同一个世界同一个梦想 (One World, One Dream) Official Symbol and theme of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad

By Jenni Hesterman

In a rare show of transparency, China revealed today that it has detained 82 suspected terrorists since January that 'allegedly plotted sabotage against the Beijing Olympics,' the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing the police chief in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang region that borders Central Asia. As the August 8th opening ceremony approaches, the Chinese government has stepped up warning of a domestic terror threat emanating from the region, fueled by Muslim extremists.

Continue reading "Olympic Games Just Weeks Away: Has China Mitigated the Terrorist Threat?" »

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By Jenni Hesterman

The Department of Defense will soon take on a new role: countering the expanding drug trade in Western Africa. The new initiative is outlined in the FY 2009 defense authorization bill, House Resolution (H.R.) 5658. Section 1024 of the bill provides funding for counter-drug equipment in the Republic of Ghana, the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, and the Republic of Senegal, in addition to the nations of the Western Hemisphere, central Asia, and the Caucasus. Additionally, the Senate Armed Services Committee is concerned by the rapid growth of illegal drug trade in the region and has directed the State Department and the Department of Defense to jointly prepare "a region-wide, counter drug plan for Africa, with a special emphasis on West Africa and the Maghreb."

Continue reading "The Drug War Expands to Western Africa" »

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It is estimated that organized crime costs the UK in excess of $40B per year. In response to this significant national security and economic threat, the government established SOCA (Serious Organised Crime Agency) in 2006. This unique organization is an intelligence-led agency with law enforcement powers. In short, SOCA serves as a link between strategic efforts to fight organized crime and the work of law enforcement at the tactical level.

Continue reading "SOCA: The UK’s Answer To Intelligence-Based Law Enforcement" »

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By Jenni Hesterman

In a landmark decision on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned 2 money laundering cases, redefining the statute and increasing the burden of proof needed to prosecute the crime.

One of the pivotal cases involved Humberto Cuellar of Acuna, Mexico. On July 14, 2004, Cuellar was driving erratically on State Highway 77, about 100 miles from, and heading toward, the Mexican border. His vehicle had no license plate and he was driving 30 MPH below the speed limit, which caught the attention of law enforcement officers who judiciously initiated the traffic stop. Cuellar was nervous, so officers continued their investigation and discovered a bundle of cash in Cuellar’s pocket that smelled of marijuana.

Continue reading "Supreme Court Ruling Makes Money Laundering Tougher to Prove and Prosecute " »

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By Jenni Hesterman

LTTE suicide bomber Dhanu with a wood necklace minutes before killing former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on May 21, 1991.

Officials in Israel are speaking openly about their recent success hindering suicide bombings that caused their country incalculable psychological and economic damage. Although the U.S. has been spared this particularly brutal and effective means of terrorizing the populace, law enforcement must be ever vigilant of the threat of suicide bombing in public areas such as shopping malls, amusement parks, sports venues, restaurants and hotels. Lessons learned by Israel and other countries combating suicide bombings are certainly applicable and worthy of analysis by all engaged in the war on terror.

Continue reading "Suicide Bombing Prevention: Source Cultivation Key" »

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A recent upsurge in piracy in waters near Somalia, with 31 ships seized in 2007, has led the International Maritime Bureau to advise merchant ships against approaching closer than 200 nautical miles from the country's coast. The acts of piracy have been criminal in nature and have garnered pirates handsome sums of ransom money for their efforts.

Continue reading "Somali Waters: When Will Kidnapping for Profit Lead to Kidnapping for Jihad? " »

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On May 7, 2007, a lengthy federal investigation culminated with the arrests of six men accused of planning attacks at Fort Dix and possibly other military installations in New Jersey. According to the indictment, which was the result of a 16 month operation by the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the men conducted multiple surveillance runs, purchased AK-47s and M-16s, and attempted to procure a rocket propelled grenade launcher to “increase the number of killings.”

Continue reading "1 Year Update: Revisiting the Fort Dix Plot" »

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A daily, open source, around the world tour of international security-related news.

By Professor Joseph B. Varner

Continue reading "Global Security Brief" »

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So the Russians have elected Vladimir Putin's hand-picked successor, Dimitri Anatolyevich Medvedev, as President. Is anyone really surprised? Although there may not have been any voter fraud to speak of, there is little question that the process itself was rigged. The whole campaign was carefully staged to give Medvedev such an enormous advantage that his defeat was virtually impossible.

Continue reading "Brace Yourselves - the Russian Bear is Stirring " »

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By Joseph B. Varner

Continue reading "Much At Stake at NATO Summit" »

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(Credit: DHS Leadership Journal)

By Jenni Hesterman

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff believes that a significant story regarding the terror threat has been mostly overlooked by the press…and he’s right.

About 18 months ago, transportation officials announced worldwide restrictions for carrying liquids on domestic and international flights. Not much could be said at the time about the threat, and frustrated travelers, airline and security personnel all questioned the basis for the directive. A case playing out this month in a London this courtroom finally provides the long awaiting answer.

Eight men are currently on trial for conspiring to smuggle explosive agents on board seven international flights in August 2006, all originating at Heathrow Airport in London, with destinations in North America. The group planned to detonate the devices mid-flight, halfway across the ocean, "in the name of Islam".

The explosive devices were to be fashioned from a mixture of hydrogen peroxide bleach and Tang powdered drink, which provides citric acid. This mixture which would then be carried onboard the flight in plastic bottles, disguised as sports drinks or soda. Once airborne, the remaining component (a common device which I will omit from this posting) would be added to the liquid, forming a powerful explosive device. Court-appointed scientists used the material to create a sample blast, which was so powerful that it destroyed the video camera capturing the event.

The plotters targeted full flights to achieve maximum loss of life. The first flight in the sequence of seven targeted flights was to take off at 2:30pm for San Francisco, and the last just 1 hour and 41 minutes later, a 5:11pm flight bound for Chicago. According to British officials, who had been watching the group for months, the plot was disrupted just 2 weeks from execution.

Only 1 month prior to their arrest, the group paid roughly $240K in cash for a flat in East London to use as a meeting place and laboratory for assembling the devices. The flat contained not only the ingredients and instructions for the bombs, but several suicide martyrdom tapes calling for jihad, and expressing individual motives for planning the attacks.

The self-professed leader of the group, Abdulla Ahmed Ali, said that Osama bin Laden was his inspiration for the pending attacks, and also stated “the time has come for you to be destroyed”. On the tape, he boasts that “body parts will decorate the streets”, and that he wanted to join in holy war to “punish and humiliate” nonbelievers. Another defendant, Uma Islam states “this is revenge for actions by the USA in the Muslim lands, and their accomplices, such as the British and the Jews” and “this is a warning to the nonbelievers that if they do not leave our land, there are many more like us, and many more like me, ready to strike until the law of Allah is established on this earth”. Waheed Zaman professes that "America and England have no cause for complaints. I am warning these two nations death and destruction will pass upon you like a tornado."

One of the men, Assad Sarwar, who is suspected of links to extremists in Pakistan, wasn’t going to be an actual suicide bomber--he had other deadly ambitions. His briefcase was recovered in the woods behind his house with a computer memory stick containing information about attacks on other U.K. targets, such as power stations, oil refineries, and a major gas terminal.

Today, a tape was shown to the court showing the men shopping for the bomb ingredients at B&Q, Ikea and Tesco stores in London. Despite the overwhelming evidence, all 8 men deny the charges against them. The trial is expected to continue for several more weeks before the jury renders its verdict.

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A soldier of the International Security Assistance Force walks past a cannabis field that Taliban militants used for cover in the Kandahar province.(Credit: Robert Bronwen, AFP Getty Images)

By Jenni Hesterman

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recently released its 2008 Opium Winter Rapid Assessment Survey, which shows that Afghanistan not only provides 90% of the world’s supply of opium, but is now also the top supplier of cannabis, the source of marijuana and hashish. Approximately 70,000 hectares (173 acres) of the crop were cultivated in 2007, as compared to 50,000 hectares in 2006. Estimates show yet another increase in production in 2008. The UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa summed up the challenge by stating: “Thus, today, Afghanistan has become the world's biggest supplier of two drugs: the most deadly one (heroin), and the one most commonly used (cannabis)”.

With unwanted Taliban (and world) attention on poppy production, farmers are increasing their cannabis plantings. According to the UN, nearly three quarters of the farmers in the southern Kandahar province will plant cannabis this spring. Despite the fact that cannabis crop is less lucrative than poppies, cannabis farmers make $30 per day, which is five times as much as harvesting wheat. Cannabis is easier and less expensive to grow, and there is increasing demand by users in neighboring countries. Although both drugs are banned by Islam, cannabis appears to be more acceptable than opium. It is converted into “cigarette-tees”, which are widely available for purchase in local markets throughout the region.

The escalating cannabis crop in Afghanistan has several implications. The overall U.S. commitment to counternarcotics in Afghanistan is about $500 million a year, and although a portion of the funds go toward hindering narco-trafficking, the bulk is spent on poppy eradication efforts. In fact, the 2007 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, released by the State Department, does discuss hashish seizures by officials, yet doesn’t mention cannabis crop production in Afghanistan as a focus area. Addressing this issue on the ground will likely require additional money and manpower, or the diversion of resources from the poppy suppression efforts.

At the tactical level, Taliban fighters have been known to hide in the marijuana fields. Plants can grow up to 10 feet and provide a thick, dense cover not easily penetrated by thermal devices. Cannabis foliage is hearty and moist; as discovered in other eradication efforts, it does not burn easily. Once ignited, the resulting smoke has an ill effect on humans and animals in the vicinity, thus impacting those beyond the area of operations.

Finally, the increased cannabis production could affect many innocent civilians. Established drug trading routes in the region are expected to burgeon, and villages along the routes have been warned by officials to expect increasing activity by traffickers, law enforcement, and possibly the Taliban.

About the Author
Jenni Hesterman is a retired Air Force colonel and counterterrorism specialist. She is a senior analyst for The MASY Group, a Global Intelligence and Risk Management firm that supports both the U.S. Government and leading corporations. She is also an adjunct professor at American Military University, teaching courses in homeland security and intelligence studies.

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The risk for terrorist attack is plotted using data from the study. Red identifies urban areas of highest risk, yellow is medium risk, and green is lowest risk. (Credit: Walter W. Piegorsch)

By Jenni Hesterman

A leading statistician and environmental risk expert has published a landmark report that rates 132 U.S. cities on their vulnerability to terrorist attack using a newly-developed statistical method. In the study, entitled “Benchmark Analysis for Quantifying Urban Vulnerability to Terrorist Incidents”, Dr. Walter W. Piegorsch, a professor at the University of Arizona, calculated the susceptibility of urban areas to attack by assessing socio-economic factors, natural and environmental hazards, and the city’s infrastructure. Critical industries, ports, railroads, bridges, tunnels, water/sewage systems and the age and fragility of the existing infrastructure were also considerations. Demographics were evaluated, as a way to predict the impact of an attack on the populace, and to assess the likely response of residents.

Finally, the team analyzed and factored in historical data from the Terrorism Knowledge Base and the Global Terrorism Data Base. The research yielded over 1,000 unique terrorist-related incidents in the targeted cities, spanning a 30 year period.

The study, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, yielded some unanticipated results. For instance, Boise, Idaho was ranked 10th, primarily due to its position near a major dam and vulnerability for major forest fires. City officials acknowledged surprise at the rating, and initiated contact with both Piegorsch and the state’s Homeland Security officials for clarification on the study and its results.

The overall results show that the eastern and southern seaboards of the U.S. are at greatest risk, and also indicate a large swath of vulnerability from Texas to Ohio. The cities that scored highest overall were New Orleans, LA followed by Baton Rouge, LA; Charleston, SC; Norfolk, VA; the New York/Newark area; and Washington, D.C.

As with all studies, particularly those engaged in predictive analysis, some factors had greater weight than others. For instance, Piegorsch readily admits that "Nuclear power plants and military facilities did not come up as high risk in our analysis". Although this assessment runs contrary to many other studies and theories on potential terrorist targets, the study’s results are certainly worthy of further review and analysis. A follow on study could assess whether federal funding is going to the right cities for the right programs, to maximize resource allocation. Local authorities in the cities identified might use the results as a springboard to initiate specialized training, or augment their Critical Infrastructure Protection program. Business owners may want to reassess their insurance coverage; many large firms now offer specialized policies, such as AIG which recommends Property Terrorism Insurance to cover owners in the event of loss or damage due to terrorist attacks.

In the concluding paragraph of the study, the author states that the bottom line is that “place matters”. But Piegorsch wants the public to remember that the report doesn't try to predict where terrorists might attack. "It's not probability of being a target," he said. "It's vulnerability."

Jenni Hesterman is a retired Air Force colonel and counterterrorism specialist. She is a senior analyst for The MASY Group, a Global Intelligence and Risk Management firm that supports both the U.S. Government and leading corporations. She is also an adjunct professor at American Military University, teaching courses in homeland security and intelligence studies.

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By Jenni Hesterman

The State Department recently issued its latest International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, detailing activities of countries involved in the drug trade and outlining U.S. policy and activity in the fight against the manufacturing and distribution of illegal narcotics. Released by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the report includes a new section entitled "Mobile Payments--A Growing Threat", which outlines the ways technology may be exploited by nefarious groups to obscurely launder, move and store cash. Mobile payments, also known as “m-payments”, “proximity payments”, or “micropayments”, are point-of-sale cash transactions made through a mobile device such as cell phone or personal data assistant. The sender takes the cash to a remittance center, which charges a modest service fee. The center then “sends” the amount to the recipient’s mobile account, also known as an e-wallet or e-purse. The recipient gets a text message on the mobile device indicating the sum has been placed in the account. The cash can then be collected at any participating remittance center, retail store, or, if business evolves as predicted, fast food outlet. The entire transaction takes mere minutes. Furthermore, use of a “throw-away” cell, phone purchased with cash, makes the transfer even more obscure and difficult to trace.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body that works internationally to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. FATF has also shown concern over emerging telecommunications technology as related to licit financial transactions made outside the regulated banking sector. FATF calls them “new payment methods” or NPMs. NPMs are also referred to in the industry as “e-money”, “digital cash” or “e-cash”. Examples of NPMs include the following: Internet payment services; prepaid calling, retail and credit cards; digital precious metals; and the aforementioned m-payments.

Through internet payment services, money can be moved between accounts, and the balance can then be liquidated into an untraceable card used to withdraw cash from ATMs worldwide. Phone cards, retail cards and credit cards may now be purchased with cash at many stores. The owner of the cards remains anonymous, an unlimited number of small value cards may be purchased and held, and any subsequent use is virtually untraceable. Finally, the emerging commodity of digital precious metals is a way to store and move large amounts of cash. Through this service, users create an account requiring little personal information and then secure cash deposits against gold, silver and platinum held in “off shores” via the Internet.

Traditional money laundering makes “dirty” money “clean” after the crime was committed, and the money trail is usually quite easy to follow. Terrorists launder "clean" money by moving and storing it for the purposes of financing training and future operations. The lack of physical evidence in mobile transactions, and the ability to easily move and store money through various NPMs, should be of great concern to the law enforcement community.

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By Jenni Hesterman

On February 26th, a British court convicted 50 year-old Mohammed Hamid of directing terrorist training camps in the country, and providing instruction to several of the men involved in the July 7 and 21, 2005 bombings in London. Although the terrorists that executed these attacks have already been prosecuted, officials diligently pursued those who inspired and trained them. Hamid, who refers to himself as “Osama Bin London”, was viewed as the most prolific recruiter of radical Islamic fundamentalists in the United Kingdom.

Evidence produced in his case included testimony that Hamid told his followers that the 52 deaths in the bombings in London on July 7, 2005 (also known as the 7/7 attacks), were "not even breakfast to me”. Immediately following those bombings, Hamid sent a text message to one of 21/7 bombers he groomed, Hussain Osman, stating: “Assalam bro, we fear no one except Allah. We will not change our ways, we are proud to be Muslim and we will not hide. 8pm Friday at my place be there food an talk AL-QURAN". Hamid conducted regular Quran study sessions at his home, where he used verses from the religious text to support his radical ideology and prepared the men to undertake acts of violence. An MI5 listening device placed at Hamid’s home captured several of these sessions on tape, and was submitted to the jury as evidence for their consideration. Hamid is also on a videotape, widely circulated to the press, exhorting the virtues of suicide bombings and stating that he sees nothing wrong with killing of innocent civilians during these attacks.

While Hamid was conducting training at the Kent Islamic School, an undercover police officer taped a particularly inciting speech, which the jury used to convict him of soliciting to murder. An accomplice at the training facility, Atilla Ahmet, who told the men he was the "number one Al-Qaeda in Europe", pled guilty to soliciting to murder before the trial began. Video tapes from the camp show trainees preparing for hand-to-hand combat.

Hamid’s conviction comes on the heels of a controversial report released by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a prestigious London defense think tank, on February 15th. The paper, entitled “Risk, Threat and Security: The Case of the United Kingdom” states that the United Kingdom lacks a “coherent and comprehensive mechanism for the analysis of risks and threats” and that multiculturalism has led to a loss of “self confidence”. Perhaps most pejorative, the report states that the United Kingdom is now considered a “soft touch”, not only impacting the strength and security of the country, but increasing its vulnerability as a terrorist target.

Sources:
'Osama bin London' Is Convicted in British Court
Transcript: '7/7 Bombing Not Even Breakfast for Me'
Top Terror Recruiter Found Guilty
CNN Video: UK Terror Camp Verdict
RUSI Journal

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By Shelley Smith

Great Britain’s Security Service MI5 requested its British troops to remove personal details of themselves off popular social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Friends Reunited due to discovering that they were being monitored by Al-Qaeda operatives. In the January, 2008 Free Republic article, ‘Al-Qaeda eyes MySpace Pages’, Gordon Thomas writes about the concern expressed by the MI5 chief Jonathan Evans in a document titled ‘Personal Security’. Evans asks for security service personnel to be aware of the monitoring and gathering of personal details that can be formed into intelligence used to launch terrorist attacks against their colleagues, or family members.

Though access to many of these social websites may be for members only, all one needs to register is an e-mail address. Al-Qaeda operatives are using hundreds of false accounts to access personal information. And what are they finding?

Thousands of military and security personnel who have posted detailed information about themselves, their careers, personal pictures and family members, date of birth, locations of where they are living, photos of colleagues and weapons.

In the United States Islamic extremists are utilizing technology. Radical Muslims are attempting to bring Islamic religious law into the United States and had murdered a New Jersey man and his family. Others have been victims by operatives systematically tracking individuals through PalTalk.com and other websites. An individual who lives overseas had his computer hacked to obtain his photograph, his real name and the city where he lives, while other individuals are having their personal information being exchanged through extremist websites in order to facilitate harm. With this new wave of activities it is important to maintain OPSEC.

The U.S. Department of Energy, Computer Incident Advisory Capability (CIAC), who conducts Cyber Security programs, has posted the latest Vulnerability Bulletins to share with U.S. interagency personnel.

Source:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1953538/posts

www.JihadWatch.com

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42633

http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/s-151.shtml

http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/27493/discuss

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By Shelley Smith

Cyber attackers have been able to infiltrate sophisticated public utility companies and government computer systems. CIA top cyber-security analyst, Tom Donahue, stated at a trade conference in New Orleans that intrusions were made through the Internet and that cyber attackers have hacked into computer systems of foreign utility companies. One case resulted in a power outage affecting multiple cities. The trade conference was attended by 300 U.S. and international security officials from the government and from electric, water, oil and gas companies.

It is still an unknown and under investigation as to who or why these attacks were done. The United States electricity grid continues to be vulnerable to such outages by potential cyber attacks. Cyber extortion is a growing threat that has been coming mainly from outside of the Nation. Each year cyber intrusions have cost an estimated $20 billion worldwide. The speed of malicious cyber attacks have increased dramatically in recent years assaulting the Nation’s information networks and critical infrastructure interdependencies that are composed of both private and public institutions of energy, finance, banking, transportation, telecommunications and human services.

Historically, global critical infrastructures were physically separate systems with little interdependency and operated without a threat. Now the interdependencies and interconnections pose as a threat to society. The attackers are difficult to track due to disguising themselves through multiple computer networks and other means. Presently, they are believed to be launched from computers of foreign government or military.

Now this complex inter-linkage creates a dimension of vulnerability due to the significance of cyber threats and their possible consequences. The National Cyber Response Coordination Group headed by the departments of Justice and Homeland Security have been meeting theses challenges by conducting mock disasters and confronting officials through a “Cyber Storm” war game that tested the nation’s hacker defenses. In February 2006, HLS ran the exercises from a broad list of suggested real-world scenarios with the help from the Pentagon, Justice Department, CIA, National Security Agency and others. Imaginary criminals included hackers, bloggers, reporters and other. Duped simulated reporters were misled into spreading believable but misleading information to worsen the scenario for the public and financial markets to point out where the expectations of capabilities of strengths and weaknesses were. Another war game, “Cyber Storm 2” is planned to take place in March.

Though the exercise had no impact on the real Internet terror experts still remain concerned over Al Qaeda’s increasing present and their use of the internet as a means to spread their message and for recruiting.

Sources:

Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Justice

Transportation Security Administration
Trains, Bloggers are Threat in Drill

Infrastructure Interdependencies and Homeland Security

Progress, Challenges in Securing the Nation's Cyberspace

Shelley Smith is an expert in analysis and research on national and international law, foreign affairs, criminal justice systems and the psychology of criminal behavior. Smith is currently working toward a B.A in Intelligence Studies with a focus on analysis and terrorism at American Military University.

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By Shelley Smith

Copper theft has reached an epidemic level that is not only affecting the United States, but is international, creating immense global havoc.

As of January 11, 2008, the London Metal Exchange reported that copper prices continue to climb because of the heavy demand from China. The price shot up $50 from Thursday’s closing price and by Friday was quoted at $7,240/7,250 (U.S.) per ton - an eight percent rise.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy the theft of copper and losses to businesses hovers around $1 billion and is having a major impact on commercial businesses and farms. The increase in copper theft has disrupted the flow of electricity, slowed down construction projects, and knocked out irrigation networks across the United States.

Amtrak has suffered a number of copper thefts from its repair shops and locomotive engines. This can cause a threat to national security by disrupting day-to-day services that can produce outages or prevent vital communications, possibly endangering the safety of the public and railway passengers. From January 2006 through March 2007, electric utility companies in 42 states had reported 270 copper thefts, causing millions in maintenance repairs within the United States.

Other metals that thieves are attracted to are the shiny metal plating belonging to the platinum family and other. On a national security level there is the concern about theft of other minerals and the minerals rhodium and palladium that is used to coat switches and for nuclear bombs.

Overseas, many states are feeling the same effects of copper thievery and the theft of aluminum. Thieves are going as far as taking the spouts and gutters from buildings and churches and copper sculptures from parks and tombstone decorations.

With copper rates soaring due to the demand from China and other fast-growing Asian countries, the stored elements in wire and other products have created a booming black market. Self-styled dealers freely buy and sell scrap that is obviously stolen. A most extreme case was in Russia in Khabarovsk in Eastern Russia. Russian scrap metal thieves stole a 200-ton metal bridge in a night-time raid that was part of the only road leading to a local heating plant.

In a race to deter this type of crime, Hungary and South Africa are setting examples of having to restructure laws, legislation, and law enforcement approaches in efforts to deter these crimes.

Also, the Zambian president, Levy Mwanawasa is considering tapping into the higher copper prices by increasing tax revenues from the mining sector.

In the United States to help deter copper and aluminum theft, a partnership was developed between the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI). The ISRI has developed an online Theft Alert System, which sends e-mail notifications to scrap dealers about reported thefts by law enforcement agencies. Information can be found at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/what/whatsnewarchive.html.

As new state bills and laws are being considered to tighten control on copper and metal theft, it has been suggested metal theft sentencing be changed from a misdemeanor to a felony. On January 1, 2008, Illinois passed a new state law that requires scrap metal processors maintain records of those individuals who sell scrap metal valued at $100 or more and that the information be made available to law enforcement.

Rather then wait for the passage of new legislation, companies and others have requested that nanotechnology be used in the battle against copper wire theft. Nanotechnology is a traceable technology and marks equipment and copper wire so it can be identified after it has been stolen. Another method is the application of data dots - spray-on microscopic labels that adhere to copper wire and other equipment.

Employees and the public should be encouraged to stay vigilant: report any suspicious activities of theft or other crimes immediately to local authorities. Safely get license plate numbers or other descriptive information about the thieves, report any burning of telephone cable or electrical wires. When away make certain to securely lock your house, outbuildings and sheds. Boost your neighborhood watch programs to include information of copper or other metal thefts. Store all tools and wire cutters and any materials containing copper in a secured building. Other common targets for copper thieves are vacant houses, buildings and apartments. Consider motion detectors and night security guards.

If you are interested in reviewing history on metals you may go to the following site: “A Short History of Metals; Copper Development Association; U.S. Mint”.

Other sources:
OCAST Reserves $1.5 million For Enhanced Nanotechnology Program

Oncor Uses Nanotechnology in Fight Against Copper Wire Theft

PSC Warns Against Copper Theft

Copper Theft Down at Puget Sound Energy

U.S. Department of Energy

Shelley Smith is an expert in analysis and research on national and international law, foreign affairs, criminal justice systems and the psychology of criminal behavior. Smith is currently working toward a B.A in Intelligence Studies with a focus on analysis and terrorism at American Military University.

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By Shelley Smith

As the Bible and the Koran continue to influence human events, can the urging of the spread of the Word spark further fierce global conflicts in the future?

President Bush is urging a push for Mideast peace to fight against terrorism and extremists who seek new weapons and new operatives to overthrow governments and attack the U.S., while public views and terrorist recruitment are still being strongly influenced by the battle over the Bible vs. the Koran

The commonality of Christians and Muslims both being the “people of the book” has turned into a marketing battle and a playing field for distortions of scripture of the Holy Books.
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With Christianity and Islam influencing public opinion, how the Books’ scriptures are interpreted play a key role in the complexities of terrorist beliefs and actions. The Koran is the most widely read book in the Islamic world and reciting the Koran is the backbone of Muslim education. In Iran, if an Iranian becomes a human repository or “hafiz” of the book, they qualify for an automatic university degree. Reciting the Koran has been an Iranian tournament in the Islamic world that attracts hundreds of thousands of Muslims.

The tools of technology through modernization have helped spread the books of the Bible and the Koran. Christian conversion is wide spread, but Islamic expansion has mostly come about through population growth and global migration, rather than conversion.

But there is a difference between Christian missionary works and that of Muslim missionary works. While Christian missionaries work to win the souls of others and reinvigorate the faithful, Muslim missionaries work to not just reinvigorate the faithful, but encourage zealotry towards their religion and are less aimed at the winning of new souls.

The other difference that further divides the Christian and Muslims through the teachings comes through the Saudi view. Through the Saudi view they do stress the passages that affirm the Christian Gospel and the Hebrew Torah as revelations of God and a path to salvation, but insist Muhammad delivered the final revelation from God, but Christianity and Judaism lost their ability to save souls.

Wealth and globalization through the Internet, television and radio is a bonanza to both religions. Saudi oil wealth distributes approximately 30m Koran through a vast network of mosques, Islamic societies and embassies to increase the weight of Islam. With Al- Qaeda terrorist video messages now available for download from militant Web sites to help terrorist organization and their followers spread the group’s messages of their interpretation of Islam and monotheism to make international audiences more aware of their movement; this does not help the Muslim faithful who do follow the peaceful interpretation of their Islamic faith or those Muslims who work against terrorist actions or motives. As the “war on terror” has disrupted Missionary organizations, Christian and Muslims are finding it difficult to spread the word. The Muslim use of technology and internet publishing providers are making the literal translation of the Koran uncomfortable for the Muslims. Then too, many American’s are lacking in both the understanding of Christian and Islamic biblical knowledge. As the Muslims prefer to read the Koran in the original Arabic, many Muslims find it is difficult to understand and illiteracy rates are high throughout the Muslim world. Then there is the problem of the production of counterfeit Korans that are designed to plant doubt in the minds of Muslims as some Christian groups try to convert Muslims. Also, within this uneven playing field in the U.S., Muslims can build mosques, but in Saudi Arabia and Iran the Bible is barred from distribution.

While there is a difference between getting and understanding a Holy Book there lays the problem too of the laws that rule under the Muslim religion against Christian apostasy in many parts of the world. Many Christians lack the understanding of Islamic religious law. The traditional Islamic law states to encourage the Islamic faithful to renounce their faith is a crime and the penalty for apostasy by a Muslim is death. Without an educated understanding, knowledge and an acceptable respect of each others cultures and religions, the possibility of peace and “the lamb lying with the lion” will continue to not exist. Global terrorism and related criminal activities that are correlated with religion will continue to thrive based on misinterpretation and the will not to settle differences.

Sources:
The Battle of the Books - Economist.com, Dec. 2007

Peace Plan, Iran on Bush Mideast Agenda, AP Jan 2008

al-Qaida Videos Now on Cell Phones AP, Jan 2008

The Harvest Fields: Statistics 2007 Edition

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By Shelley Smith

For those who are on the go and need to know or are just interested, there have been several geographic changes that have occurred as France overseas territories of Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island were recently reorganized. The territories had previously been grouped together as Iles Eparses, also known as the Scattered Islands. Now they are constituted as a district of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, while St. Bathelemy Island and St. Martin Island that were part of France’s overseas region of Guadeloupe are separate overseas collectives. The CIA 2007 World Factbook, and the United States Board on Geographic Names(BGN) now recognizes East Timor as Timor-Leste.

More information on foreign geography can be found through the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency from the GEOnet Names Server (GNS).

The NGA has also released to the public an updated special reference map (or reference graphic) of Baghdad, Iraq that is suitable for reference only here. Contact the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to determine if this graphic is available for public distribution.

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