Blessing free essay sample

Blessing is a poem by Imtiaz Dharker and is set in a village in Pakistan. This is a descriptive poem, which uses imagery to illustrate sights and sounds, and creates an atmosphere of frantic joy. The poem also consists of some inconsistent usage of end-rhyme, followed by some usage of metaphors, personification, simile, assonance and alliteration. The poet uses free verse in this poem to emphasize what the poem is about and to make the reader think about the situation and to think about the words used. It has no fixed metrical pattern. The poem begins with a simile ‘The skin cracks like a pod’ this line immediately give the reader an impression of drought and a shortage of water. The usage of the word ‘skin’ could be a literal reference to a person’s skin that had become chapped by constant exposure to the sun or it could be a more figurative reference to the dry, dusty ground that cracks and splits during heat waves and droughts. We will write a custom essay sample on Blessing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The word ‘pod’ can refer to a seed pod that opens in the hot weather to release it seeds. The poet uses words that remind the reader that what we are dealing with is a hot country where thirst is common and where after all, ‘there never is enough water. ’ By the words of the first two-lined stanza we are in no doubt to the fact that the villagers here are desperate for water and how much of an amazing and special thing it is for them. The poet involves the reader by asking us to ‘imagine the drip of it’, which is telling us how small the quantity is and to imagine the tiny splash as the water droplet hits the bottom of the cup. It seems as though the person describing the dripping water hasn’t had a drink in a very long time and is fantasizing about that special and delicious drop of water. The fact that the tiny droplet of water creates an ‘echo’ in the mug suggests that the tin mug is almost empty and is like a drop of water hitting a parched tongue. It also makes you think, what kind of person would own a tin mug? Would it be a rich person or a poor person? The reference of a tin mug may imply that the person who owns a tin mug must be poor and not very fortunate. The last line of the second stanza has a religious reference. It personifies the echoing splash of the water as the ‘voice of a kindly god. ’ God is seen as the provider of water and every drop received is a kind of gesture and therefore it is something miraculous and deeply special. The third stanza is the longest one of the poem. It tells us a story of a burst water pipe and how suddenly this ordinary small pipe is transformed into a powerful overflow of water. Water has so much importance and value to these people that throughout the poem it is referred to as if it was a precious metal like gold or silver. The municipal pipe bursts’ tells us the burst of this public (municipal) pipe is an amazing and incidental occasion. It is described by the metaphor ‘the sudden rush of fortune’, like somebody winning the jackpot and the money is rushing out of the machine. As the precious water splashes onto the ground the word ‘rush’ could mean that people are ‘rushing’ around trying to save as m uch water as they possibly can, as it is precious. This same idea is echoed in another metaphor ‘silver crashes to the ground. ’ When caught in the right light water can look like silver or a high polished mirror. The poet may have used the word ‘silver’ to emphasise how precious it is. Line ten flows to line eleven, and the water is described as a ‘flow’ that gives rise to a sudden burst of noise from the villagers, ‘a roar of tongues’. The word ‘roar’ could refer to a group of people since we only have one tongue each and therefore the plural ‘tongues’ suggest a group. The tongues could be roaring with thirst or maybe they are shouting and their combined voices becomes a ‘roar. ’ In this same stanza, the use of the word ‘congregation’ may have two important meanings to the context of the poem. Firstly it may refer to a congregation or group of people, but it also may refer to a group of people in church or being given a religious instruction. We see that the poet uses religious language, the affect being to make the process of saving the spilling water a kind of religious ritual. The poet has already described the water as a gift from a kindly god, so it is only right that collecting it should have some resemblance to a religious ritual. Pakistan is a place where many of them are very religious and have many ways of worship. The men, woman and children are all eager for their share of the spilled water and come with any container that they are first able to see. The stanza concludes with the phrase ‘frantic hands’, which once again emphasizes the desperation that leads the villagers to take even handfuls of water. The poet uses enjambment to link the third stanza to the fourth and final one. This focuses on the children of the village, where the children are described as naked and delighted of the chance to bathe in the water. ‘Screaming in the liquid sun’ is a metaphor that aligns the water to the sun to emphasise the pleasure and warmth of the experience. It shows that all is not doom and gloom since the small children are playing in the water. Alliteration is also used in the phrases ‘polished to perfection’ and ‘the blessing sings’, they combine alliteration and assonance, which creates vivid imagery to portray the excitement of the occasion. The word blessing continues the religious theme which has been running through the poem. The final line flows from the previous one ‘sings/over their small bones. ’ It is a gentle ending, focusing on the children of the village who are in great need of this water.

Carol Moseley Braun Essay †Womens Studies

Carol Moseley Braun Essay – Womens Studies Free Online Research Papers Carol Moseley Braun Essay- Womens Studies Carol Moseley Braun attended public school in Chicago and later graduated from the University of Chicago with a Law degree in 1972. Braun has become a pioneer for African American women in the arena of politics. She has managed to pass bills that affect education, housing discrimination, and practices for better government in the state of Illinois. As well as successfully winning approval of many supporters, Braun became a presidential nomination candidate in the 2004 election. Although, unsuccessful in winning the democratic nomination, Braun maintained an impressive political career. Braun became a prosecutor in the United States’ Attorney’s office from 1973 to 1977. In 1978, Braun was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. She was known for her advocacy and ability to debate. Braun has set out to make government more held responsible for making education a top priority. Braun was able to acquire support from those of different races who were committed to this cause. Braun became the chief support of the 1985 Urban School Improvement Act which helped to empower parent organizations at all schools throughout Chicago. She was also solely responsible for every school bill that affected education from 1980 to 1987. These bills included; higher salaries for professors and for public aid recipients to attend school without losing their benefits. After serving two terms, Braun was selected to become the first African American women in Illinois history to serve as Assistant Majority Leader. Braun passed bills to reform education and to ban discrimination in housing and private clubs. Later, another bill was introduced that barred the state of Illinois from investing funds in South Africa, until the apartheid system was abolished. Braun also filed and won the â€Å"one man, one vote† principle in Illinois. Braun won the â€Å"Best Legislator† award given by independent voters for then years in a row. In 1987, Braun was nominated for the office of Recorder of Deeds as a part of a multi- ethnic, multi-racial and gender balanced â€Å"Dream Ticket.† Braun made history once elected to this position with more than one million votes cast in her favor. She became the first African American women to hold executive office in Cook County government. Braun was elected 1992 Senate primary victory over two-term incumbent Senator Alan Dixon; although her two opponents outspent her by more than 20 to 1. Braun defeated Dixon and personal injury lawyer Al Hofeld in a positive campaign emphasizing issues over dirt slinging. She took office in January 5, 1993 to serve the people of Illinois. In 2004 Braun was a democratic candidate for the 2004 presidential election. She was not poling well in important states such as Iowa and New Hampshire and had a campaign in debt of thousands of dollars. Despite, this loss Braun has maintained her affiliations in the political arena and is involved with the Juvenile Justice, Courts and Administrative Practice Subcommittees of the Judiciary Committee. She is till committed to housing and urban affairs. Braun is an African American woman that has promoted and caused change in arena such as education, government and fair housing. She has set precedence for woman in the political arena and I admire her commitment to the policies she has helped to enforce. Work Cited Wikipedia (2005) Carol for president, 1993-1999. Retrieved July 27, 2005 from Wikipedia database. Lifton, M.(2004). Biography for senator carol moseley braun (Vol 13 )Mary Institute for the Humanities, McLeiden Library Bryant, J. (2003)The significance of carol moseley braun. townhall.com/columnists/jaybryant/jb20040118.shtml Research Papers on Carol Moseley Braun Essay - Women's StudiesBringing Democracy to Africa19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraHip-Hop is ArtStandardized TestingLifes What IfsMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesQuebec and CanadaCapital Punishment

Pearson's hard soft acid base theory in bioinorganic Term Paper

Pearson's hard soft acid base theory in bioinorganic - Term Paper Example The theory implies that soft acids tend to bind to soft bases and hard acids to hard bases. An increase in the electronegativity of an element or ligand causes an increase in the polarizability; this in turn increases hardness. The theory is useful in predicting the pathways of chemical reactions. The chemical conditions in which a hard or soft base or acid in put in can cause the hardness (or softness) characteristics of the acid or base to change. Therefore, borderline elements and ligands might increase or decrease in hardness or softness depending on the chemical conditions. Because of this reason, the metals in various metalloenzymes may be subjected to chemical conditions that might alter their hardness or softness properties. Enzymes with metals that exhibit Pearson’s hard and soft acids and bases theory include: 1) Urease This is an enzyme with nickel at its active site found in many species of bacteria, algae, plants (such as Jack Bean) and invertebrates. It plays a k ey role in the catalytic hydrolysis of urea to form ammonia and carbon dioxide as pre the equation below: Urease in Jack Bean has a single catalytic unit made up of an ?-subunit that has the active site with a dimeric nickel center. One of the two Ni atoms (Ni-1) coordinates to histidine via the nitrogen atoms and a water molecule. The second Ni atom (Ni-2) is similarly coordinated to histidine via the N atoms, two water molecules and to aspartic acid via the O atom. Mechanism: There are several mechanisms that explain how urease works. These include: a) Zerner mechanism In this, a carbonyl oxygen in urea attacks one of the water ligands attached to Ni-1. A nitrogen atom in the urea molecule donates its lone pair electrons to a carbon atom forming an N=C bond (Dixon, Riddles and Blakeley). This then reacts with a carboxylate ion. A base-catalyzed deprotonation of one –OH ligand on Ni then occurs. The resultant electronegative O attacks the carbonyl carbon. The N=C bond initia lly formed donates two electrons to the nitrogen, cancelling out the charge on it. The intermediate carbon formed with a coordination of 4 is then broken down by a sulfhydryl group. Ammonia is released when the C-N bond is broken after an H atom bonds to the N. This occurs alongside the breaking of the bond between the octahedral nickel and oxygen. A carbamate ion coordinated to the Ni is then formed. Water displaces the carbamate. The resultant carbamate then degenerates to yield carbonic acid and urea. b) Mangani mechanism This mechanism stipulates that both Ni-1 and Ni-2 take part in the reaction. The first atom, Ni-1, binds to urea, causing its activation. The second, Ni-2 binds to a water molecule, causing its activation (Benini, Rypniewski and Wilson). Ni-1 is in a five-coordinate formation, bound to urea via a carbonyl O atom. The distance between the two Ni atoms is reduced by the movement of the urea molecule towards Ni-2. The relatively low Lewis base property of NH2 in ur ea makes it a poor chelating ligand. Its high basicity however, enables the binding to Ni to occur. 2) Carbon monoxide dehydrogenase This is a nickel-based enzyme found in various bacteria. The enzyme plays a role in the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide to form carbon dioxide as per the equation below: There are two classes of carbon monoxide hydrogenase enzymes: one has a Mo-[Fe2-S2] active site and the other a Ni-[Fe3-S4]

Assessment and Recovery from Mental Distress Essay

Assessment and Recovery from Mental Distress - Essay Example The common causes of mental illness and distress are chemical imbalances in the brain, stress and everyday problems, and exposure to severely distressing experiences such as loss of a relationship, job, death of a family member, sexual assault, killings, and violence, among others. However, some mental health experts claim that mental illness can also be inherited. There are different types of mental distress: anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, manic depressive distress, borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, and many more depending on gravity and description. People who suffered from these distresses were seen with various symptoms. The person could experience upset, feeling restless, sleeplessness, tremors, nightmares, extreme sadness or despair, loss of interest in doing anything, loss of appetite, irritability, impulsiveness, depression, inability to perform daily tasks, hopelessness, sense of guilt, extreme mood swings, feeling worthless, sen se of guilt, extreme mood swings, violence, and suicidal tendencies (Borg and Kristianssen, 2004). Being mentally distressed is difficult. Some even deny they have such illness because of the prejudice and discrimination of people around them. But, having the illness is not anybody else’s fault or a sign of weakness and not something to be ashamed of (Mental Health Commission, 2007). It has been suggested that the treatment must not be delayed in order to prevent it into more severe stage. However, it has been found that conventional or traditional treatments had not been successful for many patients. If a person is seen with early stage symptoms of mental distress, it is not only a prompt treatment that must be provided to be able to recover the patient more quickly but the proper one and, there could be similar or different methods for every patient’s case. It should be noted, however, that early detection and treatment helps the patient to restore his/her respect, d ignity, and confidence, and live a full, quality life (Borg and Kristianssen, 2004). Those mentally distressed can recover, provided they seek and provided the appropriate treatment and support. The treatment can be medication, therapy, support and counseling, lifestyle adjustment, support group meetings, and, provision of an inner strength that â€Å"†¦can come from any number of places, these former patients say: love, forgiveness, faith in God, a lifelong friendship,† (Carey, 2011, P 8). Discussion A. Mental Health Nursing Mental health nursing was described as â€Å"an ‘artistic’ interpersonal-relations tradition which emphasizes the centrality of nurses’ therapeutic relationships with ‘people’ ‘in distress’ and a ‘scientific’ tradition concerned with delivery of evidence-based interventions that can be applied to good effect by nurses to ‘patients’ suffering from ‘mental illness’,à ¢â‚¬  (Norman and Ryrie, 2009, 1537). The task employs two different methods that are either integrated or complementary in order to deliver quality care to patients. It should be noted that one method is free and independent of any outlined procedure while the other is systematic and depends on evidence for its implementation. It should be also highlighted that a third factor is the â€Å"interpersonal relations†

The United States 5th Marine Regiment Korea to Afghanistan Research Paper

The United States 5th Marine Regiment Korea to Afghanistan - Research Paper Example On October 29, the 1st Battalion was moved down the Hai River to Taku-Tangu Area to protect the railhead, the Taku Port and supply lines. (Simmons, 185; Yingling, 39-40). Under increased American influence, the improving situation between the Chinese Nationalist and Communist forces led to a cease-fire in January 1946. On April 08, the Regimental Headquarters were moved to Tangshan for security of the rail lines. As the Nationalist Army began to take over the responsibilities, the Marine units were being relieved in various sectors gradually. Taking advantage of the reduction in Marine numbers, the Communist forces violated the agreement by occupying a vast area in Manchuria left after the departure of Soviet occupation troops. The 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, was deactivated on April 15. With only a few veterans left, the Regiment (less 1st Battalion) started intensive schooling program until September, when it returned to Peiping for the security of American personnel and property. (Yingling, 40-41). On the night of October 03, the 1st Battalion helped to repulse a company size attack by communists on the Hsin-Ho ammunition dump. The Battalion succeeded in recovering most of the stolen ammunition. On April 05, 1947, over 300 communists attacked two other ammunition dumps. Expecting a quick reaction from the 1st Battalion, the enemy had planned an ambush and mined the road leading to the area. As the lead vehicle of the C Company hit the mine, the attackers opened fire. The Marine counter-fire repelled the attack soon. However, despite diligent pursuit, the raiders succeeded in escaping the area along with the loaded ammunition. The Marine casualties included 16 wounded and 05 killed. (Yingling, 41). The 5th Marines were entitled to China Service streamer. By mid-May, the remaining units of the 1st Division had been withdrawn from China. Most of them were sent back to the United States. However, along with some other supporting units, the 5th Marines was moved to Guam, where it filled in the organization of 1st Provisional Marine Brigade on June 01, under the command of Brig. Gen. Edward A. Craig. The 2nd Battalion was also removed in October to form the 9th Marines. For the rest of the period at Guam, The one-battalion regiment was engaged in training exercises to increase proficiency of its personnel. The three-battalion 5th Marines, under the command of Col. Victor H. Krulak, was reactivated at Camp Pendleton on October 01, 1949. Elements of the 1st, 6th and 7th Marines formed the 1st and 2nd Battalions, while the 3rd Battalion (at Guam) joined the Regiment in February 1950. (Yingling, 41; Rottman, 170). The Korean War On June 25, 1950, the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) had invaded South Korea without any warning. Only four days later, in response to the United Nations’ call for rendering aid to South Korea, American Commander in the Far East, Gen. Douglas Macarthur, USA, was authorized to employ U.S. forces for repel ling the attack. Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Clifton B. Cates, offered a Marine air-ground brigade immediately. However, as he was not included in the Joint Chiefs of Staff meetings, he had to pursue a different channel. In response to Gen. Macarthur’s request for Marine units, Cates’ recommendation was finally approved on July 03. The 1st Provisional M

Cyber Crime: Strategies and Types

Cyber Crime: Strategies and Types Cyber Crime: Identity Theft A. Introduction In this era of globalization, one of many things that can distinguish a developed country to a developing country is its progress of science and technology. This is because along with the development of a countrys science and technology, will also developed the countrys ability to enrich their own potential. Great advances in science and technology in developed country are due to their well-established information system. Meanwhile, in the developing country, the information system is still minimal, which make the development of science and technology become blocked. Thus, whether a country will become a developed country or not, is highly depend on their mastery of information system. In times like these, the mastery of the information system will not enough by merely mastering. We need to conquer the speed and accuracy too, because there is almost no point in mastering outdated information. Moreover, the very rapid progress of information makes the age of the information shorted. In other words, substitution of old and new information becomes faster. Old information will be ignored because of the more recent information. But, the development of science and technology, in which also means the development of information system, does not always have good effects. It has bad effects too. One of them is the increased rate of the computer crime. B. Computer Crime Computer crime issues have become high-profile, particularly those surrounding hacking, copyright infringement through warez, child pornography, and child grooming. There are also problems of privacy when confidential information is lost or intercepted, lawfully or otherwise. A computer crime is any illegal action where the data on a computer is accesed without permission. This access does not have to result in loss of data or even data modifications. Computer crime is often attributed to rogue hackers and crackers, but increasingly organized crime groups have realized the relative ease of stealing data with low-level of risk. There are three major classes of criminal activity with computer: 1. Unauthorized use of a computer, which might involve stealing a username and password, or might involve accessing the victims computer via the Internet through a backdoor operated by a Trojanhorse program. Unauthorized use of computers tends generally takes the following forms: Computer voyeur. The attackers read or copy confidential or propietary information, but the data is neither deleted nor changed. Changing data. Example, changing a grade on a school transcript. Unauthorized changing of data is generally a fraudulent act. Deleting data. Deleting entire files could be an act of vandalism or sabotage. Denying service to authorized users. 2. Creating or releasing a malicious computer program (e.g., computer virus, worm, Trojanhorse). Malicious computer program are divided into these following classes: 1) A virus is a program that infects an executable file. After infection, the executable file functions in a different way than before: maybe only displaying a benign message on the monitor, maybe deleting some or all files on the users hard drive, or maybe altering data files. There are two key features of a computer virus: The ability to propagate by attaching itself to executable files (e.g., application programs, operating system, macros, scripts, bootsector of a hard disk or floppy disk, etc.) Running the executable file may make new copies of the virus. The virus causes harm only after it has infected an executable file and the executable file is run. 2) A worm is a program that copies itself. The distinction between a virus and a worm, is that a virus never copies itself, a virus is copied only when the infected executable file is run. In the pure, original form, a worm neither deleted nor changed files on the victims computer, the worm simply made multiple copies of itself and sent those copies from the victims computer, thus clogging disk drives and the Internet with multiple copies of the worm. Releasing such a worm into the Internet will slow the legitimate traffic on the Internet, as continuously increasing amounts of traffic are mere copies of the worm. 3) A Trojan Horse is a deceptively labeled program that contains at least one function that is unknown to the user and that harms the user. A Trojan Horse does not replicate, which distinguishes it from viruses and worms. Some of the more serious Trojan horses allow a hacker to remotely control the victims computer, perhaps to collect passwords and creditcard numbers and send them to the hacker, or perhaps to launch denial of service attacks on websites. Some Trojan Horses are installed on a victims computer by an intruder, without any knowledge of the victim. Other Trojan Horses are downloaded (perhaps in an attachment in e-mail) and installed by the user, who intends to acquire a benefit that is quite different from the undisclosed true purpose of the Trojan Horse. 4) A logic bomb is a program that detonates when some event occurs. The detonated program might stop working, crash the computer, release a virus, delete data files, or any of many other harmful possibilities. Atimebomb is a type of logicbomb, in which the program detonates when the computers clock reaches some target date. 5) A hoax is a warning about a nonexistent malicious program. 3. Crimes facilitated by computer networks or devices, the primary target of which is independent of the computer network or device (cyber crime) Examples of crimes that merely use computer networks or devices would include : Cyber stalking Fraud and identity theft Phishings scams Information warfare The third type of Computer Crime has become the most famous right now, because it produce more benefits than the other two. C. Cyber Crime The Internet is a new frontier. Just like the Wild, Wild West, the Internet frontier is wide open to both exploitation and exploration. There are no sheriffs on the Information Superhighway. No one is there to protect you or to to lock-up virtual desperados and bandits.This lack of supervision and enforcement leaves users to watch out for themselves and for each other.A loose standard called netiquette has developed but it is still very different from the standards found in real life.Unfortunately, cyberspace remains wide open to faceless, nameless con artists that can carry out all sorts of mischief. And that is why the cyber crimes can be as they are right now. Cyber Crime is a criminal activity done using a computers and the internet. This includes anything from downloading illegal music files to stealing millions of dollars from online bank accounts. Cyber crime also includes non-monetary offenses, such as creating and distributing viruses on other computers or posting confidential business information on the internet. Cases of cyber crime, 1970 2005: 1970 1990 1. John Draper discovers the give-away whistle in Capn Crunch cereal boxes reproduces a 2600Hz tone. Draper builds a ‘blue box that, when used with the whistle and sounded into a phone receiver, allows phreaks to make free calls 2. Robert T. Morris, Jr., graduate student at Cornell University and son of a chief scientist at the NSA, launches a self-replicating worm (the Morris Worm) on the governments ARPAnet (precursor to the Internet). The worm gets out of hand and spreads to over 6000 networked computers, clogging government and university systems. Morris is dismissed from Cornell, sentenced to three years probation, and fined $10K. 3. After a prolonged sting investigation, Secret Service agents swoop down on organizers and members of BBSs in 14 US cities, including the Legion of Doom. The arrests are aimed at cracking down on credit-card theft and telephone and wire fraud.(1990) 1991 2000 1. Five members of the Aum Shinri Kyo cults Ministry of Intelligence break into Mitsubishi Heavy Industrys mainframe and steal Megabytes of sensitive data. (1994) 2. Hackers adapt to emergence of the World Wide Web, moving all their how-to information and hacking programs from the old BBSs to new hacker Web sites.(1994) 3. Russian crackers steal $10 million from Citibank. Vladimir Levin, the ringleader, uses his work laptop after hours to transfer the funds to accounts in Finland and Israel. He is tried in the US and sentenced to 3 years in prison. All but $400K of the money is recovered. (1995) 4. The French Defense Ministry admits Hackers succeeded in stealing acoustic codes for aircraft carriers and submarines. (1995) 5. FBI establishes fake security start-up company in Seattle and lures two Russian citizens to U.S. soil on the pretense of offering them jobs, then arrests them. The Russians are accused of stealing credit card information, attempting to extort money from victims, and defrauding PayPal by using stolen credit cards to generate cash. (2000) 2001 2005 1. Microsoft become victim of a new type of attack against domain name servers, corrupting the DNS paths taking users to Microsofts Web sites. This is a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. The hack is detected within hours, but prevents millions of users from reaching Microsoft Web pages for two days. (2001) 2. The Klez.H worm becomes the biggest malware outbreak in terms of machines infected, but causes little monetary damage. (2002) 3. Two men hack into wireless network at Lowes store in Michigan and steal credit card information. (2003) 4. Brian Salcedo sentenced to 9 years for hacking into Lowes home improvement stores and attempting to steal customer credit card information. Prosecutors said three men tapped into the wireless network of a Lowes store and used that connection to enter the chains central computer system in NC, installing a program to capture credit card information. (2004) 5. Secret Service seizes control of the Shadowcrew Web site and arrests 28 people in 8 states and 6 countries. They are charged with conspiracy to defraud the US. Nicolas Jacobsen, is charged with hacking into a T-Mobile computer system, exposing documents the Secret Service had e-mailed to an agent. (2004) Australian Institute of Criminology, 9 types of cycber crime: 1. Theft of telecommunication service The phone phreakers of three decades ago set a precedent for what has become a major criminal industry. By gaining access to an organisations telephone switchboard (PBX) individuals or criminal organisations can obtain access to dial-in/dial-out circuits and then make their own calls or sell call time to third parties. Offenders may gain access to the switchboard by impersonating a technician, by fraudulently obtaining an employees access code, or by using software available on the internet. Some sophisticated offenders loop between PBX systems to evade detection. Additional forms of service theft include capturing calling card details and on-selling calls charged to the calling card account, and counterfeiting or illicit reprogramming of stored value telephone cards. 2. Communication in furtherance of criminal conspiracies There is evidence of telecommunications equipment being used to facilitate organised drug trafficking, gambling, prostitution, money laundering, child pornography and trade in weapons (in those jurisdictions where such activities are illegal). The use of encryption technology may place criminal communications beyond the reach of law enforcement. 3. Telecommunications privacy Digital technology permits perfect reproduction and easy dissemination of print, graphics, sound, and multimedia combinations. The temptation to reproduce copyrighted material for personal use, for sale at a lower price, or indeed, for free distribution, has proven irresistable to many. 4. Dissemination of offensive materials Content considered by some to be objectionable exists in abundance in cyberspace. This includes, among much else, sexually explicit materials, racist propaganda, and instructions for the fabrication of incendiary and explosive devices. Telecommunications systems can also be used for harassing, threatening or intrusive communications, from the traditional obscene telephone call to its contemporary manifestation in cyber-stalking, in which persistent messages are sent to an unwilling recipient. 5. Electronic money laundering and tax evasion With the emergence and proliferation of various technologies of electronic commerce, one can easily envisage how traditional countermeasures against money laundering and tax evasion may soon be of limited value. I may soon be able to sell you a quantity of heroin, in return for an untraceable transfer of stored value to my smart-card, which I then download anonymously to my account in a financial institution situated in an overseas jurisdiction which protects the privacy of banking clients. I can discreetly draw upon these funds as and when I may require, downloading them back to my stored value card (Wahlert 1996). 6. Electronic vandalism, terrorism and extortion As never before, western industrial society is dependent upon complex data processing and telecommunications systems. Damage to, or interference with, any of these systems can lead to catastrophic consequences. Whether motivated by curiosity or vindictiveness electronic intruders cause inconvenience at best, and have the potential for inflicting massive harm (Hundley and Anderson 1995, Schwartau 1994). While this potential has yet to be realised, a number of individuals and protest groups have hacked the official web pages of various governmental and commercial organisations (Rathmell 1997). http://www.2600.com/hacked_pages/ (visited 4 January 2000). This may also operate in reverse: early in 1999 an organised hacking incident was apparently directed at a server which hosted the Internet domain for East Timor, which at the time was seeking its independence from Indonesia (Creed 1999). 7. Sales and investment fraud As electronic commerce becomes more prevalent, the application of digital technology to fraudulent endeavours will be that much greater. The use of the telephone for fraudulent sales pitches, deceptive charitable solicitations, or bogus investment overtures is increasingly common. Cyberspace now abounds with a wide variety of investment opportunities, from traditional securities such as stocks and bonds, to more exotic opportunities such as coconut farming, the sale and leaseback of automatic teller machines, and worldwide telephone lotteries (Cella and Stark 1997 837-844). Indeed, the digital age has been accompanied by unprecedented opportunities for misinformation. Fraudsters now enjoy direct access to millions of prospective victims around the world, instantaneously and at minimal cost. 8. Illegal Interception of telecommunications Developments in telecommunications provide new opportunities for electronic eavesdropping. From activities as time-honoured as surveillance of an unfaithful spouse, to the newest forms of political and industrial espionage, telecommunications interception has increasing applications. Here again, technological developments create new vulnerabilities. The electromagnetic signals emitted by a computer may themselves be intercepted. Cables may act as broadcast antennas. Existing law does not prevent the remote monitoring of computer radiation. It has been reported that the notorious American hacker Kevin Poulsen was able to gain access to law enforcement and national security wiretap data prior to his arrest in 1991 (Littman 1997). In 1995, hackers employed by a criminal organisation attacked the communications system of the Amsterdam Police. The hackers succeeded in gaining police operational intelligence, and in disrupting police communications 9. Electronic funds transfer fraud Electronic funds transfer systems have begun to proliferate, and so has the risk that such transactions may be intercepted and diverted. Valid credit card numbers can be intercepted electronically, as well as physically; the digital information stored on a card can be counterfeited. Right now electronic funds transfer fraud is the most famous type of cyber crime. Every year the rate of case about electronic funds transfer fraud always increasing especially in credit card information stealing. From www.spamlaws.com they wrote about credit card stealing in 2005,†Credit card fraud statistics show that about $2.8 million was lost due to credit card fraud, from fraudulent use of MasterCard and Visa alone. In total, credit card fraud costs cardholders and credit card issuers as much as $500 million a year.† Identity Theft Identity theft is really identity fraud. This criminal uses someone elses identity for their own illegal purposes.Examples include fraudulently obtaining credit, stealing money from the victims bank accounts, using the victims credit card number, establishing accounts with utility companies, renting an apartment, or even filing bankruptcy using the victims name. The cyberimpersonator can steal unlimited funds in the victims name without the victim even knowing about it for months, or even years. Anyone who relies heavily on credit cards, Social Security Numbers or network blogging is more susceptible to credit identity theft. Many of our modern conveniences also come with a risk and less protection. The digital age is the perfect age for the Cyber criminal to commit it. Think of the internet as a dark alley in the middle of the night. And these cyber criminals are those people hiding there waiting for the victims to make a mistake. Credit identity theft is a very damaging crime because it not only damages the person financially but also damages the persons reputation as well. Imagine someone borrowing money using your name and never telling you. You will both bear with the burden of paying back the money he borrowed and suffer the humiliation of having this blunder under your name. Identity theft has been referred to by some as the crime of the new millennium. It can be accomplished anonymously, easily, with a variety of means, and the impact upon the victim can be devastating. Identity theft is simply the theft of identity information such as a name, date of birth, Social Security number (SSN), or a credit card number. The mundane activities of a typical consumer during the course of a regular day may provide tremendous opportunities for an identity thief: purchasing gasoline, meals, clothes, or tickets to an athletic event; renting a car, a video, or home-improvement tools; purchasing gifts or trading stock on-line; receiving mail; or taking out the garbage or recycling. Any activity in which identity information is shared or made available to others creates an opportunity for identity theft. It is estimated that identity theft has become the fastest-growing financial crime in America and perhaps the fastest-growing crime of any kind in our society. The illegal use of identity information has increased exponentially in recent years. In fiscal year 1999 alone, the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Fraud Hotline received approximately 62,000 allegations involving SSN misuse. The widespread use of SSNs as identifiers has reduced their security and increased the likelihood that they will be the object of identity theft. The expansion and popularity of the Internet to effect commercial transactions has increased the opportunities to commit crimes involving identity theft. The expansion and popularity of the Internet to post official information for the benefit of citizens and customers has also increased opportunities to obtain SSNs for illegal purposes. Victims of identity theft often do not realize they have become victims until they attempt to obtain financing on a home or a vehicle. Only then, when the lender tells them that their credit history makes them ineligible for a loan, do they realize something is terribly wrong. When they review their credit report, they first become aware of credit cards for which they have never applied, bills long overdue, unfamiliar billing addresses, and inquiries from unfamiliar creditors. Even if they are able to identify the culprit, it may take months or years, tremendous emotional anguish, many lost financial opportunities, and large legal fees, to clear up their credit history. Identity theft occurs in many ways, ranging from careless sharing of personal information, to intentional theft of purses, wallets, mail, or digital information. There are some reasons why the attacker can steal the credit card information: 1. Unsecured network Example: 1. Poisoning Poisoning technique is quiet complicated. First, the attackers need to connect to the same network with the target. After that, the attackers have to look for the IP address of the target. The next step, the attackers should poison the target computer with ARP poisoning or with trojan horse. Then the computer target will move following the attackers track. The attackers will bring the target into fake shop site, and make the target unrealized that he/she has entered the credit card information. 2. Sniffing This technique is unstable, why? Because its depend on the attackers luck. Just like poisoning, the attackers have to connect to the same network with the target. After that, the attackers should scan all of MAC address in the network. Next, the attackers start the sniffing program, such as Cain and Able or Wireshark. Last, the attackers should wait until someone in the network open a shop site and enter the information of the credit card. 2. Vulnerabilities on the site Example: 1. SQL Injection With this vulnerability the attacker can enter admin panel without knowing the username and password. They just need to enter a right syntax as username and password to enter the admin panel. If they are already in admin panel they can see the complete information of the buyer. 2. Blind SQL Injection Blind SQL injection is the most favorite vulnerability for the attackers. The attackers will only need the web browser to do this technique. First, the attackers have to found a right page to be injected with some syntax. After that the attackers should drop all database table, and looking for user table or admin table. If there is user table the attackers can drop the column and the attackers could get the full data of the user, included the credit card information. But, if user table doesnt exist, the attackers should use the admin table. The attackers should drop the admin column and search for the admin password. After the attackers cracks the admins username and password, the attackers could go to the admin panel and look for the information of the buyer. 3. Order log Order log is an old vulnerability, but theres still websites that have this vulnerability. With this vulnerability the attackers only need to use search engine and look for the order log. If the order log has already founded the attacker will open it, and suddenly get full information about the buyer. 4. Admin Directory This vulnerability makes visitor of the site be able to open admin directory freely. So, the attacker could use this chance to see the database. Order database is always in the database. In the order database, the data of the buyer will be saved completely, including credit card information. 3. Human error Example: Social Engineering or Human Manipulating Attacker could use security weakness which is human. Why? Because human is easy to be manipulated. First, the attackers could request the target to do something unimportant, and then set a trap for the target. Attackers will manipulate the target to follow the attackers scheme. Then, if the target has already been trapped, the attacker could make the target gives the complete information about the credit card. There are several ways that can be done to avoid the potential victims from identity theft : The potential victims should request a complete credit report every once a year and check it closely. When get unwanted pre-approved credit card offers, shred them up before tossing them. When in public, do not recite social security number outloud to a bank teller or store cashier. Use a secure mailbox that locks. When asked to give mothers maiden name as a code access, use another key word instead. Change the personal identification numbers on accounts regularly. Pick up and keep printed receipts at bank machines or gas pumps. Even if have been victimized, there are still things that can be done : Before calling the police, contact bank or credit card company and freeze the account. The reason for this is twofold: first, it will help minimize monetary loss, and two, most banks and creditors have a time period in which the notification still valid and can be used to protect the victims. Then call the police department. It does not matter if the identification is being used in the victims city or halfway across the world because the police are required by federal law to take the report. After making police reports, the victim could contact any of national credit bureaus and put a fraud alert on their account. While dealing with the credit bureau, the victim should get a current copy of their credit report. And read it carefully. Then, the victims can contact their insurance company and ask for compensation. At least one insurance company has developed an insurance policy to help deal with identity theft. REFERENCES Anonymous. Computer Crime Definition. cited from http://www.mariosalexandrou.com/definition/ computer-crime.asp [21 November 2009] Anonymous. Cybercrime. cited from http://www.techterms.com/definition/cybercrime [21 November 2009] Australian Institute of Criminology. Nine Types of Cybercrime. cited from http://www.crime.hku.hk/ cybercrime.htm [21 November 2009] Hoar SB. Identity Theft: The Crime of The New Millennium. cited from http://www.cybercrime.gov/ usamarch2001_3.htm [5 December 2009] Karnow CEA. Cybercrime. cited from http://www.davislogic.com/cybercrime.htm [5 December 2009] Herries S. Overcoming Identity Theft: What to Do After You Have Been Comprimised. cited from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/272448/overcoming_identity_theft_what_to_do_pg2.html?cat=17 [5 December 2009]

Free Admissions Essay - Care for an Ethnically Diverse Population :: Medicine College Admissions Essays

Admissions Essay - Care for an Ethnically Diverse Population Crayfish tails in tarragon butter, galantine of rabbit with foie gras, oxtail in red wine, and apple tartelletes. The patient had this rich meal and complained of "liver upset" (crise de foie). Why a liver ache? I always associate indigestion with a stomach ache. In studying French culture in my Evolutionary Psychology class, I learned that when experiencing discomfort after a rich meal, the French assume their liver is the culprit. Understanding and dealing with the minor - sometimes major - cultural differences is a necessity in our shrinking world and diverse American society. Anthropology has prepared me to effectively communicate with an ethnically diverse population. My science classes, research, and clinical experience have prepared me to meet the demands of medical school. I first became aware of the valuable service that physicians provide when I observed my father, a surgeon, working in his office. I gained practical experience assisting him and his staff perform various procedures in his out-patient center. This exposure increased my admiration for the restorative, technological, and artistic aspects of surgery. I also saw that the application of medical knowledge was most effective when combined with compassion and empathy from the health care provider. While admiring my father's role as a head and neck surgeon helping people after severe accidents, I also found a way to help those suffering from debilitating ailments. Working as a certified physical trainer, I became aware of the powerful recuperative effects of exercise. I was able to apply this knowledge in the case of Sharon, a forty-three-year-old client suffering from lupus. she reported a 200% increase in her strength tests after I trained her. This meant she could once again perform simple tasks like carrying groceries into her house. Unfortunately, this glimpse of improvement was followed by a further deterioration in her condition. On one occasion, she broke down and cried about her declining health and growing fears. It was then that I learned no physical prowess or application of kinesiology would alleviate her pain. I helped reduce her anxiety with a comforting embrace. Compassion and understanding were the only remedies available, temporary though they were. To confirm that medicine is the best way for me to help others, I assisted a research team in the Emergency Room at University Medical Center (UMC).