Gentrifications Impact on Homelessness - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2020 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/03/26 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Homelessness Essay Did you like this example? On average, about half a million people will spend tonight without a place to call home. There are myriad reasons, varying from individual to individual, but perhaps the most frustrating reason for an already established family to be uprooted from their home is gentrification. Gentrification, as defined by Merriam-Webster as, the process of repairing and rebuilding homes and businesses in a deteriorating area accompanied by an influx of middle-class or affluent people and that often results in the displacement of earlier, usually poorer residents.14 Many of these residents are only barely able to eke out a living in these lower-class neighborhoods; when they are kicked out either by landlords or unsustainably high costs of living, they will most likely require longer than most to get their assets in order, resulting in a prolonged period of homelessness.. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Gentrifications Impact on Homelessness" essay for you Create order This accidental targeting of lower class individuals is something people seldom consider when moving into a newly renovated neighborhood. Homelessness is essentially a housing issue, so it is safe to say that as housing prices increase, so does the homeless population. However, there are actions to be taken to help those in need: various types of federal housing programs specifically designed to aid struggling families financially and physically. Gentrification can be defined as the process of refining and revamping a district so it conforms to middle-class taste. As gentrification causes real estate market to increase prices on housing, the numbers in the homeless population incrementally escalates. Households that are below the median income are often at risk for not being able to afford housing. One of the causes for increases in housing prices is the Starbucks Effect. A real estate research group called Zillow found that between 1997 and 2014, homes within a quarter mile of a Starbucks increased in value by 96 percent, on average.1 Julie Lerch, a woman mentioned in the website, can confirm the Starbucks effect. A little over a year after she moved into her condo in Chicago, a Starbucks opened approximately 1-2 blocks away from her. Three years later, she sold her 2-bedroom condo for $100,000, which is 53 percent more than what she paid for.1 Across the metro areas, cities such as Chicago, Boston, Washington, and Philadelphia, homes near a Starbucks are generally more preferential than homes without. In Chicago, the median value of homes near Starbucks rose 59 percent.2 In an excerpt from the book Zillow Talk, CEO Spencer Rascoff and Chief Economist Stan Humphries came to the conclusion that: In Boston, the median value of all homes in 1997 was $155,600, and that increased b y December 2013 to $351,100, an increase of 125.6 percent. Boston homes within a quarter mile of a Starbucks in January 1997 were valued at a median of $175,930. In December 2013, their median value was $476,778 a 171 percent increase.3 From the quote above, we can see that Starbucks has made its mark in Boston. Another popular coffee chain is Dunkin Donuts. As Dunkin Donuts are being built near homes, their price value increases but not as high as Starbucks. Shwartz4 In the graph above, we see that with the placement of Dunkin Donuts in certain areas, the cost in housing does increase. However, with Starbucks, the housing prices differ up to 50K which could be a detrimental difference when owning a home. The affordability and availability of the general housing market correlates with homelessness. The costs of living increases while household salaries remain the same. In a research conducted by the University of Utah, they saw that the housing affordability in Utah, over the long term, is threatened due to the difference in increases between housing prices and household income. From the study, they found that the annual rate of increase in housing prices 3.32% versus the annual rate of increase in household income which is only 0.36%7. To alleviate the pressures and fears of losing a home and ensure the preservation of housing affordability, existing affordable housing units should be protected. The nation loses more than 400,000 affordable housing units every year due to disinvestment and disrepair4. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs goal is to provide financial aid for supportive housing for low-income families. A branch within this program is called Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD). RADs primary purpose is to give public housing agencies a tool to protect and improve public housing properties. By doing this, RADs aim is to preserve these limited public housing units by converting them to other federal based housing assistance, an example would be project based vouchers15. As of October 2015, more than $2.5 billion of external funding has been raised for about 19,000 units.8 Four major programs that account for almost all of the federal spending on affordable housing assistance for people with low incomes are: Tenant-Based Assistance (TBRA), Project-Based Rental Assistance (synonymous for Project-Based Section 8), operating funds, and capital funds. Through this, the programs set a limit that allows tenants to pay no more than 30 percent of their income towards their rent. Together, all four programs stipulate affordable housing for more than 5 million people in over 2 million households16. A challenge that is faced when preserving affordable housing units can be seen in California. In order to address housing needs, California must be able to plan for the continuous building of housing developments. Unstable subsidy can make it difficult when planning for new, affordable housing development over time. It also makes it difficult to narrow down construc tion, fees, and program requirements18. In the figure below, we see that the decline in federal HOME and Community Development Block Grant funding to California between 2003 and 2015. In general, funding levels for federal housing programs have slowly decreased over the years. Several families endure additional challenges besides the affordability of available homes. For example, people who leaving homelessness might not have a sufficient credit score that is required to rent a home or apartment. Even with the Housing Choice Vouchers that aid with rent, it is still difficult for many households to find affordable homes. On a more positive note, a more recent action that took place in San Diego in efforts to preserve and create more affordable housing units. At the beginning of September 2018, San Diegos Housing Commission announced that they will administer up to $50 million to build and preserve affordable housing and rental units. Los Angeles County also has leveraged $1.7 billion in public and private funds towards the construction and preservation of 3.362 affordable apartments over the last five years19. Two-thirds of those apartments are reserved for persons that are dealing with homelessness, mental illness, and physical disabilities. According to a report by the County Chief Executive Office and the Community Development Commission/Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles has helped house over 21,000 households though the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program19. In the time frame of 2017-2018, a total of 29,081 families have been assisted with housing matters through the County Chief Executive Office and the Community Development Commission/Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles. An additional approach to fight against the negatives of gentrification was a program that was established specifically for homelessness is rapid re-housing. Rapid re-housing is an intervention that helps individuals and families experiencing homelessness to return to permanent homes as quickly as possible. Rapid re-housing was developed by local service providers attempting to address a specific problem in their communities: homelessness13. These providers saw that there were many families either in temporary housing si tuations or just homeless due to the lack of housing affordability. This is done through housing identification, and move-in assistance, and case management.10 Housing identification is the process when households are matched to their appropriate and affordable housing. Move-in assistance is a time-limited financial support that is provided to help individuals and families get back on their feet. Case management services are provided to help the families and individuals understand the barriers of homelessness and how they can prevent it. For example, these services include addressing credit history and lease agreements etc. After they receive housing, these services also provide knowledge in other amenities such as public benefits, employment, and health care etc. A study called the Family Options Study found that the average program cost for rapid re-housing was approximately $6,578, rather than $16,829 for an emergency shelter10. In 2014, 29,506 beds, funded from multiple sources, was obligated to rapid re-housing for families across the country13. This represented about 8 percent of beds for homeless families which increased from 2013 which was 5 percent, represented in the graph below. An additional benefit from rapid re-housing is that it has lower barriers to entry rather than other housing programs such as project-based transitional housing. For example, only 10 percent of families reviewed for rapid re-housing were unable to gain it while 17 percent of families reviewed for project-based transitional housing were unable to gain housing13. An evaluation was conducted by HUDs to see the statistics of families that entered rapid re-housing. Of the 23 sites that received funding for rapid re-housing: Over one-fifth (22 percent) exit in fewer than 30 days, 11 percent exit in 31 to 60 days, 34 percent exit in 61 to 180 days, 22 percent exit in 181 to 365 days, and 9 percent exit in 366 to 547 days (HUD 2013b). 13 Nation-wide, about 82 percent of families who entered rapid re-housing exited successfully into permanent housing (from summary report on year two of HPRP (HUD 2013b). Several studies of this found that the rates of these individuals and families returning back to becoming homeless are low. Although the rates are low, most families that leave rapid re-housing, about 76 percent, move to another home at least once13. There were also families that faced challenges after exiting the program. In all, 70 percent worried about food security, 57 percent struggled with money for rent, 14 percent had a child expelled or susp ended from school within the last year, and 17 percent reported deteriorating health (Oliva 2014; Spellman 2015).13 Despite the statistics above, the rates of individuals that go back to becoming homeless are lower than the years before. Although gentrification is seen as a positive action on neighborhoods among the upper-middle class, it has a negative effect on the lower-class individuals and families. By pushing out these lower-class individuals to build more fancy buildings that fit the upper-middle classs standards and aesthetics, it leaves the lower-class individuals homeless in the dust. Homelessness is the mere product of economic and societal policy choices. This accidental targeting of lower-class individuals makes it hard for them to find affordable housing. A possible solution that was previously mentioned were the various types of housing programs specifically designed to aid homeless families financially and physically by giving a temporary home and then placing them into permanent homes after. These programs are specifically designed to help individuals that have been removed from their homes get back on feet. Data from the rapid re-housing program has shown that it reduces returns to homelessness. According to the Annual Homeless Assessment Reports of 2017, it seems that these federal housing programs helped in the decrease of the homeless population. Homeless families with children had decreased by 5.4 percent throughout the nation since 2016. The report also found that 553,742 people experienced homelessness in the United States which is only a 0.7 increas e since 2016 and a 13.1 percent decrease since 201012. Thirty states have reported decreases in homelessness between 2016 and 2017. Works Cited Markets Where Starbucks Boosts Home Values the Most. Mortgage Learning Center, 28 Oct. 2016, www.zillow.com/blog/starbucks-home-values-170734/. Anderson, Jamie. Starbucks: Inspiring and Nurturing the Human Spirit by Caffeinating Home Values. Mortgage Learning Center, 3 May 2016, www.zillow.com/research/starbucks-home-value-appreciation-8912/. Cappadona, Bryanna. Zillows Starbucks Effect Has Venti-Sized Holes. Boston Magazine, Boston Magazine, 12 Mar. 2015, www.bostonmagazine.com/property/2015/03/12/starbucks-effect-zillow-boston/. Schwartz, Elaine. How the Starbucks Effect Relates to Housing Prices. Econlife, 12 Sept. 2018, econlife.com/2018/09/housing-price-starbucks-effect/. https://gardner.utah.edu/wp-content/uploads/HousingBrief.pdf https://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/facts/Federal.pdf https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/Insights-Ensuring-Equitable-Growth.pdf https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/evidence-behind-approaches-that-end-homelessness.pdf https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2017-AHAR-Part-1.pdf https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/2017/HUDNo_17-109 https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/54201/2000265-Rapid-Re-housing-What-the-Research-Says.pdf https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gentrification 15. https://www.nlchp.org/ProtectTenants2018 Â  https://endhomelessness.org/ending-homelessness/policy/affordable-housing/ https://www.sdhc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SDHC-50-Million-to-Create-and-Preserve-Affordable-Housing.pdf 18. https://www.hcd.ca.gov/policy-research/plans-reports/docs/Californias-Housing-Future-Main-Document-Draft.pdf

Observation Report On Classroom Observation - 1883 Words

Data Report The following data was gathered while fulfilling duties as a principal intern at Theresa Bunker Elementary School. The data was observed during five to seven minutes of classroom observation as part of a walk-through in the spring of the current school year. My cooperating supervisor for my internship was able to go on these walk-throughs with me in order to have a productive reflection meeting afterwards. This elementary school has two of each grade level from Kindergarten to sixth grade. Since it was more feasible in this small school setting, I actually was able to do a walkthrough in eight classes. Here I will report my observations from five of those walk-throughs. As I went in to each room I was looking for four†¦show more content†¦There were two students using iPads with the volume up loud enough to hear as I entered as well. Three students were riffling through a bucket of plastic letters without being entirely successful in finding the letters they were seek ing. Two students were using a drawer of foam letters and word cards to put the letters on the corresponding word. The final student was alone just looking at a book herself. The teacher was going back and forth between the groups who were working with letters trying to assist them in picking the correct letters. She would say the sound while feeling her throat and then tell them the letter they needed and find it for them in the box. She went to the group looking in the tub for letters and found letters for them as well. A cause for concern that we noticed was that she was asking the students to sound out the word â€Å"said† as well as having written on the board next to the sight words students were spelling that the vowel team ai =e (meaning short e sound). Mrs. Williams though it necessary to jump in at this point and make a correction since she was teaching something contrary to the curriculum and pointed out that sight words like â€Å"said† do not follow the rules of phonics always and need to be taught as a whole word. Also during this brief observation we noticed Mrs. M. having difficulty with the student who was alone. She was not engaging in any work after being asked to join the group and instead took a book and hidShow MoreRelatedClassroom Observation Report Observation1759 Words   |  8 PagesTami Lesser June 4, 2017 Observation Report: I observed a girls second grade classroom in Arie Crown Hebrew Day School. The class had 28 students. There was one head teacher and one teacher’s assistant in the class. Bathrooms were located down the hall and students did not need to ask permission to use them, however, only one student could leave at a time. Students lockers were located right outside the classroom, they can leave their coats and boots there if need be. The room was quite large consideringRead MoreObservation Report On Classroom Observation1404 Words   |  6 PagesFor this observation, I observed in a fifth-grade elementary school classroom at Dunlap Elementary School in Yucaipa. The teacher, Mrs. Aldulaimi, of the classroom has been teaching full time for the past five years but has been substituting for twenty plus years. She has a class of about thirty so students but as of recently many of her students are moving away and changing school districts. She really seems to be passionate about teaching but may appear overly strict with the children. The physicalRead MoreReport on Classroom Observation1945 Words   |  8 PagesREPORT on CLASS OBSERVATION Introduction Internship teaching is the culminating experience of the first degree program in education. It provides the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge on pedagogies in the actual classroom setting and gain the experience. The internees are exposed to an environment where they encounter learners for the first time and face them with multitude of ideas, approaches, techniques and processes. During the internship period I got ample opportunities to demonstrateRead MoreReport on Classroom Observation1932 Words   |  8 PagesREPORT on CLASS OBSERVATION Introduction Internship teaching is the culminating experience of the first degree program in education. It provides the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge on pedagogies in the actual classroom setting and gain the experience. The internees are exposed to an environment where they encounter learners for the first time and face them with multitude of ideas, approaches, techniques and processes. During the internship period I got ample opportunities to demonstrateRead MoreObservation Report About Classroom Observation1630 Words   |  7 PagesI have visited the Cranbury Presbyterian Nursery School and have observed the classroom in great detail during my last three visits. In this preschool classroom, there are usually 8-10 students present whose ages are from 2 to 2  ½. There are also three adult staff present without including myself. This classroom consists of two rooms which are connected to each other. One room only has a large circle rug and a rectangular table. The other room adja cent to it is slightly larger and contains multipleRead MoreClassroom Observation Report944 Words   |  4 PagesGeneral Observation: As I entered into the science room, the students were being given a science â€Å"dipstick† labeled â€Å"Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems†. This â€Å"dipstick† sums up the unit that the students have been working on where they created their ecosystem posters and determined which animals belong in each ecosystem. The teacher explained to the students that she calls these â€Å"dipsticks† instead of â€Å"tests† because these documents are more focused on seeing what they took away from theRead MoreClassroom Observation Report1167 Words   |  5 Pageseighteen years of experience and she used technology consistently at home and in a classroom. She also worked in a computer related business. This particular class was an upper level reading class. They had to research information about an athlete. The first page of power point was a picture of the athlete and a portion of a report that they had found on the internet. The second page of the report consisted of using a digital camera in which the teacher took a picture of eachRead MoreEssay on Classroom Observation Report2176 Words   |  9 Pagesteacher and her students in an observation I did in a false beginner English as Second Language (ESL) class at the University of Texas. The purpose of this report is to reflect on the teacher’s teaching strategies and class environment in relation with what I have learned in my Teaching Methods class. Throughout this paper, a variety of students’ and teacher’s behavior will be discussed that will be analyzed in the reflection section. II. Before the Observation After I arranged a dayRead MoreClassroom Observation Report Essay1233 Words   |  5 PagesClassroom Observation On two different days, several observations took place in two different types of environment. I observed a teacher and her students of a second grade elementary school and a teacher and her students aged 18 months to two years old in a daycare environment. I observed the environment and interaction of the teacher and his or her studentsRead MoreEssay on Classroom Observation Report1086 Words   |  5 PagesClassroom Observation I use to believe that being a teacher was going to be eight hours of teaching and being with children. Being a teacher seemed to be the easiest career choice out there for me. After viewing the students of all ages and levels, I have changed my opinion of teaching. There is an unknown side to the world that can only be seen

Angels Demons Chapter 1-5 Free Essays

string(41) " It was like he had been hit by a truck\." 1 High atop the steps of the Pyramid of Giza a young woman laughed and called down to him. â€Å"Robert, hurry up! I knew I should have married a younger man!† Her smile was magic. He struggled to keep up, but his legs felt like stone. We will write a custom essay sample on Angels Demons Chapter 1-5 or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Wait,† he begged. â€Å"Please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  As he climbed, his vision began to blur. There was a thundering in his ears. I must reach her! But when he looked up again, the woman had disappeared. In her place stood an old man with rotting teeth. The man stared down, curling his lips into a lonely grimace. Then he let out a scream of anguish that resounded across the desert. Robert Langdon awoke with a start from his nightmare. The phone beside his bed was ringing. Dazed, he picked up the receiver. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"I’m looking for Robert Langdon,† a man’s voice said. Langdon sat up in his empty bed and tried to clear his mind. â€Å"This†¦ is Robert Langdon.† He squinted at his digital clock. It was 5:18 A.M. â€Å"I must see you immediately.† â€Å"Who is this?† â€Å"My name is Maximilian Kohler. I’m a discrete particle physicist.† â€Å"A what?† Langdon could barely focus. â€Å"Are you sure you’ve got the right Langdon?† â€Å"You’re a professor of religious iconology at Harvard University. You’ve written three books on symbology and – â€Å" â€Å"Do you know what time it is?† â€Å"I apologize. I have something you need to see. I can’t discuss it on the phone.† A knowing groan escaped Langdon’s lips. This had happened before. One of the perils of writing books about religious symbology was the calls from religious zealots who wanted him to confirm their latest sign from God. Last month a stripper from Oklahoma had promised Langdon the best sex of his life if he would fly down and verify the authenticity of a cruciform that had magically appeared on her bed sheets. The Shroud of Tulsa, Langdon had called it. â€Å"How did you get my number?† Langdon tried to be polite, despite the hour. â€Å"On the Worldwide Web. The site for your book.† Langdon frowned. He was damn sure his book’s site did not include his home phone number. The man was obviously lying. â€Å"I need to see you,† the caller insisted. â€Å"I’ll pay you well.† Now Langdon was getting mad. â€Å"I’m sorry, but I really – â€Å" â€Å"If you leave immediately, you can be here by – â€Å" â€Å"I’m not going anywhere! It’s five o’clock in the morning!† Langdon hung up and collapsed back in bed. He closed his eyes and tried to fall back asleep. It was no use. The dream was emblazoned in his mind. Reluctantly, he put on his robe and went downstairs. Robert Langdon wandered barefoot through his deserted Massachusetts Victorian home and nursed his ritual insomnia remedy – a mug of steaming Nestle’s Quik. The April moon filtered through the bay windows and played on the oriental carpets. Langdon’s colleagues often joked that his place looked more like an anthropology museum than a home. His shelves were packed with religious artifacts from around the world – an ekuaba from Ghana, a gold cross from Spain, a cycladic idol from the Aegean, and even a rare woven boccus from Borneo, a young warrior’s symbol of perpetual youth. As Langdon sat on his brass Maharishi’s chest and savored the warmth of the chocolate, the bay window caught his reflection. The image was distorted and pale†¦ like a ghost. An aging ghost, he thought, cruelly reminded that his youthful spirit was living in a mortal shell. Although not overly handsome in a classical sense, the forty-five-year-old Langdon had what his female colleagues referred to as an â€Å"erudite† appeal – wisps of gray in his thick brown hair, probing blue eyes, an arrestingly deep voice, and the strong, carefree smile of a collegiate athlete. A varsity diver in prep school and college, Langdon still had the body of a swimmer, a toned, six-foot physique that he vigilantly maintained with fifty laps a day in the university pool. Langdon’s friends had always viewed him as a bit of an enigma – a man caught between centuries. On weekends he could be seen lounging on the quad in blue jeans, discussing computer graphics or religious history with students; other times he could be spotted in his Harris tweed and paisley vest, photographed in the pages of upscale art magazines at museum openings where he had been asked to lecture. Although a tough teacher and strict disciplinarian, Langdon was the first to embrace what he hailed as the â€Å"lost art of good clean fun.† He relished recreation with an infectious fanaticism that had earned him a fraternal acceptance among his students. His campus nickname – â€Å"The Dolphin† – was a reference both to his affable nature and his legendary ability to dive into a pool and outmaneuver the entire opposing squad in a water polo match. As Langdon sat alone, absently gazing into the darkness, the silence of his home was shattered again, this time by the ring of his fax machine. Too exhausted to be annoyed, Langdon forced a tired chuckle. God’s people, he thought. Two thousand years of waiting for their Messiah, and they’re still persistent as hell. Wearily, he returned his empty mug to the kitchen and walked slowly to his oak-paneled study. The incoming fax lay in the tray. Sighing, he scooped up the paper and looked at it. Instantly, a wave of nausea hit him. The image on the page was that of a human corpse. The body had been stripped naked, and its head had been twisted, facing completely backward. On the victim’s chest was a terrible burn. The man had been branded†¦ imprinted with a single word. It was a word Langdon knew well. Very well. He stared at the ornate lettering in disbelief. Angels Demons â€Å"Illuminati,† he stammered, his heart pounding. It can’t be†¦ In slow motion, afraid of what he was about to witness, Langdon rotated the fax 180 degrees. He looked at the word upside down. Instantly, the breath went out of him. It was like he had been hit by a truck. You read "Angels Demons Chapter 1-5" in category "Essay examples" Barely able to believe his eyes, he rotated the fax again, reading the brand right-side up and then upside down. â€Å"Illuminati,† he whispered. Stunned, Langdon collapsed in a chair. He sat a moment in utter bewilderment. Gradually, his eyes were drawn to the blinking red light on his fax machine. Whoever had sent this fax was still on the line†¦ waiting to talk. Langdon gazed at the blinking light a long time. Then, trembling, he picked up the receiver. 2 â€Å"Do I have your attention now?† the man’s voice said when Langdon finally answered the line. â€Å"Yes, sir, you damn well do. You want to explain yourself?† â€Å"I tried to tell you before.† The voice was rigid, mechanical. â€Å"I’m a physicist. I run a research facility. We’ve had a murder. You saw the body.† â€Å"How did you find me?† Langdon could barely focus. His mind was racing from the image on the fax. â€Å"I already told you. The Worldwide Web. The site for your book, The Art of the Illuminati.† Langdon tried to gather his thoughts. His book was virtually unknown in mainstream literary circles, but it had developed quite a following on-line. Nonetheless, the caller’s claim still made no sense. â€Å"That page has no contact information,† Langdon challenged. â€Å"I’m certain of it.† â€Å"I have people here at the lab very adept at extracting user information from the Web.† Langdon was skeptical. â€Å"Sounds like your lab knows a lot about the Web.† â€Å"We should,† the man fired back. â€Å"We invented it.† Something in the man’s voice told Langdon he was not joking. â€Å"I must see you,† the caller insisted. â€Å"This is not a matter we can discuss on the phone. My lab is only an hour’s flight from Boston.† Langdon stood in the dim light of his study and analyzed the fax in his hand. The image was overpowering, possibly representing the epigraphical find of the century, a decade of his research confirmed in a single symbol. â€Å"It’s urgent,† the voice pressured. Langdon’s eyes were locked on the brand. Illuminati, he read over and over. His work had always been based on the symbolic equivalent of fossils – ancient documents and historical hearsay – but this image before him was today. Present tense. He felt like a paleontologist coming face to face with a living dinosaur. â€Å"I’ve taken the liberty of sending a plane for you,† the voice said. â€Å"It will be in Boston in twenty minutes.† Langdon felt his mouth go dry. An hour’s flight†¦ â€Å"Please forgive my presumption,† the voice said. â€Å"I need you here.† Langdon looked again at the fax – an ancient myth confirmed in black and white. The implications were frightening. He gazed absently through the bay window. The first hint of dawn was sifting through the birch trees in his backyard, but the view looked somehow different this morning. As an odd combination of fear and exhilaration settled over him, Langdon knew he had no choice. â€Å"You win,† he said. â€Å"Tell me where to meet the plane.† 3 Thousands of miles away, two men were meeting. The chamber was dark. Medieval. Stone. â€Å"Benvenuto,† the man in charge said. He was seated in the shadows, out of sight. â€Å"Were you successful?† â€Å"Si,† the dark figure replied. â€Å"Perfectamente.† His words were as hard as the rock walls. â€Å"And there will be no doubt who is responsible?† â€Å"None.† â€Å"Superb. Do you have what I asked for?† The killer’s eyes glistened, black like oil. He produced a heavy electronic device and set it on the table. The man in the shadows seemed pleased. â€Å"You have done well.† â€Å"Serving the brotherhood is an honor,† the killer said. â€Å"Phase two begins shortly. Get some rest. Tonight we change the world.† 4 Robert Langdon’s Saab 900S tore out of the Callahan Tunnel and emerged on the east side of Boston Harbor near the entrance to Logan Airport. Checking his directions Langdon found Aviation Road and turned left past the old Eastern Airlines Building. Three hundred yards down the access road a hangar loomed in the darkness. A large number 4 was painted on it. He pulled into the parking lot and got out of his car. A round-faced man in a blue flight suit emerged from behind the building. â€Å"Robert Langdon?† he called. The man’s voice was friendly. He had an accent Langdon couldn’t place. â€Å"That’s me,† Langdon said, locking his car. â€Å"Perfect timing,† the man said. â€Å"I’ve just landed. Follow me, please.† As they circled the building, Langdon felt tense. He was not accustomed to cryptic phone calls and secret rendezvous with strangers. Not knowing what to expect he had donned his usual classroom attire – a pair of chinos, a turtleneck, and a Harris tweed suit jacket. As they walked, he thought about the fax in his jacket pocket, still unable to believe the image it depicted. The pilot seemed to sense Langdon’s anxiety. â€Å"Flying’s not a problem for you, is it, sir?† â€Å"Not at all,† Langdon replied. Branded corpses are a problem for me. Flying I can handle. The man led Langdon the length of the hangar. They rounded the corner onto the runway. Langdon stopped dead in his tracks and gaped at the aircraft parked on the tarmac. â€Å"We’re riding in that?† The man grinned. â€Å"Like it?† Langdon stared a long moment. â€Å"Like it? What the hell is it?† The craft before them was enormous. It was vaguely reminiscent of the space shuttle except that the top had been shaved off, leaving it perfectly flat. Parked there on the runway, it resembled a colossal wedge. Langdon’s first impression was that he must be dreaming. The vehicle looked as airworthy as a Buick. The wings were practically nonexistent – just two stubby fins on the rear of the fuselage. A pair of dorsal guiders rose out of the aft section. The rest of the plane was hull – about 200 feet from front to back – no windows, nothing but hull. â€Å"Two hundred fifty thousand kilos fully fueled,† the pilot offered, like a father bragging about his newborn. â€Å"Runs on slush hydrogen. The shell’s a titanium matrix with silicon carbide fibers. She packs a 20:1 thrust/weight ratio; most jets run at 7:1. The director must be in one helluva a hurry to see you. He doesn’t usually send the big boy.† â€Å"This thing flies?† Langdon said. The pilot smiled. â€Å"Oh yeah.† He led Langdon across the tarmac toward the plane. â€Å"Looks kind of startling, I know, but you better get used to it. In five years, all you’ll see are these babies – HSCT’s – High Speed Civil Transports. Our lab’s one of the first to own one.† Must be one hell of a lab, Langdon thought. â€Å"This one’s a prototype of the Boeing X-33,† the pilot continued, â€Å"but there are dozens of others – the National Aero Space Plane, the Russians have Scramjet, the Brits have HOTOL. The future’s here, it’s just taking some time to get to the public sector. You can kiss conventional jets good-bye.† Langdon looked up warily at the craft. â€Å"I think I’d prefer a conventional jet.† The pilot motioned up the gangplank. â€Å"This way, please, Mr. Langdon. Watch your step.† Minutes later, Langdon was seated inside the empty cabin. The pilot buckled him into the front row and disappeared toward the front of the aircraft. The cabin itself looked surprisingly like a wide-body commercial airliner. The only exception was that it had no windows, which made Langdon uneasy. He had been haunted his whole life by a mild case of claustrophobia – the vestige of a childhood incident he had never quite overcome. Langdon’s aversion to closed spaces was by no means debilitating, but it had always frustrated him. It manifested itself in subtle ways. He avoided enclosed sports like racquetball or squash, and he had gladly paid a small fortune for his airy, high-ceilinged Victorian home even though economical faculty housing was readily available. Langdon had often suspected his attraction to the art world as a young boy sprang from his love of museums’ wide open spaces. The engines roared to life beneath him, sending a deep shudder through the hull. Langdon swallowed hard and waited. He felt the plane start taxiing. Piped-in country music began playing quietly overhead. A phone on the wall beside him beeped twice. Langdon lifted the receiver. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Comfortable, Mr. Langdon?† â€Å"Not at all.† â€Å"Just relax. We’ll be there in an hour.† â€Å"And where exactly is there?† Langdon asked, realizing he had no idea where he was headed. â€Å"Geneva,† the pilot replied, revving the engines. â€Å"The lab’s in Geneva.† â€Å"Geneva,† Langdon repeated, feeling a little better. â€Å"Upstate New York. I’ve actually got family near Seneca Lake. I wasn’t aware Geneva had a physics lab.† The pilot laughed. â€Å"Not Geneva, New York, Mr. Langdon. Geneva, Switzerland.† The word took a long moment to register. â€Å"Switzerland?† Langdon felt his pulse surge. â€Å"I thought you said the lab was only an hour away!† â€Å"It is, Mr. Langdon.† The pilot chuckled. â€Å"This plane goes Mach fifteen.† 5 On a busy European street, the killer serpentined through a crowd. He was a powerful man. Dark and potent. Deceptively agile. His muscles still felt hard from the thrill of his meeting. It went well, he told himself. Although his employer had never revealed his face, the killer felt honored to be in his presence. Had it really been only fifteen days since his employer had first made contact? The killer still remembered every word of that call†¦ â€Å"My name is Janus,† the caller had said. â€Å"We are kinsmen of a sort. We share an enemy. I hear your skills are for hire.† â€Å"It depends whom you represent,† the killer replied. The caller told him. â€Å"Is this your idea of a joke?† â€Å"You have heard our name, I see,† the caller replied. â€Å"Of course. The brotherhood is legendary.† â€Å"And yet you find yourself doubting I am genuine.† â€Å"Everyone knows the brothers have faded to dust.† â€Å"A devious ploy. The most dangerous enemy is that which no one fears.† The killer was skeptical. â€Å"The brotherhood endures?† â€Å"Deeper underground than ever before. Our roots infiltrate everything you see†¦ even the sacred fortress of our most sworn enemy.† â€Å"Impossible. They are invulnerable.† â€Å"Our reach is far.† â€Å"No one’s reach is that far.† â€Å"Very soon, you will believe. An irrefutable demonstration of the brotherhood’s power has already transpired. A single act of treachery and proof.† â€Å"What have you done?† The caller told him. The killer’s eyes went wide. â€Å"An impossible task.† The next day, newspapers around the globe carried the same headline. The killer became a believer. Now, fifteen days later, the killer’s faith had solidified beyond the shadow of a doubt. The brotherhood endures, he thought. Tonight they will surface to reveal their power. As he made his way through the streets, his black eyes gleamed with foreboding. One of the most covert and feared fraternities ever to walk the earth had called on him for service. They have chosen wisely, he thought. His reputation for secrecy was exceeded only by that of his deadliness. So far, he had served them nobly. He had made his kill and delivered the item to Janus as requested. Now, it was up to Janus to use his power to ensure the item’s placement. The placement†¦ The killer wondered how Janus could possibly handle such a staggering task. The man obviously had connections on the inside. The brotherhood’s dominion seemed limitless. Janus, the killer thought. A code name, obviously. Was it a reference, he wondered, to the Roman two-faced god†¦ or to the moon of Saturn? Not that it made any difference. Janus wielded unfathomable power. He had proven that beyond a doubt. As the killer walked, he imagined his ancestors smiling down on him. Today he was fighting their battle, he was fighting the same enemy they had fought for ages, as far back as the eleventh century†¦ when the enemy’s crusading armies had first pillaged his land, raping and killing his people, declaring them unclean, defiling their temples and gods. His ancestors had formed a small but deadly army to defend themselves. The army became famous across the land as protectors – skilled executioners who wandered the countryside slaughtering any of the enemy they could find. They were renowned not only for their brutal killings, but also for celebrating their slayings by plunging themselves into drug-induced stupors. Their drug of choice was a potent intoxicant they called hashish. As their notoriety spread, these lethal men became known by a single word – Hassassin – literally â€Å"the followers of hashish.† The name Hassassin became synonymous with death in almost every language on earth. The word was still used today, even in modern English†¦ but like the craft of killing, the word had evolved. It was now pronounced assassin. How to cite Angels Demons Chapter 1-5, Essay examples

Holistic Mobile Game Development with Unity Mario in 3D

Question: Describe about the Holistic Mobile Game Development with Unity for Mario in 3D. Answer: Introduction The new business demands and the agility work on publishing to the platforms like the Android, iPhone, and Facebook. The focus has been on the authoritative guide to creating the games in Unity through the game designing programming where there has been proper designing principles set for building the interactivity in the game. The focus has been on the art assets and the other instructional videos, forum and the author blogging with the lesson plans for the people. (de Byl, 2014). The unity is the cross-platform game designing which has been mainly used for the development of the video games for the PC and the other mobile devices. With this, there has been a significant emphasis on the portability of the system and the engine targets the API with the direct 3D. We are focusing on the Mario Game in 3D which is for the development and working in Unity. The game has been based on the gaming critics with the creativity and the technical designing. It includes the utilization of the 3D in the gameplay and working on the polarizing receptions. The work is through the released factors where there have been elements set for the traditional side-scrolling video games titles like the linear based levels. These are set with the modernized open world where there have been three dimensions to perform the different actions. The system of Maria is shrinking and depend upon the taking of damage from the enemies or the hazards. The dedication is through the use of the analog input mainly to determine the traveling speed and then damage the Small Maria which results in losing the life. Description of the Unity Project This includes the walkthrough with the minimum ten steps, blueprint layout, intro screen and the start screen, with the game levels and the victory screen and the loss screen, GUI, and interfaces to work on the web building and bug-free. With the mobile application development, one can act or process the application software for the devices like the enterprise digital assistant or the mobile phones. (Dunwell et al., 2015). These are for the application like experience which is set to the web browser. The application software is for the longer array of the screen size and the hardware specifications. The configuration is based on the mobile software which is set for the different platforms. The development process is based on the mobile user interface designing which includes the creation of the mobile apps. The mobile UI is based on the constraints, contexts and the screening, input and the mobility for the different outline designing. The focus of the user is on interaction with the device that entails the component of the hardware and software. The Mobile UI works on the limited attention and the form factors which cue from the user activity. (Busch et al., 2015). The locations and the scheduling are seen from the user interactions within the mobile. It also includes the designing and the interface which is important for the different users to work on minimizing the keystroke applications. The task oriented factors are set with the decreased functions with the mobile environment application platform as well as the integrated development of the environment. The mobile UIs or the front ends rely mainly on the mobile back-ends for supporting the access for the enterpris e system which facilitate the data routing and the security authentication. The mixture has been for the middleware components which also include the mobile application servers and the other service oriented architectures. For the platform organization, there is a need to develop, deploy and then manage the mobile applications which are important and made from the components and the tools. This also allows the developer to work on the applications with the target platform environment where the UI designing tools and the SDK are mainly to access the device features with the cross-platform accommodation and support. Platform for the Unity The unity works on targeting the game for the multiple platforms which has complete control over the delivery of the system of the mobile devices. The support of the platforms also includes the different applications like the asset server and other engine processes. With this, the technology has been working for the consumers as well as the people to work on the economy of scale. (Harms et al., 2016). The mobile driver applications are set with the technological advancement where the pattern is based on the improvement of the display, processing and the storage with the interfacing and working on the functionality of the operating system. With this, there have been games for the mobile phones where the commands are for the input through the device with the keypad buttons. The feature phones are for the power of hardware which is set under the coloured screens and the multi-channel sounds with the ability to download and then store the new applications. These are based on the working of the mobile operating systems and the other development community. It includes the proprietary technology that has been based on intending and allowing the developers to make the efficient use of the hardware for the IOS games as well. The commercial mobile games have been based on monetization model with the free-to-play and the advertising support subscription. With this, the focus has been on the mobile browser download which is from the mobile website. The patterns could easily be detected through the majority games between the carriers. Security for the add-on Layers This includes the norm with the enterprise and the IT departments for the different solutions. There have been various features which include the wrapping of the data for the security, encryption of the data and the client actions with the reporting and the statistics. The criteria are based on the development platform which contains the information for the mobile platforms with the infrastructure and the development. For this, the target has been on the platform with the cross-platform that has been based on the user experience tool. With this, the performance builds on the mobile application which also indicates that there is a stronger correlation between the performance of the application and the satisfaction of the user. (Sharma et al., 2015). The cross platforms are for the reusable platforms with the leverage to use the HTML, CSS and the JavaScript which is the interface to the user. The performance is based on the research on mobile applications which completely indicates the stronger correlation. The mobile application testing relies on the testing of application which includes the mobile operating system with the Android SDK Emulator. The mobile web integrated development is based on testing, debugging and then packaging with the deployment of the mobile application with the devices like the Android and the Palm Pre. The mobile games have been for the different platforms and the technology which include the market share along with the standard platform for the mobile games and the performance limits. The porting has been in between the operating system of the mobile and the other developer community. Unity has been used for the mobile games where it also allows the developers for the efficient use of the hardware. The commercialized and the local multipurpose games have been to handle the games with the different parts which include the Google+ and the Facebook etc. (Casper et al., 2016). There is a need for the online protection which covers the identity and the devices with the sensitivity of the data. It is important to select the right security protocol for the different layers where their malware has the potential to plug them and then get infected. Hence, the traffic filtering, firewall are important for preventing the unauthorized access to the home network. The anti-spam and the spyware are for controlling and then detecting the block spyware attempts which can monitor the online activity with the protection of the children from accessing all the inappropriate content. Through this, there has been the elimination of the mal-advertising threats. (Perry et al., 2015). Conclusion The mobile applications are for the Mario 3D which can provide and allow the players to perceive the depth while viewing the screen of the game. Mario sets include the location and rescuing the patterns which are for the development of the efficient development and release of the game. (Bhagat et al., 2016). The mobile games have been through the special use of the hardware which is important for the communication to share the information of the game. Through this, there have been possibilities for the users to work on the distribution pattern and the binary file setup that is delivered to the mobile device through the wireless carrier network. Reference de Byl, P., 2014. Holistic mobile game development with Unity. Dunwell, I., Dixon, R. and Morosini, D., 2015, November. A mobile serious game for lifestyle change: Conveying nutritional knowledge and motivation through play. InInteractive Mobile Communication Technologies and Learning (IMCL), 2015 International Conference on(pp. 259-263). IEEE. Park, H.J., Han, K.I., Rhee, K.M. and Choi, B.G., 2015. A Study on the Development of an English Learning Tool for the Hearing-Impaired Using a Smart Phone with UNITY 3D.International Journal of Software Engineering and Its Applications,9(10), pp.59-64. Busch, C., Clanitz, S., Selmanagic, A. and Steinicke, M., 2015. Developing and Testing a Mobile Learning Games Framework.Electronic Journal of e-Learning,13(3), pp.151-166. Sharma, S. and Jerripothula, S., 2015, March. An indoor augmented reality mobile application for simulation of building evacuation. InSPIE/IST Electronic Imaging(pp. 939208-939208). International Society for Optics and Photonics. Harms, S. and Hastings, J., 2016, December. A cross-curricular approach to fostering innovation such as virtual reality development through student-led projects. InFrontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 2016 IEEE(pp. 1-9). IEEE. Casper Harteveld, Y.F. and Sutherland, S.C., 2016. Sustainable Life Cycle Game Design: Mixing Games and Reality to Transform Education. Bhagat, K.K., Liou, W.K. and Chang, C.Y., 2016. A cost-effective interactive 3D virtual reality system applied to military live firing training.Virtual Reality,20(2), pp.127-140. Thillainathan, N. and Leimeister, J.M., 2016. Educators as Game DevelopersModel-Driven Visual Programming of Serious Games. InKnowledge, Information and Creativity Support Systems(pp. 335-349). Springer International Publishing. Perry, G.T. and Eichler, M.L., 2015. Science Learning Games for Mobile Platforms.