Multicultural Education Means Mediocre Education, Part II :: miscellaneous

Multicultural Education Means Mediocre Education, Part II I had taught high school and middle school English and social studies in a public school system for thirty-four years, retiring from the teaching profession in July of 1999. Any observations, opinions and conclusions I make about Multicultural Education are not theoretical: they are pragmatically based on experience and my interactions with over four thousand students. And I have been scrutinizing and studying Multicultural Education for four decades now and have heard too-many-times the lackluster educational jargon originating from college professors and from misguided advocates of M.E., and quite frankly those â€Å"elitist arguments† have become rather redundant, hackneyed and monotonous, and to think that I once wholeheartedly espoused those ethereal Multicultural Education principles as an idealistic teacher beginning my career back in September of 1965. Despite the â€Å"Happy Face† that supporters of Multicultural Education are attempting to promote and propagandize, one distinct adjective comes to mind whenever I think about Multicultural Education and that particular word is â€Å"insidious.† To the unsuspecting layman or college student â€Å"Diversity through M.E.† is a nifty catch phrase that sounds awfully noble and pleasant to the ears upon hearing its utterance, but the process known as Multicultural Education is actually quite detrimental to the implementation of effective American education. I deliberately describe the scourge as insidious because over the past forty years M.E. has imperceptibly and very cunningly been introduced, advanced and perpetuated by its militant proponents without the American public realizing exactly how harmful, how treacherous and how detrimental the seemingly benign terminology appears to be. First of all, Multicultural Education never clearly defines and identifies itself to the American public for what it really is. U.S, citizens automatically equate and associate M.E. with Bilingual Education and ESL (English as a Second Language), which the clever campaigners for M. E. never lucidly delineate and differentiate. Bilingual Education and ESL are indeed definite, positive, beneficial and necessary programs in our American public schools. Those two activities encourage and facilitate the cultural â€Å"Melting Pot† ideal whereby immigrant and certain minority students learn English and ESL and are hopefully successfully assimilated into American society after two-to-four years of exposure to a new language and a new culture. But Multicultural Education is the complete opposite and inverse of Bilingual Education and ESL. M.E. deceitfully and deliberately does not accurately distinguish itself from Bilingual Education and ESL to the unwary American public.

Domains Of Culture: Technology And Material Essay

1. There’s no arguing that technology has helped make life easier. Americans use it every day to communicate, travel, build and entertain themselves, but is it all positive? Does technology replace that which makes us human? Is technology harmful to the preservation of cultural values? Think about these questions as the effects of technology and material on American culture are explored. In the first point, the production element of technology and material will be covered, how it’s thought up and how it’s made. Then in the second point, the adoption aspect of technology and material will be examined, with how it ends up in the hands of everyone and becomes a part of American culture. 2. To start off, how is new technology produced? To produce a new technology there first has to be a need, a need to do something faster or more efficiently. A surprising number of technologies in use in the United States have come from the research of defense contractors employed by the US military. A majority of American use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to get directions on how to get from point A to B. This started out as a military technology designed to guide troops, as well as ensure missiles and artillery hit their targets. Not everyone may know that the internet, which is well known and used, started out in the 1960s as a military communication system. It was designed so the enemy couldn’t take out computer communication networks from a single point. The first computer was developed for the US military during World War II; it took up 2,000 square feet and was used for ballistics calculationsi. There have also been technological advances from civilians widely used today, such as the telephone. The telephone, invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, forever changed how Americans communicate as a society by providing instant communication without being face to face. 3. The motivations for the second element, adoption; are very different from production. When a new technology has been invented and produced, it is then up to private companies to sell the product to the public. This is how technology is adopted into American culture. Before a new technology is sold to the public, private companies m ust consider the perceived benefit,  the ease of use, immediacy of benefits, price, riskiness and return on investmentii. The motivations of private companies to make a profit are the primary factor considered in whether or not a new technology will be released, regardless of how much the technology is wanted or needed. There is no formal voting process that takes place for the public to decide what new technologies will be implemented into society. It all relies on private companies to sell them if they believe they can make money. The argument can be made though that the material and technology that consumers buy is them directly voting on what is adopted into American culture. 4. Arriving at the conclusion; It was explained how the production of technology and material has affected American culture. There have been numerous advances in technology that promise to make life easier and change how Americans operate as a culture. It was also explained how technology and material is adopted into society. Private companies are the primary force and they are motivated only by the promise to make a profit. As technology continues to advance and make lives easier, society is increasingly faced with the growing dilemma that was posed in the beginning. Will technology erode away cultural values and take away from what makes humans who they are?

History after world war †II Essay

The Jim Crow segregation can be described as one of the low points in the history of America which preached inhumanity legally. The Jim Crow segregation consists of legal laws that segregated the white people from the black, making the white race a superior one. The segregation preached preference to whites in all walks of life which included separate entrance in a restaurant and punishable inter-race marriage. This was legalised in the nineteenth century and the African-Americans fought for over hundred years to earn back their civil rights. It was in 1964 after a decade long intense African-American civil rights movement from 1955 that overturned the oppressive laws and instead conferred equality to the African-Americans. The trigger for the whole movement was the landmark victory in the case Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 which made segregation based on colour impermissible. The African-Americans who till then had been escaping, surviving and tolerating the humiliating acts of the whites were overjoyed. However, their happiness was short-lived as there was absolutely no change in reality. This prompted many individuals and African-American political groups like NAACP and CORE to conduct protests that were both effective and dramatic in nature. The first cry of protest came from the 42 year old lady Rosa Park, also known as the mother of the Civil Rights movement, when she refused to vacate her seat for a white in a bus. This led to her arrest and eventual trial at court, but this act of her gave birth to what is called as Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. This protest was one of the first successful movements which united the blacks in a major way. This protest continued for 382 days till a local ordinance legally ended the segregation in the buses. The next major movement which called the attention of the nation were the various â€Å"Sit-ins† that black students had started in 1961. Students professionally dressed started sitting quietly in local stores without any segregation. The silent protests were often met with force wherein they were forcibly evacuated. However, it did make a loud noise at a national level and its cause did not end on deaf ears. Another equally important movement was the freedom rides that were taken in the Deep South to desegregate those areas. Nonetheless, this movement turned out to be very violent that resulted in the use of brute force. The march to Washington in 1963 was a huge success where Martin Luther delivered his famous speech â€Å"I have a dream† though the demands that were met were not that effectively implemented. The Civil rights movement by then had reached a critical stage where protest for civil rights for the African-Americans was not a surprise anymore. This was followed by many important campaigns like Albany Movement, The Birmingham campaign, the violent and the last nail on the coffin, Mississippi Freedom summer, which eventually led to the conferment of civil rights to the African-American in 1964. The act was signed on July 2nd that almost ended the segregation of the blacks. The role of Bayard Rustin, the civil rights activist, was largely behind the scenes but nevertheless a very important one. An avid follower of Gandhian principles of non-violence (the tallest leader in the Indian Independence from the Great Britain), he had played a major role in planning of the hugely successful march to Washington in 1963 though he was never given any form of recognizition for the same. Bayard Rustin was the one who introduced martin Luther to the non-violent tactics in the civil movement which was implemented to a large extent. After the civil rights were conferred in 1964 and the voting rights in 1965, Rustin had stood for greater proximity between the civil rights movement and the Democratic Party. The Black Panther party, on the other hand, was established on the principles of armed resistance which was quite opposite to what Bayard believed. In fact, its history is mostly violent with it being also referred to as a militant group. The civil rights movement for Black Panther, in actuality, intensified after 1965. The period, 1966-1972, saw lots of Black Panther action. They had become the vanguards of the black in many areas where they followed cops in black areas and protected the inhabitants from their brutality. This often resulted in violent confrontations and also death of many policemen and the Black Panther activists. This party was very popular because of the direct action approach that they had adopted. This is quite unlike the peaceful tactic that Bayard had adopted. Basically, Bayard and the Black panthers represented two opposite forces that determined the course of life for millions of African-Americans – one that believed non-violent resistance as the key and the other violent protests as the only answer. The Policy of Containment is a major foreign policy in the history of America that guided many decisions that America as a country took. As the name suggests, the policy of containment aimed at containing the growth of Communism in general, and Soviet Union in particular by isolating it from everyone. The containment would check the growth and expansion of the targeted object by cutting off its basic needs or forming alliances that would effectively contain its augmentation. The policy of containment was a brain child of George Kennan who was then the head of the State Department Policy Planning Staff. This doctrine was developed as a strategy that would stop the Soviet from spreading Communism throughout the world and had prescribed a simple pill: the need to confront â€Å"the Russians with unalterable counter-force at every point where the Soviet Union shows signs of encroaching upon the interests of a peaceful world. † This theory came at the right time as President Truman had just spelled out the changed foreign policy of America that talked more about â€Å"freeing people from oppressive regimes†. Though not the official line of the White House, it was quickly taken in to the fold to cushion the effect of the â€Å"Truman Doctrine† had on the nation. Since then, the policy of containment was applied and used as the main guiding light in determining many of the future foreign policy events till the fall of Soviet Union in 1991. During this period, the containment policy saw many changes and modifications to its original state by different Presidents. The first major implementation of the policy of containment was the Korean War. This war is also known as the hardest test this policy had to go through. The origin of Korean War was quickly blamed on Stalin and was touted as the expansion of communism by America. Thus, America had the right to intervene and eventually joined the war in support of South Korea against the other raging part of Korea – North. Truman had specifically targeted at complete containment wherein every nook and corner of Korea would be protected against the onslaught of communism. The period saw the policy of containment acting as a military option. A major shift in the Containment policy occurred in 1955 when Eisenhower met Soviet Premier Nikolai A. Bulganin, and Nikita S. Khrushchev, the head of the Soviet Union’s Communist Party. This was a huge change in the original tone adopted when the containment policy came to into effect, that of isolating Soviet Union. Eisenhower sought better relations with Soviet as he believed that negotiation with communists would be desirable. Kennan endorsed this view though he was criticized for this stand and was accused of â€Å"futile and lethal attempt to crawl back into the cocoon of history. What followed this was a dangerous implementation of this policy in 1962 what, we today know as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Russians had moved its missiles at the Cuban border for reasons still unexplained. This step was seen as a great threat of Communism to America and the free world. America, immediately, resorted to armed confrontation, though by some good sense, a major confrontation wa s avoided. This crisis was believed to be the most tensed moment in the period of Cold war where fears of another world war spread all over the world. Another mis-utilization of this policy also occurred in the Vietnam War which was fought in the name of containing the spread of communism in Asia. Though properly warned against the great expenses and possible losses if involved in a war in Indochina, United States had marched in to Vietnam with its troops. This had definitely weakened the policy of containment, though it was not dismantled completely. It was in the mid-1970s that the containment policy seemed to have distanced itself from the then foreign policy adopted in America. Communism was weakening in many parts of the world and the war of Vietnam ended with America bearing far more losses than anticipated. All this increased the unlikliness of the use of that policy. However, the 1970’s also saw the overthrow of Chile’s communist government and worldwide military alliances that did suggest influence of the containment policy. This policy officially met its end with the disintegration of Soviet Union. To conclude, this policy alone played a role of paramount importance in shaping the various events in the history of world post world war – II that has defined the borders we see today.

Cetacean Characteristics and Facts

Cetacean Characteristics and Facts The word cetacean is used to describe all whales, dolphins and porpoises in the order Cetacea. This word comes from the Latin cetus meaning a large sea animal, and the Greek word ketos, meaning sea monster. There are about 89 species of cetaceans. The term about is used because as scientists learn more about these fascinating animals, new species are discovered or populations are re-classified. Cetaceans range in size from the tiniest dolphin, Hectors dolphin, which is just over 39 inches long, to the largest whale, the blue whale, which can be over 100 feet long. Cetaceans live in all of the oceans and many of the major rivers of the world. Cetaceans are thought to have evolved from even-toed ungulates (a group that includes cows, camels, and deer). Types of Cetaceans There are many types of cetaceans, which are divided largely according to how they feed. The order Cetacea is divided into two sub-orders, the Mysticetes (baleen whales) and the Odontocetes (toothed whales). The Odontocetes are more numerous, comprising 72 different species, compared to 14 baleen whale species. The Mysticetes include species such as the blue whale, fin whale, right whale, and humpback whale. Mysticetes have hundreds of comb-like plates of baleen hanging from their upper jaw. Baleen whales feed by gulping large amounts of water containing hundreds or thousands of fish or plankton, then forcing the water out in between the baleen plates, leaving the prey inside to be swallowed whole. Odontocetes include the sperm whale, orca (killer whale), beluga  and all of the dolphins and porpoises. These animals have cone-shaped or spade-shaped teeth and usually capture one animal at a time and swallow it whole. Odontocetes feed mostly on fish and squid, although some orcas prey on other marine mammals. Cetacean Characteristics Cetaceans are mammals, which means they are endothermic (commonly called warm-blooded) and their internal body temperature is about the same as a humans. They give birth to live young and breathe air through lungs just like we do. They even have hair. Unlike fish, which swim by moving their heads from side-to-side to swing their tail, cetaceans propel themselves by moving their tail in a smooth, up-and-down motion. Some cetaceans, such as the Dalls porpoise and the orca (killer whale) can swim faster than 30 miles per hour. Breathing When a cetacean wants to breathe, it has to rise to the water surface and exhale and inhale out of the blowholes located on top of its head. When the cetacean comes to the surface and exhales, you can sometimes see the spout, or blow, which is the result of the warm air in the whales lungs condensing upon reaching the cool air outside. Insulation Whales do not have a coat of fur to keep warm, so they have a thick layer of fat and connective tissue called blubber underneath their skin. This blubber layer can be as much as 24 inches thick in some whales. Senses Whales have a poor sense of smell, and depending on where they are, they may not be able to see well underwater. However, they have excellent hearing. They do not have external ears but have tiny ear openings behind each eye. They can also tell the direction of sound underwater. Diving Whales have collapsible rib cages and flexible skeletons, which allows them to compensate for high water pressure when they dive. They can also tolerate higher levels of carbon dioxide in their blood, allowing them to stay underwater for up to 1 to 2 hours for large whales.

History of Special Education Essays

History of Special Education Essays History of Special Education Essay History of Special Education Essay Running head: History of Special Education History of Special Education Julie G. Delk Grand Canyon University: SPE 526 May 4, 2011 Abstract The realm of Special Education has many components and features. It has a well rounded historical background and the laws governing special education are equally as important to discuss. A key point to discuss is the Individuals with Disabilities Act-its laws and principles that are associated with Special Education. Challenges found within Special Education are also discussed with current times and themes and also prospecting into the future. The History of Special Education Introduction When our education system was established, a thought seemed to never cross the minds of educators that those possessing difficulties in learning were even capable of learning. This attitude handicapped the progress of education to such an extent that those with exceptionalities were often cast aside and often viewed as a burden to society. This thought progressively began to change towards the 17th and 18th centuries. Pioneers such as Pinel Philippe, Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard, Eduoard Seguin, and Samuel Gridley Howe are just a few of the many who felt that children with difficulties can learn and developed special education techniques that are still actively present in teaching strategies of today. Perhaps these individuals saw that through observation and demonstrating compassion that these attitudes revealed a glimpse of hope, a hope for a brighter future for children with disabilities. More so that through the perseverance of advocates and parents of persons with disabilities a creation of change in behavior and attitudes of society were beginning. Special education has been a heavily discussed topic in the realm of government and in legislation. Litigation and Legislation for Special Education One of the biggest concerns of those afflicted with disabilities and the families of those disabled was discrimination and the unfair treatment of children with disabilities. At one point in time educators often felt that they should not educate those with disabilities because the assumption was these individuals were unable to learn. Some educators, however had the same concern and wanted to better the lives of those whom they taught. In Brown v. the Board of Education, Topeka, KS, a finding was made that teachers could discriminate against any student because of individual differences of those with disabilities. Two other court decisions also were helpful in the development of special education. These two cases were held in Supreme Court: Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Mills v. Board of Education, Washington, D. C. These two cases applied the right to a free and appropriate education for students with disabilities. The American court system has continually played an active role in special education and continues to enforce these rulings. Legally schools must provide the education in special education or prepare to face legal action or consequences. History of legislation in the regards to special education was precedential in the landmark decision-The Rehabilitation Act of 1973. In particular, Section 504 of this Act mandated that there would be no discrimination for those with disabilities. The law had a broad definition of the term disability and encompassed those who had disabilities not particularly covered in special education laws or court decisions. This law was the first step in the legislation of recognizing the civil rights of disabled persons. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004(referred to as IDEA) Special education became institutionalized in public and private school settings when Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 became law. According to the Wikipedia article (n. d. ) Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 â€Å"is a United States federal law that governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to children with disabilities. † The educational needs of children from birth to 18 or 21 are addressed in cases that involve several specified categories of disability. States that accept funding under IDEA are subject to its law and regulation. IDEA and its predecessor statutes arose from the idea that free and appropriate education for children with disabilities should no longer be withheld because of a person’s disability-which is in direct violation of the right to due process. This Act has been amended and reauthorized and was finally released in 2004, which contained several amendments. IDEA’s outline intended for outcomes for each child is prepared for furthering the education, job fulfillment, and self efficacy. Wikipedia further states(n. d. ) â€Å"Under IDEA 2004: Special education and related services should be designed to meet the unique learning needs of eligible children with disabilities, preschool through age 21. Students with disabilities should be prepared for further education, employment, and independent living. † Furthermore, IDEA protects the rights of those individuals, keeps schools in regulatory necessity for checks and balances, and students that have disabilities benefit to their fullest potential. Current and Future Challenges in the Field of Special Education Without a proper and fundamental understanding of the definition of children with exceptionalities, an educator may find a very difficult task to educate and this failure may result in no success of learning on the behalf of the student. The term that describes abilities that differ from the norm either above or below to such an extent that they require an individualized program of special education and related services to fully from education(Heward, 2009). The term exceptional children includes children who experience difficulties in learning as well as those whose performance is so superior that modification in curriculum and instruction are necessary to help them fulfill potential†(p. 9). Labeling children with terms such as â€Å"children with disabilities† or â€Å"handicapped children† are no longer viewed as appropriate for use in describing exceptional children. Perhaps labeling is essential for demographic or educational purposes as well as for those seeking benefits to special educational services. Never the less exceptional children require pecialized education and services. There are many factors to consider when labeling an individual. Advantages are many as the same is applied to disadvantages. The challenge currently is to find the appropriate measure of the label itself. Professionals in special education have legitimate reason to feel good about the overall progress in the field of special education. Educators continue to learn to work as partners with families and other educational agencies on behalf of exceptional children. There is still more work that needs to be done however. Research continues to be a key component to close the gap in the educational practice in special education. The continuous learning of the techniques of what works best in the classroom is an ever growing process. Educators have learned much about how to teach effectively children with severe disabilities, whom many previously had assumed were incapable of learning. Heward (2009) reports that â€Å"It is critically important for special education to close the gap between field’s knowledge of evidence-based practices and the curriculum and instruction that students receive† (p. 43). Several challenges educators in this field are facing currently as well what future obstacles are the availability of early intervention and prevention programs, helping students with disabilities adjust from school to adult life, and improve the special education-general education partnership. Other issues such as cultural and linguistic diversity are concerns as well. Schools sometimes may not always be effective as they should be providing the best or most desired experiences for culturally and linguistically diverse students. This failure often results in student failure as a whole. This result often times in a misinterpretation of a disability rather than the responsibility of the school to provide appropriate curriculum and instruction. The important point to remember is that everyone is different and educators must be aware of this fact. Educators must find the open line of communication as a common ground. This does pose some risk but the reward outweighs the risk taken in the discovery of different sets of values. No one should fear the differences between other there is a great opportunity to be discovered. Conclusion There is a continuing struggle for those with disabilities for acceptance and survival. Without special education, these individuals would still be seen and viewed as worthless and unsuitable products of society. The individuals who have persevered for the rights of the disabled have brought many wrong assumptions to light for correction. Special education has come a long ways and the laws that regulate it are there to protect these individuals. Through detailed and tailored instruction, these individuals can realize their fullest potential and contribute to the society as a whole. References Brown v. Board of Education. 347 U. S. 483 (1954). Heward, W. L. (2009). Exceptional children: An introduction to special education(9th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-446, 118  § 2647. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (n. d. ). Retrieved May 3, 2011 from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Individuals_with _Disabilities_Education_Act Mills v. Board of Education, 348 F. Supp. 866 (1972). The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Pub. L. No. 93-112, 87 Stat. 394, 29 U. S. C.  §701.

Angels Demons Chapter 7073

As soon as they’d arrived, Chinita and Glick had seen a veritable army of young men pour out of the Alpha Romeos and surround the church. Some had weapons drawn. One of them, a stiff older man, led a team up the front steps of the church. The soldiers drew guns and blew the locks off the front doors. Macri heard nothing and figured they must have had silencers. Then the soldiers entered. Chinita had recommended they sit tight and film from the shadows. After all, guns were guns, and they had a clear view of the action from the van. Glick had not argued. Now, across the piazza, men moved in and out of the church. They yelled to each other. Chinita adjusted her camera to follow a team as they searched the surrounding area. All of them, though dressed in civilian clothes, seemed to move with military precision. â€Å"Who do you think they are?† she asked. â€Å"Hell if I know.† Glick looked riveted. â€Å"You getting all this?† â€Å"Every frame.† Glick sounded smug. â€Å"Still think we should go back to Pope-Watch?† Chinita wasn’t sure what to say. There was obviously something going on here, but she had been in journalism long enough to know that there was often a very dull explanation for interesting events. â€Å"This could be nothing,† she said. â€Å"These guys could have gotten the same tip you got and are just checking it out. Could be a false alarm.† Glick grabbed her arm. â€Å"Over there! Focus.† He pointed back to the church. Chinita swung the camera back to the top of the stairs. â€Å"Hello there,† she said, training on the man now emerging from the church. â€Å"Who’s the dapper?† Chinita moved in for a close-up. â€Å"Haven’t seen him before.† She tightened in on the man’s face and smiled. â€Å"But I wouldn’t mind seeing him again.† Robert Langdon dashed down the stairs outside the church and into the middle of the piazza. It was getting dark now, the springtime sun setting late in southern Rome. The sun had dropped below the surrounding buildings, and shadows streaked the square. â€Å"Okay, Bernini,† he said aloud to himself. â€Å"Where the hell is your angel pointing?† He turned and examined the orientation of the church from which he had just come. He pictured the Chigi Chapel inside, and the sculpture of the angel inside that. Without hesitation he turned due west, into the glow of the impending sunset. Time was evaporating. â€Å"Southwest,† he said, scowling at the shops and apartments blocking his view. â€Å"The next marker is out there.† Racking his brain, Langdon pictured page after page of Italian art history. Although very familiar with Bernini’s work, Langdon knew the sculptor had been far too prolific for any nonspecialist to know all of it. Still, considering the relative fame of the first marker – Habakkuk and the Angel – Langdon hoped the second marker was a work he might know from memory. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, he thought. Earth they had found – inside the Chapel of the Earth – Habakkuk, the prophet who predicted the earth’s annihilation. Air is next. Langdon urged himself to think. A Bernini sculpture that has something to do with Air! He was drawing a total blank. Still he felt energized. I’m on the path of Illumination! It is still intact! Looking southwest, Langdon strained to see a spire or cathedral tower jutting up over the obstacles. He saw nothing. He needed a map. If they could figure out what churches were southwest of here, maybe one of them would spark Langdon’s memory. Air, he pressed. Air. Bernini. Sculpture. Air. Think! Langdon turned and headed back up the cathedral stairs. He was met beneath the scaffolding by Vittoria and Olivetti. â€Å"Southwest,† Langdon said, panting. â€Å"The next church is southwest of here.† Olivetti’s whisper was cold. â€Å"You sure this time?† Langdon didn’t bite. â€Å"We need a map. One that shows all the churches in Rome.† The commander studied him a moment, his expression never changing. Langdon checked his watch. â€Å"We only have half an hour.† Olivetti moved past Langdon down the stairs toward his car, parked directly in front of the cathedral. Langdon hoped he was going for a map. Vittoria looked excited. â€Å"So the angel’s pointing southwest? No idea which churches are southwest?† â€Å"I can’t see past the damn buildings.† Langdon turned and faced the square again. â€Å"And I don’t know Rome’s churches well enou – † He stopped. Vittoria looked startled. â€Å"What?† Langdon looked out at the piazza again. Having ascended the church stairs, he was now higher, and his view was better. He still couldn’t see anything, but he realized he was moving in the right direction. His eyes climbed the tower of rickety scaffolding above him. It rose six stories, almost to the top of the church’s rose window, far higher than the other buildings in the square. He knew in an instant where he was headed. Across the square, Chinita Macri and Gunther Glick sat glued to the windshield of the BBC van. â€Å"You getting this?† Gunther asked. Macri tightened her shot on the man now climbing the scaffolding. â€Å"He’s a little well dressed to be playing Spiderman if you ask me.† â€Å"And who’s Ms. Spidey?† Chinita glanced at the attractive woman beneath the scaffolding. â€Å"Bet you’d like to find out.† â€Å"Think I should call editorial?† â€Å"Not yet. Let’s watch. Better to have something in the can before we admit we abandoned conclave.† â€Å"You think somebody really killed one of the old farts in there?† Chinita clucked. â€Å"You’re definitely going to hell.† â€Å"And I’ll be taking the Pulitzer with me.† 71 The scaffolding seemed less stable the higher Langdon climbed. His view of Rome, however, got better with every step. He continued upward. He was breathing harder than he expected when he reached the upper tier. He pulled himself onto the last platform, brushed off the plaster, and stood up. The height did not bother him at all. In fact, it was invigorating. The view was staggering. Like an ocean on fire, the red-tiled rooftops of Rome spread out before him, glowing in the scarlet sunset. From that spot, for the first time in his life, Langdon saw beyond the pollution and traffic of Rome to its ancient roots – Citt di Dio – The city of God. Squinting into the sunset, Langdon scanned the rooftops for a church steeple or bell tower. But as he looked farther and farther toward the horizon, he saw nothing. There are hundreds of churches in Rome, he thought. There must be one southwest of here! If the church is even visible, he reminded himself. Hell, if the church is even still standing! Forcing his eyes to trace the line slowly, he attempted the search again. He knew, of course, that not all churches would have visible spires, especially smaller, out-of-the-way sanctuaries. Not to mention, Rome had changed dramatically since the 1600s when churches were by law the tallest buildings allowed. Now, as Langdon looked out, he saw apartment buildings, high-rises, TV towers. For the second time, Langdon’s eye reached the horizon without seeing anything. Not one single spire. In the distance, on the very edge of Rome, Michelangelo’s massive dome blotted the setting sun. St. Peter’s Basilica. Vatican City. Langdon found himself wondering how the cardinals were faring, and if the Swiss Guards’ search had turned up the antimatter. Something told him it hadn’t†¦ and wouldn’t. The poem was rattling through his head again. He considered it, carefully, line by line. From Santi’s earthly tomb with demon’s hole. They had found Santi’s tomb. ‘Cross Rome the mystic elements unfold. The mystic elements were Earth, Air, Fire, Water. The path of light is laid, the sacred test. The path of Illumination formed by Bernini’s sculptures. Let angels guide you on your lofty quest. The angel was pointing southwest†¦ â€Å"Front stairs!† Glick exclaimed, pointing wildly through the windshield of the BBC van. â€Å"Something’s going on!† Macri dropped her shot back down to the main entrance. Something was definitely going on. At the bottom of the stairs, the military-looking man had pulled one of the Alpha Romeos close to the stairs and opened the trunk. Now he was scanning the square as if checking for onlookers. For a moment, Macri thought the man had spotted them, but his eyes kept moving. Apparently satisfied, he pulled out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it. Almost instantly, it seemed an army emerged from the church. Like an American football team breaking from a huddle, the soldiers formed a straight line across the top of the stairs. Moving like a human wall, they began to descend. Behind them, almost entirely hidden by the wall, four soldiers seemed to be carrying something. Something heavy. Awkward. Glick leaned forward on the dashboard. â€Å"Are they stealing something from the church?† Chinita tightened her shot even more, using the telephoto to probe the wall of men, looking for an opening. One split second, she willed. A single frame. That’s all I need. But the men moved as one. Come on! Macri stayed with them, and it paid off. When the soldiers tried to lift the object into the trunk, Macri found her opening. Ironically, it was the older man who faltered. Only for an instant, but long enough. Macri had her frame. Actually, it was more like ten frames. â€Å"Call editorial,† Chinita said. â€Å"We’ve got a dead body.† Far away, at CERN, Maximilian Kohler maneuvered his wheelchair into Leonardo Vetra’s study. With mechanical efficiency, he began sifting through Vetra’s files. Not finding what he was after, Kohler moved to Vetra’s bedroom. The top drawer of his bedside table was locked. Kohler pried it open with a knife from the kitchen. Inside Kohler found exactly what he was looking for. 72 Langdon swung off the scaffolding and dropped back to the ground. He brushed the plaster dust from his clothes. Vittoria was there to greet him. â€Å"No luck?† she said. He shook his head. â€Å"They put the cardinal in the trunk.† Langdon looked over to the parked car where Olivetti and a group of soldiers now had a map spread out on the hood. â€Å"Are they looking southwest?† She nodded. â€Å"No churches. From here the first one you hit is St. Peter’s.† Langdon grunted. At least they were in agreement. He moved toward Olivetti. The soldiers parted to let him through. Olivetti looked up. â€Å"Nothing. But this doesn’t show every last church. Just the big ones. About fifty of them.† â€Å"Where are we?† Langdon asked. Olivetti pointed to Piazza del Popolo and traced a straight line exactly southwest. The line missed, by a substantial margin, the cluster of black squares indicating Rome’s major churches. Unfortunately, Rome’s major churches were also Rome’s older churches†¦ those that would have been around in the 1600s. â€Å"I’ve got some decisions to make,† Olivetti said. â€Å"Are you certain of the direction?† Langdon pictured the angel’s outstretched finger, the urgency rising in him again. â€Å"Yes, sir. Positive.† Olivetti shrugged and traced the straight line again. The path intersected the Margherita Bridge, Via Cola di Riezo, and passed through Piazza del Risorgimento, hitting no churches at all until it dead-ended abruptly at the center of St. Peter’s Square. â€Å"What’s wrong with St. Peter’s?† one of the soldiers said. He had a deep scar under his left eye. â€Å"It’s a church.† Langdon shook his head. â€Å"Needs to be a public place. Hardly seems public at the moment.† â€Å"But the line goes through St. Peter’s Square,† Vittoria added, looking over Langdon’s shoulder. â€Å"The square is public.† Langdon had already considered it. â€Å"No statues, though.† â€Å"Isn’t there a monolith in the middle?† She was right. There was an Egyptian monolith in St. Peter’s Square. Langdon looked out at the monolith in the piazza in front of them. The lofty pyramid. An odd coincidence, he thought. He shook it off. â€Å"The Vatican’s monolith is not by Bernini. It was brought in by Caligula. And it has nothing to do with Air.† There was another problem as well. â€Å"Besides, the poem says the elements are spread across Rome. St. Peter’s Square is in Vatican City. Not Rome.† â€Å"Depends who you ask,† a guard interjected. Langdon looked up. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Always a bone of contention. Most maps show St. Peter’s Square as part of Vatican City, but because it’s outside the walled city, Roman officials for centuries have claimed it as part of Rome.† â€Å"You’re kidding,† Langdon said. He had never known that. â€Å"I only mention it,† the guard continued, â€Å"because Commander Olivetti and Ms. Vetra were asking about a sculpture that had to do with Air.† Langdon was wide-eyed. â€Å"And you know of one in St. Peter’s Square?† â€Å"Not exactly. It’s not really a sculpture. Probably not relevant.† â€Å"Let’s hear it,† Olivetti pressed. The guard shrugged. â€Å"The only reason I know about it is because I’m usually on piazza duty. I know every corner of St. Peter’s Square.† â€Å"The sculpture,† Langdon urged. â€Å"What does it look like?† Langdon was starting to wonder if the Illuminati could really have been gutsy enough to position their second marker right outside St. Peter’s Church. â€Å"I patrol past it every day,† the guard said. â€Å"It’s in the center, directly where that line is pointing. That’s what made me think of it. As I said, it’s not really a sculpture. It’s more of a†¦ block.† Olivetti looked mad. â€Å"A block?† â€Å"Yes, sir. A marble block embedded in the square. At the base of the monolith. But the block is not a rectangle. It’s an ellipse. And the block is carved with the image of a billowing gust of wind.† He paused. â€Å"Air, I suppose, if you wanted to get scientific about it.† Langdon stared at the young soldier in amazement. â€Å"A relief!† he exclaimed suddenly. Everyone looked at him. â€Å"Relief,† Langdon said, â€Å"is the other half of sculpture!† Sculpture is the art of shaping figures in the round and also in relief. He had written the definition on chalkboards for years. Reliefs were essentially two-dimensional sculptures, like Abraham Lincoln’s profile on the penny. Bernini’s Chigi Chapel medallions were another perfect example. â€Å"Bassorelievo?† the guard asked, using the Italian art term. â€Å"Yes! Bas-relief!† Langdon rapped his knuckles on the hood. â€Å"I wasn’t thinking in those terms! That tile you’re talking about in St. Peter’s Square is called the West Ponente – the West Wind. It’s also known as Respiro di Dio.† â€Å"Breath of God?† â€Å"Yes! Air! And it was carved and put there by the original architect!† Vittoria looked confused. â€Å"But I thought Michelangelo designed St. Peter’s.† â€Å"Yes, the basilica!† Langdon exclaimed, triumph in his voice. â€Å"But St. Peter’s Square was designed by Bernini!† As the caravan of Alpha Romeos tore out of Piazza del Popolo, everyone was in too much of a hurry to notice the BBC van pulling out behind them. 73 Gunther Glick floored the BBC van’s accelerator and swerved through traffic as he tailed the four speeding Alpha Romeos across the Tiber River on Ponte Margherita. Normally Glick would have made an effort to maintain an inconspicuous distance, but today he could barely keep up. These guys were flying. Macri sat in her work area in the back of the van finishing a phone call with London. She hung up and yelled to Glick over the sound of the traffic. â€Å"You want the good news or bad news?† Glick frowned. Nothing was ever simple when dealing with the home office. â€Å"Bad news.† â€Å"Editorial is burned we abandoned our post.† â€Å"Surprise.† â€Å"They also think your tipster is a fraud.† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"And the boss just warned me that you’re a few crumpets short of a proper tea.† Glick scowled. â€Å"Great. And the good news?† â€Å"They agreed to look at the footage we just shot.† Glick felt his scowl soften into a grin. I guess we’ll see who’s short a few crumpets. â€Å"So fire it off.† â€Å"Can’t transmit until we stop and get a fixed cell read.† Glick gunned the van onto Via Cola di Rienzo. â€Å"Can’t stop now.† He tailed the Alpha Romeos through a hard left swerve around Piazza Risorgimento. Macri held on to her computer gear in back as everything slid. â€Å"Break my transmitter,† she warned, â€Å"and we’ll have to walk this footage to London.† â€Å"Sit tight, love. Something tells me we’re almost there.† Macri looked up. â€Å"Where?† Glick gazed out at the familiar dome now looming directly in front of them. He smiled. â€Å"Right back where we started.† The four Alpha Romeos slipped deftly into traffic surrounding St. Peter’s Square. They split up and spread out along the piazza perimeter, quietly unloading men at select points. The debarking guards moved into the throng of tourists and media vans on the edge of the square and instantly became invisible. Some of the guards entered the forest of pillars encompassing the colonnade. They too seemed to evaporate into the surroundings. As Langdon watched through the windshield, he sensed a noose tightening around St. Peter’s. In addition to the men Olivetti had just dispatched, the commander had radioed ahead to the Vatican and sent additional undercover guards to the center where Bernini’s West Ponente was located. As Langdon looked out at the wide-open spaces of St. Peter’s Square, a familiar question nagged. How does the Illuminati assassin plan to get away with this? How will he get a cardinal through all these people and kill him in plain view? Langdon checked his Mickey Mouse watch. It was 8:54 P.M. Six minutes. In the front seat, Olivetti turned and faced Langdon and Vittoria. â€Å"I want you two right on top of this Bernini brick or block or whatever the hell it is. Same drill. You’re tourists. Use the phone if you see anything.† Before Langdon could respond, Vittoria had his hand and was pulling him out of the car. The springtime sun was setting behind St. Peter’s Basilica, and a massive shadow spread, engulfing the piazza. Langdon felt an ominous chill as he and Vittoria moved into the cool, black umbra. Snaking through the crowd, Langdon found himself searching every face they passed, wondering if the killer was among them. Vittoria’s hand felt warm. As they crossed the open expanse of St. Peter’s Square, Langdon sensed Bernini’s sprawling piazza having the exact effect the artist had been commissioned to create – that of â€Å"humbling all those who entered.† Langdon certainly felt humbled at the moment. Humbled and hungry, he realized, surprised such a mundane thought could enter his head at a moment like this. â€Å"To the obelisk?† Vittoria asked. Langdon nodded, arching left across the piazza. â€Å"Time?† Vittoria asked, walking briskly, but casually. â€Å"Five of.† Vittoria said nothing, but Langdon felt her grip tighten. He was still carrying the gun. He hoped Vittoria would not decide she needed it. He could not imagine her whipping out a weapon in St. Peter’s Square and blowing away the kneecaps of some killer while the global media looked on. Then again, an incident like that would be nothing compared to the branding and murder of a cardinal out here. Air, Langdon thought. The second element of science. He tried to picture the brand. The method of murder. Again he scanned the sprawling expanse of granite beneath his feet – St. Peter’s Square – an open desert surrounded by Swiss Guard. If the Hassassin really dared attempt this, Langdon could not imagine how he would escape. In the center of the piazza rose Caligula’s 350-ton Egyptian obelisk. It stretched eighty-one feet skyward to the pyramidal apex onto which was affixed a hollow iron cross. Sufficiently high to catch the last of the evening sun, the cross shone as if magic†¦ purportedly containing relics of the cross on which Christ was crucified. Two fountains flanked the obelisk in perfect symmetry. Art historians knew the fountains marked the exact geometric focal points of Bernini’s elliptical piazza, but it was an architectural oddity Langdon had never really considered until today. It seemed Rome was suddenly filled with ellipses, pyramids, and startling geometry. As they neared the obelisk, Vittoria slowed. She exhaled heavily, as if coaxing Langdon to relax along with her. Langdon made the effort, lowering his shoulders and loosening his clenched jaw. Somewhere around the obelisk, boldly positioned outside the largest church in the world, was the second altar of science – Bernini’s West Ponente – an elliptical block in St. Peter’s Square. Gunther Glick watched from the shadows of the pillars surrounding St. Peter’s Square. On any other day the man in the tweed jacket and the woman in khaki shorts would not have interested him in the least. They appeared to be nothing but tourists enjoying the square. But today was not any other day. Today had been a day of phone tips, corpses, unmarked cars racing through Rome, and men in tweed jackets climbing scaffolding in search of God only knew what. Glick would stay with them. He looked out across the square and saw Macri. She was exactly where he had told her to go, on the far side of the couple, hovering on their flank. Macri carried her video camera casually, but despite her imitation of a bored member of the press, she stood out more than Glick would have liked. No other reporters were in this far corner of the square, and the acronym â€Å"BBC† stenciled on her camera was drawing some looks from tourists. The tape Macri had shot earlier of the naked body dumped in the trunk was playing at this very moment on the VCR transmitter back in the van. Glick knew the images were sailing over his head right now en route to London. He wondered what editorial would say. He wished he and Macri had reached the body sooner, before the army of plainclothed soldiers had intervened. The same army, he knew, had now fanned out and surrounded this piazza. Something big was about to happen. The media is the right arm of anarchy, the killer had said. Glick wondered if he had missed his chance for a big scoop. He looked out at the other media vans in the distance and watched Macri tailing the mysterious couple across the piazza. Something told Glick he was still in the game†¦ Angels Demons Chapter 7073 As soon as they’d arrived, Chinita and Glick had seen a veritable army of young men pour out of the Alpha Romeos and surround the church. Some had weapons drawn. One of them, a stiff older man, led a team up the front steps of the church. The soldiers drew guns and blew the locks off the front doors. Macri heard nothing and figured they must have had silencers. Then the soldiers entered. Chinita had recommended they sit tight and film from the shadows. After all, guns were guns, and they had a clear view of the action from the van. Glick had not argued. Now, across the piazza, men moved in and out of the church. They yelled to each other. Chinita adjusted her camera to follow a team as they searched the surrounding area. All of them, though dressed in civilian clothes, seemed to move with military precision. â€Å"Who do you think they are?† she asked. â€Å"Hell if I know.† Glick looked riveted. â€Å"You getting all this?† â€Å"Every frame.† Glick sounded smug. â€Å"Still think we should go back to Pope-Watch?† Chinita wasn’t sure what to say. There was obviously something going on here, but she had been in journalism long enough to know that there was often a very dull explanation for interesting events. â€Å"This could be nothing,† she said. â€Å"These guys could have gotten the same tip you got and are just checking it out. Could be a false alarm.† Glick grabbed her arm. â€Å"Over there! Focus.† He pointed back to the church. Chinita swung the camera back to the top of the stairs. â€Å"Hello there,† she said, training on the man now emerging from the church. â€Å"Who’s the dapper?† Chinita moved in for a close-up. â€Å"Haven’t seen him before.† She tightened in on the man’s face and smiled. â€Å"But I wouldn’t mind seeing him again.† Robert Langdon dashed down the stairs outside the church and into the middle of the piazza. It was getting dark now, the springtime sun setting late in southern Rome. The sun had dropped below the surrounding buildings, and shadows streaked the square. â€Å"Okay, Bernini,† he said aloud to himself. â€Å"Where the hell is your angel pointing?† He turned and examined the orientation of the church from which he had just come. He pictured the Chigi Chapel inside, and the sculpture of the angel inside that. Without hesitation he turned due west, into the glow of the impending sunset. Time was evaporating. â€Å"Southwest,† he said, scowling at the shops and apartments blocking his view. â€Å"The next marker is out there.† Racking his brain, Langdon pictured page after page of Italian art history. Although very familiar with Bernini’s work, Langdon knew the sculptor had been far too prolific for any nonspecialist to know all of it. Still, considering the relative fame of the first marker – Habakkuk and the Angel – Langdon hoped the second marker was a work he might know from memory. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, he thought. Earth they had found – inside the Chapel of the Earth – Habakkuk, the prophet who predicted the earth’s annihilation. Air is next. Langdon urged himself to think. A Bernini sculpture that has something to do with Air! He was drawing a total blank. Still he felt energized. I’m on the path of Illumination! It is still intact! Looking southwest, Langdon strained to see a spire or cathedral tower jutting up over the obstacles. He saw nothing. He needed a map. If they could figure out what churches were southwest of here, maybe one of them would spark Langdon’s memory. Air, he pressed. Air. Bernini. Sculpture. Air. Think! Langdon turned and headed back up the cathedral stairs. He was met beneath the scaffolding by Vittoria and Olivetti. â€Å"Southwest,† Langdon said, panting. â€Å"The next church is southwest of here.† Olivetti’s whisper was cold. â€Å"You sure this time?† Langdon didn’t bite. â€Å"We need a map. One that shows all the churches in Rome.† The commander studied him a moment, his expression never changing. Langdon checked his watch. â€Å"We only have half an hour.† Olivetti moved past Langdon down the stairs toward his car, parked directly in front of the cathedral. Langdon hoped he was going for a map. Vittoria looked excited. â€Å"So the angel’s pointing southwest? No idea which churches are southwest?† â€Å"I can’t see past the damn buildings.† Langdon turned and faced the square again. â€Å"And I don’t know Rome’s churches well enou – † He stopped. Vittoria looked startled. â€Å"What?† Langdon looked out at the piazza again. Having ascended the church stairs, he was now higher, and his view was better. He still couldn’t see anything, but he realized he was moving in the right direction. His eyes climbed the tower of rickety scaffolding above him. It rose six stories, almost to the top of the church’s rose window, far higher than the other buildings in the square. He knew in an instant where he was headed. Across the square, Chinita Macri and Gunther Glick sat glued to the windshield of the BBC van. â€Å"You getting this?† Gunther asked. Macri tightened her shot on the man now climbing the scaffolding. â€Å"He’s a little well dressed to be playing Spiderman if you ask me.† â€Å"And who’s Ms. Spidey?† Chinita glanced at the attractive woman beneath the scaffolding. â€Å"Bet you’d like to find out.† â€Å"Think I should call editorial?† â€Å"Not yet. Let’s watch. Better to have something in the can before we admit we abandoned conclave.† â€Å"You think somebody really killed one of the old farts in there?† Chinita clucked. â€Å"You’re definitely going to hell.† â€Å"And I’ll be taking the Pulitzer with me.† 71 The scaffolding seemed less stable the higher Langdon climbed. His view of Rome, however, got better with every step. He continued upward. He was breathing harder than he expected when he reached the upper tier. He pulled himself onto the last platform, brushed off the plaster, and stood up. The height did not bother him at all. In fact, it was invigorating. The view was staggering. Like an ocean on fire, the red-tiled rooftops of Rome spread out before him, glowing in the scarlet sunset. From that spot, for the first time in his life, Langdon saw beyond the pollution and traffic of Rome to its ancient roots – Citt di Dio – The city of God. Squinting into the sunset, Langdon scanned the rooftops for a church steeple or bell tower. But as he looked farther and farther toward the horizon, he saw nothing. There are hundreds of churches in Rome, he thought. There must be one southwest of here! If the church is even visible, he reminded himself. Hell, if the church is even still standing! Forcing his eyes to trace the line slowly, he attempted the search again. He knew, of course, that not all churches would have visible spires, especially smaller, out-of-the-way sanctuaries. Not to mention, Rome had changed dramatically since the 1600s when churches were by law the tallest buildings allowed. Now, as Langdon looked out, he saw apartment buildings, high-rises, TV towers. For the second time, Langdon’s eye reached the horizon without seeing anything. Not one single spire. In the distance, on the very edge of Rome, Michelangelo’s massive dome blotted the setting sun. St. Peter’s Basilica. Vatican City. Langdon found himself wondering how the cardinals were faring, and if the Swiss Guards’ search had turned up the antimatter. Something told him it hadn’t†¦ and wouldn’t. The poem was rattling through his head again. He considered it, carefully, line by line. From Santi’s earthly tomb with demon’s hole. They had found Santi’s tomb. ‘Cross Rome the mystic elements unfold. The mystic elements were Earth, Air, Fire, Water. The path of light is laid, the sacred test. The path of Illumination formed by Bernini’s sculptures. Let angels guide you on your lofty quest. The angel was pointing southwest†¦ â€Å"Front stairs!† Glick exclaimed, pointing wildly through the windshield of the BBC van. â€Å"Something’s going on!† Macri dropped her shot back down to the main entrance. Something was definitely going on. At the bottom of the stairs, the military-looking man had pulled one of the Alpha Romeos close to the stairs and opened the trunk. Now he was scanning the square as if checking for onlookers. For a moment, Macri thought the man had spotted them, but his eyes kept moving. Apparently satisfied, he pulled out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it. Almost instantly, it seemed an army emerged from the church. Like an American football team breaking from a huddle, the soldiers formed a straight line across the top of the stairs. Moving like a human wall, they began to descend. Behind them, almost entirely hidden by the wall, four soldiers seemed to be carrying something. Something heavy. Awkward. Glick leaned forward on the dashboard. â€Å"Are they stealing something from the church?† Chinita tightened her shot even more, using the telephoto to probe the wall of men, looking for an opening. One split second, she willed. A single frame. That’s all I need. But the men moved as one. Come on! Macri stayed with them, and it paid off. When the soldiers tried to lift the object into the trunk, Macri found her opening. Ironically, it was the older man who faltered. Only for an instant, but long enough. Macri had her frame. Actually, it was more like ten frames. â€Å"Call editorial,† Chinita said. â€Å"We’ve got a dead body.† Far away, at CERN, Maximilian Kohler maneuvered his wheelchair into Leonardo Vetra’s study. With mechanical efficiency, he began sifting through Vetra’s files. Not finding what he was after, Kohler moved to Vetra’s bedroom. The top drawer of his bedside table was locked. Kohler pried it open with a knife from the kitchen. Inside Kohler found exactly what he was looking for. 72 Langdon swung off the scaffolding and dropped back to the ground. He brushed the plaster dust from his clothes. Vittoria was there to greet him. â€Å"No luck?† she said. He shook his head. â€Å"They put the cardinal in the trunk.† Langdon looked over to the parked car where Olivetti and a group of soldiers now had a map spread out on the hood. â€Å"Are they looking southwest?† She nodded. â€Å"No churches. From here the first one you hit is St. Peter’s.† Langdon grunted. At least they were in agreement. He moved toward Olivetti. The soldiers parted to let him through. Olivetti looked up. â€Å"Nothing. But this doesn’t show every last church. Just the big ones. About fifty of them.† â€Å"Where are we?† Langdon asked. Olivetti pointed to Piazza del Popolo and traced a straight line exactly southwest. The line missed, by a substantial margin, the cluster of black squares indicating Rome’s major churches. Unfortunately, Rome’s major churches were also Rome’s older churches†¦ those that would have been around in the 1600s. â€Å"I’ve got some decisions to make,† Olivetti said. â€Å"Are you certain of the direction?† Langdon pictured the angel’s outstretched finger, the urgency rising in him again. â€Å"Yes, sir. Positive.† Olivetti shrugged and traced the straight line again. The path intersected the Margherita Bridge, Via Cola di Riezo, and passed through Piazza del Risorgimento, hitting no churches at all until it dead-ended abruptly at the center of St. Peter’s Square. â€Å"What’s wrong with St. Peter’s?† one of the soldiers said. He had a deep scar under his left eye. â€Å"It’s a church.† Langdon shook his head. â€Å"Needs to be a public place. Hardly seems public at the moment.† â€Å"But the line goes through St. Peter’s Square,† Vittoria added, looking over Langdon’s shoulder. â€Å"The square is public.† Langdon had already considered it. â€Å"No statues, though.† â€Å"Isn’t there a monolith in the middle?† She was right. There was an Egyptian monolith in St. Peter’s Square. Langdon looked out at the monolith in the piazza in front of them. The lofty pyramid. An odd coincidence, he thought. He shook it off. â€Å"The Vatican’s monolith is not by Bernini. It was brought in by Caligula. And it has nothing to do with Air.† There was another problem as well. â€Å"Besides, the poem says the elements are spread across Rome. St. Peter’s Square is in Vatican City. Not Rome.† â€Å"Depends who you ask,† a guard interjected. Langdon looked up. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Always a bone of contention. Most maps show St. Peter’s Square as part of Vatican City, but because it’s outside the walled city, Roman officials for centuries have claimed it as part of Rome.† â€Å"You’re kidding,† Langdon said. He had never known that. â€Å"I only mention it,† the guard continued, â€Å"because Commander Olivetti and Ms. Vetra were asking about a sculpture that had to do with Air.† Langdon was wide-eyed. â€Å"And you know of one in St. Peter’s Square?† â€Å"Not exactly. It’s not really a sculpture. Probably not relevant.† â€Å"Let’s hear it,† Olivetti pressed. The guard shrugged. â€Å"The only reason I know about it is because I’m usually on piazza duty. I know every corner of St. Peter’s Square.† â€Å"The sculpture,† Langdon urged. â€Å"What does it look like?† Langdon was starting to wonder if the Illuminati could really have been gutsy enough to position their second marker right outside St. Peter’s Church. â€Å"I patrol past it every day,† the guard said. â€Å"It’s in the center, directly where that line is pointing. That’s what made me think of it. As I said, it’s not really a sculpture. It’s more of a†¦ block.† Olivetti looked mad. â€Å"A block?† â€Å"Yes, sir. A marble block embedded in the square. At the base of the monolith. But the block is not a rectangle. It’s an ellipse. And the block is carved with the image of a billowing gust of wind.† He paused. â€Å"Air, I suppose, if you wanted to get scientific about it.† Langdon stared at the young soldier in amazement. â€Å"A relief!† he exclaimed suddenly. Everyone looked at him. â€Å"Relief,† Langdon said, â€Å"is the other half of sculpture!† Sculpture is the art of shaping figures in the round and also in relief. He had written the definition on chalkboards for years. Reliefs were essentially two-dimensional sculptures, like Abraham Lincoln’s profile on the penny. Bernini’s Chigi Chapel medallions were another perfect example. â€Å"Bassorelievo?† the guard asked, using the Italian art term. â€Å"Yes! Bas-relief!† Langdon rapped his knuckles on the hood. â€Å"I wasn’t thinking in those terms! That tile you’re talking about in St. Peter’s Square is called the West Ponente – the West Wind. It’s also known as Respiro di Dio.† â€Å"Breath of God?† â€Å"Yes! Air! And it was carved and put there by the original architect!† Vittoria looked confused. â€Å"But I thought Michelangelo designed St. Peter’s.† â€Å"Yes, the basilica!† Langdon exclaimed, triumph in his voice. â€Å"But St. Peter’s Square was designed by Bernini!† As the caravan of Alpha Romeos tore out of Piazza del Popolo, everyone was in too much of a hurry to notice the BBC van pulling out behind them. 73 Gunther Glick floored the BBC van’s accelerator and swerved through traffic as he tailed the four speeding Alpha Romeos across the Tiber River on Ponte Margherita. Normally Glick would have made an effort to maintain an inconspicuous distance, but today he could barely keep up. These guys were flying. Macri sat in her work area in the back of the van finishing a phone call with London. She hung up and yelled to Glick over the sound of the traffic. â€Å"You want the good news or bad news?† Glick frowned. Nothing was ever simple when dealing with the home office. â€Å"Bad news.† â€Å"Editorial is burned we abandoned our post.† â€Å"Surprise.† â€Å"They also think your tipster is a fraud.† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"And the boss just warned me that you’re a few crumpets short of a proper tea.† Glick scowled. â€Å"Great. And the good news?† â€Å"They agreed to look at the footage we just shot.† Glick felt his scowl soften into a grin. I guess we’ll see who’s short a few crumpets. â€Å"So fire it off.† â€Å"Can’t transmit until we stop and get a fixed cell read.† Glick gunned the van onto Via Cola di Rienzo. â€Å"Can’t stop now.† He tailed the Alpha Romeos through a hard left swerve around Piazza Risorgimento. Macri held on to her computer gear in back as everything slid. â€Å"Break my transmitter,† she warned, â€Å"and we’ll have to walk this footage to London.† â€Å"Sit tight, love. Something tells me we’re almost there.† Macri looked up. â€Å"Where?† Glick gazed out at the familiar dome now looming directly in front of them. He smiled. â€Å"Right back where we started.† The four Alpha Romeos slipped deftly into traffic surrounding St. Peter’s Square. They split up and spread out along the piazza perimeter, quietly unloading men at select points. The debarking guards moved into the throng of tourists and media vans on the edge of the square and instantly became invisible. Some of the guards entered the forest of pillars encompassing the colonnade. They too seemed to evaporate into the surroundings. As Langdon watched through the windshield, he sensed a noose tightening around St. Peter’s. In addition to the men Olivetti had just dispatched, the commander had radioed ahead to the Vatican and sent additional undercover guards to the center where Bernini’s West Ponente was located. As Langdon looked out at the wide-open spaces of St. Peter’s Square, a familiar question nagged. How does the Illuminati assassin plan to get away with this? How will he get a cardinal through all these people and kill him in plain view? Langdon checked his Mickey Mouse watch. It was 8:54 P.M. Six minutes. In the front seat, Olivetti turned and faced Langdon and Vittoria. â€Å"I want you two right on top of this Bernini brick or block or whatever the hell it is. Same drill. You’re tourists. Use the phone if you see anything.† Before Langdon could respond, Vittoria had his hand and was pulling him out of the car. The springtime sun was setting behind St. Peter’s Basilica, and a massive shadow spread, engulfing the piazza. Langdon felt an ominous chill as he and Vittoria moved into the cool, black umbra. Snaking through the crowd, Langdon found himself searching every face they passed, wondering if the killer was among them. Vittoria’s hand felt warm. As they crossed the open expanse of St. Peter’s Square, Langdon sensed Bernini’s sprawling piazza having the exact effect the artist had been commissioned to create – that of â€Å"humbling all those who entered.† Langdon certainly felt humbled at the moment. Humbled and hungry, he realized, surprised such a mundane thought could enter his head at a moment like this. â€Å"To the obelisk?† Vittoria asked. Langdon nodded, arching left across the piazza. â€Å"Time?† Vittoria asked, walking briskly, but casually. â€Å"Five of.† Vittoria said nothing, but Langdon felt her grip tighten. He was still carrying the gun. He hoped Vittoria would not decide she needed it. He could not imagine her whipping out a weapon in St. Peter’s Square and blowing away the kneecaps of some killer while the global media looked on. Then again, an incident like that would be nothing compared to the branding and murder of a cardinal out here. Air, Langdon thought. The second element of science. He tried to picture the brand. The method of murder. Again he scanned the sprawling expanse of granite beneath his feet – St. Peter’s Square – an open desert surrounded by Swiss Guard. If the Hassassin really dared attempt this, Langdon could not imagine how he would escape. In the center of the piazza rose Caligula’s 350-ton Egyptian obelisk. It stretched eighty-one feet skyward to the pyramidal apex onto which was affixed a hollow iron cross. Sufficiently high to catch the last of the evening sun, the cross shone as if magic†¦ purportedly containing relics of the cross on which Christ was crucified. Two fountains flanked the obelisk in perfect symmetry. Art historians knew the fountains marked the exact geometric focal points of Bernini’s elliptical piazza, but it was an architectural oddity Langdon had never really considered until today. It seemed Rome was suddenly filled with ellipses, pyramids, and startling geometry. As they neared the obelisk, Vittoria slowed. She exhaled heavily, as if coaxing Langdon to relax along with her. Langdon made the effort, lowering his shoulders and loosening his clenched jaw. Somewhere around the obelisk, boldly positioned outside the largest church in the world, was the second altar of science – Bernini’s West Ponente – an elliptical block in St. Peter’s Square. Gunther Glick watched from the shadows of the pillars surrounding St. Peter’s Square. On any other day the man in the tweed jacket and the woman in khaki shorts would not have interested him in the least. They appeared to be nothing but tourists enjoying the square. But today was not any other day. Today had been a day of phone tips, corpses, unmarked cars racing through Rome, and men in tweed jackets climbing scaffolding in search of God only knew what. Glick would stay with them. He looked out across the square and saw Macri. She was exactly where he had told her to go, on the far side of the couple, hovering on their flank. Macri carried her video camera casually, but despite her imitation of a bored member of the press, she stood out more than Glick would have liked. No other reporters were in this far corner of the square, and the acronym â€Å"BBC† stenciled on her camera was drawing some looks from tourists. The tape Macri had shot earlier of the naked body dumped in the trunk was playing at this very moment on the VCR transmitter back in the van. Glick knew the images were sailing over his head right now en route to London. He wondered what editorial would say. He wished he and Macri had reached the body sooner, before the army of plainclothed soldiers had intervened. The same army, he knew, had now fanned out and surrounded this piazza. Something big was about to happen. The media is the right arm of anarchy, the killer had said. Glick wondered if he had missed his chance for a big scoop. He looked out at the other media vans in the distance and watched Macri tailing the mysterious couple across the piazza. Something told Glick he was still in the game†¦

Textbook evaluation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Textbook evaluation - Assignment Example Generally, the books aimed to meet the requirements of ELT are commercialized and generic and lacks to target a specific group of learners. According to Altan (1995, p. 59) Our modern course books are full of speech acts and functions based on situations which most foreign language students will never encopunter..."Globally" designed course books have continued to be stubbornly Anglo-centric. Appealing to the world market as they do, they cannot by definition draw on local varieties of English and have not gone very far in recognizing English as an international language, either. For setting the criteria to select the right course books for ELT, teachers need to consider the learners. the selected material should be motivational, creative, interesting, relevant and it should meet the needs of the individuals. Teachers should know the needs of ELT students. The course books should be picked on the basis of needs analysis. Adopting this technique would outline the needs of the student in listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary knowledge and teaching them the grammar rules. It is also important that course books should be selected on the knowledge and experience of the students, besides their needs. The second important thing to remember is the curriculum and context of the course books. The selected course books should meet the needs of the students and it should have all the material which is required by the teachers to make the students understand the basic rules. Curriculum and context of the course books greatly influence the teachers decision about selecting the right teaching material. The curriculum should meet the goals and objectives for the learners as well as the course of study. Curriculum and context should meet the learning requirements of the ELT students (Nunan, 1998, p. 23). The external evaluation of a specific book begins from its author, publisher, the