Marriage, Divorce, and Military Families

Running head: Marriage, Divorce, and Military Families Marriage, Divorce, and Military Families Marriage is a conduit through which God's grace flows to the couple and their children. The church understands marriage between a man and woman to be a sacrament, a visible sign of the grace that God gives them to help them live their lives here and now so as to be able to join him in eternity. Marriage is social as well as religious, but its religious aspects are very important. The Bible repeatedly compares the relationship between man and wife to that between God and Israel or between Christ and his Church. For marriage is a holy vocation. Since the Church sees marriage as holy, it believes it must be treated with reverence. It also recognizes that marriage is basic to the health of society and therefore a public institution that must be defended against harm. Marriage is a public institution. Consequently, proposals that could harm the institution of marriage must be subjected to the same sort of objective analysis that we give any public policy question. Marriage is not just a private matter of emotion between two people. On the contrary, its success or failure has measurable impact on all of society. Rational analysis yields solid, objective reasons for limiting marriage to one man and one woman-reason anyone can agree with on purely secular grounds (Zinn, B. M. , D. Eitzen, S. , Wells, B. , 2008). However, one of the downsides to redefining marriage would be the weakening of the meaning of marriage, which would be divorces. Human nature being what it is, if the meaning of marriage is weakened, it will be psychologically easier for even more people to divorce. Look at what happened when â€Å"no-fault† divorce was legalized. The divorce rate skyrocketed. If the nature of marriage is further undermined in the minds of couples then when things get rocky, more couples will be tempted not to work through their problems and get happy again but rather to divorce and find someone else (Hogan,  P. ,  ,  R. ,  2010). That is a bad idea, because most marriage therapists agree that divorce generally â€Å"doesn't work. † Divorce doesn't solve the problems that caused the first marriage to break up. Divorced people bring the same problems to their new marriages that broke up their old ones. That's why second and later arriages are statistically far more likely to end in divorce than first marriages are. Also, a large majority of couples who contemplate divorce but stay together describe themselves as â€Å"happily married† five years later. So staying together â€Å"works† better than divorce. The Romans had an interesting view towards marriage – ‘matrimonia debent esse libera’ or ‘marriages ought to be free’. This meant that either spouse could opt out of the marriage if things weren’t working out for them. Centuries later, Victorian England had a vastly different view (Bouvier, 1856). People got married and stayed together for better or for worse. Society frowned on divorce and divorced people were likely to find themselves social pariahs. In the present century, both these views prevail. It depends on which part of the planet you live in and in what kind of culture. â€Å"Divorce rates are higher in European or American countries, where individual freedom is given higher stress, than in, say, Asian or African ones, where familial and social opinions cause higher stress. With globalization, of course, the ‘backward’ countries are catching up. Women, especially, with access to higher education and higher salaries, are less willing to put up with traditional roles and expectations† (Devine). Social and cultural moralists are having a field day, predicting, like always, dire consequences for the ‘social fabric’. No, divorce isn’t joy-inducing, but then neither is a corrosive marriage. In such a case, splitting up is preferable to staying together ‘for the children’ or to keep up social appearances. Anyway, it all really depends upon the kind of relationship you have. Some relationships are worth working on, some aren’t. There are many different and complex causes and reasons for divorce, each of them specific to that particular couple’s marital relationship, their individual experiences and personal problems. None of them may seem ‘common’ to the people going through a divorce, of course, but many of the reasons recur enough to warrant the term. These causes for divorce may vary from the lack of commitment to the marriage to the lack of communication between spouses; infidelity; abandonment; Physical, sexual, or even Substance Abuse, etc. Furthermore, it takes a very special person to stand and accept that the rest of their lives are devoted to something larger than themselves and their own little worlds. It takes an incredible commitment and an enduring love to withstand a life supporting someone else who may not be there by their beside on days when you are feeling blue, and who may not hold you in those times when the life around you is not so sweet. Now, marriage is hard enough, there are times when all husbands and wives question the sanity of a relationship that requires such hard work. Couples get through this by being together and keeping at it as a team. Sadly, many military relationships do not have this luxury of being together to keep things on track. This is when the military husband or wife just has to sort through â€Å"couple issues† alone (Rentz et al, 2007). Only the strongest committed individual can carry the weight of two in a relationship, and it takes a strong intimate trusting bond to make it at all possible. The military eases the lives of service members and their families in some very significant ways. Paychecks are regular. Benefits, such as healthcare and legal assistance, are unparalleled in the civilian world. And, in a time of economic uncertainty, the job security provided by the armed forces is a true blessing (Rentz et al, 2007). However, every positive aspect of military life is matched by at least one negative, especially for married service members and their families. Military and civilian marriages face the same marriage-stressors and marriage-killers, but the challenges faced by military marriages are both compounded and additional (Banner, 2008). Danielle Rentz and associates argues that the impact and stress of war may occur before, during, and after deployment and extend beyond the military soldier to include stress and emotional disturbance for his or her family. Anticipation of deployment can lead to feelings of anger, resentment, and hurt within the family. Separation during deployment may create the assumption of new family roles by the partner left behind, disruption of family routines, uncertainty about the service member’s safety, and the inability to plan for the future (Rentz et al, 2007). They base their discussion on the research and studies on the Effect of Deployment on the Occurrence of Child Maltreatment in Military. Betty Myers writes a testimony of her days married to a military man and unravels a story from past that lead to divorce. Her story is yet another cause for divorce within a military family. The stress of war and unknowing of what occurs to a spouse takes a toll on a marriage. This is a testimony of her personal experience and this will assist my paper for the causes of divorce (Myers, 1988). Bennington Banner analyzes the statistical data of military divorce rate in every branch of the Arm Forces. He states that the long and repeated deployments required of many troops have been widely blamed for unprecedented stresses on military couples. Spouses at home must manage families and households without their partner. He concluded that there were an estimated 10,200 failed marriages in the active duty Army and 3,077 among Marines, according to figures obtained by The Associated Press for the budget year ended Sept. 30. His data can help me prove the point that the numbers of divorce in the Arm Forces are staggering (Banner, 2008). Joseph Devine explains that military marriages undergo a very specific set of strains. They face the possibility of sudden moves to far-off locales, rapid deployments, and even premature death. He stated â€Å"when you're married to someone in the military, it's often like you're married to the military itself† (Devine). Your life revolves around what the military wants from you and your spouse, and there's not a whole lot you can do about it. In summary, the ways in which each military marriage survives are all personal and unique to their own, but the emotional journey is one that can really be understood only by another military spouse (Hogan,  P. ,  ,  R. ,  2010). The one thing all military spouses have in common with each other is their ultimate pride in their husbands and wives, and to survive the journey as a military spouse, their shared pride of place alongside their incredible military husbands and wives. While military marriages are an entity of their own, the non-military couples could learn many things from them. The special goodbyes for instance are important. A military husband or wife knows the value of not leaving issues unresolved, and has learned the art of letting the silly things go (Hogan,  P. ,  ,  R. ,  2010). They do not have until the afternoon, or the next day or the day after that to get over it, they are too aware that tomorrow is unpredictable. A military marriage does not have the time to wallow in unimportant debate. The most important thing to them is to be sure to let the one they love know that they are appreciated. Petty unimportant arguments have a way of clouding the unconditional love that holds a marriage together. References Banner, B. Divorce rate up in Army, Marine Corps. (2008,  December  3). Retrieved February 3, 2010, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID:  1606239161). Bouvier, J. (1856). Matrimonia debent esse libera. (n. d. ) A Law Dictionary, Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States. Retrieved April 27 2010 from http://legal-dictionary. thefreedictionary. com/Matrimonia+debent+esse+libera Devine, J. Divorce and the Military. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles. com/? Divorce- and-the-Military=3605202 Hogan,  P. ,  ,  R.. (2010). Marriage and the Military: Evidence That Those Who Serve Marry Earlier and Divorce Earlier. Armed Forces and Society,  36(3),  420. Retrieved May 4, 2010, from Career and Technical Education. (Document ID:  2002732321). Myers, B. (1988). Story Of A Thrown-Away Military Wife. Minerva,  VI(2),  77. Retrieved February 3, 2010, from ProQuest Central. (Document ID:  624746591). Rentz, E. D. ,  Marshall, W. S. ,  Loomis, D, Casteel, C. , Martin, S. L. ,   Gibbs, D. A. (2007). Effect of Deployment on the Occurrence of Child Maltreatment in Military and Nonmilitary Families. American Journal of Epidemiology,  165(10),  1199-206. Retrieved February 3, 2010, from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete. (Document ID:  1268687131). Zinn, B. M. , D. Eitzen, S. , Wells, B. , (2008). Divorce and Remarriage. (Ed. 8) Diversity of Families (pp. 393- 410). Prentice Hall

Golden Gate Bridge History Essay

The First proposal for the Golden Gate Bridge came from James Wilkins, who at the time was an engineering student. The cost of James Wilkins Bridge was unrealistic at the time which was 100million dollars, but none the less it set the bar for other bridge engineers to try to work out a cheaper solution. During this time a young Joseph Strauss had graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Business and Economics. Joseph was an avid student at his school and was the class president and poet for his class. Joseph’s interests with engineering and bridge design some might say happened by chance, in that, one day Joseph once tried out for his school’s football team but got injured and taken to the infirmary. During his stay, he gazed outside the window at the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge. Little did anyone know, Joseph was on his way to becoming a leader in his society and a hero amongst most. Joseph spent some time working at an office for an engineering fir m which designed bridges, and after a preposition to his firm was rejected, he though to start his own firm and take his idea with him. Joseph went on to create the Strauss Bascule bridge company of Chicago where he amped up the modern day bascule bridge (draw bridge) with his designs and ideas. At the Strauss Bascule bridge company of Chicago, Josephs worked on the Burnside Bridge in Portland in the year 1926, the Lewis and Clark Bridge in 1930, the Cherry street Strauss and Trunnion Bridge, the Washington Street Bridge, the Hoquiam Bridge, the Skansen Bridge and finally worked as the chief engineer on the golden Gate Bridge. All of this was done without a proper degree in engineering. Joseph first tackled the idea of designing the Golden Gate Bridge with a plan of having two double cantilever spans linked by a central suspension segment. This design was rejected and later on a fellow engineer working on the project under Joseph by the name of Leon Moisseiff came up with the Final Design for the Golden Gate Bridge. Joseph was a very conservative man and left plenty of room for error throughout the entire process of designing and building the Golden Gate Bridge. Joseph insisted that a net be placed under the work space to catch workers who accidentally fell off. This net tha t he implemented saved a total of 19 lives and he was commemorated more than ever for it. Joseph received a statue at the end of the Golden Gate Bridge on the San Francisco side. Leon Moisseiff received the Franklin Institute’s Louis E Levy Medal in 1933 and was a leading suspension bridge designer within America. Leon graduated from Colombia University with a degree in civil engineering in 1895. Leon had a number of bridges which he has worked with but to name a few of most notable were the Manhattan Bridge and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in Delaware. Leon Moisseif was best known for his work with the deflection theory which simply stated that the longer a bridge spans the more room it has to wiggle and move. He applied this principle on the Golden Gate Bridge as it was to span a length no bridge has spanned before at the time. Moisseiff was mainly in charge of the calculation of force revolving the wind the Bridge would have to withstand and one of his co-workers, Charles Ellis was a big believer in Moisseiff and his â€Å"Deflection Theory†. Charles Ellis was first appointed onto the Golden Gate Bridge project by Strauss himself. Strauss recognized him as a well renowned scholar of mathematics but as ironic as it is, Ellis like Joseph Strauss never received a degree in Engineer either, but one thing Ellis had on Joseph was a certificate in the field. Charles had fallen in love with the engineering and went on to write a book named â€Å"essentials of theory in framed structure† which became a mandatory text for Harvard and Yale engineer students. Charles graduated from the University of Wesleyan with a degree in Greek and Mathematics. Charles worked as a professor of engineering at the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois for some time. Ellis was a key part in the construction and design of the Golden Gate Bridge but Joseph made an alarming move which was controversial. Joseph accused Ellis of wasting time and money on the project and ordered Charles Ellis to take a vacation from work, and near the end of it Ellis received a letter from Joseph telling him not to come back to the job. Ellis was devastated and was still much attached to the project. After he had been released he began teaching at the University of Perdue and on top of his teachings kept working at problems and overlooking the designs for the Golden Gate Bridge dedicating around 70 hours a week. He found several errors which raised some eyes brows and in no time sent a letter to Moissieff. Charles Ellis was given almost no credit for his 3 years dedicated to working on the Golden Gate Bridge. His name was not mentioned on the list of builders but until recently was given a plaque acknowledging his participation in the bridge design. How the Golden Gate Bridge affected the local community. The Golden Gate Bridge is a historic achievement of great magnitude in the San Francisco and California region. It has created many jobs for the locals as positions were promised to be favouring them and also had brought attention to the area from all around the world. A total of 10 construction companies were called into the building of the bridge and materials from all over the world were brought in and in tremendous amounts, 83 000 tons of steel and 389 000 cubic yards of concrete. Conclusion The Golden Gate Bridge is a Remarkable piece of engineering. It has come a long way over its 4-5 years of construction and not to mention all that was needed to set its plan in motion. It has faced many obstacles to get to where it is at today, being one of Americas most recognizable attractions. The Golden Gate Bridge pushed the limits of its time, being the longest, highest bridge of its time really opened the eyes of many people in what exactly careful engineering can accomplish. It has had lots of passionate dedicated workers behind it since day one and along the road had its ups and down but in the end turned out to be one of mankind’s greatest accomplishments.

Renaissance Comparison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Renaissance Comparison - Essay Example Next to Galatea, hung the Polyphemus, which was very significant as the myth has it that Polyphemus was in love with the nymph Galatea, who did not return his affection. Both painters thus have painted scenes from Classical Literature, and according to E H Gombrich, both painters drew their source from Florentine Angelo Poliziano’s poetryi. Though the Birth of Venus is painted on canvas, â€Å"the figure of Venus appears †¦ almost like a classical statue. The hard modelling of the white shimmering flesh color is reminiscent of marbleii† According to E. H. Gombrich, Raphael had perfected â€Å"the perfect and harmonious composition of freely moving figures†iii According to Koenmanniv, Galatea is painted in the Neoplatonic style, and is â€Å"a secular version of his St. Catherine†. Both painters have different styles. The stance of Venus is not original and draws on the sculpture Venus Pudica, so while Botticelli looked to the past to pull out ideas, Raphael moved away from convention and moved away from the pursuit of Nature, sticking more with the idea of the imagined Beauty in his head. Fra Filippo Lippi was Botticelli’s teacher and in addition to Antonio del Pollaiuolo the painter, and Andrea Del Verrocchio the sculptor, influenced Botticelli. The Humanist Movement influenced Raphael and Galatea represents those

The Impact of Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

The Impact of Communication - Essay Example nergy involved in communication is the microwave-high frequency radio waves that are transmitted from the source to the receiver through the radio transmitter. Information is transmitted from the source to the receiver through transforming energy from one state to another. When using any communication device, the sound waves generated lead to vibration of the diaphragm in a magnetic field. The vibrations are then changed into electrical impulses that are conveyed through a wire to the receiver. In the receiver, the impulses cause the magnetic fields to vary causing vibration of the diaphragm. The diaphragm then produces sound similar to the original (Caloz & Itoh, 2005). The flow of the energy in communication is presented in the chart below. One of the main differences between wired and wireless communication is that whereas the wired communication uses cables in connection, the wires communication do not use any form of connection via cables but rather uses radio waves. The wireless communication, the internet and the smart phone technology are major breakthrough in the process of communication. These technologies have not only facilitated the link between one individual to another but also it has improved the link between world economies. It is now very possible to acquire property at the comfort of our homes. This has lead to immense growth to the world economy (Pahlavan, 2011). In my day to day life, I often use the wireless communication, the internet and the smart phone in passing my information to other people. The underlying scientific concepts used in this technology transmission of electromagnetic waves from the source to the receiver. The wireless and wired network options have lead to the current growth in the communication infrastructure. With the current growth in these options, communication in the society will be a lot easier and cheaper in the future as compared to the current

The Black Death in Police Custody Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Black Death in Police Custody - Essay Example Deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody since 1990. The details of deaths of blacks which have taken place in police custody and which have given rise to concern because of unexplained or mysterious circumstances surrounding those deaths and / or allegations of maltreatment, dereliction of duty or brutality have been discussed. The Study will be increasingly contacted by a small but nevertheless disturbing number of families where a relative has died in suspicious circumstances and they are unhappy with the police investigation. Whilst it is not within our remit to provide assistance in such cases we have referred many families to members of our Lawyers group. The police are investigating themselves that makes it very difficult for them to win the trust of the deceased's family, friends and local community. This is particularly the case following a black death in custody, when the police face a black community that already has, as senior police officers acknowledge, a height ened mistrust of the police. Families frequently complain about the length of time that the investigation takes, their lack of involvement in it and, as mentioned earlier, the nature of the questions about the deceased. One major cause of anger for black families following a death in police custody is the misinformation - perhaps more accurately 'spin' - put out in the police's publicity about the circumstances of the death. This misinformation, issued soon after the death, has tended to shape news coverage and wider public perceptions of the causes of a death and seems to be intended to play down the involvement of police officers. Table 1: Deaths in Police Custody 1990-1998 (to July) Source: INQUEST monitoring RTA = Road Traffic Accident For the family of the deceased the inquest is their only opportunity to find out the circumstances of the death. This is particularly important given the lack of prior disclosure of information. However there are a number of serious obstacles in the way of effective representation. For a start not everyone has a family; in some cases there is no one who qualifies as a 'properly interested person' under the Coroners' Rules. There is no legal aid (provision for it was made in the Legal Aid Act 1949 but never brought into force; it was repealed in 1988). In cases where families have had legal advice and representation (often free as there is no legal aid) experienced barristers and solicitors have been able to shed new light on the cause of death. Aim of Research The Study's principal aim is to explore the reasons behind the black deaths in police custody. And there are should be a wide ranging public inquiry into deaths in custody to consider: - to investigate legal processes which follow; - to focus in particular on the treatment of bereaved families; - to address the disproportionate number of black

Transit Oriented Development, Cheltenham Racecourse Essay

Transit Oriented Development, Cheltenham Racecourse - Essay Example A new station will replace the old one and the location will be 200 meters from the present location moving south east. The new station will cater to the racecourse land which at present is not in use. The empty racecourse will be converted into a residential area of medium to high density population. The new station will be catering to a bigger area thus making the unused piece of land more alive. The proposal would include a children's playground and a pedestrian access to the train. Green space. with benches. that are arranged, would serve as the waiting area for the train commuters. A bicycle parking is also considered. Convenient stores are to be installed for a 24 hour services. A bus interchange coming from the Boulevards must be taken into consideration. Restrooms must be present in the area to encourage more commuters to use the station. Retail and commercial area would have a clear access from the Port road via Cheltenham Point and the residential area thereby, making it a friendly route thru a series of trees, landscape, walkable space with lushed trees that would serve as shade for walkers, thus bringing the site more closer and reachable making the area a site a more delightful place to live in. To meet the needs of the residents means providing them a safe and easily approachable setup thereby reducing their need to travel by cars. Creating a safe environment, is separating the rail line from the commercial and residential area with a screen of lined trees which will also reduce the noise that is generated by the traffic. There must be sufficient car parking and cycle parking near the retail area for the customers. In its zoning, the north side will be of mixed use and the south side is for retail, industrial and commercial purposes. There are major features of a Transit Oriented Development. These include the goals, and the mixed use of moderate to high density residential or commercial area, with close .proximity to public transport. It must be located with in 400 - 800 meter radius from the transit stop, and incorporates a design feature that encourages transit ridership, pedestrians and cyclists. In return, it would reduce car dependency, urban sprawl and traffic congestion that will assist in resolving global issues such as global warming and world oil depletion. Since Adelaide is one of the highest car dependent city in the world, transit oriented development will reduce the car dependency of the city. The reasons for car dependency is the lack efficient public transport and urban sprawl. Recent research had also shown that there is a strong link between the ease of use of public transport and the reduction of car dependency. Therefore, the low density suburbs and greater dispersion between employment reta il and service facilities make pedestrian accessibility and public transport less feasible. The key elements of TOD would be the mixed land use, pedestrian and cycling friendly design elements, and the convenience and efficiency of public transport system. These elements will contribute to the reduction of car usage. The methodology to be adopted in the implementation of TOD will be the reviewed literature on transit oriented development and the discussion of existing knowledge of the site. In the discussion of existing knowledge of the site, a review of current plans for site is necessary. Also included in the discussion is the examination of location of station with

Quality of Women's Lives after Retirement Research Paper

Quality of Women's Lives after Retirement - Research Paper Example This essay stresses that the participation of women in the workforce is considered as a modern breakthrough. Working in offices, factories, and other forms of workplaces have become the major activities of women. Indeed, the increased economic value of women has improved countries. Some women became political leaders and were in the forefront of shaping the new society. Others have continued to improve their overall value in the society. Because of these improvements, women have enjoyed improved quality of life. The income earned by women has allowed easy access to basic necessities and other forms of luxuries. This report explores that the determination of life quality is approached subjectively. Most individuals contend that quality is tantamount to contentment. Others believe that the quality of life is dependent on the holistic perception that is developed on individuals. Specifically, the quality of life seen among retired 75 year old women requires several discussions. Women who are bracketed in the mentioned group marginally comprise the population of the society. Despite this fact, discussing the quality of life that the group of women has provides interesting results. It is expected that views on this issue will be different. Varying perceptions are critical in comprehending the entire picture. The impetus of this study extends beyond the determination of life quality observed among retired women aged 75 and above.... 1.1. Statement of the Problem The determination of life quality is approached subjectively. Most individuals contend that quality is tantamount to contentment. Others believe that the quality of life is dependent on the holistic perception that is developed on individuals. Specifically, the quality of life seen among retired 75 year old women requires several discussions. Women who are bracketed in the mentioned group marginally comprise the population of the society. Despite this fact, discussing the quality of life that the group of women has provides interesting results. It is expected that views on this issue will be different. Varying perceptions are critical in comprehending the entire picture. In light of this discussion, the following questions will be addressed: 1. How is contentment viewed by retired women who are in the age of 75 and above 2. What are the different aspects that contribute to the identification of life quality 3. Are there differences in which the aspects affect the quality of life as determined by the respondents 4. How does their current state affect the perception of women in relation to the quality of their lives 1.2. Purpose of the Study The impetus of this study extends beyond the determination of life quality observed among retired women aged 75 and above. Primarily, the study will explore the different aspects that affect the views on the quality of life. First, the physical state of women included in the study is a primary indicator of life quality. Good physical condition indicates that the quality of life is also good. Wellness is an important aspect that determines the quality of life. Second, the economic activity of retired women is serves as a vital indicator of life quality. After retirement, women are provided with

The Film Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Film Industry - Essay Example Films have a very major core purpose that they all presume and that is creating entertainment (Aldikno, 1998). One of the major works in the film industry came in the early 1970s where a film known as Don't Look Now, directed by Nicholas Roeg was produced. The turn of events in the movie can be said to have led to the new generation of films. As such, it introduced the theme of murder as well as deaths. The last part of the film can be said to be sublime moving and further, a meditation on grief, which is frightening as well as relationships and beyond. For instance, Laura Baxter and John, who is her husband goes to enjoy their time together at Venice as a way of forgetting their daughter’s death (Rick 2001). The couple had indeed killed the daughter by drowning her. Two sisters, one of whom is blind and has capabilities of a psychic informs the couple that the little girl is still with them and this is manifested by the girl appearing in a red coat while wandering through the streets. With the reference to this episode of the film, the following discussion will aim at examining the earliest responses in regard to the film as a new medium and to pinpoint the potentials that would have been lost due to the responses. Moreover, the paper will aim at examining a film text that realizes the ideas that were set out from those criticism responses. When the theme of murder and deaths was introduced in the early films, many mixed responses concerning the theme arose. As such, the theme was not only a new concept but was also a new viewpoint and as such, it impacted mixed feelings among the audience. First, it tended to conflict the conceptions of the custom as well as some specific representations that were considered dynamic. In regard to this, the introduction of this new theme indeed was seen as changing the traditional view of the films (Catherine, 1992). These responses were therefore negative and many are the people who saw this notion of murder as going a gainst the set customs. In the early times, murder was a serious issue and by incorporating such scenes in a movie, some people, who followed the customary laws to the letter, felt that the films were disrespectful and going against the desired will of the society. They argued that people were likely to adopt such behaviors and as such, the society would develop a sense of insecurity. According to their perceived feelings, such movies did not portray the best of the pictures and hence had to be abominated (Catherine, 1992). On the other hand, some people received the theme of death and murder in films cordially as they saw it as an opportunity to take the film industry to a higher notch. When a film entails differentiated themes in its context, it assumes the shape of an abstract and as such, they provoke a certain organized association. In a film, a theme can be used but not at all times make a film successful. This is usually dependent on the feelings of the people towards it. How ever, if the theme is materialized, then the impression of the employed theme tends to be associative and as such, it becomes accepted by the audience. It is essential that the films, while incorporating the murder theme, to ensure that the plot of the film is designed in such a way that it have the capabilities of inferring something to the audience. In the same line of thinking, such an effort would indeed give rise to the most interesting and acceptable feelings in regard to the

Environmental Issues Associated with Paints and Varnishes Essay Example for Free

Environmental Issues Associated with Paints and Varnishes Essay The paint and coatings manufacturing industry is one of the major chemical processing industries. The major environmental impacts of paints and varnishes are concerning their content of solvents and other chemicals. There is a need to encourage manufacturers to use less of these substances, and to ensure proper environmental management throughout the manufacturing process. Procurement of paints and varnishes is classified as having a high environmental profile and some risk of developing world supply chains. Summary of Life Cycle Record Raw MaterialUse †¢Raw materials include solvents, pigments, dyes, and other chemicals. In addition, other raw materials are used to thin oil-based paints and stains or to clean up the residues left behind, such as turpentine and mineral spirits. †¢Some paints contain petroleum-based by products of the oil industry†¢The main uses of paints and varnishes are for architectural use (e.g. DIY), industrial use and automotive use. †¢VOCs may be released during use. †¢Some paints can emit noxious gases such as toluene and xylene, which are known carcinogens. ManufactureWaste Management/Disposal †¢The main components of the manufacture process are synthesis in a reactor, filtration, blending with other additives and packagingPaint related waste is often categorised as hazardous (special waste) due to its chemical content. Waste Management/Disposal options include: †¢Recycling †¢Incineration Key Impacts and Priority Mitigation Measures The key impacts in relation to paints and varnishes are: †¢Raw materials are often non-renewable and can be based on oil solvents †¢Solvent release, more specifically releases of VOCs to the atmosphere, which contribute to ground-level ozone, global warming and some have specific health effects. (There are more VOCs in gloss than emulsion) †¢Dyes and other chemicals used can also be harmful to health and the environment. †¢Wastewater and other solutions from washing of brushes and other application devices might contain these pollutants. †¢Energy is used during the processing stages. †¢Packaging materials are likely to contain traces of product / solvent residues, which can lead to direct release to the environment through evaporation. †¢Some paints can emit noxious gases such as toluene and xylene, which are known carcinogens. In 1989 the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer found that professional painters and decorators face a 40% increased chance of contracting cancer. †¢Paint waste at end of life is classed as a hazardous (special) waste. Control Measures – Raw Materials and Manufacture: †¢Implement a structured and independently verified Environmental Management System (EMS) such as ISO 14001 or EMAS. This will help the company use resources efficiently and prevent or minimise pollution. †¢Ensure systems are in place to control loss and wastage of toxic ingredients, in particular solvent management plans. †¢Avoidance of the use of heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, hexavalent chromium, mercury and arsenic; and other substances where possible. †¢Where possible replace toxic and persistent ingredients such as oil, solvents, chemicals and other hazardous substances with less toxic and more degradable ones. Particularly focus on lower solvent alternatives where possible. Control Measures – Procurement Action: †¢Ensure suppliers selected have a high awareness of the potential environmental impacts and are taking the appropriate mitigation measures. †¢Encourage suppliers to develop environmentally â€Å"safer† products and in particular minimise the use of solvents and other chemicals and minimise waste during processing. †¢Avoid oil or solvent based paints where feasible. †¢Be aware that some water thinnable paints contain more chemicals than the oil-based paints they are intended to replace. †¢Select suppliers that can provide more information regarding the specific raw materials they use, and also provide guidance on environmentally safe use and disposal (including packaging). †¢To avoid wasteful use of paints and varnishes ensure the purchase of only the amount required for the job. †¢Where feasible, select a supplier that will allow the return of toxic material packaging for reuse. Control Measures –Use and Waste Management/Disposal: †¢Ensure employees are trained in actions to be taken in relation to waste minimisation, waste management and health and safety †¢Ensure proper labelling and storage of toxic and hazardous materials in secure, bunded areas. †¢Ensure user is trained in instructions for use including wearing of protective equipment such as facemasks, storage conditions (e.g. placing lids on containers when not in use) and cleaning of tools. †¢Ensure adequate ventilation during application. Disclaimer: This document is based on publicly available information and provides details of the environmental impacts associated with paints and varnishes. It contains a description of most commonly used raw materials and the environmental impacts and by-products released. It should be noted that there might be some other commodity types and manufacturing processes not covered within this document.

Terrorism and Ordinary People Essay Example for Free

Terrorism and Ordinary People Essay How to Defeat Terrorism Terrorism is a tactic used by a small set of extremists to fight against an overwhelmingly powerful opponent while surrounded by a large population that mostly just wants peace and quiet. Terrorism can be defeated. To do this, ï ¬ rst we need to understand how terrorists are kept away in the best case, then how terrorists can ï ¬ ght against this mechanism, and ï ¬ nally what works and what doesn’t work to foil those aims. The Thin Blue Line Although terrorists are not merely criminals, it is helpful to think about what keeps criminals under control in our society. Ask any police ofï ¬ cer: it is not the police and the courts who keep criminals at bay. It is the society as a whole. It is the ordinary people who call the police when they hear a problem starting. It is the ordinary people who trust the police and cooperate with them to bring criminals to justice. The â€Å"thin blue line† only works when it is backed up by the vast majority of ordinary people. This, by the way, is why police brutality is so damaging to law and order in our society. If ordinary people lose trust in the police, they won’t call and they won’t cooperate. If they fear that calling the police to quiet down a loud party could result in their neighbors’ kids being shot dead, they won’t call. And they also won’t cooperate in more serious cases. Without community backup, the â€Å"thin blue line† starts to feel very thin indeed. And criminals become bolder. Law Enforcement Executive Forum †¢ 2006 †¢ 6(5) 189 Likewise with terrorists. Terrorists are defeated when the large majority of the community feels that they can trust the local authorities to maintain law and order and work for the common good. Then, ordinary people will turn the terrorists in to the authorities when, or even before, they strike. The Unabomber was an insane but highly intelligent man living alone in the woods, writing a manifesto, and killing and maiming people with mail bombs. After his manifesto was published, he was turned in to the FBI by his brother, who recognized the writing and made the correct but agonizing decision to be loyal to society over blood. We can only wish that a relative or neighbor of Timothy McVeigh had been in a position to make a similar decision before he struck in Oklahoma City. In even the best, most civilized, law-abiding society one can imagine, there will be small numbers of extremists tempted by terrorist tactics. Ideally, the vast majority of people will see them as marginal nut-cases and will report them to trusted authorities if they show signs of turning extreme ideas into dangerous action. Terrorist acts can never be totally eliminated, but a cohesive community that trusts its authorities can defeat a continuing terrorist movement. One Man’s Terrorist Is Another Man’s Freedom-Fighter But what if the society is not civilized? What if the authorities are hated and feared rather than trusted? Then, the true terrorist can always ï ¬ nd support and hiding places among sympathizers who are not willing to become terrorists themselves but are not willing to support the authorities either. The terrorists’ best strategy is to drive a wedge between the people and the authorities. Then, the â€Å"thin blue line† becomes thinner and weaker. The ordinary people, or at least some of them, protect and support those they see as ï ¬ ghting for freedom, religious faith, patri otism, or some other deep value, against overwhelming odds. The biggest danger to the terrorist is the trust the people have in the authorities. As that trust is weakened or destroyed, the terrorists gain strength and freedom of action. Their primary goal must be to eliminate the trust between the people and the authorities. How can they act most effectively to eliminate that trust? Here is where the meaning of terrorist violence is often misunderstood. The classic terrorist act is to blow up some innocent victims, but the actual destruction is not the goal, in a military sense. There is a symbolic goal of showing that the more-powerful enemy can be touched and deeply harmed, but even that is not the real goal. The real goal is to provoke massive retaliation. The tiny group of terrorists who actually committed the act may escape entirely, may take casualties, or may even be entirely destroyed, but the larger terrorist movement feeds on the retaliation. The important thing (from the terrorists’ perspective) is for the massive retaliation to harm many people in the general population, even among their own supporters. The point is to incite the authorities to act in a way that erodes the people’s trust in them. The people lose trust; the terrorists are seen as freedom-ï ¬ ghters; and they gain support, cover, strength, and freedom of action. From the terrorists’ perspective, the more horrible the original strike, the better, since it will provoke a more drastic retaliation. And the more horrible the retaliation, the better, since it will destroy the people’s trust in the authorities and strengthen the terrorists. From the terrorists’ perspective, the actual damage to their own people is a beneï ¬ t, not a cost, of terrorist action. Those Who Do Not Learn from History Are Condemned to Repeat It Sadly, case studies of this strange dynamic are easy to come by, once you realize what to look for. Israel-Palestine The Israeli-Palestinian conï ¬â€šict is a textbook case. There is no military beneï ¬ t to a suicide bomber killing people at a cafe, a wedding, or on a bus. The beneï ¬ t to Hamas comes from the massive retaliation, killing the innocent along with the guilty, bulldozing homes and farms, and creating major economic hardship for the large masses of Palestinians who would gladly live in pea ce with Israel. Israel pegs the price of peace to stopping the terrorists, which ordinary Palestinians have no way of doing. And the immediate impact of the retaliation is to solidify hatred against the Israelis. (We’re long past the point of talking about â€Å"trust† here.) So, Hamas has reached the successful point of being able to provoke the Israeli Army to act to build up its strength among the Palestinians. The vicious cycle in that region is that hardliners in Israel use precisely the same method. When Israeli extremists create new settlements in Palestinian territory or commit terrorist acts against ordinary Palestinians, they provoke the strongest retaliation the Palestinians are capable of, which is more suicide bombers to slaughter innocents among the ordinary people of Israel. This eliminates any trust in the Palestinian authorities (small a) and solidiï ¬ es hatred against Palestine. This elegant pair of mutually reinforcing feedback cycles strengthens terrorism on both sides and makes the chances for peace remote. Iraq Now let’s think about Iraq. Terrorists strike U.S. troops, provoking retaliation. The retaliation almost certainly involves collateral damage, eroding trust in Americans and inï ¬â€šaming hatred. By now, this cycle should look familiar. The terrorists’ goal is the erosion of trust in the U.S. authorities and our attempt to rebuild Iraq, even more than physical destruction. It’s hard to imagine Al Qaeda coming up with something more effective than the pictures from Abu Ghraib prison for destroying the trust of the ordinary Iraqi people in the civil authority of the U.S. troops. Because this abuse does such direct strategic damage to our mission in Iraq, the soldiers directly involved must be punished, of course, but so should the entire chain of command. Since our overall mission explicitly requires winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, it is military professional malpractice to fail to anticipate the pressures on the front-line troops and put discipline in place to prevent such abuse. This abuse is due to more than â€Å"a few bad apples,† but even if it were only that, a military commander is responsible for knowing that a few soldiers may be â€Å"bad apples† and having controls in place to prevent them from acting out. The decapitation of Nick Berg was a miscalculation on the terrorists’ part. (They aren’t all geniuses either, of course!) Ordinary Iraqis were revolted and offended by having this crime done in their name. Furthermore, the decapitation took attention away from the Abu Ghraib pictures, which were doing real damage to the U.S. cause. We could still save their cookies by some sort of massive retaliation, but the responsible authorities seem to be handling this in a more controlled way. Finding and prosecuting the speciï ¬ c individuals involved and their accomplices would strengthen the U.S. position signiï ¬ cantly. There are signs that not all the news from Iraq is bad. First, there is measurable progress in restoring the Iraqi infrastructure and providing water, sewers, electricity, oil pipelines, local government, and eventually jobs. [This is where the real war is fought. The soldiers are mostly there to keep the bad guys from interfering with the engineers and t heir work.] Second, the ordinary people of Najf have demonstrated against the religious extremists and in favor of the moderates and of course in favor of peace and quiet. 9/11 This view of terrorists, retaliation, and trust also helps us understand the terrible events of 9/11 and who has proï ¬ ted from the aftermath. The destruction of the World Trade Center and the murder of 3,000 people was a horrifying act that devastated the victims’ families and shook the economy for a while. The symbolic impact on the United States and its effect on our national confidence was massive, but from a military perspective, the blow was not signiï ¬ cant. Compare it with the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, which crippled the Paciï ¬ c ï ¬â€šeet as we entered a war with Japan. Osama bin Laden’s purpose for the 9/11 attack was (and is) to provoke massive retaliation from the United States against Islam. He hoped that our retaliation would ï ¬ nally unite Islam against the United States as a common enemy and that his vision for a fundamentalist pan-Islamic state would sweep away all the more moderate governments in the region, as well as movements toward a pluralistic culture. In the ï ¬ nal chapter of his book Against All Enemies, Richard Clarke gives an excellent description of the conï ¬â€šict we should have pursued after 9/11 and contrasts it with the wars we actually did pursue. The invasion of Iraq is not only a distraction from more important goals but a provocation that is making Osama bin Laden’s dream come true. The purpose of the original attack was to provoke our retaliation, which would affect primarily the ordinary Islamic people, destroying what trust they had for the United States, and making them more willing to give aid and comfort to the terrorists among them. To a surprising extent, we have fallen right into Osama bin Laden’s trap. The future of the world depends on ï ¬ nding our way out. How to Win the War on Terrorism When terrorists are isolated criminals, viewed with suspicion by the vast majority of the general public, and reported to the authorities when they turn violent, then the war on terrorism has been won. What weapons will it take to win this war? Just as the Maginot Line in France was impotent against Nazi blitzkrieg at the beginning of World War II, purely military tactics and strategy will fail against the terrorists and will even be exploited to their advantage. It appears to me that our current professional military leaders generally understand this point, while our hawkish civilian leaders without military experience generally do not. It’s tempting to think that a war against terrorism can be won by killing all the terrorists. In the real world, this naive plan doesn’t work. A serious attempt to ï ¬ nd and kill all the terrorists also sweeps up many ordinary people, and some of them and their relatives become new terrorists, creating more terrorists than were destroyed. The harder the authorities pursue this strategy, the more it looks like genocide, and the more effectively they recruit new terrorists. The â€Å"weapon† we need is the trust and cooperation of the general population of the country where the terrorists are based. As we have seen, terrorists understand this and use ï ¬ endishly clever strategies for eroding this trust and fomenting resentment and hatred. (Incidentally, most terrorists are not clever enough to invent this. But they read about strategy and tactics in the writings of Mao Tze Tung and Ho Chi Minh, who were. Fortunately, these same sources are required reading for our professional military leaders.) The â€Å"simple† strategy for defeating terrorism is as follows: †¢ Avoid getting killed by them; make clear that overwhelming power is available, but avoid using it. †¢ Gain the trust and cooperation of the general population. †¢ Refute the terrorists’ lies; demonstrate truth and openness to criticism. †¢ Create, publicize, enforce, and obey a simple â€Å"Bill of Rights†; demonstrate evenhandedness in local disputes. †¢ Demonstrate justice, even when treated unjustly; avoid massive retaliation, even when taking casualties. †¢ Visibly work for economic justice for the oppressed. The people will turn the terrorists in for trial and prosecution. Obviously, implementing this strategy is far from simple. There are trade-offs between the actions required to avoid getting killed and the ones needed to gain trust. Since gaining trust is building the â€Å"weapon† that wins the war, however, it takes priority, and one can’t be absolutely safe. Whether you call it nation-building or peace-making, it’s a dangerous line of work, actively opposed by unfriendly people. Avoid Getting Killed Aside from the obvious personal motivation to stay alive, the strategic reason to prevent terrorist attacks is to foil their attempt to provoke massive retaliation. Impotence is the worst-case outcome for a terrorist, not death. We need good enough intelligence to detect and prevent terrorist acts, but this cannot take absolute priority since it trades off against being a free and trustworthy society. Therefore, some attacks will occur, and there will be casualties. It is important for both the terrorists and the general population to understand clearly that terrorist acts cannot possibly defeat our forces militarily. Failing to attend to this point led to disastrous errors by Reagan in Beirut and Clinton in Somalia. Currently in Iraq, terrorists can reasonably conclude that the United States will leave under sufï ¬ cient pressure. They may or may not be correct, but their ability to draw that conclusion is dangerous to us in itself. The hardest part about a war on terrorism comes when a terrorist attack succeeds. The whole point of the attack is to do something horriï ¬ c to provoke massive retaliation. The right response must be measured, deliberate, and appropriate. President Bush’s speech on September 20, 2001, was a brilliant example of the correct response to a successful terrorist attack. (Sadly, he did not stay that particular course, as he and his administration demonstrated their obsession with Iraq.) Gain Trust and Cooperation A measured, deliberate, and appropriate response gains the trust and the cooperation of the people. To do this, we must be trustworthy. It also means that the training of our troops for this kind of war must be very different from past wars. Our soldiers must be more than warriors who kill people and destroy things. They must also serve as community police, and even as social workers and political advisors. News reports from Iraq make it clear that our soldiers are vividly aware of this dual role, and they are vividly aware of the fact that they are well-trained and equipped as warriors but not as community police. Above, I’ve outlined some of the speciï ¬ c methods for building trust and cooperation from the people. †¢ Refute the terrorists’ lies; demonstrate truth and openness to criticism. †¢ Create, publicize, enforce, and obey a simple â€Å"Bill of Rights†; demonstrate evenhandedness in local disputes. †¢ Demonstrate justice, even when treated unjustly; avoid massive retaliation, even when taking casualties. †¢ Visibly work for economic justice for the oppressed. There are surely many other effective methods to be identiï ¬ ed, improved, evaluated, and applied. The People Will Turn in the Terrorists If the people trust the authorities and respect the efforts taken to make their lives secure and safe, they will turn in suspected terrorists, knowing that they will receive fair trials. The Unabomber’s brother turned him in because he was willing to trust the government’s pledge not to seek the death penalty. Terrorists are not merely criminals. Their extremist ideological motivation makes them far more dangerous than even large organized criminal gangs. Even so, to win against terrorism, in the end they must be treated as ordinary criminals. They must be tried and punished, with full legal rights and protections, not for their extremist beliefs, but for their terrorist actions that disrupt the safe conduct of society for ordinary citizens. The Unabomber sits in federal prison for his bombs that killed and maimed. Timothy McVeigh was executed for murder many times over. Their public trials and the public safeguarding of their rights were not out of soft-heartedness or compassion for criminals. They are public ceremonies, reafï ¬ rming the value of law and order in our society. They both represent and cultivate the trust that the people have in their government. That trust is the weapon that defeats terrorism. They cannot stand against it. We must not throw it away. What Should We Do? If we understand which weapons actually work against terrorists and if we understand how terrorists try to destroy our weapons, we can see what we need to do and what we need to avoid doing. We can see why the Abu Ghraib prison photos are so damaging to us. Traditional war is not easy or certain. And the new ways are not easy or certain either. The â€Å"simple† strategy above for defeating terrorism requires great knowledge, cleverness, and wisdom to put into action. War requires discipline. War requires sacriï ¬ ce. War requires restraint at certain times and carefully planned action at others. A war against terrorism is unlike the major wars of the past. If we try to ï ¬ ght like we fought wars in the past, we will lose, and we won’t understand how or why. We need to learn how to ï ¬ ght with new weapons. The alternative is a world of perpetual conï ¬â€šict between opposing groups of extremists, locked in a deadly embrace in which each side conï ¬ rms the beliefs of the other and helps in recruiting more extremists. The ordinary people in the middle, who just want peace and law and order, are repeatedly savaged to cultivate more recruits for one side or the other. This is indeed a â€Å"clash of civilizations† but not between Islam and the West. The clash is between extremists of all kinds on the one side and the forces of pluralism, tolerance, peace, and law and order on the other. Identifying Terrorists as a Diagnosis Problem Consider the problem of identifying terrorists as a problem in diagnosis. Out of a large population, you want to diagnose the very few cases of a rare disease called â€Å"terrorism.† Your diagnostic tests are automated data-mining methods, supervised and checked by humans. (The analogy is sending blood or tissue samples to a laboratory.) This type of diagnostic problem, screening a large population to look for a rare disease, has some very counter-intuitive properties. Suppose the tests are highly accurate and speciï ¬ c: †¢ 99.9% of the time, examining a terrorist, the test says â€Å"terrorist.† †¢ 99.9% of the time, examining an innocent civilian, the test says â€Å"innocent.† Terrorists are rare: let’s say, 250 out of 250 million people in the United States. †¢ When the tests are applied to the terrorists, they will be detected 99.9% of the time, which means that almost certainly 249 will be detected, and with only a 25% chance of missing the last one. Great! †¢ However, out of the remaining 249,999,750 innocent civilians, 99.9% accuracy means 0.1% error, which means that 250,000 of them will be incorrectly labeled â€Å"terrorist.† Uh, oh! (These are called â€Å"false positives.†) The law enforcement problem is now that we have 250,250 people who have been labeled as â€Å"terrorist† by our diagnostic tests. Only about 1 in 1,000 of them is actually a terrorist. If we were mini ng for gold, we would say that the ore has been considerably enriched, since 1 in 1,000 is better than 1 in 1,000,000. There’s still a long way to go, though, before ï ¬ nding a nugget. But we are talking about people’s lives, freedom, and livelihoods here. The consequences to an innocent person of being incorrectly labeled a â€Å"terrorist† (or even â€Å"suspected terrorist†) can be very large. Suppose, out of the innocent people incorrectly labeled â€Å"terrorist,† 1 in 1,000 is sufï ¬ ciently traumatized by the experience so that they, or a relative, actually becomes a terrorist. (This is analogous to catching polio from the polio vaccine: extremely rare, and impossible with killed-virus vaccine, but a real phenomenon.) In this case, even after catching all 250 original terrorists, 250 new ones have been created by the screening process! The numbers I’ve used give a break-even scenario, but 99.9% accuracy and speciï ¬ city is unrealistically high. More realistic numbers make the problem worse. Nobody knows what fraction of people traumatized as innocent victims of a government process are seriously radicalized. One in 1,000 is an uninformed guess, but the number could be signiï ¬ cantly higher. A mass screening process like this is very likely to have costs that are much higher than the beneï ¬ ts, even restricting the costs to â€Å"number of free terrorists† as I have done here. Adding costs in dollars and the suffering of innocents just makes it harder to reach the break-even level. Ask your neighborhood epidemiologist to conï ¬ rm this analysis. It is applied routinely to public health policy and applies no less to seeking out terrorists. There are alternative ways to detect and defend against terrorists. Mass screening for something very rare is seriously questionable in terms of costs and beneï ¬ ts, exactly because the true positives can be completely swamped by the false positives. The Seeds of War (A Parable) I offer a parable to illustrate the seeds of war. The point of this is not to say that the West is somehow responsible for terrorism. Obviously, the terrorists are responsible, and they must be brought to justice; however, we need to understand the mechanisms in place that feed terrorism and that would be invoked by certain types of retaliation. It makes no sense to act without understanding the context. The purpose of this parable is to provide intuition about one such mechanism. Written 10/2/2001 in the aftermath of September 11. Think about the aftermaths of Afghanistan and Iraq, too. To ï ¬ ght terrorism, you must know where it comes from. Imagine that you and your family live in a really bad neighborhood. You struggle every day to make ends meet. You try to keep your children safe from the criminals who live in your area. You work hard to teach your children to be good people, and to live right, even though they are surrounded by examples of people who get rich through immoral ity and crime. You go to church with your neighbors and try to support each other in the same struggle, since the odds against each of you are overwhelming, but together you may have a slightly better chance. You watch TV, and you see rich people in the suburbs who have everything you ever wanted, who worry about crabgrass in the lawn instead of gunï ¬ re in the street. You work two jobs at minimum wage, hating the fact that your children are home alone, while the people on TV complain about the high cost of gas for the SUV to take the kids to soccer games. You and the members of your church tell each other and try to believe that different people have different lots in life, and each follows his or her own path to salvation. Meanwhile, on TV, you hear the people in the suburbs complaining about how all the people in your neighborhood are criminals and lazy and should be run out of town. You try hard to remember that they don’t understand and to forgive them. Then, one day, a really terrible crime is committed by a gang from your neighborhood. A bomb goes off in the suburbs, and many innocent people are killed. You are shocked, and your heart goes out to the families who are suffering. A few of your meaner-hearted neighbors say that they are glad that the suburbs now know what it’s like. You shut them up, telling them to have compassion for anyone who suffers. A few particularly foolish kids dance in the street and show up on the evening news. Your church holds a prayer service for the victims of the bomb. The police barricade the streets around your neighborhood and won’t let any of you out, though a few sneak past. On TV, you hear some of the rich people in the suburbs say they want to bomb your entire neighborhood to kill the whole gang. If that also kills innocent people like you and your family, well, that’s too bad, they say. How do you feel? What do you do? Now, suppose the police actually do bomb your neighborhood. The bombs kill your parents, your wife, your daughters, and your sons. In your family, the only survivors are you and your youngest son. How do you feel? What do you do? Benjamin Kuipers, PhD, holds an endowed professorship in computer sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. He investigates the representation of commonsense and expert knowledge with particular emphasis on the effective use of incomplete knowledge. He received his BA from Swarthmore College, and his PhD from MIT. He is a fellow of AAAI and IEEE and has served as department chairman.

Social Media and Network Security

Social Media and Network Security Mohammad I. Khan GMU Honor Code statement: By placing this statement on my webpage, I certify that I have read and understand the GMU Honor Code on http://oai.gmu.edu/the-mason-honor-code-2/ and as stated, I as a student member of the George Mason University community pledge not to cheat, plagiarize, steal, or lie in matters related to academic work. In addition, I have received permission from the copyright holder for any copyrighted material that is displayed on my site. This includes quoting extensive amounts of text, any material copied directly from a web page and graphics/pictures that are copyrighted. This project or subject material has not been used in another class by me or any other student. Finally, I certify that this site is not for commercial purposes, which is a violation of the George Mason Responsible Use of Computing (RUC) Policy posted on http://copyright.gmu.edu/?page_id=301 website. Abstract Social media security is a big concern nowadays and network security itself is another concern. Network security has changed a lot in the recent years. This paper aims to investigate and talk about the public associations on social media networks, the rationale of social practices, the dynamic way of character and protection, the creation and dispersal of social media and network security, the social media network security and the overall network security of the present time. This paper begins with todays social media character and network security for social media. It discusses the nature of network security, system protection, the social networking progression of security. Furthermore, it also describes network security threats, their definition and types, and how we will be benefitted from this, and whats the new network security infrastructure might be in the near future. Also, this paper provides the background, uses, ethical and social issues, advantages and disadvantages of th e network security based on social media sites and network security individually in details. Keywords: Social networking sites; network security; social media and network security Introduction Social media has not only changed the way people interact in the world, but also it is advancing more to make it easier to access. Social networking sites allow people to communicate and remain in contact with friends as well as meet new people. Social media alludes to online communication that takes into consideration client created content as content sound, video, pictures and so on to be distributed in a very versatile way for overall public utilization regularly. It also includes the intuitive exchange with others. Social media is a vital source for sharing social activities. There are various kinds of social media such as Wikis, Blogs, Microblogs, Photo Sharing, Videos, News Feed and so on. Social networking sites are viral; at times, mysterious in nature, prompting social sites being seen as targets for hackers and cyber-criminals recently. Reasons being that online networking itself permits the clients to customize their online identity and share personal information. Along wi th all these things, network security is also a concern nowadays and has a relation with them. Famous social networking sites, for example, Facebook and Twitter have been able to be focused for security attacks. Without network security, we cannot protect our privacy and our stuff on the internet and in the social networking sites. In this paper, I will analyze the current practices of network security for social media services what is network security and the benefit of network security, social networking threats, future of network security, and emphasis on the ethical/legal and social aspects as well as a glimpse at the future security issues facing this area. Background, types and current security threats Network security refers to any kind of activities intended to secure system. In particular, these activities secure the ease of use, integrity, trustworthiness, and safety of the network and information. Compelling network security focuses a variety of threats and prevents them from entering into the network. Network security is refined through software and hardware. The software must be continually updated and figured out how to shield the network from developing threats. A network security system normally comprises of numerous parts. All parts work together, which minimizes maintenance and enhances security. These parts include Anti-virus and anti-spyware, firewall for blocking unauthorized access to the computer, Virtual Private networks (VPN) for providing secure remote access. On the other hand, Social media security is an issue nowadays. Online social networks were especially one of the hackers most loved targets. According to Dong and L.N., network security has turned into th e present spotlight on the improvement of information technology. From all parts of network information security issues, we should first make sense of the variables that trigger network security (Dong, L. N., 2014). According to another research study (2009) accumulated by the US National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), more than 74% of clients unveil individual data, including email addresses and birthdays on their profiles (Express Computer, 2009). Cyber-criminals can take data about anyone from their social networking profile and posts and afterward tailor their assaults taking into account anyones interests and likes. This is known as social engineering and it makes security threats a great deal more hard to perceive. According to Wu, Social Engineering, which relies on exploiting the human element of trust, obtain or compromise information about an organization or its computer systems (Wu, 2012, p.173). With such a large A number of users, Facebook is a target for scams; it can likewise uncover anybodys personal information to their group of friends. Scams on Facebook incorporate cross-site scripting, clickjacking, survey scams and theft of identity. One of the scammers most loved strategies for assault existing apart from everything else is known as cross-site scripting or Self-XSS. Clickjacking is likewise frequently fixing to survey scams which trap users into introducing an application from a spammed link. New Facebook security highlights give assurance against scams and spam. However, tragically theyre primarily incapable. Self-XSS, clickjacking and review tricks basically did not exist only a couple of years back, but rather they now show up on Facebook and other social networks every day. Another study showed that Facebook, for instance, was sued commonly in 2011 which made the firm pay about $20 million to compensate its clients for utilizing their information without explicit permission (Vel murugan Mathiyalagan, 2015). Security threats on social networking sites keep on growing. Another example of social networking site is twitter. It is a micro-blogging site. Even though most shortened URLs are real, if a link redirects anyone to another page that requests a twitter password everybody should leave it immediately for security purpose. Ethical issues related to social networking sites and Network security Social networking permits anybody to share essentially anything on the web. Any business without a social media policy networking approach risks expanding outside security attacks. Here are a few ethical rules a business ought to take after when conveying online: Sharing information which will give anyones brand a positive picture. People need believable information, so they should give them that. This will fabricate trust for business, which can expand leads and clients. When sharing, know about others viewpoints. Be interested in what others need to say. When to react, be reasonable in what we say to make a social prosperity for our business and client connections. Be mindful of who can see our information, what is being shared, and what is being said and partook in regards to our business. If something negative is being shared, investigate it for believability. On the off chance that it is dependable, react to it in a positive style to demonstrate that we think about what is said concerning our business, and that some kind of move is being made to progress. Overall, a business ought to make a positive, trustworthy online nearness for both their own particular advantage and for the advantage of their clients. On the other hand, a security policy is the accumulation of standards that help the clients to carry on in a certain approach to recognizing what is lawful and unlawful to access to ensure computer system in their network. Also, it helps the administrator to ensure that everything in the network system is secure and no one can pulverize or harm the system. So, the security policies are important to big business network. Likewise, without security policies the clients will open websites and these websites may have a virus or worms which will impact to our network function. Moreover, an unapproved individual can access to the network and do the illicit activity which will destroy the system. There is numerous approach to apply security policy. For instance, strong password, use a firewall and so on. However, one of the greatest ethical issues that identified with system is security policy. In some organizations the security policies are apply feebly or in awful way. Secondly, the hacke rs are enormous issue to the network and it is spread quickly in the word for quite a while. For instance, stolen medical insurance record from any organization and they will offer this data to another organization with no authorization. Third, the weak network design security system is gotten to be one of the greatest ethical issue that identified with network. Some administrator in the organizations do not apply enough security to the network, which cause a great deal of unauthorized clients access to network and look over the secret information. It happens because of the weak network security. According to Jayson, Some of Facebooks research on client conduct found that 71% of individuals drafted at least one post that they never posted (Jayson, 2014). Social Implications Social media is potentially the most indispensable segment of the Internet. At the same time, being open and social networking sites makes true worries about protection and security. Social networking sites urge individuals to be more open about their own lives. Besides, things they post stay accessible uncertainly. While most sites permit their clients to control who sees the things theyve posted. Social networking sites are possessed by private organizations, and that they profit by gathering information about people and offering that information on, especially to third party advertisers. Security settings are just intended to shield one from different individuals from the social network, yet they dont shield ones information from the proprietors of the service. Basically, one person is giving every one of his/her information over to the proprietors and believing them with it. There are other reasons also that can expose ones privacy. One study showed that boasting more than 500 mi llion active users around the world, the social networking site is presently being focused by cyber-criminals (Sanchez, 2010). On the other hand, Viruses and malware frequently discover their direction into computers through enticing advertisements. Its better not to click those ads. Secondly, we have to be cautious of whom we acknowledge invitations from while making online network. Sharing our information to individuals we dont know can be hazardous. In case, if we get friend requests from an unknown person, we should not accept the request in the social networking sites. Third, Part of the online networking websites are all the different games and applications. These are also called third party apps. Most of them are unsafe, before giving the application a specific level of consent concerning our information we have to be careful. We have to ensure what the application is viewing and sharing before consenting to the terms. Exposing too much information falls us into trouble. Four th, we have to utilize our security settings properly. Social media sites give us the capacity to limit who has the access to our information. For instance, Facebook gives us a chance to choose who our friends are and what content they can see.   One Consumer Reports says that issues are on the rise 11% of households utilizing Facebook had inconvenience a year ago, which ranges from a more unusual utilizing their login information to online harassment (Fitzpatrick, 2012). Future of social networking and network security The future of security controls on social networks is by all accounts on a promising direction. for example, biometrics system will be installed with two-step verification and enhanced endeavors are being made for securing clients privacy. With thoughts, for example, online ID labels, eye recognition system etc. Conclusion Social network holds colossal control over the lives of people and this force brings a duty of making social network a more secure spot. This must be done when security frameworks are solidly set up without bargaining the wellbeing of clients. References Dong, L. N. (2014). Design of computer information network security system.  Applied Mechanics and Materials, 539, 305-309. doi:  http://dx.doi.org.mutex.gmu.edu/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.539.305 This is research and reviews that describes the network security systems. Fitzpatrick, A. (2012). Study Says Facebook Privacy Concerns Are on the  Rise Is It Accurate? Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://mashable.com/2012/05/04/facebook-privacy-concerns-study/#vnDzBrKMnqqf This is a website that says about the Facebook privacy and security. Jayson, S. (2014). Social media research raises privacy and ethics issues.  Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/08/data-online-behavior-research/5781447/ This is a newspaper publication that discussed privacy and ethics issue for social media. Social networks: Boon or bane? (2009).  Express Computer, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.mutex.gmu.edu/docview/217384554?accountid=14541 This is a research and reviews that describes the network security threats. Sanchez, M. (2010, November 10). Know the Security Implications  of Social Media. Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://blogs.cisco.com/smallbusiness/know_the_security_implications_of_social_media This blog was created for knowing the security implications of social media. Velmurugan, J. S., Mathiyalagan, P. (2015). SOCIAL NETWORKING THREATS AND  SECURITY ISSUES: AN ENQUIRY. International Journal of Management Research and Reviews, 5(4), 270-274. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.mutex.gmu.edu/docview/1683315551?accountid=14541 This is a research and reviews on Social networking threats and security issues. Wu, H. (2012). A review of social media security risks and mitigation  techniques.Journal of Systems and Information Technology, 14(2), 171-180.doi:  http://dx.doi.org.mutex.gmu.edu/10.1108/13287261211232180

Mediocrity of Teacher Recruitment Essay -- Teachers Education Employme

Mediocrity of Teacher Recruitment Some teachers are better than others. This is a simple and, I hope, obvious fact. But the culture of American schools is not friendly to it. Particularly in our hiring of public school teachers, we tend to avoid notions of serious discernment, of picking the very best in our society to become our teachers, and we accept that the most talented of our young people will gravitate to other fields. Overcoming this acceptance of mediocrity in teacher recruitment and retention represents the greatest opportunity to bring a quantum improvement to our schools. To focus on the elite among new teaching recruits as a matter of method is, in fact, the radically democratic way to give our society's most valuable resources to our poorest and neediest children. That simple fact should trump any concerns about the ill effects of meritocracy on job applicants. The work of educators is to educate young people. So long as we have the courage to make the very best possible experience for those young people our highest goal, we must attend to fairness for teachers only after we have attended to excellence for our students. And we have yet to do that right. Today, the best teachers in many schools are in a way the dissidents, the people who stand out, who attract criticism as well as praise for being remarkable educators, and they resist a strong pull toward mediocrity in the professional culture of too many schools. We must recognize that this is a problem, and we must fix it. The solution is not difficult to imagine. New teachers must come to know that there is an early-career, merit-based threshold to cross, similar to what doctors, lawyers, and many business professionals face in their first few years of professional work. If we can make this a reality, the most talented and most effective among them will be able to earn their place in a truly elite, dedicated corps of teachers. We will keep the very best of the new teacher recruits, and we'll attract large numbers of people in other professions who today don't sign on to become teachers because they believe that American schools haven't fostered a culture of achievement and haven't been able to make the profession of teacher as respected or respectable as many other professions. In many school systems today, new teachers are, officially, on some kind of probation for a period... ...s job security. A district that wants to fire a tenured teacher must typically undergo a lengthy process of hearings and appeals. One purpose of tenure laws is to protect teachers from being dismissed because of political or personal views. Opponents, however, argue that tenure makes it difficult for districts to fire unqualified teachers. On a similar front, several studies are also now being conducted to examine ways to dramatically overhaul the entire teacher-compensation system--not just change a bit of it here or there. Undeniably, much remains to be done. A major report issued in September by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future offered a scathing indictment of current practices, including inadequate teacher education, bureaucratic hiring procedures, and the placement of unqualified teachers in classrooms. The report set the price tag for remedying these problems within a decade at nearly $5 billion a year in new federal, state, and local money which should be spent on upgrading teacher education, subsidizing people to teach in high-need fields and locations, reforming the licensing and induction process, and better professional development.

Style Analysis of Blog Writings :: Teaching Writing

Style Analysis of Blog Writings What is â€Å"style† in writing? After reading Strunk and White’s The elements of Style and Joseph William’s Style: Toward Clarity and Grace, I have come to understand what style is: I always thought of â€Å"style† as being your own, but through these books I learned that that’s not entirely true. â€Å"Style† is a mixture of many things and individualism only being one part, but for me the most important. Style is a way of writing clear, cohesive, grammatically correct and true to one’s self. White says in the last chapter of Elements of Style â€Å"style in the sense of what is distinguished and distinguishing.†(Strunk and White 66) Good writing is not that hard to achieve, any one can write well. If you write true to yourself it will make your writing better. Williams talks about â€Å"your voice† and so does Strunk and White. White says â€Å"All writers, by the way they use the language, reveal something of their spirits, their habits, their capacities and their biases.† (Srunk and White 67) Williams says â€Å"Writing well, they believe, has to do with being sincere, or writing how they speak, or finding their authentic voices, or just being born with the knack. (Williams 1) Good writing lets us know something about the writer even if it is technical. To be interesting we need some insight into the person’s feelings and thoughts. Writing should be something we enjoy not something that we dread or fear. Most people, students especially, have come to hate writing because they don’t know the â€Å"rules† and are afraid to make mistakes. It seems that people are more concerned with correct grammar then content. It is important to have good grammar, punctuation, and spelling, but what you have to say is the most important. People spend so much time worrying about what their paper looks like, then what it sounds like. Sitting down to write a paper can be intimating and sometimes it is hard to organize our thoughts to put them down on paper. I feel that reading books like Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace is helpful, but practice is the key to good writing. I had never heard of Blooger.com until I was introduced to it by my English class. I found the blog entries to be a helpful assignment, because the best way to become a good writer is by practice. Style Analysis of Blog Writings :: Teaching Writing Style Analysis of Blog Writings What is â€Å"style† in writing? After reading Strunk and White’s The elements of Style and Joseph William’s Style: Toward Clarity and Grace, I have come to understand what style is: I always thought of â€Å"style† as being your own, but through these books I learned that that’s not entirely true. â€Å"Style† is a mixture of many things and individualism only being one part, but for me the most important. Style is a way of writing clear, cohesive, grammatically correct and true to one’s self. White says in the last chapter of Elements of Style â€Å"style in the sense of what is distinguished and distinguishing.†(Strunk and White 66) Good writing is not that hard to achieve, any one can write well. If you write true to yourself it will make your writing better. Williams talks about â€Å"your voice† and so does Strunk and White. White says â€Å"All writers, by the way they use the language, reveal something of their spirits, their habits, their capacities and their biases.† (Srunk and White 67) Williams says â€Å"Writing well, they believe, has to do with being sincere, or writing how they speak, or finding their authentic voices, or just being born with the knack. (Williams 1) Good writing lets us know something about the writer even if it is technical. To be interesting we need some insight into the person’s feelings and thoughts. Writing should be something we enjoy not something that we dread or fear. Most people, students especially, have come to hate writing because they don’t know the â€Å"rules† and are afraid to make mistakes. It seems that people are more concerned with correct grammar then content. It is important to have good grammar, punctuation, and spelling, but what you have to say is the most important. People spend so much time worrying about what their paper looks like, then what it sounds like. Sitting down to write a paper can be intimating and sometimes it is hard to organize our thoughts to put them down on paper. I feel that reading books like Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace is helpful, but practice is the key to good writing. I had never heard of Blooger.com until I was introduced to it by my English class. I found the blog entries to be a helpful assignment, because the best way to become a good writer is by practice.

Chinese martial arts Essay

Shamis: Way to Shaolin is a traditional dance performed by the Kung Fu Monks of Shaolin. Dance exists in many forms and can fulfil different functions: ritual, social or artistic. This particular dance fits into the ritual and artistic function. When performed and practised, ritual dance serves a strong function in sustaining the life of people through the culture and its procedures. Artistic dance is performed to be looked at and to entertain onlookers. The work itself can also be a means of expressing ones thoughts and feelings (Snook.B, 2004, p47-49). This essay will prove that the ritual function is most predominant in Shamis: Way to Shaolin. The ancient collection of Chinese martial arts referred to as Shaolin Kung Fu was created by a Buddhist Monk called Bodhidharma or Tamo who attempted to teach the monks of Shaolin the discipline of Zen meditation. They were not physically capable for the rigorous regime so he then continued to create a series of exercises to build up their health and increase their stamina (History of Shaolin Kung Fu, N/D, para 2). The exercises were both physiological and physical; the â€Å"goal being to control the body through the power of the mind† (The History of the Shaolin Monastery, 2008, para 1). The martial arts were developed out of necessity as the monks had to defend the monastery from thieves who tried to rob them of their treasures (History of Shaolin Kung Fu, N/D, para 3). Today, Shaolin Kung Fu is still practised and used for self-defence, health, fitness, character development, spiritual cultivation and life enrichment (Aims and Objectives of Practising Kung Fu, ND, para 3, 4 and 6). The ritual function is clearly the most predominant function in the performance of Shamis: Way to Shaolin, because of the great history and meaning of Shaolin Kung Fu to the Buddhist monks and the way it is performed. The dance components in Shamis: Way to Shaolin clearly fulfil the ritual function of dance due to the culture and beliefs represented. The dancers are all male Chinese Buddhist monks and they are wearing traditional outfits. The orange robes are dated back centuries and were originally chosen because of the dye available at the time. They are meant to symbolize simplicity and detachment of materialism (Exotissimo, 2010, para 1). The dancers are respecting themselves and others as they all bow together at the beginning of the performance and stand in a meditation position on one leg before dancing. The thin, wooden poles used in the performance of Shamis: Way to Shaolin are martial art weapons used for defence. The monks are representing themselves as warriors protecting their beloved monastery which is part of their history. This is realised as the stage is representing the outside of their monastery with large doors opening outside to steps which lead downwards and have 2 Chinese statues guarding them. The movements of the Shaolin monks are also very sharp and aggressive. They shout â€Å"HA! † loudly together on particularly strong movements as a warning signal and to show it is their territory and monastery. This is a characteristic of ritual dance as the performance is portraying a function. The dancers engage themselves entirely on the performance using immense concentration and focus. Repetition, a characteristic of ritual dance, is used as the monks repeatedly twirl their poles and bang them on the ground. The ritual function is most predominant as the Buddhist monks are dancing for themselves for enlightenment as well as for their culture and beliefs. There are also dance components that fulfil the artistic function of dance within Shamis: Way to Shaolin. It is choreographed and performed onstage for an audience. The dance begins with a loud gong and then fast-paced, traditional music is played which is whistling and chiming. The music is played to assist the audience in understanding and enjoying the performance. The monks mostly all dance together in sync at the same time, the majority of the time in a 3 straight lined formation facing the audience. This is an artistic element because the dancers have practised their routine so that it would be appealing to watch. A smoke machine is used when the male dancers enter onto the stage and go down the steps which provide levels within the performance. Levels are again used during the dance because they are regularly leaping, crouching and jumping. At the end most of them go to either side and sit while watching 2 monks fight dance with poles in the middle. These components are all used for the benefit of the audience and the overall effectiveness of the dance. Therefore the dance is also clearly fulfilling the artistic function. The ritual and artistic functions are seamlessly combined in this dance. The artistic function includes music, formations, cannons and levels. The ritual function is more complex representing their culture and beliefs with the dancers being Buddhist monks, wearing traditional outfits, doing meditation and Martial Arts/Kung-Fu etc. Together the two functions create an unforgettable production with the ritual being the most predominant. Bibliography Exotissimo Blog (December 21, 2010) [online] Why do Buddhist monks wear orange robes and shave their heads? http://www. exotissimo. com/blog/buddhist-monk/ (13/03/2013) DVD Shamis: Way to Shaolin. 2001. (Live show video recording) South Australia, IMS Entertaining SA. Schaffhausen Book Snook. B, (2004) Dance Count Me In, McGraw – Hill PTY LTD (p47-49) Shaolin Kung Fu History (date unknown) [online] ChinatownConnection. com http://www. chinatownconnection. com/shaolin-kung-fu-history. htm (date accessed 2/03/2013) The Aims and Objectives of Practising Kung Fu (date unknown) [online] General Kung Fu Aims http://www. shaolin. org/general/kungfu-aims. html (date accessed 2/03/2013) The Mystical power of Shaolin Kung Fu (2008) [online] The History of the Shaolin Monastery http://www. shaolinmonksinmalta. com/ (date accessed 2/03/2013).

Hearts R Us Case Essay

Under normal circumstances, preferred stock is classified as an equity item. However, there are certain cases in which preferred stock could be classified differently on the balance sheet. According to FASB ASC 480-10-25-8, any financial instrument that carries an obligation to repurchase the issuer’s equity shares would be classified as a liability. In this case, the contingent redemption right would fall under this scope dictating that the preferred stock would fall under a liability. The liability would carry a credit balance. It is also imperative to disclose the unusual voting right of electing one board member, the conversion rate, the additional protective rights and the rights of first refusal and co-sale rights in summary form in the financial statements. This falls under FASB ASC 505-10-50-3 which states â€Å"an entity shall explain, in summary form within its financial statements, the pertinent rights and privileges of the various securities outstanding.† Since Hearts R Us did not obtain FDA approval by the fifth year anniversary they are subject to their contingent redemption price which obligates them to redeem the stocks for par value. This is set by FASB ASC 480-10-35-3 which determines that if the settlement price and date, which in this case is the par value for the price and the fifth year anniversary for the date, are fixed then the firm would subsequently pay the fixed amount. This would result in a debit to the account in which the liability was placed under. If Hearts R Us were to fall under SEC requirements, it would still not change because according to FASB ASC 480-10-S99-3A â€Å"preferred securities that are redeemable for cash or other assets to be classified outside of permanent equity if they are redeemable (1) at a fixed or determinable price on a fixed or determinable date, (2) at the option of the holder, or (3) upon the occurrence of an event that is not solely within the control of the issuer.†

Corporate governance Essay

Other studies have attempted to isolate the impact of separate social factors on financial performance. For instance, Derwall, Gunster, Bauer, & Koedjik, K. (2003) have included the innovest eco-efficiency scores of US companies, and have looked at the environmental factor. After controlling the risk and investment style, they concluded that the high-ranked portfolio outperforms the low-ranked portfolio. The results become significant when adjusted for industry effects. Becker & Huselid (1998) have concentrated on the relationship between human resources management and firm performance. An analysis of over 500 multi-industry US companies present that a high performance HRM system has an economically and statistically positive effect on organizational performance. Gompers, Ishi, & Metrick, A. (2003) have emphasized the corporate governance aspect. They have drafted a governance index using 24 governance rules on 1,500 large US firms. An investment strategy that purchased shares of well-governed firms and sold shares in badly-governed firms earned an abnormal return during the 1990s. The research has applied style-adjustments. Bauer, Gunster, & Otten (2003) have analyzed the effect of corporate governance on stock returns and firm value. They have utilized the Deminor Corporate Governance ratings to build a portfolio of organizations with bad corporate governance. They find positive results for style-adjusted returns, with weaker positive results after adjustment for country differences. In summary, majority of the studies have presented an out-performance for SRI portfolios compares with more traditional investment approaches, even if such differences do not always present as statistically significant. When particular dimensions of sustainability are investigated, more significant and positive results are brought forth, suggesting that some facets of corporate social responsibility may also contribute shareholder value. Hypothesis This research will look into the efficiency of the internet, especially the corporate websites in transmitting messages with regard to one’s corporate social responsibility. In the same way, it would determine the role of corporate responsibility in increasing profits and revenues of a certain organization. It would look at how US companies incorporate their corporate social responsibility into their websites and how they link the most present and relevant issues into the general characteristics of the company (corporate profile) and of their products and services. In the same manner, this study aims to look at how these issues have been presented in their websites. Are they using the descriptive or informative approach and are they more commercial in perspective instead of allowing an ethical valuation or an appraisal of the company’s compromises in its production. This would also look into the issue of corporate governance. This research shall be qualitative in nature. According to Fay (1996), qualitative researchers attempt to accurately describe, decode and interpret the precise meanings of a certain phenomenon to a person or group of people. The research will also be based on the interpretative paradigm. According to Saunders et al. (2003) interpretive research is a broader term than qualitative research and it encompasses all other approaches based on participant observation such as ethnographic, qualitative, phenomenological, constructivist, and case studies. Second, interpretive research does not carry with it the false connotation of excluding the use of quantitative measures. The focus lies at the different constructions and meanings people place upon their own experiences and the reasons for those differences. The researcher shall use three tests focused in one group. These shall include surveys, focus group discussions and interviews that are essential in gaining necessary data. The focus group discussion of qualitative analysis was utilized, offering the proponent the opportunity to follow up and clarify certain facets of the research to the researchers and to the peers of the research group. It also permitted the members of the focus group to express his/her feelings, opinions and concerns. Following this, the focus group discussions created were documented and thematically analyzed. In order to effectively evaluate the research hypothesis and meet the objectives of the study, this study will employ two qualitative research methods – the focus group discussion and interview method of research. Qualitative research in itself makes for an in-depth evaluation and analysis of human dynamics and the kind of reasons that motivate such behaviour and the reasons that revolve around such behaviour to spur out in the first place. As compared to quantitative research, the qualitative method of analysis relies on the fundamental reasons behind the reactions of people when external factors are applied to a given situation. Simply put, it investigates the why and how of decision making, relative to what is being identified by the quantitative method of analysis – what, where, and when (Denzin & Lincoln 2000). For this reason, qualitative research only requires a relatively small group as compared to the relatively large yet most of if not all of the time are random samples. Qualitative research also identifies and sorts data into relevant and helpful patterns as the foundation for organization and the basis for reporting the kind of results for data.