Threat of Hezbollah to US

Threat of Hezbollah to US Red Cell Analysis: Hezbollah: a Threat to the United States and its interests. Red Cell analysis: Hezbollah In recent years, the threat alert within the United States increased drastically attributed to the increase in the number of terrorist organizations within its borders. However, most terrorist organizations not only target the United States but also co-ordinate other attacks that target other American interests in other countries. One of the biggest organizations that are a threat to the United States and its interest in other countries is the Hezbollah movement, also known as the â€Å"Party of God,† which advocates for the rights of Muslims in most parts of the world through terrorism activities. The movement comprises of Shi’a Islamists who advocate for violence as part of spreading their message of fighting â€Å"western imperialism† in Muslim controlled states around the world. According to a report released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Hezbollah movement plans their attacks from South America targeting Americans within the United States and other parts of the world. In 1983, the movement attacked a U.S. marine camp and killed over 250 Americans while also targeting the American embassies in the Arab region (Broxmeyer 2004). In addition, the movement also kidnaps American citizens and demands for ransom before securing their release. The movement employs surveillance methods before attacks whereby members of the movement observe the routine of different planned locations, which creates a clear picture of the most favorable location for an attack. The Hezbollah movement began in 1982 in Lebanon, attributed to the Iranian Revolution. It blamed the United States for most of the problems facing other countries around the world. It is necessary to note that since the inception of the movement, the leadership positions require religious clerics within Islam, who guide the members of the movement in terms of goals and objectives. The movement also supports the local population in the Arab region through annual donations gained through the attacks carried out around the world. Although the main cell for the movement is in Lebanon, the movement plans and executes its operations and attacks from the United States. The U.S. Department of State included this movement in the foreign terrorist organization (FTO) list in October 1997 as part of controlling their activities in the United States (Slogum 2013). The main ideology associated with this movement is enhancing Islam as a confident religion that promotes the achievement of justice an d human rights for every citizen. However, Hezbollah uses violence and terrorist activities in passing on their messages regarding their ideology, which portrays it as one of the most dangerous organizations around the world. Based on the organization’s ideology, the main objective of Hezbollah is to establish a Muslim controlled territory especially in the Arab region. According to the movement’s spokesperson, the group results in committing acts associated with terrorism due to failure in other means of communication between the countries in the Arab region and other western countries. This shows the organization’s commitment towards the terrorist activities, which include suicide bombing around the United States and other western countries. The FBI also associated Hezbollah with the 11th September 2001 attack carried out within the United States. This promoted initiatives from the U.S. government aimed at stopping terrorism in the country and in the Middle East region, which is the main hub of the terrorism cells (Broxmeyer 2004). Secondly, Hezbollah’s goals and objective within the United States is the moderation of national liberation for Muslim living within America. The group argues that the U.S. government discriminates against the Muslims in the country denying them the right to religion as stated within the constitution. This prompts the movement to advocate for liberation of the Muslim population through terrorism activities, which portray clear messages regarding Islam. One of the strengths attributed to Hezbollah is the leadership whereby the leaders of different cells around the world meet in South America for the election of their leaders. The main leader of the movement is Sheikh Muhammed Hussein Fadlallah who also acts as the spiritual father for the movement, as well as, the chief Mujtahid by ensuring a clear understanding of the Islamic law by every member of the movement. Based on the goals and objectives of Hezbollah within the Arab region, Sheikh Muhammed ensures support from other organizations and movement, which is a key strength for the movement. This leader controls the organization’s main cell in Lebanon but also helps in the co-ordination of other cells in other countries around the world especially in the United States. Sheikh Muhammed also helps in punishing offenders within the movement, which is a factor that enhances discipline among members of the movement towards the goals and objectives (Koà §ak 2012). The other main leader of the movement is Hassan Nasrallah, who is the secretary general for the movement. After the assassination of Abbas Musawi by the U.S. government, the leaders of different cells unanimously elected Hassan Nasrallah as the new secretary general. Based on the leadership structure projected, it is clear that the movement operates in secretive environment with the main decision making organ being the spiritual leader and the secretary general. In addition, it is also clear that the movement draws towards its goals and objectives attributed to the election of the spiritual father in a leadership position within the organization. When focusing on the funding of the movement, it is clear that it plays an important role in the operations, and attacks carried out by the movement. Most of the funding for the movement comes about from donations Shi’a Islamists who offer zakat after prayers. This contributes to 50% of the total funding for the movement most of which is used in securing equipment and weapons used in attacks (Koà §ak 2012). It is essential to note that this funding comes from the Arab region considering that the United States does not allow such collections towards terrorist activities. On the other hand, the mov ement also receives funding from the Islamic Republic of Iran through weapons and training sessions with the weapons transported to the United States through underground tunnels and stored in most of the control locations especially in South America. Hezbollah places significant importance on some of the major capabilities that contribute to the success of the attacks carried out by the organization. Based on the ban by the U.S. government on the movement, Hezbollah moved most of the physical bases from the western countries in the Arab region with most countries supporting the movement. However, the cells within the United States also act as support locations whereby members of the movement seek help in case of need. Hezbollah portrays an image of participating in Jihad, which is a Holy war within the Muslims, which has helped in the attraction of more people towards the movement (Goll 2011). This is clear from the number of personnel in the cell in the United States containing over 30,000 people, most of whom act as Jihadists for the Islam religion. As mentioned earlier, the main decision body the movement is the spiritual leader and the secretary general, who control the training programs for the movement. During the recruitme nt of new members of the movement, the leaders move to the physical bases where the training programs occur as a way of ensuring total commitment in the part of the recruits. According to a report released by the United Nations, Hezbollah receives donations of over $200 million annually and spends over $50 million in the acquisition of new communication technologies. However, the communication methods used during attacks depends on the priority of the attacks with the movement using complex communication methods in some of the high priority attack such as the 11th September 2001 attack against the United States. The complexities of the communication methods create a significant disadvantage for the U.S. government in terms of preventing the planned attacks. It is important to point out that most of the attacks carried out by the group target highly populated areas and military bases, which creates tension among people living within the United States (Goll 2011). Based on the training carried out in the physical bases, the U.S. Department of State argues that the movement uses suicide bombing in carrying out terrorist activities in the countries, which mak es it hard for the prevention. Hezbollah also employs the use of gun attacks whereby members of the movement, attack different planned venues and shoot innocent victims, as part of the mission towards passing on the message of liberation. Terror groups operations are mainly dependent on minimizing risks with the aim of achieving the greatest success. Terrorists evade a challenger’s strong point and focus on their weaknesses and their stress on exploiting security measure. This generally means the involvement of the smallest possible number of attackers to complete the operation with the most effective weapons at their disposal. The Hezbollah movement practices a detailed scheduling which can be adjusted depending on the operations requirements. For instance, the determination of the potential targets can continue for years before the operation is carried out. Some targets may be vulnerable enough to warrant shorter periods of observation. However, the information and data collection must be strong. Similarly, depending on the nature of the operation, operations in progress may be improved, deferred or annulled so that the operation does not fail. Under the Hezbollah movement’s planning and data collectio n strategies, tactical missions interlink so that operational objectives and strategic goals are realized. A detailed understanding of the target population is studied through psychological measures where informants are sent to the target site with the aim of getting the experiences of the populace. In case the targeted location involves experts, field agents are recruited and trained to work with companies and organizations operating from that target site. This helps the terrorist agents to be acquainted with the environment and identify the weak points, spare times and surveillance of security measures employed by the firms in the target area. In this light, the most practiced data collection programs include; physical surveillance, involvement of professionals working in the target areas, hacking into data storages of the government through agents in such agencies, practice/ routines/ procedures, not to mention transportation and route travel study. For a mission to be successfully completed and executed by the Hezbollah movement, collected data must be evaluated and studied by a group of strategists in the movement. This group includes professionals in various fields such as security, programming, finance and accounting management, logistics experts, and analysts. The process of data collection is entirely left to the low ranking recruits who, however, must be supervised by a senior ranking member. In most cases, the supervisor is only known by a few recruits for security reasons. The Hezbollah movement has recruited all over and in all fields. The movements target young workers in organizations and government agencies. The main reason for this choice is that such workers are desperate to earn extra money for their leisure activities, and the fact that they are easy to manipulate and blackmail. Given the fact that data collection does not require much experience or expertise, low ranking and new recruits are the most suitable c andidates to collect data and information regarding the operation. In most cases, the recruits are not aware of the real deal of the operation, they will innocently collect and deliver the information. In addition, where surveillance can be done through observation, for instance information regarding logistics and transportation routes and schedules, the organization may use more experienced informants since they are able to survey without leaving a trail or being noticed. Lastly, the pre-attack surveillance and data gathering should be collected by highly trained intelligence and surveillance personnel or members supportive of the terrorist cell. The pre-attack phase involves gathering information relating to the target’s current patterns whereby the attacking team approves information gathered from previous surveillance activities. This is very important as it helps in the identification of presumed and probable vulnerabilities. The Hezbollah movement practices a hierarchic al decision making structure with the leader being the highest. Presently, the leader of the movement is Sheikh Muhammed Hussein Fadlallah, who is not only a leader, but also the spiritual father of the movement. Under this structure, major decisions are made from one end while the day to day running of operations is carried from the other end. At one end of this internal scale of accountabilities, execution of operational tasks is clearly the role assigned to terror cells and operation groups. The other extreme consists of the executive group that has the primary responsibility for the development of the movement’s strategies and direction proclamations that map the overall direction of the movement. The executive group plays an essential part of the process of developing and appraising the movement’s policies and strategies in the continuing provision of updated knowledge and forecasting of future operation. The strategic intelligence applied by the Hezbollah movement is a very specific application of principles, and its main role is to assist the movement with operational decision making as well as strategizing on operations requirements. The main role of strategic intelligence in the Hezbollah movement is the need for support to understand and be able to counter the challenges and barriers enacted by various government agencies. Other strategies are; helping in the realization and development of successful operations, development of goals, objectives and operation matrices, the provision of open-sources as well as intelligence collection support and analysis. The movement has a wide network of intelligence analyst fetched from all probable professions. This makes the organization very effective when analyzing any operation not only for security but also for finance, logistics, and human power management. The team of experts also helps in the planning of emergency and fallback plans in case the operation fails when being executed. In conclusion, the collection of data and information by the Hezbollah movement is a very organized operation that is very secretive and well organized. This task is mainly conducted by low ranking personnel, but under the watch of experienced and trained experts. Once the primary data is collected a group of experts organizes it with the aim of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of their target. Once this is done, the movement rehearses the operation and at times this may be done on similar locations and target sites with the objective of further identifying any enforceable weak points in the operation. Prior to the operation, strategic intelligence surveillance is also practiced where a team of experts evaluates the plan in relation to the available information. This may lead to approval, delay or termination of the operation depending on the existing facts about the intelligence gathered about the operation. Lastly, the group practices the hierarchical management structure, where information is handled through the top-bottom flow. This structure plays a very significant role in enhancing security and protection of sensitive information. The recommendation for a policy maker is for the United States’ ideal objective in Lebanon should be to help them enhance and set up a free media that is reluctant to work with terrorists, facilities able to provide the primary needs for its people, and an audio financial system separate from Hezbollah’s â€Å"fraudulent taxation†. Secondly, they should determine a plan to help Lebanon develop a powerful financial system and discuss with Israel to reduce any stress. If army skirmishes do no quit, the risk of terrorism and financial growth will be unproductive to a flourishing Lebanese upcoming. Lastly, it is sensible to know that Hezbollah has started growing in the Southern United States and is economically cheering itself nearer to United States boundaries. Our plan creators need to be eager to the fact that Hezbollah is growing and getting its feet nearer to the United States’ boundary. Improving boundary protection is going to be a necessary countermeasure that stops enemy from falling though known factors of entries. The U.S. needs to be cautious to not to straight take part in an issue with Hezbollah. The last factor the U. S. Declares should do is worsening Hezbollah into a retaliatory condition. Instead the U.S. should ultimately use Southern United States and Center Southern nations to battle them for us. Additionally, for military performance enhancement and improvement, Hezbollah handled their community assistance and authenticity through the use of non-military indicates, with the supply of social services and governmental contribution probably playing an important role Hezbollah’s huge strategy. Most significantly for Hezbollah, the new approach led the Party of God out of their difficult ideal position in the late 1980s. The result of these connections between enhanced army and non-military indicates was an ideal success for Hezbollah. Israeli community assistance for the war decreased, eventually resulting in the Israeli drawback from Southeast Lebanon. Bibliography Broxmeyer, Eric. â€Å"The Problems of Security and Freedom: Procedural Due Process and the Designation of Foreign Terrorist Organizations Under the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act.† Berkeley Journal of International Law 22, no. 3 (2004): 439-488. Dr. Habash, George . Terrorist Planning Cycle. A Military Guide to Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century. August 15, 2007. http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/army/guidterr/app_a.pdf (accessed March 15, 2014). Goll, Irene. â€Å"Environmental Jolts, Clocks, and Strategic Change in the U.S. Airline Industry: The Effects of Deregulation and the 9/11/2001 Terrorist Attacks.† Business Politics 13, no. 4 (2011): 1-37. Kang, Youn-ah , and John Stasko . Characterizing the Intelligence Analysis Process: Informing Visual Analytics Design through a Longitudinal Field Study . IEEE Symposium on Visual Analytics Science and Technology. October 28, 2011. http://users.soe.ucsc.edu/~pang/visweek/2011/vast/papers/kang.pdf (accessed March 15, 2014). Koà §ak, Murat. â€Å"Threat assessment of terrorist organizations: the application of Q methodology.† Journal of Risk Research 15, no. 1 (2012): 85-105. Slogum, Louisa. â€Å"OFAC, the Department Of State, and the Terrorist Designation Process: A Comparative Analysis of Agency Discretion.† Administrative Law Review 65, no. 2 (2013): 387-425. Sheehan, Ivan Sascha. Assessing and Comparing Data Sources for Terrorism Research. Springer Series on Evidence-Based Crime Policy 3, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-0953-3_2, 2012: 13-35. Straus , Susan G., Andrew M. Parker, James B. Bruce , And Jacob W. Dembosky. The Group Matters: A Review of the Effects of Group Interaction on Processes and Outcomes in Analytic Teams. National Security Research Division. April 2009. http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/working_papers/2009/RAND_WR580.pdf (accessed March 15, 2014).

Venezuela Culture Facts And History History Essay

Venezuela Culture Facts And History History Essay Venezuelas culture has been molded by the Spanish colonialists that ruled the country for almost four centuries. Before and during the Spanish conquest, the indigenous people had little influence on the development of the nation since they were scattered tribes with no political or social presence. Along with order and organization, the Spanish also brought Christianity to the South American continent and as a result, Venezuela has one of the largest Christian populations within its borders. Thus, most of the nations customs and traditions have been derived from medieval Christian practices and depict the influence of the Orthodox Catholic Church. However, the most popular image associated with Venezuelan culture is that of the Ilanero or the South American Cowboy. The entire tradition arose from the animal breeder and cattle wranglers that made the fertile grasslands of the Ilanos their home. The national dance of Venezuela i.e. the Joropo as well as the components of Venezuelan ins trumental music such as the maraca and the quartro are all derived from the Ilanero tradition. Writing has become a feature of Venezuelan culture since the post-independence period of the nineteenth century. Literary masters such as Simon Rodriguez and Andres Bello were the first to make their mark on Venezuelas literary scene. Simon Bolivar, the liberator of the nation and hero of the Independence struggle, also wrote nationalistic works during this period. Also emerging at the later end of the 19th century was the well-known writer and translator Juan Antonio PÃ ©rez Bonalde. His ties with the Free Masons made him the subject of a tremendous amount of speculation but his works have survived through it all. Venezuelan art was given a leg-up by the popularity of Venezuelan writing and sculptors such as Marisol (Escobar) and Rafael Soto made their presence felt internationally. VENEZUELA FACTS South American nations are steeped in a rich history of people and civilization, dating back thousands of years. This region also has some of the worlds plushest and most diverse natural resources and about ninety percent of all know plant and animal species are found here. However, with respect to human and economic development, South America lags behind and a large percentage of the population live without basic amenities. One of the exceptions to this situation is the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which has prospered due to its oils reserves and whose natural beauty has earned it the sobriquet Land of Grace Venezuela became an independent nation in 1830 and today is a thriving federal republic. It has had a history of militarism, but rarely has the country seen an utterly violent phase of existence. The nation is comprised of over twenty five million people from various ethnic backgrounds. Like much of South America, Venezuela was also under the rule of the Spanish conquistadors for much of the medieval period of history. Consequently, the country is mainly Roman Catholic and its culture arises out of traditions inspired by its Spanish past. Given the general character of South American nations, most people are surprised by Venezuelas near perfect rate of literacy and the moderation with which the nation is governed. The nation is divided in to 23 states, called estados in addition to the capital district of Caracas. Although its relations with the United States are a little tainted, Americans traveling to Venezuela rarely have to put up with any angst on political issues. Venezuela is generally divided in to four geographic zones as per its major land features. These are the northwestern Andean mountain terrain, the coastal Caribbean and Pacific Ocean region, the central grass plains or Llanos and the Guyana highlands in the south. The climate of Venezuela is largely tropical, very mild in the highlands and hot in the plains. South Americas largest lake i.e. Lake Maracaibo and the worlds highest waterfalls the Angel Falls are located in Venezuela. The country is facing environmental degradation largely due to the irresponsible nature of mining in the forests. The government however has identified the problem and actions are being taken to correct the natural balance. VENEZUELA HOLIDAYS The nation of Venezuela has a rich and varied past, although much of it was erased by the Spanish conquest. The nation today is fast developing power in the global economy, with an abundance of resources and an immaculate but judicious military background to back it up. The nation was one of the first to experience the missionary services of clerics who migrated from Europe to preach the Word to the new world. Most of the population, nearly ninety-six percent, is Roman Catholic, with Protestants and indigenous religions making up the remaining bit. As a result, most of the holidays are Christian celebrations that fall in common with all such holidays the world over. Such as most other nations, Venezuela follows the Gregorian calendar, where the year begins on the January, the first, marking the first holiday of the year. This is followed by a festival commemorating the visit of the three Magi to Jesus Christ on the Day of Epiphany on the 6th of January. The next Christian holidays fall on the days of Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Easter. St Joseph, the husband of the Virgin Mary is commemorated on the 19th of March whereas the Mother, herself is praised on the day of the Immaculate Conception, held on the 8th of December. In between the two holiday s lies All Saints Day, celebrated on the first day of November. Such as the accepted norm, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are celebrated on the 24th and 25th of December, whereas the 31st is observed as the last day of the Civil Year. The remaining holidays of Venezuela are centered around its freedom struggle, that lasted from 1810 to 1830. Many famous and decisive battles as well as the birth anniversaries of the leaders of the freedom struggle are commemorated in the form of national holidays. The first among them is April 19th, which marks the beginning of the struggle. The Day of the Liberator or the birth anniversary of Simon Bolivar, who was personally responsible for freeing much of South America from the Spaniards, is one of the most important days for all Venezuelans. It is celebrated on the 24th of July whereas the Venezuelan Independence Day is on the 5th of July. VENEZUELA PEOPLE The people, and not the forests, rivers and mountains, make up a nation. Without knowing the people, no one can claim any knowledge about any place, because the essence of that knowledge lies in the people that inhabit the place. The real way to understand the people of a region is to interact and communicate with them, one-on-one, even if it is for just a little while. However, many prefer studying the demographic as a statistic rather than getting to know individuals on a personal level. Travel will always amount to little if it escapes an introduction to the people of the land. Venezuela is a prosperous nation on the northern edge of South America with a population of nearly twenty five million people. Most of the people have ancestral connections to the indigenous populations of South American which were the basis of the Mayan and Incan civilizations. The second major ethnic group is of the people with European descent, whose roots are thee people who entered the land of Venezuela along with the Spanish conquistadors and remained as residents. This group sees a vast variety of people, who were originally citizens of Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany. Another large majority of people descend form the African laborers who were brought to Venezuela by the Spanish as slaves and later formed settlements of their own. A small percentage of the population is formed by migratory Arabs, Central Americans and Asians. Venezuela is a largely Catholic community and thus the customs of the land are largely dictated by the religion, although the region is hardly orthodox in its outlook. The official language, spoken by nearly the entire population is Spanish, but a large number of dialects are prevalent in different regions. People between the ages of fifteen and sixty form the largest art of the demographic and thus the nation has a largely young and vibrant atmosphere. Also, more than ninety percent of the population is qualified as educated due to which the prevalence of diseases such as AIDS has been checked in Venezuela. Venezuela is also one of the few Latin American countries with a nearly even male/female sex ratio. VENEZUELA HISTORY We are not makers of history. We are made by it Martin Luther King Jr. To learn where we are going, it is very necessary to see where we came from. History, even if it just a mingling of romance and imagination at times, is of paramount importance if humanity is to be prevented from repeating its past and ruining its future. Most of South American history speaks of destruction of the land and the people at the hand of colonial powers. Venezuela, like any other nation was not spared its due when the great butchers of Europe came to proclaim the virgin land ad their own. In the classical period, that is the earliest known period of human habitation in Venezuela, the country was home to nomadic tribes of people. These tribes were not nearly as civilized and urbanized those of the Egyptian kingdoms or even those of the other Mesoamerican civilizations. The three main groups of people were the Arawak, the Carib and the most advanced amongst them, the Chibcha. The Chibcha were credited with creating a highly organized agricultural system, complete with terrace farming on the slopes of the Andes and use of irrigation canals. Unlike the Mayan cities and the Aztec pyramids that dot the remaining sites of ancient civilization in South America, Venezuelan people have left no such wonders for generations to gaze up on. The modern phase of Venezuelan history begins in 1498, when the renowned explorer Christopher Columbus set foot on the mainland of what is now South America. Other explorers such as Alonso de Ojeda, soon followed and discovered that the land was virtually flawless and unlimited in natural beauty. The locals had come up with ingenious methods to construct on top of water along the edges of Lake Maracaibo by using stilts. The houses raised on stile were called palafitos and they resembled dwellings in Venice and thus, the area was named Venezuela or little Venice. As modern methods of surveying had not been established, Venezuela was not marked out as a mineral-rich territory. Consequently it was spared the pillaging that the remainder of the land, rich is gold, was forced to endure. It was chalked out a poor and unimportant nation and shocked the world after its independence when massive oil reserves were discovered on its soil. Customs and tradition are written by the hands of the past and become engraved in the lives of the people. Customs define the land and all those that live on it. They give humans something to cling on to when they are on foreign soil, lonely and bereft, they give hope in the time of the greatest ostrasization. Venezuela is a land of immense natural beauty and national pride. Both of these are amply evident in the way the people live, eat and celebrate. Most Venezuelan customs can be traced back to the nations colonial past under the Spanish. The reason that native influences are missing from these traditions is that that no native organized civilization existed in Venezuela before the Spanish entered the scene. Of course indigenous people were present, but their dissipated culture was hardly responsible for shaping Venezuela, as it is known today. The most significant custom of Venezuela is the national dance the Joropo. It is essentially Spanish in its feel, resembling the Samba and Salsa in many ways. Joropo is meant for couples and has a few basic steps, which are varied in numerous ways to create a sequence. A large majority of Venezuelas population is Catholic and the nation constitutes some of the most vibrant and colorful customs known in the Christian world. Foremost among them is the rhythmic Red Devils of Yare dance, which is performed to celebrate the symbolic victory of good over evil on Corpus Christi day. The dance involves people dressed as the Gods angels who fight those costumed as the Devils demons and usually lasts all day. Initially the angels look like they are going to loose the battle, but at the end of the day, virtue triumphs. Christmas traditions are also marvelous in Venezuela, with celebration beginning as early as the 16th of December. The nativity scene is put up in most households and the churches display elaborate scenes from the bible. On Christmas morning, when the children awake to find presents under the Christmas Tree, they are told that the Infant Jesus and not Santa Claus has left them these things.

Asteroids a Planet Killer :: essays research papers

The universe is a shooting gallery and earth is the bullseye. The earth is always under threat of a doomesday asteroid that will wipe out civilization. There are over one thousand asteroids traveling toward earth and only three quarters are accounted for. Where are the other one forth? No one knows because the government doesn't fund NASA astrologists enough to cover the astroids. Just one impact could end civilization as we know it. No matter where it hits everything would die, even bacteria. To give an estimate how much is spent on asteroid detection. It is said to be less than the cost to operate a single McDonald's franchise. Total disaster would occur no matter where the asteroid hit. Land, sea it doesn't matter. Ocean impact would create a number of things. First, a Tsunami(tidal wave) would be created on impact. The wave would be hundreds for feet high traveling hundreds of miles per hour. It would start to slow down crashing ashore through all coastal city. Then, finally was h up hundreds for miles inland. " The mid-Atlantic Ocean impact ranging from 400 meters to 5 kilometers in diameter. This would generate a tsunami that would sweep across the upper East Coast of the United States to the Appalachian Mountains."(Gottschalk 1) The blast of the impact would equal a 300 gigaton blast of T.N.T. Also, 2.4 seconds after impact, a small fireball with a temperature of 5000'C would sweep across long island. A land fall strike would cause total divistation. The asteroid would create a earth trembling impact causing earth quakes around the world. The binding flash will show impact and the crater would be twenty miles across. Then, a blanket of dust and debris would blanket the earth and block the sun's light. This would occur for hundreds of years and the climate would be disrupted. Global killer no matter where it hits. The end of the world is only 28 years, 10 months, 19 days, 1 hour, 45 minutes, and 39 seconds away. An asteroid named XF11 is on rout e to hit earth directly. October is the month and 2038 is the year. Discovered by Jim Scotti on December 6, 1997 while looking at star with the Arizona Spacewatch Group. The asteroid "is predicted to pass at a rather comfortable distance of about 600,000 miles (about 960,000 kilometers) in 2028," "reported Dr. Donald K.

Charles Dickens Contempt for Lawyers Revealed Great Expectations :: Great Expectations Essays

Charles Dickens Contempt for Lawyers Revealed Great Expectations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Charles Dickens viewed lawyers as being mean, cruel, and relatively heartless (Collins 175). Throughout much of Dickens' literature, lawyers are stereotyped through characters and these characters are used as a means of commentary about the lawyers of the time. Jaggers, from the novel Great Expectations, seems not to be an exception. Through the character of Jaggers, an understanding of Dickens' view of early nineteenth-century lawyers can be obtained.    Dickens felt that lawyers were overly concerned with power and not concerned enough about truth. Through Jaggers, the first evidence of this claim can be seen by his name alone. By sound, the name "Jaggers" creates an image of something that cuts. In a similar vein, "Jaggers" closely resembles "jagged" which portrays a rough and sharp image. The images produced by this name aptly describe the business attitude of Jaggers, an attitude that Dickens seems to revere as efficient, but condone as heartless.    The first meeting with Pip reinforces the idea of Jaggers as the power-centered lawyer. In explaining his presence there to Pip, Jaggers states, "If my advice had been asked, I should not have been here" (140; ch. 18). After reading about the business that Jaggers is there to conduct, this statement begins to take on some meaning. Jaggers is saying that if he were asked, he would not advise anyone to throw away such money on a trivial charity case. Jaggers, wrapped up in the power of his profession, could not possibly advise such a careless handling of money. For Jaggers, power is not about helping the little man for charitable purposes. Dickens seems to suggest here ideas about how power has corrupted the intentions of lawyers, people who are in a position to help those in need.    Even Jaggers' mannerisms seem to suggest the image of power. For example, Pip observes Jaggers eating a sandwich and comments that "he seemed to bully his sandwich as he ate" (167; ch. 20). It is as if Dickens wants to make a point about how lawyers are power hungry all of the time, even in the handling of their inanimate meals. The way that Jaggers bullies his sandwich is not unlike how he bullies the clients that he is supposed to be serving.

Skinny Bitch: A Manual for Lifestyle Change

There are cuss words splashed throughout the book and the writer is very direct with her opinions. However, as the reader it was truly convincing and made me feel like I better get my butt up, throw out any meat and dairy in my kitchen, and get to the store and buy a case of tofu, ASAP. Because the diet Is vegan that means absolutely no meat, Including poultry, pork, and fish. Also no dairy, Including eggs, cheese, basically no animal by-products are allowed. There Is also a chapter on artificial sweeteners and processed food, which are not allowed In the diet either.The book tryingly suggest to quit smoking and cut back on alcohol, which I absolutely support; smoking is disgusting and large amounts of alcohol are unhealthy. The book is very captivating and educational. It educates the reader about more than Just what not to eat. It also goes deep into depth about what happens at slaughter houses and the mistreatment of farm animals in a way to both convince the reader to not eat mea t and to also explain that meat is not always a healthy choice, even chicken and eggs.The book explains the high amount of chemicals and hormones that are pumped into our farm animals and the effects they have on the unman body. For example on page 45, it reads, â€Å"Half of all the antibiotics made In the united States each year are administered to farm animals, causing antibiotic resistance In the humans who eat them†. That Is a pretty scary fact, there are many other scary facts littered throughout the book. The book also explains the Importance of exercise and how important it is to have a exercise regimen. Skinny Pitch† is not so much a diet book as much as it is a suggested manual for lifestyle change. If one is planning to follow the â€Å"Skinny Pitch† diet they need to legalize it is not temporary, becoming a vegan is not only a serious commitment but also a way of life. Grocery shopping, cooking at home, and eating out will all be effected by choosing a vegan lifestyle and if one has a family their eating habits might have to change as well. The â€Å"Skinny Pitch† diet is low in a few vitamins and minerals. Also low in saturated fat, 59% and sodium, 42%, which is a good thing.But also low In Vitamin D, 20% and Iron, 63%, which could cause a problem after a while, however I believe that the majority of Vitamin D Is acquired through natural sunlight. The diet provides over 100% DIR of protein, omega-6, dietary fiber, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Valetta 36, Foliate, vitamin C, vitamin A (REAL vitamin A (10), vitamin E, calcium, and magnesium. I feel the diet is different from the average individual's normal diet, American's let manly revolves around meat, wanly can make It extremely Doolittle to stay faithful to a non-meat, non-dairy diet.As mentioned above, it is a lifestyle change and a very intense personal decision. I believe that if one chooses to follow the â€Å"Skinny Pitch† diet they will most definitely lea rn new healthful ways to eat and if hey are used to eating the average American diet, one can definitely expect to keep weight off. However, if beginning the â€Å"Skinny Pitch† diet while already being mindful of what one eats I don't believe there would be a huge change in weight loss or gain.It is not necessarily a â€Å"low-fat† diet, rather it is a heaths eating lifestyle and even though the authors believe a true healthy diet does not contain meat or dairy that is not necessarily true. However, a decrease in meat and dairy consumption is a good choice for anyone who is trying to eat a more heart healthy diet. I believe that the â€Å"Skinny Pitch† diet could be a bit more expensive than average American diet. Purchasing soy over regular milk is more expensive. Finding soy and vegan products that taste good are indeed more expensive.On the other hand, if one is not purchasing large amounts of meat the costs may Just about equal out. I believe for the averag e American the â€Å"Skinny Pitch† diet would provide a calorie deficit, however for someone who is already mindful of their diet and includes a lot of fruits and vegetables in their diet, they may not see a large calorie deficit. Skinny Pitch† is not too low in calories. I believe the diet makes very reasonable claims regarding health and weight loss. It's simple: eat a healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and overall health will improve.The diet is straightforward and honest, fat will not drop and health will not improve until one commits too lifestyle change, not a â€Å"quick fix†. Yes, it absolutely has required restrictions to certain foods. All meat, dairy, and any food the includes any animal by-products. Any processed food and any food that contains artificial sweeteners are not allowed. The credentials are indeed sound, the two women that wrote the book are both former models, and Kim Barbarian has received her Masters of Science in Holistic Nutrition. All the reviews that I read of â€Å"Skinny Pitch† said pretty much of the same thing.The book is written in a very straightforward way that will not leave anyone wondering what are healthy food choices. The New York Times review states that the book has a large focus on animal rights, which it does indeed. The Times also agrees that the book has an attitude but is â€Å"crystal-clear† on what is Junk food vs.. A healthy choice. Health. Mom's review mentions that the book might â€Å"pray' on women with eating disorders and may â€Å"take more of a toll on your self-esteem than your waistline† but also agrees that the diet is low in calories and could result in weight loss.Goggle Books says â€Å"Skinny Pitch† explains healthy eating habits and a â€Å"lifestyle that promotes whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and encourages women to get excited about feeling â€Å"clean and pure and energize†. When compared to the materia l we have been studying in class this term, the book â€Å"Skinny Pitch† has a lot of similarities. The book describes healthy dating. It focuses on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which we have learned in class are all very healthy and the foods the average American needs to consume more regularly.I also like that the book explains how processed foods and refined sugars are not good for the human body, all lessons we have learned in class. Its also interesting that the book focuses on the treatment of animals and explains all the chemicals Tanat are Tea to ten animals, we nave talked auto Tanat In class as well. In only major difference between what we have learned in class and the book is that en can still have a healthy diet that includes meat and dairy, Just that moderation of the two are important to ensure a healthy heart and low cholesterol.I like this book and I believe that a vegan diet can be very healthy as long as one ensures that they are getting all the ne cessary vitamins and minerals. I have a very good friend who is vegan and she has managed to make some wonderful entrees and I always look forward to her dinner parties. She incorporates raw food as well which can be very tasty when prepared correctly. I would rate this diet as an 8. I live that it is healthy and I like how it's a lifestyle change, not Just a fad diet.Most fad diets do not work and weight is gained back within a year. I like how â€Å"Skinny Pitch† explains to the reader that there is no easy fix and that if one desires to be thin and healthy it takes determination and hard work, as with anything that is worth achieving. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in becoming a vegan. I would also recommend it to anyone who needs a wake up call in regards to their health and food choices and anyone who thinks that they can Jump on some crazy â€Å"diet wagon† and lose weight fast and easy.

Seat Belt

Wearing your Seat Belt Everybody makes choices every day. It could be something basic like what colour of suit should you wear, or something major like should I put on a seat belt. I hold the opinion that all of these choices have an impact on our lives. I hope all of you who are listening to this speech today make the bigger choice of wearing your seatbelts in your day-to-day travelling. The rate of deaths has been on the rise, and this has concerned me. This has made me do some research on wearing selt belt. Therefore, I have credible material and information on this topic.I Chose this topic because I have lost a couple of family memeber in car accident and some of them wasnt wearing a selt belt. the most recent accident that injury my secend cousin happened on December 11, 2012. She had gotten in a agrument with her family early that day, so she decided she would go drive and calm down. so she got into her car , when she got in the car she didnt put her selt belt on, she just bega n to drive. she was so upset that she start to speed alittle. well the day before it had rain and the ground still had water on it. while she was speed on the wet road her lost control of her car and the car flip. s the car was flip she was injected for the car and she landed on the ground hard. the impact of the ground it broke a couple of ribs and injury her spine. she underwent major sugery that day. she have to learn how to walk, learn how to fully use her hand, learn how to sit up straight without her brace all over again. she had wear her seat belt then she wouldnt have been hurt to much. this is why wearing selt belt is impormant. I believe that everybody who is a driver, any passenger and everybody whose means of transport is a vehicle should and is supposed to put on a seatbelt.When you are driving or even riding in a vehicle, putting on your seat belt will bring down your chance of death or serious injury, in case of a major accident. I will first talk to you about a predi cament that has dramatic consequences but could be handled very easily. Then I will deliberate on a fixable solution to aid in bringing down this predicament. Finally, I will tell you how you can handle the problem on a personal level. The use of seat belts is often the difference between life and death in the event of a car accident.It may take an extra second to buckle up, but that simple measure often has invaluable benefits–the most important being that it could save your life. Let us first begin by discussing about some of the repercussions of not putting on your seat belt. Not belting up can consequently lead to death or fatal injuries. Too many unnecessary deaths occur each year for the elementary reason—people just do not put on their seat belts. According to an article in the Lincoln Journal Star in August 2002, Nebraska highway loss of lives is the most in the last 21 years claiming more than 150 lives.In 2002, about five people lost their life for not puttin g on seat belts. People make unjustifiable excuses like; I am a good driver for not wearing seatbelts. This is one of the many excuses Now that, I have stated the repercussions of not putting on your seat belt, I would like to state the solutions to these issues. There is only one major solution to the problem; put on your seat belt. This resolution could be achieved via several ways. The first intervention was in 1966, when Congress passed the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.The next thing is to get the federal government to make motorists put on belts by making laws calling upon it. Here are some benefit for wearing seat belts in everyday situation, accident situation and for all ages. For Everyday situation, While driving normally at an average speed, the use of a seat belt provides the added benefit of security and peace of mind. When sudden stops occur, the seat belt reduces the chance of whiplash, which occurs when the body is jerked forward and back too quickly, straining the neck. or Accident Situation, In the event that an accident occurs, a seat belt truly plays a crucial role in preventing a person from crashing headfirst into the windshield or being completely thrown through the windshield upon impact. Both of these scenarios are often fatal. and for all ages, The use of seat belts provides a significant benefit for toddlers. Car seats for children are not always secure. Securing car seats with seat belts lets parents rest assured that their children are protected in transit. In conclusion, putting on your seat belt will bring down the jeopardy of bodily injury.Seat belts are very essential to motorists and passengers of a vehicle. If you get involved in a tragic accident, wearing your seat belt will diminish your possibility of death or critical injury, whether you are a driver or passenger. Next time you ride in a vehicle, be warned that repercussions are you will be in tragic crash at least sometime in your life, seat belts almost triples the possibility of hold on in a tragic crash. Please spend those important three seconds of your time and buckle up your seat belt

“Adrienne Rich’s poem: Living In Sin” Analysis Essay

Adrienne Rich’s poem Living In Sin is a free verse poem about a woman’s fairy tale dream of marriage versus the reality of the sin of not loving each other. The subject of the poem is a woman starting a life of hope and happiness in a perfect relationship only to learn the true reality of the relationship. The speaker of the poem observes the woman’s life as sad and boring using the past tense versus the present, and short run on lines that set the hopeless mood of the poem. Imagery and colorful language is also used to describe the unhappy relationship throughout the poem. Living In Sin shows a woman’s life without rhyme in four meaningful images and as the tone changes she sees the relationship/marriage she expected and the relationship as it actually is. To begin with the speaker uses run-on lines, past tense and tone to illustrate the first image. â€Å"She had thought the studio would keep itself†¦Ã¢â‚¬  shows that in the beginning of the relationship she pictured a fairy tale marriage like Cinderella. There would be no chores, no dusting, everything would be a perfect marriage. The use of past tense means she is thinking of what is not. The lines are also short and choppy making everything sound hopeless. The next line, Half heresy†¦ the speaker comes back to the present tense of the leaky faucet, noise and dirty windows. The mood then shifts again and she paints a pretty picture of her home with fruit and happiness on the table, a piano with an expensive shawl, and a cat as a nice pet. The short, choppy run on lines makes the woman’s life appear hopeless and tired of doing this day after day. The next image the speaker speaks about is the dinner from the night before. By using the past tense again, Not that at five†¦. shows the image of a romantic dinner that never was. The poem looses this imagery with the sound of the milkman waking her up as the cold morning dawns only to ruin her fantasy dream of the frustration of cleaning up from the night before. The use of language to describe last night’s cheese is a metaphor to show how sour their relationship really is. The speaker also uses three sepulchral bottles, sepulchral meaning burial or tomb, as a metaphor or image of the bottles lined up as dead soldiers from the night before of drinking and partying. The woman feels as if she too has died inside and is living in a  tomb. The bug, a pair of beetle-eyes would fix her own–, is another example of an image of what the woman doesn’t expect from life as she writhe under the milkman’s tramp†¦personifies her bending in pain. Finally the man in her life is introduced. Again run on, choppy lines are used to describe him in only four lines shows he is not in her life very often and she is frustrated and angry at him. He is described as yawning which shows that he is ignoring her and just goes on with his on self absorbed life. He then plays the piano which is out of tune like their relationship is in need of help. Next he shrugs at the mirror and leaves for a cigarette suggests he doesn’t care about her. Then the reality, using past to present, as the woman realizes by the minor demons, her inner thoughts of the fantasy versus the reality of the house work he left behind for her to do. The woman goes back to making the house look perfect on the outside to keep up the idea of a fairy tale life that she once thought she might have. The image of the coffee-pot boil over on the stove shows that even though she is going on like nothing is wrong, inside she is boiling. Comparative imagery is used to show life then and now in the the pears are now last night’s cheese, the cat is now a beetle-eye bug, a piano with a Persian shawl is now an out of tune keyboard, and no dust upon the furniture of love is now a dusty table-top. The illusion of a fantasy and now the reality of her life. The final image ends with By evening she was back in love again, shows the fantasy versus the reality of waking to feel the daylight coming when she can start all over again. Like a relentless milkman up the stairs, she has to wake up and do the same thing day after day like the milkman waking up and starting all over again to deliver the milk. The woman goes back to her job that life will get better and someday will have a fairy tale ending, but until then she has to live in her tomb of a relationship, hence, living in sin of not being happy with what she has. Adrienne Rich’s poem does an interesting job of describing the miserable life of a woman looking for love. She uses colorful language and imagery to show the dark, unhappy life of this woman. There is a lot of emotion and feelings  throughout the poem. The words like, grime, writhe, coldly, sepulchral, beetle-eyes, jeered, and demons all give a feeling of the sadness that this woman feels every day. The poem is easy to read and feel the loneliness this woman has in four, choppy run on images. In conclusion, Living in Sin paints a picture of a woman finally realizing that her marriage is not a fairy tale ending. Through imagery, run on lines, and tone the sin is in the guilt from not living in the present and not being in love with her husband, who’s not in love. This was an interesting poem on the sin of not loving each other and accepting each other for who they are.