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).

The Man With The Movie Camera Analysis

The Man With The Movie Camera Analysis Dziga Vertovs 1929 film, The Man with the Movie Camera, documents life in a Russian city while also telling a story about filmmaking. The film is a dazzling mix of imagery and technique, inviting the viewer to see the city through the eyes of the cameraman, and to share his perception of the events and visions that he encounters through the filmmaking process. This review will examine the films narrative line and its underlying themes, its use of genre and generic traditions, the cinematic techniques employed and the effectiveness of its approach to the material. At the beginning of the film, The Man with the Movie Camera defines itself as something out of the ordinary. In the opening credits, the title cards refer to the film as an experiment in the cinematic communication of visible events, executed without the aid of intertitles, without the aid of a scenario, without the aid of a theater (Vertov). From the outset, the film distinguishes itself by aiming to explore the pure essence of film-to document and record human life and activity in the form of moving pictures. The Man with the Movie Camera is split into four sections, and is book-ended by imagery relating to film and filmmaking. It opens in a cinema and closes with the lens of a camera shutting its eye. From a narrative perspective, the film is different from the norm in that it has no typical protagonist or antagonist. If a main character had to be defined, he would be the cameraman, with his main supporting character being the editor. The city and its inhabitants as a unified entity also become a major character in the film, showing how they interact with each other in the daily routine of work, rest and leisure through the perspective of the filmmaker. The movie is predominantly concerned with depicting reality, rather than dramatized fiction or re-creations of historic events. The films story is constructed in an unconventional narrative style, but is brought together through the recurring theme of the camera and the filmmaker. The events in the film take place over the course of a day, and although Vertov experiments with geographical and temporal continuity, the audience is given enough information to piece together the plot. Upon first viewing, this plot may not be entirely clear, but as Roberts confirms, The Man with the Movie Camera does have a plot (1). Each section of the film covers the different parts of the day (work, rest and leisure), and through this, Vertov establishes images which provide the visual language which is brought into play throughout the length of the film. By layering this imagery through editing and montage, and combining them with the underlying story of the filmmaker and his camera, the overarching narrative is tied together. Roberts explains that all human life is here from birth to death via childhood, marriage, divorce, wo rk, rest and play (2). This avant-garde style of filmic storytelling became popular in the form of the city symphony genre. Dimendberg explains that the genre encompasses around twenty titles and relies heavily upon montage to represent a cross-section of life in the modern metropolis (109). In adhering to this genre, The Man with the Movie Camera does away with the traditional trappings of the documentary and becomes something different. There is no narration, no conventional narrative or plot elements, but rather a succession of rhythmic imagery detailing the inner workings of a city. Graf describes the genres structure as having a dawn to dusk strategy in the search for a pure film form (79). Vertov employed many cinematic techniques to achieve the incredible momentum of imagery found in the film. These techniques included split-screen, slow motion, freeze-frame, fast motion, and stop-motion animation. The stop-motion animation sequence where the camera seems to come alive and walk around on its tripod remains startling even today. When juxtaposed with the everyday motions of human life which the film presents, it becomes clear that the camera itself has a life of its own. It has its own perception of events separate from that of the filmmaker, and separate from that of the audience. The diversity of techniques used makes the film a showcase of the power of cinema and its ability to transform everyday life into something completely different, with its own rhythm and sense of unpredictability. The editing in The Man with the Movie Camera is one of the films strongest points. There is a segment which contrasts challenging footage of a birth with that of a funeral. As one life ends, another begins. Similarly, there is a scene of marriage, with joyous atmosphere and smiling faces. In contrast, Vertov inserts a somber scene of a couple signing their divorce papers. These binary oppositions are ubiquitous throughout the film, with juxtapositions between work and play, play and rest, man and machine, and many others. The musical score also brings much life and energy to the film. The repeated themes complement the visual language that Vertov established. According to Feldman, Vertov carefully planned the musical score and may well have intended the work to be made as the first Soviet sound film (qtd in Barsam 74). The synchronicity between sound effects and onscreen action creates an impressive and exciting mosaic of audio and imagery. While the film is certainly a product of its time, it holds up surprisingly well in modern day. Barsam states that the film was well-received in the domestic and international press (74). The inventive narrative construction and the multitude of cinematic techniques placed the film genuinely ahead of its time. Vertov was successful in his attempt at documenting Russian life in a city without many of the normal elements typically found in documentaries. He managed to show an impressive cross-section of Russian society, by following the daily lives of different classes of people. The Man with the Movie Camera remains a wonderful piece of experimental cinema, and offers a fascinating view of life as it was in the Soviet 1920s.

Competitve Analysis of The PC Industry :: essays research papers

.0 Introduction The opening of the 21st century arrived with an economic limp. Dragging behind it a spirit squeezed by imploded exuberance, the economy led some to give up on change and growth. Companies cut new programs, pulled out of or shut down corporate ventures, retrenched and played it safe. Yet, simmering barely beneath the surface we can see powerful drivers of change and growth still at work, building pressure for the next upswing in the megacycles of economy. We never had a â€Å"New Economy†; we had an evolving innovation economy. Surviving and prospering, calls for a sound grasp of the drivers of change. The fact that there has never been a â€Å"golden company† that consistently beat the market is due to differing principles under which capital markets and corporations operates. Markets, built on the assumption of â€Å"discontinuity† enable, manage and control the process of creative destruction by encouraging new entrants that produce superior results and value by â€Å"remorselessly† replacing weak performers that consume wealth. This process is has always been at the heart of capitalism, but the pace of change is accelerating to the extent that we have entered what Peter Drucker calls the Age of Discontinuity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Organizations in today’s hypercompetitive world face the paradoxical challenges of â€Å"dualism†, that is, functioning efficiently today while innovating effectively for tomorrow. The purpose of this case study is to analyze, understand and prepare strategies to overcome the impacts and implications of introduction of the $15 PC by Rolltronics towards my Computer firm named ‘Company X’ by using the Theory of Disruptive Technology and Innovative Management. 2.0 Personal Computer Industry Overview   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The market for laptop computers has distinguished itself as one of the fastest growing segments of the computer industry. Throughout its growth and development, this market, like many others, has changed a great deal as a result of customer demands. In an effort to cater to these demands, companies like Dell and HP look to market trends to aid in the development of new products. In most recent stages, the laptop market has been specifically influenced by a number of trends. Simply, customers are becoming more educated about their purchases. As a result of these consumer educations, buyers want increased customization of PCs. The growing amount of knowledge is creating the ability for buyers to distinguish their own personal need in a computer from a standardized product.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The laptop market is growing faster than desktop computers.

Cathedral Essay -- essays research papers

Cathedral The story is about a blind man who visits a married couple. He is an old friend of the wife, but the husband does not look forward to see the blind man (called Robert) because he does not know what to expect. He has never known any blind persons and his picture of these is based on a very little foundation. He has a lot of prejudices against Robert, but during his visit he changes his opinion about him. While watching TV together they get each other to know better and the husband finds out that he actually likes his company. They watch a program about cathedrals and while talking about cathedrals, Robert says that he does not even know how a cathedral looks like. The husband tries to explain what a cathedral is and how it is built, but Robert does not understand it. Therefore he suggests that they can draw one together. In that way Robert gets a picture of a cathedral in his mind and even though it is not as good as seeing it with his own eyes, it is good enough to give him an idea o f what a cathedral is. I think there are may different themes in this short story. For instance, I think that prejudices is one of the main themes which is shown through the husband’s way of react, when he hears that a blind man is coming. Because he does not know what to expect, he imagines a man, totally different, who does not have the same habits or knows the same thing as “normal'; people. “I remembered having read somewhere that the blind did not sm...

Utilitarianism or God, do we have to choose? Essay -- essays research

Utilitarianism or God, do we have to choose? During many years that question is being formulated and many scholars had a very difficult time to decide if it was possible to follow God’s will and the principle of utility maximization. The principle of utility maximization was a theory created by John Stuart Mill and presented in his book Utilitarianism (1863). Societies throughout the years have argued that those theories are hard to combine, since Utilitarianism seeks for self-development and God’s teachings seek for community growth. This paper will start with a context on actuality of society, then it will try to clarify what is the Bible view of Utilitarianism by explaining the principle of Utilitarianism, what society has to change to avoid to forget God’s principles and only base their behavior on Mill’s theory, how society should accept both theories and combine them into one in order to create a better society. An important part of this discussion is based on understanding what is happening with society nowadays. Societies all around the world are becoming more and more individualists, what is causing problems that can affect the whole world, problems such as terrorists attacks, war or even in a lower but maybe more important scale hunger. This is basically happening because every single member of every society is only looking after themselves instead of the group, they are only trying to progress individually, but most of these individuals forget that to really achieve the top you need help, and that help comes from other individuals. The following part of the paper will try to clarify the biblical view of Mill’s theory, the Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism has always been seen as an opposite theory from God’s teachings. That is not absolutely correct. Jesus gave us the major example of understanding Mill’s principle by dying on the cross. Of course it is simple to say that Jesus died for every human being and that is a proof of community spirit instead of individualism, however Jesus showed that He was following actually not His will but God’s will, what is showed on the passage before Jesus is captured by the roman soldiers: â€Å"O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt† (Matthew 26:39). What Jesus was showing is that every single human has the principle of utilitarianism inside themselve... ...s Consulted †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rose, John T., â€Å"Utility Versus Self-Sacrificing Love† Christian Scholar’s Review Fall 2004 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leightner, Jonathan, â€Å"‘Not my Will†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢:Further Thoughts on Utility Versus Self-Sacrificing Love† Christian Scholar’s Review Fall 2004 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NRSV Bible †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"FAO unveils global anti-hunger program† http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/news/2002/5500-en.html †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mill, John Stuart, Utilitarianism, Hackett Publishing Company Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana, 1979, Original Publication, 1861 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Harcourt, Edward, â€Å"Mill’s ‘Sanctions’, Internalization and the Self† European Journal of Philosophy; Oct98, Vol. 6 Issue 3, p318, 17p †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kant Immanuel, Grounding For The Metaphysics Of Morals, Third Edition, Hackett Publishing Company Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana, 1993, Original Publication, 1785 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smart, and Bernard Williams. Utilitarianism: For and Against. Trowbridge: Redwood Burn, 1973 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lewis, C.S., â€Å"Mere Christianity† Harper Collins Edition 2001

Emergency And Disaster Management Essay

There has been an increase in disasters in the world as exhibited in the recent past. Since time immemorial, disasters have been known to occur causing emergency situations in many parts of the world. As a result of disasters, there is loss of life, destruction of properties worth million of shillings, mass displacement of millions of people leading to refuge status, psychological trauma among other issues (Cuny, 1983, p. 29). However, the severity of the above results depends on a country’s disaster preparedness and mitigation measures that have been put in place. The modern world calls for quick response to disasters and various governments have formulated policies on how to deal with disasters and most importantly how to avoid them. Funds have been set aside that caters for any emergency situations that warrant a quick response by all sectors. According to Alexander (2002, p. 20), a disaster is a calamity which can be as a result of humans or can be natural and disposes a high risk to loss of life, deterioration of the health status of the affected, loss and destruction of properties and most at often causes environmental deterioration through loss of habitat and ecological imbalance. Disasters result from a failure to handle a risk factor in the vulnerable environment or people. It is unfortunate, that most disasters with tragic and greater consequences affect the so called developing countries as compared to industrialized nations. Hoffman & Smith (2002, p. 20), notes that greater than 95% of fatal cases as a result of disaster occurs in less industrialized nations. Furthermore, natural disasters account for more than 20 times the losses in developing countries as compared to the industrialized nations. Read more:Â  Role of State Government in Disaster Management Theses observations beg the question; what needs to be done in these developing nations so as to reduce the consequences of disasters. The answer can be found in developing an effective disaster management program to cater for emergencies. This essay focuses on development of a disaster management program specifically for China which is prone to disasters. It will tackle issues to do with hazard analysis, prevention, preparedness, response and the recovery plans in case of a disaster. Frequency and impact of disasters in China China as a country in the far eastern side of the Asian continent is prone to many natural and man-made disasters. In the recent past, it has topped in disaster occurrences in the world with rise in the death toll and destruction of properties. China has an occurrence of six of disasters in the world which are classified as deadly due to their severe consequences. Among this top six disasters, the leading three affected China leading to deaths calculated to be in millions of people (CRED, 2009, para. 4). Historically, the China floods of 1931 had the greatest death toll of over 2 million people followed by the Yellow River floods of 1887 which had a death toll of over 0. 9 million. Thirdly, the Shaanxi earthquake which occurred in 1556 claimed 0. 83 million lives. The frequency of occurrence of disasters in China has hindered both economic and social development of the country due to the resulting consequences. This has posed a challenge to the government of China in its effort to alleviate poverty mostly in the rural populations and in highly populated provinces. Efforts have been put in maintaining a data base for the disaster prone areas by organizations like International Disease Database (EM-DAT) and the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. This data helps in identifying the most disaster prone areas so as efforts are enhanced to reduce the risks involved therefore mitigating the hazard (CRED, 2009, para. 3-6). China has had an increased risk to occurrence of disasters than any other in the continent of Asia. Recently in August of 2010, China has been affected by landslides that resulted in the death of at least 127 people while thousands were missing and many people had to be evacuated to safer grounds. In this same year hundreds of people were feared dead in the mountainous area of Qinnghai after a 6. 9 earthquake struck the area. The area is inhabited by poor people who are highly prone to this kind of disaster. In 2009, there was also earthquake that killed more than 5000 students. Also, mine blasts were recorded to have caused deaths in this same year (Poyzner, 2010, para. 5). In the year 2008, several earthquakes were reported that caused deaths that amounted to thousands of people. In the same year land slides were reported causing destruction of property and loss of lives. The year 2005 was marked by mine blasts that consumed several lives of mine workers. Virulent outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome were recorded which also consumed several lives. As observed from the above data, three major disasters affecting China are Earthquakes, landslides and floods (Ponserre & Hoyois, 2006, para. 2-7). Frequency and impacts of earthquakes, landslides and floods in China According to Young et al. (2007, p. 299), China is one of the countries that experiences very strong intra-continental seismicity that leads to the frequent occurrence of earthquakes in the country. High frequency has been noted in the Northern parts of China which have resulted into deaths of many people in that area. Occurrence of earthquakes in China is always catastrophic with china topping the list of the world’s earthquakes that have caused many loss of life. Since 1976, the Sichuan earthquake tops the list of casualties having caused the death of close to 70,000 people. Since then, the government of the People’s Republic of China took upon itself to come up with an earth quake administration that operated nationally. Among the duties of this institution were to conduct monitoring of occurrence of earthquakes, conduct research in areas that were recorded to be prone or vulnerable especially in the north. Additionally, they had the responsibility of coordinating all emergency efforts in case an earthquake occurred. The institution changed its name after being legally mandated by an Act in their legislative laws. In 1998, it became the China Earthquake Administration that oversees the independent earthquake administrations in the provinces and regions. The well coordinated efforts of this institution have seen quick emergency response to earthquake disasters thus minimizing the number of deaths. Earthquake occurrence in China is high compared to other nations around it. In this year alone, 300 people perished in April as a result of a 2. 9 earthquake. The year 2009 also recorded deaths from earthquakes. The year 2008 will remain remembered by many in China as in the month of May, over 50,000 people perished in southern China. The same quake caused a lot of destruction to infrastructure with 80% of buildings collapsing in one county. Earthquakes have a high occurrence in China with hardly a year passing without any reports of earthquake. Joint efforts are called for in case of emergencies. In China the army is involved in conducting evacuation of the victims, providing medical services to the ailing evacuees, they undertake construction works to open communication and provide temporary shelters to the affected. China has been said to be geologically vulnerable to occurrence of landslides mainly due its topography. Several factors come into play that influences the occurrence of landslides. This includes the climatic conditions mainly targeting on rainfall patterns, the soil type and its qualities and off course the soil covering in the said areas (Reilly, 2010, para. 5). Recently, there have been heavy rains in China which has resulted into a landslide in the hilly areas of Gansu. The landslide that occurred in the second week of August killed at least 127 people and left thousands missing. In addition, thousands of people had to be evacuated to safer grounds to reduce the casualty. In July, still several people were reported missing as a result of a landslide in the southern parts of China. In the year 2009, southern China also experienced a major landslide that caused a lot of destruction to buildings and infrastrures such as roads and bridges. The year 2008 was not left behind, with a landslide that occurred in a mine without an operating license killing 254 people. As indicated above the impacts of these disasters are many with death topping the list, loss of properties and infrastructure and movement of people thus having a percentage of people who are homeless in their own country? Nationally, theses disasters are a hindrance to economic growth and prosperity. They create disharmony in efforts to develop and are time and money consuming which would have been otherwise used somewhere else. Also, they create psychological stress and the people’s productivity is lowered. This has left many in poverty and relying on aid from well wishers and the government. The climatic conditions experienced in China exposes it to flooding. China experiences heavy rains in some seasons in the years causing breaking of river banks and the drainage system. What follows is flood waters everywhere especially in the low lying areas sometimes reaching heights of over one meter. Currently in the month of August, China has experienced heavy summer rains causing flooding and mudslides in the provinces of Gansu and Yunnan. In the recent months alone, floods and landslides have caused the death of more than 1,500 residents who were unlucky and failed to be evacuated. In the months of June and July, more than 4200 people had to be evacuated to safer grounds in a government coordinated rescue mission. A critical observation of flood data points the southern parts of China as the most vulnerable to flooding. China alone tops the world in the top six slots of the most catastrophic floods and landslides to be recorded in history. In the year 1931, the most catastrophic landslide in the world was recorded with deaths ranging from 2-4 million people. This flood also secures the first position as the top natural disaster in history having caused the highest number of loss of lives. Despite China being faced with lots of torrential rains in summer which cause floods, it produces a record grain harvest. However, the yields have been affected by the floods. Apart from deaths caused by floods, they also impact negatively on crop yield by destroying crops in the farming fields. This has led to loss of millions of yuans in the export market and also confounded poverty index in China (Watts, 2010, para. 6). Apart from this, the floods have left millions of the Chinese people who live in the low level farm lands homeless and without a source of livelihood. There have been government efforts to construct levees and also hydroelectric projects from the flood waters. The government has involved planners in developing projects that will see water being diversified into regions that receive less rainfall in the northern parts of the country. This will enable the excess water to be channeled to the arid regions. This will serve two purposes of controlling floods and trying to improve the agricultural activities in the north. Differences in frequencies and impacts of disasters The northern part of China has a diffuse zone which is prone to seismic activities as compared to other parts of China or even other countries. The plate tectonics theory as is known by geologists helps in understanding seismic actions in China. There are tectonic movements due to the influence of the Indo-Asian collision due to motions in the crust in the continental China. There is gravitational movement leading to spreading of the tectonic plates which has a major influence in the deformation of the crust in much of Asia. The northern China block experiences higher seismicity than the southern parts due to high stress forces in the northern plates. The south China lacks this stress forces and moves together as one block hence reduced or no seismic activity. Research has also shown that, as a result of previous seismic activity, an area is left prone to occurrences of similar stresses and seismic activity (Yang, 2007, p. 3). This explains the frequency of occurrence of tectonic earthquakes in the northern parts unlike in other areas of the continental Asia. China as indicated above has been faced by many catastrophic floods that have resulted into many losses. There are many causes of floods which lead to China being more vulnerable to them in comparison to other nations. First and foremost, China experiences heavy torrential rains in summer most in the southern parts of the country. The rains come in flashes which often supersedes the holding capacity of China’s drainage system. Most of the rivers in the affected areas break their banks leading to water spreading in the low lying areas which are mainly inhabited by the farmers. This causes havoc to their crops and their dwellings. In its efforts to industrialization, China has many factories and motor vehicles in their roads (Hilhorst, Dijkzeul & Herman, 2010, p. 122) This has led to pollution of the air and hence the ozone layer is destroyed. As a result global warming is accelerated and this has led to snowmelt in spring and the water going into the sea. The rise in sea level consequently causes a rise in the river levels which then breaks and cause flooding. The relief of China also hastens flooding. In the lowlands, the rivers will flow much slowly and any change in the water volume will cause flooding in the low lying areas. China borders the ocean in a very large area unlike other countries. The coastal areas experiences high tides and heavy storms that leads to rise in the sea level. If the level surpasses the level of the low lands at the coast, flooding occurs in these areas. In addition, the high population in China also may exacerbate the problem of flooding. The high population needs life necessities like food and shelter. As a result, they cultivate and inhabit the low lying areas which are prone to flooding. Their uncontrolled cultivation of the land will lead to soil erosion and the land cover is destroyed. The land is therefore left bare and with increased risks of floods during heavy rains. Many forces do interplay to hold the land surfaces together. The force of critical importance is friction which holds the various layers of the soil in a compact nature. Any interruption to this force of friction causes a slippery motion and results in landslides. Gravity plays the key factor in causation of landslides. If at any time the force of gravity supersedes the force of friction, a landslide will occur. Water is the common trigger of landslide since the sippage of water into the ground causes reduction of friction that exists between the bedrock and the upper sediment layers of soil. When this happens, debris of soil is sent downhill. Due to the torrential rainfall in China, landslides are imminent especially in the sloppy areas. China experiences a high frequency of earthquakes as compared to any other country. Consequently, the seismic waves cause vibration in the earth’s surface which upsets the existing frictional forces and causes landslides (Helmer & Hilhorst, 2006, p. 106). Landslides are therefore common in earthquake regions as well as areas prone to flooding. Volcanic eruptions have also been shown to result in landslides in areas that have recently experienced volcanic activity. In addition, human activities like blasting during mining process and vibrations as a result of heavy traffic also cause earthquakes. China has had its citizens lose their lives as a result of mine blasting activities as the mines collapse burying the miners alive. China has had its exceptional share of these disasters as a result of these predisposing factors. Conclusion In conclusion, disasters have continued affecting many parts of this world. Despite the preparations that are put in place a lot deserves to be enhanced to minimize the tendency of occurrence of disasters. While some natural disasters are inevitable as they are beyond human control, mitigational measures should be enhanced to take care of the rise in these cases. China tops the list of most fatal disasters that have been recorded in historical times. The top three have been the frequent earthquakes in the northern parts, deadly floods in the low lying areas which have brought havoc to the people inhabiting these areas and finally the landslides which also have caused destruction of property. With these disasters occurring frequently in china, the government has had to come up with an authority that is concerned with disaster management. It has a well established system of disaster mitigation which tends to prevent the disposing hazards turning into disasters. Secondly, they have preparedness measures that involve enhancing their capabilities to fight disasters. They also do have a well developed disaster response system (Harrald, 2006, p. 256). Finally, recovery measures are enhanced to return into normalcy. Whatever they do all efforts must be directed towards saving lives. References Alexander, D. (2002). Principles of Emergency planning and Management. Harpended: Terra publishing. CRED (2009). The International Disaster Database: EM-DAT. Retrieved 18/08/2010 from: http://www. unisdr. org/disaster-statistics/impact-killed. htm Cuny, F. (1983). Disasters and Development. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Harrald, J. (2006). Agility and Discipline: Critical Success Factors for Disaster Response. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 604, 256. Helmer, M. & Hilhorst, D. (2006). Natural Disasters and Climate Change. Disasters, 30 (3), 100- 107 Hilhorst, D, Dijkzeul, D. & Herman, J. (2010). Social Dynamics of Humanitarian Action. Disasters, 34 (3), 120-125. Hoffman. S. & Smith, A. (2002). Catastrophe and Culture: The Anthropology of Disaster. Santa Fe NM: School of American Research Press. Ponserre, S. & Hoyois, P. (2006). Disaster statistics 1991-2005. Internationa; Strategy for Disaster Reduction. Retrieved 18/08/2010 from: http://www. unisdr. org/disaster-statistics/introduction. htm Poyzner, M. (2010). China, Disasters Timeline. Retrieved 18/08/2010 from: http://www. mapreport. com/subtopics/d/countries/china. html Reilly, M. (2010). China’s Giant Landslide: Natural or Man-made Disaster? Discovery News. Retrieved 18/08/2010 from: http://news. discovery. com/earth/chinas-giant-landslide-natural-or-man-made-disaster. html Watts, J. (2010). China Devastated by Floods. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 18/08/2010 from: http://www. guardian. co. uk/world/2010/jun/20/china-devastated-floods Yang, M. et al. (2007), Active Tectonics and Intracontinental Earthquakes in China: The Kinematics and Geodynamics. The Geology Society of America, 20 (5), 299-306.

Lord of the Flies Coursework

‘The main characters in the Lord of the flies are similar to world leaders that have ruled through history’. I agree that the main characters from Lord of the flies are similar to the world leaders that have ruled through history. There are four main characters in the film ‘Lord of the Flies’ and they are Jack, Simon, Piggy and Ralph. All these characters have an individual point of view and they all have different personalities. Jack is very comparable to the world leader called Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler was absolute evil, all-powerful, mad, and hated by others, bright, deeply religious and stubborn.Adolf Hitler was a leader because he was able to convince people and make them do what he wants them to do. Jack wanted to be a leader as well and after the votes when he wasn’t picked to guide the kids he persuaded Ralph that he would help him out. Jack thought he was all-powerful because everyone followed what he said. Half way through the movie Jack w as getting unwanted because people found him too bossy so he used he’s skills to convince people that he is the best leader and that he is much better than the leader that they picked which was Ralph.I think Jack wasn’t so bright but he knew how to convince people to believe him and this made him very stubborn and tough. He was very sure of him self and he was a very confident person. When the kids joined his group because they had a choice of joining Jack or Ralph they picked Jack and he turned really aggressive and killed two members of the opposite group. Jack took his anger on animals and other members from the plane crash. Piggy reminds me of Martin Luther King as he wanted to change the whole of America to make peace. Piggy wanted to change the people that argued and he was very supportive towards the leader Ralph.When Jack was a very leader Ralph wasn’t sure what to do to stop him and Piggy helped him and seemed to be very supportive and friendly. He was also very gullible and he thought he could trust Ralph by telling him a secret that people used to call him ‘Piggy’ and he never liked him. He asked Ralph not to tell anyone but Ralph told everyone about it. Piggy carried on being very nice towards Ralph. Piggy was very smart and brave just like Martin Luther King and he spoke his mind and came up with different ideas. By: Natalia Jozwiak 10EA