A Short History of Fingerprinting Essay -- Exploratory Essays

A Short History of Fingerprinting The use of fingerprinting as a means of identification was born out of the need of law enforcement officials to have permanent records that could determine if a convict had been previously arrested or imprisoned. Before the advent of fingerprinting, law enforcement used a number of different methods to try to accomplish this. Ancient civilizations would tattoo or physically maim prisoners. In more recent times, daguerreotyping (that is, photographing) was used, but proved to be less than reliable, because people had the ability to dramatically alter their appearance (Skopitz). As a result, this method too, became obsolete with the discovery of fingerprinting, an absolutely infallible method of identification. Variations of fingerprinting have existed since the very beginning of civilization. Originally, it was used primarily as a type of signature. However, in the Fourteenth Century, it was discovered by a Persian official that no two people had identical fingerprints (The History of Fingerprints). Over the next 300 years or so, there was little development in fingerprinting, except for the work of two professors, Marcelo Malpighi and John Evangelist Purkinji. Each had works on types of fingerprint patterns published - Malpighi in 1686 and Purkinji in 1823 (The History of Fingerprints). The middle to late Nineteenth Century was the time when interest in fingerprinting peaked and a number of important discoveries were made. This all started with the English Chief Magistrate in India, Sir William Herschel, who required natives to have their fingerprints impressed on all business contracts, a tradition which dated back thousands of years (The Hi... ...y in recent years was the computerization of the process. Fingerprints are now stored and matched using computers. Fingerprinting is still used in criminal investigations, although DNA testing is becoming increasingly prevalent and will likely, in cases in which such evidence is available, eventually replace fingerprinting (Skopitz). Brief Summary of Sources http://onin.com/fp/fphistory.html - This site provides a list of people who made significant advancements in fingerprinting. The list is structured chronologically by the date on which the advancements were made. http://kyky.essortment.com/fingerprinthist_rmmv.htm - This site provides a more detailed history of fingerprinting. It describes methods of identification used prior to the advent of fingerprinting, follows the development of fingerprinting, and speculates on the future of fingerprinting.

Use of Images and Imagery in Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Use of Imagery in Macbeth  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As defined in the Webster's Students Dictionary, imagery is a figurative term which reveals description by applying the five senses. William Shakespeare's usage of the imagery of animals, the imagery of blood, the imageries of clothing and weather, are frequently shown throughout the play. Through examples of imageries of animals, Shakespeare uses literary elements such as symbolism. Before Suncan's assassination, animals, such as the owl and the falcon, emerged from the night and acted unnatural, "even like the deeds that's done." "It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman, which gives the stern'st good-night." In Act 2, scene 2, Lady Macbeth waits anxiously for Macbeth to return from killing Duncan, the King of Scotland. The step that Macbeth is leaping over goes against the rules of nature, and when thsi happens, animals and weather erupt. The owl is a bellman because, according to superstition, the hoot of the owl portends death. He is fatal, perhaps because he death and horror. thus, when the owls screamed and the crickets cried, it symbolized evil and ominous doings. In Act 2, scene 4, Ross and an old man exchange accounts of the disturbed night and the recent unnatural happenings. Hours seemed dreadful and things strange. The heavens and animals are troubled by man's presence on earth's stage, where he performs his bloody acts. The night has been unruly, houses and chimneys were being destroyed by fierceful winds, and everything was filled with "dire combustion." The indistinguishable bird of darkness, the owl, clamored the night. "A falcon, tow'ring in her pride of place, was by a mousing owl, whose normal prey is a mouse. The night has become more powerful than the day or else the day is hiding its face in shame. Also, Macbeth's horses, the choicest examples of their breed, turned feral, as they broke their stalls, and were said to have eaten each other. Horses do not each other. Bizarre events occured the night Duncan was murdered by Macbeth. These dreadful events took place at night, a symbolic reference to the evil doings of men. There is a sense of fear, wonderment, amazement, and mystery. An atmosphere of death is symbolized by the behavior of the animals of the night. "The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements." In Act I, scene 5, Lady Macbeth has already planned the assassination.

Artificial Intelligence Essay -- Essays Papers

Artificial Intelligence Computers are everywhere today. It would be impossible to go your entire life without using a computer. Cars, ATMs, and TVs we use everyday, and all contain computers. It is for this reason that computers and their software have to become more intelligent to make our lives easier and computers more accessible. Intelligent computer systems can and do benefit us all; however people have constantly warned that making computers too intelligent can be to our disadvantage. Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a field of computer science that attempts to simulate characteristics of human intelligence or senses. These include learning, reasoning, and adapting. This field studies the designs of intelligent agents, or a system that acts intelligibly. The term artificial intelligence is confusing and misleading however. Artificial intelligence is still a form of intelligence, but perhaps â€Å"synthetic intelligence† is a better name because it is not natural intelligence. This is why the name â€Å"computational intelligence†, or CI, is sometimes preferred. Artificial intelligence is used in many objects that we use everyday: cars, microwaves, personal computers, and videogames. There are many different goals for AI, depending upon your field or view. Computer science attempts to make computer systems do what only humans could do in the past. Computational philosophy tries to understand human intelligence at a computer level. AI also has applications in medical programs, factories, robots, and many other tasks. There are several different disciplines of artificial intelligence. They are: different are expert systems, natural languages, simulation of human sensory capabilities, robotics... ...pable of much growth in the years to come. In a few years maybe it will be possible to create systems that are in every way equal to or superior to humans. That can be a scary thought, however impossible it may sound. For now we will just continue to use these systems to our greatest advantage. References Chung, Randolph, and Lynellen D. S. Perry. â€Å"Robotics: introduction.† Crossroads. 4.3 (1998): 2. Klerfors, Daniels. Artificial Neural Networks. Nov. 1998. St. Louis. U. Nov. 2001. http://hem.hj.se/~de96klda/NeuralNetworks.htm. Nadis, Steve. â€Å"We Can Rebuild You.† MIT’s Technology Review. 100 (1997): 16-18. Poole, David, Alan Mackworth, and Randy Goebel. Computational Intelligence, a logical approach. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Turner, Raymond. Logics for Artificial Intelligence. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1984.

Phoenix Jones Character Analysis Essay

They say with age, comes wisdom. They say a tough life will build tough people. That the world, no matter how terrible it may seem or how bad things get, is only what you make of it. This has never been shown more so by Phoenix Jackson from Eudora Welty’s â€Å"A Worn Path†. Encumbered with age and poverty, Phoenix shows fortitude, cleverness, and a child-like view of the world while traveling to the city for medicine. Welty’s love of literature from her mother, and classic writing style with African American characters (Marrs) is clearly displayed in â€Å"A Warn Path†. Eudora Welty, whose life spanned most of the 20th century, represented the world of the deep American South in multiple genres. In stories, novels, and photography, the Pulitzer Prize winner was especially interested in the relationship of place to character. Her art explores the impact of place on the life of the individual depending on race, gender, and economic status, as well as the reverse influence of the individual character on environment, which is exeptionally displayed in â€Å"A Warn Path† (Marrs). In â€Å"A worn path† an elderly african-american woman, named Pheonix Jones, is up against the world on her way to town. Armed with nothing but her cane, she maneuvers through obstactle after obstacle, showing perseverence in the highest fashion through every disincentive that inhibits her journey. As such, her story depicts the Depression in the United States from the vantage point of a victim insufficiently represented in art—though a victim who, like the mythological phoenix her name evokes, resists annihilation, Phoenix transcends the abuse she experiences. This essay will explore Eudora Welty’s character Phoenix Jones’s most exemplary traits. It will shine light on her fortitude, ingenuity, and light hearted view of the world. Provided along with Phoenix’s traits is examples in which she shows each trait, with direct reference to â€Å"A worn path†. Imagine, having every bone in your body weakened with over seventy plus years of aging. You now have the bones of Phoenix Jones. Weakened, she struggles to get to town. Yet, still she keeps trecking over every obstacle thrown at her. This calls to merit her outstanding fortitude. At one point she encounters a barbed wire fence. With barbs glaring at her, hungry to put a halt to her journey, â€Å"There she had to creep and crawl, spreading her knees and stretching her fingers like a baby trying to climb the steps. But she talked loudly to herself: she could not let her dress be torn now, so late in the day, and she could not pay for having her arm or her leg sawed off if she got caught fast where she was. At last she was safe throught the fence and risen up out of the clearing,† (Welty 850). This is a fine example of her phenominal perseverance and fortitude, showing she was not only going to get through, but she refused to let that fence make even a scratch on her dress. And even before that, at the start of her journey, she already had shown her tremendous amount of determination. As she starts out on her journey she exclaims with a fiery attitude â€Å"Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animals! Keep out from under theses feet, little bob whites. Keep the big wild hots out of my path. Don’t let none of those come running my direction. I got a long way† (Welty 849-850). This shows that her mind is already set on getting to town and nothing is stopping her. These fine examples show the true, raw determination and fortitude within Pheonix Jones, showing that she may be frail, but she is anything but weak. There are few things that make true â€Å"good character†. Imagination is one of them. No one has better imagination than a child. A child sees the world as something different†¦ something better. Phoenix Jones clearly holds her inner-child within herself after all these years. After traveling a piece she decides to rest. â€Å"Up above her was a tree in a pearly cloud of mistletoe. She did not dare to close her eyes, and when a little boy brought her a plate with a slice of marble cake on it she spoke to him. â€Å"That would be exceptable,† she said† (Welty 850). Her imagination peeking forth, this shows even through her journey, she imagines a little boy giving her a slice of delicious cake, presenting that everything does not have to be serious. A little piece onward, she shows her enlightening imagination running wild again as she runs up on a menacing scarecrow that she gazes at from a distance. â€Å"Ghost,† she said sharply, â€Å"who you be the ghost of? For I have heard of nary death close by. †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ She found a coat inside that an emtiness, cold as ice. â€Å"You scarecrow† she said†¦ †Dance, old scare crow† she said, â€Å"while I dancing with you. † She kicked her foot over the furrow, and with mouth drawn down, shook her head once or twice in a little strutting way,† (Welty 851). Her fun loving child-like nature is highlighted through this passage, showing that she took a fear, and enlightened it when she found out it was a scarecrow, dancing with it, showing the trophy of imagination and optimism. Welty shows through Pheonix that imagination will never die, and that it is a precious tool to get over any obstacle. Further down the warn path, Phoenix is greeted by a discourteous hunter helping her up after she fell in a ditch in the wake of a nosy dog coming to investigate this strange intruder. This point is where she shows her cleverness and wit. As she is talking to the hunter, â€Å" Without warning, she had seen with her own eyes a flashing nickel fall out of the man’s pocket onto the ground† (Welty 843), and she said nothing. As it continues the hunter runs off and she wittily bent over in his absence and â€Å"The yellow palm of her hand came out from the fold of her apron. Her fingers slid down and along the ground under the piece of money with the grace and care they would have in lifting an egg from under a setting hen†(Welty 843). As he later lies about having money to spare, this presents her wit, as she gained five cents from this brash traveller who has the audacity to later hold a gun to her head as a joke, which does not intimidate her, and only shows once again the fortitude previously stated in the last paragraph. As she gets to her destination, a clinic that she gets medicine from, she meets an attendant when she first walks in. She came to claim a bottle of medicine through charity for her grandson, which may just be a guise to get free medication, which in itself is a example of clever planning, the example I am using is of her interaction with the attendant. â€Å"It’s Christmas time, Grandma,† said the attendant. â€Å"Could I give you a few pennies out of my purse? † â€Å"Five pennies is a nickel,† said Phoenix stiffly† â€Å"Here’s a nickel,† said the attendant† (Welty 856). She persuades the attendant to give her a nickel, which in total gives her a dime, showing her witty resourcefulness. Whether she uses this ten cent for her grandson a windmill, or something else she wishes to buy, her adept skill and dexterity is presented as she uses wit and expierence to claim these precious boons. Pheonix Jones is a woman of many traits. From her perseverance to her sly inginuity, she uses all her characteristics to get through â€Å"A Warn Path†. She shows her child like perception in a way that eases the burdon of travelling. To the hills and back again seven times fold, her fortitude and will is an object of pure sovereinty over obstacles in her way and in her head. And with just a little bit of quick thinking and bamboozlement she was able to obtain a secondary reward from her journey, a skill that comes in handy throughout her life. Pheonix Jones is a pure, text book definition of strong.

Explore the Theme of Kingship and Ruling in Sophocles’ Antigone.

In Sophocles’ Antigone, the audience experiences a catharsis wherein sympathy and fear is evoked for Creon, a tragic hero whose Kingship was spoilt by corruption, human fallibility and pride. Throughout the play, Creon has demonstrated how even rulers with a strong moral stance can still fail in their attempts to do good, unfortunately due to exceeding the limits of their humanity. To begin, the tragedy that befalls Creon as a man devoted to his country and to his religion seems to feel undeserved.Creon declares â€Å"whoever places a friend above the good of his own country, he is nothing† as an expression of his loyalty to his State; the dramatic element is accentuated through the term â€Å"nothing† which reverberates off the script in an echo that demands the viewer’s reverence and attention. In this way, Creon’s stance on leadership is magnanimous because Creon no longer works on the order of his family’s needs but on the order of the Go ds and his state.To highlight this, we see the chorus exclaim: â€Å"the king of the realm is coming†¦ whatever the gods are sending now†¦ / what new plan will he launch† The significance of this â€Å"realm† is interpreted as something divine yet disconnected from humanity, so as to highlight Creon as merely a servant to the Gods. In this sense, Creon is a character that is empathized with for his respect towards the Gods, thus his actions can be attributed to the will of the Gods. â€Å"Exactly when did you last see the gods celebrating traitors? Inconceivable! exclaims Creon, whose actions are characterised by a morality modeled after their will. A modern audience will interpret the duty of the King to come as a direct order from the Gods, therefore whatever law Creon enacts, and whatever cause he chooses to pursue, would have been the Gods’ law. The question thus arises: was Creon’s tragedy truly of his own doing? The authority of the King diminishes when put into perspective with the Gods, and the audience can view how even a man of superior rank can still be thwarted by the almighty powers of God.This, as a result, can reinforce a feeling of fear, or caution for those watching. However, one question seems to question the purity of his intentions: â€Å"Am I to rule this land for others—or myself? † Although, contextually speaking, this question was meant to demonstrate his loyalty to the state, it does include dark, subtle undertones that could reveal Creon’s hidden intention. The hyphen in the ending of the question â€Å"—or myself? † seems to delay the response and give a slight hesitance to Creon’s speech.The question stands: does Creon make decision because he believes it is best for his country? Or does he rule because the influence of power has enabled him to act upon his own bias? Creon’s kingship creates an extension of itself with Haemon, whose â€Å"flesh and blood† describes how profoundly connected Haemon is to his father. The tie between Creon and Haemon explores how kingship challenges both the emotional and human relationship between father and son. Perhaps he invests so much of himself into the idea of â€Å"father and son, the same blood† that a part of him equally dies with his son.Haemon has been included into Creon’s life as an indispensable structure, a piece inseparable piece from the framework of Creon himself. In fact, Creon cries to the â€Å"harbor of Death† asking â€Å"why me? why are you killing me? †, thereby portraying how the blood link that connects both father and son is interwoven in their lives so that one life is married to the other. Creon describes himself as a â€Å"shattered† man after the death of his son, thereby illuminating his vulnerability as a flawed human being.As such, the audience, witnessing his fall, can experience a heightened catharsis knowing a man of such supremacy can crumple so easily and in such a wretched fashion. It is implied that Creon himself has the power to shape Haemon’s destiny and his duty as a person by â€Å"produc[ing] good sons—a household full of them, dutiful and attentive†. Creon describes his son to be â€Å"bred and reared† for a specific purpose. Both terms â€Å"produce† and â€Å"bred† create the effect of a human fabricated at certain specifications.This puts Creon in a state of authority not only over the mores his son must live by, but the way his son is formed as a human being, which is eerily reminiscent of the divine authorities and the power of the fates to write out a person’s destiny. In a sense, Creon compares the greatness of his sovereignty to that of the Gods, thus portraying how his power is a prerequisite to his hubris. Moreover, Creon establishes dominance over other men using his title as King, naturally elevating him beyond the rank o f mortal men.To demonstrate his frightening autocracy, Antigone claims that â€Å"[the chorus] would praise me too/ if their lips weren’t locked in fear†. This fear of Creon is further bolstered by powerful oratory, which Creon uses as a tool in commanding his people’s patriotism and emotions. The expressive visual imagery characterized of Creon’s speech can turn a traitor into a fiend who â€Å"thirsted to drink his kinsmen’s blood. † The impact of the words â€Å"thirsted† and â€Å"blood† stress this graphic image of death and blight, which Creon manipulates to kindle hate and passion in his people against Creon’s enemies.Although a ruler is meant to serve the state and protect it, Creon uses his rhetoric to advance his own beliefs—a decision characterized by greed. What is debatable about where Creon’s sense of leadership is whether he is doing this as an act of greed or an act of what he believes is co rrect for the state. Leading on from power, the audience understands that Creon’s arrogance comes from the notion that his power ennobles him beyond the ranks of mere humanity. They see him gain much more authority as a saint, savior or being closely linked to God.His sentries all address him as â€Å"My lord† and Creon is able to issue death sentences to reinforce his superiority. Creon uses terms that are definitive of a person’s fate, despite the fact that he has no control over their fate in any substantial way: â€Å"Not a word of hope—your doom is sealed. † The precise diction of â€Å"doom† recalls the notion of a terrible fate that stretches beyond the mere human life, and forwards into the dark murkiness of afterlife. To pronounce it as â€Å"sealed† is to imply it is fixed; Creon uses this to strike fear in the heart of Antigone, yet it also presupposes that our fates, once written, are unchangeable.The dramatic irony that c omes with Creon proclaiming this as his fate is being written heightens the tragic ending of the play—the Katastasis. Creon’s arrogance could be seen as a shift in character from what the audience knows of Creon in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. Creon once proclaimed, â€Å"if you think crude, mindless stubbornness such a gift, you’ve lost your sense of balance† as a display of humility and rationality. Before his reign as King of Thebes, Creon understood the natural traits found in a good leader involved a sense of poise and understanding of one’s own limits.Yet, once he had possessed â€Å"the throne and all its powers†, there was a change in character. â€Å"All its powers† incorporates the idea of excess and abundance, which is characterised as hubris, therefore the audience might feel a sense of fear for the upcoming and inevitable demise that may come for Creon. Naturally, when this power is questioned, Creon’s insec urities begin to appear and after some time, become more pronounced and irrational. Creon expresses his shame and his exasperation of Antigone’s defiance through the terms â€Å"laughing, / mocking us to our face with what she’d done†.These words hint to a sense of stigma that comes with a woman defying the rules set out for her by the authorities that govern her. Drawing from the cultural context of Sophocles’ play, women were mainly viewed as inferior beings—often they were weak or even dangerous, which makes the defiance against the state and Creon’s edict more grave and scandalous. Creon portrays his fear of being diminished by a woman through his cry: â€Å"I am not the man, not now: she is the man / if this victory goes to her and she goes free. / Never! † because essentially, her freedom would mean his defeat, which in the end would blemish, or even completely fracture, his stature as an omnipotent ruler. Moreover, Creon become s erratic as he is faced with his flaws as a human being. When he is first notified of his errors by a sentry: â€Å"Oh it’s terrible when the one who does the judging / judges things all wrong†, he retaliates in a unnecessarily cruel manner: â€Å"you just be clever about your judgments— / †¦ you’ll swear your dirty money brought you pain. Personally, his cruelty can be interpreted as a defensive insult inflicted to shield himself from the truth of his humanity. This interpretation is supported by the way Creon storms off by â€Å"turning sharply†, as his actions seem to portray a sense of flinching (characterized by â€Å"sharply†) annoyance. This same effect is particularly seen in Creon’s dialogue with Tiresias after he is told of his fate. Creon’s language becomes more infused with anger and insecurity, making him appear weaker: â€Å"you shoot your arrows at my head like archers at the target—† He seem s to refute his own guilt, and justify imself as a person of superiority: â€Å"are you aware you’re speaking to the king? †, which makes him appear untouchable. Creon’s spite is felt through his sharp intonation of â€Å"Spit it out! † and â€Å"lust for injustice! † His reaction to his fate up until his concession is characterized by defensiveness and verbal insults, which can highlight how much of his power and glory he is afraid of losing, Creon becomes frightened by the prospect wherein he would have to concede to his hamartia and undeniable fallibility as a human.The main purpose of these effects is to illuminate Creon’s very human flaws: his insecurities, his paranoia of being thwarted by a woman of lesser importance, and his irritable temper. These flaws consequently form the nature of his demise and conclude the circle of his journey as the Tragic Hero. Essentially, his kingship has brought upon him his downfall because power is ins eparable from vanity, and vanity became the hamartia of the Creon’s character.

Terrorism Case Study

Caless (2012) defines terrorism as † the threat or use of violence to further a political agenda for change by inducing widespread fear†. However, experts have been debating over a clear definition for terrorism for over 100 years. Although the word was first used over 200 years ago when discussing the Reign of Terror (Whitaker, 2001). Consequently, there have been over 100 definitions offered for terrorism (Laqueur, 1977, cited in Martin, 2013). Alex Schmid's (2004) research also illustrates the lack of clarity surrounding the definition.And most experts believe that an impartial and universal recognised definition will never be agreed upon (Ganor, 2002). With the lack of clarity surrounding the definition, a further question arises; who is classed as a terrorist? This is reflected in the well known phrase â€Å"one man's freedom fighter, is another man's terrorist. † (Gerald Seymour, 1975, cited in Ganor, 2002). Overall, it is agreed, that this depends on the sub jective viewpoint of the individual (Ganor, 2002; Jackson, 2008; Corte, 2007).The Just War doctrine is an â€Å"ideal and moralistic philosophy† (Martin, 2013). It asks questions such as â€Å"what types of force are morally acceptable? † and â€Å"who can morally be defined as an enemy? † This notion is usually used by ideological and religious extremists, in order to justify their own acts of extreme violence. A prime example of religious extremists is the ‘jihadi Islamic fundamentalists', the term jihad means a sacred â€Å"struggle† but is manifested by some radical Muslim clerics as a holy war and therefore perceived that their war is a â€Å"just war† (Martin, 2013).This paper will endeavour to answer the question; Did University College London (UCL) further radicalise Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab? There have been many debates, theories and investigations surrounding this question, many of which will be analysed throughout. Umar Farouk Abd ulmutallab (born 22 December 1986) is a Nigerian Islamist who attempted to detonate plastic explosives in his underwear whilst travelling from Amsterdam to Detroit, on Christmas Day 2009, on the Northwest Airlines Flight 253. In January 2005 Abdulmutallab joined an Islamic forum under the pseudonym â€Å"Farouk1986† (Now Public, 2009).He frequently contributed to the forum. His postings normally gave advice to other forum members, although on occasion he expressed more personal views. These included his â€Å"jihad fantasies†, describing how â€Å"Muslims will win and rule the world† and prays to Allah to â€Å"unite us all Muslims and give us victory over those who do not believe†. The majority of his postings illustrate his loneliness and his struggle to contain his â€Å"sexual drive†, and he goes on to urge fellow forum users to limit their activities to â€Å"Islamically good† and to only â€Å"hang around with good Muslims who enjoy s tudying†.Throughout his postings in the forum he maintains that he is memorising the Quran (Islamic Forum, 2005). These postings illustrate that Abdulmutallab's views on the Islamic religion, are very similar to Salafism or Olivier Roy's neo-fundamentalism (see: Social Science Research Council). This is shown with his fixation on personal faith, and is also portrayed when he praises Shaykhs Saud as-Shuraim and Abdul Rahman as Sudais (Islamic Forum, 2005). Another radical Muslim he mentions is Abdullah el-Faisal, who is currently in prison in the UK for influencing his supporters to murder Jews, Hindus and Americans (Forest, 2012).Some of the media (Gardham, 2009) focused on Abdulmutallab's love for football and this is clearly seen within his postings online. However, by November 15th 2005, he had turned against it stating â€Å"Let’s save our honor and religion and try to stay away from football and do sporting activities that are more Islamically beneficial†¦ ru nning, paintball, archery (or any other sport of the like that teaches [how to] target and aim). † (Islamic Forum, 2005). There are many different theories as to where Abdulmutallab was further radicalised, the one that will be discussed in this paper is the possibility hat University College London (UCL) and it's Islamic Society were the perpetrators. During the investigation of the attempted attack of Flight 253, the University College of London (UCL) had held their own investigation of their Islamic Society and although the evidence holds strongly against them, as will be seen throughout this paper, they came to their own conclusion that   there was â€Å"no evidence to suggest either that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was radicalised while a student at UCL, or that conditions at UCL during that time or subsequently were conducive to the radicalisation of students. (UCL, 2010). Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab began university, in September 2005, during a peak of Islamist activity in the UK, there were events organised by Ikhwan (Ikhwan Web, 2005)  and Jamaat-e-Islami inspired groups that were being held weekly and their influence over British Islam was steadily increasing (Hitchens, 2010). This year is an important one, as the emergence of the first Islamic militant groups in Bangladesh (Kabir, 2005) were seen and Islam became the official religion of Iraq (Islamopedia Online).British Islamists were exploiting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and implicating the Western governments with the â€Å"war on Islam and Muslims,† (Hitchens, 2010). According to Islamist's, Western Muslims, had a duty to stand up for their religion and fight back using peaceful methods (O'Connor, 2012). The â€Å"Stop Police Terror† lecture was given by Awlaki at the East London Mosque in 2003 (YouTube, 2011). The listed supporters of this group could be found on the Stop Political Terror website, and interestingly UCL was among this list (Stop Political Terror, 2003- 2005).The aims of this campaign was to urge Muslims to fight against the â€Å"anti-terrorist police† and to alert them of â€Å"the deteriorating situation in the UK and the scale of arrests, raids and abuse meted out [against Muslims] by Anti-Terrorist Police. † The campaign statement also included a clear warning: â€Å"Britain's Muslims, as a community, will refuse to cooperate with the law enforcement authorities  if  this abuse continues. † (Stop Political Terror, 2003-2005). During this time, the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS) ran another campaign alongside â€Å"Stop Political Terror. , issuing further explicit statements -â€Å"previously, it was Muslims themselves under attack, now the agenda [is] to attack Islam, its principles †¦ New laws making it an offence †¦ aim to divide and weaken the Muslim community. † And â€Å"The relative concept of ‘extremism’ is being used to condemn Muslims from very diverse political viewpoints. † (Hitchens, 2010). The perception of a Western â€Å"war on Islam† is one of the key recruitment tools of global jihadist groups like al-Qaeda (Home Office, 2011).Therefore, it is clear that Abdulmutallab was absorbed in an protesting setting, and this appeared to him to give value and objective, to his already pre-existing neo-fundamentalist attitude and personal discontent (loneliness). It is also apparent from his previous online statements, that he was vulnerable to the indoctrination; â€Å"I hope to get over my loneliness when I go to university†¦ where there are usually Islamic groups [and] clubs with good Muslims† (Islamic Forum, 2005).His obsession with Islam is clearly illustrated with the amount of time he devoted to the group, and after a year of starting university he was already president of UCL's Islamic Society (Irvine, 2009). Terrorist groups are also known to use the media to their advantage. As terrorism is à ¢â‚¬Å"not limited to specific locales or regions† and the media has allowed everybody to witness some form of terror. Knowing this terrorist groups can therefore understand the power of the images and manipulate them to their advantage (Martin, 2013).Gus Martin (2013) explains the media frenzy surrounding terrorism, and describes the 21st century as being â€Å"an era of globalized terrorism†. Another key recruitment tool that jihad groups use is the internet (US Department of Defense, 2007). Sites such as Facebook, (Torok, 2011) and the creation of websites that can be regionalised. Although governments monitor the websites and, if necessary shut them down, another website can be made and the process can start again (McNeal, 2008). It is clear that Abdulmutallab was a fan of internet use, with his frequent postings on the Islamic Forum.Awlaki could also be an key element in the â€Å"jihad internet recruitment† process. The media present him as the â€Å"Bin La den of the internet† (Madhani 2010; CNN, 2011). He was  a Muslim lecturer and spiritual leader who had been accused of being a senior al-Qaeda â€Å"effective global recruiter† (Telegraph, 2012) and motivator. He is thought to have given a series of video link lectures at the East London Mosque (Gilligan, 2010). They however, categorically deny this ever took place, and deny that Abdulmutallab even attended the Mosque (East London Mosque, 2010). The University of Westminster Islamic Society are alleged to have ties with Awlaki.Another Islamic Forum announced him as a guest at University of Westminster Islamic Society Annual Dinner in 2006 (Ummah Forum, 2006). Along with these connections Awlaki is also suspected to have had â€Å"recruited† Abdulmutallab before the attack. According to Fox News, an FBI bulletin states that Awlaki showed Abdulmutallab â€Å"how to detonate the bomb† (Catherine Herridge, 2011). Research carried out by the University of Cam bridge suggest that â€Å"the majority of young British Muslims are opposed to political Islam, and are more likely to join Amnesty International† (Cambridge University, 2008).This was criticised, when Anthony Glees accused Cambridge of trying to prove that British universities are not â€Å"hotbeds of Islamic radicalism† and called the research â€Å"flimsy and uncompelling† (Lipsett, 2008). Their research was argued against by the Centre for Social Cohesion (CSC), who stated that â€Å"Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was radicalised at University College London†, and goes on to describe British universities as the â€Å"breeding grounds of Islamic extremism†(Centre for Social Cohesion, 2010).They describe themselves as the â€Å"Centre [that] has been at the forefront of the debate on what role Universities should play in ensuring that British students do not fall victim to the ideology of violent Islamism. † (Centre for Social Cohesion, 2010). They went on to completely contradict Cambridge Universities report, and suggested within the report that Islamic extremism will â€Å"flourish†. This statement was further supported when Abdulmutallab became the fifth president of a UK Islamic society to face terrorist charges (Weiss, 2011).The vulnerability of Abdulmutallab along with the recruitment tools of jihadist groups illustrate how easily individuals can slip beyond this porous boundary rapidly and very often unnoticed. Since the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center, it has become apparent that Al-Qaeda are focusing on mobilising Western Muslims to commit â€Å"lone-wolf† terror (RUSI, 2012). This evidence is supported by the ICSR (2011) who describe Awlaki's role as â€Å"ideological rather than operational† and explain that the greatest threat he poses is the mobilisation of Western Muslims through his sermons and therefore expanding the jihadi movement.Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's extremis t views are apparent very early on. Although, as his loneliness grew, so did his radical views. It appears that he was trying to fight his urges to act upon these views time after time. Abdulmutallab was quite clearly an â€Å"extremist† turned â€Å"terrorist†, as it is clearly defined by Martin (2013); â€Å"extremists† who violently act out their extremist beliefs are â€Å"terrorists†. It is clear that his time at UCL and within the Islamic Society unquestionably played a part in Abdulmutallab's further radicalisation when examining the evidence discussed.It is also remarkable to see that UCL was among the list of supporters of the Stop Police Terror campaigns, almost condemning themselves of the radicalisation. They contradicted themselves when they released their findings that â€Å"no evidence to suggest †¦ that conditions at UCL †¦ [are] conducive to the radicalisation of students. † (UCL, 2010). It is noted that Cambridge Univers ity's ‘flimsy' research could support the UCL's outcome, but then could this research, with their ‘bad press', also diminish their findings.Overall, there are many factors that led to the radicalisation of Abdulmutallab, his state of mind, his vulnerability, and the people that he was associated with within the Islamic Society. Therefore, the UCL was not completely at fault, it was also the fundamentalists, that infiltrated the system and took advantage of a vulnerable, young Muslim. References Caless, B (2012) ‘Terrorism and Political Violence: Introduction, Overview and the Problem with Definitions. (Accessed: 5 December 2012). Cambridge University (2008) ‘Campus radicalism fears too extreme? ‘ Available at: http://www. cam. ac. k/research/news/campus-radicalism-fears-too-extreme/ (Accessed: 5 December 2012). CNN Online (2011) ‘ Al-Awlaki: Who was he? ‘, CNN Online, Available at: http://security. blogs. cnn. com/2011/09/30/al-awlaki-who-wa s-he/ (Accessed: 5 December, 2012). De La Corte, L (2007) ‘Explaining Terrorism: A Psychosocial Approach'  Perspectives on Terrorism, North America, Vol. No. 2 [Online] Available at: . (Accessed: 5 Dec. 2012). East London Mosque (2010) ‘ East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre  Ã‚   Statement on Anwar Awlaki' [Online] Available at: http://www. astlondonmosque. org. uk/uploadedImage/pdf/2010_11_07_15_44_46_Awlaki%20Statement%206%20Nov10%20-%20Full%20Statement. pdf (Accessed: 5 December, 2012) East London Mosque (2010) ‘ Sunday Mirror publish ELM letter' [Online] Available at: http://www. eastlondonmosque. org. uk/archive/news/243 (Acccessed: 5 December, 2012). Forest, J (2012) ‘Perception Challenges Faced by Al-Qaeda on the Battlefield of Influence Warfare. ‘  Perspectives on Terrorism, North America, Vol. 6, No. 2. [Online] Available at: . (Accessed: 05 Dec. 2012). Ganor, B. (2002) ‘Defining Terrorism- Is One Man's Terrorist Another Man' s Freedom Fighter? ‘. International Institute for Counter-Terrorism [Online]. Available at: http://www. ict. org. il/ResearchPublications/tabid/64/Articlsid/432/Default. aspx#Defining_Terrorism:_The_Present_Situation (Accessed: 1 December 2012). Gardham, D. (2009) ‘ Detroit bomber: internet forum traces journey from lonely schoolboy to Islamic fundamentalist', The Telegraph, 30 December 2009 [Online]. Available at: http://www. telegraph. o. uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6910776/Detroit-bo mber-internet-forum-traces-journey-from-lonely-schoolboy-to-Islamic-fundamentalist. html. (Accessed: 5 December 2012). Gilligan, A (2010) â€Å"East London Mosque: the terrorist question and the lies†, The Telegraph, 2 November 2010 [Online]. Available at: http://blogs. telegraph. co. uk/news/andrewgilligan/100061920/east-london-mosque-the-terrorist-connection-and-the-lies/ (Accessed: 5 December 2012). Gregory S. McNeal (2008). â€Å"Cyber Embargo: Countering the Internet J ihad†Ã‚  , Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, vol. 9, pp. 789-826. [Online] Available at: http://works. bepress. com/gregorymcneal/15 (Accessed 1 December 2012) Herridge, C (2011). ‘ Awlaki Trained Suspected Christmas Jet Bomber How to Detonate Underwear, Document Reveals'. Fox News, 4 October 2011 [Online] Available at:  http://www. foxnews. com/us/2011/10/04/al-awlaki-trained-suspected-christmas-day-jet-bomber-how-to-detonate-underwear/#ixzz2ECpGaSXS (Accessed:5 December 2012). Hitchens, A (2010) ‘The Making of the Christmas Day Bomber', Current Trends in Islamist Ideology, Vol. 10 [Online]. Available at: http://currenttrends. rg/research/detail/the-making-of-the-christmas-day-bomber (Accesed: 29 November 2012). Home Office (2011) Contest: The United Kingdom’s Strategy for Countering terrorism. London: The Stationery Office. (Cm. 8123). [Online] Available at: http://www. homeoffice. gov. uk/publications/counter-terrorism/counter-terrorism -strategy/strategy-contest? view=Binary (Accessed: 2 December 2012). ICSR (The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)(2011) ‘ICSR Insight: How Anwar al-Awlaki Became the Face of Western Jihad'. [Online] Available at: http://icsr. nfo/2011/09/icsr-insight-how-anwar-al-awlaki-became-the-face-of-western-jihad/ (Accessed: 5 December, 2012). Irvine, C (2009) ‘ Detroit terror attack: suspect president of university Islamic society', The Telegraph, 29 December 2009 [Online]. Available at: http://www. telegraph. co. uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/6902785/Detroit-terror-attack-suspect-president-of-university-Islamic-society. html (Accessed: 5 December, 2012) Ikhwan Web (2005) International Religious Freedom Report 2005. Available at: http://www. ikhwanweb. com/article. php? id=13543&ref=search. php

Corporate Culture at Apple

Corporate Culture at Apple Apple has a very secretive corporate culture. Often employees will choose not to speak out about apple until they are no longer employed there. Apple goes to greater lengths than any other company in the valley to protect its creative and intellectual environment. Apple’s security policy extends to blogs, speaking engagements, and even what people talk about with spouses. Most employees get the policies and respect them as well.The New York times reported that the company’s veil of secrecy began to take shape around the release og the original Macintosh back in 1984. Employees working on secret projects at Apple have to pass through a maze of security doors, swiping their badges again and again and finally entering a numeric code to reach their offices. Once inside the top secret areas, employees are often monitored by surveillance cameras as they work. Those working on more sensitive projects are allegedly instructed to â€Å"cover up device s with black cloaks when they are working on them. A former Apple marketing manager described the company’s â€Å"controlled leaks,† whick he said the company sometimes relies upon to gauge public reaction, confuse competitors, or encourage partners. I also came across an article where the former CEO of Apple’s big Israel acquisition Anobit shares his experiences of Apple culture. Ariel Maislos said â€Å"They say that Intel is full of paranoids, but at Apple, ‘they’ really are after you. † He worked at Apple for about a year after Apple acquired Anobit in December 2011.Maislos left Apple for what was said to be personal reasons. Maislos was also very familiar with Intel’s culture as well. While Intel engineers are given assignments and are rewarded for ingenuity and creativity, he said it’s a given at Apple that engineers will be at the top of their game. He said â€Å"At Apple, you have to run ahead just to stay in place, and there are very high expectations of everyone. Apple expects everything to be amazing. †