Cnbc House of Cards Essay Example for Free

Cnbc House of Cards Essay Who the players are? Stakeholders? Technical and ethical issues are? What was the relationship about prices and personal incomes? People started to buy houses that they couldn’t afford and then they were left behind leaving. The economy is falling and so are the communities. Insects, graffiti, dirty pools are left behind since people are evicted and people don’t have were to go. The lenders are not responsive to customers who want to cooperate to pay for their debts. Wall street only cares about the money they can generate from this foreclosure. During the crisis thousands of people were relieved from their jobs MORTGAGE RATES Housing prices were rising faster than incomes making it impossible to keep with payments. The demand for the houses went down and prices SHOULD HAVE been that prices went down but they went up. People will not be able to pay making prices to fall but they didn’t fell. â€Å"Keep going until someone tells you no† (uniformed and uneducated in finance?) the person didn’t know what he was able to pay right now and in the future, and he asked until someone tell him that he couldn’t do so. BUT people keep buying houses. CHAPTER 2 MORTGAGE MARKET ON FIRE Subprime mortgage –mortgage for the credit challenged Freddie and Fannie – the leaders in mortgage lending Quick Loan – for people who couldn’t afford a down payment You didn’t need to prove how much you made, no verifying incomes or assets After 2001 things got crazy. Before 2001 it was difficult to get a loan because more verification was needed such as tax returns, how much you make, and down payment. They had good loans until 2001. **GSE’s accounting scandal (executives could make more bonuses) In 1999 GLB the banks became deregulated causing banks to become commercial banks and mortgage brokers. Fannie and Freddie buyed loans from mortgages firms. They stated the rules. Until this point they were dominant because they only bought loans in which their investments would pay off. Then came the accounting scandals and they are in the penalty box. After 9/11 interest rates were lowered by the government and now houses are more appealing (or just buying was more appealing). Countries that were once stated as poor become wealthy countries and after all this happened (9/11 and Fannie and Freddie). Moral hazard what Dallas say about the wires crossing. CHAPTER 3 – DREAM HOUSES In 2002 government pushed Wall Street and lenders to facilitate mortgages. Adjusting interest rate – low interest rates the first two years and later higher interest rates. He claimed that he made almost four times than what he actually did. Lots of refinancing and lots of spending by the population Irresponsibility by the black lady, she could afford it because the mortgage broker gave her the company’s money * but it reality she couldn’t afford it She should have done a down payment, she didn’t do it Its an adjustable rate instead of a fixed rate CHAPTER 4 – LEGIONS OF LENDERS 20-30 minutes to provide a loan Loan officers with no experience on the industry had the job to provide as much loans as they could, their job was to close the loans. Health problems by the dirty pools left behind CHAPTER 5 – STAMPS OF APPROVAL In 2004 home ownership rates were higher than ever and construction in over 20 years, but they were not sustainable. But we ran out of people who could afford mortgages and even we throw subprime loans. Greater mortgage alternatives rather than the fixed rate loans. Allen came up with the Pay Option Negative Amortization Adjustable Rate Mortgage. Traditional loans had full amortization, fixed rates, and a fixed payment. Instead of having a fixed rate then an adjustable rate was used making possible people to make their payments. The problem was that if it went up, then the borrowers will not be able to afford the payments anymore unless their incomes went up fast. Pay options were also available allowing the borrowers to choose lower payments and the balance of what you should pay and what you actually paid was added to the loan to have a negative amortization. The introductory low rates were called Teaser Rates. The goal was to make home ownership more affordable for more people. Michael Francis and other brokers in Wall Street knew that some of these loans are bad loans but they didn’t cared because they transferred all these loans to whoever wanted to buy them such as pension funds. They are just the intermediary or the pipeline. These pension funds could only buy AAA mortgage loan. The investors wanted to sell their loans to the pension funds but they needed to be rated AAA by these agencies. Their job was to evaluate the risk of the securities. What was the ethical issue here with the agencies? The riskier BBB looked as good as the triple AAA and they looked much safer than they used to be and they started to look more like a AAA security. So AAA requirement got lower as the market got smart. Moodies, SP, and Fitch are the three rating agencies. They didn’t give price but based on their ratings they got priced. The suggestion is that these agencies would come with the investment bankers. The business was getting more competitive so you just wanted to get more business or more business than the other agencies. When Anne Arundel was asked if standards lower she replied, The problem is that if you are the only person to know how these standards work, if investors are not paying attention and banks are only comparing what they will get from you instead of the other agency, then no one is paying attention. This means that the investors are not concerned about the standards but how much AAA securities they could get from each agency. Then no one is paying attention? They are the ones that came up with the ratings, so this is not a fair statement. The investment banks were the ones who hired the rating agencies and they controlled the â€Å"repeating game†. It doesn’t make sense because the investors are the ones who should have made these appraisals instead of the investment bankers. It was advantageous for the investment banks to get as many AAA as possible to sell them as fast as possible since they only accepted AAA securities. They are not responsible for pricing the securities but only to rate them. Your payment goes down and the interest rates went up and the difference was added to the principal. The three rating agencies provided which loans are risky and which ones are not. Investment rate goes from AAA to BBB and this were the ones acceptable. BBB sounded more safe than their used to be and the requirements for AAA were lowered. Rating agencies helped lenders to achieve these requirements but they reject these accusations. So mispricing of risk occurred because they wanted more business than the other agencies. CDO worked really well around the country and around the world. CHAPTER 6 – ARCTIC INVESTORS Takes place in Narvik Norway. The major of Narvik says that the town was getting fewer taxes so the town council took and loan to place the money in CDOs. They bought the securities from Terra. They didn’t know what they were buying but they knew they were AAA rating CDOs. Citigroup was selling CDOs to Terra who knew a little about them and sold them to municipalities like Narvik that didn’t knew anything about them. Narvik taxes levels were going down. The problem was that their inflow was too low, do they decide to take action and increase this inflow. Knowing the risk rating was more important than knowing what it was. CDOs you take lower rated securities and bundle them up and create AAA securities. Why there were CDOS because the AAA are easy to sell but the BBB higher risk are tougher to sell and if you don’t sell them all you don’t make profit. Wall Street investment bankers created these new products. Bill Dallas said it was like a frat party were people didn’t go home, we could have stop it but we didn’t stop it because if we had we are just one company we would have gone out of business and another company would have taken his business. This was not his strategy but these products were doing big money. They talked about greed, a lot. CHAPTER 7 INSIGHT INTO OUTSIGHT The banks were never contacted by the SEC of the FED according to Michael Francis. But don’t use this in the paper because we don’t know if its true. The FED said that they could have done something but unemployment would have gone to 10%. The lack of oversight †¦ allen grenspan (Federal Reserve) there are a number of things, that there is a little thragh in this business. It could have done it buy it would have been politically suicide. The SEC didn’t intervene because they assumed the banks would police themselves. CHAPTER 8 THE BIG WINNER Kyle Bass discovered that bad loans were being made by Quick Loan Funding and decided to bet that at some point they would go bad. He invested $1 billion. CHAPTER 9 A WORLD OF HURT Bill Dallas discovered in 2006 when most of the loans were going bad. Wall Street decided to stop buying these bad loans and no cash was going into the lenders so many lending companies started to close. Quick fund Lending and Own it by Bill Dallas closed. People were not able to make the payment son their loans so they decided to default the loans and the house of cards started to fall. Simmons blames herself and the industry because they made her the unpayable loan. Arturo Trevilla lost his home along with his dream to own a business. Some California neighborhoods became ghost towns filled with empty homes. Then homes prices began to fall and the global credit crisis began. In Norway people began to realize that their investment came to nothing or loses. The losses accounted a quarter of their budget. Narwik didn’t bought home CDOs but municipal bonds. The only winner was Kyle Bass by betting against the market. He made 600% in 18 months. Retail sales went down after the attacks of 9/11 and the country was still recovering from the .com bust and the economy needed money to be invested and money to be spent. The lower the interest rates the cheaper it is to loan. The cost of borrowing became cheaper than the past generation. Prime interest rates were cut down along with mortgage rates. But at the same time prices were rising faster than people’s incomes. The problem was that if prices were going up and people’s incomes at a slower rate, then less people will be able to buy a house and therefore the demand for houses will fall and causing prices to fall. But the reality was that the price and demand didn’t go down. You swing for the fences until someone tells you to stop. Subprime mortgage is a mortgage for the credit challenged and was created in California. Back then getting a mortgage was not easy because a lot of information was needed, such a visit, bank statements, and wait 90 days. You check two years tax returns fully documented. Bill Dallas was 30 years in the business. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were created by Congress to increase home ownership. They bought mortgage loans from mortgage lenders. They get cash in return and make more loans. They received constant flow from home owners and create the Mortgaged backed security. They dominated the market of mortgage backed security. They dictated the rules for lending. They only accepted loans from people that were able to make the monthly payments but the smaller morgages instutions wanted to change that. They wanted to make sure that everyone could afford a loan or a home and they saw the right opportunity when these two companies got into an accounting scandal and received a penalty. They lost their dominance in the mortgage industry. With no leaders lenders could bend the rules. Who took over? Wall Street. Michael Francis worked with a company that wanted to take over Freddie and Fannie’s place. After 2001 and 2002 the mortgage market got in fire because cash was abundant. Countries that were once poor now had money and they wanted to invest in something and Wall Street had what they were looking; securities backed by American homes and American borrowers. More revenue through more loans. There were no money down for people with good credit. Quick loan funding target people who couldn’t afford a down payment and had a bad credit; these are called subprime loans. You didn’t need to prove how much money you generated and it was called stated income. You didn’t need to look at assets either. The problem was that Wall Street said ok and they decided to buy them. In 2002 the Bush administration pushed people to have a home. Arturo Trevilla dreamed to have an own business and a home. He bought a home with an adjustable interest rates. The first two years with low interest rates and then with higher interest rates. His broker told him that his home’s price will go up and that he could make a cash loan to start his own business. The paperwork was tricky and he didn’t read the contract and couldn’t understand it. He knowingling signed that he generated four times his salary and that he could afford to pay his $584,000. Cynthia Simmons also craved a better life. She lived in a bad neighborhood in California and decided to get out of there. Compton was infested with gang warfare. For her own and her family’s safety she had to get away from Compton. An agent got her a house in New Belinda California, own of the best neighborhoods. Simmons said that her mortgage broker lied on her income and without her knowledge he signed to loans. More of these loans were made and Wall Street was loaded with cash as long with homeowners that had more cash. Retail sales were going up. With the value of their homes rising they were able to refinance their loans and put cash in their pockets to spend. Lots of refinancing and cash occurred. Home values were rising and the equity on their houses was also rising. With this people refinanced their loans and made restorations and improvements. It took a week to close the loan and the conversation was wrapped up in 20 to 30 minutes. The loan officers had incentives to close more loans to generate more fees. Loan officers had no training; including pizza deliverymen. Their training was to close the loan and no license was required. Daniel Sadek was the owner of Quick Loan Funding in 2002 and became a wealthy man. Daniel sold Mercedes to young kids who were loan officers and he realized he wanted in that business. The subprime business was booming. Frank Medina and wife refinanced their loan to finished the back yard and pay their credit cards. Kelly and Mark Gifford refinanced their loan again because the value of their homes were rising. People turned their homes into cash machines. Daniel was financed by many of the industries largest investors (citigroup, Wells Fargo, ben Bernsatein) and he didn’t had a degree and they secured his loans so that he could finance your loans. Wall street created a market for the worst mortgages. He never made a loan that WS will never buy. Almost always they found someone in WS to sell that loan. Bankers became intoxicated with the amount of loans they could sell to WS. (38:00 min) What did banks did? They made this mortgages and used the warehouse line of credit and made a lot of these funds and pooled them. The economic and political environment when it started? What is the long term for the product? Product that came out of Allen †¦ Explain all the parts Why was people taking loans? To achieve the American dream, to pull cash put to do anything such as pay debts, to buy a house, to refinance their mortgage and get a better rate What where the rating agencies job? To assign risk to the securities. One of the problems or moral hazard? Investment banks hired them to rate their securities (you cant say they did it to have more business). Prices were increasing higher that people’s incomes. The issue was that people were using the house as an investment and they were counting on them. Prices rising in the entire economy, and income at a lower pace, so fewer people can afford to buy houses. It can remain that way and Kyle Bass said that income should rise or houses should come down. GSC – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had two roles – they set the rules to what a good mortgage was and they stated the requirements for making a loan. They established what a good loan was. When they came back they bought subprime mortgages. They were regulated agencies and when they were taken out other unregulated agencies took their place. As long as there is someone that will buy something from you, it will continue to supply it. Liar loans? CDOs? Teaser rate? – The initial rate people pay because it is substantially lower before it adjusts. People were not concern that it will adjust because they were going to refinance the loan anyways.

Life and Death Essay -- essays research papers

What is this Book trying to teach us concerning the topic?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This book is trying to teach us, the readers, that there are five main stages that help us cope with a death of someone close or somebody that is going to die.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first stage that is mentioned in the book is Denial. Ross tells of how a person just does not want to be with anyone but himself or herself because they don’t know why God is choosing them to die at that present time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second stage Ms. Ross talks about is Denial. This stage is where the dieing patient just won’t admit to themselves or others that it is their time to go and meet their fate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third stage is Anger. This is when the dieing patient just hates everyone around them and doesn’t want to be bothered about the topic of their death. They just want to be alone with no outside contact. The fourth stage is Bargaining. Ms. Ross states that the dieing patient asks God as well telling their family and friends that he or she wants to spend just a little more time on Earth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last and final stage that Ms. Ross talks about is Acceptance. This stage tops off the whole process of dieing because once you reach this stage, you know that you did all you can do on Earth and you have told your family and friends everything you wanted to tell them before you die.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With these five stages, I learned that you can fully complete the process of death because they can help to live a happy, richer, and fuller life. What were the most powerful feelings you had in reading this book, and how did the book affect you personally?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most powerful feelings that I read in the book appealed to me in a very important way because they showed me how to cope with the death of a family member. One feeling was that I had was in the Special Forms of Communication chapter. This chapter talked about how to cope with a dieing person who was no longer able to communicate verbally. This is a very powerful message to me because my grandfather who past away just over a year ago this past September had two strokes and was not able to communicate verbally. Ms. Ross talked about how you need to use hand signals and to say things to th... ... for a person that deals with the life and death profession because it gives the professional a bigger edge on what is going on with the person who is experiencing a death or tragedy. How does Jesus’ teachings concerning death differ from the author’s views?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jesus’ teachings concerning death differ from those of Kubler-Ross’ because Jesus taught his people that you should accept death no matter how it comes to you because no matter what, God will love you because he is calling you to your real home, Heaven because he feels that you are ready to experience eternal life after your physical death. Jesus also taught us that God holds your fate in his hands and he is the only one that knows when your time is up and ready to meet your destiny with him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These teachings differ from the author’s views because the author teaches us that there are five stages of death and that everyone of us go through them before we die. Ross’ views reflect her opinions because she studied her work for a very long time before she could prove her opinions and therefore her opinions differ vastly from those of Jesus Christ, the Lord our God.

Angels Demons Chapter 130-133

130 The camerlegno began to feel the fog of wonder and adrenaline dissipating. As the Swiss Guard helped him down the Royal Staircase toward the Sistine Chapel, the camerlegno heard singing in St. Peter's Square and he knew that mountains had been moved. Grazie Dio. He had prayed for strength, and God had given it to him. At moments when he had doubted, God had spoken. Yours is a Holy mission, God had said. I will give you strength. Even with God's strength, the camerlegno had felt fear, questioning the righteousness of his path. If not you, God had challenged, then Who? If not now, then When? If not this way, then How? Jesus, God reminded him, had saved them all†¦ saved them from their own apathy. With two deeds, Jesus had opened their eyes. Horror and Hope. The crucifixion and the resurrection. He had changed the world. But that was millennia ago. Time had eroded the miracle. People had forgotten. They had turned to false idols – techno-deities and miracles of the mind. What about miracles of the heart! The camerlegno had often prayed to God to show him how to make the people believe again. But God had been silent. It was not until the camerlegno's moment of deepest darkness that God had come to him. Oh, the horror of that night! The camerlegno could still remember lying on the floor in tattered nightclothes, clawing at his own flesh, trying to purge his soul of the pain brought on by a vile truth he had just learned. It cannot be! he had screamed. And yet he knew it was. The deception tore at him like the fires of hell. The bishop who had taken him in, the man who had been like a father to him, the clergyman whom the camerlegno had stood beside while he rose to the papacy†¦ was a fraud. A common sinner. Lying to the world about a deed so traitorous at its core that the camerlegno doubted even God could forgive it. â€Å"Your vow!† the camerlegno had screamed at the Pope. â€Å"You broke your vow to God! You, of all men!† The Pope had tried to explain himself, but the camerlegno could not listen. He had run out, staggering blindly through the hallways, vomiting, tearing at his own skin, until he found himself bloody and alone, lying on the cold earthen floor before St. Peter's tomb. Mother Mary, what do I do? It was in that moment of pain and betrayal, as the camerlegno lay devastated in the Necropolis, praying for God to take him from this faithless world, that God had come. The voice in his head resounded like peals of thunder. â€Å"Did you vow to serve your God?† â€Å"Yes!† the camerlegno cried out. â€Å"Would you die for your God?† â€Å"Yes! Take me now!† â€Å"Would you die for your church?† â€Å"Yes! Please deliver me!† â€Å"But would you die for†¦ mankind?† It was in the silence that followed that the camerlegno felt himself falling into the abyss. He tumbled farther, faster, out of control. And yet he knew the answer. He had always known. â€Å"Yes!† he shouted into the madness. â€Å"I would die for man! Like your son, I would die for them!† Hours later, the camerlegno still lay shivering on his floor. He saw his mother's face. God has plans for you, she was saying. The camerlegno plunged deeper into madness. It was then God had spoken again. This time with silence. But the camerlegno understood. Restore their faith. If not me†¦ then who? If not now†¦ then when? As the guards unbolted the door of the Sistine Chapel, Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca felt the power moving in his veins†¦ exactly as it had when he was a boy. God had chosen him. Long ago. His will be done. The camerlegno felt reborn. The Swiss Guard had bandaged his chest, bathed him, and dressed him in a fresh white linen robe. They had also given him an injection of morphine for the burn. The camerlegno wished they had not given him painkillers. Jesus endured his pain for three days on the cross! He could already feel the drug uprooting his senses†¦ a dizzying undertow. As he walked into the chapel, he was not at all surprised to see the cardinals staring at him in wonder. They are in awe of God, he reminded himself. Not of me, but how God works THROUGH me. As he moved up the center aisle, he saw bewilderment in every face. And yet, with each new face he passed, he sensed something else in their eyes. What was it? The camerlegno had tried to imagine how they would receive him tonight. Joyfully? Reverently? He tried to read their eyes and saw neither emotion. It was then the camerlegno looked at the altar and saw Robert Langdon. 131 Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca stood in the aisle of the Sistine Chapel. The cardinals were all standing near the front of the church, turned, staring at him. Robert Langdon was on the altar beside a television that was on endless loop, playing a scene the camerlegno recognized but could not imagine how it had come to be. Vittoria Vetra stood beside him, her face drawn. The camerlegno closed his eyes for a moment, hoping the morphine was making him hallucinate and that when he opened them the scene might be different. But it was not. They knew. Oddly, he felt no fear. Show me the way, Father. Give me the words that I can make them see Your vision. But the camerlegno heard no reply. Father, We have come too far together to fail now. Silence. They do not understand what We have done. The camerlegno did not know whose voice he heard in his own mind, but the message was stark. And the truth shall set you free†¦ And so it was that Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca held his head high as he walked toward the front of the Sistine Chapel. As he moved toward the cardinals, not even the diffused light of the candles could soften the eyes boring into him. Explain yourself, the faces said. Make sense of this madness. Tell us our fears are wrong! Truth, the camerlegno told himself. Only truth. There were too many secrets in these walls†¦ one so dark it had driven him to madness. But from the madness had come the light. â€Å"If you could give your own soul to save millions,† the camerlegno said, as he moved down the aisle, â€Å"would you?† The faces in the chapel simply stared. No one moved. No one spoke. Beyond the walls, the joyous strains of song could be heard in the square. The camerlegno walked toward them. â€Å"Which is the greater sin? Killing one's enemy? Or standing idle while your true love is strangled?† They are singing in St. Peter's Square! The camerlegno stopped for a moment and gazed up at the ceiling of the Sistine. Michelangelo's God was staring down from the darkened vault†¦ and He seemed pleased. â€Å"I could no longer stand by,† the camerlegno said. Still, as he drew nearer, he saw no flicker of understanding in anyone's eyes. Didn't they see the radiant simplicity of his deeds? Didn't they see the utter necessity! It had been so pure. The Illuminati. Science and Satan as one. Resurrect the ancient fear. Then crush it. Horror and Hope. Make them believe again. Tonight, the power of the Illuminati had been unleashed anew†¦ and with glorious consequence. The apathy had evaporated. The fear had shot out across the world like a bolt of lightning, uniting the people. And then God's majesty had vanquished the darkness. I could not stand idly by! The inspiration had been God's own – appearing like a beacon in the camerlegno's night of agony. Oh, this faithless world! Someone must deliver them. You. If not you, who? You have been saved for a reason. Show them the old demons. Remind them of their fear. Apathy is death. Without darkness, there is no light. Without evil, there is no good. Make them choose. Dark or light. Where is the fear? Where are the heroes? If not now, when? The camerlegno walked up the center aisle directly toward the crowd of standing cardinals. He felt like Moses as the sea of red sashes and caps parted before him, allowing him to pass. On the altar, Robert Langdon switched off the television, took Vittoria's hand, and relinquished the altar. The fact that Robert Langdon had survived, the camerlegno knew, could only have been God's will. God had saved Robert Langdon. The camerlegno wondered why. The voice that broke the silence was the voice of the only woman in the Sistine Chapel. â€Å"You killed my father?† she said, stepping forward. When the camerlegno turned to Vittoria Vetra, the look on her face was one he could not quite understand – pain yes, but anger? Certainly she must understand. Her father's genius was deadly. He had to be stopped. For the good of Mankind. â€Å"He was doing God's work,† Vittoria said. â€Å"God's work is not done in a lab. It is done in the heart.† â€Å"My father's heart was pure! And his research proved – â€Å" â€Å"His research proved yet again that man's mind is progressing faster than his soul!† The camerlegno's voice was sharper than he had expected. He lowered his voice. â€Å"If a man as spiritual as your father could create a weapon like the one we saw tonight, imagine what an ordinary man will do with his technology.† â€Å"A man like you?† The camerlegno took a deep breath. Did she not see? Man's morality was not advancing as fast as man's science. Mankind was not spiritually evolved enough for the powers he possessed. We have never created a weapon we have not used! And yet he knew that antimatter was nothing – another weapon in man's already burgeoning arsenal. Man could already destroy. Man learned to kill long ago. And his mother's blood rained down. Leonardo Vetra's genius was dangerous for another reason. â€Å"For centuries,† the camerlegno said, â€Å"the church has stood by while science picked away at religion bit by bit. Debunking miracles. Training the mind to overcome the heart. Condemning religion as the opiate of the masses. They denounce God as a hallucination – a delusional crutch for those too weak to accept that life is meaningless. I could not stand by while science presumed to harness the power of God himself! Proof, you say? Yes, proof of science's ignorance! What is wrong with the admission that something exists beyond our understanding? The day science substantiates God in a lab is the day people stop needing faith!† â€Å"You mean the day they stop needing the church,† Vittoria challenged, moving toward him. â€Å"Doubt is your last shred of control. It is doubt that brings souls to you. Our need to know that life has meaning. Man's insecurity and need for an enlightened soul assuring him everything is part of a master plan. But the church is not the only enlightened soul on the planet! We all seek God in different ways. What are you afraid of? That God will show himself somewhere other than inside these walls? That people will find him in their own lives and leave your antiquated rituals behind? Religions evolve! The mind finds answers, the heart grapples with new truths. My father was on your quest! A parallel path! Why couldn't you see that? God is not some omnipotent authority looking down from above, threatening to throw us into a pit of fire if we disobey. God is the energy that flows through the synapses of our nervous system and the chambers of our hearts! God is in all things!â €  â€Å"Except science,† the camerlegno fired back, his eyes showing only pity. â€Å"Science, by definition, is soulless. Divorced from the heart. Intellectual miracles like antimatter arrive in this world with no ethical instructions attached. This in itself is perilous! But when science heralds its Godless pursuits as the enlightened path? Promising answers to questions whose beauty is that they have no answers?† He shook his head. â€Å"No.† There was a moment of silence. The camerlegno felt suddenly tired as he returned Vittoria's unbending stare. This was not how it was supposed to be. Is this God's final test? It was Mortati who broke the spell. â€Å"The preferiti,† he said in a horrified whisper. â€Å"Baggia and the others. Please tell me you did not†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The camerlegno turned to him, surprised by the pain in his voice. Certainly Mortati could understand. Headlines carried science's miracles every day. How long had it been for religion? Centuries? Religion needed a miracle! Something to awaken a sleeping world. Bring them back to the path of righteousness. Restore faith. The preferiti were not leaders anyway, they were transformers – liberals prepared to embrace the new world and abandon the old ways! This was the only way. A new leader. Young. Powerful. Vibrant. Miraculous. The preferiti served the church far more effectively in death than they ever could alive. Horror and Hope. Offer four souls to save millions. The world would remember them forever as martyrs. The church would raise glorious tribute to their names. How many thousands have died for the glory of God? They are only four. â€Å"The preferiti,† Mortati repeated. â€Å"I shared their pain,† the camerlegno defended, motioning to his chest. â€Å"And I too would die for God, but my work is only just begun. They are singing in St. Peter's Square!† The camerlegno saw the horror in Mortati's eyes and again felt confused. Was it the morphine? Mortati was looking at him as if the camerlegno himself had killed these men with his bare hands. I would do even that for God, the camerlegno thought, and yet he had not. The deeds had been carried out by the Hassassin – a heathen soul tricked into thinking he was doing the work of the Illuminati. I am Janus, the camerlegno had told him. I will prove my power. And he had. The Hassassin's hatred had made him God's pawn. â€Å"Listen to the singing,† the camerlegno said, smiling, his own heart rejoicing. â€Å"Nothing unites hearts like the presence of evil. Burn a church and the community rises up, holding hands, singing hymns of defiance as they rebuild. Look how they flock tonight. Fear has brought them home. Forge modern demons for modern man. Apathy is dead. Show them the face of evil – Satanists lurking among us – running our governments, our banks, our schools, threatening to obliterate the very House of God with their misguided science. Depravity runs deep. Man must be vigilant. Seek the goodness. Become the goodness!† In the silence, the camerlegno hoped they now understood. The Illuminati had not resurfaced. The Illuminati were long deceased. Only their myth was alive. The camerlegno had resurrected the Illuminati as a reminder. Those who knew the Illuminati history relived their evil. Those who did not, had learned of it and were amazed how blind they had been. The ancient demons had been resurrected to awaken an indifferent world. â€Å"But†¦ the brands?† Mortati's voice was stiff with outrage. The camerlegno did not answer. Mortati had no way of knowing, but the brands had been confiscated by the Vatican over a century ago. They had been locked away, forgotten and dust covered, in the Papal Vault – the Pope's private reliquary, deep within his Borgia apartments. The Papal Vault contained those items the church deemed too dangerous for anyone's eyes except the Pope's. Why did they hide that which inspired fear? Fear brought people to God! The vault's key was passed down from Pope to Pope. Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca had purloined the key and ventured inside; the myth of what the vault contained was bewitching – the original manuscript for the fourteen unpublished books of the Bible known as the Apocrypha, the third prophecy of Fatima, the first two having come true and the third so terrifying the church would never reveal it. In addition to these, the camerlegno had found the Illuminati Collection – all the secrets the church had uncovered after banishing the group from Rome†¦ their contemptible Path of Illumination†¦ the cunning deceit of the Vatican's head artist, Bernini†¦ Europe's top scientists mocking religion as they secretly assembled in the Vatican's own Castle St. Angelo. The collection included a pentagon box containing iron brands, one of them the mythical Illuminati Diamond. This was a part of Vatican history the ancients thought best forgotten. The camerlegno, however, had dis agreed. â€Å"But the antimatter†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Vittoria demanded. â€Å"You risked destroying the Vatican!† â€Å"There is no risk when God is at your side,† the camerlegno said. â€Å"This cause was His.† â€Å"You're insane!† she seethed. â€Å"Millions were saved.† â€Å"People were killed!† â€Å"Souls were saved.† â€Å"Tell that to my father and Max Kohler!† â€Å"CERN's arrogance needed to be revealed. A droplet of liquid that can vaporize a half mile? And you call me mad?† The camerlegno felt a rage rising in him. Did they think his was a simple charge? â€Å"Those who believe undergo great tests for God! God asked Abraham to sacrifice his child! God commanded Jesus to endure crucifixion! And so we hang the symbol of the crucifix before our eyes – bloody, painful, agonizing – to remind us of evil's power! To keep our hearts vigilant! The scars on Jesus' body are a living reminder of the powers of darkness! My scars are a living reminder! Evil lives, but the power of God will overcome!† His shouts echoed off the back wall of the Sistine Chapel and then a profound silence fell. Time seemed to stop. Michelangelo's Last Judgment rose ominously behind him†¦ Jesus casting sinners into hell. Tears brimmed in Mortati's eyes. â€Å"What have you done, Carlo?† Mortati asked in a whisper. He closed his eyes, and a tear rolled. â€Å"His Holiness?† A collective sigh of pain went up, as if everyone in the room had forgotten until that very moment. The Pope. Poisoned. â€Å"A vile liar,† the camerlegno said. Mortati looked shattered. â€Å"What do you mean? He was honest! He†¦ loved you.† â€Å"And I him.† Oh, how I loved him! But the deceit! The broken vows to God! The camerlegno knew they did not understand right now, but they would. When he told them, they would see! His Holiness was the most nefarious deceiver the church had ever seen. The camerlegno still remembered that terrible night. He had returned from his trip to CERN with news of Vetra's Genesis and of antimatter's horrific power. The camerlegno was certain the Pope would see the perils, but the Holy Father saw only hope in Vetra's breakthrough. He even suggested the Vatican fund Vetra's work as a gesture of goodwill toward spiritually based scientific research. Madness! The church investing in research that threatened to make the church obsolete? Work that spawned weapons of mass destruction? The bomb that had killed his mother†¦ â€Å"But†¦ you can't!† the camerlegno had exclaimed. â€Å"I owe a deep debt to science,† the Pope had replied. â€Å"Something I have hidden my entire life. Science gave me a gift when I was a young man. A gift I have never forgotten.† â€Å"I don't understand. What does science have to offer a man of God?† â€Å"It is complicated,† the Pope had said. â€Å"I will need time to make you understand. But first, there is a simple fact about me that you must know. I have kept it hidden all these years. I believe it is time I told you.† Then the Pope had told him the astonishing truth. 132 The camerlegno lay curled in a ball on the dirt floor in front of St. Peter's tomb. The Necropolis was cold, but it helped clot the blood flowing from the wounds he had torn at his own flesh. His Holiness would not find him here. Nobody would find him here†¦ â€Å"It is complicated,† the Pope's voice echoed in his mind. â€Å"I will need time to make you understand†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But the camerlegno knew no amount of time could make him understand. Liar! I believed in you! GOD believed in you! With a single sentence, the Pope had brought the camerlegno's world crashing down around him. Everything the camerlegno had ever believed about his mentor was shattered before his eyes. The truth drilled into the camerlegno's heart with such force that he staggered backward out of the Pope's office and vomited in the hallway. â€Å"Wait!† the Pope had cried, chasing after him. â€Å"Please let me explain!† But the camerlegno ran off. How could His Holiness expect him to endure any more? Oh, the wretched depravity of it! What if someone else found out? Imagine the desecration to the church! Did the Pope's holy vows mean nothing? The madness came quickly, screaming in his ears, until he awoke before St. Peter's tomb. It was then that God came to him with an awesome fierceness. Yours is a Vengeful God! Together, they made their plans. Together they would protect the church. Together they would restore faith to this faithless world. Evil was everywhere. And yet the world had become immune! Together they would unveil the darkness for the world to see†¦ and God would overcome! Horror and Hope. Then the world would believe! God's first test had been less horrible than the camerlegno imagined. Sneaking into the Papal bed chambers†¦ filling his syringe†¦ covering the deceiver's mouth as his body spasmed into death. In the moonlight, the camerlegno could see in the Pope's wild eyes there was something he wanted to say. But it was too late. The Pope had said enough. 133 â€Å"The Pope fathered a child.† Inside the Sistine Chapel, the camerlegno stood unwavering as he spoke. Five solitary words of astonishing disclosure. The entire assembly seemed to recoil in unison. The cardinals' accusing miens evaporated into aghast stares, as if every soul in the room were praying the camerlegno was wrong. The Pope fathered a child. Langdon felt the shock wave hit him too. Vittoria's hand, tight in his, jolted, while Langdon's mind, already numb with unanswered questions, wrestled to find a center of gravity. The camerlegno's utterance seemed like it would hang forever in the air above them. Even in the camerlegno's frenzied eyes, Langdon could see pure conviction. Langdon wanted to disengage, tell himself he was lost in some grotesque nightmare, soon to wake up in a world that made sense. â€Å"This must be a lie!† one of the cardinals yelled. â€Å"I will not believe it!† another protested. â€Å"His Holiness was as devout a man as ever lived!† It was Mortati who spoke next, his voice thin with devastation. â€Å"My friends. What the camerlegno says is true.† Every cardinal in the chapel spun as though Mortati had just shouted an obscenity. â€Å"The Pope indeed fathered a child.† The cardinals blanched with dread. The camerlegno looked stunned. â€Å"You knew? But†¦ how could you possibly know this?† Mortati sighed. â€Å"When His Holiness was elected†¦ I was the Devil's Advocate.† There was a communal gasp. Langdon understood. This meant the information was probably true. The infamous â€Å"Devil's Advocate† was the authority when it came to scandalous information inside the Vatican. Skeletons in a Pope's closet were dangerous, and prior to elections, secret inquiries into a candidate's background were carried out by a lone cardinal who served as the â€Å"Devil's Advocate† – that individual responsible for unearthing reasons why the eligible cardinals should not become Pope. The Devil's Advocate was appointed in advance by the reigning Pope in preparation for his own death. The Devil's Advocate was never supposed to reveal his identity. Ever. â€Å"I was the Devil's Advocate,† Mortati repeated. â€Å"That is how I found out.† Mouths dropped. Apparently tonight was a night when all the rules were going out the window. The camerlegno felt his heart filling with rage. â€Å"And you†¦ told no one?† â€Å"I confronted His Holiness,† Mortati said. â€Å"And he confessed. He explained the entire story and asked only that I let my heart guide my decision as to whether or not to reveal his secret.† â€Å"And your heart told you to bury the information?† â€Å"He was the runaway favorite for the papacy. People loved him. The scandal would have hurt the church deeply.† â€Å"But he fathered a child! He broke his sacred vow of celibacy!† The camerlegno was screaming now. He could hear his mother's voice. A promise to God is the most important promise of all. Never break a promise to God. â€Å"The Pope broke his vow!† Mortati looked delirious with angst. â€Å"Carlo, his love†¦ was chaste. He had broken no vow. He didn't explain it to you?† â€Å"Explain what?† The camerlegno remembered running out of the Pope's office while the Pope was calling to him. Let me explain! Slowly, sadly, Mortati let the tale unfold. Many years ago, the Pope, when he was still just a priest, had fallen in love with a young nun. Both of them had taken vows of celibacy and never even considered breaking their covenant with God. Still, as they fell deeper in love, although they could resist the temptations of the flesh, they both found themselves longing for something they never expected – to participate in God's ultimate miracle of creation – a child. Their child. The yearning, especially in her, became overwhelming. Still, God came first. A year later, when the frustration had reached almost unbearable proportions, she came to him in a whirl of excitement. She had just read an article about a new miracle of science – a process by which two people, without ever having sexual relations, could have a child. She sensed this was a sign from God. The priest could see the happiness in her eyes and agreed. A year later she had a child through the miracle of artificial insemination†¦ â€Å"This cannot†¦ be true,† the camerlegno said, panicked, hoping it was the morphine washing over his senses. Certainly he was hearing things. Mortati now had tears in his eyes. â€Å"Carlo, this is why His Holiness has always had an affection for the sciences. He felt he owed a debt to science. Science let him experience the joys of fatherhood without breaking his vow of celibacy. His Holiness told me he had no regrets except one – that his advancing stature in the church prohibited him from being with the woman he loved and seeing his infant grow up.† Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca felt the madness setting in again. He wanted to claw at his flesh. How could I have known? â€Å"The Pope committed no sin, Carlo. He was chaste.† â€Å"But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The camerlegno searched his anguished mind for any kind of rationale. â€Å"Think of the jeopardy†¦ of his deeds.† His voice felt weak. â€Å"What if this whore of his came forward? Or, heaven forbid, his child? Imagine the shame the church would endure.† Mortati's voice was tremulous. â€Å"The child has already come forward.† Everything stopped. â€Å"Carlo†¦?† Mortati crumbled. â€Å"His Holiness's child†¦ is you.† At that moment, the camerlegno could feel the fire of faith dim in his heart. He stood trembling on the altar, framed by Michelangelo's towering Last Judgment. He knew he had just glimpsed hell itself. He opened his mouth to speak, but his lips wavered, soundless. â€Å"Don't you see?† Mortati choked. â€Å"That is why His Holiness came to you in the hospital in Palermo when you were a boy. That is why he took you in and raised you. The nun he loved was Maria†¦ your mother. She left the nunnery to raise you, but she never abandoned her strict devotion to God. When the Pope heard she had died in an explosion and that you, his son, had miraculously survived†¦ he swore to God he would never leave you alone again. Carlo, your parents were both virgins. They kept their vows to God. And still they found a way to bring you into the world. You were their miraculous child.† The camerlegno covered his ears, trying to block out the words. He stood paralyzed on the altar. Then, with his world yanked from beneath him, he fell violently to his knees and let out a wail of anguish. Seconds. Minutes. Hours. Time seemed to have lost all meaning inside the four walls of the chapel. Vittoria felt herself slowly breaking free of the paralysis that seemed to have gripped them all. She let go of Langdon's hand and began moving through the crowd of cardinals. The chapel door seemed miles away, and she felt like she was moving underwater†¦ slow motion. As she maneuvered through the robes, her motion seemed to pull others from their trance. Some of the cardinals began to pray. Others wept. Some turned to watch her go, their blank expressions turning slowly to a foreboding cognition as she moved toward the door. She had almost reached the back of the crowd when a hand caught her arm. The touch was frail but resolute. She turned, face to face with a wizened cardinal. His visage was clouded by fear. â€Å"No,† the man whispered. â€Å"You cannot.† Vittoria stared, incredulous. Another cardinal was at her side now. â€Å"We must think before we act.† And another. â€Å"The pain this could cause†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Vittoria was surrounded. She looked at them all, stunned. â€Å"But these deeds here today, tonight†¦ certainly the world should know the truth.† â€Å"My heart agrees,† the wizened cardinal said, still holding her arm, â€Å"and yet it is a path from which there is no return. We must consider the shattered hopes. The cynicism. How could the people ever trust again?† Suddenly, more cardinals seemed to be blocking her way. There was a wall of black robes before her. â€Å"Listen to the people in the square,† one said. â€Å"What will this do to their hearts? We must exercise prudence.† â€Å"We need time to think and pray,† another said. â€Å"We must act with foresight. The repercussions of this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"He killed my father!† Vittoria said. â€Å"He killed his own father!† â€Å"I'm certain he will pay for his sins,† the cardinal holding her arm said sadly. Vittoria was certain too, and she intended to ensure he paid. She tried to push toward the door again, but the cardinals huddled closer, their faces frightened. â€Å"What are you going to do?† she exclaimed. â€Å"Kill me?† The old men blanched, and Vittoria immediately regretted her words. She could see these men were gentle souls. They had seen enough violence tonight. They meant no threat. They were simply trapped. Scared. Trying to get their bearings. â€Å"I want†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the wizened cardinal said, â€Å"†¦ to do what is right.† â€Å"Then you will let her out,† a deep voice declared behind her. The words were calm but absolute. Robert Langdon arrived at her side, and she felt his hand take hers. â€Å"Ms. Vetra and I are leaving this chapel. Right now.† Faltering, hesitant, the cardinals began to step aside. â€Å"Wait!† It was Mortati. He moved toward them now, down the center aisle, leaving the camerlegno alone and defeated on the altar. Mortati looked older all of a sudden, wearied beyond his years. His motion was burdened with shame. He arrived, putting a hand on Langdon's shoulder and one on Vittoria's as well. Vittoria felt sincerity in his touch. The man's eyes were more tearful now. â€Å"Of course you are free to go,† Mortati said. â€Å"Of course.† The man paused, his grief almost tangible. â€Å"I ask only this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stared down at his feet a long moment then back up at Vittoria and Langdon. â€Å"Let me do it. I will go into the square right now and find a way. I will tell them. I don't know how†¦ but I will find a way. The church's confession should come from within. Our failures should be our own to expose.† Mortati turned sadly back toward the altar. â€Å"Carlo, you have brought this church to a disastrous juncture.† He paused, looking around. The altar was bare. There was a rustle of cloth down the side aisle, and the door clicked shut. The camerlegno was gone.

Kant s Philosophy On Moral Philosophy Essay - 1519 Words

Although Kant s philosophy, outlined in The Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, has some value as a moral guide, it alone is not always sufficient. After analysing Kant s objective moral imperative, I will show that implementing his philosophy has the potential to permit what is considered to be immoral. This is due to its rigid conditions, which are formed on the basis that he believes in the existence of a perfect morality that always holds true. However, I will argue that there is not a perfect form of morality; and due to this, there are situations where a less rigid moral law, based on subjective experience, is considered more morally permissible. I will propose that by adding a subjective formulation which is evaluated against an objective utilitarian goodness, Kant s categorical imperative becomes a more reliable moral guide. My essay will not examine the nature of a perfectly objective utilitarian goodness, but will instead show it s functionality in evaluating the mor al permissibility of actions. Kant s moral philosophy is rigid due to his belief that a perfect form of morality exists. This perfect form is the only truly moral action because it is, due to its origin of pure reason, intrinsically good; thus, it alone should be followed. He demonstrates this by showing that from using the opposite of this, common practical reason, . . . there arises a natural dialectic, that is, a propensity to rationalize against those strict laws of duty and to castShow MoreRelatedKant And Kant s Moral Philosophy Essay1709 Words   |  7 PagesApproaches in Moral Philosophy Every moral philosopher has their own moral approach and method to arriving at a moral decision. This is an overview of Kant, Mill, Aristotle and Held s moral approaches as well as their similarities and differences to each other. 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We end up distorting ones views and perhaps even our own when we tell a lie that can lead to a snowball effect. Immanuel Kant has some of the strictest views on lying, and some philosophers claim there is something erroneousRead MoreKant s Philosophy Of Ethics And Moral Reasoning1432 Words   |  6 Pageshis book, â€Å"Critique of Practical Reason,† Immanuel Kant outlines his philosophy of ethics and moral reasoning. He introduces the reader to the Fundamental Law of Pure Practical Reason in chapter one of the Analytic. The Universal Law is a categorical imperative, which states: â€Å"So act that the maxim of your will could always hold at the same time as a principle in a giving of universal law† (Kant, 1993, p. 30). 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