Book Review: Heartland the Darkest Hour

My book was Heartland the Darkest Hour. It was written by Lauren Brooke and was 152 pages long. This book was about a girl named Amy who tries to prove to everyone that she can be as good as a professional horse racer. Throughout the book she meets people, that teach her a lesson about how winning isn’t everything. Even though winning is fun, that shouldn’t be why you want to compete. You should have passion in what you’re doing, instead of waiting for fame and fortune. Amy doesn’t realize that you should have passion in what you love to do.She thinks that she is the best horse racer in the world, but that changes when a certain horse and a certain person came into her life and taught her about passion. Ty a friend of hers, had a horse that was the best Amy had seen in her life! It had every trick that had ever been in horse racing history perfected. It had the most amazing speed, and it was very rare. Amy wanted that horse so bad, because she knew she cou ld win with it. She wanted to buy it off of Ty, but he wouldn’t let her. One day Amy asked Ty why she couldn’t buy the beautiful horse, but then Ty asked her a very important question.He said â€Å"Why do you want this horse? † Amy stood there for a minute and thought about what he had asked her. The next day she felt bad because she had been selfish and only wanted the horse for fame and money, not because she loved the horse. At the end of the book, Amy realizes that she needs to have passion in all she does, because without passion â€Å"You’ll never love what your doing. † I think Amy was changed at the end because her attitude was different from the way she treated others in the beginning.At the end of this book, Amy is more kind and doesn’t think to much about her self. I would recommend this book to others because it teaches you not be bratty and selfish, but to be humble and passionate. If you like books about horses, this series wou ld be awesome for you to read. I loved this book because, I started to read it in the beginning, but I didn’t get the story. Towards the middle I finally figured out what the author was trying to say, and it was a very good inspirational message throughout the book. The End

Internship Application Essay

I write to apply for a position in this internship program. My strong commitment to my works has been demonstrated to my numerous volunteer experiences in the community and at university. Throughout my degree, I volunteered weekly at local primary schools where I taught grade 4 and 5 mathematics. Seeing the students light up with excitement while participating in a science experiment or the student who has struggled with a mathematical concept finally understand what to do has been immeasurably rewarding for me. Beyond the rewards, these experiences have taught me how to tailor my approach to the students’ needs and effectively communicate concepts to a group, skills I know would serve me well in my future jobs. I have a genuine interest in learning as much as possible about a career in business and finance and would view any task put before me as a positive learning experience. Through my study as a mathematics student, I have proven my ability to maintain high curiosity, learn complicated things and not giving up easily. Proficient in statistical, business data analysis, and excels in collaborative team-based environments, I believe it is a perfect way to utilise my skills to solve business and financial problems. My primary goal in beginning a career in business and finance is to acquire as much experience as possible. Not only I hope to deepen my knowledge in current business and financial worlds, but I would also hope to acquire some of the practical skills that I will need to be better equipped for this field. I believe that working in business and finance, I would have the privilege to appreciate that everything in the world somehow affects my works. I would hope that this internship would provide an opportunity to build a working relationship with leaders in the field from whom I could gain valuable knowledge. I am certain that any experience from this internship would prove to be indispensable to me in accomplishing my future goals.

THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS - Essay Example More to the point, Arthur Andersen partnership was also dissolved at the time. Arthur Andersen was one of the five biggest audit and accountancy firms globally during the scandal (Li 37). Enron executives, particularly Jeff skilling as well as Andy Fastow, were key to Enron plunging into bankruptcy as well as ultimately dissolution. The acts include: market to market accounting as well as special purpose entities (SPE’s). None of these acts was illegal; however they were employed in illegal business plans (Mackey and Kristine 349). Enron Corporation was an American company based in Houston, Texas. What's more, Enron being one of the most prominent companies in the globe, it was also one of the companies that collapsed very quickly. Over and above, being the biggest liquidation reform at one time, Enron scandal was undeniably the largest audit letdown in American history (Li 37). This paper examines why the Enron scandal occurred? Whether the investigations into the scandal wer e fair? How the scandal was discovered? What went wrong? And what internal controls failed? Enron Corporation was established in 1985. Enron was as one of the globe's leading company dealing with natural gas, electricity, pulp and communications ahead of being declared bankrupt in October 2001. Enron was nearly universally regarded as one of the country's most innovative companies in the late 1990’s; a new-economy nonconformist that abandoned stuffy, aged industries with their bulky hard assets for the lax world of e-commerce. Enron persistently operated gas lines as well as built power plants, however it gained prominence for its distinctive trading businesses. In addition buying and selling gas plus electricity futures, it established whole new markets for such nonconformist merchandise as weather futures, Internet bandwidth as well as broadcast time for advertisers (Li 37).Very few people were acquainted with precisely what Enron's business was. Bethany McLean, a reporter for Fortune, inquired, â€Å"How exactly Enron made its money?† The question is hard to answer; the "particulars are difficult to get hold of as Enron keeps many of its details secret for what it terms 'competitive reasons.'" a different analyst remarked, "Enron is a big black box." Hence, even Wall Street had very little information about Enron's actual business practices. However, Enron is not unique in this regard. Enron akin to the majority corporations, operated relatively independently by opposing transparency and stakeholder participation (Brenan 35). Jeffrey Skilling proposed market to market accounting is a scheme to increase stock prices, hide Enron’s losses as well as attract new investment. The market to market scheme entailed that once a long-term contract was signed, the amount of which the asset supposedly would trade on the future market is reported as profit in the present financial statement. So as to soothe the investors to maintain a steady profitin g condition at Enron, traders at Enron were forced to predict low discount rate on the long-term contract with Enron as well as high future cash flows. The variation amid the computed net current value and the initially paid value was viewed as the profit of Enron. However it is unfeasible to gain in a long-term operation manner, and so it is evidently illegal furthermore immoral. Additionally, it was reported that the US Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) at the time permitted Enron to employ mark to market account

Analyzing consumption trends between consumption theories Essay

Analyzing consumption trends between consumption theories - Essay Example It can be stated as a matter of fact that these two theories, relative to the concept of consumer consumption, was introduced at a wide difference of nearly four decades and certainly focuses on distinct assumptions which often tends to contradict each others’ view point. As in the case of Veblen approach, consumers are termed to have no such influence on the price of the commodity; whereas, in the neo-classical theory, customers are considered as one of the major catalysts to influence the commodity price (Himmelweit & et. al., 2001). The concept of consumer consumption is often demonstrated as the pattern of expenditure made by the consumers in exchange of a particular commodity. It is further stated by economists that consumer consumption or the decision taken by the consumers to buy a commodity depends on the price of the product or the services rendered, their requirement or individual preferences, the availability of the product and quality of the commodity served among others. Thus, it may vary according to the changes occurring in relation to any of these variables (Lee & et. al., 2009; Himmelweit & et. al., 2001). However, as mentioned in the theory of ‘consumer sovereignty’ by the neo-classical approach, individual preferences, amid the other factors tend to be one of the strongest influencing factors of consumer consumption. This theory further depicts that these preferences are endogenous in nature and thus tends to be highly influenced by the external factors such as choices favored by the society (King & et. al., 2006; O’Hara & Stagl, 2002). Based on these assumptions, according to the consumer consumption behavior demonstrated by neo-classical theory, the buyers are termed to be one of the major drivers of price change that subsequently leads to change in quantity. The theory further assumes that price and demand for a particular commodity is conversely related which depicts the equilibrium to be as

Contract Safety Improvements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Contract Safety Improvements - Essay Example At some point we have been forced to take loans so as not just to maximize on the level of income earned but also, to ensure we do not disappoint our consumers (who are found all over the world) by proving sub-standard services contrary to the high expectations they having. Additional paperwork Unlike in the case of other businesses, it is quite tasking at Exelis due to extra paperwork which is actually brought forth by; proper handling of tax return files, bank account records, auditor’s reports, report creation, detailed books and finally, taking minutes during the frequent meetings. It is important to note that these two challenges are not as severe as the safety challenge facing the company at present. Accidents are becoming a threat to the contracts signed by Exilis. ITT Exelis reported that it had been given a U.S Army contract to go on with maintenance support and providing IT technology operations in the U.S Army in the Middle Eastern countries, specifically SouthWest and Central Asia. The Company signed this contract which had a potential value of $790 million including all options exercised. However, an accident happened while the company equipments were being shipped to the destination. An increase in accidents could possibly cost the company one of its Middle Eastern government contracts One of the latest and most hectic or rather breath-taking challenges I have never encountered since I started working at Exelis is the one pertaining the latest ship accident in the Indian Ocean while transporting electronic warfare. It has been the newspaper cover story for a whole week now. Exelis Incorporated successfully finished producing release systems as well as launchers and was now doing the delivery when the ship sunk. The sinking of the ship has remained a mystery, since for 7 days since the incidence occurred; the cause of the same has not yet been ascertained. The intensity of the worry of Exelis is increasing each passing minute, since the rema ining period of time is too short to make the transportation of the equipments a success, even if the ship was found this minute. This therefore means the contract may be terminated and also, the partnering of Kuwait in the military weaponry production and the electronic attack and supply systems sector, which will perhaps just remain a dream. Kuwait had started showing interest of partnering with Exelis in the industry by serving as vehicle fuel suppliers for Exelis for a very subsidized cost. Alternative solutions to increased accidents in Exelis Inc Increase safety awareness with weekly safety stand downs This is a selected time for the CEO, senior managers, and other executive managers to discuss about safety issues in a direct way with frontline workers. The move can be achieved by setting up goals to be achieved every week to combat the increasing accident reports in the company (LeBoeuf, 1985). For instance, in every first week, the goal may be for managers, supervisors, and crews to spot out hazards associated with the tasks of employees, establish their risks, in this context the risk of losing contracts in the Middle East, and come up with possible solutions. Procedures and methods to complete the work of employees should be identified, and determine the obstacles that may hinder the crews from solution

Red Star The First Bolshevic Utopia is a dystopia rather than a utopia Essay

Red Star The First Bolshevic Utopia is a dystopia rather than a utopia because martian people exploited all their planets's resouces and planned to erradicate and colonize on another planet - Essay Example In addition, the novel is radical in nature in that, it shows how readers of utopia may consider a success; yet do not understand what the author meant (Aldridge 23-24). The red star written in 1905, at that time, socialism had already existed for several years in Mars in that, the inhabitants of Mars had sent expeditions to earth with the hopes of creating contacts between the two civilizations. It is interesting to note that the Martians feared cementing their relationship with people from the earth, so they decided to find earthling with good advanced and flexible constitution to hijack and take them back to Mars in order to acquaint him with the Martian civilization and culture, and at the end, return him to earth as their emissary. Their emissary, Leonid is convinced of the significance of the mission for which the Martians have picked him and on his expedition, he learns the Martians culture and history. While touring the schools, factories, museums and research institutions of Mars, Leonid is convinced that the Martian people were superior to those people on earth. He is convinced of the superiority of socialism over the capitalism that still reigns on Earth (Bognadov 16-18). The tour of Mars is used to express the maturity of socialist society including advanced science, planned economy and collectivism. Further, Leonid realizes that in Mars, there is no distinction between sexes. During his stay in Mars, Leonid realized that the Martian people do not harbor good intentions towards his native planet in contrary to what he thought. The Martian people planned an invasion of the Earth and extermination of its people in order to exploit their natural resources. The red star is used to represent the Russian workers with visible model for their revolutionary strivings. On the other hand, in Mars, at first glance, it does not appear to be a socialist utopia in that, most of the objectives of the Europeans has been accomplished

International Students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Students - Essay Example These students' first language is Arabic and they were selected in their respective states for tuition at this college. As getting into Salisbury college was not a decision made by these individuals themselves hence they did not follow the normal procedure of submitting an application, which would have involved contact with Student Services, which would have helped them arrange their visas, police registration and other details. Due to all this they have several issues that includes isolation as their level of English is poor, no arrangements made to have them interacting with the other students of the college. This also reflects from their behavior at the college. This research proposal will notify the appropriate way to handle these students and will help in finding out the main causes of their problems and how to solve them. It will also help in finding out what ethical issues are arising while implying the rules and regulations that are implied on any international student at Salisbury College. The research philosophy of this project would be making it more quantitative rather than being qualitative. There are several reasons for this philosophy. The major reason being that it would be difficult to communicate with the students as their English is weak i.e. communicating with them would be not very easy and a conflict might arise in what they are telling and what we interpret. Therefore, analysing numeric data and leaving non-quantitative data would be more meaningful and applicable for further and future research. However, the utilization of all numeric data would also have certain issues, hence qualitative data will also be analysed. Another reason for emphasizing on numeric data is because all qualitative data leads to difficulty in comprehension and analyses, and thus, the conclusions and outcome becomes highly judgmental in nature. The judgmental approach may reveal biased outcome based on the observer knowledge and expertise. Methodology The data collection methodology would comprise of both the secondary published data along with the primary data thus the research would be a comprehensive mixture of primary and secondary research resources. The secondary research would not just include the journal data but also the published books available on the topic as well as the articles and other research data that has been written across the world on the topic. Different methods used by different international colleges will also be studied in order to get the clearest picture of the scenario. The primary data would be collected by conducting interviews, making the students fill out simple close-ended questionnaires

Research Proposal Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Proposal - Research Paper Example Chalk Lines Exhibits intends to plan and manage this exhibition in a thoroughly professional way. The services of the staff and volunteers will be solicited and optimally administered to achieve the exhibition objectives. Special arrangements will be made for people with disabilities. Efforts will be made to assure maximal attendance and participation of the people of Brisbane. The event will be one of the first, showcasing a range of international, national and local artists in this genre. 1.0 Business Structure The Street smART is intended to be an exhibition exclusively associated with the contemporary graffiti, stencil and poster art. This exhibition will be organized and coordinated by Chalk Line Exhibits, a non profit, and incorporated organization in Brisbane. The sole purpose of Street smART is to facilitate an engaging platform for both the people of Brisbane and the invited international, national and local artists, where they can perform and experience the varied facets of the contemporary graffiti, stencil and poster art. One essential aim of the organization is to educate the local youth about the showcased art form and to encourage them to actively participate in and visit art events, exhibitions and galleries. The administration and staff at Chalk Line Exhibits is dedicated to make this exhibition a big success in the context of the envisaged goals and objectives. 2.0 Macro Environment Varied macro features at Brisbane make it an ideal venue for an exhibition of such nature and content. 2.1 Demography Brisbane is one of the most populated cities of Australia, with a major chunk of the population being urban and young (the targeted segment) (ABS 2011: Online). Brisbane is also a female majority city, which is most suitable for Street smART, as women have been found to have a greater predilection for art exhibitions (ABS 4172.0 2007, p. 13). 2.2 Cultural and Social Environment Brisbane being a cosmopolitan and modern city with its quintessential di versity and openness is inherently more accepting of change and novel trends. Thus, the populace at Brisbane could positively be expected to be more interested in and receptive of relatively new visual art forms like graffiti, stencil and poster. The cultural and social makeup of Brisbane portends an impressive attendance and participation. 2.0 Art Attendee Chalk Line Exhibits well understands that the art scene in Australia is defined by a unique mix of traditional art forms and novel approaches and trends (Australian Government 2011: Online). So the organization is dedicated to invest the financial support extended by varied public and private bodies to support and promote the upcoming art form of graffiti, poster and stencil. Hence, Chalk Line Exhibits intends to be very professional, efficient and accountable in the context of the exhibition under consideration (The Courier-Mail 2007: Online) 2.1 General Population Profile of Brisbane In 2009, the population of Brisbane stood at 2,004,262, out of which 1, 009,923 were females and 9, 94,339 were males (ABS 2010: Online). Thus, Brisbane is a female majority city. This is good for the exhibition as studies have shown that urban women are more likely to attend art exhibitions (ABS 4172.0 2007). Also, people between 15 years to 24 years of age constituted 15.3 percent of the populace (ABS 2010: Online). As this exhibition is particularly targeted at the youth, this translates

WHY DO WE CARE ABOUT HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION Essay

WHY DO WE CARE ABOUT HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION - Essay Example Nocera (2007) Hence, the usage of information has drastically been enhanced since the advent of human computer interaction. This paper will discuss many facets of HCI which include: information systems, analog and digital systems, Artificial intelligence and speech recognition. One cannot understand the importance of HCI without comprehending what actually an information systems. Human Computer interaction is a collaborative effort that strives to connect people, network, software, hardware, and data in order to facilitate the daily operations of a business. There are many types of information systems that consist of: manual, informal, formal, and computer-based. Systems engineering derived from HCI in essence give valuable data to organizations that can be given evaluated upon, analyzed, and enhance the value of the key goals that the organization possesses managing information systems stems from internetwork enterprises. Foulds (2006) Information systems with Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a huge element because it allows children and technology. It is clear that internet and technology are vital components of the future. With the advent of technology, the internet has become a very strong force. Internet is a monumental channel that can have a positive and a negative impact on children. This paper will examine the pros and cons of the internet and its effect on children. Before dwelling into HCI, it is imperative to understand the history behind it. Human Computer Interaction has been a prominent idea from the beginning of 1970s when computers and humans began interacting with each other. Spreadsheets and computer games became highly critical because user interface became common. Nocera (2007) This was very basic interaction as modern technology have not been developed. Calculations, word processing, and excels also came later as basic processing and storage were the primitive examples of HCI. As years progressed, the logic behind

Habeas Corpus and the War on Terror Essay Example for Free

Habeas Corpus and the War on Terror Essay The law of Habeas Corpus was created to permit the guilty to present their case in court and to be tried fairly. In todays war on terror, the amount of such enemy combatants who were detained indefinitely without any trial has raised. The courts are split up on following the law by the letter or to practically change it according to the situations needs. I feel its necessary to follow these laws in the same context in which they were written, and the pragmatic approach leaves room for reckless changes. To deny an enemy combatant his or her day in court cannot be justified as taking the pragmatic approach in dealing with war criminals. This paper is an attempt to present the state of law today towards war criminals and the implications of denying the basic right of Habeas Corpus to suspected terrorists. Ever since the onset of civilization, arguments have routinely erupted between various members, families, factions, and groups within civilizations and between civilizations. In ancient times, arguments would be resolved by crude means, means not limited to the powerful person using brute force to show he was in the right. The stronger person would always have, say for example, the first right to food, to agricultural produce, cattle and to wealth etc. The weak wouldn’t dare pick an argument over the stronger person in fear for their life. But as civilizations grew and advanced over time, a code of ethics and laws began to form. Societies began to incorporate and adapt these laws in their daily functioning. Drawing inspiration from religion, past civilization practices and their mistakes, it was only natural that basic human rights were thought about and codified. The rights were guaranteed to all human beings, irrespective of who was physically stronger. The American Revolution has beyond doubt shaped the basic structure of human rights for the entire world to follow. Among many undeniable rights to citizens, the writ of Habeas Corpus was identified and established very early on in the Revolution. In Europe, the writ of Habeas Corpus was first traced to be used around the 12th and 13th centuries during the medieval period. Habeas Corpus translates from Latin to mean â€Å"you may have the body† or you may examine the body. It is essentially a writ that requires any person detained by law enforcers to be tried in a court of law and have his detention validated (Bbc. com, 2005). The writ doesn’t decide whether the accused is guilty or not, it merely stipulates that the accused be tried and detained if only found guilty of the crime being accused for. The US inherited this law from the English and codified it in the constitution in Article 1, section 9. The UN later incorporated it in their international human rights in 1952. The point of contention with the habeas corpus right is to whom it applies. The law stipulates that this right be never be suspended or denied except in cases of rebellion, invasion or when perceived as a threat to public safety. Surprisingly, this writ has been previously suspended twice in the past for seemingly similar reasons. President Lincoln suspended the writ in 1861 to prosecute the war prisoners captured during the American Civil war. His argument was that the confederates were a threat to the union and hence issued the order (Dueholm, 2008). This law was later restored after the war ended in 1866. President Bush in 2006 issued a similar suspension of the habeas corpus writ to detain enemy combatants captured in the global war against terror. It deemed these accused terrorists as a threat to national security and denied them the right to be presented and tried in court. This paper will focus on the consequences faced by the accused and the validity of enforcing such a suspension. Just suspending the writ wouldn’t seem very harmful when looked at by itself. But consider for a moment who the government arrests. American policy makers routinely count any military age males as enemy combatants. Drone strikes assume anyone in the vicinity of a drone strike of military age to be a enemy combatant first and then when sufficient intelligence is available to the contrary, they are posthumously declared civilians (Balko, 2012). In a likewise fashion, arrests were also made based on the very broad physical description of an age group, or depending on where they are and who they interact with, were picked up after being accused of terrorism. Next, consider the location of their detention. Accused terrorists were detained at prison, run by US military personnel backed by US administration; set up in a foreign land i. . Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The single reason for maintaining such an institution away from US soil was to escape the jurisdiction of laws that govern detainees which would apply if held on US soil. Laws of detention stipulate not only the kind of treatment but also the punishment meted out to convicted terrorists. The captors were free to torture their captives in any way they saw fit to gather any amount of relevant information, regardless of whether the person accused is an actual terrorist holding any real information to share. Terms such as enhanced interrogation techniques had to be invented to pass them as legal and humane methods in congress. Add to this polarized scenario, the suspension of the one single law that could serve as the difference between life and death of an innocent civilian the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. The suspension took away with it the only chance an innocent civilian had to prove his innocence. In short, simply standing at the wrong place at the wrong time can get you to serve a lifetime of torture with not even a hint of a fair trial. Naturally, concern about the handling of such detainees grew and petitions filed by family and friends of detainees finally began to reach the courts. The Supreme Court finally in a landmark case of Boumediene v. Bush ruled against the suspension of habeas corpus for the detainees with a 5-4 majority. It declared that the suspension of the writ was indeed unconstitutional. Justice Kennedy who ruled with the majority supported his stand with examples from the history of the writ back in the 12th century and its recent applicability in territories outside the border of US but still falling in its control, such as Chanel Islands. His summary also compared the legality of this writ in Scotland, which is a sovereign nation and yet still under English laws. Once US jurisdiction was proved, Justice Scoter, Ginsburg and Bryer pointed out that it would have to be one that was based on the constitution or no jurisdiction at all. Justice Scalia argued that the habeas corpus law was in fact protected by the Detainee Treatment Act, and refuted the entire judicial intervention. He was supported by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Alito and Thomas. The Justices did a fine job of evaluating the suspension of the writ. From establishing jurisdiction and what kind of jurisdiction, to an alternate mechanism to protect the habeas corpus in spirit, all avenues were thoroughly investigated. The courts also recognized the extremely difficult nature of assessing an individual in a warzone to be a combatant or a civilian in a foreign location. And yet, the writ cannot be suspended out of fear of failure in acquiring adequate proof against the detainee. Personally, I feel strongly that the writ of habeas corpus is a right so basic that it cannot be suspended in any scenario. The very least an accuser can do is to offer a fair trial to the accused. I feel that the President was wrong to remove the last ray of hope of an innocent civilian that might have been unfairly detained. The case also established the judicial soundness of our nation even at times of war, and the entire exercise in judiciary coming in between the functioning of Congress was an example to the world. Denying such a basic right makes us no different than the terrorists who accuse and punish others that broadly fit their own enemy description. Living as a part of a civilized nation for over 200 years, we owe it to ourselves to act in a dignified manner, even with our captives.

Principle Of Good Governance In Islam

Principle Of Good Governance In Islam Both the Quran and Sunnah have given some study the principles in the areas of constitutional affairs that cannot be omitted from any government system. The Quran does not mention the particulars and details and have been left for the Muslim Ummah to formulate according to time and place. In the application of constitutional principles or guidelines of Islamic political system, general rules or fundamental principles which are considered as the highest values have a major impact on the formation of the Islamic concept of the state, its functions and its system of government. The basic principles, concepts and rules are discussed below. The Concept of Sovereignty in the Islamic System The sovereignty in Islam belongs to God. The Quran tells us that Allah (SWT) is the creator and Lord of the entire universe, including the human kind and all associated with them. Therefore, Allah (SWT) is the one who has all the powers and attributes of sovereignty and nothing whatever that belongs everywhere. Thus, no one else can share the sovereignty of the entire universe as it only belongs to Allah (SWT). Command is only for Allah. He has commanded that you do not submit to anybody but him. This is the Right Way of life, but most men understand not. The rule of law in the Islamic System The principle of the rule of law in the Islamic system is considered as a base or corner stone where Islam was founded on a stake and Shariah, because Islam came to remove injustice and tyranny and struggled to knock down the ultimate power pole. Thus, the basic principles contained in the Quran, Sunnah and consensus (ijma) even in the century struggling with tyranny. Allah (SWT) says: O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer to Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe in Allah and the last Day: that is best, and most suitable for final determination  [1]  . In another verse Allah (SWT) says: O ye who believe! Obey Allah. And obey the Messenger, and make not vain your deeds!  [2]   Therefore, the Islamic judge must implement the Quran and Sunnah in all disputes brought before him. If he does not perform it, his behavior is not acceptable because he failed to fulfill the duties of a judge according to Sharia. The Sunnah came to support, emphasise and clarify these Quranic verses. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said that: Obedience of a human being is disallowed, if it is considered disobedience to the creator (Allah)  [3]  . Prophet Muhammad (SAW) also said that: Every act that does not conform to our order is rejected  [4]  . In the Islamic system, everyone, from heads of state, government and people, are subject to the law. The Prophet (SAW) himself is subject to, and is the most faithful to the Quran. He was Abd Allah wa rasuluh, the servant of God and his messenger. The head of state and the head of government cannot invoke any immunity from impeachment. The principle, Be you ever so high, the law is above you has always been there in Islamic law, to include the Prophet (SAW) himself. Just before he died, the Prophet (SAW) made the following short speech: I swear by God that I have made lawful only those things that the Quran made lawful and I have made unlawful only those things that the Quran made unlawful. If I have taken the money of any of you, here is my money, let him come and take it, and if I have lashed the body of any, here is my body, let him take back his right  [5]  . In the same way, Abu Bakr, the first successor and caliph of the Muslim state, in his acceptance speech said: O people! I have been appointed over you, but I am not the best of you. Support me if I did good and remove me if I did badly a weak person of you is strong before me as long as I maintain his right for him. And a strong one of you is weak before me until I take back a right from him Obey me as long as I obeyed Allah and his Messenger. If I disobeyed them there is no obedience of me upon you  [6]  . The past verses supported by the hadith shows that every dispute within the Muslim community between individuals, groups of people, or between people and the government, or among the parts the government and people, must be judged by the basic law we received from Allah (SWT) and His Messenger. According to this principle, the country must have an institution that judges among the people of the Quran and Sunnah, and the institution is a judicial authority. The Doctrine of the Separation of Powers and Independence of the Judiciary Separate branches of government have different functions is not an idea that is contrary to the Shariah. There is no detailed prescription about the form of government in the Quran. What is clear is the goal of the state and the principles that should be followed by the government. Hence the idea to promote good governance, organized by the Shariah, is compatible with Islam. In addition, the doctrine of judicial independence is a constitutional principle in Islamic constitution. Judges are independent and subject to no other authority but the law. In Islam, there are a number of recognized institutions may have in common with democratic forms of government. For example, the emir may be likened to the Prime Minister or President who is the chief government or executive body; assembly, which is recognized in both Islam and democracy as a means to discuss the laws and policies made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹by the government, which recognized both Islam and democracy, and last but not least, the judiciary. Therefore, in Islam, the principle of check and balance as practiced under the doctrine of separation of powers can be exercised. Furthermore, it has been claimed that the doctrine of separation of powers has been used at the time of the Prophet in the city state. As-shura As-shura is one of the most important constitutional principles in the Islamic constitution. The proof of the importance of shura is to be found in the Quran and Sunnah. In one of the two clear verses on it in the Quran, shura is mentioned as mandatory and in the other verse, it is mentioned that those who practice it are praised. The whole system of the Islamic state from its inception to the selection of the head of the state and all those in positions of power as well as its dealings must be conducted by shura, whether it is carried out directly or indirectly through selected or elected representatives. The Quran states that: Those who hearken to their Lord, and establish regular Prayer; who (conduct) their affairs by mutual Consultation; who spend out of what We bestow on them for Sustenance.  [7]   Even the Prophet, although he was the recipient of direct guidance from the Supreme Allah, was command-ed. Allah says: Consult them in affairs (of moment). Then, when thou hast taken a decision put thy trust in Allah. For Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him).  [8]   Following this advice and lead, Caliph Umar admonished that: There is no khilafah without consultation.  [9]   Thus, the practice of shura is the mechanism followed at all stages in the selection of political leadership by Muhammad and his followers. It was the first Muslim elected four khulafah guidance, although the selection and approval process varies. The important principle is the truth and accountability and public confidence in those elected by the community. Even after that when crawling hereditary rule in violation of this community right, mask allegiance, or acceptance of government still retained. Justice Islam has given to the justice position is so well known as the law may have previous system of law, old or new, that had given him. There are many verses of the Quran that speak and enjoy justice, universal order encompassing all human affairs. In one of the verses of the Quran in which enjoying justice has been generally and unqualifiedly ordered, Allah says: Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition.  [10]   In another verse of the Quran, it is stated that: Allah doth command you to render back your Trusts to those to whom they are due; And when ye judge between man and man, that ye judge with justice: Verily how excellent is the teaching which He giveth you! For Allah is He Who heareth and seeth all things.  [11]   Justice in the Islamic political system, including social justice, which means that the government should arrange to meet and satisfy the needs and desires of all the people as they have a valid part of the state and the source of bona fide citizens of the country. This includes the provision of job, means of subsistence and economic justice. This in turn suggests that it is the responsibility of the government to provide food, shelter and clothing for all the people in the state. Economic justice aimed at equitable distribution of lifestyle and checks the concentration of wealth in a few hands. That is why the second Caliph Umar refused to divide land among the Muslim soldiers and commanders in areas conquered by Muslims in Iraq, Iran and Syria. Only justice can create discipline in life of the people. It is also important that the administration of justice, which means that all state officers are also subject to accountability and they do not need to consider and treat the person as a slave or personal assistant. They should not insult the people in any manner. They should be honest and efficiently in administer public affairs. It should be ensured that the concentration of wealth in one class or few hands did not happen. There is absolutely no doubt, that the governing principle of Islam is a set of the most comprehensive scientific and principles of efficient administration. Freedom Contemporary scholars of modern constitutional law divide into several branches of freedom: freedom of thought and belief, the right to education and property and personal freedom. There is no question that the Islamic Constitution gives such great consideration and respect for this freedom because it has rarely been given by other political doctrine in the Constitution of the positive. Man has continued to use the right of choice ever since he has been on the earth. On this point that the Quran makes is as follows: Seest thou not that to Allah bow down in worship all things that are in the heavens and on earth, the sun, the moon, the stars; the hills, the trees, the animals; and a great number among mankind? But a great number are (also) such as are fit for Punishment: and such as Allah shall disgrace None can raise to honour: for Allah carries out all that He wills. Equality The principle of equality is one of the most important constitutional principles upon which the contemporary system rests. This means that the principle of equality contained in the individual communities are equal in rights, responsibilities and public duties that will be enjoyed by all without discrimination of race, origin, lan-measure or belief. The principle of equality has been initiated by the Quran and Sunnah and the expansion of Islam during some as a precedent in Islamic law and its own time and place; precedent is a fundamental revolution in the basic concept of Arab ideas about the source of pride as the notion held by some tribes but not by others. Islamic law based on the Quran and Sunnah is common to all and is equally applicable to the members of the society from the lowest to the highest level, without any distinction or discrimination The Prophet was asked to declare that: I have been commanded to maintain justice between you.  [12]   The Prophet admonished that: The nations before you were destroyed because they would punish the lower class criminals according to the law but would let go those from the higher class. Then laying further emphasis, He continued by stating that: I swear by the Authority in whose control is Mohammads life, if Mohammads daughter is guilty of stealing, I would cut her hand off.37 Therefore, all the personal, civil, political, social, cultural and economic rights of an individual are guaranteed under Islamic law. Everyone has equal rights and is equally responsible before the law. It is the duty of government to ensure that every member of society, particularly the poor, given its right time. Accountability It is permissible to make the head of state and the head of government responsible for their acts. Statute on the question of the permissibility of calling heads of state to account varies from state to state in the modern system of government. Some state Constitution provides that heads of state are not subject to blame for the actions and behavior even though he violated the law, whereas, according to the Islamic constitution, there is no difference between the heads of state and other individuals in the accountability for violating the law. Al-amr bil maruf wa nahi an al-munkar This literally means commanding what is right and forbidding what is wrong and encompasses a whole gambit of duties and responsibilities. The Quran makes it the mission of its believers: You are the best of Peoples evolved for humankind, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong and believing in Allah.  [13]   This means that every individual in the society has the right, nay the duty, to tell the truth and to stand for it, to further all that is good and virtuous and do his or her utmost to remove the wrongs and vices wherever he or she finds them. The Prophet tells us that: Whoever among you sees a vice (or wrong), he should change it with his hands; if he is not able to do that, then he should check it with his tongue; and if he cannot do that, then he should consider it bad in his heart (and wish for its removal) and this is the sign of weakest in faith.  [14]   A famous hadith states as follows: The best Jihad is to say what is just (or truth) in the face of a tyrant.  [15]   Yet another hadith states that: When people see a tyrant and do not hold his hands, it is not far that Allah (SWT) sends a common punishment on them.  [16]   Thus the above hadith categorically emphasised its importance. Islamic Banking in Brunei Having moved early to establish Shariah-compliant services, the Sultanate was now in a position to carve a niche for itself as a center for Islamic banking. However, the industry must address a number of challenges, led by the shortage of skilled labor, if it is to fully support the development of the segment. In mid-October, Standard Chartered Bank Brunei (SCB) said it was mulling plans to introduce Islamic banking products this year to meet increased demand for syariah-compliant banking services in Brunei. The announcement followed the September launch of the Islamic Bank of Brunei, which replaced the International Bank of Brunei as the sole domestically owned bank in the country. The Tabung Amanah Islam Brunei was launched in 1991 and was the first financial institution to offer savings and financing in accordance with Islamic principles. It was followed two years later by the Islamic Bank of Brunei. They were joined in 2000 by the Islamic Development Bank of Brunei. Standard Chartered Bank Brunei CEO Lai Pei-Si told the media in October that launching an Islamic bank was a logical step to take and a logical step to consider because Brunei has an express need for Islamic banking products. He added that the bank would begin modestly by offering Islamic products, with hopes of bringing much more comprehensive Islamic solutions into the country. In April, the managing director of Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam, Javed Ahmad, said the market share held by syariah-compliant banking was expected to increase to 60 per cent from its current levels of 40-55 per cent over the next five years. At a seminar on Islamic finance, Ahmad said Brunei Darussalams strengths, led by strong economic and political stability, good infrastructure and government support, meant it was well placed to build a reputation as an Islamic financial centre. With more aggressive marketing, Brunei Darussalams journey towards making itself an Islamic financial hub might become a possibility in the next few years, he said. A report in December by global consultancy Ernst Young said the worldwide value of Islamic banking would reach US$1.55 trillion in 2012 and US$1.8 trillion this year. Growth in Muslim communities in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia were key drivers in the rising demand for Islamic financial services, it said. The Sultanate is benefiting from early participation in the Islamic banking segment, having launched its first Islamic bond, the Short Term Government Sukuk Al-Ijarah programme worth $150 million for a three-month certificate in April 2006. In November, Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam (AMBD, which acts as central bank), announced the successful pricing of its 82nd issuance of sukuk or Islamic bonds, worth $100 million at a rental rate of 0.16 per cent. The move followed a $100-million, 90-day issuance that matures this month. Although Brunei Darussalam is well positioned to capitalize on growing interest in Islamic finance, observers have emphasized the need for the Sultanate to develop Islamic banking products are new if it is to maintain its position in the market. Understanding the theory of Maqasid al-Syariah (the objectives of Islamic law) and the defining characteristics of an Islamic bank could encourage the Islamic banking industry to improve and excel in their product innovation as well as financial inter-mediation that can be linked to economic growth, Abdul Ghafar Ismail, a lecturer at the Research Centre for Islamic Economics and Finance, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said at a conference last May. Industry experts believe Brunei addressing these challenges, with an emphasis on staff training after human resources has been identified as a factor that may limit the success. Having strengthened its operational base and regulatory framework, Brunei is now taking steps to address a shortage of trained industry professionals in the Islamic financial sector by providing on-the-job training and local universities offering bachelors, masters and doctorate degree programmes related to Islamic finance, said Javed. Early entry into the Islamic financial services market by the Sultanate had provided it has a solid foundation to develop the industry. Experts suggest the focus should now shift to export expertise and strengthening the global role of the Sharia Islamic banking. Concept Of Riba Riba in Malaysia Riba is a transaction contract between 2 or more parties. Therefore, it is an agreement which is enforceable by law.  [17]  So, when an agreement is not capable of being enforced, it is said not to considered as a contract.  [18]  Even though there could be contract between the parites, the law had laid down certain situation where the contract will be invalidated based on circumstances. Section 24 of the Contracts Act describes a void contract as any agreement or contract, the object or consideration of which is forbidden by law, is such a nature that if permitted by law will defeat the law; is fraudulent; it involves implied injury to the person or property of another; or is regarded as immoral or opposed to public policy by the court. Thus, in all the above circumstances, the courts are requested to declare the agreement as illegal and therefore void; having no effect whatsoever.  [19]  The Act further provides for instances or grounds where an agreement will be regarded to be void. The Act provides as follows: The considerations and objects of an agreement are lawful, unless (a) it is forbidden by law; (b) it is such a nature that, if permitted, it would defeat any law; (c) it is fraudulent; (d) it involves or implies injury to the person or property of another; or (e) the court regards it as immoral, or opposed to public policy. The above cases show that the consideration or the object of the consideration is said to be unlawful. In situation where the consideration is said to be unlawful, the contract is void The main part shall be on S24(b) and à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ of the contract Act. The court had the power to declare any riba transaction to be void it such situation had been brough to the civil court. If the riba based agreement is allowed, this would defeat any law and also the constitution too. This argument falls unequivocally on S.24(b) of the Contract Act. Besides that, a riba based agreement if allowed would defeat A.3 of the Federal constitution as well. The courts can therefore rely on this provision to declare a riba-based transaction or agreement void. The combination of the two provisions of the law is sufficient for the court to declare that riba based agreement, would defeat A.3 of the Fedeeal Constitution. This interpretation is in line with the principle that the constitution should not be read in isolation but rather it must be interpretaed in a way that it would give life and meaning to other provision of the law. The second argument that could be raised by the court in invalidating riba based transaction is the ground of public policy. This is coverd by S,24(e) of the Contract Act. The question now is what is public policy and what is public policy in Malaysia.. It has been viewed in one quarter as the broad framework of ideas and values within which decisions are taken and action, or inaction, is pursued by governments in relation to an issue or problem.  [20]  It has also been seen as a proposed course of action of a person, group or government within a given environment, providing obstacles and opportunities which the policy was proposed to utilise and overcome in an effort to reach a goal or realise an objective or purpose.  [21]  Furthermore, it is also a commitment to a course or plan of action agreed to by a group of people with the power to carry it out.  [22]   It is also seen as whatever governments choose to do or not to do.  [23]  It can also mean an agreement that injures public welfare, morals or health.  [24]  It also means policy of the law and is applicable to the spirit and letter of the law.  [25]  It is also seen as principles according to which actions of men and communities need to be regulated to achieve the good of the entire community or public.  [26]  It has been seen as principles and standards regarded by the Legislature or by the courts as being a fundamental concern to the state and the whole of the society and things that can injure the public at large.  [27]  It further refers to the art of ruling wisely and to matters which the Legislature or the court regards as fundamental concern to the state and to the whole society.  [28]  It connotes an overriding public interest that may justify the courts decision to declare a contract void.  [29]   From all the definition of Public policy which had been defined above, oine could reasonably concluded that public policy includes the state ideology, the state objectives and plan, the values and fundamental concerns of the state, the legal policy of the state in terms of spirit and letters of the law, the overriding public interest and principles regulating the affairs of the state to achieve good for the community. Regarding the second question which is regarding public policy in Malaysia, it is to be said that Islam is considered as the public policy in Malaysia. The religion of Islam being the public policy of Malaysia is evident in art 3 of the Constitution which declares Islam as the religion of the federation. It was made so important to the extent of having it stated in art 3 of the Constitution. It is also evident in the careful drafting of art 4(1) to exclude Islam from a law that may be rendered void for being inconsistent with the provision of the Constitution.  [30]  One can also clearly see the public policy in the nature of oath being taken by the Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan Agong.  [31]  This can also be seen in the definition of who is Malay.  [32]  It can also be seen in art 74(2) which gives the state the powers to make laws in Islamic matters. On the other hand, the population of muslim had overridden the number of other religion in Malaysia. In addition to that, Mu slims also represent the majority in political positions including that of the states of the Federation. Having affirmed that Islam remains as the major public policy of Malaysia, it is clear for the court to nullify riba based agreement nor transaction to be contradict with the public policy of Malaysia which is under S.24à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ of the Contract Act and A.3 of the Federal Constitution. There are certain objection that had been raised which is one could be said to have the intention to impose Shariah principle on every citizens in this country including those who are of different religion.. This argument may not hold water because this is nothing but pure interpretation of the existing laws of the country namely the Contracts Act and the Constitution. Secondly, it is natural that a law usually emerges anywhere in the world as a result of the political, social, religious and sometimes even for selfish reasons. It is a product of the cultural norms, social status and public policy of a nation and this perhaps led to the emergence of Islam as the religion of the federation. Even the Central Bank Act of Malaysia enjoins the bank to promote the interest of the country.  [33]  It is submitted here that allowing a riba-based transaction is even not in the interest of the country, No matter how it is looked at, A.3 of the Federal constitution is already in existence and the best solution for it is to interpreted it in a way that it gives life and meaning to the provision Moroever, invalidating riba based transaction on the grounds of public policy is equivalent to circumstances where the court declares an agreement void due to the reason of it is against morality Riba in Brunei Throughout the history there are people who are trying to justify riba. There is a writer saying that: We can state that there will be no Islamic pre-eminence without achieving economic pre-eminence. Besides that, is it to said that there could not be any pre-eminence without establishing any fininacial institution which dould not function without relying in interest (Riba/ usury) The muslim ummah is permited to build up their own economies by way of using the means that Allah had allowed for them. Economic strength enables the Ummah to perform what Allah had permitted to them and what had been forbidden to them. Whenever a Muslim helps in preserving Allahs command and help each other to preserve the rightenous of Islamic Law, Allah will make bless them. In addition to that, Allah will also help them in archieving their goals and stay safety. Regarding the statement- There can be no economic pre-eminence without  ¬Ã‚ nancial institutions and no  ¬Ã‚ nancial institutions without interest (Riba), they are utterly false. This false statement had been contradicted with the Al Quran. The practices of Islamic economic where it was establish at the time of prophet until now where banks had affirmed the falsehood of this statement. Muslim economy could said to have been the strong during the past few centuries where it does not rely neither on bank nor Riba. Besides that, throughout this time period, many Muslims w

Thomas Jefferson :: essays research papers

President Thomas Jefferson 1801 - 1809 Thomas Jefferson came into presidency with the intentions of limiting the size and power of the central government. His success and failures in accomplishing this goal were many. Thomas Jefferson was America’s third president in reign from 1801 – 1809, once tying in the presidential race with Aaron Burr, where the decision was made by the House of Representatives to choose Jefferson whom they thought was less dangerous than Burr. As president he was the first to be inaugurated in Washington which was a city he had helped to plan. President Jefferson's inauguration was probably the start of the changes in government. It has been said that his particular taking of office had lead to the simplest speech stating that "essential principals" would guide his administration and would support all states with "equal and exact justice to all". And the actual changes of administration were the most peaceful of all, nothing like those previously. Jefferson’s accomplishments were most greatly seen by the ability to simplify the Republican government in the new capital by cutting back the unnecessary branches and less useful positions while replacing Federalists with Republicans. And by the year 1808, Republicans held almost all the government offices. At the same time Jefferson fought to keep the size of the government from continuously growing. President Jefferson work diligently with congress to change the Alien Acts to have a more relaxed naturalization for only requiring five years of residency achieve United States citizenship, instead of the previous fourteen years. While president Jefferson achieved credit for making the Federal governments priorities foreign affairs, and leaving local matters for the state and local governments to tend with. Jefferson’s beliefs in local self government created differences between himself and Alexander Hamilton which created the Federalists (Hamilton followers) and the Democrat Republican’s (Jefferson followers). President Jefferson was instrumental in the Louisiana Purchase, which secured an area extending from Canada to the Gulf and the Mississippi to the Rockies, for fifteen million dollars. This purchase also led to the planning and organization of the Lewis and Clark expedition. However, the argument over whether or not Florida was included in the Louisiana Purchase caused many sarcastic attacks on Thomas Jefferson from members of congress. Although, shortly before leaving office President Jefferson was forced to yield on certain acts that he had implemented, such as the Non-importation Act of 1806 and the Embargo Act of 1807.

Brave New World - How Does Society Treat Death In Chapter 14? :: essays research papers

The Brave New World treated death much as they did birth, this was in contradiction to the way the savage felt death should be Death in the Brave New World is not important, it is simply something that happens to your body when it has got worn out. In chapter 14 the nurse thought that the savage was â€Å"Undoing all their wholesome death-conditioning with this disgusting outcry as though death were something terrible, as though anyone mattered as much as all that!† Clearly she too had been death conditioned, to accept that death was certain, but she knew that she could be assured that her minerals would be recoverd after her death and used again. Societies views of death were extremely different, and even the hearses were â€Å"Gaily coloured† and the ward that Linda was on was called the â€Å"Galloping senility ward† suggesting that they had no fear of going senile. I think that the colour of the building and the size clearly represents what society thinks about death.â€Å"Primrose†,â€Å"60-Story† and the wards were â€Å"Bright with sunshine† these aren't the coulors or size modern society would use, but because of their conditioning in The Brave New world they are taught to like it, have happy thoughts about death, and are reassured by the fact, that when they die their bodies can be recycled and turned into chemicals. What the nurse says to the savage on page 163 also says something about the way that society treats death. She says â€Å"You are in a hurry!† after probably expecting him to be less anxious. She then goes on to say â€Å"You’re not feeling ill are you?† due to his abnormal (for a conditioned world) behavior and his concern for Linda which, as we can see was highly unexpected as few visitors ever came. The words â€Å"Number 3 might go off any minute now† tell us something because the people have lost their identity and because they are dying are now only refereed to as numbers, it is as if no one cares. But saying this the situation around the bed where Linda is dying, with the TV, and scent spraying into the air, tells us that people weren't just left to die, but were given some comforts but they were forgotten. Bodies were cremated not buried and there was no book of remembrance because this is the Brave New World and they are trying to forget the past, and only look on to the future

The Presentation of Conflict in War Literature

Morally conflicted characters are present in all three texts, as individuals struggle to make a Judgment between what they perceive as right and wrong. In Regeneration Rivers experiences an Internal ethical conflict which Intensifies as the novel progresses. Whilst observing fellow therapist Holland work, Rivers is forced to question the moral legitimacy of his war contributions. Holland employs an intense form of therapy on voiceless patient Calla. A dream he has shortly after the experience brings this dilemma to the front of his mind, ‘in the dream he had stood in Wellhead's place.The dream seemed to be saying†¦ Don't latter yourself. There Is no distinction. ‘ Electro Convulsive Therapy (ACT) was, and still Is, a controversial treatment. Frequently used as a form of social control, and the uncertainty surrounding its effects, had led it to become a source of great fear for those it was enforced upon. The language used in this passage by Holland emphasis the asser tion of his control over Calla. Barker uses several imperatives and modal verbs, such as you must behave as becomes the hero I expect you to be' and you must talk before you leave me'.The tone here is very authoritative and could make readers feel intrusive whilst reading. Similarly, in Birdsong the main character, Stephen, experiences the horrors of war and although initially emotionally detached grows to care about the men he is serving with. The fate of his comrades fuels disdain for the war leading him to denounce it as ‘an exploration of how far men can be degraded'. As Paul Salad (1999) says the pure fury and intensity of the imagery created is†¦ Rebounded shocking and, ultimately, desperately uncomfortable to read', and the poignancy of the description by Faults creates an immense Impact on the reader. Despite this when Stephen Is Injured and offered a desk Job whilst recovering n hospital he Is ‘appalled at the Idea of being separated from the men he had fou ght with. He despised the war, but he could not leave'. This is similar to Swanson in Regeneration, who writes a poem with the lines When are you going back to them again? Are they not still your brothers through our blood?.This moral conflict can be amplified beyond the individual. In the poem Easter 1 91 6 W. B Yeats explores the cost of freedom. The issue of Home Rule had dominated Irish Politics for several years until eventually coming to a head In April 1916, when a group of rebels seized the UAPITA city of Dublin. Yeats demonstrates his mixed feelings with the oxymoron phrase ‘a terrible beauty is born', by personifying this freedom with the verb ‘born', Yeats seems to be implying that the cause has taken on a life of its own and those who created it no longer have control.Through the simile ‘as a mother names her child when sleep at last has come on limbs that had run wild', Yeats suggests that the rebel leaders had childlike enthusiasm for their cause, but Like children were naive The true brilliance of Yeats poem is, as Decline Kibbled (1995) said, is the honesty in which he debates the issue', this honesty makes the poem more emotive and, moreover, gives modern readers an insight into those turbulent times. The outbreak of war came at a time when rigid social structures where in place; there was a sense that those who didn't fit the ideal where not to be accepted – such as homosexuals.The war brought about change, some matters where by no means altered dramatically but it at least brought the old principles into conflict with the new. Whereas other texts show us individuals struggling to accept their personal identities n a society that condemns them, the poem The Soldier by Rupert Brooke presents a character whose position is supported by the masses (through propaganda) and is no doubt as to who they are and what they stand for.His certainty is evident in the opening line of the poem, ‘if I should die think only this of me', this imperative expresses his confidence and as the poem is written in sonnet form his love for his country cannot be denied. However, Brooke never actually saw active service and therefore his genuine understanding of the war is feeble. Stalwartly (2002) writes of Brooke ‘had Brooke lived to experience†¦ The trenches of the Western Front, it is hard to imagine that the poet†¦ Would not have written as realistically as Owen†¦ . We must thus ask whether his opinion would differ if he had the experiences of his contemporaries and without the weight of public disagreement on his shoulders it is easy to see why Brooke was so self-assured in his poem he is ‘a soldier poet†¦ Not a war poet. ‘ Contrastingly, in Regeneration an element of Robert Graver's identity does not agree at all with social views of the time. Homosexuality was actually illegal in the United Kingdom from 1533 up until 1967, therefore for Graves the issue goes beyond disappr oval.In chapter 17 Graves tells Swanson about Peter – a man they both knew of on the front line – ‘he was arrested' for ‘soliciting outside the local barracks'. The shock of this leads Graves to denounce his identity, saying ‘it's only fair to tell you that†¦ Since that happened my affections have been running in more normal channels'. The suspension marks here imply uncertainty and the abstract noun ‘normal' is used almost as a synonym as Graves doesn't seem able to clearly associate himself with homosexuality.It is clear in this passage that Graves cares greatly about how others perceive him; this consciousness leads to him changing who he is. Although in Birdsong, Weir experiences similar scrutiny due to him still being a virgin it is not seen as wrong but rather a source of amusement and pity for his comrades. Stephen takes it upon himself to ‘solve' Weir's problem and forces him into a situation which leaves him ‘shaken and pale'. Both Weir and Graves feel a certain amount of shame for the uncommon elements of their identity, but a key difference is that Graves allows himself to be changed.Undoubtedly, Weir is conflicted in his feelings towards his virginity, it leads him to be filled with anxiety but yet he also ‘convince[s] himself that what he had missed could not be remarkable'. The verb ‘could' suggest doubt and it is unclear whether Weir is ever certain in his conclusions, despite his reluctance to give away something that is linked so intrinsically to his own identity he still feels ‘it had come to nothing but humiliation'. In a private letter to his mother Wilfred Owen writes how ‘[he] nearly broke down and let [himself] drown'.This sentence alone encapsulates the psychological struggle men underwent in the thin himself and allowed his self-will to slip. In his poem Exposure we see what led to this breakdown. The ABA rhyme scheme highlights the cyclical nature of trench warfare and the anaphoric use of ‘but nothing happens' further supports this idea, somehow the men always end up back where they started and their ‘brains ached' from it. It can be argued that being Worried by silence' is worse than the The alternative and psychological breakdowns are a result of the repeated tension of waiting.Owen manages to pull himself back up and carry on but for some men it wasn't as easy. Burns in Regeneration struggles to escape his all consuming psychological trauma. Even Rivers, the doctor who is supposed to be helping him overcome this, is ‘defeated' by it. In chapter 15 Rivers goes to visit Burns but he is quick to see that he is struggling to re-establish himself and ‘however hard Burns tried to thrust the memories of the war behind him, the nightmare followed'. The use of the verb thrust' here implies force and suggests that Burns is desperately trying to escape but this is a battle he is loosing.Burns illness takes over him mi nd and body, preventing him from eating and turning him yellow skinned'. Philip Gibbs, a journalist on the Western Front, later recalled that the shell-shock cases were the worst to see and the worst to cure†¦ Sturdy, men shaking with ague, mouthing like madman, figures of dreadful terror, speechless and uncontrollable'. Brenna in Birdsong suffers a similar fate. Elizabeth goes to visit him in a care home in order to seek out more information on her grandfather and the war.Brenna kept his sanity through the wars horrors (such as pulling his brothers rotting body out of a shell hole) but once he returned home his mental state declined. What is clear is that Brenna was alone in his battle with his psyche, Elizabeth curses how she cannot ‘restore poor Brakeman's life or take away the pity of the past'. As seen in Exposure Brakeman's life is monotonous. He spent his entire post war existence in and out of field hospitals and care homes without a single visitor. Without anythi ng or anyone to cling to Brenna is overpowered by his psychological conflict.We see a conflict in gender roles during the war and thus it is manifested in war literature. Women were evolving in the absence of men and when the men did finally come back they were expected to regress. There is a subversion of gender roles, women must become more hardened and ‘masculine' to be able to support themselves and their remaining family, while the devastation of the war brings out the more compassionate feminine' qualities in men. The war broke down boundaries and the conflict lay in the perceptions of what now separates men and women.The women in Regeneration, Legalize in particular, represents a new radical form of women. Legalize relished her freedom so much that doesn't want her husband ‘back on leave' or even When it's over' and alludes to divorcing him. At the time divorces were still infrequent and frowned upon – so through her consideration of it we see how the mind set of women has progressed. Prior seems bewildered by this noting women have ‘changed so much during the war' and how ‘he was so out of touch with women'. Siegfried Swanson wrote an ironic sonnet about women entitled The Glory of Women.There is an accusatory tone running throughout the poem, such as the anaphoric use of the first person personal pronoun you'. This use of direct address emphasis Caisson's frustration with those at home. The opening line of the poem presents the idea that Eros'. In this poem women are seen to love heroics but this is a one sided opinion. Women gave out white feathers at home to those who were not serving to denounce them as cowards, on the surface this seems quite callous and we can see why Swanson puts women on par with the enemy -German mother'.However, the women giving out these feathers no doubt had husbands, brothers and sons fighting on the front line, therefore seeing men safe at home no doubt enraged them. Why should their family fight and die while some stay at home? These conflicting views question whether indeed the greatest conflicts are.. Teen one person and himself, it may be that (Sharon Mennonite 2002) ‘gender stereotyping may distort and repress the personal development of individuals of both genders'. The parallels between Isabella and Elizabeth are evident – both have affairs and illegitimate children as a result.However, the circumstances in which these events happen are very different. In pre- war France Isabella is condemned by Renee for her affair, he shouts that she will ‘[go] to hell' for what she has done. The reference to her father – ‘and you're father†¦ What can he do†¦? Gives insight into how women were viewed at the time, as objects or sessions of the men in their lives. However, Elizabethan affair with a married man in the sass is met with little scorn or resistance. This is again indicative of the time, after both wars women had begun to camp aign for equality with movements such as the Suffragettes.When Elizabeth tells her friends they are ‘displeased' but for superficial reasons such as Jealousy, even her mother who is from an older generation is pleased for her. The similarities between these two women may have been done by Faults to show the changing attitudes towards gender and shows how after the conflicting years progress is eventually made. The conflicting opinions of what was happening on the battlefield created a huge separation between the soldiers and the public.In The Hero by Siegfried Swanson a mother is told of the death of her son. However, she is not told the complete truth, she is told that her son died honorably and ‘as he'd have wished'. The truth is though that her son was ‘a useless swine' (or so the ‘brother officer' thinks) and he died ‘panicking down [a] trench'. The annalistic imagery used here creates a stark contrast with phrases such as ‘her glorious boy, t his further emphasis the difference in what those at home re being told compared with what is actually happening.Both stanza one and three have a matching rhyme scheme (BACK), this could have been done by Swanson to show the two versions of the story, whereas the falter in the rhyme in the second stanza (ABACA) shows the discrepancy of the ‘gallant lies'. These lies and propaganda lead to soldiers such as Billy Prior feeling disconnected when they are home on leave. When walking along the beach with Sarah, Prior describes the public as ‘black figures, like insects' this metaphor extends as Prior describes their movements saying they[swarm] across the beach like insects'.The connotations of the negative imagery of insects, especially flies, are foulness and decay. This separation showed how the war took lives in every sense of the word as some soldiers couldn't find a place in society after the war, Prior feels ‘like a ghost' among them. Weir experiences a similar f eeling of disconnection when home on leave, he goes to visit his parents and feels strangely formal. It appears to him that the England he thought he was fighting for ceases to mean anything to him on a Weir to wonder ‘if he was going to say any word of greeting. Throughout his stay he isWaiting for the moment when the familiar wash of normality would come over him' but normality seems lost to him in the way he knew it. This indifference quickly rises into anger for Weir, after his leave he calls those at home fat pigs' who ‘have got no idea what lives are led for them'. He then goes on to wish ‘a great bombardment would smash down†¦ And kill the whole lot of them†¦ Particularly my family. ‘. Like in The Hero the annalistic imagery emphasis the disdain Weir has for those at home and this anger fuels the conflict between the battlefield and the home front.

Introduction to Starbucks

Introduction Starbucks first opened in 1971 in Seattle’s pike place market as a single store and at that time it was a merchant of whole bean and ground coffee, tea and spices. The name Starbucks was given after the first mate in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick and there logo was motivated by the sea- featuring a twin tailed siren taken from Greek mythology. Howard Schultz is the Starbucks president and chief executive officer and he joined the company in 1982 and then for a short time left the company to start his own coffeehouses in Italy but then later in August 1987 he bought Starbucks with the help of other investors.Now Starbucks has 17,651 (as of July1, 2012) total number of stores all over the world in places like Bahrain, Australia, Canada, Taiwan and Egypt and so on, plus they offer just more than whole bean and ground coffee, tea and spices, they now also offer handcrafted beverages such as hot and iced espresso, merchandises such as mugs, fresh food such as sand wiches and also offer ready to drink products such as bottled frapuccinos. Starbucks mission till date has been to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.One of the reasons why Starbucks remains popular for its coffee is that their coffee buyers individually travel to coffee farms in Latin America, Africa and Asia to select the best quality beans. In addition to that Starbucks is a responsible company which does not only consider profits but also looks factors such as principled sourcing which is helping farmers for a stable future and a stable climate for the world and another factor being environmentally friendly. Starbucks by 2015 will completely be environmentally friendly hence all its cups will be re-useable or recyclable.

Mitchell Juliet

from A Bibliography of Literary Theory, Criticism and Philology http://www. unizar. es/departamentos/filologia_inglesa/garciala/bibliography. html by Jose Angel Garcia Landa (University of Zaragoza, Spain) Juliet Mitchell Works Mitchell, Juliet. Woman's Estate. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1971. _____. Psychoanalysis and Feminism: Freud, Rank, Laing, and Women. New York: Random House, 1974. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1975. _____. Psychoanalysis and Feminism: A Radical Reassessment of Freudian Psychoanalysis.London: Allen Lane; New York: Vintage, 1974. London: Penguin, 1990. _____. â€Å"From the Feminine to the Female. † TLS 1 July 1977: 798. _____. â€Å"On Freud and the Distinction between the Sexes. † In Mitchell, Women, The Longest Revolution. New York: Pantheon, 1984. _____. â€Å"Psychoanalysis: A Humanist Humanity or a Linguistic Science? † In Women: The Longest Revolution. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1984. _____. â€Å"The Question of Femininity and the Theory of Ps ychoanalysis. † In Mitchell, Women: The Longest Revolution. New York: Pantheon, 1984. 95-313. _____. â€Å"The Question of Femininity and the Theory of Psychoanalysis. † In. Psychoanalysis and woman: A Reader. Ed. Shelley Saguaro. Houndmills: Macmillan, 2000. _____. Women: The Longest Revolution. Essays in Feminism, Literature and Psychoanalysis. New York: Pantheon; London: Virago, 1984. _____. La liberacion de la mujer: la larga lucha. (Cuadernos Anagrama, 100). Barcelona: Anagrama. _____. â€Å"Femininity, Narrative and Psychoanalysis. † In M. Eagleton 1986: 100-103. _____. â€Å"Femininity, Narrative and Psychoanalysis. In Modern Criticism and Theory: A Reader. Ed. David Lodge. London: Longman, 1988. 425-30. * _____. â€Å"Siamese Twins at Odds. † Rev. of Freudians and Feminists. By Edith Kurzweil. TLS 31 May 1996: 12. * _____, ed. The Selected Melanie Klein. Ed. Juliet Mitchell. 1986. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1991. Mitchell, Juliet, and Jacqueline Rose , eds. Feminine Sexuality. By Jacques Lacan and the ecole freudienne. Trans. Jacqueline Rose. New York: Norton; London: Macmillan, 1982. Mitchell, Juliet, and Ann Oakley, eds. The Rights and Wrongs of Women.Harmondsworth, 1976. _____, eds. What Is Feminism? New York: Random House, 1986. Criticism Elliot, Patricia. â€Å"Juliet Mitchell, Jacqueline Rose, and the Defense of Sexual Difference. † In Elliot. From Mastery to Analysis: Theories of Gender in Psychoanalytic Feminism. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1991. 71-98. * Watkins, Susan. â€Å"Psychoanalytic Feminism: Juliet Mitchell: Psychoanalysis and Feminism, Nancy Chodorow, The Reproduction of Mothering: Psychoanalysis and the Sociology of Gender, Margaret Atwood: Lady Oracle. In Watkins, Twentieth-Century Women Novelists: Feminist Theory into Practice. Houndmills: Macmillan, 2001. Edited works The Rights and Wrongs of Women: Goode, John. â€Å"Woman and the Literary Text. † In The Rights and Wrongs of Women. Ed. Juliet Mitch ell and Ann Oakley. Harmondsworth, 1976. 217-55. What Is Feminism? Cott, Nancy F. â€Å"Feminist Theory and Feminist Movements: The Past Before Us. † In What Is Feminism? Ed. Juliet Mitchell and Ann Oakley. New York: Random House, 1986.

An Explication of Beowulf’s Monologue About His Past

Katie Taylor EH 215 Volf 4 February 2013 Beowulf’s Past Beowulf is an epic poem that is filled with episodes and digressions that provide a better understanding of the poem as a whole. In one of the episodes, Beowulf speaks of his past, and the reader can learn about his upbringing as a child and how it has affected him as an adult. This monologue also gives some information about King Hrethel and his sons. The main purpose of this anecdote, however, is to describe how and when Beowulf began his career of combat and fame.Within Beowulf’s monologue, the author utilizes alliterations and kenning to help the poem flow and to emphasize the strength and valor of Beowulf as an epic hero. One such example is the kenning used at the beginning of the episode. It reads, â€Å"Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow, spoke†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (2425). Instead of the phrasing reading â€Å"Beowulf spoke,† this phrase adds vigor to the beginning. It reinforces the idea that Beowulf is seen as an extremely powerful hero that can take on anything that comes his way as opposed to â€Å"just Beowulf. If â€Å"son of Ecgtheow† were not used, Beowulf would seem almost boring compared to the magnificent, heroic image that comes to mind when this phrase is employed. Alliteration is also used to allow the poem to flow and also to provide an interesting element to otherwise bland sentences. â€Å"While I was in his ward he treated me no worse as a wean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is referring to King Hrethel’s â€Å"adoption† of Beowulf after his father died (2432).The repetition of the W sound allows easy movement through the story that Beowulf tells, and it keeps the reader interested in what is being said. Another example of alliteration is the lines 2479-2480: â€Å"My own kith and kin avenged these evil events, as everybody knows†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Without any sound repetition, the reader would become bored with the story, but the author strategically places these examples of alliteration in the epic to provide more exciting details. Along with these rhetorical devices, this passage gives significant details bout Beowulf’s upbringing. The reader learns that Beowulf’s father Ecgtheow dies when Beowulf is only seven years old. King Hrethel takes him in, though, and treats him like one of his own sons. Later, the king’s oldest son Herebeald is accidentally killed by his younger brother Haethcyn. King Hrethel is so depressed that he lay down and dies from grief. Afterward, there is a battle between the Swedes and the Geats, in which Hrethel’s son Haethcyn, the new king, is killed in battle.Hygelac, the last son of Hrethel and now the new king of the Geats, gave Beowulf treasure and land for fighting alongside them. This battle seems to be one of the first that Beowulf participated in. He says, â€Å"I marched ahead of him [Hygelac], always there at the front of the line; and I shall fight like that for as long as I live†¦ † (2497-2499). After that first battle, Beowulf launched himself into a life of war and fame, constantly craving the recognition and treasures that came after a successful battle or killing.Beowulf’s monologue about his past allows readers into his mind so that they can understand why he fights the way he does and where he came from in the first place. Without this episode, the poem as a whole would suffer because there would be no back story to explain Beowulf’s desire to defeat monsters and achieve the fame that he thinks he deserves. Perhaps he is making up for the fact that his father died when he was so young: he is trying to live a life that would make his father proud that Beowulf was his son.

Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities Facing IT Managers Essay

Cyber-security demands are ever increasing in the field of Information Technology with the globalization of the internet. Disruptions due to cyber-attacks are affecting the economy, costing companies billions of dollars each year in lost revenue. To counter this problem corporations are spending more and more on infrastructure and investing to secure the cyber security vulnerabilities which range anywhere from software to hardware to networks and people that use them. Due to the complexity of information systems that interact with each other and their counter parts, the requirement to meet specific cyber security compliances have become a challenging issues for security professionals worldwide. To help with these issues, security professionals have created different standards and frameworks over the years for addressing this growing concern of vulnerabilities within enterprise systems and the critical information they hold (â€Å"Critical Security Controls,† n.d.). Before we get into the details let first examine what exactly is a security vulnerability. By definition a security vulnerability can be flaws in hardware, software, networks or the employees that use them which in turn can allow hackers to compromise the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the information system (â€Å"Common Cybersecurity,† 2011). To thoroughly discuss this topic in more detail I will first discuss Confidentiality as it is one of the three main goals of IT Security. Confidentiality is as simple as it sounds, limiting access to resources for only those that need it. Confidentiality vulnerabilities occur when hackers try to exploits some weakness or flaw  within information system and view information that they are not normally allowed to. In this case the confidentiality of the documents have been compromised. The second goal of IT security which can also be affected if security vulnerabilities are present is Integrity. Integrity by definition can mean many different things for different topics but for the IT world it solely relates to the trustworthiness of a document or resource. This means that the document or file has been unhindered or changed and is still in its original form. This is very important because if data has been hindered or changed it can cause substantial damage to corporations due to the possible wrong decisions being made like investments or unintended publications or even trouble with the law if tax audits are not adding up properly which would all result in a net loss. The last goal of IT security which can be compromised if security vulnerabilities exist is Availability of the information system. Availability refers to the idea that a resource is accessible by those that need it, whenever they need it. In my personal opinion I believe availability is probably the most important out of the three security goals. I say this simply because there are many mission critical applications out there that need to be online 24/7 and any downturn can result in catastrophic results. One prime example of this is the air traffic control towers at LAX; they were having problems with the system a few months back due to the U-2 spy plane flying over their airspace. This caused major panic which grounded taxied planes that were ready to take off and forced the manual tracking of planes already in air (Ahlers, 2014). Throughout this the paper I intend to report on the many different types of cyber-security vulnerabilities available and their effects. I will also describe in detail the vulnerability I feel is the most important facing IT managers today, its impact on organizations and the solution. As I stated before there are many different types of security vulnerabilities out there which can affect the integrity, availability and confidentiality of a resource. So the question still remains what exactly are t hese types of vulnerabilities? Especially since they range from software, hardware, networks and the people that use them. Firstly I will discuss the software vulnerabilities, more specifically in terms of web applications. This is because more than half of the current  computer security threats and vulnerabilities today affect web applications and that number is ever increasing. (Fonseca, Seixas, Vieira, Madeira, 2014). When considering the programming language used to develop web applications you have PHP which is considered a weak language, on the other hand you have Java, C# and Visual Basic which are considered strong languages. It is important to note that the language used to develop the web applications is very important because although the different programming languages are similar overall, each one has different rules of how data is stored, retrieved, the execution methods, tables and so on. For example when I say how data is stored and retrieve, I am basically regarding to data types and data structures and how the programming language that is being used maps their values into type fields like strings for names, Int for numbers, or even Boolean for true and false statements. Overall though even if you are using a strong typed language like Java, it does not always guarantee itself free from defects because the language itself may not be the root cause of the vulnerability but possibly the implementation methods used or even insufficient testing (Fonseca, Seixas, Vieira, Madeira, 2014). Vulnerabilities in web applications invite XSS exploits and SQL injection which are the most common types. Below you can see in the image the evolution of reports caused by SQL injection and XSS exploits over the years. This next section we will discuss some more types of security vulnerabilities, more specifically vulnerabilities with regards to hardware. Many people assume that hardware vulnerabilities have the lowest security concern compared to other types of vulnerabilities like software, networks and people that use them simply because they can be stored up in secure environments. The truth is even hardware vulnerabilities can be easily susceptible to attacks. Hardware in general have a longer lifespan than software because simply with software you can upgrade it and install new patches/builds even after deployment. With hardware you once you purchase it, you are most likely going to keep it for a while. When it does become obsolete and ready to be disposed a lot of organizations make the simple mistake of not securely disposing the old hardware properly which in turn opens up the door for intruders. Old hardware have software programs installed on them and other things like IC transistors whi ch can help  hackers learn a lot more about the organization and help lead to future attacks (Bloom, Leontie, Narahari, Simha, 2012). The most recent example of hardware vulnerability which caused one of the biggest Cybersecurity breaches in history was most recently with Target. 40 million credit and debit cards with customer information was stolen simply because a malware was introduced to the point of sale system through a hardware encryption vulnerability (Russon, 2014). Although hardware vulnerabilities are not normally the root cause for majority of the exploits and breaches out there, it is always still good to follow best practices. Network vulnerabilities will be the next topic of discussion and my personal favorite. Vulnerabilities through network systems are very common especially with the all the resources available to hackers today. There are many open source software programs on the market which can help intruders learn critical information about an organization. Just to name a few of the most popular and commonly used ones include Nmap security scanner and Wireshark. Nmap security scanner was originally developed to be used for security and system administration purposes only, like mapping the network for vulnerabilities. Today it most commonly used for black hat hacking (Weston, 2013). Hackers use it to scan open unused ports and other vulnerabilities which in turn helps them gain unauthorized access to the network. Wireshark on the other hand is also similar to Nmap as it was originally developed for network analysis and troubleshooting. It allows administrators to view and capture all packet resources that passes through a particular interface. Over the years hackers have started using Wireshark to exploit unsecured networks and gain unauthorized access (Shaffer, 2009). Although scanning unused open ports and capturing packets are a great way for intruders to gain access to a network, the most popular method by far to breach a network is USB thumb devices. Most enterprise networks are very secure in the sense that they use a DMZ (De-militarized zone) and outside penetration becomes very difficult. In a de-militarized zone outside network traffic must go pass through two different firewalls to get to the intranet of the organization. The first firewall includes all the commonly used servers like FTP, SMTP and all other resources that can be accessible by the public. The second firewall has the actual intranet of the organization which includes all private resources (Rouse, 2007). Below is the diagram of a DMZ. So the question still remains, since most enterprise organizations use DMZ which in turn helps prevent port scanning or packet analyzing, why is USB thumb devices the most popular network vulnerability? (Markel, 2013) The answer is very simple â€Å"Social engineering†. We as human beings, through social conditioning do not stop and ask questions when were not familiar with someone, which in turn has become one of the major causes for the cybersecurity breaches that occur today. Just to give one example from my own personal experiences at work, each floor has an authentication swipe policy to gain entry. Every time I enter the office area, there are a few people with me and only one person in the group usually swipes his/her badge to open the door. This is a huge security vulnerability because anyone can just follow the group and gain access to the entire intranet of the organization. In my case in particular I work for United Airlines headquarters in Chicago at the Willis tower which is more than 100 stories high and the fact that the entire building is not ours alone, this becomes a huge security concern. While I have briefly explained the vulnerabilities in software, hardware, networks and the people that use them, the question still remains, what is the most important security vulnerability facing IT managers today?. This answer to this questions differs person to person, and one must take into consideration the actual vulnerability, its threat source and the outcomes. A person with a small home business might only be concerned with denial of service attacks, since they may not have enough cash flow to properly secure their network. On the other hand an enterprise organization with large cash flow might have a different prospective and probably does not concern itself with denial of service attacks but instead is focuses on making sure all the systems are upda te using windows server update services. In my personal opinion though, you might have guessed it but it’s definitely us human beings because we have the tendency to fall victims and contribute to the successful security breaches that occur in today’s society. Mateti in his essay â€Å"TCP/IP Suite† stated that vulnerabilities occur because of human error. A study by Symantec and the Ponemon institute showed that 64 percent of data breaches in 2012 were resulted due to human mistakes (Olavsrud, 2013). Larry Ponemon the founder of security research at Ponemon Institute and chairman stated that â€Å"Eight  years of research on data breach costs has shown employees behavior to be one of the most pressing issues facing organizations today†, up by twenty two percent since the first survey† (Olvasrud, 2013). A prime example of this is when I stated earlier about how anyone can just enter my office area without swiping their card, just by simply following the group. This is a form of human erro r when employees are too intimidated to ask questions and request authorization from someone they believe does not work for the organization. The intruder can just walk in the front door pretending to be a salesperson, repairman or even a white collar businessman and may look like someone legitimate but in fact they are not. This intruder now has direct access to the intranet and can install malicious malware on to the computers to disrupt daily operations or even steal sensitive data like confidential project information, release dates, trade secrets and many more. A very good example of this is the Stuxnet worm which infect the Iranian nuclear facilities and caused a lot of damage internally which in turn delayed Iran’s nuclear development. All of the security measures that were put in place by Iran’s cyber defense team were circumvented simply by just one employee because the worm was introduced through an infected USB drive. This simply shows how the direct access from unauthorized users due to employee negligence can cause such tremendous damage and that all the perimeter defense become completely useles s. Another prime example of human errors was the RSA breach in 2011 where cybercriminals thought instead of just sending millions of phishing emails to different random mailboxes, let’s send personalized emails to specific employees. The employees at RSA thinking since it’s a personalized message its â€Å"safe† and clicked on the links unknowingly which in turn caused the malware to be downloaded on to the network. To counter this problem firstly IT managers need to properly train employees and give them specific guidelines to follow. Symantec has issued a press releases with the guidelines on how to properly secure sensitive data which includes information on how to train employees for these types of intrusions. Human error is not just limited to intimation or foolishness, it also expands too many different areas because after all it is us humans who manage the cyberspace, grant physical access to the terminals and systems that are connected to the internetwork. We setup the protocols used for communication, set the security policies and procedures,  code backend server software, create passwords used to access sensitive information, maintain updates on computers and so on (â€Å"Security 2011, † 2011 ). The human element matters very much possibly more than the software, hardware or the network systems especially when it comes to properly securing an internetwork from data breaches. The impact on the organization always depends on what type of business it is and what it is engaged in. For example if an organization is very popular and has bigger presence in the online commerce (Amazon and New Egg) compared to one that does not use the internet quiet often will be more concerned with web based attacks and vulnerabilities. The impact though regardless of the type of organization will always be tremendous. Once a breach occurs not only are you spending on recovering from its effects but you are also spending on beefing up your current security measures by installing new devices, hiring new employees so the same occurrence does not occur again (Hobson, 2008) Sometimes at the end of the day some of the cost are not even recoverable like sensitive data, trade secrets, personnel information or even customer information. Another major cost and headache that occurs once an organization becomes a victim of cybercrime is lawsuits. Many customers who feel that the organization could not protect their confidentiality will sue the corporation for millions of dollars which in turn can cause major loss. IT managers can do many things to help prevent breaches due to human errors. The first thing they can do is properly train the employees as stated above on a periodical basis and use current guidelines like Symantec to properly secure their intranet from any type of intrusion. IT managers can also establish a safe harbor in the sense that they can force employees to periodically change their passwords and establish rules so the password must be certain characters long and must include other types of characters besides just the typical alphanumerical ones. Employee negligence also due to bad habits like sending sensitive data over an unsecured email and IT managers must ensure that they continually educate their employees. There are many different types of security vulnerabilities out there in today’s world that are affecting organizations. In my personal opinion I believe human error is the one vulnerability that affects IT managers the most simply because we as humans make mistakes. It is in our nature and no matter how hard we try we will always be susceptible to deception either through social engineering tactics or clicking dangerous  links because it â€Å"looks safe† or even being negligent by not reporting something unusual. Employees need to realize that their actions can bring terrible consequences for both them and the organization as a whole. References Fonseca, J., Seixas, N., Viera, M., & Madeira, H. (2014). Analysis of Field Data on Web Security Vulnerabilities. IEEE Transaction on Dependable & Secure Computing, 11(2), 89-100 doi:10.1109/TDSC.2013.37 Russon, M. (2014, June 10). Forget Software Vulnerabilities, Hardware Security Must Improve Before It’s Too Late. International Business Times RSS. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/forget-software-vulnerabilities-hardware-security-must-improve-before-its-too-late-1451912 Bloom, G., Leontie, E., Narahari, B., & Simha, R. (2012, January 1). Hardware and Security: Vulnerabilities and Solutions. . Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http://www.seas.gwu.edu/~simha/research/HWSecBookChapter12.pdf Common Cyber Security Vulnerabilities in Industrial Control Systems. (2011, January 1). . Retrieved July 12, 2014, from https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/documents/DHS_Common_Cybersecurity_Vulnerabilities_ICS_2010.pdf Critical Security Controls. (n.d.). SANS I nstitute -. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http://www.sans.org/critical-security-controls Ahlers, M. (2014, May 6). FAA computer vexed by U-2 spy plane over LA. CNN. Retrieved July 13, 2014, from http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/05/us/california-ground-stop-spy-plane-computer/ Most Important Cybersecurity Vulnerability Facing It Managers. (n.d.). . Retrieved July 13, 2014, from http://www.ukessays.com/essays/computer-science/most-important-cybersecurity-vulnerability-facing-it-managers-computer-science-essay.php Security 2011: Attack Of The Human Errors – Network Computing. (2011, December 22).Network Computing. Retrieved July 13, 2014, from http://www.networkcomputing.com/networking/security-2011-attack-of-the-human-errors/d/d-id/1233294? Hobson, D. (2008, August 8). The real cost of a security breach. SC Magazine. Retrieved July 13, 2014, from http://www.scmagazine.com/the-real-cost-of-a-security-breach/article/113717/ Direct, M. (2013, December 20). Human error is the root cause of most data