Status of commercialization in sports Research Proposal

Status of commercialization in sports - Research Proposal Example Settlement for the topic was due to various reasons that will be prioritized in the research. Adequate knowledge of what is meant by commercialization of sports will be tackled. The researcher and the readers need to have a good knowledge of the topic and the general idea of what it entails as it provides proper guidance for the research (Cummings, Lofaso & Cummings,  2010). The other area that will be tackled will be the advantages and shortcomings of commercializing different sports. Identification of similarity or the difference between the commercialization of different is a crucial aspect of the research in the quest to determine both the negative and positive effects of the same. The use of relevant examples is essential in such a scenario to ensure the point is well understood and intentions clear. Also, the methods of commercialization and the relevant bodies or rather bodies associated with the commercialization are paramount in the research (Humphreys & Howard,  2012). The research has several objectives that provide guidance while carrying out the data collection process. Establishment of the various reasons behind commercialization is the first goal of the study. The increased rate of the commercialization raises eyebrows and thus the need to understand the driving force behind the act. Determination of the positive effects of the commercialization of sports is the other objective. In comparison to other business opportunities, sports such as soccer and American Football have hit top bars and indicating that there is a plethora of benefits that accrue from the same. It is a critical objective in this research as the findings from this research help determine whether the process is of an additional value to the society (Ribowsky, 2012). Furthermore, it is equally essential to analyse the adverse impacts of

Was Nelson Mandela's decision to support the move to armed struggle Essay

Was Nelson Mandela's decision to support the move to armed struggle justified - Essay Example Totally within and entirely dependent on South Africa is the small independent nation of Lesotho. Colonization in South Africa In the 1870s, the British operating from their main base in Cape Colony attempted to try and bring about a total political unification of the various states that they ruled in the region. The Anglo-Boer South African war that was fought between 1899-1902 allowed the entire South Africa to come completely under the rule of the British for the first time and with this, the movement by the British to try and secure the total unification of the four colonies was considerably intensified. Despite the union having a constitution that was heavily white supremacist and the region being mainly dominated by Afrikaners, the British were seen to welcome the formation of the new union (Page, 2003). After 1910, the South African government was seen to mostly be in the hands of several advocates who were advocating for a general policy of conciliation in South Africa. In 19 48 the â€Å"Purified† Nationalists party finally managed to come into power in South Africa and managed to hold on to power for over 40 years, until 1994. It was during this period that the party oversaw the creation and general implementation of the South African apartheid policy (Page, 2003). The Apartheid System in South Africa To a large extent, the South African National Party was seen to largely seen to build on a general principle of racial segregation that had been largely existent even before the establishment of the Union of South Africa. Various legislation governing urban and land in the country that had been established during 1923 and 1913 had for the most part set the necessary frame work that was needed for the successful formation of a segregationist society. In 1943 and 1946, the government formed legislation that helped it segregate Natal Indians with 1926 seen the extension of the job color bar (Riccucci, 1995). All the Individuals who came into power in South Africa in the year 1948 were all seen to believe that they had an actual formula that would aid them in ensuring the successful future of white minority rule in South Africa. Some of the measures implemented during this period in South Africa included the removal of blacks from the common voters’ roll, the continual tightening of the job color bar, the provision of an extremely inferior and separate education system for black in the country. To further advance these segregationist policies, all persons in the country were forced to live in specific racially defined â€Å"group areas† while various black African territories that were referred to as â€Å"Bantustans† were also created. These Bantustans were designed to allow black Africans to exercise their political rights strictly within the confines of these areas. The apartheid’s government Population Registration Act was seen to arbitrarily classify all South African’s based on their race, while the 1953 Reservation of separate Amenities Act was also seen to considerably tighten â€Å"petty apartheid† so as to try and eliminate any possible contact between different races (Stasiulis and Yuval-Davis, 1995). Malan’s Successor, H. F. Verwoerd believed that these Bantustan areas could be lead to some form of independence and in time, four of these Bantustan a

Hiroshima, a Tragedy That Could Have Been Averted Essay Example for Free

Hiroshima, a Tragedy That Could Have Been Averted Essay The nuclear bombings of Japan are a very controversial topic, and is highly discussed and researched by scholars and the general public. The nuclear bombings are not just a small part in military history, but a lesson in reality and the destruction possible of man to achieve their goals; these bombings have raised a whole host of ethical issues and concerns, which must be taken into consideration. There are many reasons why the actions taken by the United States and specifically President Truman to drop the A-Bomb on Hiroshima were absolutely unnecessary. On the other hand there is an abundant amount of weak justification as to why it was so imperative for the U. S. to distinguish the lives of sixty-six thousand civilians in the blink of an eye, and cause catastrophic destruction and disparity that would have a lasting effect for decades to come. The atomic bomb should have never been dropped on Japan because the atomic bomb is not a strategic weapon. It could be compared to Pheasant hunting using a Sherman Tank. According to writer Mary Bellis, â€Å"the bomb was dropped from the Enola Gay. It missed by only 800 feet. At 0816 hours, in an instant, 66,000 people were killed and 69,000 injured by a 10-kiloton atomic explosion† (Bellis). We can begin by looking at the reasons that ultimately led to the decision to bomb Hiroshima, and the heart of it, with President Truman. On Dec 7, 1941 the Japanese conducted an unprovoked air assault on the U. S. naval base in Pearl Harbor; by doing this the Japanese caused the U. S. to be brought into WWI. Bill Gordon, in his Essay reminds us that, as a result, for four long years, severe loathing of the Japanese people grew immensely in the U.  S. , and many U. S citizens and members of the government viewed the Japanese as a very barbaric race of people, which gave the impression that the bombing would be justified. (Gordon). The fear of them in the U. S. was so present that they were rounded up and confined in containment camps including naturalized Japanese Americans. To add to their unpopularity was their mistreatment of U. S. prisoners of war which to say the least was horrifying, and their attempts to cover them up were proof that they knew they were committing war crimes. But ask yourself, does this justify killing civilians? Although these acts by the Japanese are extremely savage; they were committed on military personnel in the context of war, not on unsuspecting civilians in the course of their everyday activities. Truman’s reason for the bombing was that he believed that the alternative to this was to wage war on the Japanese mainland, but this would mean the death of many U. S. troops and could end in failure. He claimed this was his way to end the war and spare the loss of U. S. military personnel. In doing so, he did achieve just that, but is this not the classic example of a Pyrrhic victory? Doug Longs article states how there were concrete proof that Japan was ready to surrender and Truman had knowledge of this, weeks before his decision. It was understood by both, the Allies and Japan, that surrender was the only way out for the Japanese. Japan was ready to surrender by mid July 1945, and had sought diplomatic help through the still-neutral Russians. In July1945, the U. S. ad intercepted and successfully decoded messages sent between Foreign Minister Togo and Japan’s Ambassador to Moscow, Sato. These messages clearly stated Japans, and specifically the Emperors great desire to end the war. As I stated earlier Truman was well aware of these transmissions, but insisted the bomb was necessary to terminate the war and save the lives of thousands of U. S. soldiers (Long). When in theory it was not. The US government refused to state in the Potsdam Declaration that upon the surrender of Japan the position of the emperor in Japan would remain. This statement along with the Soviet declaration of war on Japan should bring one to believe that this would have been enough to convince Japan to surrender. It is very conceivable that the US Government didn’t include the statement that the position of the emperor of Japan would be allowed to remain if Japan surrendered because the US government didn’t want to appear soft on Japan. If this was all that was needed, would it not have been worth exploring? Again, mass murder to save face in the eyes of the enemy is not a justifiable argument. Long states in his paper â€Å"Hiroshima Was it Necessary? † President Truman had advisors who influenced him to remove the statement against the advice of other advisors who had more knowledge of Japan and their culture, which held a great love and loyalty for their Emperor Hirohito. Was it the ignorance of certain U. S. officials about Japanese culture that led to this invaluable detail being left out of the Declaration? , or was it omitted purposely? , knowing the outcome, thereby creating an excuse to bomb them. , Drobny in his article quotes Herbert Hoover as stating to Truman, I am onvinced that if you, as President, will make a shortwave broadcast to the people of Japan tell them they can have their Emperor if they surrender, that it will not mean unconditional surrender except for the militarists youll get a peace in Japan youll have both wars over (Drobny). This was a full two months before the bomb was dropped, plenty of time to make a simple Broadcast, yet it wa s ignored. . The U. S. decision to drop leaflets from planes in the days before the attack warning the people of their impending doom is also very suspect. Why if the intended bombing of a heavily populated civilian area was planned why would anyone give such a warning? If the intentions were not to kill civilians, then was it even necessary to target these areas? Would detonation of the bomb on an unpopulated Island or at sea off the coast of Japan been enough to show the immense destructive power and in essence have the same effect without all the death? This creates speculation that the bomb was used to impress upon the USSR the capabilities of the U. S. military, this again could have been achieved at a different site without death involved. Another was Hiroshima and Nagasaki being 2 cities that were surprisingly not affected by the war as far as destruction would be a great place to study the effects of the bomb, if any of these were the underlying effects of the decision, there is no concrete proof, but it is quite proven that these were two effects that did take place intentional or not. The thought of using the deaths of civilians, to prove a point to the USSR or to Experiment on civilians is appalling. Jeff Kingston, A history teacher at Temple University in Japan, confirms that During the Yalta conference Stalin had promised the U.  S. to invade Japan â€Å"three months† after the defeat of Germany, and the agreement between the U. S. and the USSR was signed to that effect (Kingston). The Red Army declared the war against Japan exactly three months later; it entered Manchuria on August 8. The same day the Red Army invaded Korea from the north, while the US troops were invading it from the south. The USSR Red Army captured the entire Kwantung Army of the Japanese and began preparing itself for the amphibious landing to the islands of Japan. Indeed, Stalin was fulfilling his obligations to their U. S. ally. Long explains how Truman did not want the Red Army to land on the islands of Japan, even though this move could have saved many lives of the American soldiers ( long). Truman could not afford the thought of victorious Stalin exporting socialism to their Pacific neighbor. That fear probably was one of many motives behind the Truman’s decision to drop nuclear bombs on Japan. Should he not have considered this before making a deal with Stalin? Had he just ignored the fact that this would leave Japan vulnerable for the USSR to occupy? If so, those were not the acts of a responsible leader. An argument could be made that Stalin was hoping to advance the causes of socialism into Asia but there is no proof, only assumptions, now, and then, that he considered the territorial occupation of Asia to achieve that goal. In making Stalin an ally, Truman created a situation that he would not be able to control without the show of massive military force, essentially making the use of the bomb quite probable. There is undeniable proof that Japan wanted to give up, as President Truman had in his possession, and he should have explored every option to negotiate with Japan to surrender, and did not. In my opinion, the United States took a few steps back on the evolution ladder when they decided to kill innocent people. It is widely known the US State Department and President Truman wanted payback for the astonishing attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, but lowering the U. S. to their level was not the answer. While the Japanese may have been seeking peace deals through the USSR diplomats, it was ultimately pointless. The sheer size, scope and savagery of World War II seemed to leave only room for total victory. It is doubtful the Russians would have accepted a peace treaty instead of surrender regarding Germany any more than the United States would have accepted peace instead of surrender after Pearl Harbor and years of bitter fighting. World War II was in all aspects, a war aimed at nothing less than total victory. This country was not built on the concept of an eye for an eye so this is a weak argument not to accept or at least explore every option to achieve the most humane end to the war. It is widely believed in the U. S. that these decisions were decided to seize the opportunity of any chance at a quick victory. The population was tired of war, huge sacrifices were born by the allies, and a hope to defeat Japan without direct military invasion was believed to be a huge gamble. The main justification for using the Atomic bomb however it worked was that Japan surrendered. While the end did not justify the means, the goal was reached. In the months preceding the bombing, the Japanese were becoming weaker and weaker. They were surrounded by the Navy; many areas were destroyed by air raids, and they couldnt receive any imports and also could not export anything. Naturally, as time went on and the war developed in our favor and it was quite logical to that with the proper kind of a warning the Japanese would then be in a position to make peace, which would have made it unnecessary for us to drop the bomb, or to have had to bring Russia in to the war. Many it seemed wanted to issue a warning for various reasons moral and tactical. The tactical argument was the Allied Forces had already won, the Japanese would have surrendered, and the US would not have exposed its nuclear capabilities to the Soviets thus delaying the arms race. Many military minds were convinced the Japanese were already blockaded and knew they were dependent on the rail transportation and inter coastal shipping. Conventional bombing, submarines and mines would have eliminated any movement of supplies throughout the country. Even with these strangle holds in place, it is still very conceivable that Japan would still not have surrendered if it meant losing their Emperor, but we will never have the answer to this question, because it was not allowed to play out to see the outcome. As with any decisions made in the past, hindsight is 20/20, but these were very different times, and the threat of Communism was so great, even a U. S. president would make a decision this reckless to stop it from spreading. We will never know the outcomes of the many alternatives that were proposed after the fact, but we do know there were alternatives that could have been perused before these cities and their inhabitants were bombed. One would like to believe that it was not all in vain, and the world learned a valuable lesson from this destruction, as we have not had an event like this in the world since. This is only a summary of the events that took place, in an attempt at trying to understand why Truman did what he did, and if it was necessary. You will have to come to your own decision on the moral and ethical issues involved, but hopefully this sheds some light on the subject so your decision can be made in an informed manner.

Water Its Need And Importance Essay Example for Free

Water Its Need And Importance Essay Water is the most abundant substance in the human body ranging from 40 to 80 percent of the body weight. Body water is distributed in two major compartments: the intracellular and the extracellular fluid compartments . Water being a solvent dissolves all substances and acts as a carrier to transport nutrient and other crucial chemicals which are needed for effective functioning of organs. For instance water helps in digestion, by dissolving the nutrient substances and making them pass through gastrointestinal tracks ultimately into the blood stream. It assists in transportation of food through the intestines as well as removing waste products from the body. On a cellular level it acts a medium for transmission of electrical signals between cells. It enables biochemical processes, acts as a lubricant and also regulates the body temperature according to the environmental conditions. FLUID BALANCE: Under normal condition fluid intake equals fluid output and the body maintains constant volume. When the intake exceeds the output, a positive balance or hydration exceeds on the other hand when output exceeds intake a negative balance or dehydration is caused. The major water loss processes are perspiration and urination. The water balance is regulated by osmoreceptors located in the hypothalamus. These receptors sense the molality of the blood and decide whether more or less water is required to correct the osmolality. Thirst is stimulated and we drink water if the blood is too concentrated. Anti-diurectic hormone or ADH is released from the pituitary glands which causes conservation of body fluid by acting on the kidneys leading to decreased urine output. If blood is too dilute then thirst is suppressed and DH is inhibited causing volumes of urine to be excreted. When a person eliminates water through lungs and skin without being aware of it then its called insensible loss. Loss of water in extracellular compartment causes the fluid to become concentrated leading to hypertonicity and a gain in water leads to hypotonicity. In addition to regulating total volume, the osmolarity (the concentration of solute particles per unit volume) of bodily fluids is also tightly regulated. Extreme variation in osmolarity causes cells to shrink or swell, damaging or destroying cellular structure and disrupting normal cellular function. The human body maintains a proper fluid balance through the action of mineral compounds namely from sodium and potassium which are called electrolytes. Electrolytes are chemicals formed by ionic bonding that dissociate into electrically charged ions when they dissolve in the body fluids. Examples are acids, bases and salts. Their primary function is to control osmolarity, maintenance of acid-base balance, metabolism of essential minerals and participation in cellular activities. The sodium pump is a mechanism which ensures that a cell does not retain too much sodium (which attracts water via osmosis across the semi-permeable membrane of the cell wall) and thus stops too much water from entering the cell. As mentioned before ADH plays the key role in lowering osmolarity (reducing sodium concentration) by increasing water reabsorption in the kidneys, enabling to dilute bodily fluids. To prevent osmolarity from decreasing below normal, the kidneys also have a regulated mechanism for reabsorbing sodium in the distal nephron which is controlled by aldosterone, a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS: Several environmental factors control the loss of body fluids. Higher ambient temperatures result in a greater potential for sweat production. Higher humidity is also responsible for higher sweat production, but effectiveness of sweating to cool the body is reduced due to decreased rate of evaporation of perspiration from the skin. The same problem also exists with clothing that traps sweat against the skin which results in a reduced cooling efficiency that forces a greater sweat rate. CONCLUSION: A regular fluid intake from our daily diet is crucial to maintain good health. This is because the human body does not store water in the way as it stores calories so we need a constant supply every day. About 15 percent of our water needs comes from food metabolism, as our body converts part of our food into hydrogen and then mixes this with oxygen from our lungs to form water. The remaining 85 percent comes directly from water in our diet, either from water-rich foods or from water we drink. For women, the US Food and Nutrition Board recommend a total daily water intake of about 2. 7 liters (about 8 glasses) from all beverages and foods. For men they advise a total daily water intake of about 3. 7 liters (about 12 glasses). REFERENCES: ? http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/211236/fluid-balance ? http://www. annecollins. com/water-intake-fluid-balance. htm ? http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Body_water ? Schaums Outline of Human Anatomy and physiology

Business Ethics Wages And Working Conditions Commerce Essay

Business Ethics Wages And Working Conditions Commerce Essay International business ethics is a particularly complex issue as ethical standards are different depending on where you are. Corporate governance, bribery, corruption, working conditions and targeted marketing are all issues that require organisations to establish an ethical standpoint from which they can work on. There is an increasing emphasis on the corporate responsibility of large organisations from developed nations and the way they operate in third world countries. Many nations now impose their ethical standards on developing countries even though they themselves have been guilty of arguably unethical practices in the past. For example, the poor working conditions suffered in the third world were commonplace during the industrialisation of many western economies. Some of the most common international ethical issues surround the environment, child labour, working standards and conditions, targeting marketing to vulnerable individuals and corruption. Unethical practices include not paying workers a fair wage, employing children under the legal working age and unsafe or unsanitary working conditions. Any practices that are not in compliance with fair labor standards and federal working guidelines fall into this category. 2.2Some of the Types of Unethical Practises Relating To Wages and Working Conditions 2.2.1Child labor   Even today, millions of children in developing countries such as India, Indonesia, and Pakistan are doing hard labor for miniscule payment. Nike and Reebok, as well as other major businesses, have been accused of buying goods from subcontractors which we are produced by child labor. Alongside of this, there have been strong allegations that China is using the free of price labors of prisoners to produce exportable materials. It seems that businesses are sacrificing human rights in order to cut costs. 2.2.2Exploitation of workers (by paying them low wages) Paying extremely low amounts an hour is not far from  slave labor, even if workers are happy with their pay. People should be paid a fair wage based on the benefit you gain from them, not what the fair wage is based on the standards in their economy. If people work for you at pennies on the dollar, and you reap massive profits because of that in other words, they do the work and you keep the money its simply  not fair. Why should one group do most of the work for enough money to survive, while another group becomes stinking rich? Reason behind International Businesses Acting Ethically or Unethically Advantages and disadvantages for a business to act ethically The advantages of ethical behaviour include: Higher revenues demand from positive consumer support Improved brand and business awareness and recognition Better employee motivation and recruitment New sources of finance e.g. from ethical investors The disadvantages claimed for ethical business include: Higher costs e.g. sourcing from Fair-trade suppliers rather than lowest price Higher overheads e.g. training communication of ethical policy A danger of building up false expectations 2.4Recommendations for Businesses to Act Ethically There are ways to curb unethical practices these include having pressure groups, aiming to motivate people to choose morality over greed. 2.4.1 Pressure Groups Businesses and industries increasingly find themselves facing  external pressure  to improve their ethical track record.   An interesting feature of the rise of consumer activism online has been increased scrutiny of business activities. Pressure groups are a good example of this. Pressure groups are external stakeholders they Tend to focus on activities ethical practice of multinationals or industries with ethical issues Combine direct and indirect action can damage the target business or industry Some examples of business-related pressure groups can be found from the following links: Direct consumer action  is another way in which business ethics can be challenged. Consumers may take action against: Businesses they consider to be unethical in some ways (e.g. animal furs) Business acting irresponsibly Businesses that use business practices they find unacceptable Consumer action can also be positive supporting businesses with a strong ethical stance record.   A good example of  this is Fair trade. 2.4.2 Choosing Morality versus Greed Even though $300 USD a month may not seem like much to someone living in a developed country, in Thailand, or Romania, the Philippines, or India, its above the average monthly wage. Sometimes as much as three times the average wage in that country, meaning this person is actually very well off when  compared to others in their country. That money affords the worker a quality lifestyle in their homeland. It may even provide enough money for them to support their family, which no one is going to argue, is a bad thing. Throw in a few bonuses, some extra incentives for good work, and you have a situation where you feel like you are empowering someone and saving them from a situation where they might otherwise be earning half that money doing something like washing dishes. Solution to many international ethic practices lies in the development of international agreements and code of ethics. 2.4.3 Standardized and Strict Laws against Unethical Behavior. Basic laws should be made to protect human rights. Although laws, traditions and beliefs may differ in different countries a basic set of laws should be followed in order to safeguard human rights. 3. Introdution to Apple Organization of Apple was established in 1976 as a computer company. However, in the last decade, Apple has expanded into a complex company that specializes in much more than just computers. In 2001, Apple broke the barrier with the iPod, eventually becoming the dominant market leader in music players. In following, Apple joined the phone industry in 2007 with the iPhone, which has also been widely successful. Apple is known as a consumer goods company; therefore evaluating its value requires understanding its products and consumers. This would be very challenging where Apple competes with many different companies throughout the different industries it takes part in. 4. Unethical Practices by Apple. Apple outsources the production of its goods to countries where labour is cheap. One of apples biggest plants is Foxconn which is located in Schengen, China. Thats why the prices of iPhones and iPads in America and Europe are so cheap. Despite the products being cheap Apple makes super-high profits. This is only possible because iPhones and iPads are made with labor practices that would be illegal in the United States. And its also disconcerting to realize that the folks who make our iPhones and iPads not only dont have iPhones and iPads (because they cant afford them), but, in some cases, have never even seen them. 4.1 Illegal and Poor working conditions Foxconn is a plant in Shenzhen China where apple products are made. Foxconn doesnt really check ages. There are on-site inspections, from time to time, but Foxconn always knows when theyre happening. And before the inspectors arrive, Foxconn just replaces the young-looking workers with older ones. Most of the factory floors are vast rooms filled with 20,000-30,000 workers apiece. The rooms are quiet: Theres no machinery, and theres no talking allowed. When labour costs so little, theres no reason to build anything other than by hand. The official work day in China is 8 hours long, but the standard shift is 12 hours. Generally, these shifts extend to 14-16 hours, especially when theres a hot new gadget to build. The workers stay in dormitories. In a 12-by-12 cement cube of a room, Daisey counts 15 beds, stacked like drawers up to the ceiling. Normal-sized Americans would not fit in them. Unions are illegal in China. Anyone found trying to unionize is sent to prison. One group talked about using hexane, an  iPhone  screen cleaner. Hexane evaporates faster than other screen cleaners, which allows the production line to go faster. Hexane is also a neuro-toxin. The hands of the workers who tell him about it shake uncontrollably. Some workers can no longer work because their hands have been destroyed by doing the same thing hundreds of thousands of times over many years (mega-carpal-tunnel). This could have been avoided if the workers had merely shifted jobs. Once the workers hands no longer work, obviously, theyre canned. One man got his hand crushed in a metal press at Foxconn. Foxconn did not give him medical attention. When the mans hand healed, it no longer worked. So they fired him.   4.2Reasons why Apple has plants in Shenzhen China According to some of the Apple executives, Shenzhens factories, as hellish as they are, have been a boon to the people of China. They say the grimness of the factories, is actually better than the grimness of the rice paddies. So, looked at that way, Apple is helping funnel money from rich American and European consumers to poor workers in China. Without Foxconn and other assembly plants, Chinese workers might still be working in rice paddies, making $50 a month instead of $250 a month   With this money, theyre doing considerably better than they once were. Especially, women had few other alternatives. If Apple decided to build iPhones and iPads for Americans using American labor rules, two things would likely happen: The prices of iPhones and iPads would go up Apples profit margins would go down Almost all of the major electronics manufacturers make their stuff in China and other countries that have labour practices that would be illegal here. One difference with Apple, though, is the magnitude of the companys profit margin and profits. Apple could afford to pay its manufacturers more or hold them to higher standards and still be extremely competitive and profitable. Therefore Apple can afford to pay their workers more or even improve the working conditions. 5. Recommendations for further improvements. Apple should started unprecedented probes into its factories all around the world; these probes will put pressure on the plants that make iPhones and iPads. Apple should increase the amount it pays its employees and therefore give them a larger share of profits. They should reduce the working hours of the employees and pay overtime. They should try to follow the labour laws of their country of origin (USA) and not the lax laws of China where workers are allowed to be overworked. They could increase loans offered to these workers at lower rates, improve the working conditions of these workers by investing in their factories rather than investing so much money in marketing and advertising. They could pressure its branch, converse to improve the working conditions in their factories. 6. Conclusion A small sacrifice in terms of profits from a big company like Apple can go a long way for poor workers in underdeveloped countries. But companies like Apple face the dilemma of voluntarily dropping their profits in order to help these workers or exploiting these workers for large profits. The motivation for a company like Apple to help these workers comes from the fear of bad publicity and the reward of goodwill for being an ethical company. It is therefore important to keep close checks on unethical companies and boycott goods from companies that are unethical towards their workers. The hard truth is that several companies need to be motivated or threatened so that they do not indulge in unethical practices, therefore the responsibility of pressuring these companies falls on the consumer. By buying products from these unethical companies we are indirectly supporting them in their activities.

Critical analysis on Huckleberry Finn :: essays research papers

[A]nd as we struck into town and up through the middle of it--it was as much as half-after eight, then--here comes a raging rush of people, with torches, and an awful whooping and yelling, and banging tin pans and blowing horns; and we jumped to one side to let them go by; and as they went by, I see they had the king and the dike astraddle of a rail--that is I knowed it was the king and the duke, thought was all over tar and Feathers, and didn’t look like nothing in the world that was human--just looking like a couple of monstrous big soldier-plumes. Well, it made me sick to see it; and I was sorry for them poor pitiful rascals, it seemed like I couldn’t never feel any hardness against them any more in the world. It was a dreadful thing to see. Human beings can be awful cruel to one another. In the above passage from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, Tom and Huck walk through the middle of a town and see two con artists (the king and duke) who they had encountered earlier in their adventures. The king and duke have been captured and are being carried "astraddle of a rail" (369), which websters.com defines as being â€Å"on or above and extending onto both sides,† covered with tar and feathers through the town. The above passage displays why Huck disagrees with the public mistreatment and humiliation of others. According to the online encyclopedic website, www.wikipedia.org, tarring and feathering was a typical punishment used to enforce justice, with roots dating back to as early as 1191 with Richard I of England. The goal of tarring and feathering was to hurt and humiliate a person enough so that they would leave town and not cause any more mischief. Hot tar was poured onto a criminal while he was immobilized, then feathers were either thrown onto the criminal from buckets or the criminal was thrown into a pile of feathers and rolled around. The criminal was then taken to the edge of town and released in the hopes of him never returning. The feathers would stick to the tar for days making the person's sentence clear to the public. Tarring and feathering was eventually abandoned because it did nothing to rehabilitate the criminal. Huck tells his readers that after the king and duke are tarred and feathered that they look ".

Angels Demons Chapter 16-19

16 Hundreds of miles from CERN, a voice crackled through a walkie-talkie. â€Å"Okay, I'm in the hallway.† The technician monitoring the video screens pressed the button on his transmitter. â€Å"You're looking for camera #86. It's supposed to be at the far end.† There was a long silence on the radio. The waiting technician broke a light sweat. Finally his radio clicked. â€Å"The camera isn't here,† the voice said. â€Å"I can see where it was mounted, though. Somebody must have removed it.† The technician exhaled heavily. â€Å"Thanks. Hold on a second, will you?† Sighing, he redirected his attention to the bank of video screens in front of him. Huge portions of the complex were open to the public, and wireless cameras had gone missing before, usually stolen by visiting pranksters looking for souvenirs. But as soon as a camera left the facility and was out of range, the signal was lost, and the screen went blank. Perplexed, the technician gazed up at the monitor. A crystal clear image was still coming from camera #86. If the camera was stolen, he wondered, why are we still getting a signal? He knew, of course, there was only one explanation. The camera was still inside the complex, and someone had simply moved it. But who? And why? He studied the monitor a long moment. Finally he picked up his walkie-talkie. â€Å"Are there any closets in that stairwell? Any cupboards or dark alcoves?† The voice replying sounded confused. â€Å"No. Why?† The technician frowned. â€Å"Never mind. Thanks for your help.† He turned off his walkie-talkie and pursed his lips. Considering the small size of the video camera and the fact that it was wireless, the technician knew that camera #86 could be transmitting from just about anywhere within the heavily guarded compound – a densely packed collection of thirty-two separate buildings covering a half-mile radius. The only clue was that the camera seemed to have been placed somewhere dark. Of course, that wasn't much help. The complex contained endless dark locations – maintenance closets, heating ducts, gardening sheds, bedroom wardrobes, even a labyrinth of underground tunnels. Camera #86 could take weeks to locate. But that's the least of my problems, he thought. Despite the dilemma posed by the camera's relocation, there was another far more unsettling matter at hand. The technician gazed up at the image the lost camera was transmitting. It was a stationary object. A modern-looking device like nothing the technician had ever seen. He studied the blinking electronic display at its base. Although the guard had undergone rigorous training preparing him for tense situations, he still sensed his pulse rising. He told himself not to panic. There had to be an explanation. The object appeared too small to be of significant danger. Then again, its presence inside the complex was troubling. Very troubling, indeed. Today of all days, he thought. Security was always a top priority for his employer, but today, more than any other day in the past twelve years, security was of the utmost importance. The technician stared at the object for a long time and sensed the rumblings of a distant gathering storm. Then, sweating, he dialed his superior. 17 Not many children could say they remembered the day they met their father, but Vittoria Vetra could. She was eight years old, living where she always had, Orfanotrofio di Siena, a Catholic orphanage near Florence, deserted by parents she never knew. It was raining that day. The nuns had called for her twice to come to dinner, but as always she pretended not to hear. She lay outside in the courtyard, staring up at the raindrops†¦ feeling them hit her body†¦ trying to guess where one would land next. The nuns called again, threatening that pneumonia might make an insufferably headstrong child a lot less curious about nature. I can't hear you, Vittoria thought. She was soaked to the bone when the young priest came out to get her. She didn't know him. He was new there. Vittoria waited for him to grab her and drag her back inside. But he didn't. Instead, to her wonder, he lay down beside her, soaking his robes in a puddle. â€Å"They say you ask a lot of questions,† the young man said. Vittoria scowled. â€Å"Are questions bad?† He laughed. â€Å"Guess they were right.† â€Å"What are you doing out here?† â€Å"Same thing you're doing†¦ wondering why raindrops fall.† â€Å"I'm not wondering why they fall! I already know!† The priest gave her an astonished look. â€Å"You do?† â€Å"Sister Francisca says raindrops are angels' tears coming down to wash away our sins.† â€Å"Wow!† he said, sounding amazed. â€Å"So that explains it.† â€Å"No it doesn't!† the girl fired back. â€Å"Raindrops fall because everything falls! Everything falls! Not just rain!† The priest scratched his head, looking perplexed. â€Å"You know, young lady, you're right. Everything does fall. It must be gravity.† â€Å"It must be what?† He gave her an astonished look. â€Å"You haven't heard of gravity?† â€Å"No.† The priest shrugged sadly. â€Å"Too bad. Gravity answers a lot of questions.† Vittoria sat up. â€Å"What's gravity?† she demanded. â€Å"Tell me!† The priest gave her a wink. â€Å"What do you say I tell you over dinner.† The young priest was Leonardo Vetra. Although he had been an award-winning physics student while in university, he'd heard another call and gone into the seminary. Leonardo and Vittoria became unlikely best friends in the lonely world of nuns and regulations. Vittoria made Leonardo laugh, and he took her under his wing, teaching her that beautiful things like rainbows and the rivers had many explanations. He told her about light, planets, stars, and all of nature through the eyes of both God and science. Vittoria's innate intellect and curiosity made her a captivating student. Leonardo protected her like a daughter. Vittoria was happy too. She had never known the joy of having a father. When every other adult answered her questions with a slap on the wrist, Leonardo spent hours showing her books. He even asked what her ideas were. Vittoria prayed Leonardo would stay with her forever. Then one day, her worst nightmare came true. Father Leonardo told her he was leaving the orphanage. â€Å"I'm moving to Switzerland,† Leonardo said. â€Å"I have a grant to study physics at the University of Geneva.† â€Å"Physics?† Vittoria cried. â€Å"I thought you loved God!† â€Å"I do, very much. Which is why I want to study his divine rules. The laws of physics are the canvas God laid down on which to paint his masterpiece.† Vittoria was devastated. But Father Leonardo had some other news. He told Vittoria he had spoken to his superiors, and they said it was okay if Father Leonardo adopted her. â€Å"Would you like me to adopt you?† Leonardo asked. â€Å"What's adopt mean?† Vittoria said. Father Leonardo told her. Vittoria hugged him for five minutes, crying tears of joy. â€Å"Oh yes! Yes!† Leonardo told her he had to leave for a while and get their new home settled in Switzerland, but he promised to send for her in six months. It was the longest wait of Vittoria's life, but Leonardo kept his word. Five days before her ninth birthday, Vittoria moved to Geneva. She attended Geneva International School during the day and learned from her father at night. Three years later Leonardo Vetra was hired by CERN. Vittoria and Leonardo relocated to a wonderland the likes of which the young Vittoria had never imagined. Vittoria Vetra's body felt numb as she strode down the LHC tunnel. She saw her muted reflection in the LHC and sensed her father's absence. Normally she existed in a state of deep calm, in harmony with the world around her. But now, very suddenly, nothing made sense. The last three hours had been a blur. It had been 10 A.M. in the Balearic Islands when Kohler's call came through. Your father has been murdered. Come home immediately. Despite the sweltering heat on the deck of the dive boat, the words had chilled her to the bone, Kohler's emotionless tone hurting as much as the news. Now she had returned home. But home to what? CERN, her world since she was twelve, seemed suddenly foreign. Her father, the man who had made it magical, was gone. Deep breaths, she told herself, but she couldn't calm her mind. The questions circled faster and faster. Who killed her father? And why? Who was this American â€Å"specialist†? Why was Kohler insisting on seeing the lab? Kohler had said there was evidence that her father's murder was related to the current project. What evidence? Nobody knew what we were working on! And even if someone found out, why would they kill him? As she moved down the LHC tunnel toward her father's lab, Vittoria realized she was about to unveil her father's greatest achievement without him there. She had pictured this moment much differently. She had imagined her father calling CERN's top scientists to his lab, showing them his discovery, watching their awestruck faces. Then he would beam with fatherly pride as he explained to them how it had been one of Vittoria's ideas that had helped him make the project a reality†¦ that his daughter had been integral in his breakthrough. Vittoria felt a lump in her throat. My father and I were supposed to share this moment together. But here she was alone. No colleagues. No happy faces. Just an American stranger and Maximilian Kohler. Maximilian Kohler. Der Konig. Even as a child, Vittoria had disliked the man. Although she eventually came to respect his potent intellect, his icy demeanor always seemed inhuman, the exact antithesis of her father's warmth. Kohler pursued science for its immaculate logic†¦ her father for its spiritual wonder. And yet oddly there had always seemed to be an unspoken respect between the two men. Genius, someone had once explained to her, accepts genius unconditionally. Genius, she thought. My father†¦ Dad. Dead. The entry to Leonardo Vetra's lab was a long sterile hallway paved entirely in white tile. Langdon felt like he was entering some kind of underground insane asylum. Lining the corridor were dozens of framed, black-and-white images. Although Langdon had made a career of studying images, these were entirely alien to him. They looked like chaotic negatives of random streaks and spirals. Modern art? he mused. Jackson Pollock on amphetamines? â€Å"Scatter plots,† Vittoria said, apparently noting Langdon's interest. â€Å"Computer representations of particle collisions. That's the Z-particle,† she said, pointing to a faint track that was almost invisible in the confusion. â€Å"My father discovered it five years ago. Pure energy – no mass at all. It may well be the smallest building block in nature. Matter is nothing but trapped energy.† Matter is energy? Langdon cocked his head. Sounds pretty Zen. He gazed at the tiny streak in the photograph and wondered what his buddies in the Harvard physics department would say when he told them he'd spent the weekend hanging out in a Large Hadron Collider admiring Z-particles. â€Å"Vittoria,† Kohler said, as they approached the lab's imposing steel door, â€Å"I should mention that I came down here this morning looking for your father.† Vittoria flushed slightly. â€Å"You did?† â€Å"Yes. And imagine my surprise when I discovered he had replaced CERN's standard keypad security with something else.† Kohler motioned to an intricate electronic device mounted beside the door. â€Å"I apologize,† she said. â€Å"You know how he was about privacy. He didn't want anyone but the two of us to have access.† Kohler said, â€Å"Fine. Open the door.† Vittoria stood a long moment. Then, pulling a deep breath, she walked to the mechanism on the wall. Langdon was in no way prepared for what happened next. Vittoria stepped up to the device and carefully aligned her right eye with a protruding lens that looked like a telescope. Then she pressed a button. Inside the machine, something clicked. A shaft of light oscillated back and forth, scanning her eyeball like a copy machine. â€Å"It's a retina scan,† she said. â€Å"Infallible security. Authorized for two retina patterns only. Mine and my father's.† Robert Langdon stood in horrified revelation. The image of Leonardo Vetra came back in grisly detail – the bloody face, the solitary hazel eye staring back, and the empty eye socket. He tried to reject the obvious truth, but then he saw it†¦ beneath the scanner on the white tile floor†¦ faint droplets of crimson. Dried blood. Vittoria, thankfully, did not notice. The steel door slid open and she walked through. Kohler fixed Langdon with an adamant stare. His message was clear: As I told you†¦ the missing eye serves a higher purpose. 18 The woman's hands were tied, her wrists now purple and swollen from chafing. The mahogany-skinned Hassassin lay beside her, spent, admiring his naked prize. He wondered if her current slumber was just a deception, a pathetic attempt to avoid further service to him. He did not care. He had reaped sufficient reward. Sated, he sat up in bed. In his country women were possessions. Weak. Tools of pleasure. Chattel to be traded like livestock. And they understood their place. But here, in Europe, women feigned a strength and independence that both amused and excited him. Forcing them into physical submission was a gratification he always enjoyed. Now, despite the contentment in his loins, the Hassassin sensed another appetite growing within him. He had killed last night, killed and mutilated, and for him killing was like heroin†¦ each encounter satisfying only temporarily before increasing his longing for more. The exhilaration had worn off. The craving had returned. He studied the sleeping woman beside him. Running his palm across her neck, he felt aroused with the knowledge that he could end her life in an instant. What would it matter? She was subhuman, a vehicle only of pleasure and service. His strong fingers encircled her throat, savoring her delicate pulse. Then, fighting desire, he removed his hand. There was work to do. Service to a higher cause than his own desire. As he got out of bed, he reveled in the honor of the job before him. He still could not fathom the influence of this man named Janus and the ancient brotherhood he commanded. Wondrously, the brotherhood had chosen him. Somehow they had learned of his loathing†¦ and of his skills. How, he would never know. Their roots reach wide. Now they had bestowed on him the ultimate honor. He would be their hands and their voice. Their assassin and their messenger. The one his people knew as Malak al-haq – the Angel of Truth. 19 Vetra's lab was wildly futuristic. Stark white and bounded on all sides by computers and specialized electronic equipment, it looked like some sort of operating room. Langdon wondered what secrets this place could possibly hold to justify cutting out someone's eye to gain entrance. Kohler looked uneasy as they entered, his eyes seeming to dart about for signs of an intruder. But the lab was deserted. Vittoria moved slowly too†¦ as if the lab felt unknown without her father there. Langdon's gaze landed immediately in the center of the room, where a series of short pillars rose from the floor. Like a miniature Stonehenge, a dozen or so columns of polished steel stood in a circle in the middle of the room. The pillars were about three feet tall, reminding Langdon of museum displays for valuable gems. These pillars, however, were clearly not for precious stones. Each supported a thick, transparent canister about the size of a tennis ball can. They appeared empty. Kohler eyed the canisters, looking puzzled. He apparently decided to ignore them for the time being. He turned to Vittoria. â€Å"Has anything been stolen?† â€Å"Stolen? How?† she argued. â€Å"The retina scan only allows entry to us.† â€Å"Just look around.† Vittoria sighed and surveyed the room for a few moments. She shrugged. â€Å"Everything looks as my father always leaves it. Ordered chaos.† Langdon sensed Kohler weighing his options, as if wondering how far to push Vittoria†¦ how much to tell her. Apparently he decided to leave it for the moment. Moving his wheelchair toward the center of the room, he surveyed the mysterious cluster of seemingly empty canisters. â€Å"Secrets,† Kohler finally said, â€Å"are a luxury we can no longer afford.† Vittoria nodded in acquiescence, looking suddenly emotional, as if being here brought with it a torrent of memories. Give her a minute, Langdon thought. As though preparing for what she was about to reveal, Vittoria closed her eyes and breathed. Then she breathed again. And again. And again†¦ Langdon watched her, suddenly concerned. Is she okay? He glanced at Kohler, who appeared unfazed, apparently having seen this ritual before. Ten seconds passed before Vittoria opened her eyes. Langdon could not believe the metamorphosis. Vittoria Vetra had been transformed. Her full lips were lax, her shoulders down, and her eyes soft and assenting. It was as though she had realigned every muscle in her body to accept the situation. The resentful fire and personal anguish had been quelled somehow beneath a deeper, watery cool. â€Å"Where to begin†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she said, her accent unruffled. â€Å"At the beginning,† Kohler said. â€Å"Tell us about your father's experiment.† â€Å"Rectifying science with religion has been my father's life dream,† Vittoria said. â€Å"He hoped to prove that science and religion are two totally compatible fields – two different approaches to finding the same truth.† She paused as if unable to believe what she was about to say. â€Å"And recently†¦ he conceived of a way to do that.† Kohler said nothing. â€Å"He devised an experiment, one he hoped would settle one of the most bitter conflicts in the history of science and religion.† Langdon wondered which conflict she could mean. There were so many. â€Å"Creationism,† Vittoria declared. â€Å"The battle over how the universe came to be.† Oh, Langdon thought. The debate. â€Å"The Bible, of course, states that God created the universe,† she explained. â€Å"God said, ‘Let there be light,' and everything we see appeared out of a vast emptiness. Unfortunately, one of the fundamental laws of physics states that matter cannot be created out of nothing.† Langdon had read about this stalemate. The idea that God allegedly created â€Å"something from nothing† was totally contrary to accepted laws of modern physics and therefore, scientists claimed, Genesis was scientifically absurd. â€Å"Mr. Langdon,† Vittoria said, turning, â€Å"I assume you are familiar with the Big Bang Theory?† Langdon shrugged. â€Å"More or less.† The Big Bang, he knew, was the scientifically accepted model for the creation of the universe. He didn't really understand it, but according to the theory, a single point of intensely focused energy erupted in a cataclysmic explosion, expanding outward to form the universe. Or something like that. Vittoria continued. â€Å"When the Catholic Church first proposed the Big Bang Theory in 1927, the – â€Å" â€Å"I'm sorry?† Langdon interrupted, before he could stop himself. â€Å"You say the Big Bang was a Catholic idea?† Vittoria looked surprised by his question â€Å"Of course. Proposed by a Catholic monk, Georges Lematre in 1927.† â€Å"But, I thought†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he hesitated. â€Å"Wasn't the Big Bang proposed by Harvard astronomer Edwin Hubble?† Kohler glowered. â€Å"Again, American scientific arrogance. Hubble published in 1929, two years after Lematre.† Langdon scowled. It's called the Hubble Telescope, sir – I've never heard of any Lematre Telescope! â€Å"Mr. Kohler is right,† Vittoria said, â€Å"the idea belonged to Lematre. Hubble only confirmed it by gathering the hard evidence that proved the Big Bang was scientifically probable.† â€Å"Oh,† Langdon said, wondering if the Hubble-fanatics in the Harvard Astronomy Department ever mentioned Lematre in their lectures. â€Å"When Lematre first proposed the Big Bang Theory,† Vittoria continued, â€Å"scientists claimed it was utterly ridiculous. Matter, science said, could not be created out of nothing. So, when Hubble shocked the world by scientifically proving the Big Bang was accurate, the church claimed victory, heralding this as proof that the Bible was scientifically accurate. The divine truth.† Langdon nodded, focusing intently now. â€Å"Of course scientists did not appreciate having their discoveries used by the church to promote religion, so they immediately mathematicized the Big Bang Theory, removed all religious overtones, and claimed it as their own. Unfortunately for science, however, their equations, even today, have one serious deficiency that the church likes to point out.† Kohler grunted. â€Å"The singularity.† He spoke the word as if it were the bane of his existence. â€Å"Yes, the singularity,† Vittoria said. â€Å"The exact moment of creation. Time zero.† She looked at Langdon. â€Å"Even today, science cannot grasp the initial moment of creation. Our equations explain the early universe quite effectively, but as we move back in time, approaching time zero, suddenly our mathematics disintegrates, and everything becomes meaningless.† â€Å"Correct,† Kohler said, his voice edgy, â€Å"and the church holds up this deficiency as proof of God's miraculous involvement. Come to your point.† Vittoria's expression became distant. â€Å"My point is that my father had always believed in God's involvement in the Big Bang. Even though science was unable to comprehend the divine moment of creation, he believed someday it would.† She motioned sadly to a laser-printed memo tacked over her father's work area. â€Å"My dad used to wave that in my face every time I had doubts.† Langdon read the message: Science and religion are not at odds. Science is simply too young to understand. â€Å"My dad wanted to bring science to a higher level,† Vittoria said, â€Å"where science supported the concept of God.† She ran a hand through her long hair, looking melancholy. â€Å"He set out to do something no scientist had ever thought to do. Something that no one has ever had the technology to do.† She paused, as though uncertain how to speak the next words. â€Å"He designed an experiment to prove Genesis was possible.† Prove Genesis? Langdon wondered. Let there be light? Matter from nothing? Kohler's dead gaze bore across the room. â€Å"I beg your pardon?† â€Å"My father created a universe†¦ from nothing at all.† Kohler snapped his head around. â€Å"What!† â€Å"Better said, he recreated the Big Bang.† Kohler looked ready to jump to his feet. Langdon was officially lost. Creating a universe? Recreating the Big Bang? â€Å"It was done on a much smaller scale, of course,† Vittoria said, talking faster now. â€Å"The process was remarkably simple. He accelerated two ultrathin particle beams in opposite directions around the accelerator tube. The two beams collided head-on at enormous speeds, driving into one another and compressing all their energy into a single pinpoint. He achieved extreme energy densities.† She started rattling off a stream of units, and the director's eyes grew wider. Langdon tried to keep up. So Leonardo Vetra was simulating the compressed point of energy from which the universe supposedly sprang. â€Å"The result,† Vittoria said, â€Å"was nothing short of wondrous. When it is published, it will shake the very foundation of modern physics.† She spoke slowly now, as though savoring the immensity of her news. â€Å"Without warning, inside the accelerator tube, at this point of highly focused energy, particles of matter began appearing out of nowhere.† Kohler made no reaction. He simply stared. â€Å"Matter,† Vittoria repeated. â€Å"Blossoming out of nothing. An incredible display of subatomic fireworks. A miniature universe springing to life. He proved not only that matter can be created from nothing, but that the Big Bang and Genesis can be explained simply by accepting the presence of an enormous source of energy.† â€Å"You mean God?† Kohler demanded. â€Å"God, Buddha, The Force, Yahweh, the singularity, the unicity point – call it whatever you like – the result is the same. Science and religion support the same truth – pure energy is the father of creation.† When Kohler finally spoke, his voice was somber. â€Å"Vittoria, you have me at a loss. It sounds like you're telling me your father created matter†¦ out of nothing?† â€Å"Yes.† Vittoria motioned to the canisters. â€Å"And there is the proof. In those canisters are specimens of the matter he created.† Kohler coughed and moved toward the canisters like a wary animal circling something he instinctively sensed was wrong. â€Å"I've obviously missed something,† he said. â€Å"How do you expect anyone to believe these canisters contain particles of matter your father actually created? They could be particles from anywhere at all.† â€Å"Actually,† Vittoria said, sounding confident, â€Å"they couldn't. These particles are unique. They are a type of matter that does not exist anywhere on earth†¦ hence they had to be created.† Kohler's expression darkened. â€Å"Vittoria, what do you mean a certain type of matter? There is only one type of matter, and it – † Kohler stopped short. Vittoria's expression was triumphant. â€Å"You've lectured on it yourself, director. The universe contains two kinds of matter. Scientific fact.† Vittoria turned to Langdon. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, what does the Bible say about the Creation? What did God create?† Langdon felt awkward, not sure what this had to do with anything. â€Å"Um, God created†¦ light and dark, heaven and hell – â€Å" â€Å"Exactly,† Vittoria said. â€Å"He created everything in opposites. Symmetry. Perfect balance.† She turned back to Kohler. â€Å"Director, science claims the same thing as religion, that the Big Bang created everything in the universe with an opposite.† â€Å"Including matter itself,† Kohler whispered, as if to himself. Vittoria nodded. â€Å"And when my father ran his experiment, sure enough, two kinds of matter appeared.† Langdon wondered what this meant. Leonardo Vetra created matter's opposite? Kohler looked angry. â€Å"The substance you're referring to only exists elsewhere in the universe. Certainly not on earth. And possibly not even in our galaxy!† â€Å"Exactly,† Vittoria replied, â€Å"which is proof that the particles in these canisters had to be created.† Kohler's face hardened. â€Å"Vittoria, surely you can't be saying those canisters contain actual specimens?† â€Å"I am.† She gazed proudly at the canisters. â€Å"Director, you are looking at the world's first specimens of antimatter.†