Osama bin Laden

“Guilty”. Guilty: it was that one, six letter word that would forever shake and destroy Adnan Syed’s entire world. In an instance, he would go from a high school honours student with a propitious track career to just another name on the long list of the nearly ten thousand Americans who are wrongly convicted each year. Adnan is innocent, and Serial, a popular podcast series narrated by Sarah Koenig, puts light on Adnan’s tragic story of how such a promising young man can be stripped of his…

Political extremes have always been a part of the American system, but when these outliers are allowed to take center stage it can cause a multitude of problems. These extremists pray upon Americans fears often prompting mass hysteria. In his book, American Hysteria, Andrew Burt explains why these hysterias occur and uses five historical examples. His thesis is that political extremism is used as a coping mechanism for Americans who have lost social status and their sense of national identity…

During the Revolutionary War, gaining the upper hand was imperative to defeat the British. George Washington wanted to know every detail on what was occurring, in all 13 colonies, especially involving anything that dealt with the British. Washington understood the importance of espionage and therefore creating a spy group called “The Culper Ring”. Washington made Benjamin Tallmadge as the as director of military intelligence. Tallmadge charged a spy ring in New York City, the site of British…

happened to be world powers such as the USA or the USSR. The leadership of Al-Shabab describes the ideology in parallel to that of Al-Qaida as Manhaj, “It is the same manhaj repeatedly heard from the mouth of the Mujahid Shaykh Usama Bin Laden … the doctor Ayman ath-Thawaahiri [bin Laden's right-hand man] … and the hero, Abu Mus'ab az-Zarqaawi” [leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq] – Abu Mansoor al-Amriki reportedly announced. This ideology of Al-Shabab is inspired by the teachings of scholars like…

Conspiracy theories have become almost a big trend in American culture. Many of these conspiracy theories relate back to the American government, and usually not in a good way. One of the most well known conspiracies is the Malcolm X assassination. Malcolm X was a prominent civil rights figure during the 1950s and 1960s. He fought for equality amongst White Americans and African Americans, which was seen as a threat by many White Americans. Although many believe Malcolm X was killed by his own…

D.B. Cooper: The Unsolved Hijacking “Miss. You’d better look at that note. I have a bomb,”. This quote from Cooper is what began the infamous hijacking in 1971 (Gray). There is still plenty of debate about whether or not he survived the jump that enabled him to get away on that night. This debate stems from the plethora of facts that can back up either side of the story. Who knows how it has been over forty years with the case still open and still unsolved. Although it may never be proven…

Turning on the television at 10 o’clock for the evening news as you do every night. Except this time you see a catastrophe unfolding, deaths being committed as you watch the cameras rolling the horrifying footage. As I clearly remember as if it were yesterday, today I will discuss the tragedy that changed Paris forever. • II. Relevance to the audience: Have you ever had the pain of your stomach knotting up when you hear bad news, the death of a family member, or see a horrific car crash? This…

On September 11, 2001, the world stood still as the United States of America fell apart. Nineteen militants, four airplanes, and over 13,000 American citizens were involved. Nearly 3,500 died in all plane crashes and over 10,000 were injured in the attacks. The deadliest day for New York, was also the day nothing in the world would be the same ever again. Because or a terrorist attack and a startled country, people lost faith in their safety in the US, and I don't blame them. This not only…

September 11, 2001 is a day that is forever ingrained in the brains of every North American citizen. The continent was taken by surprise when several commercial airliners collided with New York’s World Trade Towers and Washington, D.C.’s Pentagon building. The deadly terrorist attacks left over three thousand North Americans dead and the rest with scars that may never heal. But these scars are not the only outcomes of the tragic assault. From that day, North America’s security was vigorously…

Flight 93 may have been accurate movie based on the United States Government’s recollection, but there may be evidence that concludes otherwise. Flight 93 was not a very exaggerated movie, it is filled with raw emotions of those who had to say goodbye to their families. Most of the nitty gritty details were captured in their essence but some larger details were left out completely. The movie was a perfect replica of the US government’s press release of what happened during 9/11. Some large…