Ballistics and forensic science

The amount of damage a bullet has sustained upon hitting a hard surface can help determine approximately where the shooter was standing, what angle the gun was fired from, and when the gun was fired. Any residue on the bullet can be studied and compared to residue on the hand of a suspect, on the gun that was fired, or on any object that was close by when the firearm was used. This information helps researchers uncover the identity of the shooter. When the bullets are missing, the type of impact they made can lead Investigators to ascertain what kind of bullet the rimming used, and therefore the type of gun as well.Studying the markings found on a bullet or the Impact a bullet made on any surface can establish exactly which gun the criminal used. Every firearm produces a slightly different and unique pattern on the shell-casing It fires; the bullet will therefore imprint a distinct pattern upon anything It hits. Once scientists have Identified these markings they can easily match them to the appropriate firearm. There are many experts deeply Involved In this study, and they are frequently called upon to help solve crimes.Ballistics details are also commonly Input Into a large database that can be accessed by law enforcement agencies all across the country. When someone enters new data, the computer locates any relevant data from previous Investigations. This Information can lead to the discovery of the owner of a particular weapon, and assist In tracking down the guilty party who fired the gun. Ballistics and forensic science By freshmen type of impact they made can lead investigators to ascertain what kind of bullet theStudying the markings found on a bullet or the impact a bullet made on any surface different and unique pattern on the shell-casing it fires; the bullet will therefore imprint a distinct pattern upon anything it hits. Once scientists have identified these There are many experts deeply involved in this study, and they are frequently called upon to help solve crimes. Ballistics details are also commonly input into a large previous investigations.

Cedar Revolution of 2005 In Lebanon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cedar Revolution of 2005 In Lebanon - Essay Example The precursor for the revolution, as discussed in the Introduction, is the assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri. The literature tells us that Hariri was in conflict with the political power in Damascus, Syria, and that this conflict was what presaged the assassination, presumably with Syria having a hand in the murder. It is to be noted that Hariri was given credit for undertaking the rebuilding of Lebanon and Beirut in particular after the devastating civil war that gripped the country all the way to 1989. Hariri was popular and his fight with the Syrian power brokers was a proxy fight of a large majority of Lebanese against the control that Syria wielded over the country, so to speak. These are very powerful reasons that powered a groundswell of support for the revolution, and it can be said that the murder of Hariri in this context was the spark that lit the revolutionary fire. That the United States and much of the west pinned the blame for the murder on Syria no doubt p rovided further justification for the popular revolution. On the other hand, it was the funeral march of Hariri that immediately precipitated the chain of events that led to about 20,000 protesters gathering and marching to Martyr's Square just a few days after, and which then led to the massing of over one million activists by the time that the Syrian sympathizing Prime Minister Omar Karami had resigned and the subsequent announcement of the complete withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon after three decades of continuous presence in the country (E-Collaborative for Civic Education, 2013; Singh, 2009). There are many reasons cited for the success of the massing and the chain of events being effected as described above, but chief among these reasons is the non-violent way with which the protesters dealt with the government forces that were sent their way to try and stop the revolution in its tracks. While it is true that the funeral of Hariri attracted protesters who openly asked for Syria to leave Lebanon, it is also true that the protesters reacted to the sending of troops to Martyr's Square not with violence but with flowers, and this allowed the protesters to deflect the rising tension and gain the moral upper hand in the situation. It helped too that the opposition forces were able to plan and strategize behind the scenes, and played some part in orchestrating the activities that led to the gains that they made in pushing Syrian forces out of Lebanon and forcing Karami to resign (E-Collaborative for Civic Education, 2013; McCarthy, 2005; Follath, 2005; Singh, 2009). On the other hand, from a geopolitical point of view, there are those who push the argument that the US presence in the region, and in particular the presence of US troops that had designs on launching a war with Syria on any credible pretext,

A movie review of the film The Insider Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A movie review of the film The Insider - Essay Example The film revolves around two people: Wigand, who was recently fired from a tobacco corporation, and Bergman, a veteran reporter in search of a story. The bombshell that Wigand holds in his possession is the information that Chief Executive Officers of tobacco corporations – The Big Seven – had known all along that tobacco was addictive but had concealed this information from the public. From there, the story unfolded masterfully – telling in gripping fashion how the influences of money and the legal system bore down on Wigand and Bergman, all in order to suppress the truth. Wigand was even the subject of extreme character assassination and despite his attempts to live a quiet life as a professor, was always followed by the story he chose to tell. He became the subject of death threats, the FBI was on his trail, his personal life was in disarray. In the meantime, a bigger context was unfolding. There was a lawsuit poised to be filed against the Big Seven in order to recover what the State paid in medical expenses to treat tobacco-related illnesses. Two legal concepts then emerged from the movie. The first one is the concept of tortuous interference – which basically means that if two parties have an agreement, and a third party induces a party privy to and bound by that agreement to break that agreement, that third party may be made liable for damages. That legal concept is used in connect to the confidential agreement, which is the second legal concept featured in this movie. In the film, Wigand was bound by an iron-clad confidentiality agreement that he was made to sign with his former company. The movie then forces its viewers to reflect: are there limits to a confidentiality agreement? What happens when a confidentiality agreement comes into conflict with public welfare, public health, or even simply the right of the public to know? It is important to situate the movie against the larger social backdrop on which it operates. The m ovie came out in the late 1990’s – a period in history when tobacco politics had reached a crucial juncture. It was at this period that the impunity of the tobacco firms to lawsuit had ended and for the first time, they were being held liable for the addictive consequences of cigarettes. How dangerous really is tobacco? As early as 1964, the U.S. Surgeon General had come out with a landmark report that spoke of the dangers of smoking on one’s health and issued a categorical statement against its use and its spread. In an article, it was stated that: Each year three million people around the world die from tobacco-related illnesses. In the US, tobacco kills more than 400,000 people each year, and medical care for tobacco-related illnesses costs $50 billion annually. The World Health Organization projects that the yearly death toll from tobacco will rise to 10 million by the 2020swith seven million of those deaths striking economically poor countries. Of the one m illion US teens hooked each year on cigarettes, one-third or more will eventually die from tobacco-related illnesses. If current trends continue, over 200 million of today's children and teenagers around the world will lose their lives to this addictive product. (InFact: 1997) Despite these findings, the tobacco corporations have won every single legal battle against attempts to hold them accountable for putting public health in jeopardy. It is said that Philip Morris and other tobacco corporati