Male youth suicide in the UK and its emergence as a social problemin Dissertation

Male youth suicide in the UK and its emergence as a social problemin the 1990s in related to press - Dissertation Example The effects of the portrayal of male suicide in the prominent UK publications, The Times and The Guardian, will be presented, detailing how media coverage of this subject has affected the suicide rates of male youth in order to set up the research question that will be examined in more detail in the M2 project. I have chosen The Times and The Guardian as the two referential publications for my research because they are both quality publications that have already gone through the process of tabloidization and currently can be relied on to provide accurate, quality information. The public believes they treat current affairs fairly seriously, so, they are important in forming views and peoples opinions. 2 Suicide Defined Establishing a comprehensive definition for what qualifies as ‘suicide’ is quite difficult, since the most common definitions of the word and the technical definition used by the Coroner’s office in England and Wales diverge. The most common definiti ons of ‘suicide’ are expressed in the following context: a. â€Å"The act of deliberately taking one's own life† (Frankish and Jeffereys). b. ... officially published suicide figures are collected from coronial investigations that take place in cases of unexpected or sudden deaths, and involve post-mortem reports, psychiatric records of the victim, and the social history as denoted by the friends and family, and suicide letters, if any (Sainsbury & Jenkins, 1982). A coronial verdict leaves a large scope for various probability factors, like suicidal behavioural tendencies noticed previously, records of psychiatric problems, associated social events that may have lead the victim to commit suicide, or a suicide note. There are also certain amounts of variations in the certification procedures, as the suicide certification in the UK is based on the coroners’ verdicts that are founded on public inquests; while in Germany, suicide cases are certified only by the general practitioners (Cantor, 2000). Often the problems in delineating suicides like drug overdoses, motor crashes where there was only one passenger (Phillips, 197 7), or death by drowning (O’Donnell & Farmer, 1995), makes it difficult for the investigators to arrive at a conclusion (Cantor, 2000). These aforementioned types of deaths are very often termed as accidental (see Figure 2), and owing to lack of any strong evidences, like a suicide letter, the deaths cannot be termed as presumably suicide (however there are differences based on the coroners’ choice). Thus, we find that, due to lack of evidences, suicides may be registered as ‘accidental’ deaths from unknown causes, unlike deaths by hanging, strangulation, or suffocation that are seen as conclusive evidence of suicide (see Figure 1). Figure 1: Deaths from ‘Suicides’ and ‘Undetermined Injury’ in England in 2008 (Gunnell, 6). Here the variations in the processes adopted for suicide

WRITE YOUR OWN CONSTITUTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

WRITE YOUR OWN CONSTITUTION - Essay Example In 1938, Romania was under dictatorship government. In addition, there was reckless dissolution of it political system by the political leaders. However, a stable government requires a well written constitution that exercises rules and regulations (Founding unites states fathers 34). Romania needs the establishment of a stable democratic form of government. For this to succeed, it requires a written constitution that set the basic democracy principles (Founding unites states fathers 45). The purpose of the constitution is to give people the right to choose a government of their interest, put enduring limits on the government, and entrench rules in the constitution. The following is a model constitution that Romania democratic government can adopt. The goal of a democratic government is to give people the right to control the government. This will demolish dictatorship and allow people to elect politicians of their choice. People will be able to put limits on the officials by dividing power among diverse parts of the government. In addition, people will require the government to respect their individual rights and be accountable through allowing regular and free elections. This will be a body of government consisting of two legislative houses which include: the house of representative and the senate. The senate house will be smaller with its members serving for longer terms. On the other hand, the house of representative will be large than the senate. Its members will serve for shorter terms. However, the two houses will be responsible of making laws through two ways. The first one will be through veto override. This is a process by which the two houses will use to vote on a bill voted by the president. In addition, two-thirds votes from each house will be required in order to pass a bill. The second one will be filibuster which will involve a parliamentary procedure for extending debates. One or more members, in the two

FBD For Types Of Support And Analysis Mechanics Essay

FBD For Types Of Support And Analysis Mechanics Essay In any problem where you are considering the forces acting on an object which is a large percentage of the problems in physics one of the first steps is to create a free-body diagram to depict the situation. Meaning A free-body diagram is a picture of the physical situation you are analyzing, which depicts all of the relevant forces acting on the objects of interest. Forces are vector quantities and should, therefore, be indicated with a magnitude and direction in the free-body diagram Coordinate Systems FBD When creating a free-body diagram, you must orient it in a coordinate system, typically a two-dimensional one. This is almost always done so that the force of gravity is pulling straight down (in the negative-y direction). Its generally preferred to orient things so that any horizontal movement will be in the positive-x direction (i.e. to the right), although so long as you maintain the same orientation you will get physically identical results. Types of Forces Acting on FBD The majority of forces in free-body diagrams, at least as they relate to classical mechanics, come from the application of Newtons Three Laws of Motion and the Law of Universal Gravitation. Free-body diagrams of other situations can involve other forces. When creating the free-body diagram of an electron, for example, you would want to include electromagnetic forces acting on it. 1.Gravitational Force You will almost always consider the gravitational force, or weight, in a free-body diagram. The magnitude of this force is calculated by mass (m) times the acceleration of gravity (g), typically treated as a constant of 9.8 m/s2 on the Earths surface. In the case of an air born object, such as a basketball player who is jumping, the only force that is typically acting on it while in the air is the weight of the object. 2.Normal Force The normal (or perpendicular) force is the contact force the surface an object rests or moves on against the object. It is directed perpendicular to the surface. In most cases, these surfaces are depicted in a free-body diagram as horizontal, with gravity down, so the normal force is directed upwards and is equal to the total force into the surface. 3.Frictional Force An object resting on a surface interacts with the surface. The force of this interaction is the frictional force, or just friction. Friction requires a bit more of an in-depth discussion than what I will present here, but for the moment I will state that friction is: Always parallel to the surface the object is interacting with. Always in the opposite direction of the force moving an object across the surface. Proportional to the normal force. 4.Tension Often, free-body diagrams will depict one component of a larger system. When we discuss a man pulling a stone slab with a rope, and were interested in the motion of the slab, we dont care about all the forces acting on the man. As such, what we really care about is the tension the force that the rope is exerting on the stone slab. Tension at any point is the magnitude of the force at that point, so tension at the point where the rope meets the object is what we care about. Assumptions The free body diagram reflects the assumption and simplifications made in order to analyze the system. If the body in question is a satellite in orbit for example, and all that is required is to find its velocity, then a single point may be the best representation. On the other hand, the brake dive of a motorcycle cannot be found from a single point, and a sketch with finite dimensions is required. Force vectors must be carefully located and labeled to avoid assumptions that presuppose a result. For example, in the accompanying diagram of a block on a ramp, the exact location of the resulting normal force of the ramp on the block can only be found after analyzing the motion or by assuming equilibrium. Other simplifying assumptions that may be considered include two-force members and three-force members. Steps for making FBD Step 1: Identify the object or system and isolate it from other objects clearly specify its boundary.Step 2: First draw non-contact external force in the diagram. Generally it is weight.Step 3: Draw contact forces which acts at the boundary of the object or system. Contact forces are normal reaction, friction, tension and applied force. In a Free Body Diagram, internal forces are not drawn, only external forces are drawn. FBD EXAMPLE These are simplified representations of an object (thebody) in a problem, and include force vectors acting on the object. This body isfreebecause the diagram will show it without its surroundings. Lets take Figure 1 to be a pictorial representation of our problem: a boat on the floor, with a rope pulling it. First we will represent the boat the body in our problem as a (really) simplified figure, a square Gravity The first force we will investigate is that due to gravity, and well call it thegravitational force. We know that the acceleration due to gravity (if on Earth) is approximatelyg= 9.8 m/s . The force, by Newtons Second Law isF= mg Wheregis the acceleration due to gravity. Lets add this to our diagram. Note that the force vector, labeledFmg, points downward, as this is the direction in which the gravitation force acts. Note that this force is commonly calledweight. This weight (mg) is different from our everyday use of the word weight (which is known in physics as mass). Normal Thenormal forceone which prevents objects from falling into whatever it is they are sitting upon. It is always perpendicularto the surface with which an object is in contact. For example, if there is a crate on the floor, then we say that the crate experiences a normal forcebythe floor; and because of this force, the crate does not fall into the floor. The normal force on the crate points upward, perpendicular to the floor. It is called the normal force becausenormalandperpendicularmean the same thing. The normal force is always perpendicular to the surface with which a body is in contact. For a body on a sloped surface (say a ramp), the normal force acting on that body is still perpendicular to the slope. In the case of our problem, the ship, we will pretend the ship is being pulled on a floor. (This is because on water there is the complication with another force, buoyancy. For simplicitys sake, we will ignore buoyancy by putting the ship on the floor.) Lets add the normal force to our FBD (Figure), and represent the normal force with the script N,. Friction Related to the normal force is thefrictional force. The two are related because they are both due to the surface in contact with the body. Whereas the normal force was perpendicular to the surface, the frictional force is parallel. Furthermore, friction opposes motion, and so its vector always points away from the direction of movement. Friction is divided into two categories, static and kinetic. These are represented by the script F, with a subscript s for static friction:, and a subscript k for kinetic friction,. As its name suggests,static frictionoccurs when the body is not moving (i.e. static). It is the force which makes it difficult to start something moving. On the other hand, kinetic frictionoccurs when the body is in motion. This is the force which causes objects to slow down and eventually stop. Friction is usually approximated as being proportional to the normal force. The proportionality constant is called the coefficient of (static or kinetic) friction. The constant is represented asfor static friction, andfor kinetic friction; it depends on the actual surface with which the body is in contact. To summarize, Weve added (kinetic) friction to our free body diagram, Figure . Push and Pull Another force which may act on an object could be any physical push or pull. This could be caused by a person pushing a crate on the floor, a child pulling on a wagon, or in the case of our example, the wind pushing on the ship. We will label the push force caused by the wind withFpush Tension Tension in an object results if pulling force act on its ends, such as in a rope used to pull a boulder. If no forces are acting on the rope, say, except at its ends, and the rope itself is in equilibrium, then the tension is the same throughout the rope. We will use the letterTto represent tension in a free body diagram. If we say that our ship is being pulled by a rope at its front end, then we can add this force to our FBD (Figure). And there we have it: all the forces acting on our ship has been labeled in Figure. This is the complete FBD for our problem of a ship being pulled along a floor by a rope Types of supports Structural systems transfer their loading through a series of elements to the ground. This is accomplished by designing the joining of the elements at their intersections. Each connection is designed so that it can transfer, or support, a specific type of load or loading condition. In order to be able to analyze a structure, it is first necessary to be clear about the forces that can be resisted, and transferred, at each level of support throughout the structure. The actual behaviour of a support or connection can be quite complicated. So much so, that if all of the various conditions were considered, the design of each support would be a terribly lengthy process. And yet, the conditions at each of the supports greatly influence the behaviour of the elements which make up each structural system. SUPPORT TYPES The three common types of connections which join a built structure to its foundation are: roller or frictionless,pinned andfixed. A fourth type, not often found in building structures, is known as asimple support. This is often idealized as a frictionless surface). All of these supports can be located anywhere along a structural element. They are found at the ends, at midpoints, or at any other intermediate points. The type of support connection determines the type of load that the support can resist. The support type also has a great effect on the load bearing capacity of each element, and therefore the system. 1. ROLLER SUPPORTS Roller supports are free to rotate and translate along the surface upon which the roller rests. The surface can be horizontal, vertical, or sloped at any angle. The resulting reaction force is always a single force that is perpendicular to, and away from, the surface. Roller supports are commonly located at one end of long bridges. This allows the bridge structure to expand and contract with temperature changes. The expansion forces could fracture the supports at the banks if the bridge structure was locked in place. Roller supports can also take the form of rubber bearings, rockers, or a set of gears which are designed to allow a limited amount of lateral movement. 2. FRICTIONLESS SUPPORTS Frictionless surface supports are similar to roller supports. The resulting reaction force is always a single force that is perpendicular to, and away from, the surface. They too are often found as supports for long bridges or roof spans. These are often found supporting large structures in zones of frequent seismic activity. The representation of a frictionless support includes one force perpendicular to the surface. 3. PINNED SUPPORTS Pinned support can resist both vertical and horizontal forces but not a moment. They will allow the structural member to rotate, but not to translate in any direction. Many connections are assumed to be pinned connections even though they might resist a small amount of moment in reality. It is also true that a pinned connection could allow rotation in only one direction; providing resistance to rotation in any other direction. The knee can be idealized as a connection which allows rotation in only one direction and provides resistance to lateral movement. The design of a pinned connection is a good example of the idealization of the reality. A single pinned connection is usually not sufficient to make a structure stable. Another support must be provided at some point to prevent rotation of the structure. The representation of a pinned support includes both horizontal and vertical forces. 4. FIXED SUPPORTS (CANTILEVER) Fixed supports can resist vertical and horizontal forces as well as a moment. Since they restrain both rotation and translation, they are also known as rigid supports. This means that a structure only needs one fixed support in order to be stable. All three equations of equilibrium can be satisfied. A flagpole set into a concrete base is a good example of this kind of support. The representation of fixed supports always includes two forces (horizontal and vertical) and a moment. 5. SIMPLE SUPPORTS Simple supports are idealized by some to be frictionless surface supports. This is correct in as much as the resulting reaction is always a single force that is perpendicular to, and away from, the surface. However, are also similar to roller supports in this. They are dissimilar in that a simple support cannot resist lateral loads of any magnitude. The built reality often depends upon gravity and friction to develop a minimal amount of frictional resistance to moderate lateral loading. For example, if a plank is laid across gap to provide a bridge, it is assumed that the plank will remain in its place. It will do so until a foot kicks it or moves it. At that moment the plank will move because the simple connection cannot develop any resistance to the lateral loal. A simple support can be found as a type of support for long bridges or roof span. Simple supports are often found in zones of frequent seismic activity. IMPLICATIONS and REACTIONS The following figure shows the analysis of the type of support condition on the deflection behavior and on the location of maximum bending stresses of a beam supported at its ends Simple Beams that are hinged on the left and roller supported on the right. Reference: Book concerned: 1) Engineering Mechanics by D.S. KUMAR 2) Engineering Mechanics by RAJPUT 3) Mechanical Sciences, G. K. Lal and Vijay Gupta, Narosa Publishing ouse Web Site concerned: 1) http://web.mit.edu 2) http://eta.physics.uoguelph.ca 3) http://www.physics.uoguelph.ca

Designated Hitter Essays -- essays research papers

Designated Hitter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Do you prefer a bases loaded double that clears the bases and involves an exciting play at home plate? Or a boring three-run homerun where the base runners trot around the bases, while the defense stands around with dazed looks on their faces? Do you prefer stolen bases, squeeze plays, and trying to move the base runners to make something happen; as opposed to a team waiting for someone to hit a homerun? If you answered â€Å"yes† then consider yourself a fan of â€Å"small ball.† The characteristic of a Designated Hitter is the major difference between Major League Baseball’s two leagues: The American League and the National League.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American League has many advantages because it uses a designated hitter. A Designated Hitter is a position player who hits for the pitcher but does not play in the field. This was an experiment started by Major League Baseball in 1973 (Wikipedia). In an effort to stop declining attendance and to boost offensive production and thus make the game more interesting for fans. This changed the game in many ways. The overall production of the American League offensive statistics has increased. Homeruns, runs batted in, and slugging percentages are all on the rise. The American League has the advantage of getting to replace the pitcher, and add a power hitter into the lineup. This increases the excitement of the game for fans. Average baseball fans can tell you that the weakest hit...

The management of medical emergencies Essay

The management of medical emergencies at initial stages has many impacts in the development of the medical situation. By being proficient enough in managing medical emergencies in primary care setting, one has comprehensive and first-hand information. This information is very helpful to help the medical practitioners implement the most relevant measures to the situation. In the case of sexual assault, proper medication will be prescribed to the victim of the assault immediately before the situation grows very critical and complex to handle. Taking for instance, sexual assault where the victim risked contracting sexually transmitted infection. In this scenario, the most appropriate post exposure measures will be prescribe to the person to prevent the enhancement of the disease. Proper management of emergencies is the main determiner of the future progress in the situation. In emergency cases at primary care setting, it is possible that professional trainees will not have the opportunity to contemporaneously experience an emergency in which they learn and practice skills during the General Practitioners part of their training; therefore not fulfilling a major part of the every medical college curriculum. Some may feel that the Specialist Trainees will get sufficient experience in managing acute emergencies during the secondary care part of their training, but there are several reasons why is felt that specific training for primary care setting is essential. With the expansion of training in General Practitioners from 12 to 18 months at the expense of secondary training, specialist trainees will be exposed to fewer opportunities to experience acute emergencies due to the lower prevalence in primary as opposed to secondary care. Moreover, with the move to create, secondary care posts located predominantly in outpatient departments or future polyclinic facilities, the opportunity for emergency care experience will decrease even more over the full scope of General Practitioner training (Amorosi & Thorn, 2012, p. 77). In contrast, in primary care, though the materials are usually available and maintained in case an emergency situation should arise, these skills are rarely used. Moreover, the supportive practitioners (nurses, receptionist and fellow clinicians), though receiving yearly training; may wait years before they get to practise their skills on a real case. Furthermore, the specialist trainee, being transplant from the relatively standardized and familiar context of the hospital or outpatient department to a new and much more variable care setting, will be disoriented and relatively isolated if he or she is confront with a patient having a life-threatening event. Finally, many Specialist trainees while having participated in the provision of emergency care will never have taken the responsibility for directing the care, to lead the clinician during the emergency (Goldfrank, 2010, p. 86). Evidence based plan of care is very beneficial in an emergency. The evidence in the emergency provides medical practitioners with information about the cause of the emergency. This data not only ensures proper medication to the affected, but also gives nurses and clinicians confidence in approaching the emergency. Confidence in the clinician motivates in their effort to assist the affected person. The victims of the emergency stand a better chance to acquire quality and proper medication. Proper medications that come with the evidence to the emergency facilitate the chances of survival to emergency victim. In most situations, emergency victims are very critical and, therefore, they deserve a high attention to safe (Queenan, 2012, p. 112). By provision of evidence about the cause of their ailment, their chances of survival are increase by proper administration of medication. Evidence based plan of care is cost effective in an emergency. A lot is a waste through trying to minimise a situation that lacks evidence of its rise. Through provision of the causes that result to an emergency, many resources that could be used in search for evidence are saved. In evidence base plan of care, there is both subjective and objective information that is available. Subjective information comprises of all material facts about causes of the ailment. These may information of the real causes of the ailment that led to ailment.in the case of an accident, the subjective information is that the emergency result from sudden impact of the accident. Objective information, on the other hand, entails all those details about an emergence that would guide medical practitioners in treating the victim of an emergency. Such information includes information such as the time when the emergency occurred and how the victim was affect by the situation. It helps the medical practitioners to judge the victim biologically and try to help him as from the information acquired. For instance, in a situation where the victim was involve in a road accident the interest about the evidence that a medical practitioner may wish to know, are details like how long it has taken the victim since the occurrence of the accident. The levels of blood loss, if any and the intensity of the result of an accident to the victim’s body are amongst the important facts for a medical practitioner. These goal Facts would guide the medical practitioner in describing the most appropriate medication to the victim. Proper medication would mean high chances of recovery to the victim. Evidence based plan of care is the most reliable for effective medication. References Amorosi,  E., & Thorn,  G. (2012). Managing Medical Emergencies. New York: The Author. Goldfrank,  L. (2010). Goldfrank’s Toxicologic Emergencies. Norwalk, Conn: Appleton & Lange. Queenan,  J. (2012). Managing Ob/gyn Emergencies. Oradell, N.J: Medical Economics Books. Source document

Angels Demons Chapter 86-88

86 No light. No sound. The Secret Archives were black. Fear, Langdon now realized, was an intense motivator. Short of breath, he fumbled through the blackness toward the revolving door. He found the button on the wall and rammed his palm against it. Nothing happened. He tried again. The door was dead. Spinning blind, he called out, but his voice emerged strangled. The peril of his predicament suddenly closed in around him. His lungs strained for oxygen as the adrenaline doubled his heart rate. He felt like someone had just punched him in the gut. When he threw his weight into the door, for an instant he thought he felt the door start to turn. He pushed again, seeing stars. Now he realized it was the entire room turning, not the door. Staggering away, Langdon tripped over the base of a rolling ladder and fell hard. He tore his knee against the edge of a book stack. Swearing, he got up and groped for the ladder. He found it. He had hoped it would be heavy wood or iron, but it was aluminum. He grabbed the ladder and held it like a battering ram. Then he ran through the dark at the glass wall. It was closer than he thought. The ladder hit head-on, bouncing off. From the feeble sound of the collision, Langdon knew he was going to need a hell of a lot more than an aluminum ladder to break this glass. When he flashed on the semiautomatic, his hopes surged and then instantly fell. The weapon was gone. Olivetti had relieved him of it in the Pope's office, saying he did not want loaded weapons around with the camerlegno present. It made sense at the time. Langdon called out again, making less sound than the last time. Next he remembered the walkie-talkie the guard had left on the table outside the vault. Why the hell didn't I bring it in! As the purple stars began to dance before his eyes, Langdon forced himself to think. You've been trapped before, he told himself. You survived worse. You were just a kid and you figured it out. The crushing darkness came flooding in. Think! Langdon lowered himself onto the floor. He rolled over on his back and laid his hands at his sides. The first step was to gain control. Relax. Conserve. No longer fighting gravity to pump blood, Langdon's heart began to slow. It was a trick swimmers used to re-oxygenate their blood between tightly scheduled races. There is plenty of air in here, he told himself. Plenty. Now think. He waited, half-expecting the lights to come back on at any moment. They did not. As he lay there, able to breathe better now, an eerie resignation came across him. He felt peaceful. He fought it. You will move, damn it! But where†¦ On Langdon's wrist, Mickey Mouse glowed happily as if enjoying the dark: 9:33 P.M. Half an hour until Fire. Langdon thought it felt a whole hell of a lot later. His mind, instead of coming up with a plan for escape, was suddenly demanding an explanation. Who turned off the power? Was Rocher expanding his search? Wouldn't Olivetti have warned Rocher that I'm in here! Langdon knew at this point it made no difference. Opening his mouth wide and tipping back his head, Langdon pulled the deepest breaths he could manage. Each breath burned a little less than the last. His head cleared. He reeled his thoughts in and forced the gears into motion. Glass walls, he told himself. But damn thick glass. He wondered if any of the books in here were stored in heavy, steel, fireproof file cabinets. Langdon had seen them from time to time in other archives but had seen none here. Besides, finding one in the dark could prove time-consuming. Not that he could lift one anyway, particularly in his present state. How about the examination table? Langdon knew this vault, like the other, had an examination table in the center of the stacks. So what? He knew he couldn't lift it. Not to mention, even if he could drag it, he wouldn't get it far. The stacks were closely packed, the aisles between them far too narrow. The aisles are too narrow†¦ Suddenly, Langdon knew. With a burst of confidence, he jumped to his feet far too fast. Swaying in the fog of a head rush, he reached out in the dark for support. His hand found a stack. Waiting a moment, he forced himself to conserve. He would need all of his strength to do this. Positioning himself against the book stack like a football player against a training sled, he planted his feet and pushed. If I can somehow tip the shelf. But it barely moved. He realigned and pushed again. His feet slipped backward on the floor. The stack creaked but did not move. He needed leverage. Finding the glass wall again, he placed one hand on it to guide him as he raced in the dark toward the far end of the vault. The back wall loomed suddenly, and he collided with it, crushing his shoulder. Cursing, Langdon circled the shelf and grabbed the stack at about eye level. Then, propping one leg on the glass behind him and another on the lower shelves, he started to climb. Books fell around him, fluttering into the darkness. He didn't care. Instinct for survival had long since overridden archival decorum. He sensed his equilibrium was hampered by the total darkness and closed his eyes, coaxing his brain to ignore visual input. He moved faster now. The air felt leaner the higher he went. He scrambled toward the upper shelves, stepping on books, trying to gain purchase, heaving himself upward. Then, like a rock climber conquering a rock face, Langdon grasped the top shelf. Stretching his legs out behind him, he walked his feet up the glass wall until he was almost horizontal. Now or never, Robert, a voice urged. Just like the leg press in the Harvard gym. With dizzying exertion, he planted his feet against the wall behind him, braced his arms and chest against the stack, and pushed. Nothing happened. Fighting for air, he repositioned and tried again, extending his legs. Ever so slightly, the stack moved. He pushed again, and the stack rocked forward an inch or so and then back. Langdon took advantage of the motion, inhaling what felt like an oxygenless breath and heaving again. The shelf rocked farther. Like a swing set, he told himself. Keep the rhythm. A little more. Langdon rocked the shelf, extending his legs farther with each push. His quadriceps burned now, and he blocked the pain. The pendulum was in motion. Three more pushes, he urged himself. It only took two. There was an instant of weightless uncertainty. Then, with a thundering of books sliding off the shelves, Langdon and the shelf were falling forward. Halfway to the ground, the shelf hit the stack next to it. Langdon hung on, throwing his weight forward, urging the second shelf to topple. There was a moment of motionless panic, and then, creaking under the weight, the second stack began to tip. Langdon was falling again. Like enormous dominoes, the stacks began to topple, one after another. Metal on metal, books tumbling everywhere. Langdon held on as his inclined stack bounced downward like a ratchet on a jack. He wondered how many stacks there were in all. How much would they weigh? The glass at the far end was thick†¦ Langdon's stack had fallen almost to the horizontal when he heard what he was waiting for – a different kind of collision. Far off. At the end of the vault. The sharp smack of metal on glass. The vault around him shook, and Langdon knew the final stack, weighted down by the others, had hit the glass hard. The sound that followed was the most unwelcome sound Langdon had ever heard. Silence. There was no crashing of glass, only the resounding thud as the wall accepted the weight of the stacks now propped against it. He lay wide-eyed on the pile of books. Somewhere in the distance there was a creaking. Langdon would have held his breath to listen, but he had none left to hold. One second. Two†¦ Then, as he teetered on the brink of unconsciousness, Langdon heard a distant yielding†¦ a ripple spidering outward through the glass. Suddenly, like a cannon, the glass exploded. The stack beneath Langdon collapsed to the floor. Like welcome rain on a desert, shards of glass tinkled downward in the dark. With a great sucking hiss, the air gushed in. Thirty seconds later, in the Vatican Grottoes, Vittoria was standing before a corpse when the electronic squawk of a walkie-talkie broke the silence. The voice blaring out sounded short of breath. â€Å"This is Robert Langdon! Can anyone hear me?† Vittoria looked up. Robert! She could not believe how much she suddenly wished he were there. The guards exchanged puzzled looks. One took a radio off his belt. â€Å"Mr. Langdon? You are on channel three. The commander is waiting to hear from you on channel one.† â€Å"I know he's on channel one, damn it! I don't want to speak to him. I want the camerlegno. Now! Somebody find him for me.† In the obscurity of the Secret Archives, Langdon stood amidst shattered glass and tried to catch his breath. He felt a warm liquid on his left hand and knew he was bleeding. The camerlegno's voice spoke at once, startling Langdon. â€Å"This is Camerlegno Ventresca. What's going on?† Langdon pressed the button, his heart still pounding. â€Å"I think somebody just tried to kill me!† There was a silence on the line. Langdon tried to calm himself. â€Å"I also know where the next killing is going to be.† The voice that came back was not the camerlegno's. It was Commander Olivetti's: â€Å"Mr. Langdon. Do not speak another word.† 87 Langdon's watch, now smeared with blood, read 9:41 P.M. as he ran across the Courtyard of the Belvedere and approached the fountain outside the Swiss Guard security center. His hand had stopped bleeding and now felt worse than it looked. As he arrived, it seemed everyone convened at once – Olivetti, Rocher, the camerlegno, Vittoria, and a handful of guards. Vittoria hurried toward him immediately. â€Å"Robert, you're hurt.† Before Langdon could answer, Olivetti was before him. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, I'm relieved you're okay. I'm sorry about the crossed signals in the archives.† â€Å"Crossed signals?† Langdon demanded. â€Å"You knew damn well – â€Å" â€Å"It was my fault,† Rocher said, stepping forward, sounding contrite. â€Å"I had no idea you were in the archives. Portions of our white zones are cross-wired with that building. We were extending our search. I'm the one who killed power. If I had known†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Robert,† Vittoria said, taking his wounded hand in hers and looking it over, â€Å"the Pope was poisoned. The Illuminati killed him.† Langdon heard the words, but they barely registered. He was saturated. All he could feel was the warmth of Vittoria's hands. The camerlegno pulled a silk handkerchief from his cassock and handed it to Langdon so he could clean himself. The man said nothing. His green eyes seemed filled with a new fire. â€Å"Robert,† Vittoria pressed, â€Å"you said you found where the next cardinal is going to be killed?† Langdon felt flighty. â€Å"I do, it's at the – â€Å" â€Å"No,† Olivetti interrupted. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, when I asked you not to speak another word on the walkie-talkie, it was for a reason.† He turned to the handful of assembled Swiss Guards. â€Å"Excuse us, gentlemen.† The soldiers disappeared into the security center. No indignity. Only compliance. Olivetti turned back to the remaining group. â€Å"As much as it pains me to say this, the murder of our Pope is an act that could only have been accomplished with help from within these walls. For the good of all, we can trust no one. Including our guards.† He seemed to be suffering as he spoke the words. Rocher looked anxious. â€Å"Inside collusion implies – â€Å" â€Å"Yes,† Olivetti said. â€Å"The integrity of your search is compromised. And yet it is a gamble we must take. Keep looking.† Rocher looked like he was about to say something, thought better of it, and left. The camerlegno inhaled deeply. He had not said a word yet, and Langdon sensed a new rigor in the man, as if a turning point had been reached. â€Å"Commander?† The camerlegno's tone was impermeable. â€Å"I am going to break conclave.† Olivetti pursed his lips, looking dour. â€Å"I advise against it. We still have two hours and twenty minutes.† â€Å"A heartbeat.† Olivetti's tone was now challenging â€Å"What do you intend to do? Evacuate the cardinals single-handedly?† â€Å"I intend to save this church with whatever power God has given me. How I proceed is no longer your concern.† Olivetti straightened. â€Å"Whatever you intend to do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused. â€Å"I do not have the authority to restrain you. Particularly in light of my apparent failure as head of security. I ask only that you wait. Wait twenty minutes†¦ until after ten o'clock. If Mr. Langdon's information is correct, I may still have a chance to catch this assassin. There is still a chance to preserve protocol and decorum.† â€Å"Decorum?† The camerlegno let out a choked laugh. â€Å"We have long since passed propriety, commander. In case you hadn't noticed, this is war.† A guard emerged from the security center and called out to the camerlegno, â€Å"Signore, I just got word we have detained the BBC reporter, Mr. Glick.† The camerlegno nodded. â€Å"Have both he and his camerawoman meet me outside the Sistine Chapel.† Olivetti's eyes widened. â€Å"What are you doing?† â€Å"Twenty minutes, commander. That's all I'm giving you.† Then he was gone. When Olivetti's Alpha Romeo tore out of Vatican City, this time there was no line of unmarked cars following him. In the back seat, Vittoria bandaged Langdon's hand with a first-aid kit she'd found in the glove box. Olivetti stared straight ahead. â€Å"Okay, Mr. Langdon. Where are we going?† 88 Even with its siren now affixed and blaring, Olivetti's Alpha Romeo seemed to go unnoticed as it rocketed across the bridge into the heart of old Rome. All the traffic was moving in the other direction, toward the Vatican, as if the Holy See had suddenly become the hottest entertainment in Rome. Langdon sat in the backseat, the questions whipping through his mind. He wondered about the killer, if they would catch him this time, if he would tell them what they needed to know, if it was already too late. How long before the camerlegno told the crowd in St. Peter's Square they were in danger? The incident in the vault still nagged. A mistake. Olivetti never touched the brakes as he snaked the howling Alpha Romeo toward the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria. Langdon knew on any other day his knuckles would have been white. At the moment, however, he felt anesthetized. Only the throbbing in his hand reminded him where he was. Overhead, the siren wailed. Nothing like telling him we're coming, Langdon thought. And yet they were making incredible time. He guessed Olivetti would kill the siren as they drew nearer. Now with a moment to sit and reflect, Langdon felt a tinge of amazement as the news of the Pope's murder finally registered in his mind. The thought was inconceivable, and yet somehow it seemed a perfectly logical event. Infiltration had always been the Illuminati powerbase – rearrangements of power from within. And it was not as if Popes had never been murdered. Countless rumors of treachery abounded, although with no autopsy, none was ever confirmed. Until recently. Academics not long ago had gotten permission to X-ray the tomb of Pope Celestine V, who had allegedly died at the hands of his overeager successor, Boniface VIII. The researchers had hoped the X-ray might reveal some small hint of foul play – a broken bone perhaps. Incredibly, the X-ray had revealed a ten-inch nail driven into the Pope's skull. Langdon now recalled a series of news clippings fellow Illuminati buffs had sent him years ago. At first he had thought the clippings were a prank, so he'd gone to the Harvard microfiche collection to confirm the articles were authentic. Incredibly, they were. He now kept them on his bulletin board as examples of how even respectable news organizations sometimes got carried away with Illuminati paranoia. Suddenly, the media's suspicions seemed a lot less paranoid. Langdon could see the articles clearly in his mind†¦ The British Broadcasting Corporation June 14, 1998 Pope John Paul I, who died in 1978, fell victim to a plot by the P2 Masonic Lodge†¦ The secret society P2 decided to murder John Paul I when it saw he was determined to dismiss the American Archbishop Paul Marcinkus as President of the Vatican Bank. The Bank had been implicated in shady financial deals with the Masonic Lodge†¦ The New York Times August 24, 1998 Why was the late John Paul I wearing his day shirt in bed? Why was it torn? The questions don't stop there. No medical investigations were made. Cardinal Villot forbade an autopsy on the grounds that no Pope was ever given a postmortem. And John Paul's medicines mysteriously vanished from his bedside, as did his glasses, slippers and his last will and testament. London Daily Mail August 27, 1998 †¦ a plot including a powerful, ruthless and illegal Masonic lodge with tentacles stretching into the Vatican. The cellular in Vittoria's pocket rang, thankfully erasing the memories from Langdon's mind. Vittoria answered, looking confused as to who might be calling her. Even from a few feet away, Langdon recognized the laserlike voice on the phone. â€Å"Vittoria? This is Maximilian Kohler. Have you found the antimatter yet?† â€Å"Max? You're okay?† â€Å"I saw the news. There was no mention of CERN or the antimatter. This is good. What is happening?† â€Å"We haven't located the canister yet. The situation is complex. Robert Langdon has been quite an asset. We have a lead on catching the man assassinating cardinals. Right now we are headed – â€Å" â€Å"Ms. Vetra,† Olivetti interrupted. â€Å"You've said enough.† She covered the receiver, clearly annoyed. â€Å"Commander, this is the president of CERN. Certainly he has a right to – â€Å" â€Å"He has a right,† Olivetti snapped, â€Å"to be here handling this situation. You're on an open cellular line. You've said enough.† Vittoria took a deep breath. â€Å"Max?† â€Å"I may have some information for you,† Max said. â€Å"About your father†¦ I may know who he told about the antimatter.† Vittoria's expression clouded. â€Å"Max, my father said he told no one.† â€Å"I'm afraid, Vittoria, your father did tell someone. I need to check some security records. I will be in touch soon.† The line went dead. Vittoria looked waxen as she returned the phone to her pocket. â€Å"You okay?† Langdon asked. Vittoria nodded, her trembling fingers revealing the lie. â€Å"The church is on Piazza Barberini,† Olivetti said, killing the siren and checking his watch. â€Å"We have nine minutes.† When Langdon had first realized the location of the third marker, the position of the church had rung some distant bell for him. Piazza Barberini. Something about the name was familiar†¦ something he could not place. Now Langdon realized what it was. The piazza was the sight of a controversial subway stop. Twenty years ago, construction of the subway terminal had created a stir among art historians who feared digging beneath Piazza Barberini might topple the multiton obelisk that stood in the center. City planners had removed the obelisk and replaced it with a small fountain called the Triton. In Bernini's day, Langdon now realized, Piazza Barberini had contained an obelisk! Whatever doubts Langdon had felt that this was the location of the third marker now totally evaporated. A block from the piazza, Olivetti turned into an alley, gunned the car halfway down, and skidded to a stop. He pulled off his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and loaded his weapon. â€Å"We can't risk your being recognized,† he said. â€Å"You two were on television. I want you across the piazza, out of sight, watching the front entrance. I'm going in the back.† He produced a familiar pistol and handed it to Langdon. â€Å"Just in case.† Langdon frowned. It was the second time today he had been handed the gun. He slid it into his breast pocket. As he did, he realized he was still carrying the folio from Diagramma. He couldn't believe he had forgotten to leave it behind. He pictured the Vatican Curator collapsing in spasms of outrage at the thought of this priceless artifact being packed around Rome like some tourist map. Then Langdon thought of the mess of shattered glass and strewn documents that he'd left behind in the archives. The curator had other problems. If the archives even survive the night†¦ Olivetti got out of the car and motioned back up the alley. â€Å"The piazza is that way. Keep your eyes open and don't let yourselves be seen.† He tapped the phone on his belt. â€Å"Ms. Vetra, let's retest our auto dial.† Vittoria removed her phone and hit the auto dial number she and Olivetti had programmed at the Pantheon. Olivetti's phone vibrated in silent-ring mode on his belt. The commander nodded. â€Å"Good. If you see anything, I want to know.† He cocked his weapon. â€Å"I'll be inside waiting. This heathen is mine.† At that moment, very nearby, another cellular phone was ringing. The Hassassin answered. â€Å"Speak.† â€Å"It is I,† the voice said. â€Å"Janus.† The Hassassin smiled. â€Å"Hello, master.† â€Å"Your position may be known. Someone is coming to stop you.† â€Å"They are too late. I have already made the arrangements here.† â€Å"Good. Make sure you escape alive. There is work yet to be done.† â€Å"Those who stand in my way will die.† â€Å"Those who stand in your way are knowledgeable.† â€Å"You speak of an American scholar?† â€Å"You are aware of him?† The Hassassin chuckled. â€Å"Cool-tempered but naive. He spoke to me on the phone earlier. He is with a female who seems quite the opposite.† The killer felt a stirring of arousal as he recalled the fiery temperament of Leonardo Vetra's daughter. There was a momentary silence on the line, the first hesitation the Hassassin had ever sensed from his Illuminati master. Finally, Janus spoke. â€Å"Eliminate them if need be.† The killer smiled. â€Å"Consider it done.† He felt a warm anticipation spreading through his body. Although the woman I may keep as a prize.