Insider Essays (1022 words) - Brown Williamson, Films, The Insider

Insider The Insider A dramatization of 1995 events in which the tobacco industry allegedly covered up proof that nicotine is addictive and harmful. When Brown and Williamson executive Jeffrey Wigand (Crowe) tries to expose the industry's cover-up, he is threatened into silence. He eventually gets his story to 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (AL Pacino), but CBS decides against airing it due to political and economic pressures, and the threat of lawsuit from Brown and Williamson. Before we start, I think it's important that you know a little thing about me, and where I'm coming from. I do smoke. But I believe that most of the lawsuits filed against the tobacco industry are unfounded, desperate attempts for people to put the blame on anyone but themselves. I think social security is a safety net for the financially irresponsible. I thought The Insider was a great movie from a strictly entertainment perspective (don't get ahead of me on this one!), and I enjoyed it very much. Russell Crowe is Jeffrey Wigand, a Brown and Williamson VP of Research and Development whose conscience compels him to blow the whistle on the industry. He claims that Big Tobacco has been covering up scientific research that proves nicotine is addictive and harmful. The writing puts a lot of energy into making sure that Wigand is a sufficiently complicated character, and one that we sympathize with. To be sure, he's not entirely one-dimensional. Initially, he does what most of us would do in his position: he takes the money and benefits that the company offers him in return for silence. After all, the guy has a family to look out for. But then Wigand is tortured over his passiveness, wondering if he should take a more aggressive stance with his potentially damaging knowledge. 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman, sensing a big story in the works, tries to coax Wigand into talking. An energetic Al Pacino, who fights to get the story on the air, only to have it snuffed by CBS, plays Bergman here. Allegedly, the television network was possibly up for sale around the time of this story, and airing it might have damaged their image with controversy, making it less appealing to potential suitors. This, coupled with the threat of lawsuit from Brown and Williamson, made CBS refuse to air the story. The Insider portrays these events as a crusade on the part of Bergman and Wigand to get the truth out there, against the will of Big Business and Bigger Tobacco. And while Bergman is never portrayed as much more than a journalist with an uncharacteristic amount of integrity, Wigand is a great character to follow as he tries to balance out everything around him. Tortured and sleepless, his reactions are what you would expect from someone forced to choose between the safety of his family with the gravity of what he knows. Most of it makes for edge of your suit viewing. Suspense abounds, and AL Pacino's confrontations with the evil corporate executives, censors, and whatnot are the centerpiece of the movie. He gets to climb up on the soapbox and belt out a few speeches about truth and justice and freedom and right and wrong and all that other fun stuff. It's tense, and it's really quite fascinating, actually. From a dramatic standpoint, this movie couldn't have asked for better performances. Gina Gershon makes an appearance in the movie as a tough, icy corporate attorney for CBS. As a standard caricature of faceless law more interested in money than people, she's fabulous. The Insider runs at over two and half hours, but always remains interesting and never drags. The biggest issue I have with this movie is how it so comfortably passes itself off as an unbiased, historical representation of what happened between real life executive Jeffrey Wigand, real life producer Lowell Bergman, and real life corporation Brown and Williamson. The problem is that the movie is so well crafted and so interesting that it's very easy to accept it as 100% Grade A Truth. However, this is clearly Wigand's story, and closer inspection would reveal that the main characters here are just a little too perfect to be real. Did Bergman really storm into the offices of CBS and rant

Trains essays

Trains essays Maglev trains may very well be the future of transportation. They are currently being developed in Germany and Japan, and other places around the world, like California in the United States of America, are planning whether getting a maglev train system would be worthwhile. Maglev trains are the fastest, most sensible form of ground transport available at this time, and with the demands of the transport system growing every year, they are bound to become a valuable part of the worlds transportation system. Maglev trains basically work by the simple principle that opposite poles attract, and similar poles repel, but in reality it is much more complex than this. Maglev trains work by gliding over the rails instead of rolling on them, and so do not create any friction on the rails while they are moving. Unlike all other forms of transportation, the system which causes the movement is not in the vehicle itself, but is in the guide way, or rails, beneath the train. These guide ways contain iron stator (a stator is the coil while the magnets is the rotor) packages containing 3-phase cables, and the vehicle is able to levitate when the guide ways attract the support magnets on the train. The train is kept on the rails by lateral guidance magnets which hold the vehicle to the guide way. This system may be compared to an electric motor where the stator has been flattened along the guide way. The train is able to accelerate when the propulsion system is switched on using the cable windi ng. The guide way is able to pull the train along because of the electromagnetic travelling field that is on while the propulsion system is running. The support system of the train is therefore able to become a rotor', which along with the stator, completes the motor'. (MVP Versuchs- un planungsgesellschaft fur Magnerbahnysteme m.b.H., 1999) Because the active part of the propulsion unit is built into the guide way as opp...

Paraphrase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Paraphrase - Essay Example This led to formation of professional organizations like the National Safety Council that made positive contributions to safety at the work place. Based on a postulate that accidents are psychologically triggered and that they could be prevented, research initiatives established that effective management and efficient procedures through employee training and awareness is an important factors towards reducing accident cases and claims. Developments after the year 1930 such reduced accidents; courts approach to settling compensation disputes and setbacks to the psychological assumption led to the collapse of the investigative era. Accident and injury prevention are two distinct occurrences whose difference can be understood from their scope, objectives and timing factors. While accident prevention concentrates on the entire work environment and possible risks, injury prevention lays preference on people within the work environment. Preventing an accident therefore considers both the environment and the involved people while preventing injury focuses on people’s risks. Even though injury prevention can be done after an accident, both injury prevention and accident prevention improves workplace safety through identification and control of possible risks at the

BASF AG - The Nanjing Project Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BASF AG - The Nanjing Project Report - Essay Example Plastics This segment includes a wide range of goods, services, and system solutions. The company offers numeral production plastics for the electrical and the automotive industries as well as for use in domestic appliance, games, and leisure time products. The styrene froths are used as protective equipment in the construction firms and in packaging. The polyurethanes are very flexible. Soft froth for example, is used to manufacture mattresses and car seats, and as stiff foams, they augment the energy effectiveness of refrigerators. Performance Products Performance products credit stability and color to countless everyday items and help in the improvement of their functional profile. The firm’s product range includes food additives and vitamins as well as component for pharmaceuticals and sanitation and household items for personal care. Other Products of performance improve processes of oil and gas production, paper industry, mining, and water treatment. They can also improv e the effectiveness of petroleum and lubricants, the efficiency of glue and coatings, and the stability of plastics. Functional Solutions In this segment, there are the package system solutions and pioneering products for particular sectors and clients, specifically for the automotive, construction, and chemical firms. Their group comprises of industrial catalysts and automotives, industrial coatings and automotives, and concrete mixtures as well as constructions such as tile glue and architectural varnishing. Agricultural Solutions For crop security products that are used to kill insects, fungal diseases, and weeds are manufactured and they augment quality and protect crop yields. The study in plant biotechnology focuses on vegetation for greater agricultural activities, healthier nourishment and for application as renewable materials. Oil and Gas As the major producer of oil and gas in German, the industry center its exploration and manufacture on oil- and gas-rich sections in Nor th Africa, Europe, South America, Caspian sea region, and Russia. Together with their Russian associate Gazprom, they remain active in the transport, trading, and storage of natural gas in the European countries. Competencies of BASF AG Brand associated with quality The company produces many brands which are reliable, affordable, and of high quality. The company has integrated the AG employees and the current technology. It has ready market whereby customers and suppliers are given quality products, performance, and highly valued services. Across each industry, customers require products that increase comfort, improve quality, and reduce the consumption of energy. In 1993, the company was recognized as the worldwide trading firm for BASF SE. Due to the international trade, it has become a participant in the large-scale products markets of LPG, aromatics, and naphtha. The international trade maintains presence of market in three continents covering the relevant trading hubs around th e world. The company has three main locations, which are Zug (Switzerland), Houston (USA), and Singapore. The company does not only offer valuable products but also support the customers in facing many challenges by offering

Organisational leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organisational leadership - Essay Example This paper will discuss the different responsibilities of CEO’s and will seek to establish whether the CEO is influential in rallying organizational culture. The chief executive officer is the overall leader in an organization, and he is required to report to the board of governors. The CEO acts according to the will of the board of governors, and he implements their decisions and strategies. Since the CEO cannot manage the organization on a solo basis, he/she appoints other managers to whom he/she delegates roles and responsibilities (Hajdini, 2010, p. 39). The number and roles of subsequent managers depend on the organizational structure. The CEO is required to understand the goals of the organization and come up with ways of achieving the set goals. The CEO takes actions in place of the board of governors and he/she represents them in the daily operation of the business. The CEO is required to implement the decisions made by the board (Gitlow, 2004, p.87). He/she governs the organization on behalf of the board and therefore all decisions and strategies must be in line with what the board has decided. The CEO is entrusted with the responsibility of creating philosophies in the organization (Hajdini, 2010, p. 22). The philosophies created should be mission oriented and should favor the employees and the management. Most CEO’s have better academic qualification that members of the board and are the responsibility of designing strategies to accomplish the organizational goals. The CEO is the liaison between the board and the employees and therefore he/she ensures that the two groups linkup well. He/she acts as the link tool through communication between the two groups. The CEO understands the organization better than the board and hence is trusted on advising and informing them. The CEO oversees all the departments and liaises with the department heads to ensure that each

Benefits of Ontology in Social Science

Benefits of Ontology in Social Science What is ontology? Why is it important for the social scientist to know about it? Speaking out of modest personal experience as a political science graduate, the issue of ontology as well as epistemology (and the consequent choices social sciences scientists make) has been always in an arena of confusion for most social sciences graduates. Students, all over the world, feel alienated and often misguided regarding the nature of these terms and thus are often relatively late in determining their stands in this crucially important and inescapable subject. Furthermore, a simple investigation of typical course offerings of social sciences degrees around the globe exposes a general lack of methodology courses at the undergraduate level. This issue adds to the general confusion of students on the issue. Often, not until students move to postgraduate level when they are adequately trained in methodology of research and consecutively become able to develop understanding of ontology and epistemology. Furlong and Marsh (2002) explain the issue brilliantly when they say: â₠¬Å"At First these issues (ontological and epistemological positions) seem difficult but our major point is that they are not issues that can be avoided. They are like a skin not a sweater: they cannot be put on and taken off whenever the researcher sees fit.† (Furlong and Mars, 2002, p.17). In this essay, we try to provide a general overview of ontology and shed light on its importance. What is ontology? If one is to define Ontology in Social sciences, it is important to step back to the philosophical origin. In philosophy, ontology is widely defined as a major branch of metaphysics, the study of the nature of reality. Encyclopaedia Britannica (2009) defines Ontology as the â€Å"philosophical study of being† and what generally prescribes to reality. Aristotle first called ontology â€Å"first philosophy†, and later the Latin term â€Å"ontologia† appeared after being invented by the German philosopher Lorhardus. Furlong, and Marsh (2002) explain ontology a â€Å"theory for being†, in other terms the main question of whether exists a reality that is autonomous from our understanding. To elaborate this idea in social sciences context, they give the example of gender identity and John Grays book â€Å" Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus†. The book argues that men and woman are fundemantaly different from each other and asserts that if it would be better if both would recognize this difference. That argument subscribes to a foundationalist (essentialist) ontological stand. On the other hand Furlond and Marsh (2002) assert that feminists would fiercly attack such a view as they link differences between men and women are â€Å"socially constructed†. This stand asserts an anti-foundationalist (constructivist) ontological position. Foundationalism and anti-foundationalism represent the two main ontological positions taken by scientists, and to understand ontology one should explain those main ontological positions. Importance Epistemological consequences The debate of who comes first, and the importance of Ontology in social research: Needless to say, a social researchers ontology can be understood as their view of social world. This have a consequence on choosing the ways the researcher will do his research, the methods, used, and theories put forth. Nevertheless by saying this we avoid hinting that ontology precedes or follows epistemology, an issue of debate among social scientists. According to Bares and Jekins (2007) learning of ontology (and epistemology) helps â€Å"differentiate and choose between competing theories and analytical traditions† Additionally they assert that many introductory texts to Ontology and Epistemology seems to sponsor a directional relationship that asserts that ontology precedes epistemology in social research. In their opinion this hinders the learning process as discretely favours certain theoretical choices. They further assert that ontology (and epistemology) are important in ontology. (2009). In Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Retrieved December 11, 2009, from Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/429409/ontology A Skin not a Sweater: Ontology and Epistemology in Political Science Furlong, Paul and Marsh, David (2002) A Skin not a Sweater: Ontology and Epistemology in Political Science. In: Theory and Methods in Political Science. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 17-41. ISBN 0-333-94856-4

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Essay examples -- Behavior Dis

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is the most commonly diagnosed disorder among children (1). The disorder affects approximately 3-5 percent of children of school age (1), with each classroom in the United States having at least one child with this disorder (1). Despite the frequency of this disease in the United States, there still remains many discrepancies about the disorder itself, starting from the diagnosis and frequent misdiagnosis of ADHD, as well as the question of whether or not ADHD is an actual medical condition, or just a "cultural disease" (3). According to the NIMH, frequent symptoms of ADHD include inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity (1). Examples of these three patterns of behavior can be found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which, summarized by the National Institute of Mental Health, states that signs of inattention include * Distraction by "irrelevant sights and sounds" (2) * Failure of attenti...

Examine how Miller creates dramatic tension Essay

Examine how Miller creates dramatic tension in the ‘yellow bird’ scene of The Crucible and consider how an audience might react Arthur Miller’s play, ‘The Crucible’, is set in Massachusetts in 1692, where mass hysteria led to the Salem witchcraft trials. The same kind of situation occurred in the1950s resulting in the Anti-Communist frenzy of that time known as McCarthyism. In my essay I intend to examine how Miller creates tension in the Yellow Bird scene by using dramatic effects to engage the audience in the play and keep them engrossed, involved and on the edge of their seats. At the beginning of act three, the mood is set by the stage directions and descriptions. It says, â€Å"the room is empty but for sunlight pouring in through two high windows in the black wall. † It gives the impression of solemnity and depression, and also makes the small room seem claustrophobic so the girls have nowhere to escape. This reflects the stifling society and the situation that the girls have got themselves into. The scene starts after Elizabeth has just lied to the court in order to protect her husband, which is a quiet scene. When the court starts accusing the Proctors, Hale stands up and shifts the blame on to Abigail, as he is the only person except for John Proctor who can see what is going on, apart from the audience who would now start to become a little frustrated. Abigail then creates a diversion by screaming and looking up towards the rafters. The stage directions say, â€Å"with a weird, wild, chilling cry, screams up to the ceiling. † She knows that she is in danger of the truth being exposed and tries to divert the attention from herself. Everyone is now staring at Abigail, the characters and audience not knowing what is going on. Gradually, the other girls join in as they understand what Abigail is doing and they put on a very convincing act to Danforth and the audience, which is very frustrating, as we know that she is guilty and now trying to get away with it. A yellow bird is mentioned and the girls pretend that they can see it on the beams and behind the rafters, while Proctor shouts that there is no yellow bird. Abigail starts to talk to the bird, to ask why it has come, to keep up the pretence of the dramatic situation. Mary’s name is mentioned, Abigail pretending that Mary is possessing the yellow bird as the devil and she screams, â€Å"My face? My face† to the ceiling, making it seem that she is the victim. Mary immediately springs to her feet and protests in shock, pleading Abigail to stop with the deception and to tell the truth. Abigail says that she cannot stop because it is God’s work that she does and this creates even more frustration and hatred towards Abigail from the audience because we know that Mary is innocent and Abigail is such a convincing liar. The other girls pick on the a trance and Mary gets more and more agitated as she cannot defend herself against the large cluster of girls in hysteria. They act like bullies, ganging up on her because she is weak and the tension builds up, as Mary gets more and more distressed. The girls start mimicking Mary, which is a typical playground-bullying device, which is guaranteed to undermine her. Abigail targeted her as she chose to confess and she will do anything to get her way, as she is frightened that Mary would reveal the truth. They then advance further to imitating Mary’s actions – stamping feet and shaking fists, strengthening the tension, and maddening the audience even more with aggravation. When the other girls copy Mary Warren’s actions, there is a lot of movement involved, which intensifies the frustration that the audience are feeling and the girls cannot go back on their decision to follow Abigail as they are all trapped in their own deceit. The audience are unsure whether Mary will give in or not as she is so weak and we already know how manipulating Abigail is. Mary protests and eventually weakens and starts whimpering like a wounded animal as she is overwhelmed by the conviction that she was being possessed by the devil in the form of the yellow bird Abigail conjured up. Danforth bullies Mary into speaking, â€Å"Speak! Will you speak! † and Proctor and Hale try to reveal the truth as the voice of sense. The whole scene climaxes with Mary out screaming all the other girls in pure desperation of them imitating her. This makes all the girls stop in astonishment creating a silence, which contrasts the noisiness with the quietness. Mary goes over to Abigail, who gives a look of triumph, as she finally succeeds in what she set out to do, by manipulating the situation to her advantage. Proctor loses his temper as Mary sides with the other girls in order to get herself out of the troubling situation and she claims John Proctor is the ‘Devils Man’. The audience are in dismay, as we know that Proctor is one of the only decent men and that he is in fact innocent. The scene ends with Proctor losing his temper and chaos starts as Hale tries to make Danforth see sense that Proctor is blameless and Abigail is the malicious one. Hale leaves the court and the scene ends with Danforth shouting to him to come back, leaving a cliffhanger into Act 4. Danforth became hysterical towards the end as a result of the chaos occurring. The continued action through the scene keeps the audience on the edges of their seats and feeling like they are part of the play, which keeps them interested and involved, because they are feeling the emotion and distress as Proctor and Hale are so they feel as though they are going through the dramatic situation with them. The vast amount of action keeps the scene moving and there is always something happening as when ever the situation is diverted, Abigail steps in and takes the Yellow bird to another level. The short, sharp sentences during the scene also contribute largely to the tension building up and everyone is cutting over each other’s sentences, which creates the idea of more chaotic occurrence. The negative words that are used by Abigail and against her create a negative atmosphere, for example. â€Å"I cannot stop! She sees nothing, mustn’t, never, don’t don’t. † Also John Proctor makes references to biblical allusions to stick with religion on the good side to help him get people to believe his innocence, â€Å"God damns all liars†, and â€Å"Angel Raphael† even though he is the one person least likely to be involved in organised religion. Watching this scene made me frustrated and agitated as the situation becomes so out of hand as Abigail puts on such a brilliant act to ensure that the attention is not on Proctor and Hale who are trying to reveal that she was behind all the accusations right from the beginning. This is also how I feel an audience would react as I reacted in that way every time Abigail took the situation to another level and manipulating everyone until she reaches her target of getting Mary Warren on her side and against John Proctor. I really enjoyed the play even though it was a sad ending.

COMMAS Essays - Linguistics, Syntax, Dependent Clause, Free Essays

COMMAS Essays - Linguistics, Syntax, Dependent Clause, Free Essays COMMAS Basics Most versatile punctuation mark in English Ways to use a comma: separating a list of three or more items setting off non-essential information linking closely-related independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction (i.e. FANBOYS) Lists (of Nouns, Modifiers) Commas can be used to separate items in a list or series Any list greater than 2 items requires commas between each item "I love Taylor Swift, Kanye, and Beyonce" requires commas because the list has 3 items. However, "I love Kanye and Beyonce" doesn't use a comma because it contains only 2 things...pretty simple, right? It's important to keep in mind that lists can be made of any part of speech "I wanted his hipster glasses, cargo shorts, and skater-boy shoes" lists nouns "I swam, biked, and ran in our school's triathlon" lists verbs "The skunk was big, hairy, and smelly" lists adjectives "I behaved foolishly, beastly, and wildly at the party" lists adverbs Remember: the ACT will always use the Oxford comma...don't forget! Non-Essential Information Commas often set off clauses not essential to the meaning of a sentence If this information appears in the beginning, it will be followed by a comma. If it's in the middle of the sentence, it will be surrounded by commas. It never appears at the end of a sentence In the beginning of sentence: "In May, I will buy a hoverboard." In the middle of sentence: "The man with the shady mustache, whom I saw walking down the street, kept winking at me." There are seven types of clauses that can be set off this way (bear with me here) Appositive : A noun phrase providing a specific description to a following piece of information "Abebe, a videogamer, coded his own videogame." "A videogamer" = specific description that follows "Jason." Relative clause : provides more information about noun it's describing contains who/whom/whose/which and a verb "Shonda, who typically likes fried chicken, only ate french fries when she went to KFC." John doing well on tests = extra information Participle clause : similar to a relative clause, but uses a participle to provide additional information - a participle being a verb ending in the "ing" suffix "Andres, eating grapes, choked and died." "Eating" = participle and "eating grapes" = participle clause Temporal clause : provides time for when something happened "When Lady Gaga comes to town, I'm going to dress up as an egg." The time I'll dress up as an egg = "when Lady Gaga comes to town" (temporal clause) Causal clause : provides cause of action "Because he saw a clown, he peed his pants." Seeing the clown caused him to pee his pants Contrast clause : provides contextual information, making events of the main clause unexpected "Although I'm not a superstar, I'm still divalicious." Words like "although," "however," "regardless of" = contrast Conditional clause : states that events of the main clause are dependent on something else (the effect of something else happening) "If I meet Zayn Malik, I'm going to give him my number." "If" = the conditional state. In general, look for "if/then" sentences TIP : Try reading the sentence without the information set off by commas. If it still makes sense afterwards, then the information was non-essential Comma + Coordinating Conjunction Commas connect two clauses that could be complete sentences on their own. This can ONLY be done when the two sentences are closely related The sentences "Ani drinks coffee every day" and "She's addicted to caffeine" could be joined since both relate to Ani's relationship with coffee However, "I never miss an episode of The Walking Dead" and "Conrad will go to Oologah, Oklahoma in October" have absolutely nothing to do with each other, so it doesn't make sense to combine these sentences IMPORTANT: For a comma to connect two complete sentences, the comma must be followed by a FANBOYS conjunction FANBOYS stands for: F or, A nd, N or, B ut, O r, Y et, S o Example 1: Clauses: "The dj started playing her set shortly after they turned up." "the dj" is the subject, "started" is the verb, and it represents a complete thought = independent clause "It took them longer than usual to

History of the clarinet and composer michal oginski essays

History of the clarinet and composer michal oginski essays The clarinet is an instrument that has evolved through the ages. From the Middle Ages to the present, the clarinet, a reeded instrument, has acquired and lost many different elements through out the course of time. Instruments that were played with a mouthpiece that had a simple reed were already known in ancient times. The Egyptian memet from the 3rd century BC is an example of an early clarinet. It was played as a double instrument which means it had two cylindrical pipes that were made of reeds and tied together. The memet had finger holes and two mouthpieces. This instrument was later adopted by the Greeks and Romans. Clarinets with one, two, and even three reeds were used in many cultures and some are still being played today (e.g. the Russian, brelka). In medieval Europe, a single-reed instrument that had its origin in the Orient and had eight finger holes was common. This was called the chalumeau which means reed. From the Renaissance onward, they were made in various tunings, from treble to bass in keeping with the custom of time. Johann Denner was an instrument maker from Nuremberg, is generally credited with the invention of the clarinet, which evolved from the chalumeau toward the end of the 17th century. It is not clear as to what innovations Denner made the clarinet. What is generally accepted is that Denner was the first to equip the chalumeau with two keys. Johanns son, Jakob followed in his footsteps and began producing clarinets with two keys and a wider bore. The chalumeaus cylindrical bell was replaced by one that flares, and the clarinet tubing was given its characteristic barrel shaped bulge below the mouthpiece. It is interesting to note that on all baroque woodwind instruments, the position of the hands had not yet been determined, so clarinets were make so that either hand could be in the lower position. Holes for the little finger were drilled on both the left and rig...

Presentation of Critical Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Presentation of Critical Assignment - Essay Example Introduction One of the recently criticized actions of United States is its attack on Abbottabad, Pakistan, which led to the killing of Osama bin Laden. On the one hand, detractors argued that the move broke the trust between two nations, U.S. and Pakistan, as well as the confidence of the Muslim people in nongovernmental aid (Rauhala, 2011, par.2). On the other hand, supporters asserted that the U.S. cannot be blamed for the weak health infrastructure of Pakistan, and that the mission promoted national interest (Nature, 2011, par.5). The significance of this event to Terrorism and Homeland Security will be explored further. In addition, principles and theories will be applied to understand its process and consequences on different citizens and future U.S. plans. The fake vaccination drive portrays the hardships of collecting intelligence information, through responding to religion and community needs aspects of terrorism, but denial and deception embody critical concepts in ensuring homeland security. Summary of the Fake Vaccination Drive The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) plotted to attack Bin Laden’s compound, and confirmed its whereabouts through launching a phony vaccination drive (Shah, 2011). Shah (2011) reported in The Guardian on July 11, 2011 that the move allowed the U.S. to verify Bin Laden’s location by collecting his family’s DNA. The DNA from any of the Bin Laden children in the compound could be matched with a sample from Bin Laden’s sister, who died in Boston in 2010 (Shah, 2011, par.6). Shah (2011) revealed that the CIA recruited the help of Doctor Shakil Afridi, a high-level medical professional, to carry out a regional vaccination program, so that they could validate if Osama bin Laden was hiding in Abbottabad (Shah, 2011, par.7). The ploy is successful because by April, nurses gained access to the compound by giving free hepatitis B vaccine (Shah, 2011, par.13). Soon, the U.S. deployed the Special Forces to at tack the compound and eliminate Bin Laden. Significance to Terrorism and Homeland Security Religion The event is significant to Terrorism and Homeland Security because it showed the tactics needed to infiltrate terrorists with religious interests. In the history of terrorism, religion has been the central or periphery causes of organized terrorists (Purpura, 2007, p.11). For Al Qaeda, they see themselves as fighting a Holy War and use religious language to provide legitimacy to their interests (Purpura, 2007, p.11). Religion is a critical concept in understanding and defeating Al Qaeda, although it is not the only aspect of its organizational interests (Purpura, 2007, p.11). They have a political agenda that consisted of forcing the U.S. to withdraw its presence in the Middle East, ousting regimes that support the U.S., and uniting Muslims toward these endeavors (Purpura, 2007, p.11). The vaccination ruse in Abbottabad, Pakistan depicted the urgency of employing non-religious scheme s that are neutral enough to attain the trust of the terrorists and their families. Community Needs Vaccination is an important need of Pakistani communities, and one which the CIA exploited to serve its purposes. The CIA required something â€Å"authentic† to not raise the security alarms of Bin Laden’s compound (Shah, 2011, par

News Corporation Near Collapse (1990) & Recovery Essay

News Corporation Near Collapse (1990) & Recovery - Essay Example This may have been partly due to the fact that, at the time there was a sharp advertising recession, the worst in two decades (Roger Cohan 1990). The situation was that News Corporation was saddled with massive debts. Alex Burns (2002) reported that Murdoch's News Corp, which remains precariously afloat, had a colossal $11 billion in debt worldwide, nearly four times the annual turnover of the entire newspaper industry in Australia. In an effort to save the business a refinancing plan was put in place, but at the last minute, one small bank in Pittsburgh refused to go along with the scheme, demanding repayment of a $10 million loan. (Stephen Galloway and Paula Parisi, 2005) The task we have set ourselves within this document is to look at four key areas. Firstly to ascertain where the origins of responsibility for the crisis lay. Secondly to investigate how the crisis position was resolved without resorting to the irretrievable act of bankruptcy, and thirdly we will endeavour to examine how, when other notable media giants have failed, Murdoch was able to escape. Finally we shall discover how Murdoch has been able to revitalise the fortunes of News Corporation, successfully transforming itself into one of the top five hundred global TNC's2 Behind every corporate disaster, there is inevitably an attempt to apportion blame. With the News Corporation situation, the majority of financial media and other experts tended to place most of the blame at the feet of the management. But others were just as culpable. Management's role Rupert Murdoch is that inveterate breed, a corporate gambler. He thrives on risks and the bigger the stakes, the bigger the buzz and the bigger the payout. (Stuart Crainer.1999). In the 1980's he spent considerable amounts on acquisitions for his empire. Whilst the risks he took at that time are reaping benefit now, at the time they would, to any conservative financier, have seemed unacceptable. Perhaps a better example of how Murdoch chooses to live and do business comes in the events, which led up to the great credit crunch of 1990. These began in Murdoch's American acquisition spree of the middle 1980s. He bought the 20th Century Fox network in the US in 1985, the Metromedia chain of television stations the same year, and then in 1986 launched Fox, the first national TV network since 1959. He didn't have the money to pay for all of this, so he raised it by revaluing his company under Australian accounting3 rules, raising its worth from $166 million to $1.6 billion (Lanchester) The most costly corporate move Murdoch made in the late eighties was the investment in Sky. At that stage it was an enormous drain on the businesses cash resources. At the time the satellite subsidiary was posting substantial year on year losses. Despite Murdoch's somewhat dubious adeptness at moving funds around the various and numerous group subsidiaries to cover overextended cash flow positions, Sky had a cash thirst which could not be quenched without dramatically impacting on News Corporations liquidity, seriously reducing its ability to cover other commitments. Thus when the time came to repay $2 billion of bank debt, there were insufficient resources available to meet these contracted commitments. It is apparent from all the researches