The Da Vinci Code Chapter 44-47

CHAPTER 44 â€Å"Ten digits,† Sophie said, her cryptologic senses tingling as she studied the printout. 13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5 Grand-pere wrote his account number on the Louvre floor! When Sophie had first seen the scrambled Fibonacci sequence on the parquet, she had assumed its sole purpose was to encourage DCPJ to call in their cryptographers and get Sophie involved.Later, she realized the numbers were also a clue as to how to decipher the other lines – a sequence out of order†¦a numeric anagram.Now, utterly amazed, she saw the numbers had a more important meaning still. They were almost certainly the final key to opening her grandfather's mysterious safe- deposit box. â€Å"He was the master of double-entendres,† Sophie said, turning to Langdon. â€Å"He loved anything with multiple layers of meaning. Codes within codes.† Langdon was already moving toward the electronic podium near the conveyor belt. Sophie grabbed the computer printout and followed. The podium had a keypad similar to that of a bank ATM terminal. The screen displayed the bank's cruciform logo. Beside the keypad was a triangular hole. Sophie wasted no time inserting the shaft of her key into the hole. The screen refreshed instantly. ACCOUNT NUMBER: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The cursor blinked. Waiting. Ten digits.Sophie read the numbers off the printout, and Langdon typed them in. ACCOUNT NUMBER: 1 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 8 5 When he had typed the last digit, the screen refreshed again. A message in several languages appeared. English was on top. CAUTION: Before you strike the enter key, please check the accuracy of your account number. For your own security, if the computer does not recognize your account number, this system will automatically shut down. â€Å"Fonction terminer,†Sophie said, frowning. â€Å"Looks like we only get one try.† Standard ATM machines allowed users three attempts to type a PIN before confiscating their bank card. This was obviously no ordinary cash machine. â€Å"The number looks right,† Langdon confirmed, carefully checking what they had typed and comparing it to the printout. He motioned to the ENTER key. â€Å"Fire away.† Sophie extended her index finger toward the keypad, but hesitated, an odd thought now hitting her. â€Å"Go ahead,† Langdon urged. â€Å"Vernet will be back soon.† â€Å"No.† She pulled her hand away. â€Å"This isn't the right account number.† â€Å"Of course it is! Ten digits. What else would it be?† â€Å"It's too random.† Too random? Langdon could not have disagreed more. Every bank advised its customers to choose PINs at random so nobody could guess them. Certainly clients here would be advised to choose their account numbers at random. Sophie deleted everything she had just typed in and looked up at Langdon, her gaze self-assured.† It's far too coincidental that this supposedly random account number could be rearranged to form the Fibonacci sequence.† Langdon realized she had a point. Earlier, Sophie had rearranged this account number into the Fibonacci sequence. What were the odds of being able to do that? Sophie was at the keypad again, entering a different number, as if from memory. â€Å"Moreover, with my grandfather's love of symbolism and codes, it seems to follow that he would have chosen an account number that had meaning to him, something he could easily remember.† She finished typing the entry and gave a sly smile. â€Å"Something that appeared random†¦ but was not.† Langdon looked at the screen. ACCOUNT NUMBER: 1123581321 It took him an instant, but when Langdon spotted it, he knew she was right. The Fibonacci sequence. 1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21 When the Fibonacci sequence was melded into a single ten-digit number, it became virtually unrecognizable. Easy to remember, and yet seemingly random.A brilliant ten-digit code that Sauniere would never forget. Furthermore, it perfectly explained why the scrambled numbers on the Louvre floor could be rearranged to form the famous progression. Sophie reached down and pressed the ENTER key. Nothing happened. At least nothing they could detect. At that moment, beneath them, in the bank's cavernous subterranean vault, a robotic claw sprang to life. Sliding on a double-axis transport system attached to the ceiling, the claw headed off in search of the proper coordinates. On the cement floor below, hundreds of identical plastic crates lay aligned on an enormous grid†¦ like rows of small coffins in an underground crypt. Whirring to a stop over the correct spot on the floor, the claw dropped down, an electric eye confirming the bar code on the box. Then, with computer precision, the claw grasped the heavy handle and hoisted the crate vertically. New gears engaged, and the claw transported the box to the far side of the vault, coming to a stop over a stationary conveyor belt. Gently now, the retrieval arm set down the crate and retracted. Once the arm was clear, the conveyor belt whirred to life†¦ . Upstairs, Sophie and Langdon exhaled in relief to see the conveyor belt move. Standing beside the belt, they felt like weary travelers at baggage claim awaiting a mysterious piece of luggage whose contents were unknown. The conveyor belt entered the room on their right through a narrow slit beneath a retractable door. The metal door slid up, and a huge plastic box appeared, emerging from the depths on the inclined conveyor belt. The box was black, heavy molded plastic, and far larger than she imagined. It looked like an air-freight pet transport crate without any air holes. The box coasted to a stop directly in front of them. Langdon and Sophie stood there, silent, staring at the mysterious container. Like everything else about this bank, this crate was industrial – metal clasps, a bar code sticker on top, and molded heavy-duty handle. Sophie thought it looked like a giant toolbox. Wasting no time, Sophie unhooked the two buckles facing her. Then she glanced over at Langdon. Together, they raised the heavy lid and let it fall back. Stepping forward, they peered down into the crate. At first glance, Sophie thought the crate was empty. Then she saw something. Sitting at the bottom of the crate. A lone item. The polished wooden box was about the size of a shoebox and had ornate hinges. The wood was a lustrous deep purple with a strong grain. Rosewood, Sophie realized. Her grandfather's favorite. The lid bore a beautiful inlaid design of a rose. She and Langdon exchanged puzzled looks. Sophie leaned in and grabbed the box, lifting it out. My God, it's heavy! She carried it gingerly to a large receiving table and set it down. Langdon stood beside her, both of them staring at the small treasure chest her grandfather apparently had sent them to retrieve. Langdon stared in wonderment at the lid's hand-carved inlay – a five-petal rose. He had seen this type of rose many times. â€Å"The five-petal rose,† he whispered,† is a Priory symbol for the Holy Grail.† Sophie turned and looked at him. Langdon could see what she was thinking, and he was thinking it too. The dimensions of the box, the apparent weight of its contents, and a Priory symbol for the Grail all seemed to imply one unfathomable conclusion. The Cup of Christ is in this wooden box. Langdon again told himself it was impossible. â€Å"It's a perfect size,† Sophie whispered,† to hold†¦ a chalice.† It can't be a chalice. Sophie pulled the box toward her across the table, preparing to open it. As she moved it, though, something unexpected happened. The box let out an odd gurgling sound. Langdon did a double take. There's liquid inside? Sophie looked equally confused. â€Å"Did you just hear†¦ ?† Langdon nodded, lost. â€Å"Liquid.† Reaching forward, Sophie slowly unhooked the clasp and raised the lid. The object inside was unlike anything Langdon had ever seen. One thing was immediately clear to both of them, however. This was definitely not the Cup of Christ. CHAPTER 45 â€Å"The police are blocking the street,† Andre Vernet said, walking into the waiting room. â€Å"Getting you out will be difficult.† As he closed the door behind him, Vernet saw the heavy-duty plastic case on the conveyor belt and halted in his tracks. My God! They accessed Sauniere's account? Sophie and Langdon were at the table, huddling over what looked to be a large wooden jewelry box. Sophie immediately closed the lid and looked up. â€Å"We had the account number after all,† she said. Vernet was speechless. This changed everything. He respectfully diverted his eyes from the box and tried to figure out his next move. I have to get them out of the bank! But with the police already having set up a roadblock, Vernet could imagine only one way to do that. â€Å"Mademoiselle Neveu, if I can get you safely out of the bank, will you be taking the item with you or returning it to the vault before you leave?† Sophie glanced at Langdon and then back to Vernet. â€Å"We need to take it.† Vernet nodded. â€Å"Very well. Then whatever the item is, I suggest you wrap it in your jacket as we move through the hallways. I would prefer nobody else see it.† As Langdon shed his jacket, Vernet hurried over to the conveyor belt, closed the now empty crate, and typed a series of simple commands. The conveyor belt began moving again, carrying the plastic container back down to the vault. Pulling the gold key from the podium, he handed it to Sophie. â€Å"This way please. Hurry.† When they reached the rear loading dock, Vernet could see the flash of police lights filtering through the underground garage. He frowned. They were probably blocking the ramp. Am I really going to try to pull this off? He was sweating now. Vernet motioned to one of the bank's small armored trucks. Transport sur was another service offered by the Depository Bank of Zurich. â€Å"Get in the cargo hold,† he said, heaving open the massive rear door and motioning to the glistening steel compartment. â€Å"I'll be right back.† As Sophie and Langdon climbed in, Vernet hurried across the loading dock to the dock overseer's office, let himself in, collected the keys for the truck, and found a driver's uniform jacket and cap. Shedding his own suit coat and tie, he began to put on the driver's jacket. Reconsidering, he donned a shoulder holster beneath the uniform. On his way out, he grabbed a driver's pistol from the rack, put in a clip, and stuffed it in the holster, buttoning his uniform over it. Returning to the truck, Vernet pulled the driver's cap down low and peered in at Sophie and Langdon, who were standing inside the empty steel box. â€Å"You'll want this on,† Vernet said, reaching inside and flicking a wall switch to illuminate the lone courtesy bulb on the hold's ceiling. â€Å"And you'd better sit down. Not a sound on our way out the gate.† Sophie and Langdon sat down on the metal floor. Langdon cradled the treasure wadded in his tweed jacket. Swinging the heavy doors closed, Vernet locked them inside. Then he got in behind the wheel and revved the engine. As the armored truck lumbered toward the top of the ramp, Vernet could feel the sweat already collecting beneath his driver's cap. He could see there were far more police lights in front than he had imagined. As the truck powered up the ramp, the interior gate swung inward to let him pass. Vernet advanced and waited while the gate behind him closed before pulling forward and tripping the next sensor. The second gate opened, and the exit beckoned. Except for the police car blocking the top of the ramp. Vernet dabbed his brow and pulled forward. A lanky officer stepped out and waved him to a stop a few meters from the roadblock. Four patrol cars were parked out front. Vernet stopped. Pulling his driver's cap down farther, he effected as rough a facade as his cultured upbringing would allow. Not budging from behind the wheel, he opened the door and gazed down at the agent, whose face was stern and sallow. â€Å"Qu'est-ce qui se passe?† Vernet asked, his tone rough. â€Å"Je suis Jerome Collet,† the agent said. â€Å"Lieutenant Police Judiciaire.† He motioned to the truck's cargo hold. â€Å"Qu'est-ce qu'ily a la dedans?† â€Å"Hell if I know,† Vernet replied in crude French. â€Å"I'm only a driver.† Collet looked unimpressed. â€Å"We're looking for two criminals.† Vernet laughed. â€Å"Then you came to the right spot. Some of these bastards I drive for have so much money they must be criminals.† The agent held up a passport picture of Robert Langdon. â€Å"Was this man in your bank tonight?† Vernet shrugged. â€Å"No clue. I'm a dock rat. They don't let us anywhere near the clients. You need to go in and ask the front desk.† â€Å"Your bank is demanding a search warrant before we can enter.† Vernet put on a disgusted look. â€Å"Administrators. Don't get me started.† â€Å"Open your truck, please.† Collet motioned toward the cargo hold. Vernet stared at the agent and forced an obnoxious laugh. â€Å"Open the truck? You think I have keys? You think they trust us? You should see the crap wages I get paid.† The agent's head tilted to one side, his skepticism evident. â€Å"You're telling me you don't have keys to your own truck?† Vernet shook his head. â€Å"Not the cargo area. Ignition only. These trucks get sealed by overseers on the loading dock. Then the truck sits in dock while someone drives the cargo keys to the drop-off. Once we get the call that the cargo keys are with the recipient, then I get the okay to drive. Not a second before. I never know what the hell I'm lugging.† â€Å"When was this truck sealed?† â€Å"Must have been hours ago. I'm driving all the way up to St. Thurial tonight. Cargo keys are already up there.† The agent made no response, his eyes probing as if trying to read Vernet's mind. A drop of sweat was preparing to slide down Vernet's nose. â€Å"You mind?† he said, wiping his nose with his sleeve and motioning to the police car blocking his way. â€Å"I'm on a tight schedule.† â€Å"Do all the drivers wear Rolexes?† the agent asked, pointing to Vernet's wrist. Vernet glanced down and saw the glistening band of his absurdly expensive watch peeking out from beneath the sleeve of his jacket. Merde. â€Å"This piece of shit? Bought it for twenty euro from a Taiwanese street vendor in St. Germain des Pres. I'll sell it to you for forty.† The agent paused and finally stepped aside. â€Å"No thanks. Have a safe trip.† Vernet did not breathe again until the truck was a good fifty meters down the street. And now he had another problem. His cargo. Where do I take them? CHAPTER 46 Silas lay prone on the canvas mat in his room, allowing the lash wounds on his back to clot in the air. Tonight's second session with the Discipline had left him dizzy and weak. He had yet to remove the cilice belt, and he could feel the blood trickling down his inner thigh. Still, he could not justify removing the strap. I have failed the Church. Far worse, I have failed the bishop. Tonight was supposed to be Bishop Aringarosa's salvation. Five months ago, the bishop had returned from a meeting at the Vatican Observatory, where he had learned something that left him deeply changed. Depressed for weeks, Aringarosa had finally shared the news with Silas. â€Å"But this is impossible!† Silas had cried out. â€Å"I cannot accept it!† â€Å"It is true,† Aringarosa said. â€Å"Unthinkable, but true. In only six months.† The bishop's words terrified Silas. He prayed for deliverance, and even in those dark days, his trust in God and The Way never wavered. It was only a month later that the clouds parted miraculously and the light of possibility shone through. Divine intervention, Aringarosa had called it. The bishop had seemed hopeful for the first time. â€Å"Silas,† he whispered,† God has bestowed upon us an opportunity to protect The Way. Our battle, like all battles, will take sacrifice. Will you be a soldier of God?† Silas fell to his knees before Bishop Aringarosa – the man who had given him a new life – and he said,† I am a lamb of God. Shepherd me as your heart commands.† When Aringarosa described the opportunity that had presented itself, Silas knew it could only be the hand of God at work. Miraculous fate! Aringarosa put Silas in contact with the man who had proposed the plan – a man who called himself the Teacher. Although the Teacher and Silas never met face-to-face, each time they spoke by phone, Silas was awed, both by the profundity of the Teacher's faith and by the scope of his power. The Teacher seemed to be a man who knew all, a man with eyes and ears in all places. How the Teacher gathered his information, Silas did not know, but Aringarosa had placed enormous trust in the Teacher, and he had told Silas to do the same. â€Å"Do as the Teacher commands you,† the bishop told Silas. â€Å"And we will be victorious.† Victorious.Silas now gazed at the bare floor and feared victory had eluded them. The Teacher had been tricked. The keystone was a devious dead end. And with the deception, all hope had vanished. Silas wished he could call Bishop Aringarosa and warn him, but the Teacher had removed all their lines of direct communication tonight. For our safety. Finally, overcoming enormous trepidation, Silas crawled to his feet and found his robe, which lay on the floor. He dug his cell phone from the pocket. Hanging his head in shame, he dialed. â€Å"Teacher,† he whispered,† all is lost.† Silas truthfully told the man how he had been tricked.† You lose your faith too quickly,† the Teacher replied. â€Å"I have just received news. Most unexpected and welcome. The secret lives. Jacques Sauniere transferred information before he died. I will call you soon. Our work tonight is not yet done.† CHAPTER 47 Riding inside the dimly lit cargo hold of the armored truck was like being transported inside a cell for solitary confinement. Langdon fought the all too familiar anxiety that haunted him in confined spaces. Vernet said he would take us a safe distance out of the city.Where? How far? Langdon's legs had gotten stiff from sitting cross-legged on the metal floor, and he shifted his position, wincing to feel the blood pouring back into his lower body. In his arms, he still clutched the bizarre treasure they had extricated from the bank. â€Å"I think we're on the highway now,† Sophie whispered. Langdon sensed the same thing. The truck, after an unnerving pause atop the bank ramp, had moved on, snaking left and right for a minute or two, and was now accelerating to what felt like top speed. Beneath them, the bulletproof tires hummed on smooth pavement. Forcing his attention to the rosewood box in his arms, Langdon laid the precious bundle on the floor, unwrapped his jacket, and extracted the box, pulling it toward him. Sophie shifted her position so they were sitting side by side. Langdon suddenly felt like they were two kids huddled over a Christmas present. In contrast to the warm colors of the rosewood box, the inlaid rose had been crafted of a pale wood, probably ash, which shone clearly in the dim light. The Rose.Entire armies and religions had been built on this symbol, as had secret societies. The Rosicrucians.The Knights of the Rosy Cross. â€Å"Go ahead,† Sophie said. â€Å"Open it.† Langdon took a deep breath. Reaching for the lid, he stole one more admiring glance at the intricate woodwork and then, unhooking the clasp, he opened the lid, revealing the object within. Langdon had harbored several fantasies about what they might find inside this box, but clearly he had been wrong on every account. Nestled snugly inside the box's heavily padded interior of crimson silk lay an object Langdon could not even begin to comprehend. Crafted of polished white marble, it was a stone cylinder approximately the dimensions of a tennis ball can. More complicated than a simple column of stone, however, the cylinder appeared to have been assembled in many pieces. Six doughnut-sized disks of marble had been stacked and affixed to one another within a delicate brass framework. It looked like some kind of tubular, multi-wheeled kaleidoscope. Each end of the cylinder was affixed with an end cap, also marble, making it impossible to see inside. Having heard liquid within, Langdon assumed the cylinder was hollow. As mystifying as the construction of the cylinder was, however, it was the engravings around the tube's circumference that drew Langdon's primary focus. Each of the six disks had been carefully carved with the same unlikely series of letters – the entire alphabet. The lettered cylinder reminded Langdon of one of his childhood toys – a rod threaded with lettered tumblers that could be rotated to spell different words. â€Å"Amazing, isn't it?† Sophie whispered. Langdon glanced up. â€Å"I don't know. What the hell is it?† Now there was a glint in Sophie's eye. â€Å"My grandfather used to craft these as a hobby. They were invented by Leonardo Da Vinci.† Even in the diffuse light, Sophie could see Langdon's surprise. â€Å"Da Vinci?† he muttered, looking again at the canister.† Yes. It's called a cryptex.According to my grandfather, the blueprints come from one of Da Vinci's secret diaries.† â€Å"What is it for?† Considering tonight's events, Sophie knew the answer might have some interesting implications. â€Å"It's a vault,† she said. â€Å"For storing secret information.† Langdon's eyes widened further. Sophie explained that creating models of Da Vinci's inventions was one of her grandfather's best-loved hobbies. A talented craftsman who spent hours in his wood and metal shop, Jacques Sauniere enjoyed imitating master craftsmen – Faberge, assorted cloisonne artisans, and the less artistic, but far more practical, Leonardo Da Vinci. Even a cursory glance through Da Vinci's journals revealed why the luminary was as notorious for his lack of follow-through as he was famous for his brilliance. Da Vinci had drawn up blueprints for hundreds of inventions he had never built. One of Jacques Sauniere's favorite pastimes was bringing Da Vinci's more obscure brainstorms to life – timepieces, water pumps, cryptexes, and even a fully articulated model of a medieval French knight, which now stood proudly on the desk in his office. Designed by Da Vinci in 1495 as an outgrowth of his earliest anatomy and kinesiology studies, the internal mechanism of the robot knight possessed accurate joints and tendons, and was designed to sit up, wave its arms, and move its head via a flexible neck while opening and closing an anatomically correct jaw. This armor-clad knight, Sophie had always believed, was the most beautiful object her grandfather had ever built†¦ that was, until she had seen the cryptex in this rosewood box. â€Å"He made me one of these when I was little,† Sophie said. â€Å"But I've never seen one so ornate and large.† Langdon's eyes had never left the box. â€Å"I've never heard of a cryptex.† Sophie was not surprised. Most of Leonardo's unbuilt inventions had never been studied or even named. The term cryptex possibly had been her grandfather's creation, an apt title for this device that used the science of cryptology to protect information written on the contained scroll or codex. Da Vinci had been a cryptology pioneer, Sophie knew, although he was seldom given credit. Sophie's university instructors, while presenting computer encryption methods for securing data, praised modern cryptologists like Zimmerman and Schneier but failed to mention that it was Leonardo who had invented one of the first rudimentary forms of public key encryption centuries ago. Sophie's grandfather, of course, had been the one to tell her all about that. As their armored truck roared down the highway, Sophie explained to Langdon that the cryptex had been Da Vinci's solution to the dilemma of sending secure messages over long distances. In an era without telephones or e-mail, anyone wanting to convey private information to someone far away had no option but to write it down and then trust a messenger to carry the letter. Unfortunately, if a messenger suspected the letter might contain valuable information, he could make far more money selling the information to adversaries than he could delivering the letter properly. Many great minds in history had invented cryptologic solutions to the challenge of data protection: Julius Caesar devised a code-writing scheme called the Caesar Box; Mary, Queen of Scots created a transposition cipher and sent secret communiques from prison; and the brilliant Arab scientist Abu Yusuf Ismail al-Kindi protected his secrets with an ingeniously conceived polyalphabetic substitution cipher. Da Vinci, however, eschewed mathematics and cryptology for a mechanical solution. The cryptex. A portable container that could safeguard letters, maps, diagrams, anything at all. Once information was sealed inside the cryptex, only the individual with the proper password could access it. â€Å"We require a password,† Sophie said, pointing out the lettered dials. â€Å"A cryptex works much like a bicycle's combination lock. If you align the dials in the proper position, the lock slides open. This cryptex has five lettered dials. When you rotate them to their proper sequence, the tumblers inside align, and the entire cylinder slides apart.† â€Å"And inside?† â€Å"Once the cylinder slides apart, you have access to a hollow central compartment, which can hold a scroll of paper on which is the information you want to keep private.† Langdon looked incredulous. â€Å"And you say your grandfather built these for you when you were younger?† â€Å"Some smaller ones, yes. A couple times for my birthday, he gave me a cryptex and told me a riddle. The answer to the riddle was the password to the cryptex, and once I figured it out, I could open it up and find my birthday card.† â€Å"A lot of work for a card.† â€Å"No, the cards always contained another riddle or clue. My grandfather loved creating elaborate treasure hunts around our house, a string of clues that eventually led to my real gift. Each treasure hunt was a test of character and merit, to ensure I earned my rewards. And the tests were never simple.† Langdon eyed the device again, still looking skeptical. â€Å"But why not just pry it apart? Or smash it? The metal looks delicate, and marble is a soft rock.† Sophie smiled. â€Å"Because Da Vinci is too smart for that. He designed the cryptex so that if you try to force it open in any way, the information self-destructs. Watch.† Sophie reached into the box and carefully lifted out the cylinder. â€Å"Any information to be inserted is first written on a papyrus scroll.† â€Å"Not vellum?† Sophie shook her head. â€Å"Papyrus. I know sheep's vellum was more durable and more common in those days, but it had to be papyrus. The thinner the better.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Before the papyrus was inserted into the cryptex's compartment, it was rolled around a delicate glass vial.† She tipped the cryptex, and the liquid inside gurgled. â€Å"A vial of liquid.† â€Å"Liquid what?† Sophie smiled. â€Å"Vinegar.† Langdon hesitated a moment and then began nodding. â€Å"Brilliant.† Vinegar and papyrus, Sophie thought. If someone attempted to force open the cryptex, the glass vial would break, and the vinegar would quickly dissolve the papyrus. By the time anyone extracted the secret message, it would be a glob of meaningless pulp. â€Å"As you can see,† Sophie told him,† the only way to access the information inside is to know the proper five-letter password. And with five dials, each with twenty-six letters, that's twenty-six to the fifth power.† She quickly estimated the permutations. â€Å"Approximately twelve million possibilities.† â€Å"If you say so,† Langdon said, looking like he had approximately twelve million questions running through his head. â€Å"What information do you think is inside?† â€Å"Whatever it is, my grandfather obviously wanted very badly to keep it secret.† She paused, closing the box lid and eyeing the five-petal Rose inlaid on it. Something was bothering her. â€Å"Did you say earlier that the Rose is a symbol for the Grail?† â€Å"Exactly. In Priory symbolism, the Rose and the Grail are synonymous.† Sophie furrowed her brow. â€Å"That's strange, because my grandfather always told me the Rose meant secrecy.He used to hang a rose on his office door at home when he was having a confidential phone call and didn't want me to disturb him. He encouraged me to do the same.† Sweetie, her grandfather said, rather than lock each other out, we can each hang a rose – la fleur des secrets – on our door when we need privacy.This way we learn to respect and trust each other.Hanging a rose is an ancient Roman custom. â€Å"Sub rosa,†Langdon said. â€Å"The Romans hung a rose over meetings to indicate the meeting was confidential. Attendees understood that whatever was said under the rose – or sub rosa – had to remain a secret.† Langdon quickly explained that the Rose's overtone of secrecy was not the only reason the Priory used it as a symbol for the Grail. Rosa rugosa, one of the oldest species of rose, had five petals and pentagonal symmetry, just like the guiding star of Venus, giving the Rose strong iconographic ties to womanhood.In addition, the Rose had close ties to the concept of† true direction† and navigating one's way. The Compass Rose helped travelers navigate, as did Rose Lines, the longitudinal lines on maps. For this reason, the Rose was a symbol that spoke of the Grail on many levels – secrecy, womanhood, and guidance – the feminine chalice and guiding star that led to secret truth. As Langdon finished his explanation, his expression seemed to tighten suddenly. â€Å"Robert? Are you okay?† His eyes were riveted to the rosewood box. â€Å"Sub†¦rosa,†he choked, a fearful bewilderment sweeping across his face. â€Å"It can't be.† â€Å"What?† Langdon slowly raised his eyes. â€Å"Under the sign of the Rose,† he whispered. â€Å"This cryptex†¦ I think I know what it is.†

Language in the Byzantine Empire

Constantinople, the new capital that Emperor Constantine developed in the East in the early fourth century CE, lay in a largely Greek-speaking area of the Roman Empire. That doesnt mean that before the Fall of Rome the emperors headquartered and the people living there were native Greek speakers or, even if they were, incompetent Latin speakers. Both languages, Greek and Latin, were part of the repertoire of the educated. Until recently, those who considered themselves educated might be native English speakers but could piece out a short passage of Latin in their literary reading and get by speaking French. Peter and Catherine the Great ushered in an era where the politically important, the nobility of Russia, knew the French language and literature as well as Russian. It was similar in the ancient world. Greek Culture Greek literature and themes dominated Roman writing until the mid-third century B.C., which is about a century after Alexander the Great had started the spread of Hellenism -- including the Greek Koine language -- throughout the vast areas that he had conquered. Greek was the language Roman aristocrats demonstrated to show their culture. They imported Greek pedagogues to teach their young. The important rhetorician of the first century BCE, Quintilian, advocated education in Greek  since Roman children would naturally learn Latin on their own. (Inst. Oratoria i.12-14) From the second century CE, it became common for the wealthy to send their already Greek-speaking, but native-Latin-speaking Roman sons to Athens, Greece for higher education. Latin Gaining in Popularity Before the division of the Empire first into the four parts known as the Tetrarchy under Diocletian in 293 CE and then into two (simply an Eastern and a Western section), the second century CE Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote his meditations in Greek, following the affectations popular with philosophers. By this time, however, in the West, Latin had gained a certain cachet. A bit later, a contemporary of Constantine, Ammianus Marcellinus (c. 330-395 CE), from Antioch, Syria, but living in Rome, wrote his history not in his familiar Greek, but in Latin. The first century CE Greek biographer Plutarch went to Rome to learn the language better. (p. 85 Ostler, citing Plutarch Demosthenes 2) The distribution was such that Latin was the language of the people to the west and north of a dividing line beyond Thrace, Macedonia, and Epirus down to northern Africa west of western Cyrenaica. In rural areas, the uneducated would not have been expected to know Greek, and if their native language were something other than Latin -- it might be Aramaic, Syriac, Coptic, or some other ancient tongue -- they might not even have known Latin well. Likewise on the other side of the dividing line, but with Greek and Latin reversed In the East, they probably knew Greek in rural areas, to the exclusion of Latin, but in urban areas, like Constantinople, Nicomedia, Smyrna, Antioch, Berytus, and Alexandria, most people needed to have some command of both Greek and Latin. Latin helped one advance in the imperial and military service, but otherwise, it was more a formality than a useful tongue, beginning at the start of the fifth century. Last of the Romans The so-called Last of the Romans, Constantinople-based Emperor Justinian (r. 527-565), who was an Illyrian by birth, was a native Latin speaker. Living about a century after the Edward Gibbon-driven date of 476 for the Fall of Rome, Justinian made efforts to regain sections of the West lost to European barbarians. (Barbarian was a term the Greeks had used to mean non-Greek speakers and which the Romans adapted to mean those who spoke neither Greek nor Latin.) Justinian may have been trying to retake the Western Empire, but he had challenges closer to home  since neither Constantinople nor the provinces of the Eastern Empire were secure. There were also the famous Nika riots and a plague (see Lives of the Caesars). By his time, Greek had become the official language of the surviving section of the Empire, the Eastern (or later, Byzantine) Empire. Justinian had to publish his famous law code, the Corpus Iuris Civile in both Greek and Latin. Greeks vs Romans This sometimes confuses people who think the use of the Greek language in Constantinople means the inhabitants thought of themselves as Greeks, rather than as Romans. Particularly when arguing for a post-5th-century date for the Fall of Rome, some counter that by the time the Eastern Empire stopped legally requiring Latin, the inhabitants thought of themselves as Greeks, not Romans. Ostler asserts that the Byzantines referred to their language as romaika (Romanish) and that this term was in use until the 19th century. In addition, the people were known as Rumi -- a term obviously much closer to Roman than Greek. We in the West might think of them as non-Romans, but that is another story. By the time of Justinian, Latin was not the common tongue of Constantinople, although it was still an official language. The Roman people of the city spoke a form of Greek, a Koine. Sources Chapter 8 Greek in the Byzantine Empire: The Major Issues Greek: A History of the Language and its Speakers, Second Edition, by Geoffrey Horrocks; Wiley:  © 2010.The Latin Language, by L. R. Palmer; University of Oklahoma Press: 1987.Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin, by Nicholas Ostler; Walker: 2007.

Maasai Culture V. American Culture - 1240 Words

English 101-McElroy Compare and Contrast- Rough Draft March 22, 2011 Maasai Culture v. American Culture In the tribal villages of eastern Africa the Maasai marriages are arranged by the elders without ever first consulting the bride or the mother of the bride to be. Unlike, that of my own culture in the United States of America, where I am free as a citizen to choose whomever I may choose to marry and when and if I may marry. Polygyny is that of which is practiced in the Maasai culture, as an ideal that is achieved only by that of the elder men of the tribe. Unfortunately, as a result ofthemen being much older at the time of marriage, most women become widows, knowing that it is understood that they should never remarry again.†¦show more content†¦In the Maasai community and as in mine, marriage is considered very important. However, when two people are brought together to become a husband and wife in the Maasai community, the newlyweds are expected to live with each other forever; divorce is not an option.Once the Maasai man has chosen and paid for his wife he is then allowe d to bring gifts to the womans family. By first giving the presents as he sees fit, to a final point where it will become clear to those in the community that he has taken an interest in the well-being of the girls family and that she is not to be readily available. These gifts the Maasai man has given to the girl will create the bride-to-be’s dowry, the purpose of which is not to create wealth for the brides family, but rather to legalize the marriage. By the man putting his mark on that family, he is making itso that if anyone else tries to approach the family and offer a bride price, it will have been made clear that the girl has already been given away to another family and is spoken for. Like that of an engagement ring or wedding band worn by both the men and women in my community, as it is displaying to everyone that they are spoken for and are not available to others in the community. As the wedding day begins in Maasai culture the groom brings the bride price, including three cows, of which two are female and one is male and all are black, and twoShow MoreRelated Volunteering: Contribution to the Community Essay4136 Words   |  17 Pagestrend in the United States is one in which an individual volunteers his/her time, services, or funds. As Newsweeks article Powells New War demonstrates, most Americans perceive volunteering as: an act in which one must do something and nice gesture which has benefits. Though this observation is a generalization, rarely do Americans view volunteerism in the context of service, an embodiment which includes the novel components of being, cultural understanding, justice issues, and compassion. 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Evaluation Of The Usc Ets Program Essay - 1857 Words

Intervention In an effort to address the needs of the large numbers of low income and potential first-generation college students at the target school, the USC ETS project will focus on the delivery of consistent and grade level appropriate college and financial aid information to all participants. The extent to which the target secondary schools does not offer their students the courses or academic support they need to complete a rigorous secondary school program of study. They also have a low participation by low-income or first-generation students in such courses, which the USC ETS project can change. The major function of the USC ETS program is to provide academic counseling and planning. Student workers will review each student’s educational progress and career plans. Student workers will also insure placement into appropriate courses, foster career development, as well as increase student participation in the SAT and ACT exams. This will insure student will b e eligible for college admission upon graduation. The student workers and academic advisors will also provide post-secondary planning workshops that will help facilitate the preparation and processing of college, scholarships, financial aid or any other vocational program the student wishes to attend after high school. The USC ETS program will also offer assistance for high school students who are struggling academically by providing tutoring services. Lastly, student workers and academic advisors willShow MoreRelatedAsthma Prevalence Of Children Living From New York City1338 Words   |  6 Pagesstudy that the children asthma prevalence in East Harlem was about 4 times that of the national prevalence. Specifically, African American children had 3 times higher asthma prevalence. 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Academic Integrity Free Essays

According the Walden University Student Handbook academic integrity to be essential for each student’s intellectual development (2013 Code of Conduct Student Handbook). This allows students opportunity to freely exchange, students and instructors attribution. Enrollment to the University solidifies a commitment to abide by the code of conduct. We will write a custom essay sample on Academic Integrity or any similar topic only for you Order Now By instilling academic integrity within your writing it gives students a chance to write creatively while accepting the responsibility for academic integrity (COCSH, 2013). There are many reasons to maintain academic integrity, but it sometimes becomes difficult for this success to achieve at a doctoral level. It is important that students not deny themselves the opportunity to succeed by taking short cuts. Thus, this will compromise their integrity and violate the Student code of conduct. Students are encourages students to may submit questions and concerns to contact their faculty mentor, course instructor, or academic advisor. (2013) Plagiarism In my opinion, Plagiarism is taking someone’s original ideas and writing and making it yours without giving proper credit to the author. Plagiarism can be avoided by always citing sources that ideas are derived from other works as use for your own ideas when writing. Credit should be given when credit is due (APA 2010,p15). Self-Plagiarism is when you do not present your own previously published works accurately. According to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, each time a student summarizes a passage or rearrange the order of a sentence by changing some of the words, credit to the source is required (APA 2010). This is required to safeguard other writer’s ideas. In some instances, such as describing details or an analytical approach extensive self-referencing is undesirable (APA 2010 p16). Citation It is necessary to avoid plagiarism this can be completed when citations occur and also when original ideas are not derived. According to the APA Manual the author, year, and specific page citation or paragraph are required quotation comprising of less than 40 words, should open, and close with double quotation mark and the source cited in parentheses. (APA, 2010, p171). An example of this would be â€Å"In the United States, the American Cancer Society (2007) estimated that about 1 million cases of NMSC and 59,950 cases of melanoma would be diagnosed in 2007, with melanoma resulting in 8,110 deaths†(Miller et al, 2009 p. 209. ) Conclusion In conclusion, Academic Integrity is imperative and should be adhered to in order to maintain the highest level of scholarly standards. Paraphrasing, citing author’s contributions correctly and acknowledging secondary sources allow readers to discover informative writings and strengthen the writer’s credibility to contribute accurately. How to cite Academic Integrity, Papers Academic Integrity Free Essays Academic Integrity Integrity Is to follow high-quality morals when no one Is observing. Integrity Is a good quality to have because it makes the person more trustworthy and a better person in general. Academic integrity is when one is honest and fair when it comes to studies and to school. We will write a custom essay sample on Academic Integrity or any similar topic only for you Order Now An example of academic integrity is when a person does not cheat even when the teacher leaves the room. If the person decides to take out his notes and cheat when the teacher leaves the room, he is displaying academic dishonesty. Why cheat? Maybe the student has many extracurricular and is unable to find time to study, he feels pressured by his parents and cheats to please them, or he Is just too lazy to study and cheats so he can keep his optional status. Students often cheat because they have an underlying Incentive, students rarely cheat for sport. In a high school setting students may cheat so they can get good grades and please their parents, others may cheat because they don’t have time to study. In high school, students must do well so they can get in to good colleges so they wont be left featureless. Because their whole lives depend on their performance n high school, they have an incentive to cheat. The consequences some students face for academic dishonesty in high school is a suspension or in some cases, expulsion. In universities, students are often more stressed than high school students and require more time for test preparation, but because of pressure, they may end up resorting to academic dishonesty in order to pass classes. In Carnegie Melon’s Why do Students Cheat? Article, the author states that the college students are held o high expectations and are socially pressured to get good grades. Other students are Involved In volunteer work or have too many classes In their hands and do not have good time management to make time to study for assessments. Hopefully by facing the consequences of showing a lack of integrity, the student learns to become a person who comes to value honesty. Many who are dishonest face social consequences and lack of trust from peers and teachers/professors. Other consequences are facing trial, probation, sanctions, and dismissal from the institution. To have integrity is to practice it, while the student is learning and growing intellectually, they should be taught to value honesty and integrity so they can practice the principles. Another way to integrate integrity into our society is to establish a system where integrity is one of the highest principles, and if one was to show a lack of Integrity, they may face the consequences the community sees fit. Academic Integrity Is one of the most Important aspects of a learning environment. Without It, students will practice dishonesty and demoralize themselves. By shrub Integrity is to follow high-quality morals when no one is observing. Integrity is a time to study, he feels pressured by his parents and cheats to please them, or he is cheat because they have an underlying incentive, students rarely cheat for sport. In a students must do well so they can get in to good colleges so they won’t be left involved in volunteer work or have too many classes in their hands and do not have show a lack of integrity, they may face the consequences the community sees fit. How to cite Academic Integrity, Papers Academic integrity Free Essays Academic integrity must be enforced within the educational institution as students and faculty represent the image and reliability surrounding the reputation of the facility; therefore, dishonesty upon any level should be unacceptable which includes the act of plagiarism. In order to combat such dishonest events educators must learn to identify blatant acts of plagiarism and address cultural differences, as well as the mind’s ability to unconsciously reproduce intellectual concepts belonging to others. We will write a custom essay sample on Academic integrity or any similar topic only for you Order Now com/online-plagiarism-checker/"Defining plagiarism in my own terms would be the intentional use of materials that are not of my own creation, copying text from other sources, including non-published individuals, as if they were my own, and submitting academic assignments that I did not complete personally but submitted as if I had. As academic dishonesty is common among students, it’s imperative that students self-police to avoid any unconscious acts of dishonesty and those educational institutions implement strategies to combat those who intentionally break the rules. College campuses have faced the issue of academic dishonesty from the beginning; however it has become a major problem on college campuses, as the number of students engaging in acts of dishonesty is increasing. The publication of how-to books and internet websites that focus on cheating have been published, such as Corbet’s The Cheater’s Handbook and various internet based businesses offering thousands of term papers and examinations for purchase.   (Whitley, Jr, 2002, p. 3) The internet continues to expand and with this massive explosion of growth, sites promoting resources allowing students to defraud the educational system continue to increase.   Experts have attributed this high level of dishonesty among students to being â€Å"raised in an era of decline in public morality.†Ã‚   (Whitley, Jr, 2002, p. 3) Cultural diversity within American society continues to grow and many professionals â€Å"increasingly reflect this diversity† as the â€Å"possibility of cultural differences in the definition of academic dishonesty.†Ã‚   (Whitley, Jr, 2002, p. 20)   Professionals believe that students who were raised outside of the â€Å"Euro-American culture† find it difficult to comprehend the â€Å"notion that words or ideas† can be owned by another individual and considered as intellectual property. (Whitley, Jr, 2002, p. 20)   As a result students from other cultures such as â€Å"Middle Eastern, Asia and African cultures† see no fault with using the intellectual concepts of others – some cultures believe that it is â€Å"disrespectful to the author to alter the original words [of a source document] (Robinson, 1992, p. 15).†Ã‚   (Whitley, Jr, 2002, p. 20) When producing a thesis or a lengthy academic writing assignment students must analyze a â€Å"wide body of knowledge, yet produce a novel, creative output.†Ã‚   (Perfect (Ed.), 2002, p. 148)   In a study conducted in 1997 with undergraduate students professionals found evidence that some students are not even clear of the definition of plagiarism and until they are â€Å"explicitly told† that the act has occurred the students are unable to identify that plagiarism has occurred. These students did not have a clear idea of the difference between â€Å"plagiarism and paraphrase.† (Perfect (Ed.), 2002, p. 148 – 149) This unconscious plagiarism must be taken into consideration by educators and a clear definition of the misrepresentation of intellectual materials must be defined. Plagiarism in the classroom has various degrees.   For example, a student who commits the act purposely by purchasing a pre-written essay from the internet would in most instructors’ opinion be the highest degree. Identifying the less deliberate, as well as less obvious, degree of plagiarism would be a student copying a few sentences from sources without the addition of quotations or the appropriate citation that give the author credit for his or her intellectual property.   Regardless of the level of dishonesty or if the act was unintentional, plagiarism is wrong and it must not be allowed. Instructors have evaluated the act of plagiarism to identify the appropriate course of action and methods have evolved over the years when confronting cultural differences.   The first stage of educators was to automatically assume that the â€Å"behaviors were always wrong.† (Hafernik, 2002, p. 43)   The second â€Å"teachers continued to believe they were wrong, but understood there were cultural reasons† that students did not share the educator’s beliefs. (Hafernik, 2002, p. 43)   The third stage the teachers continued to hold fast to plagiarism as unacceptable, however â€Å"their understanding of the cultural differences led them to question, at least somewhat, the absolute correctness of their stance on the issues.†Ã‚   (Hafernik, 2002, p. 43-44) How to cite Academic integrity, Papers

Value Of Money And Portfolio Management †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Value Of Money And Portfolio Management? Answer: Introducation In todays time organisations encourage their employees to save money in order to secure their future. In this context governments has also made many provision regarding some schemes which will be beneficial for employees current as well future situation. Employees are encouraged to invest in superannuation plan to get maximum retirement remunerations from that. Employees are the soul of every organisation. They are the backbone which provide support and growth to the organisation, hence it is the duty of every organisation to provide each and every employee a secured future. For this they should inspire and should provide retirement and saving plans to employees. There has been increase in such kind of investments. Nowadays government has become super active and has made obligatory for every organisation to make contribution in such plans instead of their employees. It is also mandatory requirement from employee side to invest some amount of their remuneration to such plans or funds. The main objective behind these steps were to provide greater support to the employees during their retirement phase. With the passing time there has been increment in the retirement plans which provide more and flexible choices to the investor to think which plan will be beneficial for them. The organisations should also consider these plans with the changing time, so that employee retention rate could be increased and the employee is willing to work them. Investment in retirements plans has hots of benefits attached to it such as it permit us to finance now for the financial security of the employee when the employee will get retire. There are lots of business as well as employee benefits attached to it such business will get the tax credits and other kind of inducements from government to start a plan. Employer contribution to such plan are deductible while computing tax. On the other hand employees will also benefited with these contributions, such as income which is liable to tax will be reduced because he/ she will get the deduction from tax of such contribution. And contributions to such plans are easy to make. Employee financial security will be increased during his retirement time. Providing retirement benefit is very important to all at every stage of age and not just to the employee who is near about retirement. It should be done in prior to provide financial security to employee during his retirement period. Let us now discuss some superannuation plans which are available in the next discussion of the topic. IAS 19 is an accounting standard that deals with employee benefits. There can be short term employee benefit and post-employment benefit. Short term employee benefits are settled within 12 months after the end of yearly reporting. And in case of post-employment benefit includes defined benefit plan and defined contribution plan. Defined Benefit Plan vs. Investment Plan which one to choose, here is the thorough study on these plans:- In defined benefit plan employer makes contribution to a retirement plan of the employee on regular basis depending on the various factors such as Duration of employment and the salary history of the employee. There will some restrictions on the withdrawal from these funds by employee and there will guidelines when and how much an employee can withdraw from fund from time to time. It is basically a specific amount which is paid by employer to the employee at the time of retirement which is calculated by the defined formula. The formula for the retirement benefit generally takes into account following factors such duration of employment, employee salary which will average salary of three or five years of earnings. The formula can be presented as follows:- = Benefit percentage* average salary in past 5 years* years of plan membership* This can be explained by an example like average salary is $60000 Duration of service or plan membership is =20 yrs Percentage of benefit to be given= 3% Yearly pension will be calculated as= 60000*20*3%= $36000 Defined benefit plan allocate their profits through life endowments, employee receive identical episodic disbursement normally monthly or quarterly for the remaining they will be in this world. There are two types of defined benefit plan these can be funded and unfunded. In unfunded plan no asset is reserved separately and the employee is paid when they retire. In funded plan employers do contributions towards this plan for meeting the paybacks but the future returns of benefit are not known in advance and hence sometimes these contributions may not meet desired level to provide benefit. On the other hand in case of investment choice plan there is an investment accounting in which employer contributions and superannuation benefits are invested and the profit earned by these investments by deducting any organizational expense are distributed to the employees. If employee choose investment choice plan then he will have option to put forward the assets and portfolio they wanting to invest in. There are many investment and pension plans available in the market, employees have to make their investment decision very wisely in choosing those plans depending upon the risk and returns attached to it. There are many kinds of investment stratagems such an employee can invest in protected fund that have fixed interest payments and money. Steady fund in which the securities are fixed interest bearing but are exposed to foreign shares and bonds. Among these two kind of approaches protected funds bears less risk than steady fund. Employees choice of investment depends upon the risk and the return he will get by investments done by him in different investment plans. Types of many traditional plans available in the market such as term plans which includes term protection is the simple form of assurance as it offers risk cover in altercation annual remunerated outlays. When the employee retires it has two options to how to treat its contribution he can allocate its investment plan or he can cope those investment plans. The employees can make their choice between the two alternatives that is defined benefit plan and investment choice plan on the basis of their preferences by keeping various factors in mind such as risk involved , return involved the time value and price increment . Both the plans have their pros and cons but for long term security one should go for defined benefit plan as it provides payment with certainty and there is less risk involve in this type of plan. One should look into the risk and returns involve in the plans and choose the best plan according to that. Many investors are risk lovers because they are only concerned with the higher return, we can say that it totally depends on the employee preferences and the risk they wanted to bear. Time value of money means is the conception that identifies the applicable value of upcoming money movements arising as a consequence of monetary choices by bearing in mind the opportunity price of treasuries. With the passage of time money value gets reduced and there are many reasons for that like inflation or increase in prices which reduce the value of money in future. Another factors could be interest rate and risk premium. For integrating the monetary influence on the effectiveness of cash flows in business decisions, time value of money principle is used widely (Open learn , 2017) The fund manager have to make the decision regarding investments, dividend for the growth of the company like purchasing of any asset or sale of any undertaking that is the investing activities have influence on the timing of cash flows of the company. In other words we can say that time value of money is a value of $1 today will be different from value of $1 in the future. The cash flows which will arise at different point of time can be made analogous by using any of the following methods: Compounding Future value of single cash flow Annuity method. Time value of money is important for decision making and this can be explained with an example like the value of pound today is more than the pound in future so the investor can use this pound today to earn return or capital gains. Pound in future will be of much lesser value than today because of inflation. There are two section in the concept of time value of money one is present value and other is future value of money (PDF, 2017) Time value of money influence the decision of fund manager to a great extent, hence a fund manager has to take many consideration in mind while making decisions. When we will be able to know the value of cash flows for future we will be capable to take the resolution where and how we have to invest or spend and how we will get the returns. Same goes with the employees if they will know the time value of money they will be able to make decisions regarding the type plan they should choose keeping in mind the future and present value of money and returns and risks associated with that (Boundless, 2017) An efficient market is demarcated as a market where there are huge number of balanced, profit maximizers enthusiastically competing, with each trying to foresee future market values of individual securities, and where important current info is easily obtainable by all partakers. The efficient market hypothesis tells us about the speed with which information influence the prices of the security. As per numerous analysts it was perceived that data is slowly integrated in the price and it provides a chance to earn extra profit. But once the information is incorporated then the investor cannot earn this extra profit. There are three levels of market efficiency which are as follows: Weak form: this form of market tells us that all the historical market prices and data are fully revealed in securities prices and here in this condition technical analysis have no usage. Semi strong form: this form tells us that all overtly or publicly accessible info is fully revealed in securities prices and hence the fundamental analysis failed and have no usage. Strong form tells us that all info is fully redirected in security prices and the insider information have no usage in this situation (Forbes , 2017) Let us discuss about the portfolio management. Portfolio management refers to an art and science of making choices about investment mix and strategy, matching investment to purpose, asset apportionment for individual and establishments, and harmonizing threat against performance. Its all about strong point faults, opportunity and pressures in the choice of debt vs. equity, domestic vs. international, growth vs. safety, and many other transactions encountered in the attempt to maximize return at a given hungriness for possibility. A portfolio for an individual or a business is holding of securities and investments in monetary assets. These holdings are the result of individual inclinations and conclusion concerning danger and yield (IRS , 2017) Even if an efficient market hypothesis is true the pension fund manager will not select a portfolio with a pin because:- In efficient market all the investors have same info. Hence as an outcome the investor do not get the privilege to earn excess profit as they earn only average returns. For earning extra earning one should have to take additional risk. As the number of information channels increasing day by day even the best intricate stockholder is incapable of observing every portion of info. Other reason for not selecting portfolio with a pin even if the theory of efficient market postulate holds true is efficient market is not able to clarify additional instability. Individual generally and should invest in diversified portfolio. Investors wants high returns with low risk. Investors generally invest in diversified portfolio to earn high returns with low risk, as there is minimal long term risk in diversified portfolio. Hence the manger will and should try to invest his securities in diversified manner so that there will more return in a diversified way. Pension fund manager will look into the disadvantages of the efficient market hypothesis investment in comparison to the higher return with low risk by investing in diversified securities. References:- OpenLearn. (2017). The financial markets context. [online] Available at: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/money-management/money/accounting-and-finance/the-financial-markets-context/content-section-3 [Accessed 19 May 2017]. Morningstar.com. (2017). Model Portfolios for Savers and Retirees. [online] Available at: https://www.morningstar.com/content/morningstarcom/en_us/model-portfolios.html [Accessed 19 May 2017]. Boundless. (2017). Importance of the Time Value of Money. [online] Available at: https://www.boundless.com/finance/textbooks/boundless-finance-textbook/the-time-value-of-money-5/introduction-to-the-time-value-of-money-54/importance-of-the-time-value-of-money-255-8367/ [Accessed 18 May 2017]. Forbes.com. (2017). Forbes Welcome. [online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=https://www.forbes.com/sites/investopedia/2011/01/12/efficient-market-hypothesis-is-the-stock-market-efficient/refURL=https://www.google.co.in/referrer=https://www.google.co.in/ [Accessed 18 May 2017]. Retiremnt paycheck (2017). Defined benefit plans [online] Available at: https://www.myretirementpaycheck.org/retirement-plans/defined-benefit-plans.aspx [Accessed 19 May 2017]. Nath, T. (2017). Investing basics [online] Available at: https://www.nasdaq.com/article/investing-basics-what-is-the-efficient-market-hypothesis-and-what-are-its-shortcomings-cm530860 [Accessed 19 May 2017]. PDF (2017). Time value of money. [online] Available at: https://www.newagepublishers.com/samplechapter/001945.pdf [Accessed 19 May 2017]. IRS (2017). Lots of benfits- employment retirement plan [online] Available at: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-sponsor/lots-of-benefits-when-you-set-up-an-employee-retirement-plan [Accessed 19 May 2017].

Different Examples of Oppression