get this man something to wear.† When Langdon limped out of Hospital Tiberina, he felt like an overgrown Cub Scout. He was wearing a blue paramedic's jumpsuit that zipped up the front and was adorned with cloth badges that apparently depicted his numerous qualifications. The woman accompanying him was heavyset and wore a similar suit. The doctor had assured Langdon she would get him to the Vatican in record time. â€Å"Molto traffico,† Langdon said, reminding her that the area around the Vatican was packed with cars and people. The woman looked unconcerned. She pointed proudly to one of her patches. â€Å"Sono conducente di ambulanza.† â€Å"Ambulanza?† That explained it. Langdon felt like he could use an ambulance ride. The woman led him around the side of the building. On an outcropping over the water was a cement deck where her vehicle sat waiting. When Langdon saw the vehicle he stopped in his tracks. It was an aging medevac chopper. The hull read Aero-Ambulanza. He hung his head. The woman smiled. â€Å"Fly Vatican City. Very fast.† 128 The College of Cardinals bristled with ebullience and electricity as they streamed back into the Sistine Chapel. In contrast, Mortati felt in himself a rising confusion he thought might lift him off the floor and carry him away. He believed in the ancient miracles of the Scriptures, and yet what he had just witnessed in person was something he could not possibly comprehend. After a lifetime of devotion, seventy-nine years, Mortati knew these events should ignite in him a pious exuberance†¦ a fervent and living faith. And yet all he felt was a growing spectral unease. Something did not feel right. â€Å"Signore Mortati!† a Swiss Guard yelled, running down the hall. â€Å"We have gone to the roof as you asked. The camerlegno is†¦ flesh! He is a true man! He is not a spirit! He is exactly as we knew him!† â€Å"Did he speak to you?† â€Å"He kneels in silent prayer! We are afraid to touch him!† Mortati was at a loss. â€Å"Tell him†¦ his cardinals await.† â€Å"Signore, because he is a man†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the guard hesitated. â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"His chest†¦ he is burned. Should we bind his wounds? He must be in pain.† Mortati considered it. Nothing in his lifetime of service to the church had prepared him for this situation. â€Å"He is a man, so serve him as a man. Bathe him. Bind his wounds. Dress him in fresh robes. We await his arrival in the Sistine Chapel.† The guard ran off. Mortati headed for the chapel. The rest of the cardinals were inside now. As he walked down the hall, he saw Vittoria Vetra slumped alone on a bench at the foot of the Royal Staircase. He could see the pain and loneliness of her loss and wanted to go to her, but he knew it would have to wait. He had work to do†¦ although he had no idea what that work could possibly be. Mortati entered the chapel. There was a riotous excitement. He closed the door. God help me. Hospital Tiberina's twin-rotor Aero-Ambulanza circled in behind Vatican City, and Langdon clenched his teeth, swearing to God this was the very last helicopter ride of his life. After convincing the pilot that the rules governing Vatican airspace were the least of the Vatican's concerns right now, he guided her in, unseen, over the rear wall, and landed them on the Vatican's helipad. â€Å"Grazie,† he said, lowering himself painfully onto the ground. She blew him a kiss and quickly took off, disappearing back over the wall and into the night. Langdon exhaled, trying to clear his head, hoping to make sense of what he was about to do. With the camcorder in hand, he boarded the same golf cart he had ridden earlier that day. It had not been charged, and the battery-meter registered close to empty. Langdon drove without headlights to conserve power. He also preferred no one see him coming. At the back of the Sistine Chapel, Cardinal Mortati stood in a daze as he watched the pandemonium before him. â€Å"It was a miracle!† one of the cardinals shouted. â€Å"The work of God!† â€Å"Yes!† others exclaimed. â€Å"God has made His will manifest!† â€Å"The camerlegno will be our Pope!† another shouted. â€Å"He is not a cardinal, but God has sent a miraculous sign!† â€Å"Yes!† someone agreed. â€Å"The laws of conclave are man's laws. God's will is before us! I call for a balloting immediately!† â€Å"A balloting?† Mortati demanded, moving toward them. â€Å"I believe that is my job.† Everyone turned. Mortati could sense the cardinals studying him. They seemed distant, at a loss, offended by his sobriety. Mortati longed to feel his heart swept up in the miraculous exultation he saw in the faces around him. But he was not. He felt an inexplicable pain in his soul†¦ an aching sadness he could not explain. He had vowed to guide these proceedings with purity of soul, and this hesitancy was something he could not deny. â€Å"My friends,† Mortati said, stepping to the altar. His voice did not seem his own. â€Å"I suspect I will struggle for the rest of my days with the meaning of what I have witnessed tonight. And yet, what you are suggesting regarding the camerlegno†¦ it cannot possibly be God's will.† The room fell silent. â€Å"How†¦ can you say that?† one of the cardinals finally demanded. â€Å"The camerlegno saved the church. God spoke to the camerlegno directly! The man survived death itself! What sign do we need!† â€Å"The camerlegno is coming to us now,† Mortati said. â€Å"Let us wait. Let us hear him before we have a balloting. There may be an explanation.† â€Å"An explanation?† â€Å"As your Great Elector, I have vowed to uphold the laws of conclave. You are no doubt aware that by Holy Law the camerlegno is ineligible for election to the papacy. He is not a cardinal. He is a priest†¦ a chamberlain. There is also the question of his inadequate age.† Mortati felt the stares hardening. â€Å"By even allowing a balloting, I would be requesting that you endorse a man who Vatican Law proclaims ineligible. I would be asking each of you to break a sacred oath.† â€Å"But what happened here tonight,† someone stammered, â€Å"it certainly transcends our laws!† â€Å"Does it?† Mortati boomed, not even knowing now where his words were coming from. â€Å"Is it God's will that we discard the rules of the church? Is it God's will that we abandon reason and give ourselves over to frenzy?† â€Å"But did you not see what we saw?† another challenged angrily. â€Å"How can you presume to question that kind of power!† Mortati's voice bellowed now with a resonance he had never known. â€Å"I am not questioning God's power! It is God who gave us reason and circumspection! It is God we serve by exercising prudence!† 129 In the hallway outside the Sistine Chapel, Vittoria Vetra sat benumbed on a bench at the foot of the Royal Staircase. When she saw the figure coming through the rear door, she wondered if she were seeing another spirit. He was bandaged, limping, and wearing some kind of medical suit. She stood†¦ unable to believe the vision. â€Å"Ro†¦ bert?† He never answered. He strode directly to her and wrapped her in his arms. When he pressed his lips to hers, it was an impulsive, longing kiss filled with thankfulness. Vittoria felt the tears coming. â€Å"Oh, God†¦ oh, thank God†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He kissed her again, more passionately, and she pressed against him, losing herself in his embrace. Their bodies locked, as if they had known each other for years. She forgot the fear and pain. She closed her eyes, weightless in the moment. â€Å"It is God's will!† someone was yelling, his voice echoing in the Sistine Chapel. â€Å"Who but the chosen one could have survived that diabolical explosion?† â€Å"Me,† a voice reverberated from the back of the chapel. Mortati and the others turned in wonder at the bedraggled form coming up the center aisle. â€Å"Mr†¦. Langdon?† Without a word, Langdon walked slowly to the front of the chapel. Vittoria Vetra entered too. Then two guards hurried in, pushing a cart with a large television on it. Langdon waited while they plugged it in, facing the cardinals. Then Langdon motioned for the guards to leave. They did, closing the door behind them. Now it was only Langdon, Vittoria, and the cardinals. Langdon plugged the Sony RUVI's output into the television. Then he pressed Play. The television blared to life. The scene that materialized before the cardinals revealed the Pope's office. The video had been awkwardly filmed, as if by hidden camera. Off center on the screen the camerlegno stood in the dimness, in front of a fire. Although he appeared to be talking directly to the camera, it quickly became evident that he was speaking to someone else – whoever was making this video. Langdon told them the video was filmed by Maximilian Kohler, the director of CERN. Only an hour ago Kohler had secretly recorded his meeting with the camerlegno by using a tiny camcorder covertly mounted under the arm of his wheelchair. Mortati and the cardinals watched in bewilderment. Although the conversation was already in progress, Langdon did not bother to rewind. Apparently, whatever Langdon wanted the cardinals to see was coming up†¦ â€Å"Leonardo Vetra kept diaries?† the camerlegno was saying. â€Å"I suppose that is good news for CERN. If the diaries contain his processes for creating antimatter – â€Å" â€Å"They don't,† Kohler said. â€Å"You will be relieved to know those processes died with Leonardo. However, his diaries spoke of something else. You.† The camerlegno looked troubled. â€Å"I don't understand.† â€Å"They described a meeting Leonardo had last month. With you.† The camerlegno hesitated, then looked toward the door. â€Å"Rocher should not have granted you access without consulting me. How did you get in here?† â€Å"Rocher knows the truth. I called earlier and told him what you have done.† â€Å"What I have done? Whatever story you told him, Rocher is a Swiss Guard and far too faithful to this church to believe a bitter scientist over his camerlegno.† â€Å"Actually, he is too faithful not to believe. He is so faithful that despite the evidence that one of his loyal guards had betrayed the church, he refused to accept it. All day long he has been searching for another explanation.† â€Å"So you gave him one.† â€Å"The truth. Shocking as it was.† â€Å"If Rocher believed you, he would have arrested me.† â€Å"No. I wouldn't let him. I offered him my silence in exchange for this meeting.† The camerlegno let out an odd laugh. â€Å"You plan to blackmail the church with a story that no one will possibly believe?† â€Å"I have no need of blackmail. I simply want to hear the truth from your lips. Leonardo Vetra was a friend.† The camerlegno said nothing. He simply stared down at Kohler. â€Å"Try this,† Kohler snapped. â€Å"About a month ago, Leonardo Vetra contacted you requesting an urgent audience with the Pope – an audience you granted because the Pope was an admirer of Leonardo's work and because Leonardo said it was an emergency.† The camerlegno turned to the fire. He said nothing. â€Å"Leonardo came to the Vatican in great secrecy. He was betraying his daughter's confidence by coming here, a fact that troubled him deeply, but he felt he had no choice. His research had left him deeply conflicted and in need of spiritual guidance from the church. In a private meeting, he told you and the Pope that he had made a scientific discovery with profound religious implications. He had proved Genesis was physically possible, and that intense sources of energy – what Vetra called God – could duplicate the moment of Creation.† Silence. â€Å"The Pope was stunned,† Kohler continued. â€Å"He wanted Leonardo to go public. His Holiness thought this discovery might begin to bridge the gap between science and religion – one of the Pope's life dreams. Then Leonardo explained to you the downside – the reason he required the church's guidance. It seemed his Creation experiment, exactly as your Bible predicts, produced everything in pairs. Opposites. Light and dark. Vetra found himself, in addition to creating matter, creating antimatter. Shall I go on?† The camerlegno was silent. He bent down and stoked the coals. â€Å"After Leonardo Vetra came here,† Kohler said, â€Å"you came to CERN to see his work. Leonardo's diaries said you made a personal trip to his lab.† The camerlegno looked up. Kohler went on. â€Å"The Pope could not travel without attracting media attention, so he sent you. Leonardo gave you a secret tour of his lab. He showed you an antimatter annihilation – the Big Bang – the power of Creation. He also showed you a large specimen he kept locked away as proof that his new process could produce antimatter on a large scale. You were in awe. You returned to Vatican City to report to the Pope what you had witnessed.† The camerlegno sighed. â€Å"And what is it that troubles you? That I would respect Leonardo's confidentiality by pretending before the world tonight that I knew nothing of antimatter?† â€Å"No! It troubles me that Leonardo Vetra practically proved the existence of your God, and you had him murdered!† The camerlegno turned now, his face revealing nothing. The only sound was the crackle of the fire. Suddenly, the camera jiggled, and Kohler's arm appeared in the frame. He leaned forward, seeming to struggle with something affixed beneath his wheelchair. When he sat back down, he held a pistol out before him. The camera angle was a chilling one†¦ looking from behind†¦ down the length of the outstretched gun†¦ directly at the camerlegno. Kohler said, â€Å"Confess your sins, Father. Now.† The camerlegno looked startled. â€Å"You will never get out of here alive.† â€Å"Death would be a welcome relief from the misery your faith has put me through since I was a boy.† Kohler held the gun with both hands now. â€Å"I am giving you a choice. Confess your sins†¦ or die right now.† The camerlegno glanced toward the door. â€Å"Rocher is outside,† Kohler challenged. â€Å"He too is prepared to kill you.† â€Å"Rocher is a sworn protector of th – â€Å" â€Å"Rocher let me in here. Armed. He is sickened by your lies. You have a single option. Confess to me. I have to hear it from your very lips.† The camerlegno hesitated. Kohler cocked his gun. â€Å"Do you really doubt I will kill you?† â€Å"No matter what I tell you,† the camerlegno said, â€Å"a man like you will never understand.† â€Å"Try me.† The camerlegno stood still for a moment, a dominant silhouette in the dim light of the fire. When he spoke, his words echoed with a dignity more suited to the glorious recounting of altruism than that of a confession. â€Å"Since the beginning of time,† the camerlegno said, â€Å"this church has fought the enemies of God. Sometimes with words. Sometimes with swords. And we have always survived.† The camerlegno radiated conviction. â€Å"But the demons of the past,† he continued, â€Å"were demons of fire and abomination†¦ they were enemies we could fight – enemies who inspired fear. Yet Satan is shrewd. As time passed, he cast off his diabolical countenance for a new face†¦ the face of pure reason. Transparent and insidious, but soulless all the same.† The camerlegno's voice flashed sudden anger – an almost maniacal transition. â€Å"Tell me, Mr. Kohler! How can the church condemn that which makes logical sense to our minds! How can we decry that which is now the very foundation of our society! Each time the church raises its voice in warning, you shout back, calling us ignorant. Paranoid. Controlling! And so your evil grows. Shrouded in a veil of self-righteous intellectualism. It spreads like a cancer. Sanctified by the miracles of its own technology. Deifying itself! Until we no longer suspect you are anything but pure goodness. Science has come to save us from our sic kness, hunger, and pain! Behold science – the new God of endless miracles, omnipotent and benevolent! Ignore the weapons and the chaos. Forget the fractured loneliness and endless peril. Science is here!† The camerlegno stepped toward the gun. â€Å"But I have seen Satan's face lurking†¦ I have seen the peril†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What are you talking about! Vetra's science practically proved the existence of your God! He was your ally!† â€Å"Ally? Science and religion are not in this together! We do not seek the same God, you and I! Who is your God? One of protons, masses, and particle charges? How does your God inspire? How does your God reach into the hearts of man and remind him he is accountable to a greater power! Remind him that he is accountable to his fellow man! Vetra was misguided. His work was not religious, it was sacrilegious! Man cannot put God's Creation in a test tube and wave it around for the world to see! This does not glorify God, it demeans God!† The camerlegno was clawing at his body now, his voice manic. â€Å"And so you had Leonardo Vetra killed!† â€Å"For the church! For all mankind! The madness of it! Man is not ready to hold the power of Creation in his hands. God in a test tube? A droplet of liquid that can vaporize an entire city? He had to be stopped!† The camerlegno fell abruptly silent. He looked away, back toward the fire. He seemed to be contemplating his options. Kohler's hands leveled the gun. â€Å"You have confessed. You have no escape.† The camerlegno laughed sadly. â€Å"Don't you see. Confessing your sins is the escape.† He looked toward the door. â€Å"When God is on your side, you have options a man like you could never comprehend.† With his words still hanging in the air, the camerlegno grabbed the neck of his cassock and violently tore it open, revealing his bare chest. Kohler jolted, obviously startled. â€Å"What are you doing!† The camerlegno did not reply. He stepped backward, toward the fireplace, and removed an object from the glowing embers. â€Å"Stop!† Kohler demanded, his gun still leveled. â€Å"What are you doing!† When the camerlegno turned, he was holding a red-hot brand. The Illuminati Diamond. The man's eyes looked wild suddenly. â€Å"I had intended to do this all alone.† His voice seethed with a feral intensity. â€Å"But now†¦ I see God meant for you to be here. You are my salvation.† Before Kohler could react, the camerlegno closed his eyes, arched his back, and rammed the red hot brand into the center of his own chest. His flesh hissed. â€Å"Mother Mary! Blessed Mother†¦ Behold your son!† He screamed out in agony. Kohler lurched into the frame now†¦ standing awkwardly on his feet, gun wavering wildly before him. The camerlegno screamed louder, teetering in shock. He threw the brand at Kohler's feet. Then the priest collapsed on the floor, writhing in agony. What happened next was a blur. There was a great flurry onscreen as the Swiss Guard burst into the room. The soundtrack exploded with gunfire. Kohler clutched his chest, blown backward, bleeding, falling into his wheelchair. â€Å"No!† Rocher called, trying to stop his guards from firing on Kohler. The camerlegno, still writhing on the floor, rolled and pointed frantically at Rocher. â€Å"Illuminatus!† â€Å"You bastard,† Rocher yelled, running at him. â€Å"You sanctimonious bas – â€Å" Chartrand cut him down with three bullets. Rocher slid dead across the floor. Then the guards ran to the wounded camerlegno, gathering around him. As they huddled, the video caught the face of a dazed Robert Langdon, kneeling beside the wheelchair, looking at the brand. Then, the entire frame began lurching wildly. Kohler had regained consciousness and was detaching the tiny camcorder from its holder under the arm of the wheelchair. Then he tried to hand the camcorder to Langdon. â€Å"G-give†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Kohler gasped. â€Å"G-give this to the m-media.† Then the screen went blank.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Respecting Elders

Respecting my elders, and everyone else, just comes natural to me, because when I was just a little girl, I was taught that I must always respect my elders, if I didn't, I'd get a slap on my face by my parents. As I grew up, I came to realize the true meaning of the phrase, â€Å"respect your elders,† and I agree fully with my mother's teachings. I not only respected my elders, but I respected everyone around me. When I had my children, I taught them the same way my parents taught me, on how to respect their elders, and why.I never had any problems teaching my children how to respect, not only their elders, but how to respect everyone. We need to keep up with the tradition of respect, because so many people are so ignorant with each other, I'd just turn away because I know if I stay and listen, I'll say something to these little devils for being so mean to anyone and everyone. My son, now has a son that is 11 years old, and if he is caught making fun of anyone, then he has his father to answer[pic] to, and is made to apologize to the person that he has made fun of, whether it be another child or a grownup.Respect is something that has slipped through the cracks of time, and I think it is time to bring it back into our youth. These young people today are so rude to everyone, not just their elders around them, that I'd like to smack them myself, and I don't even know them from Adam. It just makes me so mad to see how some of the elderly are treated today, and I don't know what to do about it, but is sure makes me sick. For our young children to respect anyone they have to be taught right from the start, when they are growing up.It's not something that can be taught after they are grown up, because they have never learned the meaning of the word respect. It so sad, that in today's society, you see some of the things that are going on with everybody, not only our elderly, but anyone around them. There is no respect in this world today and that's just so sad. I treat everyone with respect, even though I know they don't respect me most of the time, but that's OK, I feel better when I respect others, even if they don't. Created on: May 02, 2008 Our elders have gone through a lot in their lifetime.I think it is important to respect our elders because they have experienced life and gone through a lot more than we have. I think history has shown that we are a successful, rich country. I don't think we would have the freedom and the respect from other countries if it weren't for our elders and their sacrifice to get us where we are today. I respect my grandfather because he was captured and taken to a concentration camp during World War II. My grandfather escaped from a camp, ran into the woods and went into hiding for a year.My grandfather is one of the lucky Jews that survived because he had the will to live. Why shouldn't he be respected? I respect my parents because they are the ones that brought me in this world and have taken care of me until I was able to take care of myself. I personally have a lot of respect for my parents because they did a lot for me over the years. I wouldn't have the education without them. They got me where I am today and I am sure it wasn't easy[pic] for them. I believe they deserve thanks for everything they have done for me and thus deserve my respect.The idea of the importance of respecting our elders raised many questions in my mind. Do most even know what respect is? Wikipedia defines respect as taking into consideration the views and desires of others and incorporating it into your decisions and being truthful to people. Why shouldn't we respect anyone? I think everyone should be respected unless given a reason not to be. When you meet someone for the first time are you disrespectful? No. Why should you be? I think everyone deserves a chance and once you get to know the person you can decide based on your own values whether or not you should respect them.I have a lot of younger cous ins that respect me because I am older and know more about life than they do. I don't think elders should be singled out and immediately respected because they are older. Why shouldn't respect go both ways? I think my friends respect me because I respect them. I think it is important to understand what respect is and understand what your elders have gone through to get where we are today. I think everyone deserves the same amount of respect unless given a reason to be disrespected. Quotes: â€Å"In Western Civilization, our elders are books. â€Å"The Elders were closer to the Maker of All Things and should be deferred to whenever they made their will known. † 2 paragraphs The elderly have lived long lives. They are so important in our lives because of this. The longer that one has lived, the more of a life they have to share with others. The elderly have much to contribute to this world. Most already have contributed while others will soon be contributing their best as time goes by. Even the elderly are still learning. It has been said that you learn something new every day, and that is just why even the elderly are still learning.They have much wisdom to share with the world, even if they have just learned it themselves. Learning It really does not matter what your age is. Everyone every day is learning. We learn from both the young and from the old. The young are so precious, and they often inspire us even in the simplest ways. They really have not experienced much yet in the way of living, but they sure can bring up things that we have never even thought of before. They can teach us all sorts of behaviors and help us to change our attitudes in our lives.The elderly, however, are so important in our daily lives, because we can learn much from their actual experiences. They have lived long lives, and have experienced many things worth sharing with us that can help us to improve our daily lives. We can even learn things through the elderly that will h elp us to get along with others much easier, get over things more quickly, respect others, and even enjoy looking at things in a more positive manner. Trials The elderly are so important in our lives, because they have gone through many trials.The longer that anyone has lived, the more trials that they have gone through in their lives. It is hard to accept trials in our lives, but they do exist. The elderly are more than willing to share their past experiences with us. They are actually happy to do this. The elderly have learned where they may have gone wrong in life along with things that they are very proud of the choices that they have made. Spending time with the elderly is one of the best and most exciting things that you can do these days. They can help us with many aspects in our own lives.The elderly can even help us to avoid many trials in our lives through their many words of wisdom. Sharing Elderly people in our lives are so important, because they enjoy sharing with us. Elderly people sincerely enjoy sharing all sorts of things in their lives. As people age, sharing becomes more and more important to them. As you age, you realize that you have gone through numerous experiences of all kinds that are worthy of helping others to get through their experiences. As the elderly share more and more, they enjoy it more and more.It is always a great feeling to know that your simple words can be helping others. The elderly also have many items along with valuable treasures that they enjoy sharing. As they grow older, they no longer have the need for many things in their lives. They love having the opportunity of passing these precious things in their lives onto others and sharing their joy along with their stories. Loving The elderly people in our lives are so important to us, because they are very loving people. Elderly people are very loving, caring, and thankful people.As we age, we all learn to enjoy the better things in life. Better things, as in more im portant things and things that really matter. Elderly people normally grow more loving and caring as they age. They grow more thankful of even the simplest things. Elderly grow to appreciate life much more than anything. Elderly people are so precious and enjoyable. Many of the elderly are also quite funny. Look at the elderly people in your life, and listen to them. This will surely bring you a new healthy and positive look on life.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Hamlet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Hamlet - Essay Example The significance of the castle helps us to remember that we are dealing with characters of royalty. Other significant settings include a theater in Elsinore where Hamlet exposes Claudius for murder and the scene in the graveyard where Hamlet discovers that Ophelia is dead. The primary theme of Hamlet is revenge followed by indecision and uncertainty as close second and third. These themes work together to create superior tension in the play. Death is also a theme in the play in that the play begins and ends with it. Everyone in the play is touched by death in some way or another and it fuels human emotion from one end of the gamut to another. Revenge is what drives the action of the play in that Hamlet is prodded by the ghost of his father to avenge his death. The ghost is persistent and while Hamlet knows what it is he should do, he encounters difficulty doing it. The theme of indecision emerges as Hamlet tried to find reason to believe the ghost is that of his father, which brings us to the theme of uncertainty. At first, Hamlet believes the ghost to be evil and calls it a â€Å"goblin damned† (Shakespeare I.iv.44); however, not long after saying this he calls the ghost, â€Å"King, father, Royal Dane† (I.iv.50). Death becomes a theme in the play and it is something that hamlet cannot escape. He meets in at the beginning of the play and is deeply affected by it. His melanholy mood causes him to wish his â€Å"sullied flesh would melt, / Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew† (I.ii.33-4). Here he is so distraught, he thinks it might be better to be dead. His attitude is also impacted by his father’s death. He states, â€Å"How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of the world! (I.ii.137-8). Here we can see how Hamlet’s attitude is reflected in his worldview. Hamlet is the protagonist in this play and his objective is to avenge his father’s death. The ghost makes this known early in the play.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Southeast Asia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Southeast Asia - Essay Example Tourist travel several miles to come and enjoy the culture in Africa and Asia, this evidenced the appreciation of culture diversity. Regardless of insecurity in some parts of Africa and Asia, European tourist still tour. If civilization was to clash, the westerners would not be interested in the culture of other nations. Huntington observes the position of the west to various combat in the world and claims there are instances of favoritism and use it as a reason for the possibility of a clashing civilization. It might be true, but still friends still become enemies and end up being friends again. This is the case with fighting nations it is only a matter of national interest and once sorted things will be back to normal. Civilization cannot be hampered by few nations that are not in peace with each other. If a majority of the world is ready to coexist, civilization is on track and its benefit will be enjoyed in perpetuity. As I end my argument, it will be wise for Huntington to revise his

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Student Search and Seizures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Student Search and Seizures - Essay Example This paper describes the existing policies related to search and seizure practices for the student body at Hope High School in Arkansas with discussion regarding proper ethical behavior and the letter of the law for such practices. Reflecting on Search and Seizure Juveniles are afforded many protections that differ from adults under the Constitution and state-level legal systems. During adolescence, youths are subject to adult-based authoritarian hierarchies in which they are reliant on ethical and moral adult leadership to ensure their rights are protected. Even though youths in high school are protected under many varieties of law, they are also utilizing school property such as lockers, desks, or the use of the school parking lot. Therefore, they are subject to established school policies regarding the appropriate use of these systems or storage devices. This might, to the casual civilian, look to be a sort of conflict of interest regarding how best to secure the rights of the sch ool as well as the individual student. ... re is some level of counseling service provided to ensure that students have a valid resource to discuss their psychological misgivings or other concerns related to mental health. By all measures, their physical safety is ensured by adequate adult leadership and existing non-violence policies. In every measure, then, it should be said that high school officials absolutely secure the most fundamental right afford to students. The second right is that of being afforded the opportunity to achieve purpose in life (ethics.tamu.edu). This, too, is afforded simply by the constructs of ethical teaching systems that provide opportunities for growth and knowledge. The third and most complicated of Gewirth’s fundamental rights hierarchy is that of the right to property, non-discrimination and self-respect (ethics.tamu.edu). This is a much more complex dynamic of student rights, as their properties within the school maintain the potential to become scrutinized by the school system and its administration in the event there is concern about student protection or securing the letter of the law. In the event of a warranted search and seizure, questions arise about self-respect issues and whether students are receiving some form of discriminatory judgment from adult supervision at the school. This is why there should be some form of rights statement attached with any existing policy about student search and seizure practices to ensure that society recognizes some form of ethical and moral system drives administrative decision-making in these matters. One educator from the University of Arizona offers that in order to clarify a rights statement, there must be mention of â€Å"moral importance† as to why an individual deserves rights protections as well as identifying the interests of

Monday, August 26, 2019

Immigration policy in the USA Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Immigration policy in the USA - Term Paper Example Such tactics often result in increased competition for employment by the locals with their immigrant counterparts which will create dissatisfaction among the locals. Earlier, America welcomed all the people from the world irrespective of their ethnic or educational backgrounds. In 1980’s and 1990’s, America experienced enormous growth of small-scale industries, mainly because of the contributions of the immigrants. However, at present America implemented many restrictions upon immigration because of the increased threats of terrorism and violence from both legal and illegal immigrants. 9/11 incident resulted in the strengthening of the immigration policies in America. This paper discusses how immigration policy about whom and how many to let in has changed over time and what this change reveals about a society’s quest for national identity Changes in American immigration policies The immediate reasons for drastic changes in immigration policies are the threats fr om terrorists. 9/11 incident was a lesson for America’s immigration and naturalization department. Terrorists can enter America through legal and illegal channels. The war on terror and the disputes with the Islamic world made America vulnerable to terrorist attacks at any time. It should be noted that many of the Americans watching the Muslims in America with suspicious eyes after the 9/11 incident. It is difficult for the Muslim people to get American visa at present unless they have enough reasons to convince the authorities about their purpose of visit. Moreover, in many of the American airports, body screening is implemented especially for the Muslim people. All these policies reveal that America is not much interested in allowing Muslim immigration after the 9/11 incident. Another important issue which forced America to strengthen their immigration policies is the social problems associated with immigration. Uncontrolled Immigration can result in the identity crisis. Th e Middle East is facing such problems at present. In most of the Middle Eastern countries or the Gulf countries, the number of immigrants is more than the number of locals which created a lot of identity problems. No country would like to see more immigrants in its territory than the number of locals. The excessive number of immigrant people seen in the streets, workplaces and other public gathering places may create the sense of unhappiness among the locals. Moreover, Americans cannot keep a friendly attitude towards immigrants especially when they are struggling to get out of the recession problems. Many of the Americans lost their employment because of the recession problems and the subsequent collapse of big organizations. At the same time, they are witnessing the survival of the immigrant community in America. Immigrant community mostly has their own small-scale businesses and the recession has not affected their businesses very much. All ethnicities are not equal; all are not symbolic, costless and voluntary. When white Americans equate their own symbolic ethnicities with the socially enforced identities of non white Americans, they obscure the fact the experiences of the whites and non whites have been qualitatively different in the United States and that the current identities of individuals partly reflect that unequal history (Waters, n. d., p.201-202) Even though racism is prohibited by law in America, it can be observed in many other forms in American social life.  

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Fairytale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fairytale - Essay Example Trapped in a magical cave and left to die while trying to retrieve a magic lamp for the magician, Aladdin perchance rubs a ring loaned to him by the magician himself. Upon rubbing the ring, a djinni (female djinn) appears and takes him home to his mother. His mother takes the lamp still clutched in his hand off of him and tries to clean it. Immediately, a powerful djinn or genie appears, bound to do the bidding of the lamp wielder. The genie transforms the once-impoverished Aladdin’s life and eventually helps him to marry the king’s daughter, princess Badroulbadour. Aladdin starts living in a huge palace built for him by the genie of the lamp. Soon, however, the evil magician comes to know of this. He returns and tries to steal the lamp by trickery. He succeeds by fooling Aladdin’s wife, the princess Badroulbadour into exchanging the grubby old lamp for a shinier, newer one. Once the lamp is in his possession, he orders the genie to move Aladin’s palace to where the magician lives. Not being able to interfere in the magic of the genie, the djinni of the ring helps Aladdin get to the place where the magician has ordered Aladdin’s palace to be taken.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Social Capital on Facebook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Capital on Facebook - Essay Example The book, Democracy in America, was written by Alexis de Tocqueville and had played significant role in the modern society of America. Tocqueville, a social scientist, had educated American audience to discern systematic studies of the relationship of democracy and civil society. The freedom enclosed in the concept of democracy extends up to the privilege of expression of the individuals. Freedom of expression is now being played up and exploited being the selling point of the social networking sites. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, two of the most famous social network, allowed their users to express and document every thoughts and activities of one’s own account. This privilege suddenly made Facebook a non-virtual consort place and pool of information, and sometimes of misinterpretation. With this fact in mind, it’s a marvel with what advantages and downsides that awaits in the society that social networking had brought in. Social Capital. Robert Putnam, author of the book Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy (1993) was able to expound the connection of social network to social capital. During an interview with Putnam, he had stated that â€Å"the quality of public life and the performance of social institutions are indeed powerfully influenced by norms and networks of civic engagement.†... This was primarily designed to be used in Harvard University, to know each other better. (Carlson 2011) In 2007, a study of The Benefits of Facebook "Friends:" Social Capital and College Students' Use of Online Social Network Sites had cited Putnam’s distinction between bridging and bonding social capital. An excerpt of the study to purposely explain is below: The former is linked to what network researchers refer to as "weak ties," which are loose connections between individuals who may provide useful information or new perspectives for one another but typically not emotional support (Granovetter, 1982). Alternatively, bonding social capital is found between individuals in tightly-knit, emotionally close relationships, such as family and close friends. After briefly describing the extant literature on these two forms of social capital and the Internet, we introduce an additional dimension of social capital that speaks to the ability to maintain valuable connections as one pro gresses through life changes. This concept, "maintained social capital," permits us to explore whether online network tools enable individuals to keep in touch with a social network after physically disconnecting from it. True to its film counterpart, The Social Network (2010), Facebook’s surprising fame seems to imply a persistent and startling necessity for even the closest â€Å"connection† in the broad network many times less socialized, linked and shared than the one in which our parents and grandparents grew up. However, universality is not much of an index, especially when the product at hand is absolutely free. (Atkinson 2011) Influence. Putnam had explained â€Å"that social connections and civic engagement pervasively influence our public

Attica Correctional Facility Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Attica Correctional Facility - Research Paper Example The Attica Correctional Facility maintains a large industrial operation producing a variety of textile items and metal products. There is also a large program of vocational and academic education. In addition, it maintains extensive programs in family service, mental health and youth assistance. Authors of the Prison Monitoring Report: Attica also stated that they were left with both positive and negative impressions about the facility. While some programs provide beneficial and productive opportunities for inmates to gain skills and confront difficult challenges, they were struck by a widespread sense of fear and intimidation among the inmates. Reports of staff physically abusing inmates and retaliation by officers against inmates who file complains about staff were extensive. Although inmates had positive impressions about Superintendent James Conway and his administration, they reported that he was unable to halt the pervasive violence and abuse by the officers. The four-day riot at the Attica Correctional Facility was reported by History.com as the bloodiest prison insurrection in US History. It was reported that on September 9, 1971 a group of inmates at the facility assaulted a prison guard and began rioting. They took prison employees hostage and gained control of portions of the facility. After which, negotiations between inmates and prison officials followed. The inmates demanded better living conditions at the overcrowded prison. However, an article on the American Express website reported some events essential to validating the purpose of the riot. It reported that inmates who were predominantly African American and Puerto Ricans were incensed at the deteriorating living conditions-among them, the fact that they were only allowed to shower once per week and were allowed one roll of toilet paper per month. Overcrowding had also

Friday, August 23, 2019

Reader Response essay on the book The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Reader Response on the book The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - Essay Example For example, he lost his job after an injury he got from a work accident. Ona, Rudkus wife, also explains that she was raped by her boss. The major opinion of Upton Sinclair in his book The Jungle is that workers, especially immigrants, were exploited at the workplace by their employers. The author uses Jurgis in his book to explain experiences where capitalism operates without checks or balances. To get the extra profit; workers are killed due to workplace accidents, meat inspectors are bribed, wastes are deposited into public water system, and workers get sick due to workplace infection. My opinion is that all workers should be protected from exploitation of any form at the workplace. The government should put in place proper legislations to ensure this; for example, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. One of the values of the author is that he believes in socialism which creates fairness and equity. He stresses that socialism is the only idea that can right all the wrongs of capitalism. Socialism is just because it ensures each and every person benefits. The main character Jurgis believes that a social political system is capable of achieving dignity, respect and humanity of the previously exploited immigrants and working class. The profits that capitalists make should be used to; improve the working conditions, compensate workers adequately and assist in community development projects. The author’s values conflict with mine because I prefer capitalism. People should strive to create wealth by starting enterprises which earns profits; however part of the profit should be allocated to improving working conditions of workers, and also improving the welfare of the surrounding community and workers. Distribution of profits ensures fairness to both workers and employer. The Jungle reminds me of other texts which support social justice, equity and fairness. For example, the Dragon’s Teeth authored by Upton Sinclair

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Organizational Structures Essay Example for Free

Organizational Structures Essay Organizations function in varied ways. Each organization is unique in its own accord and its overall design depends on two main criteria; coordination and communication. No matter what structure an organization chooses, the ultimate result is to achieve coordination between units and communicate effectively for proper decision making and implementation. The current buzz word being the networked economy and organizations, many firms are becoming more sophisticated and evolving into more interconnected entities than ever before. It is important however to note that not one single structure is the most successful one. A firms arrival at a decision to adopt a certain structure entails careful analysis of the requirements of the industry it operates in. Then only can it decide which structure suits it best. Dell, based in the US, is a truly global organization. With lead times of delivery ranging in days across the globe, Dell had no choice but to adapt a structure which complimented its nimble and lean supply chain. This resulted in them adopting a networked structure as opposed to more traditional functional setup. The main criterion is not coordination here, but the proper channels of communication which are necessary to deliver information is the cheapest, fastest and most reliable way. Moreover, product life cycles of Dell are shorter than most other products and this again meant a quick supply chain backed by the most efficient communications strategy. Dell has been able to adopt this structure quicker and has grown to an extent which many never expected it to achieve (Sviokla, 2004). Dell does have departments and functions like any other organizations; it’s the method by which they operate which is different. Each function is coordinated and communicates to achieve one primary goal; deliver the good to the customer in the shortest time possible. By having a networked organization, information travels at nearly the speed of light and decisions are thus made in a shorter time. This is what Dell required to stay on top of its competition in the PC industry and thus, it adopted the best possible structure within the industry. Toyota, based in Japan, is a name of reliability. Their automobiles are well known for cost effectiveness and long life. All this was only achieved by the top notch structure that Toyota eventually evolved into over its long history. The work at Toyota is done by divisions; teams of individuals in each ‘function’ operating on assembly lines to produce cars. This along with a just in time inventory approach has enabled Toyota to become a truly global automobile maker and trendsetter in the industry. Till Toyota adopted it, JIT was something that many, especially in the automobile industry, wouldn’t dare to emulate. Toyota realized how its inventory, being huge and with long lead times would clog up work space and result in huge costs due to rental, obsolescence etc. Thus Toyota did what Dell did but in a different manner, let the supplier remain the owner of the materials until they are needed. This called for not just a good communications setup but an exceptional coordinated effort by the firms various functions as well. A delay in one function meant a halt in the whole firm as each is dependent on the other. Thus Toyota needed a structure which was stable, coordinated and yet, able to communicate well with its suppliers as well as dealers. This came in the form of an organization which was capable of dissipating knowledge throughout its firm effectively and acts upon decisions made quickly (Choo, 2002). This means that Toyota is a matrix organization rather than a functional one which one might think it is at first glance. Secondly, it various factories internationally could be seen as SBU’s (Strategic Business Units) working autonomously yet liked to a central point. Reference http://www.analytictech.com/mb021/orgtheory.htm

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Impact On Media In Britain Media Essay

The Impact On Media In Britain Media Essay This essay will focus on the impact mass media has had on British society and demonstrate a striking contrast between the previous and present roles of media in Britain society, meanwhile mass media as a propaganda tool , it brings many positive influence on British society. Currently, the people in Britain spend nearly thirty percent of their waking life in the media and communications activities (BBC,2010). The figures from Ofcom shows Britons expend seven hours per day on surfing the Internet, watching TV and using their mobile phones(BBC,2010). Media involve any communication institutions,and in Britain it generally include print media and broadcasting (Oakland,2006). Media have influenced British society in a variety of ways. Oakland claimed that nearly 70% percent of British people gain daily news from television,one fifth from newspapers and nearly 10% from radio. Kasier (2002) cited by Mackeogh (2004) that a investigation of fifteen to seventeen year olds showed that 72% teenagers felt young people can be influenced somewhat or a lot, though only one fourth thought it influenced young peoples behaviour. This paper will first analyze changing role of media in Britain, then illustrate how media influence British society. Finally, it will generate s everal recommendations for this situation. Outline the structure with key and supporting ideas (with referenced support): History: The British press began in the 1620s and development in the nineteenth century(Majesty,1976). Broadcasting began in the 1920s and became sturdy until mid-1980s.BBC was created in 1955 and ITA began in 1954 (Oakland,2006). Internet began in the 1990s ,and it developed rapidly since mid-1990s (BBC,2010). The current situation: Individual spent averagely 538 minutes per day on using all kinds of media(BBC,2010). The time Britons spend on print media are much less than past. Currently, people spend only 31 minutes per day on print media (BBC,2010). TV has become the most significant in the mass media, and the most convinent way for the public to get the news, as well as the information around the world,public spend almost 3.8 hours watching TV per day(BBC,2010). Internet play an important role in current life. Internet has been used by people for everyday,and people spend nearly one third of their waking time on Internet (BBC,2010). The influence of media on British society: Negative: Over-commercialization(Oakland,2006). Media involves some violence, it have some negative influences on young people(Sefton-Green,1993). Positive: Media play an important part of the British economy,people spent more than 10 billion pounds for media activities in 1988(Veljanovski, 1990 ). Media help people culative their citizenship. As a propaganda tool, media promotes citizenship and moral consciousness of the public by using public service advertisement ¼Ã‹â€ BBC,2010 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. The media press ahead with socialist democracy. Burton, G (2005, p.20) highlight that western government clearly know the value of media coverage in swaying public opinion. The broadcasting media play an role as an mirror to keep the diversity of opinion and act as a national communication platform. (Curran, J. and Seaton, J. 2003 p.234) Government control the individuals opinion by mass media(Curran,1938). Media involves the culture of different countries, promotes golblaziation (Hiebert,1987). Recommendation: Reduce the content of unhealth (sex and violence): Magazines for young girls and women should not include lots of information about sex(Stokes,1999). A example of boys own story(Sefton-Green,1993). report more positive aspects. Reduce business investment, re-define the direction of media guide. Media should be a transparent, open, democratic and should not be controlled by government. Conclusion: There has existed several negative affects of media on British society, however, media changed British life style and their thinking way in a variety of aspects. Chosen academic references BBC(2010) Ofcom report highlights multi-tasking media users. Accessed from : www.bbc.uk.com. Burton, G. (2005). Media and society: critical perspectives. Berkshire: Open University Press. Crisell,A.(1999) Broadcasting:Television and Radio. In Stokes, J. and Reading, A. The media in Britain current debates and developments. pp.61-74. Curran, J.(1987). Impact Influence. New York:Methuen co. Hiebert, R. (1988) Impact of mass media.New York: Longman. Majesty, H.(1976)The British press. England:Unwin Brothers Limited. Oakland, J.(2006) British Civilization New York: Routledge. Sefton-Green,J.(1993) Untidy, depressing and violent:a boys own story. In Buckingham, D. Reading audiences. pp.89-116. Stock ¼Ã…’J.(1999). Use it or lose it ¼Ã… ¡ sex,sexuality,and sexual health in magazines for girls. In Stokes, J. and Reading, A. The media in Britain current debates and developments. pp.209-217. Veljanovski,C.(1990). The media in Britain today. London: News International.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Effects of Consumer Switching Costs

Effects of Consumer Switching Costs The assumption about switching cost is rather natural to the extent that borrowers’ satisfaction or dissatisfaction about a bank can be different according to individual preference to banks’ services and borrowers can measure them exactly only after having the relationship. Switching costs may capture direct cost of closing an account with one bank and opening it elsewhere, the cost associated with other application procedures with other banks but also loss of relationship benefit between borrower and his former bank. A borrower faces switching costs in a relationship with an individual bank; it would be costly to borrow from a single lender if its primary bank is in financial distress. This implies that default risk would be more sensitive to our bank health measures if the bank-firm relationship is close. Overall, the following are the main conclusions for this study, each of these shall be discussed throughout the chapter: The respondents elaborated that the manner in which they were affected by the crisis when the international banking system collapsed leading to drying up of credit. Living in the credit-driven environment, both individuals as well as the corporate sector found it difficult to face the no credit situation. Government-driven rescue packages were being announced across the world to save their respective economies. The amounts were running into hundreds of billions of their home currencies. The magnitude was so huge and the event so wide spread, that it spread across various sectors and various economies. Image is indirectly related to the bank loyalty as perceived by quality. This is based on the results of large scale empirical results in a global level. Service quality is indirectly and directly related to bank loyalty in terms of satisfaction. Satisfaction has a direct effect on loyalty for the bank. It is now clear on level of the mentioned constructs that reliability or the quality dimension and the position in the market or the image dimension are both important drivers of bank retail loyalty. Therefore the quality of a bank should be more important for credit line customers than for other loan customers. We therefore apply and test the hypothesis that credit line borrowers are willing to pay extra for borrowing from a bank of high quality. A wide range of factors maintain the market power in banking. Entry into the banking sector is restricted by regulatory agencies, creating one of the preconditions for a degree of monopoly power and administrated pricing. Market power and an inelastic demand for retail bank products may also result from the existence of switching costs and asymmetric information costs. Switching costs may arise when bank customers consider switching from one bank to another, for example when a household intend to transfer its savings deposits from bank A to bank B. Costs of acquiring information and search and administrative costs are potentially important in markets where significant information or transaction costs exist. The costs are also expected to be high in markets with long-term relationships and repeated transactions (Sharpe, 1997). Generally the existence of switching costs results in market segmentation and reduces the demand elasticity (Klemperer, 1987). Moreover, even in the presence of small switching costs, the theory predicts that the smaller the proportion of customers that are new to the market, the less competitive prices will be. Thus, even with non-co-operative behaviour, switching costs result in a retail bank interest rate adjustment of less than one to a change in the market interest rate (Lowe and Rohling, 1992). Two main limitations are associated with this case study. First, we have not collected the financial performance data and therefore are not able to discuss cost effectiveness and profitability of the schemes. The second limitation is related to the drivers of customer loyalty in retail banking industry. Future investigations should focus on loyalty program component analysis, customer loyalty measures, customer attraction and profitability, and design and costs of loyalty programs. The findings suggest that the majority of the analyzed loyalty programs reward a repeat purchasing. The retail banks automatically record individual customers details and transactions that provide an opportunity for marketing people to organize segmentation and targeting, and create relationship marketing strategy as well as individual marketing offers to the clients. However, the research shows that the banks are basically concentrated on two customer segments the potentially profitable customers and the customers, who are willing to keep money in their bank accounts. Most of the retail bank loyalty programs offer their customers only a discount on the transaction costs. It could be viewed as an indirect price cut policy, which leads to the constant battle for the price. The critical issue for the most programs launched by the banks is to reinforce the value proposition of the bank brand, to enhance loyalty toward the brand, not just toward the rewards. Relationship marketing strategy and relationship based loyalty programs are important to retail banking service providers, because it is a right way to build relationship and loyalty. Furthermore, a conclusion is reached that retail banks are offering non-customized loyalty programs and that marketing specialists are not familiar enough with the factors that determine the choice of loyalty programs. Based on the results, loan securitization can be utilized as a strategic tool to soften the competition in the loan market. Like all financially troubled firms, a banks debt pricing strategy is likely to be driven by the need to generate cash to boost liquidity to fund investments or to raise short term profitability. The deposit pricing strategy chosen however may not be uniform and instead will depend on institutional factors and also segmentation between different classes of deposit investors. The most important institutional factor affecting pricing strategy of distressed banks is deposit insurance; the existence of fixed premium deposit insurance alters the nature of the more general creditor-owner conflict. For any distressed firm the incentive to generate funds to boost short-term profits or to gamble for survival exists; these funds in theory can be obtained directly through the financial markets. For most firms debt covenants make gambling difficult but for banks financing through depositors may be readily available to the extent deposit insurance exists. Because deposit insurance eliminates the incentive for depositors to monitor bank risk, it makes generating large amounts of funding, to use in risky investments, much easier. This seems to be, to a large extent what happened to financially distressed banks in U.K. during the time period studied. But the fact that all dimensions of bank deposit rates do not increase with distress and the fact that some increase more than others suggests that deposit insurance does not seem to be the only factor affecting bank deposit pricing strategy. Differences between classes of depositors allow banks to tailor deposit pricing strategies to best obtain funding in the most cost-effective way. Distressed banks tend to increase deposit rates only for the most investment oriented depositors (non-transaction account depositors) and do not significantly raise rates for the least investment oriented depositors (transaction account depositors). Additionally, not fully insured investment oriented (large time) depositors tend to be offered rates higher than mostly insured investment oriented (non-transaction non-large time) depositors. Thus distressed banks offer a premium both based on the increased risk (if deposits are uninsured) and for depositors being more investment oriented. Past works have generally suggested that troubled banks bid up deposit rates in a gamble for survival or that they may have to offer higher rates for uninsured depositors to compensate for the increased risk. The results suggest, that both explanations are partially correct in that they are both factors to varying degrees based on depositor class and that neither are significant factors for the least investment oriented depositors. The results provide fresh evidence that moral hazard is a issue in banking and moreover that it is increased by deposit insurance since distressed banks apparently raise rates less for investment oriented investors who have a larger portion of their deposits insured (non-large time non-transaction depositors) relative to more uninsured investment oriented investors (large time account depositors). The fact that deposit rates do not increase for transaction account holders as distress increases while other types of deposit rates increases is also important to consider; it suggest that moral hazard in conjunction with the convenience orientation of these depositors allows distressed banks to maintain this funding source at minimal cost regardless of risk. Thus the evidence suggests that both deposit insurance and the convenience orientation of a certain class of deposit investors imposes costs on the final creditor (the FDIC in this case) when a bank is in financial distress. Thus the results have important implications for regulators. The researcher documents the presence of positive duration dependence in relationships. In other words, firms become more likely to end a bank relationship as a relationship matures. Taken alone, this result suggests that the value of relationships decline through time, and those firms are able to end relationships early, possibly to avoid lock-in. This inference is strengthened by the fact that small, young, and highly-leveraged firms maintain the shortest relationships. Although theory suggests that such bank-dependent firms are the most susceptible to lock-in, our findings imply that switching costs are low enough to permit these firms to change banks often. Holding other firm characteristics constant, we show that competing bank relationships reduce the market power of any one bank, making long-term relationships more valuable. Although firms with multiple bank relationships terminate relationships frequently, they do so by terminating newer relationships and keeping long-term ones. Intuitively, the existence of alternative sources of bank credit reduces the ability for any one bank to threaten holdup. With lower holdup costs, a long-term relationship becomes more valuable to the multiple-bank firms. The researcher also finds some indication that firms terminate relationships as they outgrow their banks. Firms tend to switch from small banks to larger banks, and maintain the longest relationships with Norways two largest banks. However, we find no evidence that this preference for larger banks arises as a result of limited capacity at other banks. Instead, growing firms could prefer the higher quality services offered by the large banks. The evidence presented here should be useful to future theorists interested in modeling the value of bank relationships. However, one should take caution in drawing far-reaching conclusions from this study. Our data reveals very little about the actual nature of the relationships. We are unable to observe how the price and quantity of lending change over the course of the relationship and do not know the other types of banking services offered to customers in a bank relationship. Indeed, an ideal extension of this study would be to obtain a time-series of relationship-specific information about banks and their customers and examine the duration of the relationship as a function of relationship-specific variables. The constant effort of managers to stimulate customer loyalty involves customer integration in the firm value chain as a result of personalised marketing (Vesanen, 2007) aiming at intensifying the relationship between the supplier and its customers and increasing customer loyalty. Customer loyalty can be seen as a result of switching costs, opportunity costs and sunk costs based on technological, contractual and psychological obligations faced by a customer (Jackson, 1985; Riemer and Totz, 2003). All sources of these costs are based on the interaction with a customer during the course of integration. Switching costs increase due to the established trust towards the supplier and its capability to meet promised quality levels. If customers can be persuaded to invest significantly in a specific relationship, then sunk costs increase. Additionally, if customer satisfaction is positively influenced by customisation, then a customers opportunity costs increase as a defecting customer risks losing the net benefits of the current relationship (Riemer and Totz, 2003). However, not all companies will be able to draw profits from these saving potentials to a similar extent, regardless of whether they have already realised the existence of these effects. The degree of customer interaction is influenced by the characteristics of the good being  individualised, such as its complexity, the expenditures and the risks of its utilisation and  customisation. The paper contributes to the literature in identify new strength and weakness areas concerning the actual range of services offered by retail banks, the re-purchase intentions, the state of relationships with customers, and the competitors image positioning. The findings of this research suggest several implications also for marketing practitioners, as they validate the concept that relationship marketing orientation is critical for business performance. Firstly, since only when the satisfaction with the core service and relationship is high, the commitment will be higher, banks have to ensure that utmost importance is given to attributes like quality, product features, product availability etc. Moreover, the staff role is critical in understanding the customer needs and in satisfying them: the higher satisfaction will then increase customer retention. Secondly, relational switching costs can be increased only by investing in the soft or the relational assets (Nielson, 1996), in terms of various adaptations to favour the customer and also the investments in other soft assets like training for the working staff of the customers etc. Since the interaction is mostly interpersonal in nature, these outcomes hold major lessons for them. Finally, the moderating effect establishes that the investment in the relationship with the customer will raise the relational switching costs. This will help in customer retention, as the customer will not terminate the relationships even if the satisfaction is lower. It makes the entry of any other competitor difficult as he has had no investments in relationship so far. The findings of this study highlighted the strong role of social network in influencing consumer behaviour. Therefore, customers are more willing to participate and interact in the creation of the offer, since they feel a sense of belonging. Practitioners should encourage social network in order to minimise the switching behaviour (see for example the credit cards industry), upgrading their relationship perspective from customer relationship management to vendor relationship management (Berkman Center for Internet and Society). Minimisation of switching behaviour will lead to better customer retention, which will eventually lead to better bottom lines. Certainly, the analysis has some limitations, such as the sample size, the variables and the area considered; future research will be focused especially on the multiplicative variable, which was eliminated from the model probably due to the variables considered, in order to assess the joint effect of the three macro variables on customer loyalty. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that bank lending is characterized by borrower capture perhaps due to informational monopolies and other sources of switching costs -, as the firms that suffer most from increased market concentration are those that have no alternative lending sources. The efficiency gains of increased concentration are shared only with firms that hold loans from multiple banks. These informational switching costs become particularly relevant during episodes of rising market share. For instance, a firm that has established relationships with two banks that ex-post merge, losses its ability to limit lenders power through switching its funding source. Rising concentration and mergers thus produce borrower capture. Moreover, relationships are built through repeated contact between the client and particular bank officers. If these matches are broken over a merger, then valuable information on clients risk may be lost. The results point out to the fact that having alternative lending sources isolates firms from the adverse effects that rising concentration and mergers may convey. Thus our findings are consistent with the existence of informational monopolies and switching costs. Moreover, the efficiency gains that result from larger market shares are passed on only to clients that face lower switching costs. Switching costs are much lower if the firm holds loans from more banks, and can threat to move its business elsewhere if a lender charges higher interest rates. Alternatively, a firm that holds loans from multiple banks is more likely to face rate reductions when its lending source becomes larger and gains efficiency. Little is known about what governs recovery from banking crises. The first pass at these data uncover several robust patterns. Banks that are already in trouble tend to lend money to riskier clients. Another important factor for recovery is the size of the initial drop in profit during the onset of the distress. Third, it also matters the general climate of the bank after the financial shock. But no evidence was found that there was anything different about the banks that recovered from the downturn when many banks were distressed than during other periods. Fourth, recovery also depends the factors that the bank can control. Loan level data suggests that an important reason why the recovering banks manage defaults better is that they are tougher on extending credit to their riskiest customers. Regulators tend to disclose relatively little about what steps are taken with respect to banks that require intervention. Our findings suggest paying close attention to whether the distressed banks are being particularly vigilant in containing credit to high risk borrowers. To the extent they are not doing so, the regulators could push in this direction. For countries that have credit registers and credit ratings that are readily available this would be easy to implement. Likewise, where regulatory assessments concentrate on a CAMELS which means capitals, assets, management, earnings, liquidity and sensitivity to risk of the markets rating system, the supervisors might want to pay particular attention to the riskiest assets and customers. SME markets have a dimension that is local. This comes with entry barriers and switching costs and there is a room in exercising market power. In banking business both satisfaction and switching costs can be regarded as loyalty antecedents; however, satisfaction influence on loyalty is greater than the influence of switching costs. Researchers established a relationship between overall satisfaction and customer intentions to recommend a bank and to remain a customer. Despite the fact that financial products still are not differentiated, the customers in banking sector cannot make objective assessments of service quality, that is why the concept of trust is very important here. Switching costs inhibit a return to the local currency even after a successful stabilization effort. These well know incentive effects give rise to the conjecture that once de facto dollarization has reached a threshold, it may well persist, leading to the observation of dollarization hysteresis. Each of the foregoing indices depends upon a number of economic variables that reflect the relative incentives to hold the different assets described in both the denominator and numerator of each index. These incentives include relative rates of return as reflected by interest rate differentials, inflation differentials and exchange rate depreciation as well as the relative costs and benefits associated with network externalities, switching costs and risks of banking institutions. An empirical model was proposed for the strategic behavior of firms in the presence of switching costs. The models used the transition probabilities that are in strategic interaction of firms in order to derive equations that can be estimated. The proposed models novelty is its ability in extracting information for both the significance and magnitude of the switching cost. It can also extract information on the transition probabilities of the customers. In order to illustrate the model was utilized to a panel of banks in order to estimate the switching costs of bank loans in the market. We have found that the grand average point estimate of switching costs is about 4.1%, and may be as low as 0.2% when only banks with the largest loan portfolio are included in the definition of the market. When the market is defined according to the branch-network size the switching cost among the largest banks is about 2.1%. 23% of the customers added value is due to the phenomenon of lock in that is generated by the switching costs. As much as 35.0% of the banks market share is because of the bank-borrower relationship that is already established. The model estimates imply an average duration of bank-customer relationship of 13.5 years. All the above characteristics exhibit lower values for the group of larger banks whose loan portfolio is dominated by more mobile wholesale customers. To summarize, market bank loans switching costs are quite substantial and constitute a significant portion of the value of a marginal customer to the average firm. The presented technique may be applied to other markets in order to gain insight into the empirical regularity of switching costs. The major contribution from this study is that switching barriers affect significantly the level of customer retention, and also affect the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer retention. It does seem that switching costs could be used to predict consumers behaviour in the banking sector. Customer satisfaction has positive effects on the customer retention. Thus, manager may need to emphasize total satisfaction programme in an attempt to retain customers in the competitive banking market. However, the moderating role of switching barriers in the relationship between customer satisfaction and retention is indicative that for low involvement services as credit services switching barriers may play a big role in customers retention programme. Managers therefore, must significantly consider switching barriers and dimensions of customer satisfaction when making plans or focusing efforts in customer retention. The study attempts to differentiate the consequences of consumers behaviour in terms of exit and loyalty. However, the effect of switching barriers on consequence is significant only when customers consider to exit. One major area of future research is the role of government policy in creation and removal of switching barriers especially in a developing economy where government participation is crucial. Besides the switching cost, customer lock-in is essentially driven by relationship lenders informational advantage compared to outsider lenders. The researcher shows that higher switching cost, which can be thought to reflect greater concentration in local credit markets, does not necessarily lead to higher equilibrium profits in relationship lending. Adverse selection problem curtails price competition when the switching cost is low by discouraging outsider banks to make too aggressive bids. Threat of adverse selection gradually fades away as the insiders bank profits are reduced and the cost of switching banks increase. On the other hand, lack of competition starts to dominate for sufficiently high levels of switching cost, so that insider banks profits become increasing in this cost. The researchers finding runs counter to the Petersen-Rajan (1995) argument that competition is generally detrimental to relationship lending. The V-shaped pattern, however, is supported by recent empirical evidence in Elsas (2005) and, to some extent, in Kim et al. (2004). A clear tendency for a V-shaped relationship between availability of institutional debt and relationship lenders market power also arises in the empirical part of Petersen and Rajans (1995) own study. This is the case especially in the category of firms older than five years. The reason why the similar tendency does not emerge in start-up financing is probably because insider lenders informational advantage is not very pronounced in that category. If the model is solved assuming sufficiently inaccurate private information by the insider lender infinitesimal switching cost (=intense competition) is shown to lead to low profits and no clear-cut V-shaped relationship arises. The researcher also finds that allocation of financial resources is most efficient under intermediate market structures: low switching cost tends to augment adverse selection problem, while some of the good loan applicants are left without finance when the cost of switching banks is sufficiently high. However, if insider banks can invest in the accuracy of private information, the incentive to acquire information is stronger when the expected benefits from relationship lending are higher. Therefore more efficient information acquisition can potentially counterbalance the inefficiencies in resource allocation when the switching cost is either very low or high. According to our results, learning costs best explain perceived average costs, followed by continuity costs. Lost costs do not significantly explain perceived average costs. This regression tells us that to obtain a strong perceived average cost, one variable with a significant impact is learning costs. However, this variable is more difficult to manipulate. In addition, increasing learning costs may create induced loyalty, which would be perceived poorly. Clearly, making a financial institutions processes more complicated just to create barriers to leaving would not be a very good strategy. Continuity costs are a variable that financial institutions could control in order to achieve desired loyalty. For example, loyalty programs would grant customers special privileges. Customers would be less likely to leave, for fear of losing these benefits. Non-monetary privileges such as the increased availability of a financial advisor or simply the fact that an advisor knows a customers name can increase the switching costs perceived by customers. Banks can make substantial profits in some peoples eyes; they must also demonstrate transparency in their communications and position themselves as being in touch with their customers. They should not come across as cold businesses that are only care for people with money. They should welcome customers warmly and treat each one fairly, especially if they want to appeal to a younger population (18-30 years old). Younger customers should be treated in the same way and just as seriously as older customers. Switching costs have a minimal impact on loyalty even though, as we have observed, there is clearly a connection between perceived switching costs and loyalty. Nonetheless this variable is not a requirement in a loyalty strategy for young people. In summary, a loyalty program with special benefits for young people could be an effective part of a loyalty strategy, but financial institutions must first ensure that customers trust them and are satisfied with their products and services. This study also highlights the essential role of main bank power, measured by equity holdings, in enabling firms to change inside† banks. Apparently, switching to a new bank which holds equity of the firm reduces the switching costs. In addition, the researcher finds no evidence that main bank power has a material effect on firm performance, but it does affect the loan ratio by increasing the amount of credit with a term of one year or more. Banks with a high level of nonperforming loans are compelled to curtail lending due to their impaired financial health. In contrast, less capitalized banks are associated with higher loan ratio of their clients. Thus, the findings provide more fodder for the debate over the potential for banks to structure clients’ balance sheets. It is worth noting that whether and in what amount loans will be made is crucially dependent on the bank’s characteristics (i.e., how much money does it have to lend), whereas interest rates (measured by interest payments) are determined by the borrower’s creditworthiness. A core finding of this research is that firms perform worse after switching, which is in accordance with Degryse and Ongena (2001). Apparently, the firms that switch banks are seen as risky and, therefore, the new bank charges higher interest on the credit it grants. This is reasonable behavior on the part of banks as von Thadden (2004) argues that particularly low-quality firms are more likely to switch banks. It would be very interesting to discover how permanent this poorer performance is and to what extent bank health affects loan conditions. The issue of strong bank power implying high switching costs for firms is of great relevance to policymakers in that financial institutions tend to choose insufficient structures in the absence of sufficient competition and this situation can result in wealth redistribution in developing countries (Rajan, 2002). To guard against banks having excessive power, many developed countries set limits on the amount of equity a bank can hold in a single firm (Morck et al., 2000). This type of regulation is rare in emerging markets so far, making non-financial corporations quite susceptible to shocks generated in financial sector. Perhaps the most interesting empirical regularity uncovered in this study is that banking crises are not accompanied by substantial declines in bank deposits relative to GDP. Thus, while depositor runs have played a central role in the theoretical literature on banking crises, in practice they seem to be a sideshow at best. A possible explanation is that generous bank safety nets are present, and depositors have little to lose despite widespread insolvency in the banking system. However, our bank-level analysis indicates that deposits do decline in weaker, less profitable banks, suggesting that depositors are actively and accurately monitoring financial institutions. If funds withdrawn are re-deposited in healthier banks, than the stability of aggregate deposits can be reconciled with the evidence of runs on weaker banks. This is an issue that deserves further study. For instance, if indeed large scale reallocations of deposits occur following banking crises, how is the functioning o f the financial system affected? Can the payment system, the interbank market, and the supply of credit continue to work smoothly? Bank financial distress, be it the result of illiquidity or insolvency, may help propagating adverse shocks to the real economy if it forces banks to curtail lending to creditworthy borrowers. Banking crises do not seem to be followed by prolonged recessions: the slowdown in output growth is usually sharp but short-lived, with growth rates back to their pre-crisis levels in the second year after the crisis even though credit growth remains depressed. An open question for future research is how do firms finance the recovery in the immediate aftermath of a banking crisis, and at what stage if any — does the lack of bank credit become a hindrance to growth. The analysis of bank level data indicates that even healthier b

Monday, August 19, 2019

Comparing Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Kenneth Branaghs Frankenstei

Comparing Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Kenneth Branagh's Frankenstein Most Americans have some idea of who Frankenstein is, as a result of the many Frankenstein movies. Contrary to popular belief Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a scientist, not a monster. The "monster" is not the inarticulate, rage-driven criminal depicted in the 1994 film version of the novel. Shelley’s original Frankenstein was misrepresented by this Kenneth branagh film, most likely to send a different message to the movie audience than Shelley’s novel shows to its readers. The conflicting messages of technologies deserve being dependent on its creator (address by Shelley) and poetic justice, or triumph over evil (showed by the movie) is best represented by the scene immediately preceding Frankenstein’s monster’s death. In Shelley’s novel, the final picture of Frankenstein’s monster reveals important qualities of his inner nature; he is shown in the last moments of his life to be felling, fully conscious of his guilt, and firm in his decision to end his life. This is the conclusion of a long series of events providing insight into how the monster changed as a result of his creator’s actions and the actions of the people with whom he came in contact. Up until this final point, he has changed from being good and hopeful to being caught up in the desire for a companion, to being evil and only focused on revenge. All these changes are recounted by the monster himself in this scene. (Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine) He was at one point motivated by many good things like as virtue and honor, so much so that he wanted a companion to share in his happy life. â€Å"When I first sought it [sympathy], it was the love of virtue, the feelings of happiness and affec... ...iro portrayal of Frankenstein’s monster has created a false myth of an evil, unintelligent monster that is not at all similar to the one Shelley displays in her novel. Not only does the movie spread a false interpretation of Shelley’s work, it provides the public with no lasting message about technology or about the effects of misplaced human love. Shall we then seek revenge? Shall we destroy that what is evil? Of course not--Shelley gave us all to learn a lesson of tolerance and of correcting our mistakes. Perhaps if a more accurate film version of Frankenstein were available to the public, more people would be motivated to read the book and learn Shelley’s powerful message. Work cited Movies review of Frankenstein www.movietome.com movie review of Frankenstein www.literature.org/authors/shelley-mary/frankenstein The marry shelly novel (Frankenstein)