The Sinking of the Aragon Essay Example for Free

The Sinking of the Aragon Essay With the outbreak of world one war the royal mail moved its home port to Newport, South Wales. However the Brittish government was in dire need of battle ships to strengthen their naval force. Many ships were converted from simply postal delivery vessels into war ready troop carrying ships. One of these ships was the Aragon The Aragon built in harland and wolf in Belfast was 9588 tons and could carry 306 first class 66 second class and 632 third class passengers. It was launched on the 23rd of Febuary 1905. The following information was gathered from an unsigned letter written by an officer of the Aragon to a Mr.  John William Hannay the father of a VAD on board the Aragon on her way to serve in palestine and Egypt. For two weeks the Aragon laid at anchor in the shelter of the harbour at Marseilles. Every day they would await sailing orders. At last they recieved orders and the ship, set sail. It set of in company with another transporter ship called the Nile and also with an escort of destroyers. On board there was 160 nursing sisters, 150 military officers, 2200 troops and the ships own officers and crew. In total there was 2700 poeople on board the Aragon. One of these men was my great grand uncle Thomas Cassin who was an Irish man and inlisted as a British solider. Along with the thousands of people on board ready to serve there was also 2500 bags of Christmas destined for Egypt. From Marseilles they set sail to Malta in safety. However There was some fierce weather and the sea became quite heavy. Many became sick. Miss Hannay the VAD nurse being sick for just one day. They arrived at the windy bay in Malta on the 23rd of December where they remained for four days until the 27th. They spent their Christmass holidays here in safety. On the fourth day they set out to sail again still in the company of the NIle and a fresh escort of destroyers. There were three destroyers in number, two of which were Japanese and the other British. They arrived near their destination, Alexandria Egypt, on the 30th of December in the morning. The port was just becoming visible to the naked eye on the horizion. Everyone was very excited to reach shore and every vantage point on the boat was filled with eager passengers looking on ward at the port. Many had packed their luggage and were already attired for disembarkation. It was heard that many were congradulating themselves on a safe voyage. The Aragon with the British destroyer Attack was entering the channel that leads to the port. They were already past the first buoy which indicated entrance into the channel. At this point a wireless message was intercepted from trawlers in the channels that there were mines further on. The Attack, being the senior ship, imediately signalled to the Aragon to follow them as they turned seawards. The trawelers which were there to direct the ships through the channel were doing the same and retreating. The Aragon had to keep well away from the buoy that they had already passed by when entering the port. Unkown to both the Aragon and the Attack there was a German submarine lurking in the depths of the waters right beside the buoy. It was unable to fire before because of the close proximity of the ship, if they did they would have endangered their own submarine. However now that the Aragon was turning seawards, she presented a perfect target for the Germans who took full advantage. The officers of the Aragon on duty on the bridge saw the periscope of the submarine and at the next instant the wake of a torpedo which was heading straight for the ship. In a desperate effort for surrvival the passengers and crew tried to turn the ship to avoid the torpedo but this was to no avail as the ship was quite slow. The explosion was a dull crashing blast and the ship shuddered violently. An officer who was on duty at the time was covered in glass as all the windows on the boat shattered. In the next instant the ship became aware to the fact that they had all been dreading. Everyone on board was at their sations in record time, orders were obeyed with precision. The first order given was the rescue of every sister. They were lowered into the rescue boats before doing anything else. This only took a few minutes and was carried out without a hitch. The boats they got on were the best in the ship and in a position to afford greatest possible facility for getting off. The Aragon sent a call for assitance to the shore and recieved a reply within seconds. By the time the sisters ships had got clear, the ship had taken a heavy list to starboard and had sunk deep astern. It remained like this for a few minutes. The Destroyer took this time to run up along side and the remaing passengers were ordered to get off. They managed to do this by attaching ropes from the Aragon to the Destoryer Attack. On other parts of the ship troops were ordered to take water as the rafts were let loose. In just moments the sea was full of struggling men. Many of the officers and troops were trying to get the remaining life boats into the water but they had become jammed by the list. The crew could now feel her sinking fast. It had become impossible to stand upon the deck. It was about fifteen minutes after the inicial explosion. The commander gave the order every man for himself! . There was a rush to get over the side of the boat but nowhere was there any sign of panic. The discipline was astounding as the troops clung on to each other, singing and cheering until they reached the water level. Then they broke into struggling masses. Then it was heard shes going and the Aragon began to sink rapidly astern. The Destroyer was still at rescue work but only one rope remained. One officer was trying to cross when they finally cut the remaining rope. He was thrown into the water between the two ships. He sank like a stone because his full uniform restricted him to swim. However he still managed to get to the surface and make his way onto the Destroyer. The Attack was full of both injured and dying. The Aragon was sinking rapidly, one could hear a roar of rushing water and smashing of internal fittings. Dozens of men still clung to the decks and at the last moment jumping into the water rather than be sucked under along with the ship. Many of their efforts for survial were futile as with the height that the bow had been raised because the ship had turned whilst it was sinking, they died on impact with the water. With a great surge, a roar of rushing water and the explosion of the ships boilers the Aragon was no more and it went beneath the surface. There was now silence over the men. The place where the ship once was, was now replaced by struggling men clinging to upturned boats and wreckage. The Destroyer was now alive with activity. As they attempted to move ahead to the safety of the harbour with all their injured on board, one man shouted and screamed and next instant there was a terrible explosion. The Destroyer was hit by another torpedo. The middle of the Destroyer had been smashed sending men flying into the air. OIl, fumes, splinters of wood and steel were sent in every direction. She broke into two halves and began to sink immedietly. Both the bow and the stern rising into the air as the middle(wher the torpedo hit) sank rapidly. Everyone jumped for the water. It was chaos around the remains of the destroyer. The only hope left for survival was two trawlers which were near at hand. Except for the trawlers the only rescue boats were the rafts from the Aragon which were already on their way to shore. Only wreckage and struggling men remained in the water, everything else had disappeared. However the rafts did an ecellent job, bringing hundreads to the trawlers near by. Other trawlers became visable on the horizon as the rushed at full speed towars the wreckage. However as the port was 80 miles away it took them some time to arrive and many men perished in this time. The temperature of the water was very cold and this contributed to some of the deaths. It took the trawlers an hour to reach the men but without them few would have survived. The VAD sisters who were the first to leave the Aragon arrived on shore at arround 2:30pm. It wasnt untill 4:30pm when the trawlers with the wounded and survivours arrived. The people on the shore were ready for them when they arrived and the wounded were rushed to hospital. In conclusion the Aragon was torpedoed 8 miles from Alexandria Egypt at 11am on Sunday December 30th 1917 and sank in twenty minutes. The escort for the Aragon the British Destroyer The Attack was also torpedoed about 5 minutes later. It took between 5 to 7 minutes to sink. The other transport ship The Nile with two Japanese destroyer escorts left the Aragon at day break, the day of the attack. They also came under submarine attack but managed to reach their destination safely. My great uncle unfortunately perished that day. It was hard for an Irish man to join the Brittish army. I imagine he would have recieved a lot of criticism for doing so, but he did what he thought was right. He fought with the allies and aggainst evil and for that my family is very proud of him.

The Bonesetter’s Daughter Essay -- English Literature:

Bones constitute on important part in The Bonesetter’s Daughter. What is the significance of the book’s title? â€Å"The Bonesetter’s Daughter† in my opinion holds a deeper meaning as a title. Amy Tan could have called the book â€Å"Precious Auntie† or â€Å"Liu Xing Gu† if you directly translate the bonesetter’s daughter. Why did Amy Tan choose this title? These three words must contain some deeper meaning and therefore we should not judge the title at face value. The first thing that we should look at is what these three words are signifying. They are putting emphasis on the bonesetter by saying that this book is about His daughter. Tan could have paraphrased the title into â€Å"The Daughter of the Bonesetter† This means that there must be some importance laid on this bonesetter. The term â€Å"daughter of the famous bonesetter† is only used a few times within the contents. Amy Tan wanted to accentuate two bits of information. One of those words is daughter. Since most of the book is mostly feminine based, it should, naturally, have a more feminine title. Before reading the book we are told that this story is about a girl or a woman and perhaps her father. However, we are not told about the bonesetter’s daughter until page 155. This is telling us something. We thought that the main character in this book had to be the bonesetter’s daughter. We now find out that this is perhaps not so and that it will be difficult to pin point the main character in this book. The main difficulty is within the fact that this book has no immediate plot. It is more of a mixture between psychological drama and the autobiography of a woman. Nobody can summarize the book effectively within one sentence. The story is far too intricate. This is exact... ...ere used as a way to speak to the gods and ask them questions whose answers could be read from the cracks which appeared on the rocks. Bones are a very important part of the Chinese culture and are used for a holy purpose. Naturally, this again links to the curse that this family is haunted by. If bones really hold that much power over people by being able to communicate with the gods, then if they are misused and disturbed like the way the Gu family did, they can therefore be able to curse them. The curse has grown in importance for LuLing ever since she has realized why it has followed them and what kind of disasters it may lead to. Precious Auntie is the key link between the bonesetter and LuLing and Ruth. She is also the one who suffered most from this curse. This is why she is such an important character. This is why she forms the title of this book.

Terrorism

1. Philosohies and rules of war dictate that it is both sound and practical that groups with the same opponent and the same schema forge alliances or common supportive coexistence, and there is a very high probability that that dogma would be followed, considering the fact that terror group leaders are learned men. But the question of having the same agenda is putting terrorism in a very general and pop culture perspective since the truth is that these types of militant extremists have, at some level, varying aims and goals. But another important point is the fact that these different groups can be brought together to act as one unit in a full scale operation. The best example of this tendency is the 9/11 bombing, described by the FBI a few days after the incident as a handiwork of an alliance of terrorists. 2. The pall of gloom that terrorism brought not just in the US but around the world is not just the threat to life, but as well as the threat to liberty. Because of the growing manhunt for suspected terrorists and the increased drive to take the upper hand and identify terrorists even before they can accomplish their missions, some elements of the law enforcement agencies are willing to overstep their boundaries marked by the exercise of individuals of their most basic human right, ready to trespass the domain of private communication with the use of many and all technologies available, including the Internet. Terror groups also found the use of Internet for their cause – ransom demands are telecast via video streaming while home made and improvised bombs know-how is just a few mouse clicks away. For this new problem, the solution may lie in old practices – kill the head of the serpent and the body ceases to be dangerous. The Internet should not be the target, as US knows it cannot afford to start a new war – even in cyberspace. 3. Michael Hamm reported that motor vehicle violations, counterfeiting, smuggling weapons of mass destruction and armed bank robbery, are several criminal acts terrorist participate in. The most common criminal action that terrorists do is the falsification of documents and forgery. Almost every terrorist who entered the country carries a false identification. This criminal act is very crucial in the operation of terrorist cells in the country since the first and most important part of a terrorist mission is the entry of a terrorist in a country or place wherein the terrorist action would take place. This is the reason why border officials are consistently monitoring the many entry and exit points of the country. 4. The most significant findings and information contained in the Hamm report is the moving away of the image of the mythical militant extremists to purely purist forms of terrorism from the true terrorists which is much less now conformed in the mold of idealist / hero into nothing more than a common criminal. The implications for the criminal justice system of this newfound knowledge consist of the possible responsibility law enforcement and criminal justice elements when it comes to profiling active and prospective terrorists by investigating the offenses for they are in trial for. Hamm concluded how a certain set of criminal acts bend towards particular groups as its identifiable crime suspects and this newfound information can be utilized as another efficient tool to battle terrorism. 5. Both international and domestic terrorism presents a clear and urgent threat to the US, simply because a threat to even one single life is an important issue to the US government, or to any government for that matter. Domestic and international terrorism may have many similarities and differences which include M.O. (method of operation), financing, training, orientation, goals, aims and motivation, strength in numbers, leadership hierarchy. Intelligence network and arms and ammunitions supplies, terrorism still wears the same face and the government's efforts to counter it do not diminish based on the type of terror group it faces. Terrorism and the government's fight against it is a microcosm of the proverbial battle of good versus evil; the truth is that there will always be a group of people who will try to use force and intimidation to achieve there cause. Terrorists might have a different name in the future, and the government which the people created is always tasked to battle a constant threat to life presented by another man as a result of differences in ideology. References: Hamm, M. S. (2005). Crimes Committed by Terrorist Groups: Theory, Research and Prevention. US Department of Justice. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/211203.pdf Schmid, A. (2005). Links between Terrorism and Drug Trafficking: A Case of â€Å"Narco terrorism†. Retrieved October 10, 2007. Sisk, R. and Smith, G. B. (2001). Feds Have Names Of 19 In Dark Alliance. The New York Daily News. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from http://www.fromthewilderness.com/timeline/2001/nydailynews091501.html             Terrorism Assignment 2. â€Å"Prepare a written briefing for a Board (you can choose any company real or imaginary) explaining why they should increase or decrease their security in relation to the threat of terrorism. † BRIEFING ON THE THREAT OF TERRORISM POSED TOWARDS TELECOMS ORGANISATIONS OPERATING IN AFRICA Purpose: The purpose of this briefing note is to present an overview of terrorist threats within Africa, spesifically towards the Vodacom organisation operating in the Democtratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and to make recommendations on how to mitigate the risk.Background: Terrorism: â€Å"the United Nations General Assembly has condemned terrorist acts using the following political description of terrorism: â€Å"Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racia l, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Definitions_of_terrorism Terrorism has become a global threat and is not just confined to the theatre of war, it is also not only targeted at nations involved in those conflicts like the United States (9/11) and Great Britain (the July 7 London Bombings) but also with any nation and organization that is seen as an ally of such nations.ESICS Briefing on THE TERRORISM THREAT LINKED TO THE LIBYAN CRISIS states â€Å"obviously on the top of the list of likely targets for Colonel Gaddafi are the United Kingdom and France, they are closely followed by the United States (an old and usual enemy of Libya but also by the Arab countries taking part in the coalition, every single national participating in the operations could be seen as a legitimate target. † In stating this the point that I am making is, although Vodacom is a South African operation, we must take into conciderati on that Vodafone, a British entity is our major hareholder and the building where our head office is located, Building Gulf Oil is an American institution. Thus it would be a grave mistake to make the assumption that the company cannot be seen as a target of militant action and sensationalism. Current Situation: STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT Emerging Terrorist Networks â€Å"As al-Qaeda has syndicated its ideology and violence, its affiliates and adherents in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula have become increasingly networked and adaptable in their recruiting, training, financing, and operations.Violent extremist organizations, insurgents, and criminal organizations are exploiting weak governance and under-governed spaces, and remain determined to harm the United States, our partners and Allies, and innocent civilians. † General Carter Ham, USA Commander, USA Africa Command in his address to the Senate of Armed Services Committee, 2 March 2013(sic). Terrorist organisations are operat ing in numerous African countries now including but not limited to: Country| Active Terrorist Networks (only major listed)|Cameroon| Al Qaeda – Movement for Democracy and Development (MDD)| Chad| Al Qaeda – Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad (MDJC) +2| Egypt| Al Qaeda + 11| Eritrea| Al Qaeda – Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement (EIJH)| Ethiopia| Al Qaeda – Ethiopian Islamic Jihad Movement (EIJH) + 6| Kenya| Al Qaeda – Al Shabaab| Libya| Al Qaeda – Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG)| Morocco| Al Qaeda – Moroccan Combatant Islamic Group (MCIG)| Nigeria| Al Qaeda – Boko Haram| Somalia| Al Qaeda – Al-Shabaab| Sudan | Al Qaeda – Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) – Hezbollah| Syria| Al Qaeda – Al Nusra| Tanzania| Al Qaeda – People Liberation Party|Zambia| Riyadus-Salikhin Reconnaissance – Al Nusra| Source: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Terrorism and www. crimicweb. org â€Å"The Ho rn of Africa is Africa’s bridge to the Middle East. That fact explains much about the complex interrelationships between differing Islamic cultures within Africa, from east to west. † (John Harbeson, The War on Terrorism in Africa; Princeton N. Lyman from Africa in World Politics p7) Vodacom Congo has up till now not considered terrorism to be a significant threat to business operations but rather conventional security threats as in fire, arson, bomb threats and armed robbery to name but a few.Recommendations: The risk management department recommends that the company review all emergency response, disaster recovery and business continuity protocols. Establishing contingency plans is suggested; general training for all employees would result in more efficient response should an emergency occur and is highly recommended. It is imperative that all security measures are reevaluated and a gap analysis be conducted. Recommended areas where improvements are needed: * Access a nd egress control policies should be enforced for effective visitor control and especially with vehicles entering premises and deliveries of parcels. Do an assessment of all CCTV and monitoring services and place additional cameras where needed. * At the moment the local security service provider is ill equipped, there are no personal body scanners available at the building entrances. * There is no equipment available to search vehicles, i. e. stemmed mirrors etc. * Retraining of security personnel, the security officers have not been trained on what to look for and how to search vehicles and people properly. * General housekeeping, rubbish collection and building perimeters. (Security Management Bulletin no: 6.Countermeasures of threats of terrorist action) Training for these officers should focus on the following types of terrorist attack: * Person borne IED (improvised explosive device) * Vehicle borne IED * Bombs directed against property and infrastructure, delivered in trucks, vehicles, packages, briefcases, laptop bags and also in postal items * Fire bombs using chemicals and incendiaries * Improvised mortar attacks * Riots and civil disturbance * Kidnapping for ransom and extortion * Armed robbery, fraud and credit card fraud for financing purposes * Assassination of key figures Security Management Bulletin no: 6. Countermeasures of threats of terrorist action) In a nutshell the security department should do a threat analysis and identify areas where the terrorist would want to: * Penetrate * Avoid * Exploit * Attack Jason A, 16 April 2013, Boston Marathon Bombings, in his briefing after the bombings, also suggest that it should be noted that due to the recent attacks in Boston, that security at airports across the United States and Great Britain has increased substantially. Business travelers are advised to allow extra time to get to the ticket counters and to their gates.There are long queues at the check-in counter and the duration of the security p rocess has increased due to additional random bag searches. Hotel security has increased as well; travelers are advised to adhere to corporate security policies as well as local policies. In saying that if employees travel to the United States or the United Kingdom for the purpose of visiting Vodacom’s parent company or any other business travel, it is advised to monitor local media for additional security measures. This will also apply to the other countries mentioned where known terrorist cells are operating. ConclusionA school of thought that postulates â€Å"as major disasters never occur at a time or in a manner that may be anticipated, pre-catastrophe planning is futile† is a gross abdication of reponsibilty and cannot be supported. (Security Management bulletin 5. Disaster Planning) Vodacom Congo has clear ties with the United Kingdom due to alliances and shareholding agreements, Vodacom’s offices are located in a building owned by an American entity and the building is shared by Chevron Oil which is an American owned company, it would therefore be foolish not to recognize the direct threat to the company, it’s employees and assets. It would be surprising if many businesses and orginisations could avoid the consequences of terrorism at some time in their existance†. (Security management Bulletin 5. Disaster Planning) It is therefore imperative that urgent security focus is placed on the threat that terrorism poses to the company and its operations, large walk in customer care areas are prime targets where lots of people gather. A balance of security measure are very important to maintain a vigilant level of protection without creating too much discomfort to the employees, visitors, business partners and customers.References Martin Gill, The Handbook of Security. 2006 The Security Institute. Security Management Bulletin 5. Emergency Procedures – Major Disasters. Rachel Briggs, R. and Edwards, C. The business of re silience. DEMOS 2006 The Security Institute. Security Management Bulletin No: 6. Countermeasures to threats of terrorist action. John Harbeson, The War on Terrorism in Africa; Princeton N. Lyman from Africa in World Politics p7 Human Rights Watch: In the name of security, www. hrw. org Wikipedia Website: http://en. ikipedia. org/wiki/Terrorism Michael Burleigh; Al-Qaeda and a Decade of Terror Andre Burstin; European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center (ESISC), Boko Haram and the Risk of Terrorism in Northern Cameroon; 01 April 2012 Claude Moniquet, European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center (ESISC), The Terrorist Threat Linked to the Libyan Crisis. 2011 Jason A; Boston Marathon Bombing, Aon Crisis Management Consulting/ Global Risk Consulting. p4 Subscriber Journal, 16 April 2013 Terrorism Assignment 2. â€Å"Prepare a written briefing for a Board (you can choose any company real or imaginary) explaining why they should increase or decrease their security in relation to the threat of terrorism. † BRIEFING ON THE THREAT OF TERRORISM POSED TOWARDS TELECOMS ORGANISATIONS OPERATING IN AFRICA Purpose: The purpose of this briefing note is to present an overview of terrorist threats within Africa, spesifically towards the Vodacom organisation operating in the Democtratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and to make recommendations on how to mitigate the risk.Background: Terrorism: â€Å"the United Nations General Assembly has condemned terrorist acts using the following political description of terrorism: â€Å"Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racia l, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Definitions_of_terrorism Terrorism has become a global threat and is not just confined to the theatre of war, it is also not only targeted at nations involved in those conflicts like the United States (9/11) and Great Britain (the July 7 London Bombings) but also with any nation and organization that is seen as an ally of such nations.ESICS Briefing on THE TERRORISM THREAT LINKED TO THE LIBYAN CRISIS states â€Å"obviously on the top of the list of likely targets for Colonel Gaddafi are the United Kingdom and France, they are closely followed by the United States (an old and usual enemy of Libya but also by the Arab countries taking part in the coalition, every single national participating in the operations could be seen as a legitimate target. † In stating this the point that I am making is, although Vodacom is a South African operation, we must take into conciderati on that Vodafone, a British entity is our major hareholder and the building where our head office is located, Building Gulf Oil is an American institution. Thus it would be a grave mistake to make the assumption that the company cannot be seen as a target of militant action and sensationalism. Current Situation: STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT Emerging Terrorist Networks â€Å"As al-Qaeda has syndicated its ideology and violence, its affiliates and adherents in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula have become increasingly networked and adaptable in their recruiting, training, financing, and operations.Violent extremist organizations, insurgents, and criminal organizations are exploiting weak governance and under-governed spaces, and remain determined to harm the United States, our partners and Allies, and innocent civilians. † General Carter Ham, USA Commander, USA Africa Command in his address to the Senate of Armed Services Committee, 2 March 2013(sic). Terrorist organisations are operat ing in numerous African countries now including but not limited to: Country| Active Terrorist Networks (only major listed)|Cameroon| Al Qaeda – Movement for Democracy and Development (MDD)| Chad| Al Qaeda – Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad (MDJC) +2| Egypt| Al Qaeda + 11| Eritrea| Al Qaeda – Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement (EIJH)| Ethiopia| Al Qaeda – Ethiopian Islamic Jihad Movement (EIJH) + 6| Kenya| Al Qaeda – Al Shabaab| Libya| Al Qaeda – Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG)| Morocco| Al Qaeda – Moroccan Combatant Islamic Group (MCIG)| Nigeria| Al Qaeda – Boko Haram| Somalia| Al Qaeda – Al-Shabaab| Sudan | Al Qaeda – Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) – Hezbollah| Syria| Al Qaeda – Al Nusra| Tanzania| Al Qaeda – People Liberation Party|Zambia| Riyadus-Salikhin Reconnaissance – Al Nusra| Source: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Terrorism and www. crimicweb. org â€Å"The Ho rn of Africa is Africa’s bridge to the Middle East. That fact explains much about the complex interrelationships between differing Islamic cultures within Africa, from east to west. † (John Harbeson, The War on Terrorism in Africa; Princeton N. Lyman from Africa in World Politics p7) Vodacom Congo has up till now not considered terrorism to be a significant threat to business operations but rather conventional security threats as in fire, arson, bomb threats and armed robbery to name but a few.Recommendations: The risk management department recommends that the company review all emergency response, disaster recovery and business continuity protocols. Establishing contingency plans is suggested; general training for all employees would result in more efficient response should an emergency occur and is highly recommended. It is imperative that all security measures are reevaluated and a gap analysis be conducted. Recommended areas where improvements are needed: * Access a nd egress control policies should be enforced for effective visitor control and especially with vehicles entering premises and deliveries of parcels. Do an assessment of all CCTV and monitoring services and place additional cameras where needed. * At the moment the local security service provider is ill equipped, there are no personal body scanners available at the building entrances. * There is no equipment available to search vehicles, i. e. stemmed mirrors etc. * Retraining of security personnel, the security officers have not been trained on what to look for and how to search vehicles and people properly. * General housekeeping, rubbish collection and building perimeters. (Security Management Bulletin no: 6.Countermeasures of threats of terrorist action) Training for these officers should focus on the following types of terrorist attack: * Person borne IED (improvised explosive device) * Vehicle borne IED * Bombs directed against property and infrastructure, delivered in trucks, vehicles, packages, briefcases, laptop bags and also in postal items * Fire bombs using chemicals and incendiaries * Improvised mortar attacks * Riots and civil disturbance * Kidnapping for ransom and extortion * Armed robbery, fraud and credit card fraud for financing purposes * Assassination of key figures Security Management Bulletin no: 6. Countermeasures of threats of terrorist action) In a nutshell the security department should do a threat analysis and identify areas where the terrorist would want to: * Penetrate * Avoid * Exploit * Attack Jason A, 16 April 2013, Boston Marathon Bombings, in his briefing after the bombings, also suggest that it should be noted that due to the recent attacks in Boston, that security at airports across the United States and Great Britain has increased substantially. Business travelers are advised to allow extra time to get to the ticket counters and to their gates.There are long queues at the check-in counter and the duration of the security p rocess has increased due to additional random bag searches. Hotel security has increased as well; travelers are advised to adhere to corporate security policies as well as local policies. In saying that if employees travel to the United States or the United Kingdom for the purpose of visiting Vodacom’s parent company or any other business travel, it is advised to monitor local media for additional security measures. This will also apply to the other countries mentioned where known terrorist cells are operating. ConclusionA school of thought that postulates â€Å"as major disasters never occur at a time or in a manner that may be anticipated, pre-catastrophe planning is futile† is a gross abdication of reponsibilty and cannot be supported. (Security Management bulletin 5. Disaster Planning) Vodacom Congo has clear ties with the United Kingdom due to alliances and shareholding agreements, Vodacom’s offices are located in a building owned by an American entity and the building is shared by Chevron Oil which is an American owned company, it would therefore be foolish not to recognize the direct threat to the company, it’s employees and assets. It would be surprising if many businesses and orginisations could avoid the consequences of terrorism at some time in their existance†. (Security management Bulletin 5. Disaster Planning) It is therefore imperative that urgent security focus is placed on the threat that terrorism poses to the company and its operations, large walk in customer care areas are prime targets where lots of people gather. A balance of security measure are very important to maintain a vigilant level of protection without creating too much discomfort to the employees, visitors, business partners and customers.References Martin Gill, The Handbook of Security. 2006 The Security Institute. Security Management Bulletin 5. Emergency Procedures – Major Disasters. Rachel Briggs, R. and Edwards, C. The business of re silience. DEMOS 2006 The Security Institute. Security Management Bulletin No: 6. Countermeasures to threats of terrorist action. John Harbeson, The War on Terrorism in Africa; Princeton N. Lyman from Africa in World Politics p7 Human Rights Watch: In the name of security, www. hrw. org Wikipedia Website: http://en. ikipedia. org/wiki/Terrorism Michael Burleigh; Al-Qaeda and a Decade of Terror Andre Burstin; European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center (ESISC), Boko Haram and the Risk of Terrorism in Northern Cameroon; 01 April 2012 Claude Moniquet, European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center (ESISC), The Terrorist Threat Linked to the Libyan Crisis. 2011 Jason A; Boston Marathon Bombing, Aon Crisis Management Consulting/ Global Risk Consulting. p4 Subscriber Journal, 16 April 2013

The Three Philosophies Of Thomas Hobbes - 1267 Words

The three philosophies of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Karl Marx are all very different from each other, but they all share the same intention of benefiting the people within society based off different methods of ruling, viewpoints, and different social contracts. These different methods were based off different viewpoints of human nature and what each philosopher believed the role of the government was. Seventeenth-Century thinker, Thomas Hobbes thought that all people were naturally cruel, greedy, ruthless and that the people will oppress and harm one another if they are not put under control. Due to this view, Hobbes believes that the role of the government is to ensure order and urge obedience among all, which lead to the conclusion†¦show more content†¦This is because Locke thought the role of government was to protect the people’s natural rights, and if it failed to do so, the people had the right to de-establish the government. Locke’s intentions was definitely to benefit the people in his society, since their natural rights were constantly violated under an absolute monarchy. It was time for change, and Locke’s philosophy was the path that could successfully achieve this change. Many centuries later in the 1840’s, German thinker Karl Marx, came up with the philosophy of communism after studying his new theory of scientific socialism. Marx did not have a specific view on human nature itself, but he did on the society around him. He realized that throughout history, that there has always been a battle between social classes, primarily between the poor and the rich, where the rich controlled all means of production. His dream was that the working class would fight against the upper classes, win control over the means of production, and ultimately set up a classless society. By having this view, Marx did not promote a specific social contract for the people to follow since all it required was that the people share the means of production equally among each other, since society would be a classless system. Even though the definition of communism dramatically changed over time, Marx’s original intention was to