Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
al Jazeera:
Satellite television station based in Qatar and broadcast throughout the
world. al Jazeera has often been called the CNN of the Arab world.
al Qaeda (“the base”):
al Qaeda is an international terrorist group founded in approx-
imately 1989 and dedicated to opposing non-Islamic governments with force
and violence. One of the principal goals of al Qaeda was to drive the U.S
armed forces out of the Saudi Arabian peninsula and Somalia by violence.
Members of al Qaeda are currently wanted for several terrorist attacks, includ-
ing those on the U.S. embassy in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as the first and
second World Trade Center bombings and the attack on the Pentagon.
al Tahwid:
A Palestinian group based in London that professes a desire to destroy
both Israel and the Jewish people throughout Europe. Eleven al Tahwid
members were arrested in Germany allegedly as they were about to initiate
an attack on that country.
Alpha radiation:
The least penetrating type of nuclear radiation; not considered
dangerous unless particles enter the body.
American Airlines Flight 11:
The Boeing 767 carrying 81 passengers, 9 flight
attendants, and 2 pilots which was highjacked and crashed into the North
Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:45 a.m. Eastern time on September 11,
2001. Flight 11 was en route to Los Angeles from Boston.
American Airlines Flight 77:
The Boeing 757 carrying 58 passengers, 4 flight atten-
dants, and 2 pilots, which was highjacked and crashed into the Pentagon at
9:40 a.m. Eastern time on September 11, 2001. Flight 77 was en route to Los
Angeles from Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
Ammonium nitrate-fuel oil (ANFO):
A powerful explosive made by mixing fertil-
izer and fuel oil. This is the type of bomb that was used in the first World
Trade Center attack as well as in the Oklahoma City bombing.
Analyte:
The name assigned to a substance or feature that is subject to an analytical
procedure designed to describe it in terms of its molecular composition,
taxonomic nomenclature, or other characteristic.
Anthrax:
An often fatal infectious disease contracted from animals. Anthrax spores
have a long survival period, and the incubation period is short. Disability is
severe, making anthrax a bioweapon of choice by several nations.
Antidote:
A remedy to counteract the effects of poison.
Antigen:
Substance that stimulates an immune response by the body. The immune
system recognizes antigens as foreign and produces antibodies to fight them.
Antitoxin:
An antibody that neutralizes a biological toxin.
Armed Islamic Group (GIA):
An Algerian Islamic extremist group which aims to
overthrow the secular regime in Algeria and replace it with an Islamic state.
The GIA began its violent activities in early 1992 after Algiers voided the
victory of the largest Islamic party, Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), in the
December 1991 elections.
Asymmetric threat:
The use of crude or low-tech methods to attack a superior or
more high-tech enemy.
Axis of Evil:
Iran, Iraq, and North Korea, which were mentioned by President
George W. Bush during his State of the Union speech in 2002 as nations
that were a threat to U.S. security due to harboring terrorism.
