Thane Fort to the Thane Central Jail

THANE FORT TO THE THANE CENTRAL JAIL: A TRANSITION AND PRESENT SITUATION – VAIBHAV D. ADHYARU K. V. PENDHARKAR COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCE AND COMMERCE, DOMBIVLI, MAHARASHTRA, India. THANE FORT TO THE THANE CENTRAL JAIL: A TRANSITION AND PRESENT SITUATION The existence of Thane city appears in the  global history since the 9thcentury A. D. Thane city has a rich cultural heritage, mythological background, followed by a large number of events of historical importance, archeological collectives that have contributed to the enrichment of the history of Thane city.The city was then known as ‘Shreesthanak’. The Thane Central Jail, originally a historical fort was constructed by Portuguese in 1730 A. D. The prison, which was earlier a fort named Thane Killa, is associated with the Indian Freedom Struggle and is also one of the heritage structures of the city. The 279 year old monument was constructed by the Portuguese for the protection of Sashti Island on 13. 5 acres of land. The Portuguese ruled Thane for over 200 years, from 1530 to 1739 A. D. During this period Thane was known as ‘Kalabe De Tana†.In January 1737, Chimaji Appa, the Peshwa’s brother, took command of the Marathas troops and inspite of obstinate resistance, captured most of the northern forts, Katalvada, Dahanu, Kelve, Shirgaon and Tarapur, whose walls were scaled by the Marathas. On May 4th, the Portuguese hoisted the white flag and of their officers met Chimaji Appa for arranging terms of surrender. On 28th December, 1744 the British conquered Thane city and its fort. Marathas lost the Third Anglo-Maratha War in November 1817 between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India.The war left the company in control of most of India. British Victories were swift, resulting in the breakup of the Maratha Empire and the loss of Maratha independence. The Peshwa was defeated in the Battles of Khadki and Koregaon and he was forced to flee. It was conver ted into jail in 1816 by the British. When Britishers got controlled all over the entire India, they started to use the Thane fort as central jail so that they can arrest and jail the nearby freedom fighters, criminals for going against their system. Many well known freedom fighters were imprisoned in this jail during the time.On 19th April, 1910 noted freedom fighters like Veer Anant Laxman Kanhere, Gopal Krishnaji Karve and Vinayak Narayan Deshpande were hanged to death in the central jail for killing the then Nasik District Collector Jackson. Noted freedom fighter Veer Savarkar was also imprisoned in central jail but later he was shifted to Andaman Cellular Jail due to the security reasons. Other freedom fighters like Chaphekar Brother and Mahadev Ranade were hanged for killing W. C. Rand for his atrocities in Poona. Prominent freedom fighters like Vasudev Balwant Phadke, Senapati Bapat, Saneguruji were also lodged in this jail.Later Indian Government continued that fort to be us ed Thane Central Jail as a district jail to jail the criminals of Thane District. Thane Central Jail is a huge campus and having different departments for the upliftment of the criminals. Personalities like Harshad Mehta and Sanjay Dutt were also imprisoned at Thane Central Jail. Various departments have been working efficiently for the smooth functioning of the Jail:- The Superintendent, Thane District Prison, is vested with the executive management of the prison in all matters relating to internal discipline, economy, labour and punishment.The Superintendent is assisted by the executive, medical, ministerial and technical staff. CLASSIFICATION:- There is one district prison and eleven taluka sub-jails in Thane District. The prison at Thane has been classified as a district prison [Class I], This prison is only meant for the confinement of the under trial prisoners and prisoners sentenced upto 5 years. CLASSFICATION OF PRISONERS:- Prisoners are classified as class I or class II by the court after taking into consideration their status in society and also the nature of offence. They are further classified as casual, habitual, under-trial and security or detenue.There is no separate class of political prisoners but certain rules which do not allow the grant of facilities and privileges on the score of length of sentence are relaxed in their favour under the specific orders of government. On admission, a prisoner is examined by the medical officer and is classified as fit for light, medium and hard labour. Prisoners are employed in prison industries, prison farms and prison maintenance services. Vocational classes are also organized in the prison. EDUCATION:- Literacy classes are conducted for prisoners and necessary facilities are provided to prisoners at government cost.RECREATIONAL AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES:- Recreational programmes like physical training parades, documentary and full length films, folk dances, kalapathak and games are organized for the enterta inment of prisoners generally in a month. Besides, newspapers are also supplied to the prisoners. Emphasis is always laid on the maintenance of good discipline in the prison. JAIL INDUSTRY:- The long term prisoners in Thane Central Prison are provided with creative work including handicrafts and industries. The chief of these industries include textile, carpentary and tailoring. Most of the products are supplied to various government departments.The tailoring unit in the jail supplies readymade garments to the post and telegraph department and to the police. COTTON CLOTH AND CARPETS:- Weaving is the chief industry in the jail. There are around 14 looms for manufacturing carpets, blankets etc. CARPET AND PUNJA CARPETS:- Carpets are woven on pit-looms and are called loom carpets. The workers or prisoners move on horizontally as the weaving process goes on, completing the carpet. It is in great demand both from government and in the public. CARPENTARY:- This section is worked on job ba sis. A group of two or three prisoners do the planning and assembling job. CONCLUSION:-In this way Thane Central Jail administers work of the inmates/prisoners, So that the prisoners develop their skills through the routine work. Historically important memo i. e. martyrs memorials are not open for the citizens. There memo may be the inspiration for the citizens so it may create awareness about the national movement. Hence, it is necessary to make them accessible for the citizens. The present day physical condition of the jail is not in proper condition, so it should be repaired properly as soon as possible to maintain the condition of the jail. However, today the fort is a very busy place on account of being a jail.

The Da Vinci Code Chapter 60-62

CHAPTER 60 Sangreal†¦ Sang Real†¦ San Greal†¦ Royal Blood†¦ Holy Grail. It was all intertwined. The Holy Grail is Mary Magdalene†¦the mother of the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ.Sophie felt a new wave of disorientation as she stood in the silence of the ballroom and stared at Robert Langdon. The more pieces Langdon and Teabing laid on the table tonight, the more unpredictable this puzzle became. â€Å"As you can see, my dear,† Teabing said, hobbling toward a bookshelf,† Leonardo is not the only one who has been trying to tell the world the truth about the Holy Grail. The royal bloodline of Jesus Christ has been chronicled in exhaustive detail by scores of historians.† He ran a finger down a row of several dozen books. Sophie tilted her head and scanned the list of titles: THE TEMPLAR REVELATION:Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ THE WOMAN WITH THE ALABASTER JAR: Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail THE GODDESS IN THE GOSPELS Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine â€Å"Here is perhaps the best-known tome,† Teabing said, pulling a tattered hardcover from the stack and handing it to her. The cover read: HOLY BLOOD, HOLY GRAIL The Acclaimed International Bestseller Sophie glanced up. â€Å"An international bestseller? I've never heard of it.† â€Å"You were young. This caused quite a stir back in the nineteen eighties. To my taste, the authors made some dubious leaps of faith in their analysis, but their fundamental premise is sound, and to their credit, they finally brought the idea of Christ's bloodline into the mainstream.† â€Å"What was the Church's reaction to the book?† â€Å"Outrage, of course. But that was to be expected. After all, this was a secret the Vatican had tried to bury in the fourth century. That's part of what the Crusades were about. Gathering and destroying information. The threat Mary Magdalene posed to the men of the early Church was potentially ruinous. Not only was she the woman to whom Jesus had assigned the task of founding the Church, but she also had physical proof that the Church's newly proclaimed deity had spawned a mortal bloodline. The Church, in order to defend itself against the Magdalene's power, perpetuated her image as a whore and buried evidence of Christ's marriage to her, thereby defusing any potential claims that Christ had a surviving bloodline and was a mortal prophet.† Sophie glanced at Langdon, who nodded. â€Å"Sophie, the historical evidence supporting this is substantial.† â€Å"I admit,† Teabing said,† the assertions are dire, but you must understand the Church's powerful motivations to conduct such a cover-up. They could never have survived public knowledge of a bloodline. A child of Jesus would undermine the critical notion of Christ's divinity and therefore the Christian Church, which declared itself the sole vessel through which humanity could access the divine and gain entrance to the kingdom of heaven.† â€Å"The five-petal rose,† Sophie said, pointing suddenly to the spine of one of Teabing's books. The same exact design inlaid on the rosewood box. Teabing glanced at Langdon and grinned. â€Å"She has a good eye.† He turned back to Sophie. â€Å"That is the Priory symbol for the Grail. Mary Magdalene. Because her name was forbidden by the Church, Mary Magdalene became secretly known by many pseudonyms – the Chalice, the Holy Grail, and the Rose.† He paused. â€Å"The Rose has ties to the five-pointed pentacle of Venus and the guiding Compass Rose. By the way, the word rose is identical in English, French, German, and many other languages.† â€Å"Rose,† Langdon added,† is also an anagram of Eros, the Greek god of sexual love.† Sophie gave him a surprised look as Teabing plowed on.† The Rose has always been the premiere symbol of female sexuality. In primitive goddess cults, the five petals represented the five stations of female life – birth, menstruation, motherhood, menopause, and death. And in modern times, the flowering rose's ties to womanhood are considered more visual.† He glanced at Robert. â€Å"Perhaps the symbologist could explain?† Robert hesitated. A moment too long. â€Å"Oh, heavens!† Teabing huffed. â€Å"You Americans are such prudes.† He looked back at Sophie. â€Å"What Robert is fumbling with is the fact that the blossoming flower resembles the female genitalia, the sublime blossom from which all mankind enters the world. And if you've ever seen any paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe, you'll know exactly what I mean.† â€Å"The point here,† Langdon said, motioning back to the bookshelf,† is that all of these books substantiate the same historical claim.† â€Å"That Jesus was a father.† Sophie was still uncertain. â€Å"Yes,† Teabing said. â€Å"And that Mary Magdalene was the womb that carried His royal lineage. The Priory of Sion, to this day, still worships Mary Magdalene as the Goddess, the Holy Grail, the Rose, and the Divine Mother.† Sophie again flashed on the ritual in the basement. â€Å"According to the Priory,† Teabing continued,† Mary Magdalene was pregnant at the time of the crucifixion. For the safety of Christ's unborn child, she had no choice but to flee the Holy Land. With the help of Jesus' trusted uncle, Joseph of Arimathea, Mary Magdalene secretly traveled to France, then known as Gaul. There she found safe refuge in the Jewish community. It was here in France that she gave birth to a daughter. Her name was Sarah.† Sophie glanced up. â€Å"They actually know the child's name?† â€Å"Far more than that. Magdalene's and Sarah's lives were scrutinously chronicled by their Jewish protectors. Remember that Magdalene's child belonged to the lineage of Jewish kings – David and Solomon. For this reason, the Jews in France considered Magdalene sacred royalty and revered her as the progenitor of the royal line of kings. Countless scholars of that era chronicled Mary Magdalene's days in France, including the birth of Sarah and the subsequent family tree.† Sophie was startled. â€Å"There exists a family tree of Jesus Christ?† â€Å"Indeed. And it is purportedly one of the cornerstones of the Sangreal documents. A complete genealogy of the early descendants of Christ.† â€Å"But what good is a documented genealogy of Christ's bloodline?† Sophie asked. â€Å"It's not proof. Historians could not possibly confirm its authenticity.† Teabing chuckled. â€Å"No more so than they can confirm the authenticity of the Bible.† â€Å"Meaning?† â€Å"Meaning that history is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books – books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. As Napoleon once said, ‘What is history, but a fable agreed upon?'†He smiled. â€Å"By its very nature, history is always a one-sided account.† Sophie had never thought of it that way.† The Sangreal documents simply tell the other side of the Christ story. In the end, which side of the story you believe becomes a matter of faith and personal exploration, but at least the information has survived. The Sangreal documents include tens of thousands of pages of information. Eyewitness accounts of the Sangreal treasure describe it as being carried in four enormous trunks. In those trunks are reputed to be the Purist Docum ents – thousands of pages of unaltered, pre- Constantine documents, written by the early followers of Jesus, revering Him as a wholly human teacher and prophet. Also rumored to be part of the treasure is the legendary† Q† Document – a manuscript that even the Vatican admits they believe exists. Allegedly, it is a book of Jesus' teachings, possibly written in His own hand.† â€Å"Writings by Christ Himself?† â€Å"Of course,† Teabing said. â€Å"Why wouldn't Jesus have kept a chronicle of His ministry? Most people did in those days. Another explosive document believed to be in the treasure is a manuscript called The Magdalene Diaries – Mary Magdalene's personal account of her relationship with Christ, His crucifixion, and her time in France.† Sophie was silent for a long moment. â€Å"And these four chests of documents were the treasure that the Knights Templar found under Solomon's Temple?† â€Å"Exactly. The documents that made the Knights so powerful. The documents that have been the object of countless Grail quests throughout history.† â€Å"But you said the Holy Grail was Mary Magdalene.If people are searching for documents, why would you call it a search for the Holy Grail?† Teabing eyed her, his expression softening. â€Å"Because the hiding place of the Holy Grail includes a sarcophagus.† Outside, the wind howled in the trees. Teabing spoke more quietly now. â€Å"The quest for the Holy Grail is literally the quest to kneel before the bones of Mary Magdalene. A journey to pray at the feet of the outcast one, the lost sacred feminine.† Sophie felt an unexpected wonder. â€Å"The hiding place of the Holy Grail is actually†¦ a tomb?† Teabing's hazel eyes got misty. â€Å"It is. A tomb containing the body of Mary Magdalene and the documents that tell the true story of her life. At its heart, the quest for the Holy Grail has always been a quest for the Magdalene – the wronged Queen, entombed with proof of her family's rightful claim to power.† Sophie waited a moment as Teabing gathered himself. So much about her grandfather was still not making sense. â€Å"Members of the Priory,† she finally said,† all these years have answered the charge of protecting the Sangreal documents and the tomb of Mary Magdalene?† â€Å"Yes, but the brotherhood had another, more important duty as well – to protect the bloodline itself. Christ's lineage was in perpetual danger. The early Church feared that if the lineage were permitted to grow, the secret of Jesus and Magdalene would eventually surface and challenge the fundamental Catholic doctrine – that of a divine Messiah who did not consort with women or engage in sexual union.† He paused. â€Å"Nonetheless, Christ's line grew quietly under cover in France until making a bold move in the fifth century, when it intermarried with French royal blood and created a lineage known as the Merovingian bloodline.† This news surprised Sophie. Merovingian was a term learned by every student in France. â€Å"The Merovingians founded Paris.† â€Å"Yes. That's one of the reasons the Grail legend is so rich in France. Many of the Vatican's Grail quests here were in fact stealth missions to erase members of the royal bloodline. Have you heard of King Dagobert?† Sophie vaguely recalled the name from a grisly tale in history class. â€Å"Dagobert was a Merovingian king, wasn't he? Stabbed in the eye while sleeping?† â€Å"Exactly. Assassinated by the Vatican in collusion with Pepin d'Heristal. Late seventh century. With Dagobert's murder, the Merovingian bloodline was almost exterminated. Fortunately, Dagobert's son, Sigisbert, secretly escaped the attack and carried on the lineage, which later included Godefroi de Bouillon – founder of the Priory of Sion.† â€Å"The same man,† Langdon said,† who ordered the Knights Templar to recover the Sangreal documents from beneath Solomon's Temple and thus provide the Merovingians proof of their hereditary ties to Jesus Christ.† Teabing nodded, heaving a ponderous sigh. â€Å"The modern Priory of Sion has a momentous duty. Theirs is a threefold charge. The brotherhood must protect the Sangreal documents. They must protect the tomb of Mary Magdalene. And, of course, they must nurture and protect the bloodline of Christ – those few members of the royal Merovingian bloodline who have survived into modern times.† The words hung in the huge space, and Sophie felt an odd vibration, as if her bones were reverberating with some new kind of truth. Descendants of Jesus who survived into modern times. Her grandfather's voice again was whispering in her ear. Princess, I must tell you the truth about your family. A chill raked her flesh. Royal blood. She could not imagine. Princess Sophie. â€Å"Sir Leigh?† The manservant's words crackled through the intercom on the wall, and Sophie jumped. â€Å"If you could join me in the kitchen a moment?† Teabing scowled at the ill-timed intrusion. He went over to the intercom and pressed the button. â€Å"Remy, as you know, I am busy with my guests. If we need anything else from the kitchen tonight, we will help ourselves. Thank you and good night.† â€Å"A word with you before I retire, sir. If you would.† Teabing grunted and pressed the button. â€Å"Make it quick, Remy.† â€Å"It is a household matter, sir, hardly fare for guests to endure.† Teabing looked incredulous. â€Å"And it cannot wait until morning?† â€Å"No, sir. My question won't take a minute.† Teabing rolled his eyes and looked at Langdon and Sophie. â€Å"Sometimes I wonder who is serving whom?† He pressed the button again. â€Å"I'll be right there, Remy. Can I bring you anything when I come?† â€Å"Only freedom from oppression, sir.† â€Å"Remy, you realize your steak au poivre is the only reason you still work for me.† â€Å"So you tell me, sir. So you tell me.† CHAPTER 61 Princess Sophie. Sophie felt hollow as she listened to the clicking of Teabing's crutches fade down the hallway. Numb, she turned and faced Langdon in the deserted ballroom. He was already shaking his head as if reading her mind. â€Å"No, Sophie,† he whispered, his eyes reassuring. â€Å"The same thought crossed my mind when I realized your grandfather was in the Priory, and you said he wanted to tell you a secret about your family. But it's impossible.† Langdon paused. â€Å"Sauniere is not a Merovingian name.† Sophie wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Earlier, Langdon had asked an unusual passing question about Sophie's mother's maiden name. Chauvel. The question now made sense.† And Chauvel?† she asked, anxious. Again he shook his head. â€Å"I'm sorry. I know that would have answered some questions for you. Only two direct lines of Merovingians remain. Their family names are Plantard and Saint-Clair. Both families live in hiding, probably protected by the Priory.† Sophie repeated the names silently in her mind and then shook her head. There was no one in her family named Plantard or Saint-Clair. A weary undertow was pulling at her now. She realized she was no closer than she had been at the Louvre to understanding what truth her grandfather had wanted to reveal to her. Sophie wished her grandfather had never mentioned her family this afternoon. He had torn open old wounds that felt as painful now as ever. They are dead, Sophie.They are not coming back.She thought of her mother singing her to sleep at night, of her father giving her rides on his shoulders, and of her grandmother and younger brother smiling at her with their fervent green eyes. All that was stolen. And all she had left was her grandfather. And now he is gone too. I am alone. Sophie turned quietly back to The Last Supper and gazed at Mary Magdalene's long red hair and quiet eyes. There was something in the woman's expression that echoed the loss of a loved one. Sophie could feel it too. â€Å"Robert?† she said softly. He stepped closer.† I know Leigh said the Grail story is all around us, but tonight is the first time I've ever heard any of this.† Langdon looked as if he wanted to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but he refrained.† You've heard her story before, Sophie. Everyone has. We just don't realize it when we hear it.† â€Å"I don't understand.† â€Å"The Grail story is everywhere, but it is hidden. When the Church outlawed speaking of the shunned Mary Magdalene, her story and importance had to be passed on through more discreet channels†¦ channels that supported metaphor and symbolism.† â€Å"Of course. The arts.† Langdon motioned to The Last Supper. â€Å"A perfect example. Some of today's most enduring art, literature, and music secretly tell the history of Mary Magdalene and Jesus.† Langdon quickly told her about works by Da Vinci, Botticelli, Poussin, Bernini, Mozart, and Victor Hugo that all whispered of the quest to restore the banished sacred feminine. Enduring legends like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, King Arthur, and Sleeping Beauty were Grail allegories. Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mozart's Magic Flute were filled with Masonic symbolism and Grail secrets. â€Å"Once you open your eyes to the Holy Grail,† Langdon said,† you see her everywhere. Paintings. Music. Books. Even in cartoons, theme parks, and popular movies.† Langdon held up his Mickey Mouse watch and told her that Walt Disney had made it his quiet life's work to pass on the Grail story to future generations. Throughout his entire life, Disney had been hailed as† the Modern-Day Leonardo Da Vinci.† Both men were generations ahead of their times, uniquely gifted artists, members of secret societies, and, most notably, avid pranksters. Like Leonardo, Walt Disney loved infusing hidden messages and symbolism in his art. For the trained symbologist, watching an early Disney movie was like being barraged by an avalanche of allusion and metaphor. Most of Disney's hidden messages dealt with religion, pagan myth, and stories of the subjugated goddess. It was no mistake that Disney retold tales like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White – all of which dealt with the incarceration of the sacred feminine. Nor did one need a background in symbolism to understand that Snow White – a princess who fell from grace after partaking of a poisoned apple – was a clear allusion to the downfall of Eve in the Garden of Eden. Or that Sleeping Beauty's Princess Aurora – code-named† Rose† and hidden deep in the forest to protect her from the clutches of the evil witch – was the Grail story for children. Despite its corporate image, Disney still had a savvy, playful element among its employees, and their artists still amused themselves by inserting hidden symbolism in Disney products. Langdon would never forget one of his students bringing in a DVD of The Lion King and pausing the film to reveal a freeze-frame in which the word SEX was clearly visible, spelled out by floating dust particles over Simba's head. Although Langdon suspected this was more of a cartoonist's sophomoric prank than any kind of enlightened allusion to pagan human sexuality, he had learned not to underestimate Disney's grasp of symbolism. The Little Mermaid was a spellbinding tapestry of spiritual symbols so specifically goddess-related that they could not be coincidence. When Langdon had first seen The Little Mermaid, he had actually gasped aloud when he noticed that the painting in Ariel's underwater home was none other than seventeenth-century artist Georges de la Tour's The Penitent Magdalene – a famous homage to the banished Mary Magdalene – fitting decor considering the movie turned out to be a ninety-minute collage of blatant symbolic references to the lost sanctity of Isis, Eve, Pisces the fish goddess, and, repeatedly, Mary Magdalene. The Little Mermaid's name, Ariel, possessed powerful ties to the sacred feminine and, in the Book of Isaiah, was synonymous with† the Holy City besieged.† Of course, the Little Mermaid's flowing red hair was certainly no coincidence either. The clicking of Teabing's crutches approached in the hallway, his pace unusually brisk. When their host entered the study, his expression was stern. â€Å"You'd better explain yourself, Robert,† he said coldly. â€Å"You have not been honest with me.† CHAPTER 62 â€Å"I'm being framed, Leigh,† Langdon said, trying to stay calm. You know me.I wouldn't kill anyone. Teabing's tone did not soften. â€Å"Robert, you're on television, for Christ's sake. Did you know you were wanted by the authorities?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Then you abused my trust. I'm astonished you would put me at risk by coming here and asking me to ramble on about the Grail so you could hide out in my home.† â€Å"I didn't kill anyone.† â€Å"Jacques Sauniere is dead, and the police say you did it.† Teabing looked saddened. â€Å"Such a contributor to the arts†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Sir?† The manservant had appeared now, standing behind Teabing in the study doorway, his arms crossed. â€Å"Shall I show them out?† â€Å"Allow me.† Teabing hobbled across the study, unlocked a set of wide glass doors, and swung them open onto a side lawn. â€Å"Please find your car, and leave.† Sophie did not move. â€Å"We have information about the clef de voute.The Priory keystone.† Teabing stared at her for several seconds and scoffed derisively. â€Å"A desperate ploy. Robert knows how I've sought it.† â€Å"She's telling the truth,† Langdon said. â€Å"That's why we came to you tonight. To talk to you about the keystone.† The manservant intervened now. â€Å"Leave, or I shall call the authorities.† â€Å"Leigh,† Langdon whispered,† we know where it is.† Teabing's balance seemed to falter a bit. Remy now marched stiffly across the room. â€Å"Leave at once! Or I will forcibly – â€Å"Remy!† Teabing spun, snapping at his servant. â€Å"Excuse us for a moment.† The servant's jaw dropped. â€Å"Sir? I must protest. These people are – â€Å"I'll handle this.† Teabing pointed to the hallway. After a moment of stunned silence, Remy skulked out like a banished dog. In the cool night breeze coming through the open doors, Teabing turned back to Sophie and Langdon, his expression still wary. â€Å"This better be good. What do you know of the keystone?† In the thick brush outside Teabing's study, Silas clutched his pistol and gazed through the glass doors. Only moments ago, he had circled the house and seen Langdon and the woman talking in the large study. Before he could move in, a man on crutches entered, yelled at Langdon, threw open the doors, and demanded his guests leave. Then the woman mentioned the keystone, and everything changed.Shouts turned to whispers. Moods softened. And the glass doors were quickly closed. Now, as he huddled in the shadows, Silas peered through the glass. The keystone is somewhere inside the house.Silas could feel it. Staying in the shadows, he inched closer to the glass, eager to hear what was being said. He would give them five minutes. If they did not reveal where they had placed the keystone, Silas would have to enter and persuade them with force. Inside the study, Langdon could sense their host's bewilderment. â€Å"Grand Master?† Teabing choked, eyeing Sophie. â€Å"Jacques Sauniere?† Sophie nodded, seeing the shock in his eyes.† But you could not possibly know that!† â€Å"Jacques Sauniere was my grandfather.† Teabing staggered back on his crutches, shooting a glance at Langdon, who nodded. Teabing turned back to Sophie. â€Å"Miss Neveu, I am speechless. If this is true, then I am truly sorry for your loss. I should admit, for my research, I have kept lists of men in Paris whom I thought might be good candidates for involvement in the Priory. Jacques Sauniere was on that list along with many others. But Grand Master, you say? It's hard to fathom.† Teabing was silent a moment and then shook his head. â€Å"But it still makes no sense. Even if your grandfather were the Priory Grand Master and created the keystone himself, he would never tell you how to find it. The keystone reveals the pathway to the brotherhood's ultimate treasure. Granddaughter o r not, you are not eligible to receive such knowledge.† â€Å"Mr. Sauniere was dying when he passed on the information,† Langdon said. â€Å"He had limited options.† â€Å"He didn't need options,† Teabing argued. â€Å"There exist three senechaux who also know the secret. That is the beauty of their system. One will rise to Grand Master and they will induct a new senechal and share the secret of the keystone.† â€Å"I guess you didn't see the entire news broadcast,† Sophie said. â€Å"In addition to my grandfather, three other prominent Parisians were murdered today. All in similar ways. All looked like they had been interrogated.† Teabing's jaw fell. â€Å"And you think they were†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"The senechaux,†Langdon said.† But how? A murderer could not possibly learn the identities of all four top members of the Priory of Sion! Look at me, I have been researching them for decades, and I can't even name one Priory member. It seems inconceivable that all three senechaux and the Grand Master could be discovered and killed in one day.† â€Å"I doubt the information was gathered in a single day,† Sophie said. â€Å"It sounds like a well-planned decapiter.It's a technique we use to fight organized crime syndicates. If DCPJ wants to move on a certain group, they will silently listen and watch for months, identify all the main players, and then move in and take them all at the same moment. Decapitation. With no leadership, the group falls into chaos and divulges other information. It's possible someone patiently watched the Priory and then attacked, hoping the top people would reveal the location of the keystone.† Teabing looked unconvinced. â€Å"But the brothers would never talk. They are sworn to secrecy. Even in the face of death.† â€Å"Exactly,† Langdon said. â€Å"Meaning, if they never divulged the secret, and they were killed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Teabing gasped. â€Å"Then the location of the keystone would be lost forever!† â€Å"And with it,† Langdon said,† the location of the Holy Grail.† Teabing's body seemed to sway with the weight of Langdon's words. Then, as if too tired to stand another moment, he flopped in a chair and stared out the window. Sophie walked over, her voice soft. â€Å"Considering my grandfather's predicament, it seems possible that in total desperation he tried to pass the secret on to someone outside the brotherhood. Someone he thought he could trust. Someone in his family.† Teabing was pale. â€Å"But someone capable of such an attack†¦ of discovering so much about the brotherhood†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused, radiating a new fear. â€Å"It could only be one force. This kind of infiltration could only have come from the Priory's oldest enemy.† Langdon glanced up. â€Å"The Church.† â€Å"Who else? Rome has been seeking the Grail for centuries.† Sophie was skeptical. â€Å"You think the Church killed my grandfather?† Teabing replied,† It would not be the first time in history the Church has killed to protect itself. The documents that accompany the Holy Grail are explosive, and the Church has wanted to destroy them for years.† Langdon was having trouble buying Teabing's premise that the Church would blatantly murder people to obtain these documents. Having met the new Pope and many of the cardinals, Langdon knew they were deeply spiritual men who would never condone assassination. Regardless of the stakes. Sophie seemed to be having similar thoughts. â€Å"Isn't it possible that these Priory members were murdered by someone outside the Church? Someone who didn't understand what the Grail really is? The Cup of Christ, after all, would be quite an enticing treasure. Certainly treasure hunters have killed for less.† â€Å"In my experience,† Teabing said,† men go to far greater lengths to avoid what they fear than to obtain what they desire. I sense a desperation in this assault on the Priory.† â€Å"Leigh,† Langdon said,† the argument is paradoxical. Why would members of the Catholic clergy murder Priory members in an effort to find and destroy documents they believe are false testimony anyway?† Teabing chuckled. â€Å"The ivory towers of Harvard have made you soft, Robert. Yes, the clergy in Rome are blessed with potent faith, and because of this, their beliefs can weather any storm, including documents that contradict everything they hold dear. But what about the rest of the world? What about those who are not blessed with absolute certainty? What about those who look at the cruelty in the world and say, where is God today? Those who look at Church scandals and ask, who are these men who claim to speak the truth about Christ and yet lie to cover up the sexual abuse of children by their own priests?† Teabing paused. â€Å"What happens to those people, Robert, if persuasive scientific evidence comes out that the Church's version of the Christ story is inaccurate, and that the greatest story ever told is, in fact, the greatest story ever sold† Langdon did not respond. â€Å"I'll tell you what happens if the documents get out,† Teabing said. â€Å"The Vatican faces a crisis of faith unprecedented in its two-millennia history.† After a long silence, Sophie said,† But if it is the Church who is responsible for this attack, why would they act now? After all these years? The Priory keeps the Sangreal documents hidden. They pose no immediate threat to the Church.† Teabing heaved an ominous sigh and glanced at Langdon. â€Å"Robert, I assume you are familiar with the Priory's final charge?† Langdon felt his breath catch at the thought. â€Å"I am.† â€Å"Miss Neveu,† Teabing said,† the Church and the Priory have had a tacit understanding for years. That is, the Church does not attack the Priory, and the Priory keeps the Sangreal documents hidden.† He paused. â€Å"However, part of the Priory history has always included a plan to unveil the secret. With the arrival of a specific date in history, the brotherhood plans to break the silence and carry out its ultimate triumph by unveiling the Sangreal documents to the world and shouting the true story of Jesus Christ from the mountaintops.† Sophie stared at Teabing in silence. Finally, she too sat down. â€Å"And you think that date is approaching? And the Church knows it?† â€Å"A speculation,† Teabing said,† but it would certainly provide the Church motivation for an all-out attack to find the documents before it was too late.† Langdon had the uneasy feeling that Teabing was making good sense. â€Å"Do you think the Church would actually be capable of uncovering hard evidence of the Priory's date?† â€Å"Why not – if we're assuming the Church was able to uncover the identities of the Priory members, then certainly they could have learned of their plans. And even if they don't have the exact date, their superstitions may be getting the best of them.† â€Å"Superstitions?† Sophie asked.† In terms of prophecy,† Teabing said,† we are currently in an epoch of enormous change. The millennium has recently passed, and with it has ended the two-thousand-year-long astrological Age of Pisces – the fish, which is also the sign of Jesus. As any astrological symbologist will tell you, the Piscean ideal believes that man must be told what to do by higher powers because man is incapable of thinking for himself. Hence it has been a time of fervent religion. Now, however, we are entering the Age of Aquarius – the water bearer – whose ideals claim that man will learn the truth and be able to think for himself. The ideological shift is en ormous, and it is occurring right now.† Langdon felt a shiver. Astrological prophecy never held much interest or credibility for him, but he knew there were those in the Church who followed it very closely. â€Å"The Church calls this transitional period the End of Days.† Sophie looked skeptical. â€Å"As in the end of the world? The Apocalypse?† â€Å"No.† Langdon replied. â€Å"That's a common misconception. Many religions speak of the End of Days. It refers not to the end of the world, but rather the end of our current age – Pisces, which began at the time of Christ's birth, spanned two thousand years, and waned with the passing of the millennium. Now that we've passed into the Age of Aquarius, the End of Days has arrived.† â€Å"Many Grail historians,† Teabing added,† believe that if the Priory is indeed planning to release this truth, this point in history would be a symbolically apt time. Most Priory academics, myself included, anticipated the brotherhood's release would coincide precisely with the millennium. Obviously, it did not. Admittedly, the Roman calendar does not mesh perfectly with astrological markers, so there is some gray area in the prediction. Whether the Church now has inside information that an exact date is looming, or whether they are just getting nervous on account of astrological prophecy, I don't know. Anyway, it's immaterial. Either scenario explains how the Church might be motivated to launch a preemptive attack against the Priory.† Teabing frowned. â€Å"And believe me, if the Church finds the Holy Grail, they will destroy it. The documents and the relics of the blessed Mary Magdalene as well.† His eyes grew heavy. â€Å"Then, my dear, with the Sang real documents gone, all evidence will be lost. The Church will have won their age-old war to rewrite history. The past will be erased forever.† Slowly, Sophie pulled the cruciform key from her sweater pocket and held it out to Teabing. Teabing took the key and studied it. â€Å"My goodness. The Priory seal. Where did you get this?† â€Å"My grandfather gave it to me tonight before he died.† Teabing ran his fingers across the cruciform. â€Å"A key to a church?† She drew a deep breath. â€Å"This key provides access to the keystone.† Teabing's head snapped up, his face wild with disbelief. â€Å"Impossible! What church did I miss? I've searched every church in France!† â€Å"It's not in a church,† Sophie said. â€Å"It's in a Swiss depository bank.† Teabing's look of excitement waned. â€Å"The keystone is in a bank?† â€Å"A vault,† Langdon offered. â€Å"A bank vault?† Teabing shook his head violently. â€Å"That's impossible. The keystone is supposed to be hidden beneath the sign of the Rose.† â€Å"It is,† Langdon said. â€Å"It was stored in a rosewood box inlaid with a five-petal Rose.† Teabing looked thunderstruck. â€Å"You've seen the keystone?† Sophie nodded. â€Å"We visited the bank.† Teabing came over to them, his eyes wild with fear. â€Å"My friends, we must do something. The keystone is in danger! We have a duty to protect it. What if there are other keys? Perhaps stolen from the murdered senechaux? If the Church can gain access to the bank as you have – â€Å" â€Å"Then they will be too late,† Sophie said. â€Å"We removed the keystone.† â€Å"What! You removed the keystone from its hiding place?† â€Å"Don't worry,† Langdon said. â€Å"The keystone is well hidden.† â€Å"Extremely well hidden, I hope!† â€Å"Actually,† Langdon said, unable to hide his grin,† that depends on how often you dust under your couch.† The wind outside Chateau Villette had picked up, and Silas's robe danced in the breeze as he crouched near the window. Although he had been unable to hear much of the conversation, the word keystone had sifted through the glass on numerous occasions. It is inside. The Teacher's words were fresh in his mind. Enter Chateau Villette. Take the keystone. Hun no one. Now, Langdon and the others had adjourned suddenly to another room, extinguishing the study lights as they went. Feeling like a panther stalking prey, Silas crept to the glass doors. Finding them unlocked, he slipped inside and closed the doors silently behind him. He could hear muffled voices from another room. Silas pulled the pistol from his pocket, turned off the safety, and inched down the hallway.

Psychological Bases of the Learning Process Essay

I. Introduction The nature of the learning process has been studied by psychologists and physiologists. Many experiments have been performed and the literature on the subject is voluminous. There has been continual progress in exploring what is not known about learning. Each year sees new discoveries hew hypotheses. Some proposed hypotheses were proven wrong and some older discoveries were made eligible for major modification. Subjecting individuals and classes to scientific measurements has lifted certain phases of learning from the realm of speculation to the realm of science. At present, there is no comprehensive theory concerning all aspects of learning. There is considerable disagreement about the language to be used in describing learning. Different writers hold conflicting positions on the degree of specificity of generality appropriate in talking about learning (Baxter Magolda, 2000). The science of psychology is of significance for the light that it throws upon the nature of the learning process and upon the conditions most favourable to learning. Many other sciences have contributed a great deal to an understanding of the nature of the learning process and to the principal issues involved in the education of boys and girls. For example, sociology, physiology, biology, and biochemistry have added much to the improvement of educational procedures. In order to understand the teaching process, the students or the teacher must first know something about the learning process concerns the teacher no less than the pupils. Although the teacher cannot do the actual learning for the pupil, he can facilitate learning through effective teaching. Effective teaching and learning demand mutual understanding between teacher and learner. It is imperative, therefore, that the nature of the learning process be clearly understood by the teachers so that the instructional activities may proceed in accordance with the basic factors of normal learning. It is apparent that of the teachers do not know how learning takes place they will not be able to accomplish in directing and guiding the learning activities of the pupils (Woodworth, 2004). They should know not only how learning takes place, but also how activities of the pupils are sufficiently and effectively directed to bring about the desired growth and development of the pupils. Thesis Statement:   Ã‚  This study intends to: (1) develop the ability to understand the meaning of the learning process; (2) develop the ability to understand the major laws if learning and their application to teaching; (3) to acquaint the students with the different factors which affect learning and: (4) develop an understanding of the psychological principles of learning. II. Discussion A. Learning from different point of view As in other areas of science there are, in the field of learning, various theories which attempt to explain its basic processes. Both in method and conclusion these theories have differed greatly, for they have sharply focused attention on only certain aspects of the total learning process. As a consequence, the behaviour which various experimenters and teachers have observed has been different. These various experimental studies have led to several ways of looking at the process of learning. Each has attempted to derive basic principles. At present time, however, it would be unwise for a teacher to adopt any one method as the way. Dealing with complex human learning demands that one give attention to all aspects of learning process (Gates, 2003). A fundamental aspect of the present conception of learning is its meaning. The meaning of the learning process, explained from different point of views, is given as follows. 1. Learning from the point of view of the Mind Theory— This theory of the Faculty psychology was formulated by Christian Wolff in 1731. This doctrine held that the mind has mental powers or faculties, such as memory, reason, judgment, attention, will observation, and the like, each of which functions as a separate entity that can be improved through exercise or use. For example, faculty psychologists believed that the strengthening of memory could be achieved through the memorization of long and difficult passages.   Such exercise was assumed to develop in the learner the power to remember well whatever material by which he later might be stimulated. According to the mind theory, all learning is training of the mind and developing the powers of its faculties. The believers of this theory assume that exercise of these powers in one area of content makes one more competent in the use of these same powers with other materials (Stephens, 2001). 2. Learning from the viewpoint of Connectionist’s Theory— This theory refers to the famous stimulus-response or S-R bond theory advanced by Thorndike. This point of view is based on the concepts that bonds or connections between situations and responses. The basis of learning is association between sense impression and impulses to action. This point of view, learning occurs through a change in the connection between a particular stimulus and a response, thus this theory regards a connection as the key to the understanding of the learning process. To the connectionists, the stimulus-response (S-R) explanation of learning covers all types of learning. This point of view is based on the old synaptic resistance theory. The S-R bond theory is now known as S-O-R theory (Woodworth, 2004). 3. Learning from the viewpoint of Behaviourism—Learning from the Behaviourist’s point of view, refers to the building up of conditioned reflexes or habit formation resulting from conditioning. According to Watson, conditioned reflex is central to learning as the unit out of which habits are formed. Watson used Pavlov’s experiments as the epitome of learning and made of the condition reflex as the unit of habit, and built his system on that foundation (Woodworth, 2004). 4. Learning from the viewpoint of the Gestaltists— Gestalt mean pattern, shape, form, or configuration. It implies that a set of stimulating circumstances takes place according to the relative value of various stimuli acting at the same time. This point of view recognizes that the whole is more than the sum of its parts, or that the whole gets its meaning from the parts. It can be seen that the parts can be understood only in relation to one another and that this relationship is determined by the nature of the whole (Stephens, 2001). 5. Learning from the viewpoint of the Progressivists— The concept of learning from the progressivists’ point of view is in conformity with the integrative point of view which is based on Gestalt theory of learning. Both recognize the importance of the learner in the learning process, his interests, his attitudes, and above all, his ability to utilize the past experiences in meeting new situations. Both believe that there is no substitute for experience in the process. Likewise, learning is conceived by both in terms of total growth of the child rather than the mastery of the subject-matter or change in behaviour. Both views are complementary and supplementary to each other (Stephens, 2001). B. The Major Laws of Learning Learning, whether it be that of an animal or of a human being, goes on in accordance with the laws of life. Improvement in teaching and learning can scarcely be made without a careful recognition of laws and principles upon which to base any valuable structure for the betterment of the learners. The results of experiments on learning have been generalized and stated as laws of learning. The laws of learning are attempts to state the more fundamental conditions favourable to the learning process. There is need for laws whether it be in a certain fields of knowledge, a particular course of study, or in the learning process itself. They are designed to make learning a continuous process of development when properly handled and controlled. The more the teacher understands the laws and conditions of learning, the more fully he brings his knowledge into relationship with the situation in the classroom, and the better and more effective his instruction is likely to become (Kohler, 2005). C. Factors which may affect the Learning Process It has been found out that the pupil’s difficulty in learning may be due to many factors within the child himself. Some of the important factors which may affect the learning process are as follows: 1. Intellectual factor—The term refers to the individual mental level. Success in school is generally closely related to the level of the intellect. Pupils with low intelligence often encounter serious difficulty in mastering schoolwork. Sometimes pupils do not learn because of special intellectual disabilities. A low score in one subject and his scores in other subjects indicate the possible presence of a special deficiency. Psychology reveals to us that an individual possesses different kind of intelligence. Knowledge of the nature of the pupils’ intellect is of considerable value in the guidance and the diagnosis of disability (Lashley, 2004). 2. Learning factors— Factors owing to lack of mastery of what has been taught, faulty methods of work or study, and narrowness of experimental background may affect the learning process of any student. If the good school proceeds to rapidly and does not constantly check up on the extent to which the student is mastering what is being taught, the student accumulates a number of deficiencies that interfere with successful progress (Lashley, 2004). 3. Physical factors— Under this group are included such factors such as health, physical development, nutrition, visual and physical defects, and glandular abnormality. It is generally recognized that ill health retards physical and motor development, and malnutrition interfere with learning and physical growth. Children suffering from visual, auditory, and other physical defects are seriously handicapped in developing skills such as reading and spelling (Lashley, 2004). 4. Mental factors— Attitude falls under mental factors. Attitudes are made up of organic and kinaesthetic elements. They are not to be confused with emotions that are characterized by internal visceral disturbance. Attitudes are more or less of definite sort. They play a large part in the mental organization and general behaviour of the individual. Attitudes are also important in the development of personality. Among these attitudes are interest, cheerfulness, affection, prejudice, openmindedness, and loyalty. Attitudes exercise a stimulating effect upon the rate of learning and teaching and upon the progress in school (Lashley, 2004). 5. Emotional and social factors— Personal factors, such as instincts and emotions, and social factors, such as cooperation and rivalry, are directly related to a complex psychology of motivation. It is a recognized fact that the various responses of the individual to various kinds of stimuli are determined by a wide variety of tendencies. Some of these innate tendencies are constructive and others are harmful. For some reason a student may have developed a dislike for some subject because he may fail to see its value, or may lack foundation. This dislike results in a bad emotional state (Lashley, 2004). 6. Teacher’s Personality— The teacher as an individual personality is an important element in the learning environment or in the failures and success of the learner. The way in which his personality interacts with the personalities of the pupils being taught helps to determine the kind of behaviour which emerges from the learning situation. The supreme value of a teacher is not in the regular performance of routine duties, but in his power to lead and to inspire his learners through the influence of his moral personality and example (Lashley, 2004). 7. Environmental factor— Physical conditions need for learning is under environmental factor. One of the factors that affect the efficiency of learning is the condition in which learning takes place. This includes the classroom, textbooks, equipment, school supplies, and other instructional materials. In the school and at the home, the conditions for learning must be favourable and adequate if teaching is to produce the desired results. It cannot be denied that the type and quality of instructional materials and equipment play an important part in the instructional efficiency of the school (Lashley, 2004). D. Psychological Principles of Learning To teach effectively, the teacher must understand the basic principles of learning. Based on the different concepts of the learning process and the laws that govern them, the following general principles of learning are presented for guidance in teaching: 1. Learning is considered as the acquisition of knowledge, habits, skills, abilities, and attitudes through the interaction of the whole individual and his total environment (Guthrie, 2002). 2. Learning is meaningful if it is organized in such a way as to emphasize and call for understanding, insight, initiative, and cooperation. When the learner is capable of gaining insight or understanding into the learning situation, then and only then will learning take place (Guthrie, 2002). 3. Learning is facilitated by motives or drives. Needs, interests, and goals are fundamental to the learning process. If the individual has to learn, he must have some goal to be accomplished. Learning is best when the learner knows and understands his motive in learning (Guthrie, 2002). IV. Conclusion As a conclusion, learning is often confused with maturation or physical growth. It is obvious that some of the ways in which man becomes different are tied up very closely with his physical growth. Our knowledge concerning learning and the teaching process has thus undergone profound development in the last twenty-five years. Once it seemed sufficient for the educational psychologist to formulate a set of principles of learning around fairly simple concepts of exercise and effect. The teacher applied these principles through the techniques of drill, reward and punishment.   But with the development of theory and research, the psychologist has found it necessary to expand and to refine his understanding of learning with consequent important implication for teaching.

Managing Design and Sustainability Innovation Essay

Managing Design and Sustainability Innovation - Essay Example It is true that Design Thinking is more than the article has highlighted but it has tried to capture the fundamentals that entail the concept: Question, Care, Connect and Commit (Berger 2010). I believe that Warren Berger captured these sentiments from real interaction with designers so as to develop a comprehensive and simple approach to Design Thinking. The study spans 10 years with at least 100 designers reviewed. It is however true that Design Thinking is more than meets the eye in the actual world of business. When taking the four fundamentals as stated by Berger, it is easy for it to be inapplicable in a real business scenario. The basic reason for this is that the area looked into was the design industry which varies hugely with other industries e.g. entertainment or manufacturing. The basic idea here is customization of Design Thinking to fit the respective context of its application. One example is the critical aspect of trying to uncover end users’ opinions. In some industries which have less contact with end users it would be hard to track significant information unlike in others for example, the service industry. Design in some way focuses on product creation. This is backed by the fact that in Design Thinking the aim is to ensure that what is to get to the end users is of the expected, if not a higher than expected, value. In this endeavor it is overly clear to deduce that one major force behind Design Thinking is product creation. Apple and P&G have been offered as examples of this scenario meaning that it is true in many recent successful companies. These companies have concentrated in designing products that surpass market expectations thereby creating a level of curiosity that has inevitably made competitors think in the same direction. To these companies huge profits have been in the offing. Tracking designers’ work to get an overview of what Design Thinking is all about is a good approach. This is because it

Australian History Convict Transportation Essay

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Tom's of Maine Toothpaste Branding - Research Paper Example The paper outlines the benefits of Toms of Maine Toothpaste, how it relates to the target market and how the firm can use packaging and labeling to support its brand image. Toms of Maine toothpaste has many attributes and benefits. Specifically, the Toms of Maine botanically bright toothpaste bears distinct characteristics from the other toothpastes. It is a natural brand in the toothpaste market that whitens teeth and freshens breath. In addition, it can remove plague using ingredients derived from nature. Silica is one of its ingredients, and it contributes immensely in whitening the teeth. The brand incorporates exclusive blends or mixture of soothing botanicals that makes it a top quality product. Lastly, it lacks fluoride and paraben, and this makes it safer than the other toothpaste brands. The attributes and benefits of Toms of Maine toothpaste relate to the target market as it satisfies the demands of customers who dislike products containing artificial additives linked with the causation of cancer. These groups of individual have formed a market niche that Toms of Maine targets with its new brands that are free from artificial preservatives. For instance, Toms of Maine botanically bright toothpaste targets such upcoming market niches. In addition, There is a large market of customers suffering from the plague, bad breath, tarnishing teeth and other mouth conditions. The benefits and attributes outlined can give answers to these problems. Therefore, the attributes and benefits of Toms of Maine toothpaste serves to satisfy a large market that demands its sure impacts. Toms of Maine can use labeling and packaging to protect and promote the product as well as to provide additional value and aspects of differentiation. The three functionalities are instrumental in maintaining the image of the brand (Hirschman, 2010). The firms can ensure that it uses the right material for packaging its toothpastes. An excellent package protects the product

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Management and the Cultural Industries - Essay Example Thus, culture is a myriad of different aspects of society including formalized and unofficial systems. (Davey) As culture is evolving constantly by the developments around the society, industries such as the media which include print, radio, television, music, entertainment among others represent the culture of a society and also influence it to a certain extent. These industries, that are known as cultural industries produce cultural texts, which are manifestations of the prevailing, culture for example ‘An American Brat’ by Bapsi Sidhwa is a book that represents the culture of Zoroastrians and how it is affected by moving to a Western country and integrating into a different cultural environment. Cultural industries create cultural texts which can be anything from books to music to newspapers and fashion. In America, during the time of flower power, the music and the fashion represented and promoted the culture of that period expressing harmony and bohemianism. However , cultural industries are influenced by other factors beside the prevailing culture itself such as the political scenario and economic conditions, they are driven by profit and often the texts are dependent on revenue and commercialism rather true creative representations of culture. Thus, this report focuses on the extent to which cultural texts are affected by political and economic factors. Culture and the political economy The political economy approach to culture focuses on how the production and distribution systems governing the cultural industries affect culture and cultural texts. The approach focuses on the interaction of political systems, economics, state institutions, social institutions and everyday life. The political and economic factors in a society determine to a great extent which faces of culture are promoted and which are neglected due to the dependence of cultural industries on revenue and profit and the power wielded by the state. (Kellner, 1999) This approach includes the conflict between the communist and capitalist approach. A capitalist economy would be focused on achieving the most with regards to revenue and thus focus on the popularity and profitability of the text whereas the communist economy would be more sensitive to political power and be restricted by it. However, even in a democratic capitalist setting the state would be involved in media matter regarding products such as cigarettes advertising, thus influencing the content of cultural texts. (Kellner, 1999) THE US AND EUROPEAN APPROACH The two main political economy approaches to cultural texts are the US and the European. The US model is the Schiller-McChesney tradition which focuses on the use of power and information media. The European approach focuses on cultural industries and the ‘commodifying of culture’. It addresses the information and entertainment side and focuses on the creation, production and delivery of cultural texts as well the audience respo nses. It inserts the creators of text; authors, musicians, performers and others in the context of the market. (Cultural Approaches to Economy and the Media, 2010) CULTURAL TEXTS AND GOVERNMENT CONTROL The political economy approach identifies how cultural texts are affected by government control. However, in a free market economy cultural texts generated through cultural industri

Biochemistry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Biochemistry - Case Study Example This lactate is normally takes back to liver where it would convert back into pyruvate and glucose through process of gluconeogenesis. This glucose is transferred back again muscle and the cycle is completed. In the process of reconversion of glucose six ATP molecules are consumed and hence there is net loss of 4 ATP’s in one cycle. (Â  Nelson 2005). If this whole process was to occur in muscle only, than there would be excessive loss of energy and muscle wasting just as it was seen with the patient in clinical presentation. There would be net loss of energy instead of production and lactic acid would ultimately start accumulating in the muscle causing lactic acidosis. Moreover, ATP consumption would be faster than its production, some ADP would also be converted into AMP which is ultimately lost in urine and all these are signs of chronic fatigue syndrome or mitochondrial disease. ( Sarah Myhill 2009). A hypothetical defect in pyruvate dehydrogenase or Isocitrate dehydrogenase or ÃŽ ±-Ketoglutarate dehydrogenase can prevent increase in ATP generation because these enzymes produce NADH in citric acid cycle which is equivalent to 2.5ATPs. Moreover, Succinate dehydrogenase deficiency can also cause this defect since it produces FAD which is equal to 1.5ATPs. These enzymes can greatly damage the production of ATP through. The concentration of NAD+ is maintained in body and it is reconverted and regenerated through other biochemical procedures that occur inside the cell like citric acid cycle (Nesbitt V 2011). NADH and FADH2 from citric acid cycle get used in electron transport chain and undergo oxidative phosphorylation where they use oxygen and converted ADP into ATP by using a molecule of phosphate as well. This is how citric acid products are converted into ATP. Coenzyme Q10 plays a central role in oxidative phosphorylation of cell. It has a very unique role in electron transport chain and is basically lipid soluble and maintains the proton

An Experience That Taught a Lesson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An Experience That Taught a Lesson - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that there are many occurrences and happenings in an individual’s life. Some of these experiences are very important and tend to leave a mark on a person’s life. These experiences tend to teach a person a lifelong lesson and have a strong impact on a person’s future decisions. The author also encountered one such experience in his school life that he will never forget. This event taught him an important lesson and molded his character and laid a strong influence on his future choices and ways. This important event took place when the narrator was in sixth grade in high school and opted for cheating to complete his work. His act was caught and the researcher learned an important lesson for his entire life. When he was in sixth grade, things were not very easy and it was difficult for him to cope up with his studies. The author was not scoring very well on his class assignments. He had decided that he would work harder fo r his next assignment to improve the overall grade. But to make things worst the researcher fell sick for one week and could not attend school. This made him lag behind in his class homework and he could not complete his homework assignment. This homework assignment was very important for the author owing to the fact that it would have laid an impact on his final result. The narrator attended school on the day when the assignment was to be submitted and he asked his best friend for help.

How The Meaning Of Democracy And Globalization Differs In Deferent Essay Example for Free

How The Meaning Of Democracy And Globalization Differs In Deferent Essay Globalization is making international trade more easy and accessible. Business operations cut across transnational borders in contemporary times, more than before. Furthermore, there are increasing numbers of players in the international trade and deal transactions than ever before. The neo-liberalists views in international trade has always supported a globalize and open market order in which every countries is expected to open up its market and imbibe the culture of free trade, free economy entry and exit of labor and the opening of the state economy to the international market for active competition. The adoption of open markets have resulted in the political responses in terms of change in the political structure, that is hitherto exhibited and the way government intervene in her country’s economy. This change has resulted in the adoption of the neo-liberal stand. Even, the communist states are now gradually opening up to the trade zone to international transactions. â€Å"Globalization can be briefly defined as, the intensification of economic, political, social, and cultural relations across borders† (Holm Sorensen, 1995:4). According to Yeung (2002), from an economic perspective the term globalization is defined as â€Å"the rapid proliferation of cross-border production, trade, and investment activities spearheaded by global corporations and international financial institutions that facilitate the emergence of an increasingly integrated and interdependent global economy†. Thus, globalization is a transformation of the world order to become accustomed to the changes of time and the pattern of the world order. Democracy is seen as a system of government where the government is accountable to the people, and sovereignty of the state lies with the people. Cultural differences in terms of the practices and way of living of people makes them adapt to different conceptualization and practice of philosophy associated with democracy and globalization. DIVERSITY IN CONCEPTUALIZING DEMOCRACY AND GLOBALIZATION IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES Williams (1983) try to capture in his book the differences between in articulated experience and the general conclusion reached in regards to democracy and globalization. This according to him has lead to the covert disappointments in the failure to formulate that tension abstractly. People’s experience in actual life sometime differs from the principles underlying democratic practices and the gains and pains attributed to globalization in the 21st century. Williams work preoccupies with the connections between human ideology and societal culture. The cultural difference between countries and political and economic settings tend to present different realities pertaining to democracy and globalization. For instance, in underdeveloped African countries democracy in the real sense which has to do with government by the people and where full public accountability is emphasized is a far cry from the realities. African leaders are corrupt and tend to infringe on people’s human rights. There is poor public accountability, amidst high level of corruption. The interpretation giving to democracy in the advanced western world respects the rights of the people and public accountability is emphasized. Sovereignty should lie with the people according to democratic principle, but in African countries that practice democratic rule, the leaders see themselves as custodian of sovereignty, as it is observed in a monarchical rule. The African culture embraces a fatalistic perspective to life, while the western culture tends to strive for change. This fatalistic lifestyle as made globalization not too beneficial to underdeveloped African countries, as they rely on primary goods production, which are grossly under priced in the international trade level. Williams thus, recognized the importance of taking individual and social circumstances into consideration as this bring about the differences in interpretation to vital issues of life, like democracy, human arts, industry, class and culture. The role of developing countries in globalizing the world is one in which they play significant role. Most raw materials utilized in both advanced economy and in processing into finish, products are sourced from developing countries from Africa, Asian, and Latin America. At the aftermath of the Uruguay Round Agreements (URA) the role of developing countries in global economy has increased significantly. Furthermore, the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is harnessing trade negotiations within developing countries. According to Michalopoulos (1999), â€Å"The integration of the developing countries into the multilateral trading system has been especially impressive for a group of perhaps 15-20 middle and higher income developing countries in Latin America and Asia†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The increasing significant of developing countries in speeding up the global development ascribes on them certain responsibilities that is expected for them to play. This comes in way of putting in place a smooth export trade zone for its raw materials and free movement of labor in and out their national boundaries. Some developing countries in assuming this responsibility has formed export agency among them to enable the smooth export trade in raw materials. â€Å"†¦exports have risen b y more than 10 per annum in volume since 1970†¦ the developed countries combined gross domestic product (GDP); at the beginning of the 1990s†¦accounted for 1. 8 per cent of GDP, whereas the figure in 1999 was 3. 2 per cent† (Akyuz, et al 2001). Developing countries has developed policies in their exports, which is characterized by imposition of control and taxes on export of primary products and foodstuffs, and also they tend to provide incentives and subsidies to their exports manufacturers (Michalopoulos 1999). Thus, the need to create a trade free zone and easy passage of primary products to international zone where they would be converted into finished product is one responsibility developing countries need to carry out. Furthermore, the developing countries play the significant role in the supply of labor, in the production process, given their large population. Developing countries have large labor markets, thus the supply of this to the global labor market goes a long way in contributing to global development. Thus improving of labor skills in developing countries is a way the usefulness of labor in this part of the world would contribute significantly in area of global development. In this view, Akyuz, et al (2001), has it that â€Å"improvement in labor market conditions will also require a reorientation of development policies at the national and global levels, particularly with respect to the speed and pattern of integration of developing countries into the global economy†. The role third world countries play in globalization is directly connected to how their cultural background and interpretation to the phenomenon is connected to their occupation and way of life. For instance, countries in Africa, it has 70 percent of its workforce in peasant farming. Thus, the continent economy is agrarian and thus, its involvement in globalization is in the production of primary product. On the other hand, advance western countries like U. S. and EU states, including advance Asian countries like Japan, China, produce finish products like automobiles, electronics etc. While the western world would conceive globalization as an expanded place for trading, with the less barrier to trade, the underdeveloped countries something conceive this as a continue exploitation of the westerners and the dependency on their products. CONCLUSION Democracy has in contemporary times being widely acknowledged globally in the political realm and in work place. Workers participation are urging for more participation as a way to embrace democracy. In addition, this globalization phenomenon has made organized capitalism to transit from corporate capitalism to monopoly capitalism not it is in its customer capitalism. However, democracy is different interpreted by countries in line with their cultural setting. While the advance political states seeks for more respect for human rights and public accountability, the underdeveloped state in their nascent democracy are trying to fight huge level of corruption and leadership oppression as it is being notice in Zimbabwe where Mugabe is hindering any move of oppositions. In addition, the conceptualization of globalization by different countries depends on the receiving end they find themselves in the international trade. While those countries primarily engaged in the production of primary products such as raw materials cry for unfavorable term of trade, the advanced economic countries see globalization as a pattern for encouraging free trade and maximizing economic wealth. REFERENCES Akyuz, Yilmaz, et al (2001), â€Å"Globalization, Inequality and the Labour Market† http://www. flassbeck. de/pdf/GLOBALIZ. PDF. (02/12/07)Michalopoulos, Constantine (1999), â€Å"Trade Policy market Access Issues for Developing Countries: Implications for the Millennium Round† http://wbln0018. worldbank. org/research/workpapers. nsf/bd04ac9da150d30385256815005076ce/a70066326b8be18c85256818005b9fb6/$FILE/wps2214. pdf. (2/12/07) Williams, Raymond (1983) Culture And Society: 1780-1950, Columbia University Press. Yeung, Henry W. (2002), â€Å"The Limits to Globalization Theory: A Geographic Perspective on Global Economic Change† Economic Geography, Volume 78, Number 3, July http://www. europe. canterbury. ac. nz/courses/euro223/yeong. pdf. (02/12/07)

John Forbes Nash Jr Essay Example for Free

John Forbes Nash Jr Essay John Forbes Nash Jr. (born June 13, 1928) is a mathematician who worked in game theory and differential geometry. He shared the 1994 Nobel Prize for economics with two other game theorists, Reinhard Selten and John Harsanyi. After a promising start to his mathematical career, Nash began to suffer from schizophrenia around his 30th year, an illness from which he has only recovered some 25 years later. John Nash was born in Bluefield, West Virginia as son of John Nash Sr. and Virginia Martin. His father was an electrotechnician; his mother a language teacher. As a young boy he spent much time reading books and experimenting in his room, which he had converted into a laboratory. From June 1945-June 1948 Nash studied at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, intending to become a technical engineer like his father. Instead, he developed a deep love for mathematics and a lifelong interest in subjects such as number theory, Diophantine equations, quantum mechanics and relativity theory. He loved solving problems. At Carnegie he became interested in the negotiation problem, which John von Neumann had left unsolved in his book The Theory of Games and Economic Behavior (1928). He participated in the game theory group there. From Pittsburgh he went to Princeton University where he worked on his equilibrium theory. He received a Ph. D. in 1950 with the dissertation Non-cooperative games. The thesis contained the definition and properties of what would later be called the Nash equilibrium; 44 years later, it would earn him the Nobel prize. His studies on this subject led to three articles, the first entitled Equilibrium Points in N-person Games, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) (1950), and the others in Econometrica about The Bargaining Problem (April 1950) and Two-person Cooperative Games (January 1953). The only official economic lessons he followed were a series about international trade. In the summer of 1950 he worked at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California, where he returned for shorter periods in 1952 and 1954. From 1950-1951 he taught calculus courses at Princeton, studied and managed to stay out of military service. During this time, he proved the Nash embedding theorem, an important result in differential geometry about manifolds. In 1951-1952 he became science assistant at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At MIT, he met Alicia Lopez-Harrison de Larde, a math student from El Salvador, whom he married in February 1957. Their son, John Charles Martin (b. May 20, 1959), remained nameless for a year because Alicia, having just committed Nash to a mental hospital, felt that he should have a say in what to name the baby. As was his parents, John became a mathematician, but, like his father, he was diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic. Nash had another son, John David (b. June 19, 1953), by Eleanor Stier, but refused to have anything to do with them. An admitted bisexual, he carried on intimate relationships with men during this period. Although she divorced him in 1963, Alicia took him back in 1970. But, according to Sylvia Nasars biography of Nash, Alicia referred to him as her boarder, and they lived like two distantly related individuals under one roof until he won the Nobel Prize in 1994, then they renewed their relationship. They remarried on June 1, 2001. In 1958 John Nash began to show the first signs of his mental illness. He became paranoid and was admitted into the McLean Hospital, April-May 1959, where he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. After a problematic stay in Paris and Geneva, Nash returned to Princeton in 1960. He remained in and out of mental hospitals until 1970, and held a research position at Brandeis University from 1965-1967. Illustrative is the 30-year publication gap between 1966 and 1996 of any scientific work. In 1978 he was awarded the John Von Neumann Theory Prize for his invention of non-cooperative equilibriums, now called Nash equilibria. Nashs mental health improved very slowly. His interest in mathematical problems gradually returned, and with it the ability to think logically. He also became interested in computer programming. The 1990s brought a return of his genius, though it lived in a still feeble mind. In 1994 he received the Nobel Prize in Economics as a result of his game theory work at Princeton as a graduate student. He is still hoping to score substantial scientific results. Between 1945 and 1996 John Nash published a total of 23 scientific studies, plus an autobiographical essay, Les Prix Nobel (1994) [1] (http://www. nobel. se/economics/laureates/1994/nash-autobio. html), first published in Sweden. A film titled A Beautiful Mind, released in December 2001 and directed by Ron Howard, dramatically portrayed some events of Nashs life. It is (loosely) based on the biography of the same title, written by Sylvia Nasar (1999) and received four Oscars in 2002. A deleted scene from A Beautiful Mind reveals that Nash (re)invented the board game known as Hex or (at Princeton) Nash or John, as it was often played on hexagonal bathroom floor tiles. A Beautiful Mind has been criticized for its inaccurate portrayal of John Nashs life and schizophrenia. The PBS documentary A Brilliant Madness attempts to portray his life more accurately.

Analysis Of Malaysia As A Tourist Destination Tourism Essay

Analysis Of Malaysia As A Tourist Destination Tourism Essay How a country is perceived, both domestically and from abroad, from the quality of its goods and services, to the attractiveness of its culture and its tourism and investment opportunities, to its politics, economic policies and foreign policy, can be shaped under a brand. In this section, we will focus on tourism, its impact on nation branding, its effect on GDP and the benefits of tourism branding. In the latter part of this section, we are going to analyse the tourism industries of India and Malaysia, their successful tourism campaigns, and further scope of improvement in the respective areas. We will also try to enumerate what are the major constituents of a tourism industry in any country and their relative importance, in the two countries taken as our focus areas. The early history of tourism tells us that people travelled from one place to another mainly because of food or shelter. But in due course of time, large scale mobility of people was caused by the natural elements of human pressure, livelihood or a better standard of living. In the words of UNESCO, tourism is a traditional instrument, which enables culture to be rehabilitated and made known to the rest of the world. Tourism has become a popular leisure activity. International tourism activities have grown by leaps and bounds in the past years.   With the dismantling of national boundaries, the tourism scenario is changing. There is a steady growth in the number of tourist arrivals and more satisfactorily the average spending of foreign tourist has gone up. Tourism is vital for many countries such as Egypt, Thailand, Malaysia and Maldives and last but not the least, India. The associated goods and service industries in these countries have sprouted to aid the tourism industry. These include transportation services, hospitality services such as accommodations including hotels and resorts, and entertainment venues like amusement parks, shopping malls and casinos etc. It is universally accepted that government promotion of tourism is a good idea that brings excellent return on investments. It generates jobs like no other, and its development also leads to development of infrastructure, education and related industries. However, promoting tourism successfully requires setting a context that will allow the tourists to appreciate what is on offer. THAT context is the brand or the overall image of a country. If a country is widely viewed as secure, modern, clean and efficient, chances of getting tourists to frequent attractive destinations are good. If a nation is known for its unique features whether they be cultural, manmade or natural, there will a positive curiosity towards them encouraging tourists to discover first hand something new. On the other hand, if a country is known for civil war, crime and corruption, inadequate infrastructure or unfriendly population, inviting tourists to your country is a mammoth task. They either require pretence of not existing, or there will be a lot of convincing to be done that it doesnt impact the travel experience in any adverse manner. Tourist choice behaviour is one of the most needed studies by today. Tourists take into account the various factors in terms of facilities, local attractions etc, before choosing their destination. Local attractions, accessibility, facilities are some of the factors that generate tourist flow to a particular location. Absence of any of these facilities may deter the tourists from travelling. Hence, tourism has to be seen in totality and as comprising of its constituents mainly attraction, hospitality and the transport facilities in the country. We are going to look at each of them in the following pages. The model that this section follows is as under: Attractions A  tourist attraction  is a place of interest where  tourists  visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities. Attractions are the major factors, which ensure the flow of domestic or international tourists to a specific place. Some examples include historical places,  monuments,  zoos,  aquaria,  museums  and  art galleries,  botanical gardens, buildings and structures (e.g.,  castles,  libraries, former  prisons,  skyscrapers,  bridges), national  parks  and  forests, theme parks  and  carnivals,  living history museums,  ethnic enclave  communities,  historic trains  and cultural events. The history of attractions has often been inextricably linked with the development of travel industry in any country. It can be assumed generally that older attractions (either manmade or natural) were not designed to appeal to travellers. Some of the best examples include the Tajmahal, Niagara Falls and the Pyramids. Most modern tourist attractions on the other hand, have been purpose-built for visitors, like theme parks or casinos. However, in the Asian context, this may differ as the attractions are generally perceived as more elaborate culture and history. The definition of attractions has been changing over time; and a few broad classifications of tourist attractions can be as follows: Natural Man-Made Outdoor Indoor Heritage Based Purpose Built for tourism Special Global Events Local Festivals/Events Drawing Power (high) Drawing power (low) The growth of small local attractions has also been manifold due to an increase in the number of independent off-beat travellers. Interest in exotic destinations and wildlife has led to the development and upkeep of modern zoos and safari parks. The continuing trend of increased leisure time, greater mobility and more disposable income has led to a boom in the attractions sector. Parallel attractions like theme parks have also emerged, and a number of shopping centres and waterfronts have become tourist attractions in their own right. Culture and Tourism Culture is a human construct, existing in representations and understanding by the people. Culture defines a society in a way which makes it different from the next. Contemporary societies are not isolated, insular entities. There is a constant exchange of ideas, beliefs and faiths; travel and tourism undoubtedly play a significant role in this. Culture and creative industries are being increasingly used to promote destinations and enhance their competitiveness and attractiveness. Many locations are now developing their tangible and intangible cultural assets as a means of developing comparative advantages in an increasingly competitive tourism marketplace. People, when they visit a country or a destination or a city, are always keen to visit the sites that are important, the places of distinction, the question is always what is there to see, what is there to experience and the destinations provide further encouragement through the printed material, the information, the brochures that they provide to visitors. There are also wider benefits of developing relationship between culture and tourism such as enhanced image and support for the cultural sector. Culture creates distinctiveness in a crowded global market. Local communities are beginning to come together to develop cultural products for tourism rather than competing directly with one another. New policies are likely to feature new structures and projects involving public-private partnership and bringing together a wider range of stakeholders to use culture not only to make destinations attractive for visitors, but also to promote regions as destinations to live, work and invest in. Local communities are not only hosts; they define the sense of the place, providing cultural experience for tourists. Culture in all its forms is likely to figure strongly in the tourism product and promotion of most regions, even those which have traditionally relied on their natural assets, such as sun and beach or mountains, for their attractiveness. Destinations are also trying to increase their comparative advantage by adding to their stock of cultural attractions. They are also trying to develop their intangible culture and creativity. Culture creates authenticity and distinctiveness in the global tourism market. In this regard, tourism experiences that can connect people and visitors to local cultures are very important. In many cases, destinations are also linked to specific cultural events (e.g. connected to famous places, people or historical events) which can also play a catalyst role in this development. The Cultural Heritage of India is a vibrant mosaic of lively and magnificent colours. Indian Culture encompasses a unique blend of food, fashion, festivals, dance and music that spellbound the four corners of the world in its euphoric nature.  India is a popular destination and boasts a cultural heritage that is worth exploring. As a tourist one has many choices to explore from cuisine to dances to music. All diverse in nature encompass to form the culture of India. Very few countries in the world have such an ancient and diverse culture as Indias. Dating back to over 5000 years old civilization, Indias culture has been enriched by successive waves of migration which were absorbed into the Indian way of life. The Indian culture comprises of Indian music, Indian Dance, Indian cuisines, costumes and Indian Festivals.   Internet has also become a universal tool which offers the possibility to tourists to package destinations and events with accommodation and travel. Architecture and Tourism Because tourism is such an enormous industry, which involves monuments, museums, and other special purpose buildings, it is not a phenomenon that can be controlled. It always stands within the cultural and political conditions of the environment, and the tastes and habits of tourists thronging a place. Everything from historical monuments to exotic holiday destinations has been redesigned and packaged for mass consumption. As a result, the histories of specific sites have been re-conceptualized. Some have been preserved and celebrated, while others have been left to decay. Monuments like the Tajmahal or the Cellular Jail were not built for tourist purposes; however they have been converted into one now. A more contemporary example of construction for attraction, and certainly one that is totally synonymous with its location is the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The association is incredibly strong and more amazing given the fact that Eiffels structure to celebrate the Worlds Expo was designed for disassembly and should have come down in 1909 after just 20 years. Possibly the biggest construction sites of all are to be found today in the Middle East which has made huge strides to develop other sources of wealth including tourism, by constructing hotels and islands. Dubai has made the biggest splash, with the Burj Al Arab embedding deep in everybodys psyche. One of the best architectural tourism spots in the world is China. Chinese architecture ranging from the various dynasties that ruled it has undergone a great evolution. People recognize Chinese architecture from  The Great Wall of China  and the beautiful pagodas. But there is more to Chinese architecture than that. People who are interested in  architecture  will find China to be a virtual unexplored region which has some of the best monuments and buildings.   China  is a country of architectural marvels both ancient and modern and it is one of the best tourist destinations for people who love architecture.   Some notable Chinese architecture that are a must see are Terra Cotta Warriors in the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang in Xian, the Hanging Temple, Forbidden City etc. In Budapest, an eastern European country, architectural tourism has been promoted very well. Monasteries, churches, caves, Basilica etc are some well known attractions which pulls throngs of tourists here annually. History and Tourism Tourism is a powerful economic development tool. Tourism creates jobs, provides new business opportunities and strengthens local economies. When heritage and history is paid attention to and used to our advantage, it also helps to protect a nations natural and cultural treasures and improve the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. In the past, the tourism industry saw its primary role as marketing ready products to travellers, such as package tours to Mumbai. But countries are now looking for new ways to attract travellers, and today culture and history are more likely to overlap than any other domains. A concrete example is India, which with its potpourri of different religions and faiths, is a centre for people from countries following similar faith. Tourists from countries like Thailand, Indonesia or Burma (which follow Buddhism as well) desirous of visiting Bodhgaya are attracted to the history and heritage of the country. This can be exploited to promote history and heritage tourism making India a lucrative destination for people sharing the same faith. Also an example is the International Kite Festival held in Gujarat every year, which is slowly turning into a big crowd puller year after year. Cashing in on the history of a place and promoting heritage tourism refers to travelling to experience the places and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and the present. Food and Tourism Food is something an increasing number of us remember from our travels. Like never before, holiday makers are choosing where they go by what they can put in their stomachs. Food is a manifestation of a destinations culture which can be invaluable for giving travellers a hands-on experience. You can open a different door with every meal. The last few years has seen an incredible shift in the way holidays are created and marketed, and that is because people demand authentic experiences. Eating traditional dishes is considered very important on a holiday. People also willingly miss meals in their hotel or resort to try out local restaurants. Tourists are becoming more experimental as well as sophisticated in what they eat during a vacation. Supermarkets have also played a major role in making foreign foods more available. Food festivals are another crowd puller. Singapore hosts an annual food festival each July celebrating a different aspect of its culture. The colourful opening of the  West Bengal Tourism  and  Food Festival  is a reflection of the states positive efforts to boost the tourism sector.   Indian cuisine ranges from the simple and bland to the lavish and complexly pungent. Each region has its specialty cuisine, though some dishes are available throughout the country. All the states have their own signature dishes which are world famous and tempt the tourists to visit those states, for having an authentic experience. Indian sweets and various varieties of tea, especially Assam Tea, boost tourism in India. The cooking styles and flavours of every region of India is unique and differs from each other. While Kashmir is famous for its 24-course banquet- the Wazwan; coastal Goa, Kerala and Bengal specialize in fish, seafood and coconut-based dishes. Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are the best states to taste vegetarian specialties. Bengal, Bikaner and Delhi are particularly famous for sweets. Food tourism includes all unique and memorable food experiences, not just four star or critically acclaimed restaurants. Price is not necessarily indicative of quality. According to industry research, true food tourists are perfectly happy at a roadside cafà © in the middle of nowhere, as long as there is something memorable about their visit. Transport Relevance Though transportation as a topic can be discussed independently, tourism cannot thrive without travel. Transportation is an integral part of the tourism industry. It has been largely due to the improvements in mobility that tourism has expanded to such a stage. Transportation links various cities and countries in some cases. Tourism is all about travel, and the role of transportation in its operation cannot be overemphasized. Accessibility and tourism activities have broken barriers and opened formerly off-the-beaten-track areas to visitors through aggressive marketing of some far-off paradise with the availability of transport. It is, more often than not, seen as only that part of tourism which is in charge of bringing the tourists to their destinations; provide a means of getting around the place and leaving it once the stipulated duration is over. In fact, the transportation system of a tourist destination has a huge impact on the tourism experience which explains how people travel and why they choose different forms of holidays and destinations. Access to tourism sites relies heavily upon the state of infrastructure, and the efficiency of the public transport system. Tourists arriving at international cities need mobility and few decide (or can afford) to hire private  transport. Because of this, the public  transport  system is an essential service for this population, especially in cities large enough to need bus, metro and train systems. However, in congested cities with weak public  transport  networks, the influx of tourists exerts additional demand pressure on the  transport  system. Modes Available There are five modes of transportation, based on the physical characteristics of the service offered and the right of way over which a transportation carrier operates. These are air, highway, rail and water, arranged in decreasing order of speed. All modes of transportation are regulated in some manner, be it economic or non-economic. Economic regulation has been reduced in a number of transportation markets in recent years, beginning with domestic airline deregulation in the United States in the late 1970s. Since then, many other countries have deregulated their national transportation systems to some degree, including air, highway and rail. Internationally, economic regulation has been reduced in some markets, with the European Union being a prime example of including not only air but other modes as well.   Passenger transportation plays a critical role in determining the success or failure of nearly every segment of tourism. Without a reliable and economic form of passenger transportation to, from and within a destination, enticing tourists to visit that destination may be very difficult. Island economies like Hawaii, Andaman Islands or Malaysia are almost fully dependent on air transport access. Off-beat destinations The transportation carrier may also become a destination in its own right, such as a few cruise liners in areas like Singapore, Malaysia, Caribbean and the Mexican Riviera. Other forms of transportation serving as destinations include Palace on Wheels, The Orient Express etc. For about the past four years, the travel industry in Asia and the Pacific has been undergoing a dynamic change, and the growth of low cost carriers has been cited as the single most important factor currently shaping the regions airline industry. Thus at the same time, tourism has also had a major impact on transport modes and networks through its ability to supply additional motivations for leisure and business travel. Due to the intensity of worldwide competition and product parity, positioning strategies will become a strategic weapon for tourism destinations. Tourist destinations, for example resorts which can be fairly similar, can succeed in developing strong and differentiated brands through excellent access to transportation facilities. Transport policies and decisions of governments can play a big role in the destinations available to tourists. If the public sector does not cope with the demand in terms of transport infrastructures, tourism industry might not develop in those regions. Hospitality Hospitality  is the relationship between guest and host, or the act or practice of being hospitable. Specifically, this includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers,  resorts, membership clubs, conventions, attractions, special events, and other services for travellers and  tourists. Hospitality is about compensating/equalizing a stranger to the host, making him feel protected and taken care of, and at the end of his hosting, guiding him to his next destination. Cultures and subcultures vary in the extent to which one is expected to show hospitality to strangers, as opposed to personal friends or members of ones  in-group. The tourism industry has several components food, accommodation, place of attractions, transportation etc. All these components are related to hospitality. Hospitality and tourism experiences have important emotional dimensions that traditional marketing tend to underplay. By understanding the hospitality-based transaction between guests and hosts, marketers and commercial operators can deliver customers experiences through which to build customer loyalty and a robust business better able to withstand. The guest and host relationship has a long tradition, pre-dating modern hospitality and tourism businesses by thousands of years and universally evident across all societies. Hospitality creates an impression of hosting and hospitableness, which prioritizes guest experiences. The Indian civilization is one of the oldest on earth, and like every culture has its own favourite stories including some on hospitality. That of a simpleton readily sharing his meagre morsels with an uninvited guest, only to discover that the guest is a God in disguise, who rewards his generosity with abundance. That of a woman who lovingly cooks up all the  Khichdi she can afford, for everyone who is hungry till one day when she runs out of food for the last hungry person to whom she offers her own share, and is rewarded by the god in disguise with a never ending pot of Khichdi. Most Indian adults having grown up listening to these stories as children believe in the philosophy of Atithi Devo Bhava, meaning the guest is God. From this stems the Indian approach of graciousness towards guests at home, and in all social situations. Benefits of Tourism Branding While many regard branding as simply creating a new look and tagline, if done correctly, a genuine brand management strategy should positively influence all aspects of a nation. The reputation of the country we live in, work and study matters. An attractive and distinctive identity makes it easier for a city (and its citizens) to be preferred in any competitive setting because the place is seen to have qualities that resonate positively with key audiences and can enhance the well-being of its citizens. We can retain different campaigns for a country. They can include exports, education, foreign trade etc. All these should contribute to a clear identity of a nation. It is the tourism promotion in whatever form (advertising, PR, websites etc) that will have the biggest impact on the attitudes to a nation. Tourism is the acceptable public face of a national brand. Clarke (2000) has identified six benefits of branding related to tourism destination products (TDPs): As tourism is typically high involvement, branding helps to reduce the choice; Branding helps in reducing the impact of intangibility; Branding conveys consistency across multiple outlets and through time; Branding can reduce the risk factor attached to decision making about holidays; Branding facilitates precise segmentation; Branding helps to provide a focus for the integration of producer effort, helping people to work towards the same outcome. Impact on GDP Focussing exclusively on India in this section the tourism industry has contributed enormously in the flourishing graph of Indias economy by attracting a huge number of both foreign and domestic tourists travelling for both leisure and business purposes. As per the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 by the World Economic Forum, India is ranked 11th in the Asia Pacific region and 62nd overall, moving up three places on the list of the worlds attractive destinations. It is ranked the 14th best tourist destination for its natural resources and 24th for its cultural resources, with many World Heritage sites, both natural and cultural, rich fauna, and strong creative industries in the country. India also bagged 37th rank for its air transport network. The India travel and tourism industry ranked 5th in the long-term (10-year) growth and is expected to be the second largest employer in the world by 2019. The hotel and tourism industrys contribution to the Indian economy by way of foreign direct investments (FDI) inflows were pegged at US$ 2.1 billion from April 2000 to March 2010, according to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). According to the Travel Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 brought out by the World Economic Forum, the contribution of travel and tourism to gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to be at US$ 187.3 billion by 2019. The report also states that real GDP growth for travel and tourism economy is expected to achieve an average of 7.7 per cent per annum over the next 10 years. Export earnings from international visitors and tourism goods are expected to generate US$ 51.4 billion (nominal terms) by 2019. Furthermore, the sector which accounted for 6.4 per cent of total employment in 2009 is estimated to rise to 7.2 per cent of total employment by 2019. Deeming the growing rate of the tourists arrival in the country, the Indian tourism industry designed a wide spectrum of holiday packages and cheaper airfares to attract more tourists. The booming success of Indian tourism industry has led to a drastic change in the hospitality department as well. The increase in the ratio of tourists resulted in the increase of room rates and also setting up of a wide range of hotels and other residing areas. The Indian tourism industry offers online booking system, one of the basic proofs of technological advancement in this sector. These online bookings are applicable for booking the air tickets via Internet by logging on to the website and also booking the hotel room of the place to be visited. The Role of Tourism Industry in India GDP also features medical tourism that includes traditional therapies like yoga, meditation, ayurveda, allopathy and other conventional systems of medicines is currently estimated at USD 333 million and is most likely to reach USD 2.2 billion by the year 2012. Analysis of India as a preferred tourist destination Tourism is the largest service industry in India. As we have seen in the previous section, it plays an extremely important role in the Indian economy by direct as well as indirect impact. Countries such as USA, UK, Singapore, Thailand and Australia feature high on the list of favourite tourist destinations. Which leads us to the million dollar question Where does India stand among other Preferred Holiday Destinations? India is a Land of all seasons, where beauty beckons, culture echoes, diversity delights and tradition talks. Those who reach India are greeted with a gracious Namaste, Namaskaaram, Vanakkam or Sat Sri Akal denoting warmth, hospitality and respect a tradition in tune with the countrys age-old motto Atithi Devo Bhava where the guest is treated as God. The Incredible India campaign focuses on the hospitality of our country, and the pristine and undiscovered lands it offers. The campaign has been running successfully for some time now, and has succeeded in pulling both domestic and international travellers to Indian destinations. Graciously endowed with mist clad mountain ranges, deep blue seas, enigmatic deserts, golden beaches, emerald green valleys, palm fringed backwaters on the one hand and unique art forms, exciting fairs and festivals, interesting pilgrim centres, exclusive heritage sites, royal forts, majestic monuments, architectural marvels and exotic flora and fauna on the other, this legendary land is unique in all aspects it is no wonder that India has emerged as one among the Top Five Tourist Hotspots of the world, with a tremendous increase in tourist traffic all through the year. Many factors have been collectively responsible for boosting our countrys economic reserves and the impact of Indias economic growth on tourism is increasingly being felt in niche sectors. India abounds in attractive and well-preserved historical sites, ancient monuments of architectural grandeur and not-so-ancient mosques/durgahs, churches and places of worship of other diverse faiths. India is also known for some of its fine beaches like Goa, Mamallapuram, Kovalam, Pondicherry, Puri-Konark etc. In addition island tourism has been developed at Andaman/Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands. All across the country are wildlife sanctuaries whose areas extend over several thousands of square kilometres, where wildlife can be observed in their natural surroundings. Each sanctuary supports several species of wildlife, being well known for one particular species. In some cases, there are rare or even endangered species. India is a land of fairs and festivals with atleast one fair in each day of the year. These fairs and festivals add colour to the social life of Indian people. Some of the important fairs and festivals are Pushkar fair in Rajasthan, Crafts Mela at Surajkund, Holi in North India, Pongal in Tamilnadu, Onam in Kerela, Baisaki in Punjab, Bihu in Assam, Dance festivals at Khajuraho and Mamallapuram etc. India has a treasure trove of handicrafts for any discerning shopper, in truly remarkable variety of styles and prices. Over the years, India has developed world standard accommodation infrastructure for entertaining the visitors. There are about 60,000 classified hotel rooms in India and about 35,000 rooms are under construction. These hotel rooms scattered in various cities are of varying price range. Some of the major hotel chains in India are the Oberois, Taj Group of Hotels, Welcome Group of Hotels and India Tourism Development Corporation Hotels. Despite the fact that India has a wealth of amazing places waiting to be seen and appreciated and an unbeatable tourism potential, India receives far lesser tourists compared to other relatively smaller countries. Most foreigners who visit India for the first time are heard complaining about Over priced Hotel rooms Corrupt autos and taxi drivers waiting to take them for a ride, literally! Lack of proper infrastructure Confusion and chaos at the airport Unhygienic conditions etc Probable Areas of Improvement India is well known for personal bonding and relations with their tourist customers. What will be promising for India is the effectiveness of proactive relationship building strategies undertaken by India. India should focus on building and maintaining strong tourist relationships. It should also note that the selection and training of tour guides who are directly dealing with the tourists is undertaken properly. Accordingly, the holiday destination managers may undertake certain measures to improve the status of the dominant factors, which will ultimately lead to the improvement in visitors perception towards India as a tourist destination. Hence expertise and communication, and familiarity with tourists are the most effective relationship-building strategies. The next effective strategy could be investing in