Descriptive Essay About Paradise Point - 1653 Words

Julianne De Armas Installment 2 I visited my place Paradise Point Resort and Spa for the second time. I continued to record my observations and my encounters. I then began to contemplate the history and timeline of how Paradise Point came about. For my second visit to Paradise Point I went at 4:30 on a Monday, with the weather being in the mid 80’s. There were vacationers, guests, and employees all occupying the island. According to my prior knowledge and my observations from last time I visited Paradise Point the animal life was a lot less active. When taking a stroll around the main pond there were plenty of ducks, both male and female, geese, seagulls and egrets. Also in the pond were thousands of lily pads that covered the waters†¦show more content†¦These 5 include Kumeyaay, Cupeno, Nothern Diegueno, Luiseno, and Cahuilla. During this time Paradise Point was probably a large 44- acre sand bar in the midst of the Tidal Marsh that Juan Cabrillo believed to have discovered when he landed at Mission Bay. Unfortunately Cabrillo was not impressed with the bay because it was not deep enough to accommodate his ships, so he left it. In 1852 the United States Army Corps attempted to prevent water from flowing into the San Diego River, this resulted in â€Å"False Bay† and the waters surrounding Paradise Point to become an estuary. This only last two years as two dams were eventually built on the North and South side to constrain the river. Then in the late 1800’s some recreational development that included hunting and fishing facilities were built but later destroyed by flooding. Finally in 1902 George Hall, the city horticulture commissions recommended that the 4600 acres of water be developed into an aquatic park. This is where Mr. Skirball, the movie producer and developer of Paradise Point entered the picture. He incorporated his filmmaking skills into making Vacation Island come to life and stay alive unlike his movie sets that are torn down after completion of the film. The once treeless island became a tropical; Hawaiian inspired hot spot for vacationers near and far. There are many factors that affect and impact Paradise Point whether it is positive or negative. In the lateShow MoreRelatedEssay about The Real Monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein991 Words   |  4 PagesIn this essay I will be discussing who really is portrayed as the monster in her gothic horror novel, Frankenstein or â€Å"The Modern Prometheus†. Frankenstein was written in 1816, (thought by many to be the first real science fiction novel) during the age of Romanticism and it tells the story of a selfish man, Victor Frankenstein, whose ambition conducts him to seek for supernatural powers and leads him to death. He is a young scientist, eager to discover something new, the key to life, help to makeRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Odyssey 1418 Words   |  6 Pagesretelling of his tale to the Phaià ¡kians, Odysseus recaptures the inward lost by means of descriptive heroic insight and over imagination of the external drama, skimming over his most fatal flaw - his ego. My argument in this essay is our hero’s ego and his continuous struggle with it causes the downfall for him and others . Odysseus’s need of recognition from his community for his kelos is always on the tipping point of not letting him go home; dancing around the near clutches of death and tempting theRead MoreEssay on A Christians Worldview1822 Words   |  8 Pagesbasis. †¢   Ã‚   I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Part One: What is a worldview?  Define what the term â€Å"worldview† means.   Use descriptive phrases to support your definition.  (25-50 words) What is a Worldview? 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If you find that the poets of the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf have givenRead MoreEssay on Jack Kerouacs On the Road and Allen Ginsbergs Howl3843 Words   |  16 Pagesthat had previously been reserved an artistic production of highbrow culture. Defining the terms culture and counterculture, as Raymond Williams’ extensive studies exhibit, thus both clarifies and complicates matters . In his 1958 essay, Williams notes that â€Å"culture has two aspects: the known meanings and directions, which its members are trained to and the new observations and meanings, which are offered and tested†¦ that it is always both traditional and creative. † Williams’ theoryRead MoreAn Analysis of H.G. Wells’ Short Stories â€Å"Mr Skelmersdale in Fairyland†, â€Å"the Door in the Wall† and â€Å"a Dream of Armageddon†14742 Words   |  59 Pagesmultitude of short stories, novels and scientific as well as political essays. 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After losing her farther at the age of eight, she suppressed her inner feelings and instead of reaching out to other people for comfort, she isolated herself withRead Morethatcher4803 Words   |  20 Pagesthe Magi† 2. Poems for individual reading: 1. William Shakespeare Sonnet 73 (â€Å"That time of year†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) 2. John Donne, â€Å"Holy Sonnet I† (â€Å"Thou hast made me†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ), â€Å"Holy Sonnet IX† (â€Å"If poisonous minerals†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ), 3. George Herbert, â€Å"Easter†, â€Å"Denial†, â€Å"Paradise† 4. Andrew Marvell, â€Å"On a Drop of Dew† 5. Richard Crashaw, â€Å"On the Wounds of our Crucified Lord† 6. Gerard Manley Hopkins, â€Å"Spring† Drama: William Shakespeare, Hamlet 1. Hopkins

D.T. Resistant Materials †Evaluation Free Essays

I feel that my product has fulfilled all of the essential criteria although some of the desired criteria aren’t fulfilled. This includes: * Incorporated Lights * A Combination of Materials * Be used for placing an object on top The reason behind these specifications not being fulfilled was mainly due to limitations or the way it would have to be incorporated into the design I chose. If I decided to incorporate lights, the price would have rose as well as me having to make the boxes more bulky making them a lot more difficult to move and customise. We will write a custom essay sample on D.T. Resistant Materials – Evaluation or any similar topic only for you Order Now A combination of materials wasn’t used because of complications and problems which I will explain later and to be used for placing an object on top, the product would become less customisable, however an add on could be designed for my product in the future which would allow this, but as current because of time scale and general problems (which I will explain) this is an unavailable feature. What it does and how good it is at doing it My product is designed to allow users to store objects such as books and paperwork in. Teenagers, my target audience, would be able to customise the product by adding different tops as well as a different combination of boxes of which came in two sizes. The system I designed allowed the boxes to be placed on top of each other as well as beside each other. After testing, I found that the average sized box fitted perfectly, mainly due to my research which I carried out earlier. Papers unfortunately didn’t fit without aid such as a folder or possibly something which allowed the paper to stand on end. Having said this, the product was perfectly able to stand the weight and the customisable feature with everything lining up with little add on features which gave room for error as well as being extra features to the set. After asking other 15/16 year olds, comments were very positive particularly with the engraved design on the side which matched with the add on spacers as well as the fact the boxes could be stacked or put on the side. They also liked the idea of the customisable top which could be turned into a different wide range of add-ons which could have been added to in the future if desired. There were few negative comments which were probably due mainly to pure politeness! Having said this, the ones I received were well constructed such as the fact that paper couldn’t be placed flat without it sticking out the side as well as the fact that the choice of finish allowed the pine to show which was of a colour too bright to some people’s preference. Modifications and/due to Problems One major problem I came up against was the fact that I was unable to cast a peg. This was due to limitations of knowledge on casting as well as the time limit I was restricted against. Our first trial was shown on my developing ideas section where only one half of the peg seemed to come out correctly. This, unfortunately, made me skip the variety of materials desired criteria. Another problem was accuracy. I was only making one of many of these products and because of this I opted to create the top plate by hand. Having done this I soon realised that it was very difficult and time consuming to get it correctly placed. Due to this fact I modified the size of the dowel from 8mm to 6mm which meant that the 8mm hole will now have 6mm slotted into it with the top plate. Because of time restrictions, it wasn’t possible to create other add-ons such as the CD rack I planned earlier on. Instead I opted in a different material which would make the product more appealing (aesthetically pleasing). Accuracy was also another problem which I faced when joining the boxes together. I originally planned to join the boxes directly against each other. Because of 8mm holes being in the top and the bottom, 8mm dowel had to be used and the fact is that there was no room for error which became a problem. I solved this by creating a spacer which contained 6mm dowel which would slot into both the bottom and top box. This was a viable solution. Design problems also caused the boxes to be connected sideways only one possible direction as the boxes would not slot into each other on one side. This problem was one which I didn’t fix as the boxes could still tessellate one way which made this problem very minor. How to cite D.T. Resistant Materials – Evaluation, Papers

The Factors of Ball Flight free essay sample

Much of our understanding of how to manipulate the flight of the golf ball was shrouded in mystery until the early sixties when Sir Aynsley Bridgland commissioned a team of researchers under the leadership of Alistair Cochran and John Stobbs to try and unearth the secret to the game of golf. After five years of pure research the end result was certainly not what he had wished for-the secrets were that there was none, there was no such thing as the perfect swing. The work done by physicist Alistair Cochran was certainly not in vain though. In fact the findings he and his team unearthed went on to completely change how the golf professional thought about teaching the golf swing. What they discovered was that there was no secret to producing the perfect swing because it simply did not exist. There were many good, bad and indifferent swings being used but if they followed the basic laws and principles they proposed that the results would be basically the same. In this assignment we will look at many of the principles Cochran arrived at and utilize them to explain the effect a non square impact has on a golf shot. We will analyze the two of the three possible impact positions-open and closed impact positions, and how coupled with an out to in swing path can result in a variety of shots. We will also analyse how loft plays a role in effecting the degree to which shape, trajectory and distance these resulting shots go. For this assignment we will assume that the golfer is right handed, using a 5 iron of a flat hitting surface and striking the ball in the centre of the clubface. Ball flight laws Before we look at a specific type of swing path it is important to have a basic grasp of the ball flight laws as the primary focus of this piece will be the impact factors. These are entirely based on what the club head is doing at the moment it strikes the ball, known as impact. There are five impact factors, these are as follows: ? Swing Path, ? Club head Speed, ? Angle of Approach ? Clubface Aim ? Centeredness of Strike The following table explains each law in more detail Law |Characteristics | |Speed |The velocity with which the club head is travelling at | | |impact. Club head Speed effects how far the ball goes, | | |as well as the trajectory and shape of the resulting | | |shot. | |Centeredness |The exactness with which the ball makes contact on the | | |face of the club relative to the sweet spot. Contact | | |could be either on the centre, toe, and heel, above or | | |below the sweet spot. | |Path | The direction of the arc travelled by the club head in| | |the backswing an d downswing. Its line of travel at | | |impact is one of the primary factors influencing | | |direction for a full shot | | | The degree at which the leading edge of the clubface | |Face |is at right angles to the swing path. It determines the| | |accuracy of the balls flight along that line, or | | |produces a left or right curve away from that line. | |Angle of Approach | The angle formed by the arc of the clubhead on the | | |downswing in relation to the ground. Due to its | | |influence on the balls spin rate, the trajectory and | | |the distance the ball travels will be affected by this | | |angle | From these impact factors we can take nine recognised ball flights (The PGA, 2007). The illustration bellow depicts each one. For the assignment at hand we are to look at an over the top swing path with a non square impact position. In this case two-impact factors above all others influence, these are clubface position at impact and swing path. Firstly however wee will look at loft and the effects it has on the golf shot. Loft Every golf club including putters have loft. Loft is the inclination of the club face from vertical. A typical clubs loft is as follows club |loft (degrees) | |putter |0 to 6 | |driver |6 to 13 | |fairway woods |13 to 28 | |irons |17 to 49 | |wedges |49 to 64 | Loft is responsible for two primary effects. These are; †¢ It, as the name suggests, gives the ball lift and ensures the ball leaves the face at a higher angle than the angle of attack. †¢ It imparts back spin. Energy is transferred from the club head into both forward momentum and ball rotation. It is important to remember that the more loft on the club the more back spin that is imparted and the less forward momentum as a result. This is the primary reason a less lofted club will fly farther than one with more loft, in this context the shaft length is negligible. Dynamic loft It is vital to understand that the â€Å"loft† of a club and a clubs â€Å"dynamic loft† are two different entities entirely. We have previously discussed the term loft but effective loft is much much different. The effective loft is the loft a club has at impact and is determined by five primary factors-the five ball flight laws which we earlier mentioned. each of these factors,centredness of strike, club head speed, angle of approach, club face aim and the swing path all have a great bearing on the fashion by which the ball comes off the face and thus the effective loft. The following table denotes a perfect example of the effects of dynamic loft at impact [pic] as we can see from the table there is a difference of some 30 yards between the longest and shortest drive which all comes down to the dynamic loft acting on the ball at impact. This table also brings up another important point. -the angle of approach directly correlates to the trajectory of the shot. As we have mentioned earlier a higher loft results in a higher trajectory and less forward momentum but a higher angle of approach also result in a number of differences, these are †¢ The higher the angle of approach the lower the initial trajectory. †¢ The higher the angle of approach the higher the rate of spin †¢ The maximum initial height (launch angle) will be produced by presenting the maximum loft to the ball with the shallowest angle of approach. Producing the optimal angle of approach will maximise launch conditions (spin rate and launch angle) and optimise the distance the shot goes Curvature and direction As previously stated Energy is transferred from the club head into both forward momentum and ball rotation. Loft bears a great influence on how this energy is transferred into both forms. A lower loft on a club results in an increase in side spin and less backspin, for this reason a non square impact with lower lofts result in a greater curvature of the ball than that with a more lofted club. This is also the same with direction-a non square strike results in a greater range of dispersion in lower lofted club as compared to that of a more lofted club. Loft, path and face combinations In the scenario at hand we are to analyse the resultant shots from an out to in swing path, an appropriate angle of approach, 100km/h club head speed with a centred strike. And a non square impact position. In addressing these factors only two laws become a factor in the shot shape, these are 1. swing path 2. clubface aim We will now take a deeper look at the effect of each impact factor and how they effect the resulting shot shape. The Swing Path The definition of swing path is â€Å"The direction of the path immediately before, during and immediately following impact† (PGA, 2008). As the golf swing is rounded in its execution straight shots would have a swing path of inside to square to inside (Jacobs, 1979). Therefore, if it is accepted as to what swing path results in zero curvature then by introducing an out to in swing path. This is defined in the PGAs year one golf coaching study guide as â€Å"The clubheads line of travel at impact† (PGA, 2008 p 9). Jacobs (1979) agrees with Cochran et al. s he states that if the clubhead is not moving directly toward or in a straight line to your target it has to be travelling to the left or to the right of the golfers intended destination. Humans must in order to make the ball go straight, swing the club on an inside-straight-inside arc. By inside it is meant that if a line were drawn from the golf ball to the flagstick and back further behind the golf ba ll, the club would travel back inside that line to the top of the backswing and return down from inside the line to square at impact. The clubhead would then go straight through the ball at impact and follow through to the left of the line or inside as the player proceeds to the follow through position. This imaginary line will be known hereafter as the ball to target line. The next question must be then, what are the alternatives to an inside-straight-inside swing path? Firstly, if we take it that the clubface is always square to the swing path there are two possible results. The club could travel on an in-to-out swing path, which will send the golf ball to the right of the target. Conversely as in the above scenario, the club could travel on an out-to-in swing path, which will send the golf ball to the left of the desired target (Jacobs, 1979). This shot is commonly known as a pull, where the ball starts and goes in a straight line to the left of the target. Jack Nicklaus confirms this view in his 1974 book, â€Å"Golf My Way†. Nicklaus defines a pull shot as â€Å"Your clubface is looking in the same direction the clubhead is travelling. The trouble is that you are swinging from out-to-in across your target line† (Nicklaus, 1974 p25-26). He describes the push in exactly the same way except that the club is travelling from inside-to-out in relation to the ball to target line. Toski and Flick (1978) confirm this analysis of swing path. All these opinions are based on the clubface being square to the path; however it must now be asked â€Å"What would happen if the clubface were not square to the path at impact? † Clubface Condition at Impact and Initial Ball Direction To recap, the reason that the ball will travel in a straight line is that a clubface that is square to the path will impart only one type of spin on the golf ball, backspin. Cochran and Stobbs, 1968). Thus the ball will only spin vertically and stay on a straight line. However, the clubface may not be pointing at a ninety degree angle and perfectly square with the swing path. Thus if it is pointing to the left of the ninety degree angle, the clubface would be labelled as â€Å"Closed† or if it were pointing to the right of that angle the clu bface would be termed â€Å"Open† (Jacobs, 1979). These clubface positions are the vital ingredient in sidespin being imparted on the golf ball, which leads to curvature of the golf ball. Therefore, depending on the swing path along with the clubface condition at impact one of the nine common ball flights will be achieved. Initial Ball Flight Direction Toski et al. (1978) and Cochran et al. (1968) reinforce the relationship between these two laws concurring that this is what ultimately defines the initial starting direction of the ball flight. This starting point will be somewhere in between the direction of the swing path and the clubface aim. Finally they concur that the ball will begin in a direction that is closer to the clubface aim direction. Initial Ball Flight Direction [pic]= Swing Path= Face Aim = Initial Ball Flight Direction = Ball to target Line The above diagram depicts the initial flight direction on a draw shot To summarise, Jacobs (1979, p. 26) describes it very plainly â€Å"If the clubface is facing to the left of its’ path, the ball will curve to the left of that directional path. If it faces to the right of the path, the ball will curve to the right†. So for a draw shot it can be assumed that the clubface is slightly closed to the path but how exactly is it controlled and executed? The resultant shot shapes from the scenario The scenario provided can result in a myriad of shots all of which derive from the club face position at impact, these shots are as follows †¢ Square club face-the pull: the ball starts left of the target and fly’s without curvature in a straight line, finishing left of the target. †¢ Shut club face-the pull hook: the ball starts left of the target and then curves left in the air, finishing well to the left of the target †¢ Open club face-this offers two shot shapes 1. he fade: the ball starting to the left of the target and curves to the left, finishing on the target 2. the slice: the ball starts left of the target and curves to the right, finishing well to the right of the target We will now look at each of these shots in more detail The square club face: The pull As previously mentioned the pull shot is a result of a square face to an out to in swing path. The pull: the ball starts left of the target and fly’ s without curvature in straight line, finishing left of the target. This shot itself fly’s just as a straight shot but directly to the left. This shot should fly approximately the same distance as a normally struck straight shot with a normal trajectory and flight The shut club face: The pull hook The pull hook shot results in the ball start left of the target and then curves left in the air, finishing well to the left of the target. The shot itself will have a lower trajectory due to the closed club face which delofts the club at impact and as a result send the shot low to the left –the severity of which depends on how closed the face itself is to the swing path. The delofting of the club face also plays a crucial part in the over all distance travelled by the shot with a more severely shut face comes a greater loss in distance. The open club face: The fade and the slice The open faced impact with an over the top swing path throws two shot shapes which is down to relationship- of the club face to the ball to target line. In a slice the ball starts left of the target and curves to the right, finishing well to the right of the target.

Theme Of False Reality In King Lear Essays - King Lear,

Theme of False reality in King Lear In Shakespearean terms, being blind means something entirely different than our common day view. Blindness can normally be defined as the inability of the eye to see, but according to Shakespeare, blindness is not a physical quality, but a mental flaw some people possess. In other words, it's the ability to see life not from an openly logical point of view, but instead through their emotions and false pretenses that are the base of their societyShakespeare's most dominant theme in his play King Lear is that of blindness. King Lear, Gloucester, and Albany are three prime examples Shakespeare incorporates this theme into. Each of these character's blindness was the primary cause of the bad decisions they made; decisions which all of them would eventually come to regret. The blindest bat of all was undoubtedly King Lear. Because of Lear's high position in society, he was supposed to be able to distinguish the good from the bad; unfortunately, his lack of sight prevented him to do so. Lear's first act of blindness came at the beginning of the play. First, he was easily deceived by his two eldest daughters' lies, then, he was unable to see the reality of Cordelia's true love for him, and as a result, banished her from his kingdom with the following words: ..................................for we Have no such daughter, nor shall ever see That face of her again. Therefore be gone Without our grace, our love, our benison. (Act I, Sc I, Ln 265-267) Lear's blindness also caused him to banish one of his loyal followers, Kent. Kent was able to see Cordelia's true love for her father, and tried to protect her from her blind father's irrationality. After Kent was banished, he created a disguise for himself and was eventually hired by Lear as a servant. Lear's inability to determine his servant's true identity proved once again how blind Lear actually was. As the play progressed, Lear's eyesight reached closer to 20/20 vision. He realized how wicked his two eldest daughters really were after they locked him out of the castle during a tremendous storm. More importantly, Lear saw through Cordelia's lack of flatterings and realized that her love for him was so great that she couldn't express it into words. Unfortunately, Lear's blindness ended up costing Cordelia her life and consequently the life of himself. Gloucester was another example of a character who suffered from an awful case of blindness. Gloucester's blindness denied him of the ability to see the goodness of Edgar and the evil of Edmund. Although Edgar was the good and loving son, Gloucester all but disowned him. He wanted to kill the son that would later save his life. Gloucester's blindness began when Edmund convinced him by the means of a forged letter that Edgar was plotting to kill him. Gloucester's lack of sight caused him to believe Edmund was the good son and prevented him from pondering the idea of Edmund being after his earldom. Near the end of the play, Gloucester finally regained his sight and realized that Edgar saved his life disguised as Poor Tom and loved him all along. He realized that Edmund planned to take over the earldom and that he was the evil son of the two. Gloucester's famous line: I stumbled when I saw (Act IV, Sc I, Ln 20-21) was ironic. His inability to see the realities of his sons occurred when he had his physical sight but was mentally blind; but his ability to see the true nature of his sons occurred after having his eyes plucked out by the Duke of Cornwall. Fortunately, the consequences of Gloucester's blindness throughout the play was minimal, after all, he was the only one to die as a result of his tragic flaw. Albany was another character suffering from the classic case of blindness, but luckily for him, he survived his battle. Albany's case of blindness was purely a result of the love he had for Goneril. Although he disapproved of Goneril's actions, he would only mildly argue his case. When Goneril forced Lear to reduce his army so that he could stay in their castle, Albany protested: I cannot be so partial, Goneril, To the great love I bear You - (Act I, Sc IV, Ln 309-310) Albany's deep devotion to Goneril blinded him from the evil she possessed. His inability to realize how greedy and mean Goneril was after she flattered Lear with a bunch of lies and then kicked him out of their home, just goes to show you how much Albany

Language Trends in Vietnam

Language Trends in Vietnam Free Online Research Papers 1. Preface According to a Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, â€Å"By such innovations are language enriched, when the words are adopted by the multitude, and naturalized by custom.† Actually, there have been many innovations in every language all over the world, especially in the situation of growing globalization nowadays. The innovation can be the adaptation of foreign language, especially the technical words and common communication language. Moreover, it also can be the modification in the local language itself, which is facilitated by new technology, namely internet and mobile phones. The using of internet and mobile phones is so popular that people has created a system of alphabet and words for that community. It is unknown that who has created these modifications, however, it is obvious that it has been being widely spread out and accepted among the adolescence. This kind of written language system has been used unanimously. 2. Introduction The trend of modifying written language has happened in Vietnam in recent years and caused many contrast opinions in the society. While the young people enjoy styling their written language, most of the older people feel inconvenient and dissatisfied with that type of writing. The modified Vietnamese has suffered a lot of criticisms from the rest of the society who do not use it. They has used many arguments and showed their opinions via the media like newspapers. Within a few recent years, there were many articles from both professional journalists, experts in different fields and the citizens published to criticize the modified language. It seems to be a disagreement among generations and communities in Vietnamese society. Therefore, this research is to summarize the arguments from the opposers in various articles and provide some positive aspects of this trend then suggest some recommendations to bridge the gap between the two viewpoints. 3. Discussion of the real situation of modifying Vietnamese There are many trends in styling the written language among the youth’s weblogs nowadays. Initially, the modification resulted from the adaptation to express the marks for changing in tone and some special words in Vietnamese. Specifically, the symbol â€Å"*† stands for the bracket in the letter â€Å"?† and â€Å"?†, â€Å"^† for the circumflex in â€Å"à ´Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ , â€Å"(â€Å" in â€Å"?†. As the time goes by, the modification becomes more and more complex and turns into a medium which not only to communicate Vietnamese fully but also to satisfy the creativity in using language of the young generation. It can be partly illustrated in the table below (Thy). Original letters Modified letters Examples Before styling After styling a e lm sao là ¨m seo à ´ ? u hà ´m nay tr?i ?i hum nay trà ¹i ui b p bà ³ tay pà ³ tay qu w bi quan bi wan c ch k thà ­ch thik ià ª à ª i bi?t ch?t bà ­t chà ­t ph f ph?i f?i i j xinh xjnh gi j z gi?i thà ­ch j?i thik d v z và ¬ v?y zà ¬ z?y It is observed that some letters in the English alphabet is also integrated, namely â€Å"f†, â€Å"w†, â€Å"z†, â€Å"j†. The rule is that the substitutes all have the very similar pronunciations and the shorter writing styles in comparison with the original letters. For example, in stead of combining two individual letters â€Å"p† and â€Å"h† in order to create the complete letter â€Å"ph†, the English letter â€Å"f† can be used while the sound and the meaning of the words still remain fully (Thy). It is not the first introduction of using English elements in Vietnam. That Vietnamese tend to replace or add some common English words in the conversations has appeared for a long time. And now, it is the turn of some English letters which have similar sounds and shorter length in use (â€Å"Bang chu cai danh cho chatter†). In addition to the Westernization, another popular trend can be called â€Å"the numberization†. While the principle of Westernization relies merely on the sound, the numberization is more complex. It is implemented according to a variety of rules, often the association of both sound and shape, and even other languages such as English and Han Viet language. In term of shape, it is found that some letters have the similar shape with some correlative numbers; therefore, the idea of substituting some numbers is raised. In this case, many young people type â€Å"4† for â€Å"A† and â€Å"3† for â€Å"E† through many entries in their own weblogs. Besides, there are also several cases which is based on the sound, for example, in Han Viet language, the number â€Å"7† sounds like the word â€Å"th?t† which means loss or failure, therefore, â€Å"7 luv† is supposed to refer the lovelorness. Similarly, the word â€Å"chatting† ca n be only written down in the number â€Å"8† (â€Å"Bang chu cai danh cho chatter†). While some ways to style the language rely on some rule, others are carried out without any reasonable reasons. In this way, some letters are replaced by other letters regardless of their different pronunciations, shapes, or origins. Indeed, although â€Å"a† and â€Å"e† are absolutely pronounced in different way, the youth still tend to substitute â€Å"e† for â€Å"a†. The real situation of the debate in the press Actually, in recent years, this trend has already become a controversial topic and be successively mentioned in various newspapers and magazines. Until now, there were at least 17 articles about this topic. The majority (53%) were against this trend. Among those oppose articles, 2 out of 3 were personal opinions of the authors and there were 2 authors asked for the professional opinions especially from the lecturers, teachers and professors. In addition to the articles, some magazine, especially online magazines have collected the opinions from their readers. Last month, VnExpress received 36 responses for an article about this trend. Of the 36 people commented, up to 26 people, including 10 teenagers and adolescences objected to this modifications. 4. Opposed opinion from the articles The first argument is that these modifications are destroying the pureness of Vietnamese. Do Tien Thang, linguistic lecturer of Vietnam national university, Hanoi, told in Family magazine that language results from the habit, if this kind of habit which does not conform any standard is not be criticized and abolished, Vietnamese will be variant dangerously. Secondly, it is believed that these modifications are responsible for the poorness of soul, the lack of artistic, literary and linguistic skill among the people who use them frequently. According to Doctor Huynh Van Son, dean of educational psychology department, Ho Chi Minh City University of pedagogy, being under the influence of this kind of communication, people cannot be able to use and feel the beauty of their mother tongue (Mai). Finally, there are many complains in the various articles that it is too complicated to understand a writing of people belongs to this trend, mostly the young people. There is an increasing of the modified words appear in the academic environment, even a very serious exam like the entrance exam (Quynh). That is the report of many teachers in different grades, from secondary schools to university. Linguist lecturer Do Tien Thang from National University, Hanoi claimed that he could not understand those exam papers to mark. Those arguments lead to a common agreement that there must be some remedy for the problems. Many solutions rose by some professors that the mass communications should take the primary role in promoting a movement of using the original and official language. Particularly, professor Nguyen Nhu Y suggests launching a national program which involves the whole society, including schools, offices, newspapers, government and so on to orient the using of Vietnamese (Anh, Hoi) 5. Personal opinion about the situation It should be aware that this trend has happened in not only Vietnam but also other countries in the world even for a long time. Typically, English chatters and bloggers must be very familiar with â€Å"2day†, â€Å"B4†, â€Å"XOXO†, â€Å"thx†, â€Å"CUL8R† or â€Å"x†. Moreover, these unofficial words can also be found in a very famous and prestigious dictionary published by Oxford University Press. In fact, this trend has spread out in each individual language whether it is Latin or hierograph. MA Pham Dieu Ngoc (Sungkonghoe University, Korea) told Student newspaper that in Korean, â€Å"kurotchi† which means â€Å"really?† is expressed by â€Å"kuchi† and son seng nim (teachers) supersedes â€Å"sem† and so on. However, the difference between Vietnam and these countries places on the way the society facing the phenomenon. While Vietnam criticizes and appeals to prevent it, others seem to be more optimistic and a ccept it. It leads to a suspicion that whether the arguments that people provide to criticize the new language style of the youth is totally true. Opinion toward the arguments from articles Firstly, scanning through many articles in different newspapers and magazines, some negative words such as â€Å"crisis†, â€Å"trash†, â€Å"dangerous† appear so frequently that we have reason to worry about the unbiasness of these. Indeed, among 17 different articles about this topic, up to nine of them used those unsympathetic words for when mentioning this trend. Of the nine opposed articles, the majority is purely personal opinions of the authors. Only the author of â€Å"Ngon ngu blog lam hong tieng Viet† included opinions from the people who using this kind of language, however, in spite of those advocates, the conclusion is still against this trend. In addition, this trend cannot be blamed for the degradation of the young people’s soul and linguistic skill. Indeed, a recent study of Professor Sali Tagliamonte and Derek Denis of Toronto University, Canada can prove that truth. In their research work published in New Scientist magazine, the authors stated that these modifications not only have no negative effect on communicative competence of the youth but also give them a chance to play with language. Some suggestions about the good side of this trend The modified language has its own advantages toward the people use it, especially to the youth who is considered the founders of this language. It reflects the creativity to change the origins and the dare to express their thoughts regardless of many criticisms. It is also their adaptation to the technology and computer era. For example, when composing a message in a mobile phone, every letter â€Å"i† is replaced by â€Å"j† because it takes up to three time pressing the button to get â€Å"i†, while only one time for â€Å"j†. It is obvious that this adjustment aims to save time and bring about the convenience. The need of typing as fast as possible when communicating via the internet causes a trend to shorten many words. Following that trend, the diphthong such as â€Å"ià ªÃ¢â‚¬  becomes â€Å"i†, for example, the word â€Å"bi?t† is express by â€Å"bà ­t† and the letter â€Å"n† in double consonants such as â€Å"ngâ € , â€Å"nh† disappears when it stands at the end of the words, for example â€Å"tr?ng tinh† turns into â€Å"tr?g tih†. Beside the speed, these modifications also function as a means to show the emotion and the state of mind. Actually, the language used to communicate on the internet is mainly written language which easily drives the communicators to misunderstanding each other. It is impossible to guess whether that person is joking, sulky or angry by the rigid words. Hence, these modifications in written language can be counted as the tone in spoken language. MA Pham Dieu Ngoc also found out from his survey that because communicating in the internet is mainly through the carcass of letters, so people try to transmit the soul into them, make them lively. That the youth has created a fresh system of letters and words in order to meet the demand of communicating conveniently can reflect a big change in the history, the era of internet and mobile phone. In fact, these modifications have appeared in the time that internet and mobile phone is largely used by the youth and also implements their functions via these media. If there were no Doi moi policy, no innovation in economy, no big improvement in living standard and no growing popularity of means of communication and information such as internet and mobile phone, there had been no modifications in Vietnamese at all. Therefore, it should be considered a part of the developing history of Vietnam, which reflects a big change in the face of the society just within some decades. While many professors in various fields are worrying about losing the original language, they have no idea that they are also ignoring a part of current language which will be a part of history in the future, as an American poet and essayist in 19th century Lalph Waldo Emerson quoted, â€Å"Language is the archives of history.† Thailand has already experienced such situation when they now cannot understand some words in the documents from Rama V dynasty because the linguists in that time forgot to collect and transmit to the following generations. Therefore, to prevent the repeat of history, Thailand now starts to study and store the language of the youth (Phuong). Recommendation It cannot be denied that this trend contributes to cause the generational and intellectual conflicts in the society. The parents cannot understand their children’s language, the teachers cannot read their students’ papers and so on. This situation does happen due to the lack of the full awareness from the users. When asked about this problem in the survey of VNExpress, 10 people agreed that the problem lies on the behaviors of the users, not the modifications themselves. Not all of these people follow this trend but they all still respect it. Therefore, if there is any national program for this phenomenon, it should be an orientation for the young people to use this kind of language in a right place and at a right time, not an absolute prevention of using it. It is not a difficult task because the thoughtless using can bring to the very users the immediate consequences such as bad marks, bad relationships and so on. 6. Conclusion It is not easy for anything new to be accepted by the whole society. Despite many objections, there is nothing wrong with using some innovations in written language within a community and environment that all of the users and communicators can understand. Therefore, the experts should be fully aware of the current situation in order to define the right problem which does not lie in creating and using the modified Vietnamese but using it inappropriately. In my opinion, this kind of language should be let be in its own way because it only can exist if it is appropriate, if not, it will be eliminated and replaced by another trend. Works cited Anh H., and Hoi T. Tieng Viet Dang Khung Hoang. Khoa Hoc Va Doi Song 22 Apr. 2008. Bat Mach Xu Huong Ngon Ngu Cua Cu Dan Mang. Tien Phong Online 12 Feb. 2007. 20Apr.2008 . Huong M. Thuong Qua Tieng Viet Oi. 17 Jan. 2007. 20 Apr. 2008 . Ngon Ngu Sanh Dieu Nhung Noi Sai Tieng Me De. Netmode 29 Dec. 2004. 20 Apr. 2008 . Le, Hoang. Tieng Viet Trong Xu the Hoi Nhap. Vietnamnet 6 June 2004. 20 Apr. 2008 . Tieng Viet Ngoai Luong Vietnamnet 27 Dec. 2006. 20 Apr. 2008 . Tieng Viet Meo Mo Trong the Gioi Blog. VNExpress 11 Sept. 2006. 20 Apr. 2008 . Quynh H. Ngon Ngu Blog Lam Hong Tieng Viet. Gia Dinh 10 Feb. 2008. Le, Anh. 8x, 9x Lam Lu Mo Tieng Viet. (2007). 20 Apr. 2008 . Bang Chu Cai Danh Cho Chatter. Thehe 8x 7 Jan. 2008. 20 Apr. 2008 . Ngoc M. â€Å"Lam Ngon Ngu @.† Thanh Nien Online 18 May 2006. 20 Apr. 2008 . â€Å"Ngon Ngu Sanh Dieu Nhung Noi Sai Tieng Me De.† Vietnamnet 29 December 2004. 21 Apr. 2008 . Linh P. â€Å"Ngon Ngu Thoi @.† Cong An nhan dan 1 June 2007. Du, Thy. â€Å"Thang Tram Ngon Ngu Mang Cua Teen.† Muctimonline 5 December 2007. 2 June 2008. . â€Å"Bien The Moi Cua Ngon Ngu @.† Tuoi tre 18 April 2008. Phuong V. â€Å"Dung Hot Hoang Voi Ngon Ngu Tuoi Teen.† Thanh Nien Online 15 August 2007. 21 Apr. 2008 . Le, Hoang. â€Å"Nen Chang Co Nhung Cach Tan.† Vietnamnet 6 June 2004. 20 Apr. 2008 . Trong, Cam â€Å"Nhan Tin Khong Huy Hoai Ngon Ngu.† Vietnamnet 20 May 2008. 1 June 2008 . â€Å"Dang Cap Xi Tin Khong Phai O Bien Dang Ngon Ngu.† Online posting. 19 April 2008. 1 Jun 2008 . â€Å"Dau Dau Moi Mat Vi Ngon Ngu Blog.† Online posting. 19 April 2008. 1 Jun 2008 . â€Å"Dung Ngon Ngu @ Hop Li Thi Khong Co Gi Dang Ban.† Online posting. 19 April 2008. 1 Jun 2008 . â€Å"Kho Chiu Vi Thu Ngon Ngu Cua Dan Teen.† Online posting. 19 April 2008. 1 Jun 2008 . â€Å"Khong Chap Nhan Thu Ngon Ngu Quai Di.† Online posting. 19 April 2008. 1 Jun 2008 . â€Å"Khong Phai Cu Lam Giong Teen La Tre.† Online posting. 19 April 2008. 1 Jun 2008 . â€Å"Ngon Ngu @ Sang Tao Nhung Khong Nen Lam Dung.† Online posting. 19 April 2008. 1 Jun 2008 . â€Å"Tiep Xuc Ngon Ngu @ La Mot Cach Giai Tri.† Online posting. 19 April 2008. 1 Jun 2008 Research Papers on Language Trends in VietnamComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfQuebec and CanadaPETSTEL analysis of IndiaHip-Hop is ArtRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever Product

Presentar moción para reabrir un caso de deportación

Presentar mocià ³n para reabrir un caso de deportacià ³n La mocià ³n para reabrir un caso es una posibilidad que las leyes de inmigracià ³n permiten para luchar una orden de deportacià ³n en circunstancias concretà ­simas. Requisitos previos para poder presentar una mocià ³n para reabrir un caso Tiene que haber una orden de deportacià ³n.El extranjero contra el que se ordena la deportacià ³n tiene que estar presente en Estados Unidos. Si deja el paà ­s, voluntariamente o forzosamente, la mocià ³n se considera abandonada. Tampoco aplica si el extranjero salià ³ de Estados Unidos y despuà ©s regresà ³ ilegalmente.  ¿Cules son las circunstancias que permiten que pueda presentarse una mocià ³n para reabrir un caso? Para que una mocià ³n para reabrir un caso ya sentenciado y que acabà ³ con un orden de deportacià ³n sea admitida debe alegarse: a) ha habido un cambio en la ley o pueden aplicarse argumentos legales que no se tuvieron en cuenta b) no se tuvieron en consideracià ³n ciertos aspectos del caso. Como ejemplos, aunque hay ms, pueden nombrarse: Cuando se puede alegar circunstancias como tener derecho a una green card por matrimonio con un ciudadano americano o residente, empleo, TPS, etc.Cuando se aprueba una ley de inmigracià ³n que favorecerà ­a al extranjero.Cuando el abogado que defendià ³ al extranjero en el caso de deportacià ³n no fue profesional y no tuvo en cuenta plazos, notificaciones, argumentos legales, etc.  ¿Cul es el plazo para presentar una mocià ³n para reabrir? El plazo es de 30 dà ­as pero se computa de manera diferente si la decisià ³n de la deportacià ³n procede de un juez de inmigracià ³n o del tribunal de apelaciones (BIA, por sus siglas en inglà ©s). En casos especiales en los que la deportacià ³n se ordenà ³ in abstentia, es decir, sin que el extranjero afectado estuviese presente, podrà ­a reabrise el caso incluso aà ±os ms tarde si se puede probar que no se enterà ³ de que tuviese en su contra esa orden de deportacià ³n y que no fue su culpa la razà ³n por la que no acudià ³ a la vista en la que se ordenà ³ su expulsià ³n del paà ­s. Por ejemplo, si puede demostrar que nunca recibià ³ la citacià ³n, o que estaba muy enfermo y por esa razà ³n no acudià ³. Por ejemplo, hay personas que llevan aà ±os en Estados Unidos como indocumentadas y sin enterarse que tienen en su contra una orden de deportacià ³n. Y puede que algunos de ellos con el paso de los aà ±os se casen con un ciudadano o con un residente y podrà ­an tener abierta la puerta a obtener una tarjeta de residencia por matrimonio. En estos casos habrà ­a que considerar muy seriamente con un abogado de inmigracià ³n si es posible reabrir el caso de la orden de deportacià ³n de la que durante aà ±os no supieron ni que existà ­a. En todo caso, estos asuntos son delicadà ­simos y antes de hacer nada, presentar escritos o acudir a una oficina de inmigracià ³n es muy recomendable obtener buen consejo legal especà ­fico para el caso de cada uno y averigà ºar si hay o no una orden de deportacià ³n en contra.  ¿Cà ³mo se solicita una mocià ³n para reabrir un caso? Con el formulario del Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) con el nà ºmero I-290B. El arancel por este servicio es de $630. Para asegurarse de que el USCIS ha recibido la documentacià ³n dentro de plazo puede solicitarse ese servicio. Consecuencias Es muy importante entender que la presentacià ³n dentro de plazo de una mocià ³n para reabrir un caso no paraliza la orden de deportacià ³n, que sigue su curso. Excepto que asà ­ lo decida el juez de inmigracià ³n. Lo que sà ­ la paraliza es una apelacià ³n. Nada impide presentarla junto con la mocià ³n.  ¿Quà © pasa si no se tiene razà ³n? Sà ³lo en algunos casos es posible apelar la desestimacià ³n de una mocià ³n para reabrir.    ¿Se puede suspender temporalmente la deportacià ³n? Si se han agotado todos los caminos para luchar contra una orden de deportacià ³n y es necesario ms tiempo por razones personales graves y justificadas entonces es posible solicitar una suspensià ³n o aplazamiento temporal de la deportacià ³n. Es lo que se conoce en inglà ©s como stay of deportation or removal.

Schizophrenia and Recent Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Schizophrenia and Recent Research - Essay Example Negative symptoms: which represent a loss or a decrease in the ability to initiate plans, speak, express emotion, or find pleasure in everyday life. These symptoms are harder to recognise as part of the disorder and can be mistaken for laziness or depression Cognitive symptoms (or cognitive deficits): which are problems with attention, certain types of memory, and the executive functions that allow us to plan and organise. Cognitive deficits can also be difficult to recognise as part of the disorder but are the most disabling in terms of leading a normal life" (NARSAD, 2006) It has been reported that "psychiatric researchers at The Zucker Hillside Hospital campus of The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, including NARSAD-supported and affiliated scientists, have uncovered evidence of a gene that appears to influence intelligence" (NARSAD, 2006). This discovery means that the genes that are associated with the cognitive impairment caused by schizophrenic sufferers, has been mapped to the "dysbindin-1 gene (DTNBP1)" (NARSAD, 2006). Dr. Katherine Burdick will be reporting in the May 15 print issue of Human Molecular Genetics, that "a robust body of evidence suggests that cognitive abilities, particularly intelligence, are significantly influenced by genetic factors. Existing data already suggests that dysbindin may influence cognition" (Burdick, 2006). There is also evidence found by Lipska, Law, Weinberger, Kleinman, (2006) in

Screen Speeds in Radiography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Screen Speeds in Radiography - Essay Example (2005), the details of the image are inversely proportional to the speed of the screen which therefore means that the slow detail screen has greater films than the fast intensifying screen. This is so because in slow detail screens, the area that is exposed by each x-ray will be smaller and slower hence the details better. A reduction in speed increases the dosage of ionizing radiation. This therefore means that the fast intensifying screen uses a smaller dosage of ionization radiation compared to the large dosage used by the slower detailed screen. The slow screens are usually of the standard type while the fast screen has the rare earth type. The last characteristic is that a fast intensifying speed reduces patient exposure to the radiation while a slower detail screen increases exposure. As a result of this difference in image detail and exposure to the radiation, the slower detail screens are used to produce photo films while the fast intensifying screen is used for medical

Free

Free College Essay President Obama has outlined his proposal to offer the first two years of community college free for students, or as he has said in his speech â€Å"to lower the cost of community college — to zero. † Obama believes that whether young or old, just starting out, or simply looking for a better job, this could benefit millions of Americans. The program would provide tuition-free classes for students going to school at least half time who maintain a GPA of 2. 5 or higher and are trying to obtain a higher degree or are transferring to a four-year institution. The proposal would require federal government to cover 75 percent of the average cost of community college, and the program calls for states to pick up the remaining quarter of the tab. Overall, this proposal could benefit the American population and thus better the American nation. The most crucial reason why this proposal will succeed is that more people in America will attend college. This will all around have a positive have an effect on American society, and economy. Lowering the unemployment rate can help to reduce many factors such as, crime rate, well-fare, and overall national debt. On the other hand, community colleges may become over crowded due to the increased number of students. Despite this minor complication, having more people attend college is in America would be phenomenal. A majority of Americans believe the cost of a college education at a state university, or community college is unaffordable. Having the first two years of community college free will open up opportunities to many. This will allow students first starting out to begin their educational course debt free. College debt is a major problem in todays society, and holds back many from achieving higher goals. However, passage of a bill making community college free could have a dramatic effect on the cost of higher education. If community college is free, many other schools will have to lower their prices in order to stay competitive. Free higher education, even if only for two years, could be a game-changer. Passage of Obama’s proposal is far from a sure thing. If it does pass, at this point the best we can do is speculate about the different possible  outcomes. However, we do know one thing for sure. Obama’s proposal is a bold approach to fixing a broken higher education system. Student loan borrowers are reminded of how badly broken the system is each month they pay huge student loan bills. The more that can be done to fix this system, the better. Overall, this bill will benefit most Americans. If Obama’s proposal is given passage it will create an abundance of opportunities for American citizens. These opportunities include: more job positions, a thriving economy, expansion, etc. In spite of the endless benefits, at the end of the day someone is responsible for paying the two-year â€Å"free† tuition. This causes question to tax payers and the state on the tab they are left to pick up. Although, taxes may increase, the decrease in student loans will greatly outweigh the cost. In conclusion, this bill can aid anyone from past generations to new, young to old, starting out or going back. This could change the entire way of American society for the better and continually push American as a nation in the right direction.

Sonnet 18 Essay -- essays research papers

Amazing authors can induce thoughts by a single word. The ideas that can form in our heads by a small phrase are powerful. Only the most talented and capable authors can provoke such feelings within us. Who is more than able to stir these feelings in a reader but William Shakespeare? His various plays keep us entranced and curious but it is his poetry that strikes a chord deep within us. Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare is particularly powerful. He writes about a love that cannot be compared to anything in the world because of his deep infatuation. Shakespeare wrote his sonnet when he was deeply in love with a woman. He starts off his sonnet by implanting an image in our head of a summer day. A summer day triggers a scene that flashes in our head of children playing and the sun shining,...

The Da Vinci Code Chapter 81-83

CHAPTER 81 The Hawker is on final approach. Simon Edwards – Executive Services Officer at Biggin Hill Airport – paced the control tower, squinting nervously at the rain-drenched runway. He never appreciated being awoken early on a Saturday morning, but it was particularly distasteful that he had been called in to oversee the arrest of one of his most lucrative clients. Sir Leigh Teabing paid Biggin Hill not only for a private hangar but a† per landing fee† for his frequent arrivals and departures. Usually, the airfield had advance warning of his schedule and was able to follow a strict protocol for his arrival. Teabing liked things just so. The custom-built Jaguar stretch limousine that he kept in his hangar was to be fully gassed, polished, and the day's London Times laid out on the back seat. A customs official was to be waiting for the plane at the hangar to expedite the mandatory documentation and luggage check. Occasionally, customs agents accepted large tips from Teabing in exchange for turning a blind eye to the transport of harmless organics – mostly luxury foods – French escargots, a particularly ripe unprocessed Roquefort, certain fruits. Many customs laws were absurd, anyway, and if Biggin Hill didn't accommodate its clients, certainly competing airfields would. Teabing was provided with what he wanted here at Biggin Hill, and the employees reaped the benefits. Edwards's nerves felt frayed now as he watched the jet coming in. He wondered if Teabing's penchant for spreading the wealth had gotten him in trouble somehow; the French authorities seemed very intent on containing him. Edwards had not yet been told what the charges were, but they were obviously serious. At the French authorities' request, Kent police had ordered the Biggin Hill air traffic controller to radio the Hawker's pilot and order him directly to the terminal rather than to the client's hangar. The pilot had agreed, apparently believing the far-fetched story of a gas leak. Though the British police did not generally carry weapons, the gravity of the situation had brought out an armed response team. Now, eight policemen with handguns stood just inside the terminal building, awaiting the moment when the plane's engines powered down. The instant this happened, a runway attendant would place safety wedges under the tires so the plane could no longer move. Then the police would step into view and hold the occupants at bay until the French police arrived to handle the situation. The Hawker was low in the sky now, skimming the treetops to their right. Simon Edwards went downstairs to watch the landing from tarmac level. The Kent police were poised, just out of sight, and the maintenance man waited with his wedges. Out on the runway, the Hawker's nose tipped up, and the tires touched down in a puff of smoke. The plane settled in for deceleration, streaking from right to left in front of the terminal, its white hull glistening in the wet weather. But rather than braking and turning into the terminal, the jet coasted calmly past the access lane and continued on toward Teabing's hangar in the distance. All the police spun and stared at Edwards. â€Å"I thought you said the pilot agreed to come to the terminal!† Edwards was bewildered. â€Å"He did!† Seconds later, Edwards found himself wedged in a police car racing across the tarmac toward the distant hangar. The convoy of police was still a good five hundred yards away as Teabing's Hawker taxied calmly into the private hangar and disappeared. When the cars finally arrived and skidded to a stop outside the gaping hangar door, the police poured out, guns drawn. Edwards jumped out too. The noise was deafening. The Hawker's engines were still roaring as the jet finished its usual rotation inside the hangar, positioning itself nose-out in preparation for later departure. As the plane completed its 180-degreeturn and rolled toward the front of the hangar, Edwards could see the pilot's face, which understandably looked surprised and fearful to see the barricade of police cars. The pilot brought the plane to a final stop, and powered down the engines. The police streamed in, taking up positions around the jet. Edwards joined the Kent chief inspector, who moved warily toward the hatch. After several seconds, the fuselage door popped open. Leigh Teabing appeared in the doorway as the plane's electronic stairs smoothly dropped down. Ashe gazed out at the sea of weapons aimed at him, he propped himself on his crutches and scratched his head. â€Å"Simon, did I win the policemen's lottery while I was away?† He sounded more bewildered than concerned. Simon Edwards stepped forward, swallowing the frog in his throat. â€Å"Good morning, sir. I apologize for the confusion. We've had a gas leak and your pilot said he was coming to the terminal.† â€Å"Yes, yes, well, I told him to come here instead. I'm late for an appointment. I pay for this hangar, and this rubbish about avoiding a gas leak sounded overcautious.† â€Å"I'm afraid your arrival has taken us a bit off guard, sir.† â€Å"I know. I'm off my schedule, I am. Between you and me, the new medication gives me the tinkles. Thought I'd come over for a tune-up.† The policemen all exchanged looks. Edwards winced. â€Å"Very good, sir.† â€Å"Sir,† the Kent chief inspector said, stepping forward. â€Å"I need to ask you to stay onboard for another half hour or so.† Teabing looked unamused as he hobbled down the stairs. â€Å"I'm afraid that is impossible. I have a medical appointment.† He reached the tarmac. â€Å"I cannot afford to miss it.† The chief inspector repositioned himself to block Teabing's progress away from the plane. â€Å"I am here at the orders of the French Judicial Police. They claim you are transporting fugitives from the law on this plane.† Teabing stared at the chief inspector a long moment, and then burst out laughing. â€Å"Is this one of those hidden camera programs? Jolly good!† The chief inspector never flinched. â€Å"This is serious, sir. The French police claim you also may have a hostage onboard.† Teabing's manservant Remy appeared in the doorway at the top of the stairs. â€Å"I feel like a hostage working for Sir Leigh, but he assures me I am free to go.† Remy checked his watch. â€Å"Master, we really are running late.† He nodded toward the Jaguar stretch limousine in the far corner of the hangar. The enormous automobile was ebony with smoked glass and whitewall tires. â€Å"I'll bring the car.† Remy started down the stairs. â€Å"I'm afraid we cannot let you leave,† the chief inspector said. â€Å"Please return to your aircraft. Both of you. Representatives from the French police will be landing shortly.† Teabing looked now toward Simon Edwards. â€Å"Simon, for heaven's sake, this is ridiculous! We don't have anyone else on board. Just the usual – Remy, our pilot, and myself. Perhaps you could act as an intermediary? Go have a look onboard, and verify that the plane is empty.† Edwards knew he was trapped. â€Å"Yes, sir. I can have a look.† â€Å"The devil you will!† the Kent chief inspector declared, apparently knowing enough about executive airfields to suspect Simon Edwards might well lie about the plane's occupants in an effort to keep Teabing's business at Biggin Hill. â€Å"I will look myself.† Teabing shook his head. â€Å"No you won't, Inspector. This is private property and until you have a search warrant, you will stay off my plane. I am offering you a reasonable option here. Mr. Edwards can perform the inspection.† â€Å"No deal.† Teabing's demeanor turned frosty. â€Å"Inspector, I'm afraid I don't have time to indulge in your games. I'm late, and I'm leaving. If it is that important to you to stop me, you'll just have to shoot me.† With that, Teabing and Remy walked around the chief inspector and headed across the hangar toward the parked limousine. The Kent chief inspector felt only distaste for Leigh Teabing as the man hobbled around him in defiance. Men of privilege always felt like they were above the law. They are not.The chief inspector turned and aimed at Teabing's back. â€Å"Stop! I will fire!† â€Å"Go ahead,† Teabing said without breaking stride or glancing back. â€Å"My lawyers will fricassee your testicles for breakfast. And if you dare board my plane without a warrant, your spleen will follow.† No stranger to power plays, the chief inspector was unimpressed. Technically, Teabing was correct and the police needed a warrant to board his jet, but because the flight had originated in France, and because the powerful Bezu Fache had given his authority, the Kent chief inspector felt certain his career would be far better served by finding out what it was on this plane that Teabing seemed so intent on hiding. â€Å"Stop them,† the inspector ordered. â€Å"I'm searching the plane.† His men raced over, guns leveled, and physically blocked Teabing and his servant from reaching the limousine. Now Teabing turned. â€Å"Inspector, this is your last warning. Do not even think of boarding that plane. You will regret it.† Ignoring the threat, the chief inspector gripped his sidearm and marched up the plane's gangway. Arriving at the hatch, he peered inside. After a moment, he stepped into the cabin. What the devil? With the exception of the frightened-looking pilot in the cockpit, the aircraft was empty. Entirely devoid of human life. Quickly checking the bathroom, the chairs, and the luggage areas, the inspector found no traces of anyone hiding†¦ much less multiple individuals. What the hell was Bezu Fache thinking? It seemed Leigh Teabing had been telling the truth. The Kent chief inspector stood alone in the deserted cabin and swallowed hard. Shit.His faceflushed, he stepped back onto the gangway, gazing across the hangar at Leigh Teabing and hisservant, who were now under gunpoint near the limousine. â€Å"Let them go,† the inspector ordered. â€Å"We received a bad tip.† Teabing's eyes were menacing even across the hangar. â€Å"You can expect a call from my lawyers. And for future reference, the French police cannot be trusted.† With that, Teabing's manservant opened the door at the rear of the stretch limousine and helped his crippled master into the back seat. Then the servant walked the length of the car, climbed in behind the wheel, and gunned the engine. Policemen scattered as the Jaguar peeled out of the hangar. â€Å"Well played, my good man,† Teabing chimed from the rear seat as the limousine accelerated out of the airport. He turned his eyes now to the dimly lit front recesses of the spacious interior. â€Å"Everyone comfy?† Langdon gave a weak nod. He and Sophie were still crouched on the floor beside the bound and gagged albino. Moments earlier, as the Hawker taxied into the deserted hangar, Remy had popped the hatch as the plane jolted to a stop halfway through its turn. With the police closing in fast, Langdon and Sophie dragged the monk down the gangway to ground level and out of sight behind the limousine. Then the jet engines had roared again, rotating the plane and completing its turn as the police cars came skidding into the hangar. Now, as the limousine raced toward Kent, Langdon and Sophie clambered toward the rear of the limo's long interior, leaving the monk bound on the floor. They settled onto the long seat facing Teabing. The Brit gave them both a roguish smile and opened the cabinet on the limo's bar. â€Å"Could I offer you a drink? Some nibblies? Crisps? Nuts? Seltzer?† Sophie and Langdon both shook their heads. Teabing grinned and closed the bar. â€Å"So then, about this knight's tomb†¦Ã¢â‚¬  CHAPTER 82 â€Å"Fleet Street?† Langdon asked, eyeing Teabing in the back of the limo. There's a crypt on Fleet Street? So far, Leigh was being playfully cagey about where he thought they would find the â€Å"knight's tomb†, which, according to the poem, would provide the password for opening the smaller cryptex. Teabing grinned and turned to Sophie. â€Å"Miss Neveu, give the Harvard boy one more shot at the verse, will you?† Sophie fished in her pocket and pulled out the black cryptex, which was wrapped in the vellum. Everyone had decided to leave the rosewood box and larger cryptex behind in the plane's strongbox, carrying with them only what they needed, the far more portable and discreet black cryptex. Sophie unwrapped the vellum and handed the sheet to Langdon. Although Langdon had read the poem several times onboard the jet, he had been unable to extract any specific location. Now, as he read the words again, he processed them slowly and carefully, hoping the pentametric rhythms would reveal a clearer meaning now that he was on the ground. In London lies a knight a Pope interred. His labor's fruit a Holy wrath incurred. You seek the orb that ought be on his tomb. It speaks of Rosy flesh and seeded womb. The language seemed simple enough. There was a knight buried in London. A knight who labored at something that angered the Church. A knight whose tomb was missing an orb that should be present. The poem's final reference – Rosy flesh and seeded womb – was a clear allusion to Mary Magdalene, the Rose who bore the seed of Jesus. Despite the apparent straightforwardness of the verse, Langdon still had no idea who this knight was or where he was buried. Moreover, once they located the tomb, it sounded as if they would be searching for something that was absent. The orb that ought be on his tomb? â€Å"No thoughts?† Teabing clucked in disappointment, although Langdon sensed the Royal Historian was enjoying being one up. â€Å"Miss Neveu?† She shook her head. â€Å"What would you two do without me?† Teabing said. â€Å"Very well, I will walk you through it. It's quite simple really. The first line is the key. Would you read it please?† Langdon read aloud. † ‘In London lies a knight a Pope interred. ‘† â€Å"Precisely. A knight a Pope interred.† He eyed Langdon. â€Å"What does that mean to you?† Langdon shrugged. â€Å"A knight buried by a Pope? A knight whose funeral was presided over by a Pope?† Teabing laughed loudly. â€Å"Oh, that's rich. Always the optimist, Robert. Look at the second line. This knight obviously did something that incurred the Holy wrath of the Church. Think again. Consider the dynamic between the Church and the Knights Templar. A knight a Pope interred?† â€Å"A knight a Pope killed?† Sophie asked. Teabing smiled and patted her knee. â€Å"Well done, my dear. A knight a Pope buried.Or killed.† Langdon thought of the notorious Templar round-up in 1307 – unlucky Friday the thirteenth – when Pope Clement killed and interred hundreds of Knights Templar. â€Å"But there must be endless graves of ‘knights killed by Popes. ‘† â€Å"Aha, not so!† Teabing said. â€Å"Many of them were burned at the stake and tossed unceremoniously into the Tiber River. But this poem refers to a tomb.A tomb in London. And there are few knights buried in London.† He paused, eyeing Langdon as if waiting for light to dawn. Finally he huffed. â€Å"Robert, for heaven's sake! The church built in London by the Priory's military arm – the Knights Templar themselves!† â€Å"The Temple Church?† Langdon drew a startled breath. â€Å"It has a crypt?† â€Å"Ten of the most frightening tombs you will ever see.† Langdon had never actually visited the Temple Church, although he'd come across numerous references in his Priory research. Once the epicenter of all Templar/Priory activities in the United Kingdom, the Temple Church had been so named in honor of Solomon's Temple, from which the Knights Templar had extracted their own title, as well as the Sangreal documents that gave them all their influence in Rome. Tales abounded of knights performing strange, secretive rituals within the Temple Church's unusual sanctuary. â€Å"The Temple Church is on Fleet Street?† â€Å"Actually, it's just off Fleet Street on Inner Temple Lane.† Teabing looked mischievous. â€Å"I wanted to see you sweat a little more before I gave it away.† â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Neither of you has ever been there?† Sophie and Langdon shook their heads.† I'm not surprised,† Teabing said. â€Å"The church is hidden now behind much larger buildings. Few people even know it's there. Eerie old place. The architecture is pagan to the core.† Sophie looked surprised. â€Å"Pagan?† â€Å"Pantheonically pagan!† Teabing exclaimed. â€Å"The church is round.The Templars ignored the traditional Christian cruciform layout and built a perfectly circular church in honor of the sun.† His eyebrows did a devilish dance. â€Å"A not so subtle howdy-do to the boys in Rome. They might as well have resurrected Stonehenge in downtown London.† Sophie eyed Teabing. â€Å"What about the rest of the poem?† The historian's mirthful air faded. â€Å"I'm not sure. It's puzzling. We will need to examine each of the ten tombs carefully. With luck, one of them will have a conspicuously absent orb.† Langdon realized how close they really were. If the missing orb revealed the password, they would be able to open the second cryptex. He had a hard time imagining what they might find inside. Langdon eyed the poem again. It was like some kind of primordial crossword puzzle. A five-letter word that speaks of the Grail? On the plane, they had already tried all the obvious passwords – GRAIL, GRAAL, GREAL, VENUS, MARIA, JESUS, SARAH – but the cylinder had not budged. Far too obvious.Apparently there existed some other five-letter reference to the Rose's seeded womb. The fact that the word was eluding a specialist like Leigh Teabing signified to Langdon that it was no ordinary Grail reference. â€Å"Sir Leigh?† Remy called over his shoulder. He was watching them in the rearview mirror through the open divider. â€Å"You said Fleet Street is near Blackfriars Bridge?† â€Å"Yes, take Victoria Embankment.† â€Å"I'm sorry. I'm not sure where that is. We usually go only to the hospital.† Teabing rolled his eyes at Langdon and Sophie and grumbled,† I swear, sometimes it's like baby- sitting a child. One moment please. Help yourself to a drink and savory snacks.† He left them, clambering awkwardly toward the open divider to talk to Remy. Sophie turned to Langdon now, her voice quiet. â€Å"Robert, nobody knows you and I are in England.† Langdon realized she was right. The Kent police would tell Fache the plane was empty, and Fachewould have to assume they were still in France. We are invisible.Leigh's little stunt had just boughtthem a lot of time. â€Å"Fache will not give up easily,† Sophie said. â€Å"He has too much riding on this arrest now.† Langdon had been trying not to think about Fache. Sophie had promised she would do everything in her power to exonerate Langdon once this was over, but Langdon was starting to fear it might not matter. Fache could easily be pan of this plot.Although Langdon could not imagine the Judicial Police tangled up in the Holy Grail, he sensed too much coincidence tonight to disregard Fache as a possible accomplice. Fache is religions, and he is intent on pinning these murders onme.Then again, Sophie had argued that Fache might simply be overzealous to make the arrest. After all, the evidence against Langdon was substantial. In addition to Langdon's name scrawled on the Louvre floor and in Sauniere's date book, Langdon now appeared to have lied about his manuscript and then run away. At Sophie's suggestion. â€Å"Robert, I'm sorry you're so deeply involved,† Sophie said, placing her hand on his knee. â€Å"But I'm very glad you're here.† The comment sounded more pragmatic than romantic, and yet Langdon felt an unexpected flicker of attraction between them. He gave her a tired smile. â€Å"I'm a lot more fun when I've slept.† Sophie was silent for several seconds. â€Å"My grandfather asked me to trust you. I'm glad I listened to him for once.† â€Å"Your grandfather didn't even know me.† â€Å"Even so, I can't help but think you've done everything he would have wanted. You helped me find the keystone, explained the Sangreal, told me about the ritual in the basement.† She paused. â€Å"Somehow I feel closer to my grandfather tonight than I have in years. I know he would be happy about that.† In the distance, now, the skyline of London began to materialize through the dawn drizzle. Once dominated by Big Ben and Tower Bridge, the horizon now bowed to the Millennium Eye – a colossal, ultramodern Ferris wheel that climbed five hundred feet and afforded breathtaking views of the city. Langdon had attempted to board it once, but the† viewing capsules† reminded him of sealed sarcophagi, and he opted to keep his feet on the ground and enjoy the view from the airy banks of the Thames. Langdon felt a squeeze on his knee, pulling him back, and Sophie's green eyes were on him. He realized she had been speaking to him. â€Å"What do you think we should do with the Sangreal documents if we ever find them?† she whispered. â€Å"What I think is immaterial,† Langdon said. â€Å"Your grandfather gave the cryptex to you, and you should do with it what your instinct tells you he would want done.† â€Å"I'm asking for your opinion. You obviously wrote something in that manuscript that made my grandfather trust your judgment. He scheduled a private meeting with you. That's rare.† â€Å"Maybe he wanted to tell me I have it all wrong.† â€Å"Why would he tell me to find you unless he liked your ideas? In your manuscript, did you support the idea that the Sangreal documents should be revealed or stay buried?† â€Å"Neither. I made no judgment either way. The manuscript deals with the symbology of the sacred feminine – tracing her iconography throughout history. I certainly didn't presume to know where the Grail is hidden or whether it should ever be revealed.† â€Å"And yet you're writing a book about it, so you obviously feel the information should be shared.† â€Å"There's an enormous difference between hypothetically discussing an alternate history of Christ, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused. â€Å"And what?† â€Å"And presenting to the world thousands of ancient documents as scientific evidence that the New Testament is false testimony.† â€Å"But you told me the New Testament is based on fabrications.† Langdon smiled. â€Å"Sophie, every faith in the world is based on fabrication. That is the definition of faith – acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove. Every religion describes God through metaphor, allegory, and exaggeration, from the early Egyptians through modern Sunday school. Metaphors are a way to help our minds process the unprocessible. The problems arise when we begin to believe literally in our own metaphors.† â€Å"So you are in favor of the Sangreal documents staying buried forever?† â€Å"I'm a historian. I'm opposed to the destruction of documents, and I would love to see religious scholars have more information to ponder the exceptional life of Jesus Christ.† â€Å"You're arguing both sides of my question.† â€Å"Am I? The Bible represents a fundamental guidepost for millions of people on the planet, in much the same way the Koran, Torah, and Pali Canon offer guidance to people of other religions. If you and I could dig up documentation that contradicted the holy stories of Islamic belief, Judaic belief, Buddhist belief, pagan belief, should we do that? Should we wave a flag and tell the Buddhists that we have proof the Buddha did not come from a lotus blossom? Or that Jesus was not born of a literal virgin birth? Those who truly understand their faiths understand the stories are metaphorical.† Sophie looked skeptical. â€Å"My friends who are devout Christians definitely believe that Christ literallywalked on water, literally turned water into wine, and was born of a literal virgin birth.† â€Å"My point exactly,† Langdon said. â€Å"Religious allegory has become a part of the fabric of reality. And living in that reality helps millions of people cope and be better people.† â€Å"But it appears their reality is false.† Langdon chuckled. â€Å"No more false than that of a mathematical cryptographer who believes in the imaginary number ‘i'because it helps her break codes.† Sophie frowned. â€Å"That's not fair.† A moment passed.† What was your question again?† Langdon asked. â€Å"I can't remember.† He smiled. â€Å"Works every time.† CHAPTER 83 Langdon's Mickey Mouse wristwatch read almost seven-thirty when he emerged from the Jaguar limousine onto Inner Temple Lane with Sophie and Teabing. The threesome wound through a maze of buildings to a small courtyard outside the Temple Church. The rough-hewn stone shimmered in the rain, and doves cooed in the architecture overhead. London's ancient Temple Church was constructed entirely of Caen stone. A dramatic, circular edifice with a daunting facade, a central turret, and a protruding nave off one side, the church looked more like a military stronghold than a place of worship. Consecrated on the tenth of February in 1185 by Heraclius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Temple Church survived eight centuries of political turmoil, the Great Fire of London, and the First World War, only to be heavily damaged by Luftwaffe incendiary bombs in 1940. After the war, it was restored to its original, stark grandeur. The simplicity of the circle, Langdon thought, admiring the building for the first time. The architecture was coarse and simple, more reminiscent of Rome's rugged Castel Sant'Angelo than the refined Pantheon. The boxy annex jutting out to the right was an unfortunate eyesore, although it did little to shroud the original pagan shape of the primary structure. â€Å"It's early on a Saturday,† Teabing said, hobbling toward the entrance,† so I'm assuming we won't have services to deal with.† The church's entryway was a recessed stone niche inside which stood a large wooden door. To the left of the door, looking entirely out of place, hung a bulletin board covered with concert schedules and religious service announcements. Teabing frowned as he read the board. â€Å"They don't open to sightseers for another couple of hours.† He moved to the door and tried it. The door didn't budge. Putting his ear to the wood, he listened. After a moment, he pulled back, a scheming look on his face as he pointed to the bulletin board. â€Å"Robert, check the service schedule, will you? Who is presiding this week?† Inside the church, an altar boy was almost finished vacuuming the communion kneelers when he heard a knocking on the sanctuary door. He ignored it. Father Harvey Knowles had his own keys and was not due for another couple of hours. The knocking was probably a curious tourist or indigent. The altar boy kept vacuuming, but the knocking continued. Can't you read? The sign on the door clearly stated that the church did not open until nine-thirty on Saturday. The altar boy remained with his chores. Suddenly, the knocking turned to a forceful banging, as if someone were hitting the door with a metal rod. The young man switched off his vacuum cleaner and marched angrily toward the door. Unlatching it from within, he swung it open. Three people stood in the entryway. Tourists, he grumbled. â€Å"We open at nine-thirty.† The heavyset man, apparently the leader, stepped forward using metal crutches. â€Å"I am Sir Leigh Teabing,† he said, his accent a highbrow, Saxonesque British. â€Å"As you are no doubt aware, I am escorting Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Wren the Fourth.† He stepped aside, flourishing his arm toward the attractive couple behind them. The woman was soft-featured, with lush burgundy hair. The man was tall, dark-haired, and looked vaguely familiar. The altar boy had no idea how to respond. Sir Christopher Wren was the Temple Church's most famous benefactor. He had made possible all the restorations following damage caused by the Great Fire. He had also been dead since the early eighteenth century. â€Å"Um†¦ an honor to meet you?† The man on crutches frowned. â€Å"Good thing you're not in sales, young man, you're not very convincing. Where is Father Knowles?† â€Å"It's Saturday. He's not due in until later.† The crippled man's scowl deepened. â€Å"There's gratitude. He assured us he would be here, but it looks like we'll do it without him. It won't take long.† The altar boy remained blocking the doorway. â€Å"I'm sorry, what won't take long?† The visitor's eyes sharpened now, and he leaned forward whispering as if to save everyone some embarrassment. â€Å"Young man, apparently you are new here. Every year Sir Christopher Wren's descendants bring a pinch of the old man's ashes to scatter in the Temple sanctuary. It is part of his last will and testament. Nobody is particularly happy about making the trip, but what can we do?† The altar boy had been here a couple of years but had never heard of this custom. â€Å"It would be better if you waited until nine-thirty. The church isn't open yet, and I'm not finished hoovering.† The man on crutches glared angrily. â€Å"Young man, the only reason there's anything left of this building for you to hoover is on account of the gentleman in that woman's pocket.† â€Å"I'm sorry?† â€Å"Mrs. Wren,† the man on crutches said,† would you be so kind as to show this impertinent young man the reliquary of ashes?† The woman hesitated a moment and then, as if awaking from a trance, reached in her sweater pocket and pulled out a small cylinder wrapped in protective fabric. â€Å"There, you see?† the man on crutches snapped. â€Å"Now, you can either grant his dying wish and let us sprinkle his ashes in the sanctuary, or I tell Father Knowles how we've been treated.† The altar boy hesitated, well acquainted with Father Knowles' deep observance of church tradition†¦ and, more importantly, with his foul temper when anything cast this time-honored shrine in anything but favorable light. Maybe Father Knowles had simply forgotten these family members were coming. If so, then there was far more risk in turning them away than in letting them in. After all, they said it would only take a minute.What harm could it do? When the altar boy stepped aside to let the three people pass, he could have sworn Mr. and Mrs. Wren looked just as bewildered by all of this as he was. Uncertain, the boy returned to his chores, watching them out of the corner of his eye. Langdon had to smile as the threesome moved deeper into the church. â€Å"Leigh,† he whispered,† you lie entirely too well.† Teabing's eyes twinkled. â€Å"Oxford Theatre Club. They still talk of my Julius Caesar. I'm certain nobody has ever performed the first scene of Act Three with more dedication.† Langdon glanced over. â€Å"I thought Caesar was dead in that scene.† Teabing smirked. â€Å"Yes, but my toga tore open when I fell, and I had to lie on stage for half an hour with my todger hanging out. Even so, I never moved a muscle. I was brilliant, I tell you.† Langdon cringed. Sorry I missed it. As the group moved through the rectangular annex toward the archway leading into the main church, Langdon was surprised by the barren austerity. Although the altar layout resembled that of a linear Christian chapel, the furnishings were stark and cold, bearing none of the traditional ornamentation. â€Å"Bleak,† he whispered. Teabing chuckled. â€Å"Church of England. Anglicans drink their religion straight. Nothing to distract from their misery.† Sophie motioned through the vast opening that gave way to the circular section of the church. â€Å"It looks like a fortress in there,† she whispered. Langdon agreed. Even from here, the walls looked unusually robust. â€Å"The Knights Templar were warriors,† Teabing reminded, the sound of his aluminum crutches echoing in this reverberant space. â€Å"A religio-military society. Their churches were their strongholds and their banks.† â€Å"Banks?† Sophie asked, glancing at Leigh. â€Å"Heavens, yes. The Templars invented the concept of modern banking. For European nobility, traveling with gold was perilous, so the Templars allowed nobles to deposit gold in their nearest Temple Church and then draw it from any other Temple Church across Europe. All they needed was proper documentation.† He winked. â€Å"And a small commission. They were the original ATMs.† Teabing pointed toward a stained-glass window where the breaking sun was refracting through a white-clad knight riding a rose-colored horse. â€Å"Alanus Marcel,† Teabing said,† Master of the Temple in the early twelve hundreds. He and his successors actually held the Parliamentary chair of Primus Baro Angiae.† Langdon was surprised. â€Å"First Baron of the Realm?† Teabing nodded. â€Å"The Master of the Temple, some claim, held more influence than the king himself.† As they arrived outside the circular chamber, Teabing shot a glance over his shoulder at the altar boy, who was vacuuming in the distance. â€Å"You know,† Teabing whispered to Sophie,† the Holy Grail is said to once have been stored in this church overnight while the Templars moved it from one hiding place to another. Can you imagine the four chests of Sangreal documents sitting right here with Mary Magdalene's sarcophagus? It gives me gooseflesh.† Langdon was feeling gooseflesh too as they stepped into the circular chamber. His eye traced the curvature of the chamber's pale stone perimeter, taking in the carvings of gargoyles, demons, monsters, and pained human faces, all staring inward. Beneath the carvings, a single stone pew curled around the entire circumference of the room. â€Å"Theater in the round,† Langdon whispered. Teabing raised a crutch, pointing toward the far left of the room and then to the far right. Langdon had already seen them. Ten stone knights. Five on the left. Five on the right. Lying prone on the floor, the carved, life-sized figures rested in peaceful poses. The knights were depicted wearing full armor, shields, and swords, and the tombs gave Langdon the uneasy sensation that someone had snuck in and poured plaster over the knights while they were sleeping. All of the figures were deeply weathered, and yet each was clearly unique – different armory pieces, distinct leg and arm positions, facial features, and markings on their shields. In London lies a knight a Pope interred. Langdon felt shaky as he inched deeper into the circular room. This had to be the place.

My Zombie Apocalypse

My Zombie  Apocalypse- Written from the view of me in a zombie attack Back of book- When you wake up in the morning you expect it to be sunny and happy and normal like always. But it  wasn't  like that for me not today, not this morning. It was dark darker than i had ever seen it. It was like the sun had gone out. Usually if you get up early enough you can see normal people running, trying to get in shape. But what was running past my house was not normal, not even close to normal.You watch movies about zombies thinking how funny and stupid they are and thinking that it would be so cool to have a zombie  apocalypse  happen that there would be no school, nothing to do. But let me tell you from experience, it is not as cool as it sounds. Summary: Chapter 1- I woke up with a start my heart racing. The dream slowly left my mind, too quick for me to see what it was about. After laying there for about a minute I sat up slowly and stretched my arms over my head  until  I heard a giant pop. Satisfied I rubbed the crust from my eyes and yawned a giant O.I threw off the covers and kicked my legs off to the side of the bed. I felt my toes run through the white carpet, smiling at how soft it was. I padded lightly through the hallway opening the door. I glanced at the clock on the wall; the time read 5:30 am. I did a double take 5:30?! It’s a Saturday! I was walking back to my room but stopped to look out the window in my living room. It was still a dark hue of black outside(delete) and a misty fog rolled around outside. It was so thick I  couldn't  see the houses across the street.The light post on the median that was in the middle of the street shined brightly, helping me see better. As I looked  closely  at the fog a shadowy figure ran out of the fog towards my house. My heart was pounding inside my chest. As I slowly backed away from the window, the figure stopped and turned its head and looked directly into my eyes. Its red eyes bore into m y soul and it opened its mouth and screamed. I covered my ears as the painful sound ripped through my eardrums. It sprinted towards my house. Then as it reached the window of my front door, it  pressed  its face against the lass while its breath fogged up the window. It backed away then took a running leap and crashed through the window. At that  exact  moment I closed my eyes my life flashing before my eyes, and then the world went black. Chapter 2- I could smell smoke, but where was it coming from? Had mom burnt the toast again? I smiled and was about to get up and laugh at how my mother  couldn't  cook anything I froze halfway in my smile. It all came back to me the fog the scream and that thing whatever it was. I jumped up as quick as if someone had shocked me.I swayed and fell and I was about to hit the ground when a strong pair of hands caught me. A deep  grumble like  voice  whispered  in my ear, â€Å"Hey I  gotcha. † I recoiled  automaticallyà ‚  from the strange voice and the hands that gripped me. I stumbled away and turned around to look at this stranger. I felt my eyes pop out and my jaw drop like a fish out of water gasping for air. He smirked at me as if he usually got that kind of reaction at first sight. He was hot! He had dark black/blue hair that swayed to one side and curled up in the end.It was wavy and went down to the collar of his shirt. Then I looked at his eyes, oh how beautiful his eyes were, a rich green that was bright as grass in the summertime and  peaceful  as the trees that filtered sunlight through them. Stubble covered his face as if he  hadn't  shaved for a week. His teeth were white of course and perfectly strait, â€Å"of course†. He was tall and lean and muscled like a runner. He wore a black leather jacket and a  David  Bowie t-shirt. He also was wearing dark black jeans and black and white converse. The stranger looked to be about 19.He laughed which shook me out of my tr ance and he asked me, â€Å"So are you done with your evaluation yet? † I blushed and looked away, mumbling something about how I  wasn't  looking at him. He stuck out his hand and said, â€Å"Hey I’m Drew†. I stuck out my hand as well and i replied, â€Å"Hey,(I think itd be better if it just said â€Å"I’m Teddi) I’m Teddi†. He  grinned  at me and said, â€Å"Well  that's  a name you  don't  hear every day! † I shook my head at him, â€Å"I know right, it’s just that my parents are big history freaks! † The comment brought the thought of my parents into my head. â€Å"Wait what happened?How did I get here? † A sad look came into his eyes, â€Å"Teddi I’m sorry but your family  didn't  make it. † Tears sprang to my eyes as I thought about them I sobbed and sank to a heap on the ground. Tears ran down my face, â€Å"I will (I’ll) never get to see them again, I  didn't  even get to say goodbye. † My hands covered my face as I said this then footsteps came up behind me and he squatted down next to me, â€Å"Teddi don't be sad, they are happy now and they aren't in any pain. † I looked at him and said, â€Å"You think so? † He smiled, â€Å"I know so†. â€Å"Oh wait I have a little surprise for you†. He said.Drew brought his fingers to his lips and whistled. A small thing came running like the speed of light towards me. â€Å"Mia! † I yelled. The brown little Chihuahua jumped on me and licked my face. I laugh bubbled on my lips. â€Å"Mia you little weirdo, how did you survive? † Drew laughed along with me, â€Å"I haven't a clue, but here's what happened while you were  unconscious. † I was running in the neighborhood that morning and I was passing your house and I saw the windows broken, I unlocked the door and pulled out my knife (which he added on a side note that he always runs with) and I walked in.Drew stopped at this moment and grimaced. He continued, â€Å"And there was blood everywhere and I saw your family or what  pieces  were left of them scattered on the ground. I sharply inhaled my breath, tears coming to my eyes again, I said, â€Å"I'm okay, just keep on going†. He smiled at me  sympathetically, â€Å"Okay and then I found you on the ground with your dog right next to you, I saw that you were breathing and I took you to my house. I don't know why but for some reason you  weren't  touched at all.As I was walking out the door something followed me. I turned around and I  couldn't  believe  my eyes. † I  hastily  exclaimed, â€Å"What, was it! † Drew replied, â€Å"A zombie†. I laughed and said â€Å"you have got to be kidding me a zombie? † He frowned and said, â€Å"I knew you  wouldn't  believe me so I brought proof. † That brought me up short, â€Å"Proof? † I swallowed  uneasi ly  and followed him. He took me too a room and inside I could smell something rotten and dead. I coughed and gagged, as I walked into the room I  couldn't  believe what I saw.It looked human but its flesh was rotten and its head was decapitated. He said, â€Å"I told you so†. I said uneasily,† What is going on here? † He looked at me, â€Å"Teddi, I think we’re in a zombie  apocalypse†. (ok tht was really good. There are a few changes that ive put in the story I left the original thing there and put the change in parentheses. Also I think the word â€Å"said† is used a little to much you mite want to change sone of them to a synonym of said. Otherwise the book was awesome. ) My family Apocalypse written from the view of a zombie