Narcissism and Generation Essay

My generation, also known as Generation Y, is defined as a technology based generation. We have grown up surrounded with all sorts of technologies that make our lives easier. In some ways this has been beneficial to us. It has enabled us to get information about something at the touch of a button or keep us from getting sick. In other ways it has caused us to grow up lazy and wanting to do the least amount of work as possible. Many adults believe that Generation Y feels entitled to certain privileges and that most luxuries are necessities. According to Jean Twenge, author of Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before, â€Å"Teens feel entitled and are coddled, disrespectful, narcissistic and impatient†. I agree with this because many people my age are very self-centered. see more:does technology make us lazy The main thing that defines Generation Y is our technology based upbringing. We have grown up with televisions , microwaves, dishwashers, and other gadgets that entertain us or make our lives easier. We are so consumed with technology that issues such as â€Å"nomophbia† or â€Å"no mobile-phone phobia,† (Vicky Kung, CNN) and other psychological problems have recently been discovered when Generation Y was separated from technology. As one of the examples of excess attachment to technology, researcher, Michael Carr-Gregg, stated that â€Å"Many of my clients go to bed with their mobile phones while sleeping just like how one will have the teddy bear in the old days.† This just goes to show how attached Generation Y is to technology. There are two main characteristics that Generation Y have: they are feelings of entitlement and the belief that luxuries are necessities. We believe that having a television, hair dryer, coffee maker and other such amenities are necessities when staying in a hotel, while our parents consider them luxuries. This is because we have never been without these utilities and have grown up in homes that use them every day. The other characteristic that Generation Y has is that we feel entitlement to certain privileges due to the fact that technology has made life easier for us and we haven’t had to work as hard for the things that we want compared to our parents. Generation Y thinks that because we know more about the current day and age (basically technology) that we should be entitled to greater or equal benefits to that of our superiors. As far as â€Å"fitting into the mold† I believe that in certain aspects I do fit into Generation Y and in others I do not. I fit into Generation Y when it comes to technology and being â€Å"tech savvy†. I understand how many computers and other such technological appliances work because I have grown up around them. I don’t â€Å"fit the mold† when it comes to the psychological issues of technology such as nomophobia. I have never been super attached to a phone or other technology based appliance. One thing that has helped me not become so attached is that I don’t have internet on my phone. This helps because I interact more with people and I don’t have the temptation to check my Facebook all the time. I don’t fit the mold with the feelings of entitlement because my parents have taught me to respect my elders and that just because I may know a little bit more about technology than they do doesn’t mean that they aren’t smart or that their advice is worthless. Other characteristics that I do fit the mold in are thinking that luxuries are necessities. Growing up, I always had a dishwasher, microwave, computer, television and other necessities that my parents consider the comfortable luxuries of life. In conclusion Generation Y is a technology based generation because that is what we have grown up with and evolved with. Generation Y has also grown up thinking that luxuries are necessities because we have never been without them. Many of us also have feelings of entitlement because technology has made life easier for us and we haven’t had to work as hard as our parents did growing up. I believe that I personally fit the mold in some areas and don’t in others because of the generation and technology age that I have grown up in and the way that I was raised. Works Cited ————————————————- Armour, Stephanie. â€Å"Generation Y: They’ve arrived at work with a new attitude.† USA Today. USA Today, 06 November 2005. Web. 17 Sep 2012. <http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2005-11-06-gen-y_x.htm>. ————————————————- ————————————————- Chang, Katherine. â€Å"What Defines Our Generation?.† Inside Beat. Inside Beat, 29 September 2010. Web. 17 Sep 2012. <http://www.inside-beat.com/film/what-defines-our-generation-1.2349047>. ————————————————- ————————————————- Kung, Vicky. â€Å"Rise of ‘nomophobia’: More people fear loss of mobile contact.† CNN. CNN, 07 March 2012. Web. 17 Sep 2012. <http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/06/tech/mobile/nomophobia-mobile-addiction/?hpt=hp_c3>. ————————————————- ————————————————- Twenge, Jean. Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled -and More Miserable Than Ever Before. New York City: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2006. 279. Web.

Hard Work Is the Key to Success

I am writing this content only those who are fresh graduate and wondering full time or part time work. First of all, I say that graduation is not top part where you have reached. It is just first step. You should study post-graduation. If you do not do it regularly, you should study it through correspondence. Master degree is must before wondering full time work because next two years will give you more learning skills.Now, when you go for wondering work, you should remember that your hard work is the key of your success. No work is bad. There may be more quality in small work. Education increases our power to give better service. So, you can do your work from any small service. It may be the duty of salesman. It may be the duty supervisor or tutor. You do that duty with full of hard work. Sweat from your body is the sign that success is very near to you. It may be possible that your family's financial condition is not good.I ask one question from you whether only to say this to othe r is sufficient. No, never! Nobody will give you any financial help. Nobody will give you money. Yes you can do labor. Yes you can sell the small products. Yes, you can do duty and earn money. This earned money can only support your family. This earned money can power to your family. Why are you wasting time just telling your weak family condition. Use same time to get new idea for hard work.

Analysis of Dance Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Dance Essay The type of dance I attended was a mix of ballet and modern. This involved group performances as well as individual performances. For the purpose of this paper I will narrow my observations to an individual performance of both ballet and modern and a group performance of both. Dance has the ability to draw it’s viewer in, by captivating the audience with the amount of grace, coordination and talent it’s dancers display. The lines a dancer created with their body is nothing short of amazing. Almost every type of person could appreciate something about dance. One of the first dances of the night was a ballet done, by a 9 year old girl. As she entered the dance area, it became very silent in the auditorium. You could almost hear a needle drop. Her costume was simple, dark in color, not shinny, as if not to distract the audience from her performance. Her white tights provided a focal point drawing the audience to watching the delicate moves she was executing with her legs. She started in first position quickly transitioning to 3rd and before you knew it she was spinning around on only one foot, pointing her toe towards the audience. She had a brief moment where it appeared that she fell out of pose, but immediately pulled herself back together, executing the next pose with perfection. Her face remained unchanged throughout the entire performance. She demonstrated perfect C shaped arms as she held them in the air bringing all her weight from her heels to the tips of her toes. This performance was very impressive for such a young girl. What I sometimes miss it facial expressions, but I suppose by the absence of expression the girl is allowing your mind to go wherever the music takes you. The next performance came from a 15 year old girl and best fit the description of modern dance. Her costume was bright, shinny, and created the illusion of movement. Many of the movements executed by this performer involved being on the floor, or bending over. Her arm movements were not as precise. It was as if a choreographer told her she could place her arms however she wished, in stark contrast to the ballet dance that required very precise movements. This dance appeared much slower. I did not enjoy this dance as much as I felt the bold costume and music distracted the viewers from the talent behind the dancer. She too was expressionless when she danced. The way the stage lights reflected off her costume created a glowing effect on the dancer. The group ballet was absolutely beautiful. Some of the dancers started as if they were asleep or dead, all bent over, while other dancers began in the upright position. As the dancers began to move across the stage, the dancers in the downward position began to arise. It created the illusion that the dancers were giving life to an otherwise lifeless creature. They all began dancing in unison across the stage, with pose and grace, up on their toes. They were always careful to have the correct position with their arms and legs, and toes pointed. They made this type of dancing look effortless, while executing it with such precision. No one fell out of pose during this dance, everyone knew their place and performed with great precision. As the dance ended they all went into a downward pose, creating the illusion that they were all lifeless again. What a brilliant analogy, this dance presented. Many things around us are lifeless, dull and boring, it is the people who occupy the space that gives it life and meaning. Just like dance gives life and many to those who watch it or perform it. The last dance was the group modern dance. This was my least favorite. I would almost say that it appeared sloppy and ill choreographed. At times I wondered if the girls were supposed to be doing the same movements and some were behind or if it was meant to look like a ripple effect. It did not look like either to me. Through watching these dances it became very obvious to me that I prefer ballet to modern dance. I was uncertain of the reason until the lady seated behind me said,† I loved their modern group dance†. I thought I miss heard her, but yes that was what she said. She even went on to say that they had won a competition doing that very dance. It was at that point I realized dance is for everyone. While I prefer the more precise movements, other people can enjoy the chaos of modern dance. I tend to be a perfectionist and I had nothing to gage the movements of the modern dance on. But I loved the ballet where you could tell when perfect pose was achieved. So I do believe a dance recital like this should appeal to all types of people, offering a great variety. Analysis of Dance. (2016, Nov 25).

Social science 300 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Social science 300 - Essay Example It is an element of mental destruction that happens between families. Children seem to be the worst affected in the whole scenario. They store pictures of torture and fights within their memories and this is one feeling which is pretty difficult to get rid of. Psychologically, it affects them more than the persons who were in a marriage before they decided to forego the bond itself – the bond of marriage, now changed into a divorce deed. (Shaw, Winslow & Flanagan, 1999) Socially, it leaves a scar on the children so much so that they start getting alienated from other kids of the same age. They converse less and as a result open up negligibly. They seldom speak out what is within them and hurting from inside. They seem to be in a constant fight with their existence and life for them becomes a problem – a problem that has got no bearing on their actions and yet they are on the receiving end. Academically, these children fall back on the track of education and are less int erested at gaining the new avenues of knowledge and information. They seem unwelcoming to the new technological changes and are happy with their lives, in a desolate area with no one in company. Life for them is a slow killer but a killer for sure. In this paper, the aspect of family remaining as a single knitted unit is highlighted and all the significant elements of keeping a family as a solitary entity are discussed so that a relational basis with psychological comprehension and relationship binding is established in essence. (Chomsky, 2003) With the passage of time, these children grow up to a less secure financial environment and they fall back on their expenses most of the times. They are usually dependent on one of their parents, with the one they live most of the times or in instances where both the parents have let gone on them, they are dependent on their guardians, which could be just about anyone. They are always trying to make both ends meet and

Spss-group 2 project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Spss-group 2 project - Essay Example After excluding this case, a sample of 313 remains, bringing the total for both years to 725 respondents. After isolating Question #99 in Section 4 (What year are you?), and focusing on the Juniors (3.00) the following trends were identified (see table below): Notably, while all other grade levels indicated a decrease from ’06 to ’07, Juniors (3.00) recorded an increase. A comprehensive run of the descriptive statistics indicate that 85 Juniors, 20.6% of the entire sample (where n=412), participated in the study in 2006. In 2007, an impressive 96 Juniors, 30.7% of the entire sample (where n=313), participated in the survey. In ’06 and ’07, a total of 181 juniors participated in the survey, equating to 25.0% of the total participants in the two subsequent years. However, the results are more meaningful when presented as a proportion of the cumulative total, (see table below): The number of Juniors increased by 11 between ’06 and ’07. This was a 12.9% change. Noteworthy, the number of Juniors participating in the survey indicates an upward trend. From the analysis, it is evident that the number of Juniors who participated in the survey in 2007 were greater than those who participated in 2006. The means indicate that the students agree that their experience with their major is positive. Most found it to be primarily exciting, interesting, rewarding and fun. Only a few SOB students perceive their majors to be boring and worrisome. Additionally, upon further analysis of Section 1 Questions 19- 37, students had knowledge and an understanding of various SOB aspects. A large amount of the student body was informed about the major requirements of their courses, understood the core requirements, and was familiar with the student business advisory council and how to choose a career. They were also knowledgeable about the various Associations in BSOB including the Finance Association, NEOSA, Student Entrepreneurs Association,

Lab2 Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lab2 - Lab Report Example The page also provides information about the career path certificates for those who may want to specialize. On the page is other information relating to service courses such as computer software tools and computer programming tools (Lane, 1996). In case a student needs financial aid, he or she can visit the Student Resource Center (SRC), located on the second floor of Building 1, Room 206. The SRC personnel helps students in solving non-academic matters while in the campus or the community. Under life and family, there is support for a wide range of information. The information provided include childcare, where families of the students can enroll their children in child care. Counseling guides students on academic, career and personal needs. Disability resources announcing the resources available for students with special needs. Health clinic provides information on healthcare for students. Housing & Titan Court, advising students on the best and affordable houses they can rent. Multi-cultural center gives information on where students can get best hospitality services. Other information under current students’ resources include employment, transportation, veteran’s services and women’s center (Lane, 1996). Academic advising department provides each student with program advising team. Electronic advisory services such as Moodle. The electronic resources help the students research and discover answers to a wide range of academic and career questions (Lane, 1996). a) The information on this page is varied, though all related to the University of Oregon. It provides links to the various section of the university. For instance, there is information on job openings, maps detailing directions to the University, the office of admissions, blackboard, academics and events calendar. The page also provides links to some institutes of the university like the Institute on violence and destructive behavior. b) The URL opens a webpage

A Major Issue Surrounding Religion In Africa Research Paper

A Major Issue Surrounding Religion In Africa - Research Paper Example The challenges that this continent is facing is presumed to not only haunt them in the next decade but they will be of concern to the wider international community as well. This paper aims at providing an analysis of the contemporary issues that confront the continent especially related to religion. I will try to cover different religions that exist in this continent. What are the major issues related to it? I will try to analyze them in the light of past and present so that a theme could be developed that connects the historical and contemporary world. In order to do so we have to peep into the traditional religions of Africa as well as into Islam, this is predominantly the current religion of Africa. I will also try to analyze how religion affects the continent today and what are the defining factors. An analysis of the issues surrounding religion is not possible in isolation. A number of other factors have their own strong impact ( (Deagan) on it such as development, culture, demo cratic environment, health and security, conflicts, arms and reconstruction. Any study done without taking into consideration all these facts will not be based on reality. In short we can say it will be inconclusive. So I will do a detailed analysis and will draw conclusion based on all these factors. We cannot deny the social importance of religion. Religion is an important strand of society. It provides a value system that underpins the foundation of society. Without a common value system of which religion is an important thread, the concept of society is not possible. Religious Plurality in Africa African history is very vast and old. Africa has religious plurality. Religious plurality means sharing of different religious traditions by the same family, immediate or extended, similar ethnic groups and nations. Many religions exist side by side. Members of the same family may follow different religions. If we take a closer look we can categorize the religions in Africa into three t iers, Traditional religions, Christianity and Islam. After Second World War self concept of Africans has changed due to political, intellectual changes around them. History of Religion in Africa The recorded history of Africa dates back to 3000 BC in Egypt. People worshipped gods like Isis, Horus, Osiris, Ra, and Hapi. This was the case within Egypt. In West Africa the trend was to worship single god like sky god. Monotheism that is belief in single god also originated in Egypt in 1300 B.C. that led to worshipping of Akenanten. Religious history is deeply influenced by political history. (History of Religions in Africa) Conquerors of Africa always influenced the religion of the region. Africa was conquered by Greeks, Romans and Phoenicians after the death of Akenanten and each of them influenced the concept of god. The great change in the religious beliefs of the Africans came in 300 AD. Roman emperors believed in Christianity and that is how Christianity entered this region. Even a t that time Christianity was not the only religion. The Bantu faith, who believed in Polytheism, was also expanding in Southern Africa at that time. They believed in the powers of ghosts and evil powers, which supposedly had great influence on their lives. They worshipped ghosts of dead kings and heroes. Islam entered into this region in 600 AD. This shift

Fitmath in Afterschool and Why It Is Effective Dissertation

Fitmath in Afterschool and Why It Is Effective - Dissertation Example School time and various resources are frequently diverted from various types of physical Education and openings for physical action for example recess. (HRDC, 2001). The program Fitmath the kids, under goes numerous stages in which they study how to turn out to be fit both bodily and mentally, the significance of having well eating habits with nourishing foodstuff, and to maintain body in correct shape, additionally to thorough mathematical abilities. And it helps to accomplishing and learning maths with fun and pleasure. (Wenger). According to Nancy Protheroe in his article called, what does Good Math Instruction look like? Says that, it entails good teachers, effectual math surroundings, and a curriculum that is more than a mile broad and an inch deep. This research article points out that it takes more than a good trainer to teach math. According to MUCHA in his article says that, Mathematics subject has always been an essential constituent of person thought and culture, and the d evelopment of technology in current times has further enlarged its significance. Nowadays mathematics is a crucial partner in areas where once it played no particular role. (Mucha). Fit math is one of the most significant programs in schools in the 21st century. It connects healthy academics and eating. This program assists students in increasing self-assurance in their physical capability, in addition to enhancing familiarity, by way of expressions in the fields of physiology, anatomy, and mathematics. Fundamental fact acquisition is a significant part of building up higher-order math abilities. (Springer). On the other hand, getting learners with a history of academic rebelliousness to engage in various activities associated to acquisition of various skills can be difficult. (Lynn Arthur Steen 2010). According to Michelle Kulas in her acrtcile called, Need for After-School Exercise Programs says that, program related to after-school fitness build exercise fun for children. Dependi ng on the style of program, it will help the child to study a new sport or have the alternative to join in in a large variety of exercise activities. She also says that, because of this exercise program it will helps to develop health of the kids by being physically active at the same time as also playing with and cooperating with other kids in a supervised setting. Also After-School Exercise Programs will be capable to create new friends and may enjoy superior self-assurance and self-esteem. (Kulas, 2011) According to Sam Piha in his article called AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS: WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT AND HOW SHOULD WE MEASURE SUCCESS says that, after school programs offer young people with the various types of learning practices and opportunities that may not be obtainable to kids in their homes or classrooms. And also they recommend young people opportunities to study new things and build up significant skills that are essential to achievement in school and in life. The article Effective M athematics Instruction says that, Mathematics instruction is an extremely complex procedure that tries to create abstract ideas more tangible, difficult thoughts comprehensible and multifaceted evils solvable. Visual depictions bring

Booming Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Booming Energy - Essay Example This technology was soon accepted by some of the leading companies such as Google, ebay, Walmart and many others. These solid oxide fuel cells produce energy that is 70% cleaner and 100% renewable. It is believed that a few years down the line, ‘Bloom’ might be a household name we reckon since it has considerable advantages over other renewable energy sources as well. Dr. K.R.Sridhar was part of a NASA workforce, attempting to come up with ideas to sustain life on mars. The first thing that occurred to him was the need for an energy source that would generate power and at the same time produce oxygen and hydrogen as a by product. The idea being, hydrogen could be used to power other hydrogen fuelled devices. With this idea in mind, they began working to produce a solid oxide fuel cell which did not comprise of expensive or rare metals but used a simple and highly available material, sand, to generate electricity. It does not contain corrosive or rare materials, making its availability rates rather high. On refining this idea, it occurred to the researcher that this technology could have a large impact on human growth in our planet, making the production of renewable and independent energy possible to everyone. The team decided that the technology which was available only in satellites would now be modified and made available to everyone. The syst em is designed to work not only as a power generator but also an energy storage unit which eliminates only a small percentage of carbon-di-oxide in comparison to the traditional power generation units which produce 50% more emissions. On completion of their NASA project, the team decided to continue their research and set out to work on transforming this remarkable idea into a product which would reach the world, making it a cleaner place. They worked on increasing its availability, efficiency and affordability. In 2001 they officially opened Bloom energy with their first client in

The threat posed to the United States by nuclear terrorism from Al Essay

The threat posed to the United States by nuclear terrorism from Al Qaeda - Essay Example The capacity of international terrorism to generate impressive fear and bring about violent damage to a state became really obvious on September 11, 2001. The acts performed by terrorists demonstrated that terrorists are able to effect devastation and death. Adam D. Schiff, a member of the Committee on International Relations explained in the Hearing that "the failure to stop 9/11, if such a thing was even possible, was not a result of bad intelligence or ill will by officials of one Administration or those of another; it was, I think, a failure to imagine that such a thing was even possible" (3). Everyone knew about the grave danger of Al-Qaeda even before September 11, 2001, but countries from all over the world soundly responded its acts only after the outrageous events of that fatal day. The result brought not only to enlisting the efforts of law enforcement bodies to wage war against the violent terrorism but also to a transformation of the peoples and their fully engaging in th is war. Less than in a month practical results appeared. Coalition forces deprived Al-Qaeda of a well-known shelter, obliterating the Taliban in Afghanistan. In examining current potentialities of this terrorist organization, there is a point of view that Al-Qaeda can't be considered such global Islamic terrorist danger as they were on September 11, 2001. The reason is that U.S. and allied counter efforts have exhausted Al Qaeda's central governing structure and abilities to the level where Al Qaeda serves more as inspiration than a real terrorism planning and implementation center. According to this point of view, the menace from Al Qaeda has been displaced by the menace from groups that support Al Qaeda's ideology but don't have a proper contact with remaining Al Qaeda leaders. Thus the same violent acts are unlikely to happen as the situation demands an accurate and proper cooperation (Katzman 1). According to an alternative view a great number of Islamic militant cells have a close contact with Al Qaeda leaders and go on to perform their terrorist actions. Richard Clarke in the Hearing before the Subcommittee of International Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Human Rights of the Committee on International Relations describes Al Qaeda's network like: "a mythic hydra, where one head is lopped off, two more emerge from the bloody neck" (3). Taking into account this point of view Al-Qaeda even today is an evil force of great concern in the USA and in the whole world. It has been reorganized preparing newcomers with the help of new means and methods, posing again a threat on the USA as well as its allies (Gunaratna 23). Jack Boureston and Charles Mahaffey in their article called Al-Qaeda and Mass Casualty Terrorism: Assessing the Threat mention that Al-Qaeda doesn't represent a single organization, as it's a confederation of terrorist organizational network with members in over than 40 countries, among which is the USA. The head of intelligence service of Germany assessed that Al-Qaeda consists of approximately 70,000 people all over the world, tens of thousands of which are training at al-Qaeda camps in the Sudan, Yemen, and Afghanistan. There are three common features for all of them: their Muslim faith, a bitter contempt for Western countries and hence a hard determination to maim innocent

Best Practices Guide for Multi-Disciplinary Teams Essay Example for Free

Best Practices Guide for Multi-Disciplinary Teams Essay Schools across the US are beginning to open-up classrooms, teachers are finding that they are no longer working alone or exclusively with members of their own profession. But with parent, Paraprofessionals, nurses, learning support staff, educational psychologists, social workers, and even community leaders and volunteers. This type of collaboration is called multidisciplinary teams, in its simplest terms this means members of different professions working together. Each member of a multidisciplinary team has an essential function and has valuable contribution to make in the identifying learning goals for the student, as well as the delivery of these goals across all areas from curriculum to learning opportunities and even the students extracurricular activities. Members of this team are also able to support the child at home to ensure that there is success between home and school. The success of the student depends on a strong home/school relationship; therefore, parents are strongly encouraged to participate. Each member of the team has specific qualification and duties: Local education agency (LEA) A representative qualified to supervise the needs of the student, someone who is knowledgeable of the general curriculum, is knowledgeable about the availability of resources of the public agency, and has the authority to commit agency resources. Family Not only is emphasis upon parental participation ethically proper and legally required, but â€Å"parental involvement has been associated with higher grades, positive behaviors and attitudes, reduced absenteeism, and increased study habits† (Lawrence Heller, 2001). Related staff and services This group of people can vary depending on the student or issue being evaluated. Most commonly you will have a school psychologist who may be responsible for completing an assessment of the student, analyzing and interpreting assessment data and conduct follow-up observations to determine the success of modifications put in place to aid the student. Other related personnel can include: †¢ Speech-language therapists †¢ Occupational therapists †¢ Physical therapists †¢ Vision specialists †¢ Medical personnel, such as nurses and dietitians †¢ Social workers †¢ Counselors and mental health personnel †¢ Adaptive physical education teachers †¢ Vocational specialists †¢ others Administrators A school administrator, principal or assistant principal is an essential member of the team. Because the administrator should be aware of specific resources and expertise within the school In addition, administrators are qualified to supervise the program and can commit necessary resources. The administrator usually works with LEA’s. Regular education teachers The regular education teacher and the special education teacher more than likely have shared and equal responsibilities to all students in the classroom. Usually, the regular education teachers role is ultimately in charge of instruction in the classroom. The teacher is also the line of communication between the school and home, keeping the parents informed about the students achievement and grades and educational programs. Special education teachers The special educators role is that of individualizing, diagnosing, and modifying curriculum. In an inclusive classroom the special education teacher would provide assessment and instructional planning in the mainstream setting, conduct remediation and tutorial and team teach. Team teaching arrangements were used in the 1960s (Stainback, S. Stainback, W., 1996) in an attempt to reach a wider range of children with diverse learning needs, particularly those at risk. Identification and Placement Procedures One of the most significant and complicated parts of a special education program is identifying eligible students, this is because the criteria for verifying a disability can be subjective and subject to change. Mistakenly identifying students as disabled or failing to identify students who actually need services can have a long term impact. Detailed steps have been created to improve the process of identifying a disability and ensuring fairness. Student Assistance Teams and Multidisciplinary Team Two procedures included the use of a student assistance team and a multidisciplinary evaluation team. The student assistance team search for alternative solutions when a student is having problems. The student assistance team is usually comprised of regular teachers, counselors and administrators, school psychologists and special education teachers can also be a part of the student assistance team. When the issue can not be resolved by the student assistance team then a written referral is made for an evaluation by the multidisciplinary team. Multidisciplinary team includes, but is not limited to psychologists, teachers (general and special education), administrators, and other specialists. This group of professionals follows federal and state regulations in order to determine whether a student is eligible for special education services. Before any student can be evaluated, however, the written permission must be obtained from the parents. The team approach provides additional validity to the verification process. Medical, educational, psychological, and social characteristics are usually used in the verification process. In many cases the School psychologist interprets the assessment data and is responsible for translating this information to the team for implementation. Once it has been determined that special education services are needed the team may meet as often as needed to discuss the implementation. School personnel are required to provide documentation of the mastery of benchmarks and annual goals. It is not required that all goals are meet one school term, but they must provide evidence that they are working toward achieving the goals.

Islam - The Life of Muhammad Essay Example for Free

Islam The Life of Muhammad Essay A prophet is someone through whom Allah speaks. The Quran names 25 prophets, but tradition says there have been 124,000 in all. For Muslims, Muhammad in Allahs last prophet, known as the seal of the Prophets. The exact date of Muhammads birth in Mecca is unknown, but it is thought to have been no later than 570 AD. His father was called Abdullah, which means servant of God and his mother Aminah- peaceful. Both were members of the Hashim clan, a sub-division of the Quraysh tribe which had lately abandoned its nomadic life as desert Bedouins and risen to dominate the trading city of Mecca. Muhammad had a sorrowful early childhood. The name Muhammad is said to have been given to him as a result of a dream his grandfather had. He is also said to have had other names, such as Abul-Qasim, Ahmad, and Mustafa. There were many legends about Muhammad. One said that before his birth his mother Aminah heard a voice telling her the child would be a great leader. Another told of a heavy shower of rain, a blessing that ended a long drought. Yet another legend was that two angels removed Muhammads heart, washed it clean, then weighed it against first one man, then ten, then a hundred , then a thousand. Finally they said Let it be. Even if you set the whole community in the scale, he would still outweigh it. These stories show that Allah was preparing Muhammad for his prohetetic mission in future. His father was dead by the time of his birth and his mother died before he was six, meaning he was raised as an orphan. According to Quraysh law he was to be given to a Bedouin foster mother and sent of into the desert, and would be unable to inherit from his fathers estate. So almost from the beginning of his life he was both poor and something of an outcast from Meccan society. This shows that muslims are taught to trust in Allahs goodness, and to accept death as a stage in their life and not the end of it. It is, however, known for certain that when he was eight Muhammad was sent to live with his uncle, a merchant called Abu Talib. From the age of 12 Abu Talib took him with him on his long trading trips, which sometimes lasted for many months. A number of stories surround Muhammad in this period of his life. One tells how he and his uncle stopped at a Christian monastery on their travels, and a monk named Bahira recognised the mark of a prophet on Muhammads shoulder.His future prophetic status was indicated by certain marks on his body and by miraculous signs in nature. Muhammad first worked as a camel driver, but as both his horizons and business acumen expanded, he became known as The Trusted One (al-Amin) for being fair in his dealings and honoring his obligations. The most important hadith about his early life, and the ones with some of the largest degree of unanimity, are about a trip to Syria, where he was recognised by a Christian monk as Shiloh the non-Jewish Prophet whose coming was foretold in the book of Genesis. It seems that Muhammad, from an early age, believed himself to be Shiloh, the first and last non-Jewish Prophet who would bring the final message and warning to mankind in the last days before the end of the world. It may have been for this reason that he became something of a mystic, spending long periods of isolated meditation in the desert. From his early twenties onwards he began to have religious experiences and visions of various sorts, but was on the whole confused by their significance. He is also reported to have become a expert on the Jewish and Christian religions and to have engaged in long religious debates with both monotheists and pagans. At the age of 25 Muhammads social status changed markedly. He had been employed by a wealthy widow, Khadijah, to run her trading interests and, after they had prospered, she asked him to marry her. He accepted, even though she was to prove faithful, understanding and supportive wife and the marriage was happy. They had six children-two sons, Qusim and Abdullah, and four daughters, Zainab, Ruqaiyyah, Umm Kulthum and Fatima. The two boys died in infancy. The couple had only one surviving child, a daughter called Fatima who in later life became a fanatical Muslim. After her death he had several others, perhaps the best known of whom was the young Aisha. Muhammads uncle Abu Talib fell on hard times, and Muhammad repaid his kindness by taking responsibility for his little son Ali. Another child in the house was Zaid ibn Haritha, a slave boy given to Khadijah as a present. One day Zaids father, who had been searching for him for years, discovered where he was and offered to buy him back. Zaid was asked what he wished to do and chose to stay with Muhammad. Muhammad was so moved that he freed the boy instantly, and raised him as his own son. At that time Mecca was tumultuous melting pot of Christianity, Judaism, and the various pagan religions practiced by the desert tribes and Meccan clans. Khadijahs family had been exposed to monotheism, which was growing in popularity in its various forms and it is known that her uncle was a practicing Christian. In contrast, the pagan clan cults of the Qursysh in the city had become decadent, especially in their shameless worship of material goods and worldly wealth and the consequent huge disparities between rich and poor, which Muhammad, with his varied background, was able to appreciate. These problems, springing from the difficult transition of the Quraysh from nomadic poverty to sedentary merchant wealth, concerned him greatly, and social injustice-especially the treatment of orphans like himself-is the theme of many of the early surahs of the Quran. The cults of the pagan desert Bedouin clans, who visited Mecca only occasionally, were equally divisive, degenerate and cruel. Human sacrifice and female infanticide were widely practiced. Each Arab tribe had its own gods and worshiped idols. The most important of these was the House of God (Kabah), located in Mecca itself. When Muhammad was a young man it contained 360 pagan idols, worshipped by dozens of separate tribes and clans. His clan, the Hashemites, had the honour of guarding it, through tradition which held that the monument had been re-built by their ancestors Ibrahim and Ismail after the original- believed to have been built by Adam at the beginning of time- had fallen into disrepair. The Quyrashs wealth was based on the dozens of pagan cults who used the Kabah as their central shrine. They sold idols, and Meccas position as a trading city was largely based on contacts made with the visiting tribes. New religions were welcomed as good for business. At first Islam was seen as just another money-making cult and Muhammad was encouraged to use the Kaba alongside the others in a spirit of fair and toleration. But in 613 Muhammad began preaching to the public at large, rejecting all other religions, demanding the removal of idols from the Kaba and therefore threatening trade. As Quyrash hostility grew Muhammad showed himself to be skillful politician as well as a learned theologian. Steadily he gathered around him the elders of minor clans and middle ranking merchants through preaching a return to the religion of Ibrahim. Whilst the Quyrash continued to ridicule him, called him a madman and an impostor. Muhammad had begun to receive Allahs final message to mankind in the form of the Quran through miraculous revelations which did not come until he was by the standards of the time- already an old man. The Quran Muhammad received his first revelation during the month of Ramadan in the year 610 AD when he was about 40 years old. He was engaged in one of his regular periods of solitary meditation in a cave known as Hira near the top of Mount Jabal Nur, near Mecca, when he received a visitation from the angel Gabriel(Jibreel). Muhammad had experienced religious visions before, but this was quite different. Angel Gabriel (Jibreel) commanded him to Recite in the name of your Lord, and the Prophet lost control of himself and, Muslims believe, began to speak the actual words of Allah. Eventually he was told to recite what is now the beginning of Chapter 96 of the Koran: Recite in the name of your Lord who created, created man from blood congealed. Recite! Your Lord is the most beneficent, who taught by the pen, taught men that which they did not know. After a short period during which he received no further revelations, they then began again and continued until the end of his life. In the 23 remaining years of his life Muhammad received a total of 114 separate revelations which were compiled as the Quran after his death. Muhammad was illiterate so he would repeat each revelation afterwards. Some were written down on whatever was available, from parchment to palm leaves and animals bones, but the majority, in the tradition of the times, were memorized. A year after Muhammads death they were collected together by his secretary, Zayd, under the supervision of a committee, shown to many of the Prophets companions, and agreed to be accurate. But by about thirty years after his death a number of different versions were circulating and being recited, so a definitive canonical version was issued and sent to the four main Islam cities of Basra, Damascus, Kufh and Medina. Two of these original copies still exist today. One is in Tashkent in Soviet Uzbekistan and other is in the Topkapi palace in Istanbul, Turkey. The text is divided into 114 surahs, each containing the words of one revelation. The number of verses, or ayahs, in each surah varies from three to 286 and totals 6,239. Each has a title, and 86 have sub-headings indicating they were received in Mecca, whilst another 28 were received in Medina. The Meccan surahs are shorter, more mystical and warn about the dangers of paganism, marked by vigorous semi-poetic language, and concerned with warnings that men would inevitably be judged by God for their behaviour in this world and severely punished if they did not mend their ways. The Medinan surahs are in general longer, less urgent in tone, and deal in great detail with aspects of Allahs law such as the rules for declaring war, accepting converts, divorce proceedings and the mandatory punishments for various crimes more concerned with the solut ion of practical problems facing him and his followers. The structure of the Quran is unusual and, apparently, illogical. In general the longer Medinan surahs, given last, are at the front of the Book and shorter Meccan surahs, the earliest, at the back. There is no logical explanation for their order but at the same time Western scholars, attempting to reorganise them on this basis, have found that no other order works without splitting the surahs up into scattered verses. Sunni Muslims hold that the order was dictated by Jibree to give the Quran an esoteric inner meaning reflecting the Divine rather than human order of things. Acceptance of every word of the Quran as the literal word of Allah is a binding obligation on all Muslims. The idea that Muhammad was the author of the Quran, or any part of it, is rejected absolutely. At the heart of the Quran is the simple, repetitive warning that mankind must renounce paganism, accept Allah as the one God of all mankind and live according to his laws. The message is directly addressed to the pa gans, Jews and Christians of Mecca, amongst whom Muhammad lived, complete with threats of dire consequences if they failed to mend their polytheistic ways. The first revelation received by Muhammad deals with this very theme. In another early revelation Allah openly threatens Muhammads brother-in-law Abu Lahab, who, as head of his Hashemite clan, had disowned Muhammad and annulled the marriage between his son and Muhammads daughter Fatima. Allah also shows himself to be equally angry with Abu Lahabs wife, who had ridiculed the idea of Muhammads Prophethood. The Hijah Muhammads flight into exile is the most significant episode in the Prophets life apart from the revelations he received which made up the Quran. It marks the point in the Prophecy when Allah demanded not just a reform of the religious life of Mecca, but a total break with it. It also marks the start of jihad (Holy War both spiritual and physical) against the pagan Quyrash and, ultimately, all those oppressing Muslims and opposing by force the spread of Allahs word. The date of this declaration of war was later chosen as the first day of the Muslim calendar, with 622 the first year of the Age of Hijrah. By this time most of Medinas population regarded themselves as his followers. Many, in addition, had signed military treaties with his followers in Mecca promising military aid. They now eagerly awaited Muhammads declaring of war. But instead, after receiving fresh revelations, he decided to first convert the nomadic Bedouins in the surrounding desert. Between 622 and 628 Muhammad set in motion the biggest tribal avalanche Arabia had ever seen. The tribal chieftains rapidly converted to Islam and joined Muhammads army. The process was helped by Islams being an entirely new religion free from the feuding assocations of both the localised pagan cults and the foreign monotheist doctrines of Judaism and Christainity. Muhammad showed himself to be a brilliant military leader in early skirmishes with the Quyrash and this, along with further revelations promising Allahs support and certain victory, is likely to have persuaded yet more shayks to join. In just six years Muhammad assembled an army of 10,000 Arabs a huge force for those times and marched with the people of Medina against Mecca. The force was so overwhelming the city was taken without resistance. Muhammad issued a general amnesty to the Quyrash and urged them, without pressure, to convert to Islam, which they slowly did. The conquest of Mecca also gave him control of the Kabah and he resumed his preaching to pagan pilgrims as they visited the shrine. Conversion was rapid and only nine months after the occupation of Mecca his army had grown to 30,000. More clans and tribes converted to Islam. Muhammad died at Mecca on June 8th 11 AH/632 AD. Respect is shown towards Muhammad by saying peace be upon him (PBUH). He was respected as a man who was close to God, who thought deeply and was kind and wise. Muhammad had known the Kaba all his life, with its many shines. He had also known the greed, exploitation, lack of compassion of the rich merchants. Muhammad spent his life searching for spiritual guidance, drawing ever closer to God. Islam is not just a matter of ritual prayers or fasting or feasts. It is the conscious bringing of every moment of the day, every decision, every detail of the muslims thoughts and actions, into deliberate line with what they accept as being the will of Allah. How is the will of Allah known? The muslim bases all decisions on the revealed words of the Holy Quran, the messages that were delivered, over a period of 23 years, to the inspired prophet Muhammad. Not one word in the Quran is believed by muslims to be the thought or teaching of Muhammad himself- although he is refered above all human beings as one od the most perfect of Allahs messengers. Other messengers were Abraham, Moses, Jesus and, in fact, at least 24,000 prohets. Muhammads ministry was not based on any mircles other than the receiving of the Quran. Muhammad is so important to muslims because be was the last prophet, the seal of all that was revealed to the prophets before him. Muslims family life The Quran speaks about the family more than any other topic and deals with the rights and responsibilities of husbands and wives, divorce, orphans, inheritance and so on. The Sunnah also deals with relationships within the family: in one tradition, the Prophet says that a man is the guardian of his family and a women is guardian of her husbands home and children. Two particular Quranic verses underline the Islamic view of the family: . . . he created for you mates that you may dwell in tranquillity with them and he has put love and mercy between your hearts . . . 30:21 We created you from a simple pair of a male and a female. . . that you may know each other (not that you may dispise each other) 49:13 This declares the essential equality between men and women but Islam does not see this as contradicting different roles played by men and women. For example, muslim men carry the heavy burden of family maintenance and are supposed to be the only, or the main, breadwinners supporting not only their wives and children but other married or widowed women in the family. If a mans wife does not wish to live with his family or anyone else, he must respect her wishes. The major responsibility which falls to the woman is creating a harmonious family atmosphere and bringing up the children. Women may kake up paid work outside the home but it is not expect ed of them as part of the equal partnership and many muslims feel women should only do so if there is a real need for the money. Mature muslim men and women are allowed to mix at work, in public places and social gatherings. Divorce Islam allows divorce if circumstances warrant or necessitate it. Islam has permitted divorce reluctantly, neither liking nor recommending it. The Prophet of Islam has said: Among lawful things, divorce is most disliked by Allah Islam has not made it necessary that the grounds of divorce should be publicized. It, however; does not mean that Islam views divorce lightly. In fact, publicity of grounds may not be of any positive consequence. The grounds may not be pronounced but genuine. On the other hand, the grounds may be stated and may in reality be false. Islam does not also want washing dirty linen of private affairs in public or in the court except in exceptional circumstances. It is for this reason that court comes in as a last resort in the Islamic scheme of separation of husband and wife. The Quran states as regards grounds of divorce in very general terms: And if you fear that the two (i.e husband and wife) may not be able to keep the limits ordered by Allah, there is no blame on either of them if she redeems herself (from the marriage tie) (2 : 229). The general ground of divorce in the Quran, therefore, is hopeless failure of one or both parties to discharge their marital duties and to consort with each other in kindness, peace and compassion. Long absence of husband without any information, long imprisonment, refusal to provide for wife, impotence etc. are some of the grounds on which wife can ask for divorce. Either party may take steps to divorce in case of chronicle disease, insanity, deceptive misrepresentation during marriage contract, desertion etc. A Muslim male is allowed three chances, that is to say, acts of divorce on three different occasions provided that each divorce is pronounced during the time when the wife is in the period of purity. A husband may divorce his wife once and let the Iddat (the period of waiting after divorce) pass. During the waiting period the two have the option of being reconciled. If however the waiting period passes without reconciliation, they stand fully divorced. If after the first divorce the husband is reconciled with his wife but the hostility and conflict begins all over again, he may divorce her a second time in the same manner as stated above. In this case also he can return to her during the Iddat (or waiting period). If however, after second reconciliation, he divorces the wife the third time, he can not take back the wife during the Iddat. She is totally prohibited for him. The lady, thereafter can marry any person she likes according to her choice. The wife can divorce her husband if this condition is stipulated in the marriage contract. This kind of divorce is called Delegated Divorce (Talaq Taffiz). Marriage can also be dissolved through mutual consent. This is called Khula in the technical language of Islamic law. Marriage can also be dissolved by judicial process through the court on complaint of the wife on the grounds explained before. One of the consequences of the divorce is the commencement of waiting period for the wife. This usually lasts three months. If there is a pregnancy, it lasts as long as pregnancy lasts. The waiting period is basically a term of probation during which reconciliation can be attempted. It is also required to establish whether the wife has conceived. It also allows time for planning the future. Maintenance of wife during the waiting period is on husband. The wife can not be expelled from her place of residence and he can not in any way harass her. These will constitute moral as well as criminal offence. In case of divorce, the young children remain in the custody of their divorced mother. However, the father has to provide the cost of maintenance of young children though they remain under the custody of mother. Islamic law of divorce is based on practical considerations. The process of separation is basically a matter of husband and wife. However; when conflict arises, attempts should be made for reconciliation. It has not made judicial process obligatory in divorce for reasons explained earlier. The intervention of court has nowhere reduced the number of divorce. Judicial process in Islam is the last resort in so far as divorce is concerned. Islamic law on divorce if followed in true spirit will enhance the dignity of man and woman, reduce conflict and ensure justice. The Holy Quran explicitly prohibits the divorcing husbands from taking back their marriage gifts no matter how expensive or valuable these gifts might be In the case of the wife choosing to end the marriage, she has to return the marriage gifts or money to her husband. Returning the marriage gifts in this case is a fair compensation for the husband who is keen to keep his wife while she chooses to leave him. But the majority of ulamma have agreed that to act unfairly against the husband is not allowed and the marriage cannot be annulled by such way. The Holy Quran has instructed Muslim men not to take back any of the gifts they have given to their wives except in the case of the wife choosing to dissolve the marriage. Also, a woman came to the Prophet Muhammad seeking the dissolution of her marriage, she told the Prophet that she did not have any complaints against her husbands character or manners. Her only problem was that she honestly did not like him to the extent of not being ab le to live with him any longer. The Prophet asked her: Would you give him his garden (the marriage gift he had given her) back? she said: Yes. The Prophet then instructed the man to take back his garden and accept the dissolution of the marriage. The children usually stay with their mother unless she is shown to be incapable or unsuitable but she loses the right of custody of her children if she remarries. Marriage The most important ingredients in a Muslim marriage are shared values and beliefs, so that even if a couple come from different cultures and backgrounds they possess the same basic world view, attitudes and habits which will bind them together. Many Muslims seem to marry their cousins, Islam neither encourages nor refuses this practise. The prophets seventh wife, Zaimab bint Jahsh, was his cousin, but he only married her when she was 39 after his foster son Zaid divorced her. Cousin marriages inbreeds genetic disorders, and makes it very hard for a couple to divorce from a failed marriage if other close relatives will be offended. Muslim boys may marry Christians and Jews, but Muslim girls are not permitted to marry non- Muslims because in Islam the children have to take the religion of the father, and so would bec ome non-Muslims. The prohet said : A woman should only be married to a person who is good enough for her or compatible to her. The prophet permitted marriages between people of vastly different social status and financial backgrounds, knowing it was not these factors which made for compatibility, but what they were like in their hearts. Do not marry only for a persons looks, their beauty might become the cause of moral decline. Do not marry for wealth, since this may become the cause of disobedience. Marry rather on the grounds of religious devotion. ( Haddith) Islam sees marriage as the only moral and legal status for a sexual relationship as it provides in public for the security and well being of man and woman. The ceremony itself is extremely simple and takes the form of a basic contract set in a social gathering. It can take place anywhere usually in a home in Muslim countries but in Britain it is most likely to be in a mosque. The imam does not need to be present and there is no fixed formula but it must be clear that both man and woman agree to the marriage and there may be readings from the Quran on the theme of married life. The contract- Aqd nikah- is written, as well as spoken, and bride and groom sign three copies. They keep one each and, in a Muslim country, the third is kept by officials. The Quran requires that the groom give the wife mahr- a sum of money or property or some other gift of value. It remains hers, whatever happens, and they agree between them what it is to be and when it is to be given. Jihad Arabic for exerting ones utmost efforts to a determined objective, such objective normally being the struggle against anything that is not good. Two kinds of jihad traditionally exist for mainstream Muslims: the greater (al-jihad al-akbar) and the lesser ( al-jihad al-asghar). The greater jihad is also known as jihad al-nafs, and is understood as an individuals inner, spiritual struggle against vice, passion, and ignorance. The lesser jihad is defined as meaning holy war against infidel (non-Muslim) lands and subjects. It has both legal and doctrinal significance in that it is prescribed by the Koran and mainstream Muslim hadiths (recorded sayings and actions ascribed to the Prophet Muhammad and accorded a status on a par with revelation). Holy war is the sole form of war that is theoretically permissable in mainstream Islam. Muslim law has traditionally divided up the world into dar al-Islam (abode of Islam) and dar al- harb (abode of war, that is, of non-Muslim rule). As Islam is the last, most superior and universal of mans divinely ordained religions, it is believed that the entire world must ultimately surrender to its r ule and law, if not its faith. Until that time, a jihad against non-Muslim neighbours and neighbouring lands is the duty of all adult, male, and able-bodied Muslims. According to this traditional view, Muslims who die in jihad automatically become martyrs of the faith and are awarded a special place in Paradise. According to the law-books, two kinds of non-Muslim enemies exist, kafir (pagans) and ahl al- kitab (people of the book). The term people of the book originally meant only Jews and Christians, but later on it included other groups such as followers of Zoroastrianism. People of the book need only submit to Muslim political authority to avoid or end jihad and may keep their original faith: their status, defined as dhimmi (a protected non-Muslim), is inferior to that of a Muslim and they must pay the prescribed jizya (poll tax). As for pagans, that is, those whom Muslims do not recognize as a people of the book, such as Buddhists and Hindus, they must either convert to Islam or suffer execution. This drastic alternative, however, was rarely enforced in practice. There can be no going back for a convert to Islam-be that person a dhimmi or pagan-since it is a capital offence to abandon Islam, even for a former religion with a recognized revelation. However, ways of avoiding the strict enforcement of the law were often found. Jihad can also be defensive, that is, for the purpose of protecting Muslim lands from non-Muslim incursions such as, for example, the crusades of the Christians in the Holy Land during the Middle Ages or the Spanish Reconquista. Some modern Muslim scholars have stressed the defensive aspect of jihad above others. In contrast to the Sunnis, some Muslim groups like the Imami and Bohora-Ismaili Shiites are forbidden from participating in offensive jihad. This is because for both sects the only person legitimately capable of conducting an offensive jihad is their Imam, and he is presently in occultation (that is, in hiding and incommunicado until the end of time). The two sects, however, are permitted participation in defensive jihad. I have been asked to evaluate the following statement The Quran would be more useful to everyone if it were translated into modern English. Whether the Quran may be translated from its original Arabic into another language, and, if so, under what circumstances a translation may be used, has also been a matter of dispute. Nevertheless, it has been translated by Muslims and non-Muslims into a variety of languages. Today there are many versions available in English and the other major languages of the world. Although it can now be read in at least 40 languages, all translations lose part of the inspiration and meaning, and are not treated with the same respect as the original. Since the Quran is believed to be from Allah, every word, every letter, is sacred to muslims. It is therefore considered very important to keep the Quran in the language in which it was first spoken i.e. Arabic. Muslims were taught to recite it, and it must still be learnt in Arabic. As Islam spread from Arabia, its language was adopted by a number of Islamic countries, and is still spoken in these countries today. Muslims in these countries should find the Quran quite easy to read, even though the style of modern Arabic has naturally changed since Muhammads time. In other countries, muslims need to learn enough Arabic to take part in their worship and to read the Quran. You can find translations of the Quran for people who do not know Arabic, or copies with both Arabic and another language for those who do not have Arabic as their first language, but muslims do not accept these translations as proper Qurans. The main argument used to defend the Divine authorship of the Quran is the incomparable quality of writing. Much of it is composed in rhyming Arabic and the language is particularly beautiful and graceful. The surahs were given in Arabic and, since it would be a sin to alter the word of Allah, Arabic remains the sacred language of Islam. Non- Arabic speaking muslims can use translations but the Quran is so important to them that many learn Arabic just so they can read it in its original form. Muslims and non-believers alike agree the full power and beauty of its writing can only be appreciated in the original. But for muslims it goes further than that. Translations can only be interpretations which cannot truly say what is said in Arabic. The combination of the words and rhythms in the original language- the way the Quran sounds when recited- is also an important part of its power. Muslims think of the Quran as a complete philosophy, a comprehensive description of the universe and the entirety of the law by which people must live. The longer and later Medina surahs stress Allahs merciful nature more fully, with extensive friendly practical advice on personal and family matters. The Quran is also the focus of Islamic art. Many individuals copies of the Book are major works of art in their own right with sublime Arabic calligraphy on superb hand-made paper, and high quality decorative leather and metal work. Figurative art is forbidden by classical Islam, especially the creation of images of Allah and the Prophets, and the astonishingly fine decorative art found in many mosques is largely based on Arabic calligraphy, woven into patterns repeating passages from the Book. Even the most sceptical non-believer, Muslims insist, is forced to admit that the Quran is a book of immense beauty and importance not least because it has now almost certain become the most widely read and memorised book in the world. The preface to one of the most widely available Quran in English, the Tahrike Tarsile translation, puts it like this: The Qurans miracle lies in its ability to offer at least something to non-believers and everything to believers. Learning large parts of the the Quran by heart is an important part of Muslim religious devotion and children start memorising it at an early age. In many Muslim countries learning the Quran by heart forms the basic curriculum of primary school education. Muslims who memorise its contents in their entirety are given the honourable title of al-hafiz.

Processes of Business Research

Processes of Business Research Introduction Here we understand what research is?; it is another word for gathering information or facts or data. The more information, facts, or data we have is helpful to solve the problem and make our own good decisions. Business Research subject end result is action and implement the advance knowledge we gained by contributing to our own challenging life or future business aspects. We interact with everyday people of ordinary people and extra ordinary people such as teachers, students, scientists, professors, scholars, business owners, librarians, book keepers, politicians and many more which was the result of advance knowledge created in the past to gather information. Accordance, to the three year degree program and final year first semester one subject; business research helpful students to be aware of their surroundings and accommodating to answers to the business related questions. Subsequently, we have learnt about how research contributes to management, identification of the research process such as; discovering the management questions and research questions, research proposal, research design, data collection and preparation, data analysis and interpretation, report writing and etc. Also, how to use the secondary data to answer management questions, identify and apply appropriate designs for conducting specific business research, how sampling is accomplished in survey research and the difference between probability and non-probability sampling and formulate testable research hypothesis based on management questions. Learning Experiences 2.1 Learning Experiences of Business Research Learning is all about gaining knowledge of or skill in by study, experience or being taught. Learning experience is observing and reflecting on the consequences of an action in a situation. Concrete experience Testing implications of Observations and reflections concepts in new situations Formation of abstract concepts and generations Figure 1. The experimental Learning Model Learning has considered as a four-stage cycle. Gradual experience is the basis for observation and reflection. Today, successful manager or administrator is differentiating from each other by not having the knowledge or skills by their capability if adopt and familiarizing the changing demands of their job and career by using the learning skills. There is a mortal about learning such as one learns or he/ she does not. More explains mortal about learning is deficient of accepting the learning process. 2.2 Learning processes of Business Research Coventry University in United Kingdom provides with vast opportunities and links for the career path of a business student. Academic career gives the opportunity to select the career path in chosen and pretend field. Combination of academic and business link provides the authority for both educational and the corporate sector experiences. Most of the research standards in the reality of business as most of the theories are ratify in real world of business. Research simply means a search of facts solutions to problems and it is systematic and methodical investigation. In addition, it is an organized inquiry and increases knowledge. In the environment, there are different issues such as socio-economic, health problems, human relations, marketing, production, finance etc and research provides answers to those problems taking place in the society, industry and trade. A research project allows students to apply theory to, and or analyze more issues that are general. It offers students an opportunity to identify and select a research problem and investigate it independently. In Business research we learn about research concepts which explains definition and application of research and formulating and clarifying the research topic, literature review which conduct how to do a literature search and critically review and analyze the literature, the research proposal, research design, data gathering sampling and questionnaires such as identifying the population sampling procedure, advantages; data gathering questionnaires as different source of data collection, data gathering interviews and alternatives, reflective journal writing and reporting results by written format and by presentations. Accordance to the Business Research all ten topics are interesting and effective. But the most interesting topic was data gathering, sampling and questionnaires; which is a vast area of business research subject. Business Research methods or techniques vary from size of the company and information required. For an example, customer research might engage with customer feelings or experiences about utilizing a product or service by using customer satisfaction methods such as questionnaires, seminars or interviews. When researching public information, business statistics on financial and educational information in relates to product usage, customer demographics and hours of television viewed by customers in a one geographic area will be av ailable as a end result of the research. Sampling help us to overcome constrains and to carryout, our work effectively and make our judgment accurately. Besides, it helps limit the item selection in a suitable manner without making unnecessary expenses with budgetary requirements. Sampling procedure, which contains with nine topics, was new to learn in business research subject. It helps in decision making. Learning reasons of Business Research Business Research is important within the organization or outside the environment issues to be solve and find the solutions. Research helps to solve existing decision-making problems, which makes the organization more profitable and solve problems of immediate concern. Most organizations put much effort to gather information before they make decisions. Research has need of effort, time, and money to have data collection to make good decisions. Business Research consists of a program which tells and show how appropriate the collected and scrutinized information that always supportive for good decision making. When the research and analysis are completed, the result is communed to management. This is why business research is important as it provides information; concerning critical issues that have an influence on the target market and marketing mix. In addition, business research is corporate to modify the market and solve the organization uncorrected or wrong data to remote regions at affordable cost and business to earn more profits. Business fail to continue in resourceful way without business research and it is vital for every field of business. Therefore, we cannot run our businesses without business research. When learning about the business research, it helps us to conduct our own research to benefit our business and future. From time to time, good blueprint of instructions helps with the research process. Learning Experience in relation to academic development I have been involved in Business Research by identifying and classifying dissimilar diversity learning methods and the end result of it. The intension of this research of this business research is to recognize unusual methods have been taught and implement to solve organizations problems and to identify the learning styles and suitable learning modes which is available and to improve with the design of learning experiences. There are two goals of academic development; such as particular detailed subject matter and learning about strengths and weaknesses as a learner. Understanding on the subject matter and strengths and weaknesses helps and support a framework for continuing learning on the job. Learning experience is not restricted to the classroom but also turn out to be an essential and unambiguous work. On the job experience; becomes a focus for testing and exploring new ideas. Learning Experience in relation to Professional Development In Business Research studies practical professional development of statistical power is important as; planning of sample sizes prior to gathering data used to evaluate statistical hypotheses. This helps to conclude apposite sample size; has important limitations in actual business research studies. More important relative to research proposal and main report in sample size approach is available with statistical testing of multiple hypotheses using different testing methodologies. Therefore, dissimilar hypotheses need to be involve with; correlation or regression analysis, the use of structural equation modeling, analysis of variance. As a result, the employ of the sample size strength of mind in decision making and in the main report most such studies and at work. In addition, this subjects directions for future business too. It helps for my research goals such as; product or service I want to sell or to determine potential market, size of the competition or to test the effectiveness and the market position of the product and service of my future intend business. Learning Experience in relation to personal development Own personal development plan is a key fundamental part of our career journey. During the three year degree program thorough knowledge about the subject, diversity of skills that we develop is essential to become an independent researcher in everyday life. We need to understand and identify the starting point and where you want to be to sequence to plan well-organized, resourceful and competent direction to obtain where we want to be in future or in a business position. Therefore, business research program has been helpful to indentify my current skills and in order to proceed with all the design took to track the career journey. In addition, I have learnt; a range of social research methods techniques and skills and how they has been used to address particular research questions in management and business settings, survey design and analysis, a range of qualitative research methods, a range of quantitative methods of analysis, project planning and development, ethical problems and issues related to social research and management research in particular and how research in various management specialism have developed. Conclusion In business, environment research is a essential key our everyday decision making. It helps to find out the wrong information and save money and time. Research is significant success as acquiring day to day life challenges and decision making. Research plus action will assume a successful researcher. Research aim is to resolve the business or everyday life issues or problems, which occurred before or present with profitable or immediate concern. This helps to understand how research impact on our everyday and business decision making. Most people do not put much effort to collect or back up information or data. Only few do back them up. There is a risk or cost of making important decisions without gathering information for evidence for future reference.

The Obesity Epidemic Essay -- Obesity in America

In 1990, obese adults made up less than 15 percent of the population in most U.S. states. By 2010, 36 states had obesity rates of 25 percent or higher, and 12 of those had obesity rates of 30 percent or higher. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015) Even more alarming, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents is on the rise, and youth are becoming overweight and obese at earlier ages. One out of six children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 are obese and one out of three are overweight or obese. (Ogden, 2012) This essay looks at the question of what are the main causes of obesity and what steps the school system can take to assist in the reduction of childhood obesity. While childhood obesity has been increasing, the school system continues to struggle with what exactly their role is in the fight against this epidemic. With these rising concerns from not only the parents, but also the government, our school system has now placed important emphasis on physical fitness and offering children a physical education program that will not only reduce the childhood obesity rate here in America, but also increase the child’s academic skill levels through motivation and exercise. While the school system is offering this physical education to the children, the need for educators to be equipped with the educational knowledge base to offer the children is a subject of great concern. Many teachers today lack the education themselves to properly instruct children within the physical education classroom and there for need to acquire additional edification themselves. The demand for superior physical education at the basic levels of education is extremely vit al as research has shown that there is a relati... ...or Physical Education. In Dynamic Physical Education For Elementary School Children (pp. 1-19). San Francisco, CA: Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Benjamin Cummings. Tinning, R. (1990). Chapter 1Physical education, curriculum, and culture:Physical Activity and knowledge. In D. Kirk (Ed.), Physical Education, Curriculum And Culture: Critical Issues In The Contemporary Crisis (pp. 1-18). doi: ISBN 1-85000-674-1 Wall, S., Rudisill, M., Goodway, J., & Parish, L. (2004). A comparison of three movement settings on the development of fundamental motor skills in young children. [Supplemental material]. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 26(S194.). Wong, A. K., & Chueng, S. (2010). Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Test of Gross Motor Development-2. Measurement in Physical Education & Exercise Science, 14(3), 202-209. doi: 10.1080/10913671003726968

Needed: A License to Drink Essay -- Drinking Alcohol Essays

Needed: A License to Drink Mike Brake is a writer for the communication department at the Oklahoma State Department of Education he wrote an article, â€Å"Needed: A License to Drink,† proposing a national system of licensing on drinking, with appropriate penalties. This means in order to drink one beer a person would have to obtain a license. The article is from Newsweek (March 14, 1994). Underage drinking is everywhere; high school, parties, and at college. How do they get the alcohol? The answer is simple get into the right crowd and alcohol will be as easy to get as juice. There is always going to be someone to buy for underage drinking no matter what the situation. Being twenty-one just means you do not have to hide drinking anymore and that is it. Drinking today is very popular becoming a huge social factor especially in college. With this drinking some people become dependent on the alcohol devoting all their time to drinking. Then drinking does not become a social factor any longer, these people drink because they need it. When this happens the person has a problem and has become an alcoholic maybe for life if they do not get help. About 88% of college students including underage drinkers drink or at least tried alcohol. Of this 88% only a small percentage of people become alcoholics. (Alcohol Alert). Brake’s Proposition What do we do with this alcoholic problem? Mike Brake has proposed a national license for drinking with appropriate penalties. Just like studying to get a permit to drive the same would steps would have to be taken to obtain a beet license. If an alcoholic is arrested on an alcoholic related offense they would loose their license and if they are found attempting to buy alcohol the... ...of alcoholics I think that this will increase the chance that the person will not go back to the bottle. At least more people would know that the person has a problem. This isn’t going to solve the problem but it could help. In conclusion a beer license isn’t going to help the drinking problem at all. Alcoholics are still going to the alcohol that they want. The beer license is only going to cost the 90% of the population who does not have drinking problem who in the first place do not need the license. Works Cited Ask Jeeves. What is Prohibition. 5 Mar. 1999. http://web.ask.com/redir Alcohol Alert. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Oct. 2000. http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa2a.htm Prohibition in the 1920’s Thirteen Years That Damaged America. 6 May 1998. http://www.geocities.com/Anthens/Troy/4399/

Witchcraft, Murder and Ghosts in Macbeth Essay examples -- Macbeth ess

Witchcraft, Murder and Ghosts in Macbeth       A notable point within Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is the use of the three witches in the opening scene.   The number of witches for a contemporary audience can go unnoticed.   However in the time that Shakespeare the symbolic meaning of the number three was important, as it symbolized unluckiness and when remembering the fear of the unnatural and being unlucky (epitomized by such historical events as the rage of witch trials within Britain).   This is not the only symbolism within the play, the use of the disparity between light and dark is an important concept.   We can perhaps see the parallel between the horror movies of today, and the images of witchcraft, murder and ghosts of the past.    Firstly in the initial scene of Act IV there are a number of references to the number three.    First Witch: "Thrice the brinded cat hath mew.d" (1) Second Witch: "Thrice and once the hedge-pig whin'd" (2) First Witch: "Days and nights hast thirty-one" (7) First Witch: "Pour in sow's blood, that hath eaten Her nine farrow;" (65)    All of these examples refer to the number three, or the denominator of nice.   The final example of the number three used is within the fourth act with Macbeth... ... of Shakespeare enjoy an aura of immortality because we see in Shakespeare the mirror of the human condition with which we may all identify and gain a sense that in some strange way his plays are a reflection of our souls.       Bibliography The Tragedy of Macbeth New Haven: Yale University Press Revised 1994 Shakespeare's Macbeth Total Study Edition Coles Editorial Board 1990 Holinshed R. Historie of Scotland (2nd Ed. Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland 1587) "Historie of Scotland" Paul. Henry N. The Royal Play of Macbeth 1950 pp. 213-17 Bradley A. C. Shakespearean Tragedy 1912 pp. 468-9   

Aj Davis Department Store Part B

AJ Davis Department Store Part B AJ Davis Department Store Introduction The following information will show whether or not the manager’s speculations are correct. He wants to know the following information: Is the average mean greater than $45,000? Does the true population proportion of customers who live in an urban area exceed 45%? Is the average number of years lived in the current home less than 8 years? Is the credit balance for suburban customers more than $3200? Hypothesis testing and confidence intervals for situations A-D are calculated. A.THE AVERAGE (MEAN) ANNUAL INCOME WAS LESS THAN $45,000. Solution: Step 1: Null Hypothesis: The average (mean) annual income was equal to $45,000. H_0: ? =45,0000 Step2: Alternate Hypothesis: The average (mean) annual was less than $50,000. H_a: ? 45 , a z-test for the mean will be used to test the given hypothesis. As for the alternative hypothesis, which is Ha:? 0. 45 and the given test is a one-tailed (upper-tailed) z-test. Step 4 : Critical Value and Rejection Region: The critical value for significance level is ? =0. 05. The upper tail z-test is 1. 45. Rejection Region: Reject H_0,if z-statistic>1. 645. Step 5: Assumptions: The sample size in this experiment is n 0. 4 95% Lower Sample X N Sample p Bound Z-Value P-Value 1 21 50 0. 420000 0. 305190 0. 29 0. 386 Step 7: Interpretation: According to the calculations, the p-value is 0. 386. This value is larger than the significance level of 0. 05. Therefore, we will not reject the null hypothesis. There is no sufficient evidence to support the claim that the true population proportion of customers who live in an urban area is greater than 40%.Based on the results provided by MINITAB below, the lower 95% confidence limit is 0. 28. Since 0. 42 is greater than the 95% lower confidence limit, hence, we cannot support the claim that the true population proportion of customers who live in an urban area is greater than 45%. Confidence Interval: Test and CI for One Pro portion Sample X N Sample p 95% CI 1 21 50 0. 420000 (0. 283195, 0. 556805) ? C. THE AVERAGE (MEAN) NUMBER OF YEARS LIVED IN THE CURRENT HOME IS LESS THAN 8 YEARS. Solution: Step 1: Null Hypothesis: The average (mean) number of years lived in the current home is equal to 8 years.H_0: ? =8 Step 2: Alternate Hypothesis: The average (mean) number of years lived in the current home is less than 8 years. H_a: ? 50 requires that the z-test for mean be used to test the given hypothesis. The alternative hypothesis is Ha:? 3200 Step 3: Test Statistic: z= Following the provided information, the Significance Level is ? =0. 05. The alternative hypothesis is Ha: ? >3200; therefore, the given test is a one-tailed (upper-tailed) z-test. Step 4: Critical Value and Rejection Region: The critical value for significance level ? =0. 5 for an upper-tailed z-test is given as 1. 645. Rejection Region: Reject H_0,if z-statistic>1. 645. Step 5: Assumptions: The sample size in this speculation is greater tha n 30, therefore, The Central Limit Theorem (CLT) will apply, and no assumptions need to be made. Step 6: Calculation of test statistic: One-Sample Z: Credit Balance ($) Test of mu = 3200 vs > 3200 The assumed standard deviation = 742. 365 95% Lower Variable N Mean StDev SE Mean Bound Z P Credit Balance ($) 15 4675 742 192 4360 1. 96 0. 025 Step 7: Interpretation:According to the above results from MINITAB, the p-value of 0. 038 is smaller than the significance level of 0. 05; consequently, the null hypothesis will be rejected. There is sufficient evidence to support the claim that the average (mean) credit balance for suburban customers is more than $3200. Based on the results from MINITAB, which are provided below, the significance level is 0. 05; therefore, there is sufficient evidence to support the claim that the average (mean) credit balance for suburban customers is more than $3200.MINITAB reveals that the 95% lower confidence limit is 4469; therefore, 3200 is smaller than the 95% lower confidence limit, which means that the claim can be supported regarding the average (mean) credit balance for suburban customers is more than $3200. Confidence Interval One-Sample Z The assumed standard deviation = 742. 365 N Mean SE Mean 95% CI 50 4675 105 (4469, 4881) Conclusion After performing hypothesis testing and confidence intervals on each speculation, we can conclude that from the sample of 50 customers from AJ DAVIS department store, the average (mean) annual income is less than $50,000.We can also conclude that the number of customers that live in urban areas are less than or equal to 40%. The average number of years their customers have lived in their current home is more than 13. Also, the average credit balance for suburban customers is more than $4300. The manager was correct about the speculations of the average income being less than $50,000 and a customers’ credit balance being more than $4,300. For AJ Davis department store to continue a great r elationship with their customers, it wise and imperative that they continue to perform analyses of this magnitude.

The Art of War

Sun-Tzu Wu is the reputed author of the Chinese classic Ping-fa (The Art of War), written approximately 475-221 B. C. Penned at a time when China was divided into six or seven states that often resorted to war with each other in their struggles for supremacy, it is a systematic guide to strategy and tactics for rulers and commanders. In doing business on the Internet during this time of rampant computer viruses and hacker attacks it may be wise for us to follow some of his tactical principles in order to insure the safety of ourselves and our future clients. Know your enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are sure to be defeated in every battle. In a chilling article entitled Big Brother is Watching Bob Sullivan of MSNBC recounts a tale during a recent visit to London: Only moments after stepping into the Webshack Internet cafe in London†s Soho neighborhood, â€Å"Mark† asked me what I thought of George W. Bush and Al Gore. â€Å"I wouldn†t want Bush running things,† he said. â€Å"Because he can†t run his Web site.† Then he showed me a variety of ways to hack Bush†s Web sites. That was just the beginning of a far-reaching chat during which the group nearly convinced me Big Brother is in fact here in London. â€Å"I don†t know if he can run the free world,† Mark said. â€Å"He can†t keep the Texas banking system computers secure. So-called â€Å"2600† clubs are a kind of hacker â€Å"boy scout† organization – there are local 2600 chapters all around the globe. It is in this environment, and this mindset, that London†s hackers do their work. They do not analyze computer systems and learn how to break them out of spite, or some childish need to destroy: Mark and friends see themselves as merely accumulating knowledge that could be used in self-defense if necessary. They are the citizen†s militia, the Freedom Fighters of the Information Age, trying to stay one step ahead of technology that could one day be turned against them. Jon-K Adams in his treatise entitled Hacker Ideology (aka Hacking Freedom) states that hackers have been called both techno-revolutionaries and heroes of the computer revolution. Hacking â€Å"has become a cultural icon about decentralized power.† But for all that, hackers are reluctant rebels. They prefer to fight with code than with words. And they would rather appear on the net than at a news conference. Status in the hacker world cannot be granted by the general public: it takes a hacker to know and appreciate a hacker. That's part of the hacker's revolutionary reluctance; the other part is the news media's slant toward sensationalism, such as, â€Å"A cyberspace dragnet snared fugitive hacker.† The public tends to think of hacking as synonymous with computer crime, with breaking into computers and stealing and destroying valuable data. As a result of this tabloid mentality, the hacker attempts to fade into the digital world, where he-and it is almost always he-has a place if not a! In his self-conception, the hacker is not a criminal, but rather a â€Å"person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities.† Which means that he is not necessarily a computer geek. The hacker defines himself in terms that extend beyond the computer, as an â€Å"expert or enthusiast of any kind. One might be an astronomy hacker† (Jargon File). So in the broadest sense of his self-conception, the hacker hacks knowledge; he wants to know how things work, and the computer-the prototypical programmable system-simply offers more complexity and possibility, and thus more fascination, than most other things. >From this perspective, hacking appears to be a harmless if nerdish enthusiasm. But at the same time, this seemingly innocent enthusiasm is animated by an ideology that leads to a conflict with civil authority. The hacker is motivated by the belief that the search for knowledge is an end in itself and should be unrestricted. But invariably, when a hacker explores programmable systems, he encounters barriers that bureaucracies impose in the name of security. For the hacker, these security measures become arbitrary limits placed on his exploration, or in cases that often lead to confrontation, they become the focus of further explorations: for the hacker, security measures simply represent a more challenging programmable system. As a result, when a hacker explores such systems, he hacks knowledge, but ideologically he hacks the freedom to access knowledge. Political hackers are another group considering themselves modern freedom fighters. â€Å"Hacktivists† have officially moved from nerdish extremists to become the political protest visionaries of the digital age, a meeting at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London was told on Thursday. Paul Mobbs, an experienced Internet activist and anti-capitalist protestor, will tell attendees that the techniques used by politically minded computer hackers — from jamming corporate networks and sending email viruses to defacing Web sites — has moved into the realm of political campaigning. Mobbs says that the term â€Å"Hacktivism† has been adopted by so many different groups, from peaceful Net campaigners to Internet hate groups, that it is essentially meaningless, but claims that Internet protest is here to stay. â€Å"It has a place, whether people like it or not,† says Mobbs. Steve Mizrach in his 1997 dissertation entitled Is there a Hacker Ethic for 90s Hackers? delves into this subject in great detail. He describes the divergent groups of hackers and explains their modus operandi: I define the computer underground as members of the following six groups. Sometimes I refer to the CU as â€Å"90s hackers† or â€Å"new hackers,† as opposed to old hackers, who are hackers (old sense of the term) from the 60s who subscribed to the original Hacker Ethic.  § Hackers (Crackers, system intruders) – These are people who attempt to penetrate security systems on remote computers. This is the new sense of the term, whereas the old sense of the term simply referred to a person who was capable of creating hacks, or elegant, unusual, and unexpected uses of technology. Typical magazines (both print and online) read by hackers include 2600 and Iron Feather Journal.  § Phreaks (Phone Phreakers, Blue Boxers) – These are people who attempt to use technology to explore and/or control the telephone system. Originally, this involved the use of â€Å"blue boxes† or tone generators, but as the phone company began using digital instead of electro-mechanical switches, the phreaks became more like hackers. Typical magazines read by Phreaks include Phrack, Line Noize, and New Fone Express.  § Virus writers (also, creators of Trojans, worms, logic bombs) – These are people who write code which attempts to a) reproduce itself on other systems without authorization and b) often has a side effect, whether that be to display a message, play a prank, or trash a hard drive. Agents and spiders are essentially ‘benevolent' virii, raising the question of how underground this activity really is. Typical magazines read by Virus writers include 40HEX.  § Pirates – Piracy is sort of a non-technical matter. Originally, it involved breaking copy protection on software, and this activity was called â€Å"cracking.† Nowadays, few software vendors use copy protection, but there are still various minor measures used to prevent the unauthorized duplication of software. Pirates devote themselves to thwarting these things and sharing commercial software freely with their friends. They usually read Pirate Newsletter and Pirate magazine.  § Cypherpunks (cryptoanarchists) – Cypherpunks freely distribute the tools and methods for making use of strong encryption, which is basically unbreakable except by massive supercomputers. Because the NSA and FBI cannot break strong encryption (which is the basis of the PGP or Pretty Good Privacy), programs that employ it are classified as munitions, and distribution of algorithms that make use of it is a felony. Some cryptoanarchists advocate strong encryption as a tool to completely evade the State, by preventing any access whatsoever to financial or personal information. They typically read the Cypherpunks mailing list.  § Anarchists – are committed to distributing illegal (or at least morally suspect) information, including but not limited to data on bombmaking, lockpicking, pornography, drug manufacturing, pirate radio, and cable and satellite TV piracy. In this parlance of the computer underground, anarchists are less likely to advocate the overthrow of government than the simple refusal to obey restrictions on distributing information. They tend to read Cult of the Dead Cow (CDC) and Activist Times Incorporated (ATI).  § Cyberpunk – usually some combination of the above, plus interest in technological self-modification, science fiction of the Neuromancer genre, and interest in hardware hacking and â€Å"street tech.† A youth subculture in its own right, with some overlaps with the â€Å"modern primitive† and â€Å"raver† subcultures. So should we fear these geeky little mischief-makers? The New York Post revealed recently that a busboy allegedly managed to steal millions of dollars from the world†s richest people by stealing their identities and tricking credit agencies and brokerage firms. In his article describing this event Bob Sullivan says, â€Å"Abraham Abdallah, I think, did us all a favor, for he has exposed as a sham the security at the world†s most important financial institutions.† The same two free e-mail addresses were used to request financial transfers for six different wealthy Merrill Lynch clients, according to the Post story. Merrill Lynch didn†t notice? Why would Merrill accept any transfer requests, indeed take any financial communication seriously at all, from a free, obviously unverified anonymous e-mail account? I†m alarmed by the checks and balances that must be in place at big New York brokerage firms. Rather than being a story about a genius who almost got away, this is simply one more story of easy identity theft amid a tidal wave of similar crimes. The Federal Trade Commission has received 40,000 complaints of identity theft since it started keeping track two years ago, but the agency is certain that represents only a fraction of real victims. This is a serious problem, long ignored by the industry. If fact, just last year the credit industry beat back a congressional bill known as The Identity Theft Protection Act, claiming it would be too expensive for them. â€Å"Clearly there has to be more leveling of the playing field. We have to hold banks and credit unions accountable.† Last month the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was again warning electronic-commerce Web sites to patch their Windows-based systems to protect their data against hackers. The FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) has coordinated investigations over the past several months into organized hacker activities targeting e-commerce sites. More than 40 victims in 20 states have been identified in the ongoing investigations, which have included law enforcement agencies outside the United States and private sector officials. The investigations have uncovered several organized hacker groups from Russia, the Ukraine, and elsewhere in Eastern Europe that have penetrated U.S. e-commerce and online banking computer systems by exploiting vulnerabilities in the Windows NT operating system, the statement said. Microsoft has released patches for these vulnerabilities, which can be downloaded from Microsoft's Web site for free. Once the hackers gain access, they download proprietary information, customer databases, and credit card information, according to the FBI. The hackers subsequently contact the company and attempt to extort money by offering to patch the system and by offering to protect the company's systems from exploitation by other hackers. The hackers tell the victim that without their services they cannot guarantee that other hackers will not access their networks and post stolen credit card information and details about the site's security vulnerability on the Internet. If the company does not pay or hire the group for its security services, the threats escalate, the FBI said. Investigators also believe that in some instances the credit card information is being sold to organized crime groups. Defend yourself when you cannot defeat the enemy, and attack the enemy when you can. Scott Culp in a detailed list of security precautions on Microsoft†s Web page suggests that there are ten immutable laws of security. Law #1: If a bad guy can persuade you to run his program on your computer, it's not your computer anymore. It's an unfortunate fact of computer science: when a computer program runs, it will do what it's programmed to do, even if it's programmed to be harmful. When you choose to run a program, you are making a decision to turn over control of your computer to it. That's why it's important to never run, or even download, a program from an untrusted source – and by â€Å"source†, I mean the person who wrote it, not the person who gave it to you. Law #2: If a bad guy can alter the operating system on your computer, it's not your computer anymore. In the end, an operating system is just a series of ones and zeroes that, when interpreted by the processor, cause the machine to do certain things. Change the ones and zeroes, and it will do something different. To understand why, consider that operating system files are among the most trusted ones on the computer, and they generally run with system-level privileges. That is, they can do absolutely anything. Among other things, they're trusted to manage user accounts, handle password changes, and enforce the rules governing who can do what on the computer. If a bad guy can change them, the now-untrustworthy files will do his bidding, and there's no limit to what he can do. He can steal passwords, make himself an administrator on the machine, or add entirely new functions to the operating system. To prevent this type of attack, make sure that the system files (and the registry! , for that matter) are well protected. Law #3: If a bad guy has unrestricted physical access to your computer, it's not your computer anymore. He could mount the ultimate low-tech denial of service attack, and smash your computer with a sledgehammer.  § He could unplug the computer, haul it out of your building, and hold it for ransom.  § He could boot the computer from a floppy disk, and reformat your hard drive. But wait, you say, I've configured the BIOS on my computer to prompt for a password when I turn the power on. No problem – if he can open the case and get his hands on the system hardware, he could just replace the BIOS chips. (Actually, there are even easier ways).  § He could remove the hard drive from your computer, install it into his computer, and read it.  § He could make a duplicate of your hard drive and take it back his lair. Once there, he'd have all the time in the world to conduct brute-force attacks, such as trying every possible logon password. Programs are available to automate this and, given enough time, it's almost certain that he would succeed. Once that happens, Laws #1 and #2 above apply  § He could replace your keyboard with one that contains a radio transmitter. He could then monitor everything you type, including your password. Always make sure that a computer is physically protected in a way that's consistent with its value – and remember that the value of a machine includes not only the value of the hardware itself, but the value of the data on it, and the value of the access to your network that a bad guy could gain. At a minimum, business-critical machines like domain controllers, database servers, and print/file servers should always be in a locked room that only people charged with administration and maintenance can access. But you may want to consider protecting other machines as well, and potentially using additional protective measures. If you travel with a laptop, it's absolutely critical that you protect it. The same features that make laptops great to travel with – small size, light weight, and so forth – also make them easy to steal. There are a variety of locks and alarms available for laptops, and some models let you remove the hard drive and carry it with you. You also can use features like the Encrypting File System in Windows 2000 to mitigate the damage if someone succeeded in stealing the computer. But the only way you can know with 100% certainty that your data is safe and the hardware hasn't been tampered with is to keep the laptop on your person at all times while traveling. Law #4: If you allow a bad guy to upload programs to your web site, it's not your web site any more. This is basically Law #1 in reverse. In that scenario, the bad guy tricks his victim into downloading a harmful program onto his machine and running it. In this one, the bad guy uploads a harmful program to a machine and runs it himself. Although this scenario is a danger anytime you allow strangers to connect to your machine, web sites are involved in the overwhelming majority of these cases. Many people who operate web sites are too hospitable for their own good, and allow visitors to upload programs to the site and run them. As we've seen above, unpleasant things can happen if a bad guy's program can run on your machine. If you run a web site, you need to limit what visitors can do. You should only allow a program on your site if you wrote it yourself, or if you trust the developer who wrote it. But that may not be enough. If your web site is one of several hosted on a shared server, you need to be extra careful. If a bad guy can compromise one of the other sites on the server, it's possible he could extend his control to the server itself, in which case he could control all of the sites on it – including yours. If you're on a shared server, it's important to find out what the server administrator's policies are. Law #5: Weak passwords trump strong security. The purpose of having a logon process is to establish who you are. Once the operating system knows who you are, it can grant or deny requests for system resources appropriately. If a bad guy learns your password, he can log on as you. In fact, as far as the operating system is concerned, he is you. Whatever you can do on the system, he can do as well, because he's you. Maybe he wants to read sensitive information you've stored on your computer, like your email. Maybe you have more privileges on the network than he does, and being you will let him do things he normally couldn't. Or maybe he just wants to do something malicious and blame it on you. In any case, it's worth protecting your credentials. Always use a password – it's amazing how many accounts have blank passwords. And choose a complex one. Don't use your dog's name, your anniversary date, or the name of the local football team. And don't use the word â€Å"password†! Pick a password that has a mix of upper- and lower-case letters, number, punctuation marks, and so forth. Make it as long as possible. And change it often. Once you've picked a strong password, handle it appropriately. Don't write it down. If you absolutely must write it down, at the very least keep it in a safe or a locked drawer – the first thing a bad guy who's hunting for passwords will do is check for a yellow sticky note on the side of your screen, or in the top desk drawer. Don't tell anyone what your password is. Remember what Ben Franklin said: two people can keep a secret, but only if one of them is dead. Finally, consider using something stronger than passwords to identify yourself to the system. Windows 2000, for instance, supports the use of smart cards, which significantly strengthens the identity checking the system can perform. You may also want to consider biometric products like fingerprint and retina scanners. Law #6: A machine is only as secure as the administrator is trustworthy. Every computer must have an administrator: someone who can install software, configure the operating system, add and manage user accounts, establish security policies, and handle all the other management tasks associated with keeping a computer up and running. By definition, these tasks require that he have control over the machine. This puts the administrator in a position of unequalled power. An untrustworthy administrator can negate every other security measure you've taken. He can change the permissions on the machine, modify the system security policies, install malicious software, add bogus users, or do any of a million other things. He can subvert virtually any protective measure in the operating system, because he controls it. Worst of all, he can cover his tracks. If you have an untrustworthy administrator, you have absolutely no security. When hiring a system administrator, recognize the position of trust that administrators occupy, and only hire people who warrant that trust. Call his references, and ask them about his previous work record, especially with regard to any security incidents at previous employers. If appropriate for your organization, you may also consider taking a step that banks and other security-conscious companies do, and require that your administrators pass a complete background check at hiring time, and at periodic intervals afterward. Whatever criteria you select, apply them across the board. Don't give anyone administrative privileges on your network unless they've been vetted – and this includes temporary employees and contractors, too. Next, take steps to help keep honest people honest. Use sign-in/sign-out sheets to track who's been in the server room. (You do have a server room with a locked door, right? If not, re-read Law #3). Implement a â€Å"two person† rule when installing or upgrading software. Diversify management tasks as much as possible, as a way of minimizing how much power any one administrator has. Also, don't use the Administrator account – instead, give each administrator a separate account with administrative privileges, so you can tell who's doing what. Finally, consider taking steps to make it more difficult for a rogue administrator to cover his tracks. For instance, store audit data on write-only media, or house System A's audit data on System B, and make sure that the two systems have different administrators. The more accountable your administrators are, the less likely you are to have problems. Law #7: Encrypted data is only as secure as the decryption key. Suppose you installed the biggest, strongest, most secure lock in the world on your front door, but you put the key under the front door mat. It wouldn't really matter how strong the lock is, would it? The critical factor would be the poor way the key was protected, because if a burglar could find it, he'd have everything he needed to open the lock. Encrypted data works the same way – no matter how strong the cryptoalgorithm is, the data is only as safe as the key that can decrypt it. Many operating systems and cryptographic software products give you an option to store cryptographic keys on the computer. The advantage is convenience – you don't have to handle the key – but it comes at the cost of security. The keys are usually obfuscated (that is, hidden), and some of the obfuscation methods are quite good. But in the end, no matter how well-hidden the key is, if it's on the machine it can be found. It has to be – after all, the software can find it, so a sufficiently-motivated bad guy could find it, too. Whenever possible, use offline storage for keys. If the key is a word or phrase, memorize it. If not, export it to a floppy disk, make a backup copy, and store the copies in separate, secure locations. Law #8: An out of date virus scanner is only marginally better than no virus scanner at all. Virus scanners work by comparing the data on your computer against a collection of virus â€Å"signatures†. Each signature is characteristic of a particular virus, and when the scanner finds data in a file, email, or elsewhere that matches the signature, it concludes that it's found a virus. However, a virus scanner can only scan for the viruses it knows about. It's vital that you keep your virus scanner's signature file up to date, as new viruses are created every day. The problem actually goes a bit deeper than this, though. Typically, a new virus will do the greatest amount of damage during the early stages of its life, precisely because few people will be able to detect it. Once word gets around that a new virus is on the loose and people update their virus signatures, the spread of the virus falls off drastically. The key is to get ahead of the curve, and have updated signature files on your machine before the virus hits. Virtually every maker of anti-virus software provides a way to get free updated signature files from their web site. In fact, many have â€Å"push† services, in which they'll send notification every time a new signature file is released. Use these services. Also, keep the virus scanner itself – that is, the scanning software – updated as well. Virus writers periodically develop new techniques that require that the scanners change how they do their work. Law #9: Absolute anonymity isn't practical, in real life or on the web. All human interaction involves exchanging data of some kind. If someone weaves enough of that data together, they can identify you. Think about all the information that a person can glean in just a short conversation with you. In one glance, they can gauge your height, weight, and approximate age. Your accent will probably tell them what country you're from, and may even tell them what region of the country. If you talk about anything other than the weather, you'll probably tell them something about your family, your interests, where you live, and what you do for a living. It doesn't take long for someone to collect enough information to figure out who you are. If you crave absolute anonymity, your best bet is to live in a cave and shun all human contact. The same thing is true of the Internet. If you visit a web site, the owner can, if he's sufficiently motivated, find out who you are. After all, the ones and zeroes that make up the web session have be able to find their way to the right place, and that place is your computer. There are a lot of measures you can take to disguise the bits, and the more of them you use, the more thoroughly the bits will be disguised. For instance, you could use network address translation to mask your actual IP address, subscribe to an anonymizing service that launders the bits by relaying them from one end of the ether to the other, use a different ISP account for different purposes, surf certain sites only from public kiosks, and so on. All of these make it more difficult to determine who you are, but none of them make it impossible. Do you know for certain who operates the anonymizing service? Maybe it's the same person who owns the web site you just visited! Or what about that innocuous web ! site you visited yesterday, that offered to mail you a free $10 off coupon? Maybe the owner is willing to share information with other web site owners. If so, the second web site owner may be able to correlate the information from the two sites and determine who you are. Does this mean that privacy on the web is a lost cause? Not at all. What it means is that the best way to protect your privacy on the Internet is the same as the way you protect your privacy in normal life – through your behavior. Read the privacy statements on the web sites you visit, and only do business with ones whose practices you agree with. If you're worried about cookies, disable them. Most importantly, avoid indiscriminate web surfing – recognize that just as most cities have a bad side of town that's best avoided, the Internet does too. But if it's complete and total anonymity you want, better start looking for that cave. The Art of War Sun-Tzu Wu is the reputed author of the Chinese classic Ping-fa (The Art of War), written approximately 475-221 B. C. Penned at a time when China was divided into six or seven states that often resorted to war with each other in their struggles for supremacy, it is a systematic guide to strategy and tactics for rulers and commanders. In doing business on the Internet during this time of rampant computer viruses and hacker attacks it may be wise for us to follow some of his tactical principles in order to insure the safety of ourselves and our future clients. Know your enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are sure to be defeated in every battle. In a chilling article entitled Big Brother is Watching Bob Sullivan of MSNBC recounts a tale during a recent visit to London: Only moments after stepping into the Webshack Internet cafe in London†s Soho neighborhood, â€Å"Mark† asked me what I thought of George W. Bush and Al Gore. â€Å"I wouldn†t want Bush running things,† he said. â€Å"Because he can†t run his Web site.† Then he showed me a variety of ways to hack Bush†s Web sites. That was just the beginning of a far-reaching chat during which the group nearly convinced me Big Brother is in fact here in London. â€Å"I don†t know if he can run the free world,† Mark said. â€Å"He can†t keep the Texas banking system computers secure. So-called â€Å"2600† clubs are a kind of hacker â€Å"boy scout† organization – there are local 2600 chapters all around the globe. It is in this environment, and this mindset, that London†s hackers do their work. They do not analyze computer systems and learn how to break them out of spite, or some childish need to destroy: Mark and friends see themselves as merely accumulating knowledge that could be used in self-defense if necessary. They are the citizen†s militia, the Freedom Fighters of the Information Age, trying to stay one step ahead of technology that could one day be turned against them. Jon-K Adams in his treatise entitled Hacker Ideology (aka Hacking Freedom) states that hackers have been called both techno-revolutionaries and heroes of the computer revolution. Hacking â€Å"has become a cultural icon about decentralized power.† But for all that, hackers are reluctant rebels. They prefer to fight with code than with words. And they would rather appear on the net than at a news conference. Status in the hacker world cannot be granted by the general public: it takes a hacker to know and appreciate a hacker. That's part of the hacker's revolutionary reluctance; the other part is the news media's slant toward sensationalism, such as, â€Å"A cyberspace dragnet snared fugitive hacker.† The public tends to think of hacking as synonymous with computer crime, with breaking into computers and stealing and destroying valuable data. As a result of this tabloid mentality, the hacker attempts to fade into the digital world, where he-and it is almost always he-has a place if not a! In his self-conception, the hacker is not a criminal, but rather a â€Å"person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities.† Which means that he is not necessarily a computer geek. The hacker defines himself in terms that extend beyond the computer, as an â€Å"expert or enthusiast of any kind. One might be an astronomy hacker† (Jargon File). So in the broadest sense of his self-conception, the hacker hacks knowledge; he wants to know how things work, and the computer-the prototypical programmable system-simply offers more complexity and possibility, and thus more fascination, than most other things. >From this perspective, hacking appears to be a harmless if nerdish enthusiasm. But at the same time, this seemingly innocent enthusiasm is animated by an ideology that leads to a conflict with civil authority. The hacker is motivated by the belief that the search for knowledge is an end in itself and should be unrestricted. But invariably, when a hacker explores programmable systems, he encounters barriers that bureaucracies impose in the name of security. For the hacker, these security measures become arbitrary limits placed on his exploration, or in cases that often lead to confrontation, they become the focus of further explorations: for the hacker, security measures simply represent a more challenging programmable system. As a result, when a hacker explores such systems, he hacks knowledge, but ideologically he hacks the freedom to access knowledge. Political hackers are another group considering themselves modern freedom fighters. â€Å"Hacktivists† have officially moved from nerdish extremists to become the political protest visionaries of the digital age, a meeting at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London was told on Thursday. Paul Mobbs, an experienced Internet activist and anti-capitalist protestor, will tell attendees that the techniques used by politically minded computer hackers — from jamming corporate networks and sending email viruses to defacing Web sites — has moved into the realm of political campaigning. Mobbs says that the term â€Å"Hacktivism† has been adopted by so many different groups, from peaceful Net campaigners to Internet hate groups, that it is essentially meaningless, but claims that Internet protest is here to stay. â€Å"It has a place, whether people like it or not,† says Mobbs. Steve Mizrach in his 1997 dissertation entitled Is there a Hacker Ethic for 90s Hackers? delves into this subject in great detail. He describes the divergent groups of hackers and explains their modus operandi: I define the computer underground as members of the following six groups. Sometimes I refer to the CU as â€Å"90s hackers† or â€Å"new hackers,† as opposed to old hackers, who are hackers (old sense of the term) from the 60s who subscribed to the original Hacker Ethic.  § Hackers (Crackers, system intruders) – These are people who attempt to penetrate security systems on remote computers. This is the new sense of the term, whereas the old sense of the term simply referred to a person who was capable of creating hacks, or elegant, unusual, and unexpected uses of technology. Typical magazines (both print and online) read by hackers include 2600 and Iron Feather Journal.  § Phreaks (Phone Phreakers, Blue Boxers) – These are people who attempt to use technology to explore and/or control the telephone system. Originally, this involved the use of â€Å"blue boxes† or tone generators, but as the phone company began using digital instead of electro-mechanical switches, the phreaks became more like hackers. Typical magazines read by Phreaks include Phrack, Line Noize, and New Fone Express.  § Virus writers (also, creators of Trojans, worms, logic bombs) – These are people who write code which attempts to a) reproduce itself on other systems without authorization and b) often has a side effect, whether that be to display a message, play a prank, or trash a hard drive. Agents and spiders are essentially ‘benevolent' virii, raising the question of how underground this activity really is. Typical magazines read by Virus writers include 40HEX.  § Pirates – Piracy is sort of a non-technical matter. Originally, it involved breaking copy protection on software, and this activity was called â€Å"cracking.† Nowadays, few software vendors use copy protection, but there are still various minor measures used to prevent the unauthorized duplication of software. Pirates devote themselves to thwarting these things and sharing commercial software freely with their friends. They usually read Pirate Newsletter and Pirate magazine.  § Cypherpunks (cryptoanarchists) – Cypherpunks freely distribute the tools and methods for making use of strong encryption, which is basically unbreakable except by massive supercomputers. Because the NSA and FBI cannot break strong encryption (which is the basis of the PGP or Pretty Good Privacy), programs that employ it are classified as munitions, and distribution of algorithms that make use of it is a felony. Some cryptoanarchists advocate strong encryption as a tool to completely evade the State, by preventing any access whatsoever to financial or personal information. They typically read the Cypherpunks mailing list.  § Anarchists – are committed to distributing illegal (or at least morally suspect) information, including but not limited to data on bombmaking, lockpicking, pornography, drug manufacturing, pirate radio, and cable and satellite TV piracy. In this parlance of the computer underground, anarchists are less likely to advocate the overthrow of government than the simple refusal to obey restrictions on distributing information. They tend to read Cult of the Dead Cow (CDC) and Activist Times Incorporated (ATI).  § Cyberpunk – usually some combination of the above, plus interest in technological self-modification, science fiction of the Neuromancer genre, and interest in hardware hacking and â€Å"street tech.† A youth subculture in its own right, with some overlaps with the â€Å"modern primitive† and â€Å"raver† subcultures. So should we fear these geeky little mischief-makers? The New York Post revealed recently that a busboy allegedly managed to steal millions of dollars from the world†s richest people by stealing their identities and tricking credit agencies and brokerage firms. In his article describing this event Bob Sullivan says, â€Å"Abraham Abdallah, I think, did us all a favor, for he has exposed as a sham the security at the world†s most important financial institutions.† The same two free e-mail addresses were used to request financial transfers for six different wealthy Merrill Lynch clients, according to the Post story. Merrill Lynch didn†t notice? Why would Merrill accept any transfer requests, indeed take any financial communication seriously at all, from a free, obviously unverified anonymous e-mail account? I†m alarmed by the checks and balances that must be in place at big New York brokerage firms. Rather than being a story about a genius who almost got away, this is simply one more story of easy identity theft amid a tidal wave of similar crimes. The Federal Trade Commission has received 40,000 complaints of identity theft since it started keeping track two years ago, but the agency is certain that represents only a fraction of real victims. This is a serious problem, long ignored by the industry. If fact, just last year the credit industry beat back a congressional bill known as The Identity Theft Protection Act, claiming it would be too expensive for them. â€Å"Clearly there has to be more leveling of the playing field. We have to hold banks and credit unions accountable.† Last month the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was again warning electronic-commerce Web sites to patch their Windows-based systems to protect their data against hackers. The FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) has coordinated investigations over the past several months into organized hacker activities targeting e-commerce sites. More than 40 victims in 20 states have been identified in the ongoing investigations, which have included law enforcement agencies outside the United States and private sector officials. The investigations have uncovered several organized hacker groups from Russia, the Ukraine, and elsewhere in Eastern Europe that have penetrated U.S. e-commerce and online banking computer systems by exploiting vulnerabilities in the Windows NT operating system, the statement said. Microsoft has released patches for these vulnerabilities, which can be downloaded from Microsoft's Web site for free. Once the hackers gain access, they download proprietary information, customer databases, and credit card information, according to the FBI. The hackers subsequently contact the company and attempt to extort money by offering to patch the system and by offering to protect the company's systems from exploitation by other hackers. The hackers tell the victim that without their services they cannot guarantee that other hackers will not access their networks and post stolen credit card information and details about the site's security vulnerability on the Internet. If the company does not pay or hire the group for its security services, the threats escalate, the FBI said. Investigators also believe that in some instances the credit card information is being sold to organized crime groups. Defend yourself when you cannot defeat the enemy, and attack the enemy when you can. Scott Culp in a detailed list of security precautions on Microsoft†s Web page suggests that there are ten immutable laws of security. Law #1: If a bad guy can persuade you to run his program on your computer, it's not your computer anymore. It's an unfortunate fact of computer science: when a computer program runs, it will do what it's programmed to do, even if it's programmed to be harmful. When you choose to run a program, you are making a decision to turn over control of your computer to it. That's why it's important to never run, or even download, a program from an untrusted source – and by â€Å"source†, I mean the person who wrote it, not the person who gave it to you. Law #2: If a bad guy can alter the operating system on your computer, it's not your computer anymore. In the end, an operating system is just a series of ones and zeroes that, when interpreted by the processor, cause the machine to do certain things. Change the ones and zeroes, and it will do something different. To understand why, consider that operating system files are among the most trusted ones on the computer, and they generally run with system-level privileges. That is, they can do absolutely anything. Among other things, they're trusted to manage user accounts, handle password changes, and enforce the rules governing who can do what on the computer. If a bad guy can change them, the now-untrustworthy files will do his bidding, and there's no limit to what he can do. He can steal passwords, make himself an administrator on the machine, or add entirely new functions to the operating system. To prevent this type of attack, make sure that the system files (and the registry! , for that matter) are well protected. Law #3: If a bad guy has unrestricted physical access to your computer, it's not your computer anymore. He could mount the ultimate low-tech denial of service attack, and smash your computer with a sledgehammer.  § He could unplug the computer, haul it out of your building, and hold it for ransom.  § He could boot the computer from a floppy disk, and reformat your hard drive. But wait, you say, I've configured the BIOS on my computer to prompt for a password when I turn the power on. No problem – if he can open the case and get his hands on the system hardware, he could just replace the BIOS chips. (Actually, there are even easier ways).  § He could remove the hard drive from your computer, install it into his computer, and read it.  § He could make a duplicate of your hard drive and take it back his lair. Once there, he'd have all the time in the world to conduct brute-force attacks, such as trying every possible logon password. Programs are available to automate this and, given enough time, it's almost certain that he would succeed. Once that happens, Laws #1 and #2 above apply  § He could replace your keyboard with one that contains a radio transmitter. He could then monitor everything you type, including your password. Always make sure that a computer is physically protected in a way that's consistent with its value – and remember that the value of a machine includes not only the value of the hardware itself, but the value of the data on it, and the value of the access to your network that a bad guy could gain. At a minimum, business-critical machines like domain controllers, database servers, and print/file servers should always be in a locked room that only people charged with administration and maintenance can access. But you may want to consider protecting other machines as well, and potentially using additional protective measures. If you travel with a laptop, it's absolutely critical that you protect it. The same features that make laptops great to travel with – small size, light weight, and so forth – also make them easy to steal. There are a variety of locks and alarms available for laptops, and some models let you remove the hard drive and carry it with you. You also can use features like the Encrypting File System in Windows 2000 to mitigate the damage if someone succeeded in stealing the computer. But the only way you can know with 100% certainty that your data is safe and the hardware hasn't been tampered with is to keep the laptop on your person at all times while traveling. Law #4: If you allow a bad guy to upload programs to your web site, it's not your web site any more. This is basically Law #1 in reverse. In that scenario, the bad guy tricks his victim into downloading a harmful program onto his machine and running it. In this one, the bad guy uploads a harmful program to a machine and runs it himself. Although this scenario is a danger anytime you allow strangers to connect to your machine, web sites are involved in the overwhelming majority of these cases. Many people who operate web sites are too hospitable for their own good, and allow visitors to upload programs to the site and run them. As we've seen above, unpleasant things can happen if a bad guy's program can run on your machine. If you run a web site, you need to limit what visitors can do. You should only allow a program on your site if you wrote it yourself, or if you trust the developer who wrote it. But that may not be enough. If your web site is one of several hosted on a shared server, you need to be extra careful. If a bad guy can compromise one of the other sites on the server, it's possible he could extend his control to the server itself, in which case he could control all of the sites on it – including yours. If you're on a shared server, it's important to find out what the server administrator's policies are. Law #5: Weak passwords trump strong security. The purpose of having a logon process is to establish who you are. Once the operating system knows who you are, it can grant or deny requests for system resources appropriately. If a bad guy learns your password, he can log on as you. In fact, as far as the operating system is concerned, he is you. Whatever you can do on the system, he can do as well, because he's you. Maybe he wants to read sensitive information you've stored on your computer, like your email. Maybe you have more privileges on the network than he does, and being you will let him do things he normally couldn't. Or maybe he just wants to do something malicious and blame it on you. In any case, it's worth protecting your credentials. Always use a password – it's amazing how many accounts have blank passwords. And choose a complex one. Don't use your dog's name, your anniversary date, or the name of the local football team. And don't use the word â€Å"password†! Pick a password that has a mix of upper- and lower-case letters, number, punctuation marks, and so forth. Make it as long as possible. And change it often. Once you've picked a strong password, handle it appropriately. Don't write it down. If you absolutely must write it down, at the very least keep it in a safe or a locked drawer – the first thing a bad guy who's hunting for passwords will do is check for a yellow sticky note on the side of your screen, or in the top desk drawer. Don't tell anyone what your password is. Remember what Ben Franklin said: two people can keep a secret, but only if one of them is dead. Finally, consider using something stronger than passwords to identify yourself to the system. Windows 2000, for instance, supports the use of smart cards, which significantly strengthens the identity checking the system can perform. You may also want to consider biometric products like fingerprint and retina scanners. Law #6: A machine is only as secure as the administrator is trustworthy. Every computer must have an administrator: someone who can install software, configure the operating system, add and manage user accounts, establish security policies, and handle all the other management tasks associated with keeping a computer up and running. By definition, these tasks require that he have control over the machine. This puts the administrator in a position of unequalled power. An untrustworthy administrator can negate every other security measure you've taken. He can change the permissions on the machine, modify the system security policies, install malicious software, add bogus users, or do any of a million other things. He can subvert virtually any protective measure in the operating system, because he controls it. Worst of all, he can cover his tracks. If you have an untrustworthy administrator, you have absolutely no security. When hiring a system administrator, recognize the position of trust that administrators occupy, and only hire people who warrant that trust. Call his references, and ask them about his previous work record, especially with regard to any security incidents at previous employers. If appropriate for your organization, you may also consider taking a step that banks and other security-conscious companies do, and require that your administrators pass a complete background check at hiring time, and at periodic intervals afterward. Whatever criteria you select, apply them across the board. Don't give anyone administrative privileges on your network unless they've been vetted – and this includes temporary employees and contractors, too. Next, take steps to help keep honest people honest. Use sign-in/sign-out sheets to track who's been in the server room. (You do have a server room with a locked door, right? If not, re-read Law #3). Implement a â€Å"two person† rule when installing or upgrading software. Diversify management tasks as much as possible, as a way of minimizing how much power any one administrator has. Also, don't use the Administrator account – instead, give each administrator a separate account with administrative privileges, so you can tell who's doing what. Finally, consider taking steps to make it more difficult for a rogue administrator to cover his tracks. For instance, store audit data on write-only media, or house System A's audit data on System B, and make sure that the two systems have different administrators. The more accountable your administrators are, the less likely you are to have problems. Law #7: Encrypted data is only as secure as the decryption key. Suppose you installed the biggest, strongest, most secure lock in the world on your front door, but you put the key under the front door mat. It wouldn't really matter how strong the lock is, would it? The critical factor would be the poor way the key was protected, because if a burglar could find it, he'd have everything he needed to open the lock. Encrypted data works the same way – no matter how strong the cryptoalgorithm is, the data is only as safe as the key that can decrypt it. Many operating systems and cryptographic software products give you an option to store cryptographic keys on the computer. The advantage is convenience – you don't have to handle the key – but it comes at the cost of security. The keys are usually obfuscated (that is, hidden), and some of the obfuscation methods are quite good. But in the end, no matter how well-hidden the key is, if it's on the machine it can be found. It has to be – after all, the software can find it, so a sufficiently-motivated bad guy could find it, too. Whenever possible, use offline storage for keys. If the key is a word or phrase, memorize it. If not, export it to a floppy disk, make a backup copy, and store the copies in separate, secure locations. Law #8: An out of date virus scanner is only marginally better than no virus scanner at all. Virus scanners work by comparing the data on your computer against a collection of virus â€Å"signatures†. Each signature is characteristic of a particular virus, and when the scanner finds data in a file, email, or elsewhere that matches the signature, it concludes that it's found a virus. However, a virus scanner can only scan for the viruses it knows about. It's vital that you keep your virus scanner's signature file up to date, as new viruses are created every day. The problem actually goes a bit deeper than this, though. Typically, a new virus will do the greatest amount of damage during the early stages of its life, precisely because few people will be able to detect it. Once word gets around that a new virus is on the loose and people update their virus signatures, the spread of the virus falls off drastically. The key is to get ahead of the curve, and have updated signature files on your machine before the virus hits. Virtually every maker of anti-virus software provides a way to get free updated signature files from their web site. In fact, many have â€Å"push† services, in which they'll send notification every time a new signature file is released. Use these services. Also, keep the virus scanner itself – that is, the scanning software – updated as well. Virus writers periodically develop new techniques that require that the scanners change how they do their work. Law #9: Absolute anonymity isn't practical, in real life or on the web. All human interaction involves exchanging data of some kind. If someone weaves enough of that data together, they can identify you. Think about all the information that a person can glean in just a short conversation with you. In one glance, they can gauge your height, weight, and approximate age. Your accent will probably tell them what country you're from, and may even tell them what region of the country. If you talk about anything other than the weather, you'll probably tell them something about your family, your interests, where you live, and what you do for a living. It doesn't take long for someone to collect enough information to figure out who you are. If you crave absolute anonymity, your best bet is to live in a cave and shun all human contact. The same thing is true of the Internet. If you visit a web site, the owner can, if he's sufficiently motivated, find out who you are. After all, the ones and zeroes that make up the web session have be able to find their way to the right place, and that place is your computer. There are a lot of measures you can take to disguise the bits, and the more of them you use, the more thoroughly the bits will be disguised. For instance, you could use network address translation to mask your actual IP address, subscribe to an anonymizing service that launders the bits by relaying them from one end of the ether to the other, use a different ISP account for different purposes, surf certain sites only from public kiosks, and so on. All of these make it more difficult to determine who you are, but none of them make it impossible. Do you know for certain who operates the anonymizing service? Maybe it's the same person who owns the web site you just visited! Or what about that innocuous web ! site you visited yesterday, that offered to mail you a free $10 off coupon? Maybe the owner is willing to share information with other web site owners. If so, the second web site owner may be able to correlate the information from the two sites and determine who you are. Does this mean that privacy on the web is a lost cause? Not at all. What it means is that the best way to protect your privacy on the Internet is the same as the way you protect your privacy in normal life – through your behavior. Read the privacy statements on the web sites you visit, and only do business with ones whose practices you agree with. If you're worried about cookies, disable them. Most importantly, avoid indiscriminate web surfing – recognize that just as most cities have a bad side of town that's best avoided, the Internet does too. But if it's complete and total anonymity you want, better start looking for that cave.