Food Safety Requirements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Food Safety Requirements - Essay Example Organizations used to implement wrong storage practices that would often lead to the food ingredients spoiling while under production but to meet their profit obligations they will go on to introduce the harmful products into the market. Based on statistics from CDC, approximately forty-eight million people fall sick in the United States of America alone from foodborne diseases. Out of the forty-eight million people, one hundred and twenty-eight thousand die annually due to foodborne diseases that are majorly caused by food contamination. With the new rules, FDA can take action before the products are introduced into the market thus saving numerous lives that would have been endangered by harmful food substances. Ideally, the food industry is one of the most delicate sectors that require strict regulation since it directly impacts on the health and well-being of the consumers. Safety was always the driving force that guided the industry but with increased competition and advancement in technology, companies are now aiming at maximizing their profits at the expense of the well-being of the consumers. The law comes at an opportune moment when the world is gaping with the issue of Genetically Modified Organisms. The debate on GMOs has been on-going for a considerable period and still, there are not substantive steps that have been made to regulate the use and safety of these products. Typically, the American market is the one that is infiltrated with the largest percentage of GMO products in the entire universe.

Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 43

Questions - Essay Example For instance, dressing codes that people currently embrace can be unethical according to perception of people 2o years ago. Lawrence Hinamn refers to ethics as a social responsibility that every member of the society has to take into account. Rationality of human beings provides an opportunity to edit codes of ethics in ways that fit them. Ethical pluralism explains the essence of personal judgments of morality. It helps in understanding moral differences in generations and societies in relation to social dynamics (Pojman, 2006). Issues such as involvement of the media in the spread of immorality can be understood through the pluralistic approach to moral theory. The book uses features such as â€Å"Ethical Inventory† to clarify several ethical theories. Virtue ethics deals with the society in a general perspective requiring people to hold mutual responsibility in ethics. Hinman uses philosophical interpretation to enable readers to get a deep understanding of the facts. The use of current issues responds to the dynamic nature of social

Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is placed basically in west central of Washington around forty eight miles southeast of Tacoma, WA. The park is roughly a one to two hour drive from Seattle, Yakima as well as Tacoma, also Washington and Portland, Oregon. In addition, the Nisqually Entrance, found on the southwest side of the park on Stateroad 706, is open year round. Other park roads are actually open just in the time of midyear months. Mt. Rainier is one of United States most vigorously gone to national parks also, pulling in more than two million travelers a year. This is expected not just to the astounding nature of its landscape additionally to its nearness to the significant populace focuses in the Puget Sound territory of western Washington State. It is found around ninety five miles from Seattle and seventy from Tacoma. Around 3.3 million individuals live inside three hour drive of the park and around 1/2 of the parks yearly travelers are from the area of Washington (John, 2007).. In excess of two million individuals visit the park every year. Among the unmistakable individuals who have gone to the park are three presidents- Firstly, Theodore Roosevelt in year 1910, secondly, William Howard Taft in year 1911, and last Harry S. Truman in 1945. With its grand summit pushing up into the sky and its enormous ice sheets cutting its flanks, Mount Rainier commands the Pacific Northwest. Perceiving the picturesque quality of this sublime mountain and the excellence of its high glades and of the virgin forests that encompassed it, I really inspired from these features but my most favorite feature about this park is the ice on the slants of the mountain. There are twenty six named icy masses on the flanks of the top. This is the biggest glacial mass framework on any crest in the America. As far as my experience with Mt. Rainier Park before doing research is concerned, I thought that it would be a far flung area and could not be easily accessible. I was also of the view that it would be a dangerous place for visitors so one should be careful while visiting it. But its beauty and climate really attracted me. Despite the fact that the park is widely acclaimed for its expound wild flower shows, the vegetation of Mount Rainier National Park is surprisingly assorted. Climate and rise change incredibly in the park, making an extensive variety of environments supporting a far reaching number of plant species. There are in excess of eight hundred and ninety vascular species and more than two hundred and sixty non-vascular plant species and organisms in the park. There are more than hundred fascinating plant species, particularly along transportation halls, close trails, and in riparian regions. (U.S. National Park Service, 2014) More or less fifty eight percent of the park is secured by woods. Low rise forests are circulated from the parks limit from seventeen (1700) hundred feet to twenty seven hundred (2700) feet height and are overwhelmed by western hemlock, Douglas fir, and western red-cedar. Mid-rise forests reach out from 2,700 feet upward to four to six thousand feet height relying upon angle, and contain Pacific silver fir, Alaska yellow cedar, western white pine, and respectable fir. Above around 4,500 feet, high height forests are portrayed by subalpine fir, mountain hemlock, and Alaskan yellow cedar (U.S. National Park Service, 2014). Whitebark pine and Englemann spruce are available in drier destinations on the east side of the park. Timberland ages range from youthful stands (short of what hundred years of age) to old-development stands thousand or more years old. The young stands can be found in regions of unsettling influence, for example, zones cleared by flame or trash streams, or recovering moraines and other uncovered land deserted by subsiding ice sheets. The meadows are a most loved exhibition for park travelers, who group to the mountain to see the showy wild flower showcases blossoming in the meadows. The sub-alpine glades can be shrouded in snow well into the month of June if not later, driving the wild flowers to blossom forcefully keeping in mind the end goal to exploit the short developing season. The short season additionally influences the kind of plant groups found in the meadows. A rise contrast of more or less thirteen feet makes a mixed bag of natural surroundings and life zones in Mount Rainier that stay secured. Youll likely see diverse creatures at every life zone change. This difference accommodates an expansive arrangement of spineless creatures, warm blooded animals, fowls, fish, creatures of land and water, and reptiles. The seasons and rise assume an enormous part in figuring out where you may best discover wildlife. In summer, chipmunks, chickarees, ground squirrels, marmots, and pika are regularly seen warm blooded animals (U.S. National Park Service, 2014). Clarks nutcrackers, ash jays, Stellers jays, and ravens are ordinarily seen feathered creatures. Deer are often seen, however dark bear, elk, and mountain goats are trickier. Search for elk on the east side of the park in September. The shade of dark bear may be tan, brown or blond, and to see one is an uncommon treat. Mountain goats stay near the high nation precipices. The profoundly obvious Columbian dark tailed deer, Douglas squirrels, loud Stellars jays and normal ravens are creatures that numerous individuals recall. The most various and plenteous creatures in the park, be that as it may, are the spineless creatures, the creepy crawlies, worms, scavengers’, insects to name a couple of that involve all situations to the highest point of Columbia Crest itself. At Mount Rainier you can discover sixty five well evolved creature species, fourteen types of creatures of land and water, five types of reptiles, 182 types of winged animals, and 14 types of local fish. Spineless creatures presumably speak to 85% of the creature biomass in the park. About fifty percent of the fowls saw in the park settle here and a lot of people are vagrants that winter in the southern America or Central America (John, 2007). Inhabitant creatures of land and water can be found in both amphibian situations or ashore and reptiles are commonly found in upland living s paces. A portion of the more well known warm blooded creatures like elk and dark bear go in numerous territories all through the mid year. Mountain goats commonly stay in elevated or sub-alpine life zones. Climate designs at Mount Rainier are emphatically impacted by the Pacific Ocean, height, and scope. The climate is by and large cool and stormy, with summer highs in the 60s and 70s. While July and August are the sunniest months of the year, downpour is conceivable any day, and likely in spring, fall, and winter. Travelers ought to be mindful that mountain climate is extremely alterable (MRNPA, 2014). Wet, frosty climate can happen whenever of the year. Albeit late-July and August are for the most part the driest and hottest time of the year, summer can likewise be wet and cool. Snow will stay at the five thousand to eight thousand feet height well into mid-July. Mount Rainier can rule the horizon for hundred miles before you achieve the park named after it. At about three miles in stature, Mount Rainier is the tallest crest in the Cascade Range; it overshadows six thousand-foot encompassing summits, seeming to buoy alone among the mists. Mount Rainier may be the center piece of the national park; however it is barely the main fascination. Here, short of what three hours drive from Seattle, you can walk around apparently unlimited fields of wild flowers, listen for breaking ice sheet trash, meander among trees more than a thousand years of age (U.S. National Park Service, 2014). The parks helpful area, be that as it may, additionally prompts weekend congested roads, both summer and winter, and certifications you organization on prominent trails. Mount Rainier is the posterity of flame and ice. Still dynamic, it was likely conceived more than a large portion of million years prior, on a base of magma heaved out by past volcanoes. Magma and slag surged out of the youthful well of lavas vent a large number of times, filling the neighbouring galleys’ and developing a summit cone, layer by layer, to a tallness of around 16,000 feet. Indeed while Mount Rainier was developing, ice sheets cut valleys on and around the mountain (John, 2007). The 25 noteworthy ice sheets/glaciers here structure the biggest accumulation of lasting ice on a solitary American crest south of Alaska. Mount Rainiers summit disintegrated about whether, yet emissions in the most recent two thousand years remade it to its present tallness of 14,410 feet. The mountain last emitted around a century prior. There are in excess of sixty named paths on Mt. Rainier. The Disappointment Cleaver or Emmons Glacier paths are two of the most well known by a wide margin and the straightest forward. An alternate standard course is the Gibraltar Ledges. You pick up very nearly 9,000 from trail head at Paradise inside the Park to the summit and spread eighteen miles round-trek. Each course to the summit obliges protective cap, crampons and an ice hatchet (the base meaning of specialized) in addition to setting out restricted up because of chasm risk (John, 2007).. A not very many climb solo. You must be in top physical condition with an amazing mentality to remain on the top. Likewise it respects have some fundamental experience added to you repertoire with lower mountains and snow trips to make your experience more charming. It is concluded that Mount Rainier National Park is a position of the cool air, the curious and snow capped glades, the lofty and tough landscape. It is an exceptional spot, loaded with numerous common marvels. From the thick, thick, old development forests, to the high, windswept mountain inclines. The mountain is beautiful to the point that simply gazing at it is an action in itself. The climate is very nearly like tundra. With the frosty, dry air, and the sun high in the sky, is appears to be as though the sun gives off no hotness. As one navigates the rough incline, he at last achieves the highest point of Burroughs mountain. One likewise gets a glance at the mind boggling glacial masses. My opinion about accessibility to the park and safety was incorrect that there are about sixty routes to the park. There are also several measurements available in order to ensure safety to the visitors. The Golden Access Passport is a free pass accessible to all perpetual American occupants who are qualified to get government advantages focused around inability, whether you are really accepting them or not. This pass entitles the bearer, and prompt family or going hand in hand with travelers in a private vehicle, to free admission to all American National Parks, Monuments, Forests, and Historic Sites, and reduced cost outdoors. Apply in individual at any National Park Service or United States Woodland Service region (MRNPA, 2014). Albeit a considerable lot of the created ranges at Mount Rainier National Park originate before laws obliging completely open offices, the organization is attempting to protect that all park travelers have the chance to experience and appreciate the park. Explorers and mountain climbers ought to be arranged for evolving climate. The prime climbing time is from late May to mid September. However a few specialists climb it year round yet these climbers have huge amounts of experience. Climate can simply be an issue, even in midsummer it can snow, rain or hail whenever. Give careful consideration to climate conjectures, one day and long range, torrential slide warnings, and extraordinary climate alarms. Have additional apparel, downpour gear, and a tent for assurance against storms at whatever time of the year. Know the climate conjecture and arrangement your outing likewise. References: United States. National Park Service. Mount Rainier National Park (U.S. National Park Service). National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 31 Oct. 2014. Web. http://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm>. John William Uhler. 2007. Mount Rainier National Park National Parks. National Parks. Web. http://www.mount.rainier.national-park.com/>. MRNPA Home Page. Mount Rainier National Park Associates. Web. 9 Nov. 2014. http://www.mrnpa.org/>

Hegel vs. Kant :: Spanish Essays

Le point de dà ©part de la philosophie critique de Kant est la philosophie rationaliste de Leibniz-Wolff . Par l’influence de Hume et de Rousseau, qui, selon ses propres termes, le mit  «sur le droit chemin », et provoqua chez lui une  «rà ©volution de la rà ©flexion », Kant sort de son  «sommeil dogmatique » en matià ¨re de contenus et de mà ©thodes, et à ©labore sa propre mà ©thode de rà ©flexion philosophique. L'expression  «critique transcendantale » qualifie le mieux la mà ©thode d'investigation philosophique de Kant. La philosophie rationaliste qui à ©nonce que â€Å" Ce qui nous (gà ¶tà ¼rmek) au savior exacte est les connaissances et les lois a priori† synthetisà © avec la critique de causalità © de Hume et les oeuvres de Rousseau donne la nasisance de cette philosophie critique. Sa volontà © de tracer les frontià ¨res dans tous les matià ¨res est lià © à   la qualità © critique de sa philosophie. â€Å"Critique† est à ¢â‚¬Å"la sà ©paration† dans une autre terme. Son livre â€Å"Critique de la Raison Pure† publià © en 1781, fond la base thà ©orique de critisisme. Cette oeuvre argumente pour â€Å"norte savoir ne puisse jamais transcende l’experience mais il est quasi a priori† et suit un schà ¨me de raisonnement: L’examination des elements du savoir (transcendantale elementaire) , l’examination de la mà ©thode (transcendantale mà ©thodique) en à ©tant sensible (transcendantale à ©sthetique). Elle cherche à   â€Å"araà ¾tà ½rmak les frontià ¨res et la construction du savoir humain†. Cette mà ©thode transcendantale est la mà ©thode qui examine le savoir en soi mais pas le savoir orientà © à   tel ou tel objet.Elle cherche aussi à   trouver la nature exacte des interets ou buts de la raison et la moyenne de puovoir rà ©aliser ces interets. Kant sà ©pare ce que Leibniz confonde : Les jugements analytique et synthetique   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Les jugements a priori et a posteriori(empirique) Les jugements analytiques expliquent seulement les concepts ( le jugement â€Å"les objets occupent une place† ne donne pas une information puisque â€Å"occuper une place† constitue la dà ©finition meme de l’objet) mais ceux qui sont synthà ©tique à ©largissent notre connaissance ( le jugement â€Å"cet objet est lourd† à ©tablit une relation entre le concept d’objet et d’etre lourd) Les jugements analytiques sont a priori mais les jugements synthetiques peuvent etre à   la fois a priori et empirique. Ce problà ¨me de â€Å"pouvoir etre a priori† pour les jugements synthà ©tiques definit le thà ¨me principale de â€Å"La critique de la Raison Pure†.Kant appelle ces jugements synthà ©tiques a priori, la seule source du savoir exacte. à l synthà ¨tise l’idealisme allemand avec l’empirisme et philosophe sur un chemin empiriste rationale.

Learning by Doint Essay

Your state’s statute that defines what is considered to be a public record that must be made available to the public upon request. Public Records are documents, papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs and computer-based or generated information. Access to public records is available to both local nonresidential individuals of Georgia. Residents of Georgia have the right to Public records under the Georgia Open Records Act. Nonresidents of Georgia have the right to public records under the instruction of the Attorney General. Under the Open Records Acts, Georgia mandated Every state department, agency, board, bureau, commission, public corporation, authority, county, municipal corporation, school district and other political subdivision, department, agency, board, bureau, commission, authority and similar body of each county, municipal corporation or other political subdivision of the state; city, county, regional or other authority established pursuant to state law; and non-profit organizations that receive more than one-third of their funds from a direct allocation of state funds from the governing authority of an agency. The archives Georgia state’s statue define a public record that should be made available to public upon request are Court Records, Criminal Records, Birth Records, Death Records, Marriage Records, Divorce Records, and Genealogy records. Government meetings, election results, crime statistics, home deeds, annual tax on homes and vehicles, and food service inspections are open to the public as well. (Baker, 2008) The pre-World War I opinion by the U. S. Supreme Court holding, on re-argument, that a federal income tax was unconstitutional. Prior to World War I the United Stated had few taxes. The government was supported by internal taxes. The U. S. Supreme Court decided that the income tax was unconstitutional because it was not apportioned among the states in conformity with the Constitution. Protesters were in favor of the decision. (Siegal) The federal statute authorizing the U. S. Secretary of Transportation to make payments to states for the value of materials stockpiled near federal highway construction projects in conformity with the project specifications. The federal governments provides the state with funding for projects such as highway reconstruction. No funding is given unless the secretary follows up with inspections. There are several administrations that aid in the department of transportation such as Federal Aviation Administration (FAA , Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Motor Carrier Safety, Administration (FMCSA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Maritime Administration (MARAD), National Highway Traffic Safety, Administration (NHTSA), Office of Inspector General (OIG) , Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) and the Surface Transportation Board. The federal joint regulation of the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Department of Commerce, identifying the factors for listing, delisting, or reclassifying endangered species. The federal joint regulation of the U. S.  Fish & Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Department of Commerce, identifying the factors for listing, delisting, or reclassifying endangered species provides a list of endangered species or are in danger or becoming endangered. Issues that are addressed are the present he present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range, over utilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes, disease or predation, the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms and other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence. Plans to protect natural resources are tackled. Recovery and protections plans are also addressed. The department of commerce promotes economic growth. The department focus on the creation of jobs and the enhancement of living standards. Your state’s administrative regulations specifying the licensure process for real estate agents. The Georgia real estate and commission boards determine the regulations for the licensure process for real estate agents. There job is to ensure the housing market is fair and honest. Background checks are performed and successful completion of education is required. There is also a real estate test to be taken before an individual can practice. Georgia also has real estates schools. The local ordinance in your municipality governing noise. There are several cities which have laws prohibiting noise above a certain level. In the state of Georgia, it unlawful for any person to make, continue or cause to be made or continued any loud or excessive noise which unreasonably interferes with the comfort, response, health and safety of others within the jurisdiction of the city. For example, the younger generation install systems in their vehicles which allows their vehicles to play music really loud. The music is so loud it causes other vehicles to feel the vibration. This excessive noise is a violation of the Georgia noise ordinance. The noise ordinance does not only pertain to music in a vehicle, it pertains to a television, pets that make noise, machinery, and emergency signaling devices. The most recent opinion of your state’s highest appeals court describing the extent to which the state constitution requires that the power of eminent domain be exercised only for a public use. Recently, Augusta, Georgia, did some reconstruction with the roads on Mike Padgent High way due to so many deaths. The deaths were caused by the accidents on the highway because there is no turning lane. The only solution was to widen the highways and make a turning lane. In order to do so, land must be purchase from the homeowners and used to extend the highway. The state was in favor of this opinion because is would save so many life on †Death Highway. † A recent federal trial court decision in your federal district describing the standard for summary judgment in federal court. Barnes vs. Zaccari is a very significant court case which lead to setting a standard for summary judgment is federal court. The Barnes VS. Zaccari case The president of Valdosta State University, Ronald Zaccari expelled Thomas Hayden Barnes for exemplifying a clear and present danger to other students on campus. Barnes sued Zaccari in the federal courts because he did not receive a warning before he was withdrawn from school. Barns won the his case against Zaccari. The case describe the violation of the due process clause which claims that Barnes was due notice on the charges against him. Ley, 2012) A law-review article published within the past five (5) years about libel law and political campaign advertisements. It never fails during campaign season, there are always political advertisement with candidates bashing their opponents. Political parties compete against their parties make statements about what their opponent stands for. The advertisements are used to expose individuals to the U. S. citizens in hopes to gain votes. There are certain statements that are on the verge of defamation. Defamation is providing false information that can be proven false on an individual that harms that person’s reputation. Opinions which express negativity on someone is also protected by the first amendment.

The Lost Symbol Chapter 62-66

CHAPTER 62 I'm under Second Street. Langdon's eyes remained tightly shut as the conveyor rumbled through the darkness toward the Adams Building. He did his best not to picture the tons of earth overhead and the narrow tube through which he was now traveling. He could hear Katherine breathing several yards ahead of him, but so far, she had not uttered a word. She's in shock. Langdon was not looking forward to telling her about her brother's severed hand. You have to, Robert. She needs to know. â€Å"Katherine?† Langdon finally said, without opening his eyes. â€Å"Are you okay?† A tremulous, disembodied voice replied somewhere up ahead. â€Å"Robert, the pyramid you're carrying. It's Peter's, isn't it?† â€Å"Yes,† Langdon replied. A long silence followed. â€Å"I think . . . that pyramid is why my mother was murdered.† Langdon was well aware that Isabel Solomon had been murdered ten years ago, but he didn't know the details, and Peter had never mentioned anything about a pyramid. â€Å"What are you talking about?† Katherine's voice filled with emotion as she recounted the harrowing events of that night, how the tattooed man had broken into their estate. â€Å"It was a long time ago, but I'll never forget that he demanded a pyramid. He said he heard about the pyramid in prison, from my nephew, Zachary . . . right before he killed him.† Langdon listened in amazement. The tragedy within the Solomon family was almost beyond belief. Katherine continued, telling Langdon that she had always believed the intruder was killed that night . . . that is, until this same man had resurfaced today, posing as Peter's psychiatrist and luring Katherine to his home. â€Å"He knew private things about my brother, my mother's death, and even my work,† she said anxiously, â€Å"things he could only have learned from my brother. And so I trusted him . . . and that's how he got inside the Smithsonian Museum Support Center.† Katherine took a deep breath and told Langdon she was nearly certain the man had destroyed her lab tonight. Langdon listened in utter shock. For several moments, the two of them lay together in silence on the moving conveyor. Langdon knew he had an obligation to share with Katherine the rest of tonight's terrible news. He began slowly, and as gently as he possibly could he told her how her brother had entrusted him with a small package years earlier, how Langdon had been tricked into bringing this package to Washington tonight, and finally, about her brother's hand having been found in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building. Katherine's reaction was deafening silence. Langdon could tell she was reeling, and he wished he could reach out and comfort her, but lying end to end in the narrow blackness made it impossible. â€Å"Peter's okay,† he whispered. â€Å"He's alive, and we'll get him back.† Langdon tried to give her hope. â€Å"Katherine, his captor promised me your brother would be returned alive . . . as long as I decipher the pyramid for him.† Still Katherine said nothing. Langdon kept talking. He told her about the stone pyramid, its Masonic cipher, the sealed capstone, and, of course, about Bellamy's claims that this pyramid was in fact the Masonic Pyramid of legend . . . a map that revealed the hiding place of a long spiral staircase that led deep into the earth . . . down hundreds of feet to a mystical ancient treasure that had been buried in Washington long ago. Katherine finally spoke, but her voice was flat and emotionless. â€Å"Robert, open your eyes.† Open my eyes? Langdon had no desire to have even the slightest glimpse of how cramped this space really was. â€Å"Robert!† Katherine demanded, urgently now. â€Å"Open your eyes! We're here!† Langdon's eyes flew open as his body emerged through an opening similar to the one it had entered at the other end. Katherine was already climbing off the conveyor belt. She lifted his daybag off the belt as Langdon swung his legs over the edge and jumped down onto the tile floor just in time, before the conveyor turned the corner and headed back the way it came. The space around them was a circulation room much like the one they had come from in the other building. A small sign read ADAMS BUILDING: CIRCULATION ROOM 3. Langdon felt like he had just emerged from some kind of subterranean birth canal. Born again. He turned immediately to Katherine. â€Å"Are you okay?† Her eyes were red, and she had obviously been crying, but she nodded with a resolute stoicism. She picked up Langdon's daybag and carried it across the room without a word, setting it on a cluttered desk. She lit the desk's halogen clamp lamp, unzipped the bag, folded down the sides, and peered inside. The granite pyramid looked almost austere in the clean halogen light. Katherine ran her fingers over the engraved Masonic cipher, and Langdon sensed deep emotion churning within her. Slowly, she reached into the daybag and pulled out the cube-shaped package. She held it under the light, examining it closely. â€Å"As you can see,† Langdon quietly said, â€Å"the wax seal is embossed with Peter's Masonic ring. He said this ring was used to seal the package more than a century ago.† Katherine said nothing. â€Å"When your brother entrusted the package to me,† Langdon told her, â€Å"he said it would give me the power to create order out of chaos. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I've got to assume the capstone reveals something important, because Peter was insistent that it not fall into the wrong hands. Mr. Bellamy just told me the same thing, urging me to hide the pyramid and not let anyone open the package.† Katherine turned now, looking angry. â€Å"Bellamy told you not to open the package?† â€Å"Yes. He was adamant.† Katherine looked incredulous. â€Å"But you said this capstone is the only way we can decipher the pyramid, right?† â€Å"Probably, yes.† Katherine's voice was rising now. â€Å"And you said deciphering the pyramid is what you were told to do. It's the only way we can get Peter back, right?† Langdon nodded. â€Å"Then, Robert, why wouldn't we open the package and decipher this thing right now?!† Langdon didn't know how to respond. â€Å"Katherine, I had the same exact reaction, and yet Bellamy told me that keeping this pyramid's secret intact was more important than anything . . . including your brother's life.† Katherine's pretty features hardened, and she tucked a wisp of hair behind her ears. When she spoke, her voice was resolved. â€Å"This stone pyramid, whatever it is, has cost me my entire family. First my nephew, Zachary, then my mother, and now my brother.And let's face it, Robert, if you hadn't called tonight to warn me . . .† Langdon could feel himself trapped between Katherine's logic and Bellamy's steadfast urging. â€Å"I may be a scientist,† she said, â€Å"but I also come from a family of well-known Masons. Believe me, I've heard all the stories about the Masonic Pyramid and its promise of some great treasure that will enlighten mankind. Honestly, I find it hard to imagine such a thing exists. However, if it does exist . . . perhaps it's time to unveil it.† Katherine slid a finger beneath the old twine on the package. Langdon jumped. â€Å"Katherine, no! Wait!† She paused, but her finger remained beneath the string. â€Å"Robert, I'm not going to let my brother die for this. Whatever this capstone says . . . whatever lost treasures this engraving might reveal . . . those secrets end tonight.† With that, Katherine yanked defiantly on the twine, and the brittle wax seal exploded. CHAPTER 63 In a quiet neighborhood just west of Embassy Row in Washington, there exists a medieval-style walled garden whose roses, it is said, spring from twelfth-century plants. The garden's Carderock gazebo–known as Shadow House–sits elegantly amid meandering pathways of stones dug from George Washington's private quarry. Tonight the silence of the gardens was broken by a young man who rushed through the wooden gate, shouting as he came. â€Å"Hello?† he called out, straining to see in the moonlight. â€Å"Are you in here?† The voice that replied was frail, barely audible. â€Å"In the gazebo . . . just taking some air.† The young man found his withered superior seated on the stone bench beneath a blanket. The hunched old man was tiny, with elfin features. The years had bent him in two and stolen his eyesight, but his soul remained a force to be reckoned with. Catching his breath, the young man told him, â€Å"I just . . . took a call . . . from your friend . . . Warren Bellamy.† â€Å"Oh?† The old man perked up. â€Å"About what?† â€Å"He didn't say, but he sounded like he was in a big hurry. He told me he left you a message on your voice mail, which you need to listen to right away.† â€Å"That's all he said?† â€Å"Not quite.† The young man paused. â€Å"He told me to ask you a question.† A very strange question. â€Å"He said he needed your response right away.† The old man leaned closer. â€Å"What question?† As the young man spoke Mr. Bellamy's question, the pall that crossed the old man's face was visible even in the moonlight. Immediately, he threw off his blanket and began struggling to his feet. â€Å"Please help me inside. Right away.† CHAPTER 64 No more secrets, thought Katherine Solomon. On the table in front of her, the wax seal that had been intact for generations now lay in pieces. She finished removing the faded brown paper from her brother's precious package. Beside her, Langdon looked decidedly uneasy. From within the paper, Katherine extracted a small box made of gray stone. Resembling a polished granite cube, the box had no hinges, no latch, and no apparent way inside. It reminded Katherine of a Chinese puzzle box. â€Å"It looks like a solid block,† she said, running her fingers over the edges. â€Å"Are you sure the X- ray showed it was hollow? With a capstone inside?† â€Å"It did,† Langdon said, moving next to Katherine and scrutinizing the mysterious box. He and Katherine peered at the box from different angles, attempting to find a way in. â€Å"Got it,† Katherine said as her fingernail located the hidden slit along one of the box's top edges. She set the box down on the desk and then carefully pried open the lid, which rose smoothly, like the top of a fine jewelry box. When the lid fell back, Langdon and Katherine both drew audible breaths. The interior of the box seemed to be glowing. The inside was shining with an almost supernatural effulgence. Katherine had never seen a piece of gold this large, and it took her an instant to realize that the precious metal was simply reflecting the radiance of the desk lamp. â€Å"It's spectacular,† she whispered. Despite being sealed in a dark stone cube for over a century, the capstone had not faded or tarnished in any way. Gold resists the entropic laws of decay; that's one of the reasons the ancients considered it magical. Katherine felt her pulse quicken as she leaned forward, peering down over the small golden point. â€Å"There's an inscription.† Langdon moved closer, their shoulders now touching. His blue eyes flashed with curiosity. He had told Katherine about the ancient Greek practice of creating a symbolon–a code broken into parts–and how this capstone, long separated from the pyramid itself, would hold the key to deciphering the pyramid. Allegedly, this inscription, whatever it said, would bring order from this chaos. Katherine held the little box up to the light and peered straight down over the capstone. Though small, the inscription was perfectly visible–a small bit of elegantly engraved text on the face of one side. Katherine read the six simple words. Then she read them again. â€Å"No!† she declared. â€Å"That can't be what it says!† Across the street, Director Sato hurried up the long walkway outside the Capitol Building toward her rendezvous point on First Street. The update from her field team had been unacceptable. No Langdon. No pyramid. No capstone. Bellamy was in custody, but he was not telling them the truth. At least not yet. I'll make him talk. She glanced back over her shoulder at one of Washington's newest vistas–the Capitol Dome framed above the new visitor center. The illuminated dome only accentuated the significance of what was truly at stake tonight. Dangerous times. Sato was relieved to hear her cell phone ring and see her analyst's ID on the screen. â€Å"Nola,† Sato answered. â€Å"What have you got?† Nola Kaye gave her the bad news. The X-ray of the capstone's inscription was too faint to read, and the image-enhancing filters had not helped. Shit. Sato chewed at her lip. â€Å"How about the sixteen-letter grid?† â€Å"I'm still trying,† Nola said, â€Å"but so far I've found no secondary encryption scheme that's applicable. I've got a computer reshuffling the letters in the grid and looking for anything identifiable, but there are over twenty trillion possibilities.† â€Å"Stay on it. Let me know.† Sato hung up, scowling. Her hopes of deciphering the pyramid using only a photograph and X-ray were fading fast. I need that pyramid and capstone . . . and I'm running out of time. Sato arrived at First Street just as a black Escalade SUV with dark windows roared across the double yellow and skidded to a stop in front of her at their rendezvous point. A lone agent got out. â€Å"Any word yet on Langdon?† Sato demanded. â€Å"Confidence is high,† the man said, emotionless. â€Å"Backup just arrived. All library exits are surrounded. We even have air support coming in. We'll flush him with tear gas, and he'll have nowhere to run.† â€Å"And Bellamy?† â€Å"Tied up in the backseat.† Good. Her shoulder was still smarting. The agent handed Sato a plastic Ziploc bag containing cell phone, keys, and wallet. â€Å"Bellamy's effects.† â€Å"Nothing else?† â€Å"No, ma'am. The pyramid and package must still be with Langdon.† â€Å"Okay,† Sato said. â€Å"Bellamy knows plenty he's not telling. I'd like to question him personally.† â€Å"Yes, ma'am. To Langley, then?† Sato took a deep breath and paced a moment beside the SUV. Strict protocols governed the interrogation of U.S. civilians, and questioning Bellamy was highly illegal unless it was done at Langley on video with witnesses, attorneys, blah, blah, blah . . . â€Å"Not Langley,† she said, trying to think of somewhere closer. And more private. The agent said nothing, standing at attention beside the idling SUV, waiting for orders. Sato lit a cigarette, took a long drag, and gazed down at the Ziploc bag of Bellamy's items. His key ring, she had noticed, included an electronic fob adorned with four letters–USBG. Sato knew, of course, which government building this fob accessed. The building was very close and, at this hour, very private. She smiled and pocketed the fob. Perfect. When she told the agent where she wanted to take Bellamy, she expected the man to look surprised, but he simply nodded and opened the passenger door for her, his cold stare revealing nothing. Sato loved professionals. Langdon stood in the basement of the Adams Building and stared in disbelief at the elegantly inscribed words on the face of the golden capstone. That's all it says? Beside him, Katherine held the capstone under the light and shook her head. â€Å"There's got to be more,† she insisted, sounding cheated. â€Å"This is what my brother has been protecting all these years?† Langdon had to admit he was mystified. According to Peter and Bellamy, this capstone was supposed to help them decipher the stone pyramid. In light of those claims, Langdon had expected something illuminating and helpful. More like obvious and useless. Once again, he read the six words delicately inscribed on the face of the capstone. The secret hides within The Order The secret hides within The Order? At first glance, the inscription appeared to be stating the obvious–that the letters on the pyramid were out of â€Å"order† and that their secret lay in finding their proper sequence. This reading, however, in addition to being self-evident, seemed unlikely for another reason. â€Å"The words the and order are capitalized,† Langdon said. Katherine nodded blankly. â€Å"I saw that.† The secret hides within The Order. Langdon could think of only one logical implication. † `The Order' must be referencing the Masonic Order.† â€Å"I agree,† Katherine said, â€Å"but it's still no help. It tells us nothing.† Langdon had to concur. After all, the entire story of the Masonic Pyramid revolved around a secret hidden within the Masonic Order. â€Å"Robert, didn't my brother tell you this capstone would give you power to see order where others saw only chaos?† He nodded in frustration. For the second time tonight, Robert Langdon was feeling unworthy. CHAPTER 65 Once Mal'akh had finished dealing with his unexpected visitor–a female security guard from Preferred Security–he fixed the paint on the window through which she had glimpsed his sacred work space. Now, ascending out of the soft blue haze of the basement, he emerged through a hidden doorway into his living room. Inside, he paused, admiring his spectacular painting of the Three Graces and savoring the familiar smells and sounds of his home. Soon I will be leaving forever. Mal'akh knew that after tonight he would be unable to return to this place. After tonight, he thought, smiling, I will have no need for this place. He wondered if Robert Langdon yet understood the true power of the pyramid . . . or the importance of the role for which fate had chosen him. Langdon has yet to call me, Mal'akh thought, after double-checking for messages on his disposable phone. It was now 10:02 P.M. He has less than two hours. Mal'akh went upstairs to his Italian-marble bathroom and turned on the steam shower to let it heat up. Methodically, he stripped off his clothes, eager to begin his cleansing ritual. He drank two glasses of water to calm his starving stomach. Then he walked to the full-length mirror and studied his naked body. His two days of fasting had accentuated his musculature, and he could not help but admire that which he had become. By dawn, I will be so much more. CHAPTER 66 â€Å"We should get out of here,† Langdon said to Katherine. â€Å"It's only a matter of time before they figure out where we are.† He hoped Bellamy had managed to escape. Katherine still seemed fixated on the gold capstone, looking incredulous that the inscription was so unhelpful. She had taken the capstone out of the box, examined every side, and was now carefully putting it back in the box. The secret hides within The Order, Langdon thought. Big help. Langdon found himself wondering now if perhaps Peter had been misinformed about the contents of the box. This pyramid and capstone had been created long before Peter was born, and Peter was simply doing as his forefathers had told him, keeping a secret that was probably as much a mystery to him as it was to Langdon and Katherine. What did I expect? Langdon wondered. The more he learned tonight about the Legend of the Masonic Pyramid, the less plausible it all seemed. I'm searching for a hidden spiral staircase covered by a huge stone? Something told Langdon he was chasing shadows. Nonetheless, deciphering this pyramid seemed his best chance at saving Peter. â€Å"Robert, does the year 1514 mean anything to you?† Fifteen-fourteen? The question seemed apropos of nothing. Langdon shrugged. â€Å"No. Why?† Katherine handed him the stone box. â€Å"Look. The box is dated. Have a look under the light.† Langdon took a seat at the desk and studied the cube-shaped box beneath the light. Katherine put a soft hand on his shoulder, leaning in to point out the tiny text she had found carved on the exterior of the box, near the bottom corner of one side. â€Å"Fifteen-fourteen A.D.,† she said, pointing into the box. Sure enough, the carving depicted the number 1514, followed by an unusual stylization of the letters A and D. â€Å"This date,† Katherine was saying, sounding suddenly hopeful, â€Å"maybe it's the link we're missing? This dated cube looks a lot like a Masonic cornerstone, so maybe it's pointing to a real cornerstone? Maybe to a building built in 1514 A.D.?† Langdon barely heard her. Fifteen-fourteen A.D. is not a date. The symbol , as any scholar of medieval art would recognize, was a well-known symbature–a symbol used in place of a signature. Many of the early philosophers, artists, and authors signed their work with their own unique symbol or monogram rather than their name. This practice added a mysterious allure to their work and also protected them from persecution should their writings or artwork be deemed counterestablishment. In the case of this symbature, the letters A.D. did not stand for Anno Domini . . . they were German for something else entirely. Langdon instantly saw all the pieces fall into place. Within seconds, he was certain he knew exactly how to decipher the pyramid. â€Å"Katherine, you did it,† he said, packing up. â€Å"That's all we needed. Let's go. I'll explain on the way.† Katherine looked amazed. â€Å"The date 1514 A.D. actually means something to you?† Langdon winked at her and headed for the door. â€Å"A.D. isn't a date, Katherine. It's a person.†