...Ten Thousand bombs DeNiro’s Game BY RAWI HAGE House of Anansi Press, 277 pages, $ Rawi Hage is a upcoming and talented Lebanese-Canadian author. As a photographer and curator, he makes clever use of visual imagination in his fiction writing, along with a realistic descriptive style that inspires the reader’s own imagination. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and lived through most of the Lebanese civil war. His works has appeared in numerous literary forums and museums around the world. De Niro’s Game is his debut novel and has been acclaimed by both the general public and literary critics across Canada, where he now lives. In 2006 Rawi Hage was awarded the Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and this year De Niro’s Game is shortlisted for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and the Best First Book of the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize. De Niro’s Game is a touching story of two childhood friends, both Christians, Bassam and George. who live a life of hardship in civil-war Beirut. Narrated from Bassam’s point of view, the novel is a statement of a young man caught in the midstream of fratricidal conflicts and killings who is forever trying to escape the war by emigrating to Europe. Bassam and George have very different life philosophies and attitudes.. Being a pacifist, all Bassam really wants to do is to leave Beirut for his dream city, Rome, in the hope of finding a peaceful life. He refuses to let his life be driven by the war and bombings, and even refuses to...
Words: 746 - Pages: 3
...Laser Guided Bombs on Modern Day Military Since the dawning of military aviation, men have attempted to bombard their enemy from the air. At first it was an ineffective method of combat due to varied and numerous problems. The first aircraft designed did not have the proper lift capable of carrying any sizable payload, as well as not having adequate sights to properly aim the munitions. Aircraft design advanced and with it came the increased use of missiles and bombs. One of the major advancements in aircraft munitions was the development of the “smart” bomb and “smart” munitions. Advancements in the design and use of smart bombs and smart munitions have greatly increased the military's ability to accurately strike their targets. Militaries now have the ability to strike a target from many miles away, while doing so with outstanding precision, lethality on threat, and highly destructive power. During World War II it took a lot more personnel, planes, and bombs to accomplish what just one smart bomb can accomplish today. One of the major technologies used in smart bombs is the tracking system or guidance system. The guidance system typically uses either a laser system or a satellite system. With the use of the LASER guidance system the bomb can be dropped and will track its target, whether by a laser fired from the platform dropping the bomb, or by friendly personnel painting the target with an IR (infrared) LASER. In the usual design of a laser guided missile or bomb there will...
Words: 1051 - Pages: 5
...Die as Terrorist Bomb Rips Train at a Paris Station By CRAIG R. WHITNEY Published: December 4, 1996 • Email • Print • A powerful explosion ripped apart one car of a packed commuter train pulling into a Paris rail station at the height of the evening rush hour tonight, killing two passengers and critically wounding seven in what President Jacques Chirac condemned as ''an act of barbarity and terrorism.'' The authorities immediately reactivated antiterrorist security precautions that had been relaxed after a series of similar explosions last year in which eight people died. The 1995 attacks were mounted by Algerian Muslim militants opposed to French support for Algeria's military-backed Government. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast tonight, but Prime Minister Alain Juppe, who went to the scene, said it was caused by an explosive device. The police said 85 people in all had suffered injuries or shock. The blast ripped open the doors of the train, on the southbound track of the Port Royal station of the regional express network on the Left Bank, and scattered the wounded, totaling 35, over the platform. Scores of police vehicles and ambulances converged to the scene and hundreds of police officers sealed off the station. Witnesses said the blast occurred at 6:03 P.M. People living nearby said dense smoke smelling of gunpowder came boiling up from the station, which is only half underground as the rail line passes under Boulevard Montparnasse...
Words: 1054 - Pages: 5
...INFORMATION PAPER Staff Group Alpha 11 Feb 13 SUBJECT: Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and Mines 1. Purpose: To provide information on Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) and Antipersonnel Mines; as well as impacts and preventive actions for Ground Troops in Combat. 2. Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and Antipersonnel Mine Facts. a. IED’s are “homemade” bombs and/or destructive devices used to destroy, incapacitate, harass, or distract. An antipersonnel IED that is victim-activated—one that explodes on contact by a person—is considered an antipersonnel mine. b. IEDs come in many shapes and forms and can consist of almost any material, including agricultural and medical equipment. IEDs consist of a variety of components that include an initiator, switch, main charge, power source, and a container. IEDs may be surrounded by or packed with additional materials or “enhancements” such as nails, glass, or metal frag¬ments designed to increase the amount of shrapnel propelled by the explosion. Enhancements may also include other elements such as hazardous materials. An IED can be initiated by a variety of methods depending on the intended target.i c. IEDs can be carried or delivered in a vehicle; car¬ried, placed, or thrown by a person; delivered in a package; or concealed on the roadside.i There are three main types of IED’s/Mines.iii These include: 1. Package Improvised Explosive Device: Typically IEDs consisting...
Words: 876 - Pages: 4
...When reading the article on p.109, there is a component of the overall security objective, which deserves the most attention in the environments that were mentioned. That component is gun violence. “Gun violence has become a major concern in the nation, and churches are not immune.” Personally, I believe that security would be the component that is less pertinent for these particular environments during a vulnerability assessment. The reason I say this is because, if there was proper security at churches then the shootings, fires and bombs would not have happened. Relative to the security of the churches, some countermeasures or possible solutions for the shootings, incidences of arson, and bombings, would have to be cracking down on the security. Churches are usually more of a tight little family so it’s unbelievable when things like these happen. Especially when it is done by a member of the church. If churches were to have at least one security guard present, I believe that it would lower the chances of someone coming in with a gun, and causing innocent people harm. I also believe that if churches had a security surveillance system it would crack down on the chances of arson and bombing. The reason I say this is because, we all know that no one wants to commit a crime knowing that there are cameras. I also believe that churches, should have a night guard on duty to walk the premises while no one is there. Components of the overall security objective that would...
Words: 495 - Pages: 2
...to provide for their family. Over the accumulated years soldiers are in war, they overcome death, hurt, distrust, and terrorist attacks. The role of a soldier is to obey his commanders and fight for the benefit of his nation. Soldiers have to be highly skilled and prepared when it comes to war. This relates to what Timothy Gaestel, journal writer in “Soldiers Stories: Dispatches from Iraq” said in his entry. He asserts, “ I had my M4 rifle at the ready and my trigger finger on the trigger and was just waiting for someone to give me a reason to have me put it from safe to semi.” (329). This quote exemplifies that Gaestel was well prepared for anything coming his way. Even though Gaetel obtained two shrapnel’s in his back from a bomb he was determined to ensure the safety of his convoy and himself. Zeigler 2 The surgeons and nurses at the Combat Support Hospital located in downtown Baghdad,...
Words: 1195 - Pages: 5
...General Franklin Eliser Savage Leadership Skills Watching 12’o clock High I feel , it is a paradigm example of leadership in face of adversity. It is set at Archbury in the English midlands, where the “hardluck”918th Bomb Group has accumulated the highest loss rate and the worst bombing effectiveness record in all of Eighth Air Force. The group is very low in morale and General Pritchard, head of Bomber Command, concludes that the problem is the group commander, Col. Keith Davenport, whose leadership style has allowed discipline to erode and whose over identification with the crews has encouraged them to feel sorry for themselves. Then General Pritchard replaces the popular Davenport with Franklin Savage, Savage proceeded to rebuild the discipline, faith, confidence, pride and courage of his team by methods that are fully applicable in today's highly competitive business environment, which are: provide your team with autonomy and do not let them get caught up in fear. I will support my statement with a couple of examples from the movie of what tactics General Savage applied; Train the pilots on what they need to do and set clear goals. They are shown the path to success and the definition of success; Provide challenging missions. With success on these missions, the pilots get a sense of confidence; Let the bomber crews succeed on their own. Although General Savage leads by example, he often lets others lead missions and help craft tactics. This policy further builds the...
Words: 496 - Pages: 2
...1945 a pregnant woman and five kids were killed by a balloon bomb they found in a forest. This balloon bomb was made in a factory in Japan by Japanese girls and women. The women were unaware of what happened once the paper they were making left the factories. Forty years after they began working in the factories a few of the women found out information regarding one balloon bombing and their reactions surprised me. These women were compassionate, courageous, and forgiving. The Japanese women had found out that their forty years of effort had on only killed six people. They were shocked that that's all they had killed, but what surprised me were their reactions once they figured out the information on those six people. Forty years after they had started working in the factories the women were finally getting information back from the United States. John Takeshita had written them a letter revealing the profiles of these six people. It came to my surprise that despite the fact that the United States had killed and wounded over one hundred fifty thousand Japanese people in Hiroshima these women were able to put that aside and feel bad for the six Americans that were killed. I was surprised to find out that the women who were contacted by Takeshita had the courage to visit Bly not knowing if the town resented them or if the people would welcome them or even be welcome at all. Though these women didn't create the bombs alone and weren't individually responsible they still had the...
Words: 409 - Pages: 2
...most often to show what is happening, and help make the beauty and brutality visible. Everything has beauty and brutality, and this is portrayed many times throughout the book. Beauty and Brutality is shown to co-exist when bombings would happen, Hans slapped Liesel, and the bombing of Himmel street happened. Beauty and Brutality was very prominent during some of the bombings that happened. Michael was a character and he was trying to get his mother to a bomb shelter. He cried to Rosa, Liesel’s step mother, “‘Tell me, Rosa, how can she sit there ready to die while I still want to live?’ The blood thickened. ‘Why do I want to live? I shouldn’t want to, but I do.’ (Zusak 487). He was trying everything to get her to move. He had a desire for life, something his mother lacked. Zuzak was using imagery, by hearing his voice, seeing his mother, and trying to pull her to the shelter. Even though this was brutal, beautiful moments were still happening. On Page 488, we learn of the event of the bomb shelter. “The night was long with bombs and reading. Her mouth was drying, but the book thief worked through fifty-four pages. The majority of children slept and didn’t hear the sirens of renewed safety. (Zusak 488)” In the midst of chaos, there was beauty in the...
Words: 1106 - Pages: 5
...Parties: United States (Plaintiff) v. Yousef (Defendant) Facts: Yousef (D) arrived in Manila under a false name in September 1994, a year and a half after his involvement with the World Trade Center attacks. He developed a plan to attack twelve United States airliners in within Southeast Asia, which were in route to the United States. Within his plan Yousef (D) would have five accomplices board different airliners, assemble the bombs and then depart the aircraft on the first scheduled layovers. These explosive devices that were planned on being used were to be timed devices so the accomplices would activate these timed devices when they departed the airliners. This plot to attack these United States airliners was uncovered in January 1995 just two weeks prior to when Yousef (D) and his accomplices planned on carrying out the attack. Prior proceedings: Yousef (D) was charged in two separate proceedings, the first trial was for conspiracy to bomb twelve United States commercial airliners in Southeast Asia. The second trial was for his involvement with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing attacks. Issues presented or questions of law: The issue presented in this case where that Yousef (D) believed that he was brought to the United States against his will from Pakistan. Arguments or objectives of the parties: Yousef (D) claimed that the U.S government surpassed their authority when they brought him on trial in the United States for crimes in which occurred in Southwest...
Words: 469 - Pages: 2
...In this journal, I will be characterizing Gale Hawthorne. I characterized him as both protective and a skilled hunter and outdoorsmen. To begin with, Gale is quite protective towards Katniss and is always caring. First of all, after District 12 bombings Gale lead Katniss’ family and the rest of the district to safety. Katniss was not there during the bombings because she was in the games, but Gale had promised to keep her family safe. This not only shows the caringness of Gale, but it also shows the dedication towards Katniss and her family. Out of all of the survivors of the bombing Gale was one of the only ones who could lead everyone else to safety. It said, “The credit for the survivors’ escape has landed squarely on Gale’s shoulders, although he’s loath to accept it” (Collins 7). We can infer from this that after all that Gale has done for the survivors that he is not looking for fame or recognition. This shows the great character and generosity of Gale. Furthermore, Gale also volunteered to be one of Katniss’ bodyguards for the filming of propaganda. After they were done discussing the filming, Gale told Haymitch, “I’m the one who needs the bodyguard” (Collins 77). He meant in a way that he needs to be the bodyguard for Katniss. We can infer from this that he thinks that he needs to protect her, and that know one else can do a better job than himself. This shows his protectiveness towards Katniss and his determination to keep her safe. An example of him protecting Katniss...
Words: 1576 - Pages: 7
...To the Commanding Officer of NAVSCOLEOD: During my time in NAVSCOLEOD I learned significant things about myself in the past 7 months and the direction I would like my military career to take. In the words of Colin Powell he describes success as, “the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” I believe that this is a main key of completing EOD School. While I was deciding what MOS to choose before I committed to the Army, my recruiter informed me about the EOD program. I did my research on it and I found out it was one of the most difficult schools to get through in the Military and it provided a high sense of comradery within the EOD community itself. This is what I have been looking for in a profession, challenges on a daily basis and a good group of people to work with. I got a gist of what EOD was going to be like at the preliminary course at Fort Lee. After I completed this course I was fully committed to the EOD program and I was sure this is going to be a long term career. Going through NAVSCOLEOD showed me that it wasn’t only the challenges and the difficulty that drawn me to this program but it was the caliber of soldiers this program produced and a possibility of working with them. The students here are held to high standards on a daily basis and are not satisfied with just doing what is just enough. This school has tested me in ways that I have not been tested in the past. Prior to joining the military I was never nervous of taking any...
Words: 558 - Pages: 3
...What is the need of discipline? The need for discipline in the Public Services in my opinion is very important. If the uniformed public services did not have discipline and rules about the way their employees should behave, then they would be free to do anything they wanted and be able to get away with it without consequences. If there was no discipline, targets would not be met and jobs would not be done properly. Such as in the police when a crime has been committed and the suspect is being prosecuted there is paper work that needs to be done and if there is no discipline then it would not be done. Police – The Police need to be disciplined because there job is to protect the people in their area of derestriction. They need discipline so that they can do their duties as required, like arresting people: if they are not disciplined enough they could miss evidence or could arrest the wrong person because they couldn’t be bothered to work properly.(Codes of Professionalism) They need discipline so that they can report to emergencies properly and on time, like at a robbery: if they don’t get there on time they could miss the suspect or if they go there not paying attention someone could get hurt, whether that be hostages or people in the street. Fire and Rescue – Fire and rescue services like the Fire brigade need discipline because if they didn’t, the chance of people being harmed and the chance of accidents rises. They need discipline because they need to be able to get to...
Words: 1054 - Pages: 5
...vision, mission, and values guide the division’s strategic direction. The guiding principles and values for the division in the context of culture, social responsibility, and ethics will be defined in this paper. New Product Proposal Alons’ Petroleum bombs for military weapons to defend the U.S. against terrorist, foreign, and domestic enemies of the U.S. Breathing petroleum vapors will cause nervous system effects (such as headache, nausea, and dizziness) and respiratory problems. High exposure will cause coma and death. When skin is in contact with liquid petroleum skin irritation occurs, it will also affect the blood and kidney system (Schneiderman, 2012). Most of us do not like the idea of new weapons to harm others but it is a necessity to defend our country, other countries, and innocent people of other countries against attacks and violence. The focus here is providing Petroleum bombs to the U.S. military to defend our country and innocent people from attacks. Alons’ innovation mission statement for the Petroleum bombs is to help the U.S. protect our country against terrorist, foreign, and domestic enemies of the U.S. by providing the military with petroleum bombs to defend the incent. Unlike most bombs the petroleum bomb is only meant to affect its’ target until the vapors dissipate; this is to prevent humans and our environment...
Words: 1449 - Pages: 6
...Dirty Bomb detonates at the Mall of America Robert Capponi HSM320 Erik Stone 16 November 2015 Dirty Bomb detonates at the Mall of America A radiological dispersion device (dirty bomb) has been detonated in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota on the day after Thanksgiving which is known as “Black Friday”. Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year and malls and shopping centers all over the country are severely crowed with people taking advantage of sales and special offers on merchandize for the holiday season. A dirty bomb is a very effective terror weapon because it combines the mass lethality of an explosive device, plus exposure to radiation; this device causes mass fear and panic in a population and could have a serious effect on the nearby area and environment. A dirty bomb is a type of radiological dispersion device (RDD) which combines some type of explosive combined with some type of radioactive material. The explosive element of a dirty bomb will produce the most amount of damage and causalities depending on the amount and type of explosive material and shrapnel used. There is usually not enough radiation to kill or cause severe illness depending on the radioactive material; the type of radiation that is used and the amount of exposure to the victims. Depending the situation though a dirty bomb can cause a great deal of panic, fear and chaos, including contamination of buildings and property. ...
Words: 3400 - Pages: 14
