Monday, September 30, 2019
Cyber Crime
Crime is on the rise just about everywhere these days, but nowhere has this up rise in crime become more apparent than in cyber space. Like so many other aspects of our lives, major fraud has gone high tech.The  FBI estimates that businesses alone lose an upwards of $1.5 trillion annually as a direct result of cyber crimes. The number of these crimes has tripled in the past two years and the numbers continue to climb. (O’Leary & O’Leary)  p. 287Through the duration of this essay we will be embarking on a journey into the dark and seedy world of cyber crime. Within this text you will find, the definition of cyber crime, the most  typical types of cyber criminals, as well as the most common forms of cyber crime.The exact definition of cyber crime is still evolving. ( www.davislogic.com/cybercrime.htm ). Cyber crime, or computer crime,  is an extremely broad term. This term is most commonly used to describe criminal activity committed where a computer or network is the source, tool, or target of a crime. Like traditional crime, cyber crime can take many shapes and occur at any time or any place.When  an  individual  is  the  main  target  of  cyber crime,  the  computer à ‚ can  be  considered  a  tool  rather  than  the  target.  These  crimes  generally  involve  less  technical  expertise  as  the  damage  done  manifests  itself  in  the  real  world. In these types of cases the damage dealt is primarily psychological.By now many of us  are all too familiar with spam. Spam or spamming refers to the abuse of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately. While the most widely recognized form of spam is e-mail spam, the term can also  be applied to similar abuses in other media.Some of these abuses include; instant messaging spam, web search engine spam, s pam in blogs, wiki spam, mobile phone messaging spam, social networking spam, as well as internet forum spam. As applied to email, specific anti-spam laws are relatively new, however limits on unsolicited  electronic communications have existed in some forms for some time.Another common crime plauging cyber space is identity theft.  Internet identity theft is different from common identity theft in a few different ways. Common identity theft is different from common identity theft takes place after something is physically stolen from you like a wallet containing credit cards and a driver’s license or an un-shredded credit card statement from your garbage bin.The thief would take these stolen articles and use them to make a fraudulent purchase or something of that  nature. Internet identity theft can be much more devastating than conventional identity theft at times due to the fact that most victims of internet identity theft are completely unaware that anything has been stolen from them until it is far too late.                                                                                                                        Gone are the days when we had to step outside to purchase our groceries, book flights, and vacations, or simply transfer money between bank accounts.Today, we can simply grab our checkbooks, debit cards or credit cards, sit down at a computer in the comfort and safety of our home, and complete these transactions with passwords and PIN numbers.Thanks to advances in technology, the types of transactions we can now complete online are virtually endless. Unfortunately, the increase in online transactions has been accompanied byà ‚ an increase in online identity theft. Fraudulent access to personal information over the internet is increasingly prevalent and sophisticated.Two  forms of  identity  theft  are  at  the  forefront  of  this  internet  piracy are phishing and pharming.  Both pharming and phishing are methods used to steal personal information from unsuspecting people over the internet. Phishing typically involves fraudulent bulk email messages that  guide recipients to (legitimate looking) fake web sites and try to get them to supply personal information like account passwords. Pharming is in many ways similar to phishing.Pharmers  also  send  emails.  The  consumer,  however,  can  be  duped  by  the  pharmer  without  even opening  an  email  attachment.  The  consumer  compromises  his  personal  financial  information  simply  by opening  the  email  message.The  pharming  email  message  contains  a  virus that  installs  a  small  software  program  on  the  end user’s  computer.  Subsequently,  when  the  consumer  tries  to visit  an  official  web  site,  the  pharmer’s  software  program  redirects  the  browser  to  the  pharmer’s  fake  version  of the  web  site.  This allows the  pharmer  to  capture  the  personal  financial  information that  the  consumer  enters  into  the  counterfeit  web  site,  and  the  consumer’s  a ccount  is  again  compromised.The  latest  form  of  pharming  does  not  require  email  at  all.  Password stealing  Trojan  horses  can  attack  through  Microsoft  Messenger  where  key loggers  are  run.  Key loggers  are  viruses  that  track  a  user’s  keystrokes  on  legitimate  sites  and  steal  passwords,  allowing  a  thief  to  have  access  to  a  consumer’s  password  for  future  fraudulent  transactions.The  most  common  blunder  people  make  when  the  topic  of  a  computer  virus  arises  is  to  refer  to  a worm or Trojan horse as a virus. While  the  words  Trojan,  worm  and  virus  are  often  used  interchangeably,  they  are  not  exactly  the  same.à ‚ Viruses,  worms  and  Trojan  horses  are  all  malicious programs that  can  cause  damage  to  your  computer, but  there  are  differences  among  the  three,  and  knowing  those  differences  can  help  you  to  better  protect  your  computer  from  their  often  damaging  effects.A  computer virus attaches  itself  to  a program  or  file enabling  it  to  spread  from  one  computer  to another,  leaving  infections  as  it  travels.  Like  a  human  virus,  a  computer  virus  can  range  in  severity. Some  viruses may  cause  only  mildly  annoying  effects  while  others  can  damage  your hardware, software or files.Almost  all  viruses  are  attached  to  an  executable file , which means  the  virus  may  exist  on  your computer, however, it may not actually  infect  your  computer  unless  you  run  or  open  the  malicious  program. It  is  important  to  note  that  a  virus  cannot  be  spread  without  human  action,  such  as  running an  infected  program in order to  keep  it  going. People  continue  the  spread  of  a  computer  virus,  mostly unknowingly, by sharing infecting files or sending emails viruses as attachments in the email.In  summary, the  same  types  of  fraud  schemes  that  have  victimized  consumers  and  investors  for  many years  before  the  creation  of  the  internet  are  now  appearing  online. In  the  process,  they  not  only  cause  harm  to  consumers  and  investors,  but  also  undermine  consumer  confidence  in  legitimate  e-commerce  and  the  internet.People who commit cyber crime are cyber criminals. Like cyber crime, cyber criminals can take many forms. These criminals are typically terrorists, child predators, members of organized crime, employees, outside users, hackers and crackers. It is important to point out the difference between hackers and crackers. Hackers are individuals who gain unauthorized access to a computer system simply for the thrill of it. Crackers do the same thing, but for malicious purposes.Computer  hackin g  is  most  common  among  teenagers  and  young  adults,  although  there  are  many older  hackers  as  well.  Many  hackers  are  true  technology  buffs  who  enjoy  learning  more  about  how computers  work  and  consider  computer  hacking  an  art  form.  They  often  enjoy  programming  and  have expert level  skills  in  one  particular  program.For  these  individuals,  computer  hacking  is  a  real  life  application  of  their  problem solving  skills.  It is perceived as a  chance  to  demonstrate, or showcase their abilities, and talents, and not  an  opportunity  to  harm  others.Cracking is the act of breaking into a computer system, often on a  network. Cont rary to popular belief, crackers are hardly mediocre hackers.  Computer hackers were early pioneers of computing. These early pioneers were frantically dedicated to inventing and exploring how things worked. As a part of the sixties generation, these hackers were also prone toward being anti-establishment and somewhat disrespectful towards property rights.Eventually a pair of these hackers, Steve Wozniak and Steven Jobs, hacked together the first commercially successful personal computer, the Apple. The sixties generation hackers flooded this new industry and many quickly attained positions of wealth and authority creating the inf ormation communications ecology that dominates Western life. Meanwhile, two things happened.1.      A new generation of hackers emerged.2.     The world economic and social order went completely digital, and so crime as we know it went digital as well.It  is  somewhere  at  the  interstices  of  the  new  generation  of  alienated  young  hackers  ( they  sometimes  refer  to  themselves  as  â€Å"cyberpunks†)  and  the  world  of  sometimes organized  crime  that  we  locate the  concept  of  the  cracker.  The  term  is,  to  some  degree,  an  attempt  by  the now established  older-generation  hackers  to  separate  themselves  from  computer  crime.The  debate  still  rages  as  to  what  constitutes  the  difference  between  hacking  and  cracking.  Some  say  that  cracking  represents  any  and  all forms  of  rule breaking  and  illegal  activity  using  a  computer.  Others  would  define  cracking  only  as  particularly  destructive criminal  acts. Others would  claim  that  the  early  hackers  were  explicitly anarchistic  and  that  acts  of  willful  destruction  against  â€Å"the  system† have  a  place  in  the  hacker  ethos,  and  that  therefore  the  term  cracker  is  unnecessary  and  insulting.This concludes our journey into the world of cyber crime. Through the course of our journey we have successfully defined cyber crime, identified typical cyber criminals, and discussed some of  the most common forms of cyber crime.The  effects  of  cyber crime  are  far  reaching.  It  would  be  a  difficult  task  to  find  someone  who  has  never  been  affected  by  malicious  internet  activity,  or  who  does  not at  the  very  least  know  someone  who  has  been  negatively  impacted  by  cyber criminals. Advances  in internet  technology  and  services  continue  to  open  up  innumerable  opportunities  for  learning,  networking and  increasing  productivity.  However,  malware  authors,  spammers  and  phishers  are  also  rapidly  adopting  new  and  varied  attack  vectors .If  the internet  is  to  become  a  safer  place,  it  is  imperative  to  understand  the  trends  and  developments  taking  place  in  the  internet  threat  landscape  and  maintain  online security  practices. Internet  threats  continue  to  increase  in  volume  and  severity.It  is  important  that  computer  users  are  on  guard  in  order  to  make  themselves  less  vulnerable  to  risks  and  threats.  Staying on top of  the  trends  and  developments  taking  place  in  online  security  is  critical  for  both  industry  researchers  and  all  computer  users  alike. References    O’Leary, T. J. , & O’Leary L. I. ( 2008 ) . Computing essentials introductory  2008.                 New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies.    Cyber Crime. ( 2008 ) . Types of cyber crime. Retrieved September 27th , 2008 ,                 From http://www.davislogic.com/cybercrime.htm
Critical Theory and the Middle East Essay
Critical theory is actually tackled by two different intellectual traditions from which the term is derived – critical theory in literary studies and critical social theory. The former is primarily a form of hermeneutics, or knowledge that is gained through the interpretation in the understanding of the meanings presented through human texts and symbolic expressions. On the other hand, the latter is a form of knowledge that is self-reflective which involves both understanding and theoretical explanation which intend reduction of entrapment within systems like domination and dependence, in the advancement of emancipator interest to expand autonomy and reduce domination. Critical theory from a sociological perspective, is best defined as that social theory that is in contrast to some of the principles of the 20th century positivism, and is, in fact, sometimes referred to as negative philosophy. Contrary to the general idea that knowledge comes from people’s sense-experience, critical theory proposes rationalism which posits that the source of knowledge and the source of common humanity is the fact that humans are rational beings. This paper adopts the sociological perspective of critical theory, and relates it with the Middle East scenario, taking Qatar into particular focus, as an example of the Middle East countries. Historical Background The concept of critical theory dates as early as 1937, with Max Horkheimer of Frankfurt School giving meaning to it as a social theory that is oriented toward critiquing and changing the society in general, contrary to the traditional theory that is oriented merely in the understanding or explaining the society. Most accounts of the theory closely link it with the Frankfurt School of Social Research (or Frankfurt School which later became the International Institute for Research at Columbia University, New York in 1933), while some trace its origins to as far back through Hegelianism and Western Marxism. Most of the key contributors to the theory are employed at the Frankfurt Institute, like Theodore W. Adorno, Herbert Marcuse, along with Hokheimer who was the Institute’s Director at that time. The other contributors who were not employed at the Institute were Walter Benjamin and Ernst Bloch, both published their materials in the Institute’s journal as well as engaged in other activities of the Institute. Later on, in 1945, a certain Hannah Arendt also helped by extending the concern for liberation as developed in the works of the Institute. After 1945, in Germany, Jurgen Habermas and Axel Honeth continued the advancement of critical social theory. Marx’s Influence on the Critical Theory It has been said by analysts of today that the common thread between and among the German critical theory and the French post-structuralism is that they are both anchored on Karl Marx’s theory of social change, which generally proposes for philosophers and thinkers to not just interpret the world, but rather change it. Such Marxian theory has been revised by critical theorists to posit that the critical theory rests on the concept of intervention which comes from appropriate understanding of the past and present conditions which provides adequate insight towards change, or possibilities of it. Further down the history of critical theory, Marx’s great influence can be traced with the Praxis School, which was a Marxist humanist philosophical movement originating from Zagreb and Belgrade in Yugoslavia in the 1960s. This Praxis School was closely linked with the Frankfurt School and the Critical Theory. In fact, the term critical theory is derived from Marx’s concept about his work Capital as a form of critique of political economy. Middle East in Context The Middle East or the Muslim world in particular, has been perceived by the rest of the world as an oppressive society where only men have the freedom to live the way they want to live, while women are repressed and stay in the shadows of their men. It is anchored basically on the Islamic teachings which have shaped the Muslim people’s beliefs, culture and traditions. In a traditional Muslim society, the women are raised and trained to obey and serve men without questions or opinions. Muslim women are not allowed to decide on anything, even for their own personal concerns, since it is the men who have the right to decide – this comes from the practice of betrothing the women, and the men paying dowry for the women they marry. This technically makes the women possessions of men. Through the years, the plight of Muslim women who also want to pursue careers, who also want to live freely and have more options than to be betrothed and raise a family, have been slowly heard by the world. Through the years, things have changed dramatically and drastically in the Muslim World. Contemporary Muslim societies have successful Muslim women on boob tube talking about pleasurable sex, albeit maintaining that it be in the context of marriage, but still, such freedom to speak about sex in public was a big taboo in years past. Qatar’s Shiekah Muzah Bint Nasser Al Misned, is another example of an emancipated lot of Muslim women now successfully treading career paths that were never trodden before. How did it all happen? What brought about such changes in the society that was once repressive but now tolerate and allow women to have choices? Critical Theory in the Middle East (Qatar) The Middle East, particularly Qatar, has gone through a lot of upheavals, significantly changing the social, political and cultural landscape of the nation. Applying the critical social theory, which seeks to critically study the interrelated facets of society – political, economic and social – with interventions appropriately based on understanding, Qatari society has been led by its leaders into a more tolerant society in the interest of further development and advancement. Looking back to the socio-political and economic landscape that gave birth to the Marxian theory and the critical theory, it was a repressive society and constrictive governmental policies that were sought to change by the proponents. Mere analysis and understanding of such society and government were not enough, and thus interventions based on appropriate understanding was proposed. The Qatari situation is no different. Awakening to the real situation, deep understanding of them, led the people and the leaders to create changes which now manifest in its media, which is rich in stories of women achievers. One of the leading women figures in Qatar is none other Her Highness Shiekah Muzah Bint Nasser Al Misned, who heads the nation’s Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. Summary The sociological definition of critical theory generally posits that it is necessary that matters be tackled in a multi-dimensional perspective, and that rationalism is as a key to understanding situations need to be coupled with interventions. In societies where societal norms tend to repress some sectors’ freedom, it is a necessity to pursue a critical outlook of the situation and provide measures to address the issues. In Qatar, for instance, the nation underwent various upheavals which significantly changed its social, political, cultural and economic scenarios, giving freedom to women as they have never experienced before. Personal Opinion Oppression or repression of any kind is always an unpleasant situation, much less to a more vulnerable group in the society, the women. History is replete with situations of oppression and repression, and almost all those situations ended up wrecking nations, which means that ultimately, the people are wrecked as the ultimate victims. The proponents of critical social theory emphasizes the rational nature of people which, if given deeper interpretation, only emphasizes that as rational beings, people must be treated as such, rational. Further, the argument of Marx that it is not enough for people or philosophers to merely interpret society, but rather must change it, rings a bell of truth in the contemporary times. For instance, in the Middle East, much have been written about the societal repression, but only recently have changes been felt and manifest. Only when some things have been done to change the situation. References Ahmed, L. , 1993, Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate Edition: reissue, illustrated, Published by Yale University Press, 1993. Calhoun, C. J. , 1995, Critical social theory: culture, history, and the challenge of difference, Edition: reprint, Published by Wiley-Blackwell, 1995. Held, D. , 1980, Introduction to critical theory: Horkheimer to Habermas,Published by University of California Press, 1980. Swank, A. ,2007, Sexual healing: How big is kalaam kibeer? , Arab Media and Society. Issue 2, Summer 2007, Published by The American University in Cairo. UNDP-POGAR, 2007, Women in public life, gender and women, Gender and Citizenship Initiative, 2007.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Personal life Essay
Quote I chose the quote â€Å"You also have to take time to think about why it is the right thing†this quote with the context of the text is certainly true. Just because all the people including your parents act in certain ways for specific situations, it doesn ´t mean that it ´s the right thing to do. And if you act like you have always seen just to follow everybody else, in my opinion is worst, because you don ´t even know if that actions are the right thing to do, you are just doing what â€Å"everybody does†and for me that is worst than thinking about the situation, taking your own decision, and then if you made it wrong, that helps you learning about good and bad decisions by your own, then you can judge another people decisions, because you have already analyze different situations by your own. Personal Case In the part of the text that shows some examples of ethical dilemmas, the one that says â€Å"should I extend the life of my beloved pet, or should I put an end to its increasing suffering by having it put to sleep?†This reminds me of a pet my dad loved, its name was Toby, it was a little Fox Terrier my dad bought like 10 years ago, it was a very healthy dog, but then when he started getting older, a ball started growing in his throat, so he started having eating and breathing problems, we took him to the vet, and he told us that he had a type of cancer, so he recommended us to put it to sleep, but my father refused. Toby started being skinner, and one day we found him dead in the garden. Maybe I would preferred having it put to sleep, that make him and my dad suffer, because every time my dad saw Toby, he was very sad because of its condition. Main Points This article wants us to understand what ethics is, the main point of it is realize that ethics is present everyday in every activity we do during the day. Also its purpose is to show us some ethic dilemmas to identify whether we have been part of something similar. At the end this article what’s us to realize that we have to take control of our lives, and our ethic decisions, because doing the things just because always he have done it like this, it doesn ´t mean it is the right thing to do.
Friday, September 27, 2019
Polyeurethanes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Polyeurethanes - Research Paper Example Some of these chains can be very small, while others can extend to incorporate many monomers on orders of hundreds to thousands. The length and complexity of the chain also affects the chemistry and how the compound will interact under specific conditions. For example, as the chains get longer, chemical properties such as melting point and boiling point increase with resistance and hardening, but chain mobility decreases (Mark 3-24). As a result, this impacts the mold ability of the polymer. One of these polymers that our society has adopted across many industrial and commercial applications is Polyurethane. Polyurethane is a polymer, which consists of repeating units of a core structure containing: urethane groups in addition to benzene rings and the carbon chain. The polymer was first synthesized in Germany by chemist, Otto Bayer, in 1937. The primary complex of chemicals, which are used, is isocynate and polyol. These chemicals size, purity, and quality all influence how fast the reaction will go to completion, as well as the chemical forces will affect the properties of the compound. The reaction is catalyzed to begin the polymerization reaction by tertiary amine compounds. Polyurethane is classified in a group of other compounds known as reaction polymers. The properties of polyurethane can change based on the types of monomers, which are substituted into the carbon chain. When in a solid form, polyurethane is a flammable material and can have some side effects with exposure to humans. It can cause eye and lung irritation, but is not a known carcinogen (Ashida 5-9). Commercially, polyurethane has become an important type of epoxy, which is used in a wide variety of applications in the manufacturing industry as well as products and services. Because of the multiple substituents that can occur in the polymer, it can have the properties of rubber, but still be tough enough to withstand great amounts of force as well as endure high temperatures. It was origina lly designed to supplement rubber, and eventually replace it. Now, it is used in many commercial applications. It is used to help hold upholstery and dashboards in vehicles. The â€Å"harder†variants of this material are used in shoes, as adhesives and coatings as well. One of the more typical applications of this was the discovery that this polymer could be used as foam. The synthesizing of the foam compound of polyurethane is a bit different than the standard compound. It involves a reaction with carbon dioxide and water, which is what it gives it the high degree of mold ability. One important fact that has to be noted about this particular reaction is that it is an exothermic reaction, meaning that high amounts of heat are released upon the catalyzation of the polymerization reaction. As a result the use of the foam polymer has seen the most widespread use in terms of the other variations. It’s most common application is through the use of insulation in houses. Bec ause the foam is form fitting, it can block holes and unusual spaces, which conventional materials would fail to block. This has also made it a good sealant for tires. The use of the foam type of polyurethane also extends to use on airplanes, as soundproofing, use in electrical equipment, etc (Moore). Polymers and the basis of polymer science have had a large impact not only on industrial and commercial companies, but also in the daily lives of our
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Exam - Essay Example Ultimately, it should be understood that within the current juncture in time, needle exchange programs are carried out almost exclusively by nonprofit organizations and are not directly linked to any type of taxpayer funding. From even a cursory level of research, the reader can come to the realization that needle exchange programs around the nation, and around the globe for that matter, or originally intended as a means of providing drug addicts a fresh injection mechanism that would not have the risks traditionally associated with shared needles; to include HIV, hepatitis, and a litany of other blood-borne pathogens that were shared between drug users as they shared needles (Kalo & Racz, 2013). In order to understand the mentality behind needle exchange programs, it is necessary to understand the fact that the drug users themselves working to maximize the level of money that they could spend to get high; without the added expense of purchasing fresh needles as a means of effecting such an end. In such a way, each and every one of the needle exchange programs serves as a means of providing the drug user with fresh needles without the requirement that the drug addict/user will be required to pay for these clean needles. An unintended effect of such an approach is the fact that this approach often furthers a level of discretionary spending on the part of the drug user which is in turn used to purchase more drugs. As the drug users are no longer responsible for providing themselves with clean, fresh needles, the amount of discretionary spending which can be directed solely and entirely towards the drug itself is increased; at least in small part. Ultimately, determining whether or not needle exchange programs are effective is a question of which determinate it is being measured. What is meant by this is the fact that if one seeks to measure whether or not needle exchange programs have been effective with regards to curbing drug abuse, the answer is an obvious and resounding no (Xing, 2012). However, if one seeks to measure whether or not needle exchange programs have been effective with regards to reducing the overall levels of blood-borne pathogen infections among drug users, the answer would necessarily have to be a resounding yes. A number of studies that conducted the past years have definitively indicated that lower levels of blood-borne pathogen related diseases exist among communities of drug users that are reliant upon clean fresh meal supplies via needle exchange programs as compared to those who do not. 2. Scare tactics have long been employed as a means of effecting a particular goal within a particular group of individuals. One does not have to think back very far to realize the means by which scare tactics were used even within one’s own high school with respect to sexually transmitted diseases. In almost each and every health class within the United States, students were shown a series of horrifically distorted genitali a as a means of providing a stark warning with regards to the dangers of unprotected sexual intercourse (Twonbly et al, 2011). In much the same means, scare tactics have been utilized with regards to seeking to prevent drug use among children by integrating the most horrific images of what drug usage ultimately portends for the life
Was Peter Berger right when he changed his views on secularization in Essay
Was Peter Berger right when he changed his views on secularization in the 1990s - Essay Example My paper hence deals with the idea that Peter Berger was right in changing his views on secularization. The paper will also deal with the different ideas that Berger worked with and related to in his studies on religion and secularization. In this context, ideas of modernization, pluralism, supply-side of religion and the rational choice theory as well as the sociological relevance of religion are considered within this paper. Secularization is the lessening of religious influence in a society; it is the loss of religious institution’s authority to dictate to the public the practices required in organized religion. Bryan Wilson talks at length about the need for another force in place of religion in a society that is heading towards or has already adopted secularization. Religion forms the crux for most people in today’s world. The need or presence of religion cannot be ignored in one’s life and it is this presence that has driven scholars from all walks of life to study the effects and consequences of religious presence in our life and to present their view points. Secularization became prominent when religious debate turned towards whether secularization was beneficial or not. For Peter Berger, secularization is, â€Å"the process by which sectors of society and culture are removed from the domination of religious institutions and symbols. It operates at three levels, one is a social structural: in the west, Christian churches have lost functions that are now performed by secular agencies.†(Berger, 1969) To put this idea into simpler terms; the importance of religion in any person’s life is reduced since religion loses its previous stature and place in an individual’s life. Earlier, individuals paid more attention to religious details and believed that religion had to function in cohesion with state policies. This is
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Free Speech Coalition Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Free Speech Coalition - Case Study Example The government’s side argued that the law needed to prohibit virtual imaging of child pornography to protect minors from paedophiles. One of the rules under the First Amendment provides that a whole artistic work cannot be merited on the basis of one sexually explicit view. Accordingly, the work should be judged as a whole to determine its value. Essentially, pornography can only be prescribed if it is obscene and if it uses real children. In this case, therefore, the ban by the CPPA was invalid, since it barred the use of images that were neither obscene nor used actual children. In Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition 535 U.S. 2d, 403 (2002), the court held that the rights of adults access such speech could not be withdrawn in order to protect minors from such speech. The use of the phrases â€Å"appears to be†and â€Å"conveys the impression†is relative and depends on the interpretation of the court. The work of art must contain obscene content in speech presentation, for it to be banned. Considering Ferber’s standard, a ban on child pornography can only be upheld if production and sale of artistic work were â€Å"intrinsically related†to child abuse, by causing harm to the victim and leading to crime. Therefore, if a work of art causes harm to a child by making them prone to sexual acts, such a work will be banned, See id. at 13. The Supreme Court also overruled the argument advanced by the government stating that the ban on â€Å"virtual child pornography†was necessary to reduce cases of paedophiles seducing children. The standard for this ruling came from the First Amendment, Miller, and Ferber standards.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 19
Economics - Essay Example Will has to invest to raise the amount of visitors entering his website. Will has to log of the amount of traffic the website receives on a daily basis and compare it to the sales generated each day. Three months is adequate trial period. Will has to spend money hiring an online expert to increase the online traffic the online store receives. After the trial period Will has several options. He can raise the price of his items by $5 each and test for a month if the demand for the products changes. It is possible that it might stay the same and that way the company can raise his overall profits. Another strategy which is my primary recommendations is to lower the prices of both types of products. According to the law of demand and supply when a manufacturer lowers the price of the product the demand increases. I would start with low price increase of $2 on the non-copyright material and $1 on the copyrighted material. The cheaper product can have a higher price reduction because there are no variable costs associated with them. In the case of copyright material there is a $5 royalty fee to consider. After a period of three months I would evaluate the results to then move forward with a more aggressive discounting strategy of final sales prices of $5 and $12. The most likely scenario is that if Will increases his online mar keting budget and reduces the price of the product the revenues of the company should reached the $100,000 revenue per year benchmark in a short period of time. The sky is the limit for this innovate product created by Mr.
Monday, September 23, 2019
Corporate social reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Corporate social reporting - Essay Example In a similar manner, disclosing the information associated with the corporate social responsibility activities is an important part of the daily functioning of organizations. Importance of CSR Reports The importance of CSR reporting has emerged because of the lack of dependence on the information provided by organizations, as opposed to their actual contribution towards the society. From the academic point of view, there is an accepted theory that discusses the factors responsible for motivating companies in disclosing their CSR information. Most of the information disclosed in the CSR reports was previously considered as the activities or decisions belonging to the private domain of corporations. The theoretical evidences suggest that companies disclose information associated with CSR activities to the public, in order to satisfy their prime needs and reflect an extremely responsible image towards the society. The legitimacy helps organizations in achieving the main purpose of attai nment of sustainable profitability as an important goal of the business. The corporate sector gives huge economic profit to the environment and society. However, in spite of the advantages, there remains an increasing concern related to the wastage or abuse of resources in the society. The society offers huge benefits to the corporate sector, which is why, it has the right of seeking information associated with what the organization returns to the society. The increasing awareness concerning the natural resources is responsible for the decision of legitimacy of companies, which in turn increase the necessity of disclosing CSR information. Stakeholder’s theory According to P.A. Stanwick & S. D. Stanwick (2006), the business relationship must be occupied with a large number of managerial researches (Tilt, 1997; 2007). The stakeholder’s theory addresses to questions where stakeholders require special attention. Approaches to this kind of question are determined by the rel ationship between organizations and the stakeholders. It is done on the basis of exchange transactions, legitimacy claims, power dependencies and various other claims. The researchers have integrated the stakeholder’s theory with the help of various managerial perspectives, mainly the theories belonging to governance and agency. The stakeholders theory have been an useful frame, being both normative and instrumental, for measuring the role of NGOs in developing and adopting environmental standards. The stakeholder management offers theoretical base for proper understanding of the necessities of the stakeholders and function accordingly. Legitimacy Theory According to Brennan & Merkl-Davies (2013), Legitimacy theory can be explained in the following manner: Every organization seeks legitimacy from the public by ensuring the fact that their value system is congruent with the value of the community, within which it is performing its business operations Deegan & Rankin (1996) hav e identified four different strategies with the help of which the organizations improve their self-image, thereby gaining legitimacy. They can seek legitimacy from the public by informing them about the real changes in the behaviour, followed by bringing a change on the perception of general public, without causing any change in the actual behaviour,
Sunday, September 22, 2019
How Global Issues Affect the Whole World Essay Example for Free
How Global Issues Affect the Whole World Essay Thematic Essay- How Global Issues Affect the Whole World BY codi5181 Global issues today cause tremendous problems to the whole world. Even today, issues such as terrorism, the environment, population, global migration, urbanization, and economic instability plague our world. The most crucial of these problems being religion-based terrorism, urbanization and population, and environmental pollution and destruction. Terrorism is mostly linked to differences in opinion between different sects ofa religion, an example being Muslim extremists. Muslim extremists in the Middle East have radical opinions on the details of their religion. The IRA in Ireland terrorizes anyone who goes against their ideals. Terrorism is caused when one group of radicals feels the necessity to attack another group. In addition, terrorism can be caused when one group feels that they are doing the right thing, when in the eyes of someone else, these same actions could be offensive and could cause unrest. Like the United States Christians who gave aid to the Christians in Ireland. The UN has ways to deal with unrest between countries, and has peacekeeping committees to try to stop terrorism before it starts. In order to stop errorism in the Middle East, there must be a clear separation of secular and state. The sharia in Muslim countries does not have laws that provide protection against modern day technology and advances in culture. The Middle Eastern countries that are ruled by religious laws have to start to regulate weapon usage and the availability of explosives and other dangerous chemicals. An increase in the global population greatly affects many aspects of everyday life for everyone in the world. Population increases causes a vicious cycle of urbanization. Urbanization is the movement of eople from rural areas to cities in search of employment opportunities and a education. Urbanization is caused by an increase need for employment. People who live in rural areas have a lesser availability of Jobs and resources, so moving to the city makes this easier on them. People quest for a better life, and education causing people to move into the cities too. Cities such as Beijing and cities in India and China are mostly affected by urbanization because of the massive amount of people who reside in these countries. Some countries have put in place different laws and olicies to counteract the massive population increase. Chinas one child policy is a supreme example. Countries should limit the amount of people who can move into a city each year. Also, companies can expand into the rural areas and sponsor schools to be set up in the rural areas too. Urbanization in the long run causes a severe increase in global pollution. This problem is caused by the increased need to produce energy. Producing energy usually involved burning fossil fuels. The air pollution causes the Green house effect, which causes the Earth to slowly heat up. Environmental problems like lack of medical cures and oxygen level decreases are caused by human deforestization. International committees are set up to limit what humans can do with natural resources. For example, factories must scrub the emissions free of toxins and people can no longer use CFCs. To solve the problem of global pollution, countries must find alternate ways to create energy, rather than interconnected. Everything that we do can be felt across the globe. International solutions to the problems that plague our world are a necessity. Problems such as pollution, over population, and terrorism can easily be solved.
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Knowledge Carries An Ethical Responsibility Philosophy Essay
Knowledge Carries An Ethical Responsibility Philosophy Essay We began collecting new information from the day we were born through various ways of knowing such as emotion and perception. This is because we want to learn about life and we do this by interpreting the knowledge that we possessed and possession is the state of owning something. At first we may not know or care what the knowledge that we possess carries and we continue to live our lives without knowing what they are. But as we grow in age, we may begin to question ourselves are we free to own this knowledge? Then questions may appear in our brains about the duties of carrying such knowledge and are we obligated to act upon the things we know? Does the possession of any type of knowledge carry an ethical responsibility? I agree on the claim to be reasonable that the possession of knowledge carries an ethical responsibility. Knowledge carries an ethical responsibility. My thesis is that our knowledge is interpreted from things that are representative of our social values, therefore k nowledge comes with a certain level of responsibility accordingly to the social values. I believe ethics and moral are quite different, ethics is the standard behavior expected by a group for example the society. According to Albert Schweitzer, The first step in the evolution of ethics is a sense of solidarity with other human beings, solidarity is the bond shown by a society with people and those around them. We act because there is integration between us and those around us. If one holds the knowledge to another persons life, he/she is obligated to act upon it because of our social values. It is not ethical to watch the world burn if knowing you have the ability to stop it. But I will go into the knowledge issues that derive from this claim, in order to evaluate the ethical responsibility of knowledge in different Ways of knowing and Areas of knowledge. If one should take their own ethical responsibility for their knowledge then would a primary educated person measure the same standard of ethical responsibility as a professor? Should these ethical responsibilities be a fixed standard value or a scale standard value? The measurement of ethical responsibility should not be a fixed standard value because we perceive the values of the society differently but as soon as the knowledge is directly affecting someone else, regardless of it is positively or negatively, there should be a scale standard value. I am 18 years old and I am a heart transplant recipient. I am very thankful for organ donors. 4 years ago, I was diagnosed with a heart failure and in 2008 I was put on to the heart donation waiting list and for the whole year I was on the brink of death. But a family unknown to me agreed to donate an organ of their family member who had been in a very deep coma. That person has a small chance to wake up from the coma and reunite with his /her family. However, the family decided to give the patient a peaceful death and they pulled the plug. The family had the choice of donating the organs or not. Looking back at the knowledge question, does the possession of knowledge that can save lives of many people carry an ethical responsibility? In this case, the claim depends on the nature of the knower, they donated the organs to those who are in need because they think they are ethically responsible to help the society. They placed social value higher than the small chance of their family member waking up. They acted as a utilitarian, maximizing the happiness in the society on the consequences of their actions; therefore the family believed it is the right thing to do. However, if we are to look at this case with divine command theory where all morality is dependent on the will of God, the whole stand point in this case changes. Because at the very beginning, pulling the plug is an act of murder and it is against Gods will, therefore it is morally incorrect to do so, even though you know the result could save lives and the knower will not see the need of ethical responsibility. At the center of this questions lies the different ways of knowing. As we learn in life, we also start to identify and distinguish that what is ethical and what is not in our society. Some we accept without doubt, just as we did when we our parent told us that stealing things which do not belong to us is wrong or teachers telling us that cheating in an exam or test is not acceptable. We learn what knowledge carries ethical responsibility from authority figures because these authority figures are respected as we believe they are more experience and knowledgeable than us. But do these authority figures like scientist or a literature writer carry a higher responsibility than a normal person? I would argue that everyone should take their ethical responsibility of what they know or have done, therefore scientist or literature writer should take a higher responsibility because they are doing something that is influencing the society. But there is independence between knowledge and ethics. It is more of what ethics relies on. It can be argue that the responsibility of ethics relies on the ethical principle. For example if killing people in any situation must be wrong, then why do countries still have death penalty? What is the ethical responsibility in natural science? There was a very interesting movie released in the year of 2005 called The Island where groups of cloned humans are held captive in an isolated compound and they were told that the outer world is too contaminated for human to settle in. Every week the compound staffs will harvest the clones organs for the people in the outer world who are willing to pay for the organs. If this scenario was real life, where would the ethics in this natural science of cloning in this scenario be? The buyer is of course suffering from an organ failure and is in need of an organ, the buyer knows the organ is harvested from his clone, what is the ethical decision and responsibility in this? If we are to look at this at a social stand point, it is definitely wrong to do such thing, although it is a clone, our social value sees that killing another human for your own needs is unacceptable and should be punished but the knower, the buyer may not see the same because his ways of knowing is different to the society and the way he/she see the ethical responsibility will be different. The biggest WOK in this is the emotion, the person is buying organs because of his strong emotion to live on and he would reason that the clone is a clone of himself and he may not see the responsibility in this case of action. I believe that in natural science, the need of ethical responsibility is more significant than in other area of knowledge. Ethical responsibility in other Areas of knowledge can be a must have, such as business in human science where ethical responsibility is equally needed. If a business knows chemical wastes are being produced during the production of their products, do they have the responsibility to clean up the waste caused by them? There are responsibilities when it is directly affecting the society, this is why there are laws and restriction restraining how much pollution the business can cause, but it does not force the business to clean it up completely due to economic issues, but the business holds the final decision whether it should act ethically and clean everything. Again this depends on the owner of the business, the knower, to decide where he/she should act upon this. If he does, people may view the business as an ethical company, thus increasing the business image. Therefore, the business must have the ethical responsibility to not over pollute the environment but after that, the respons ibility helping the environment depends on the knower. To bring in some conclusions from the above arguments, should the possession of knowledge carries an ethical responsibility? Ethics is the standard behavior expected by the society and it makes our moral principle. Ethical responsibility is the principle that is restraining us from doing a certain things that would affect the order of the human society as a whole. So I agree on this claim to be reasonable that the possession of knowledge carries an ethical responsibility but there should not be a fixed standard to measurement these responsibilities.
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