Early Greek and Roman Civilizations

Early Greek and Roman Civilizations Charles Inabnitt American InterContinental University Abstract The early Greek and Roman empires or civilizations shared a lot of similarities in geography for they both are Mediterranean countries. They had similar religions also. These are some of the cultural aspects that are compared and contrasted. Early Greek and Roman Civilizations The following are examples of cultural elements of comparison and contrast: geography, government, economy, art, philosophy, religion. Furthermore, the graph below will go into more detail in all of the subjects discussed above. Greece| Roman| Geography| Some of the Greek poleis or city states as they were called where naturally separated by the sea from the mainland. Now the mainland was very mountainous. | Geographically, Rome was built on seven hills on the east bank of the Tiber River. The lower lying areas were prone to flooding. | Government| Greek governments were divided in groups by the great Aristotle, a nd are still used today by historians, into monarchies, oligarchies, tyrannies, and democracies. | Rome was ruled by kings at the beginning of their time. Then it became a republic with emperors of royal blood and a senate and an assembly. | Economy| The Greeks since their poleis where unreachable by land they were reached by sea. Thus in the early part of the history of Greece the main source of economy was through fishing and trading. Later led onto agriculture and the growing of wheat. | Romans where known for their trading and were also known for taking slaves from all of the wars that they had from the expansion of their empire. Therefore, the people of Rome had grown a custom to slave labor. Art| The Greeks where known for the art form of perfecting the human body. They were known for sculptures and other famous art works known as ideal artistic form of art. | The Roman people were engineers. Concrete was one of the greatest inventions by the romans. They were able to make great expanded forms of architecture. | Philosophy| Philosophy or ‘love of wisdom’ was the enriched need of knowledge without the use of history. Some of the greatest thinkers came from ancient Greece mainly from Athens. | Roman philosophy was borrowed from the Greeks philosophy and the concepts of ethical and political. Religion| The religion of the Greeks where that of gods for every aspect of life. For example, there were gods for things like the sea ruled by Poeidon and the underworld ruling over the dead ruled by Hades. Then the all mighty Zeus ruler of all gods and of mankind. | Roman also believed in gods for every aspect of life. Therefore they borrowed the Greeks gods and just renamed them. | So in conclusion, as we can see that the Greeks and the Romans had many similarities. Reasons of this may stem from the fact that the Romans develop from the Greek colonies and also the Etruscan settlements. This may be the reason why the philosophy and the religion of the Greek and Romans are very similar. As you can also see though both civilizations had their differences in how their civilizations were maintained and ran in everyday life and morals. References Miller, Lee, Patrick. , Reeve, C. D. C. (2006). Introductory Readings in Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc Sayre, Henry. (2010). Discovering the Humanities. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Hall

Methodologies

Human resource development is one of the most challenging tasks of running any business in the present world of competition and globalization. The level of motivation depends greatly on how much focus company gives to understanding the need and the demographics of the company. It is very important to have well-motivated employees, because the motivated employees will probably work harder, and likely produce a higher quality of work; especially for a retail company. Motivation comes from heart and mind; it is an internal process which determines the success and adaptability of an employee within the business environment. It is very important that steps should be taken to strengthen this within the staff. This would require effort on the part of the organization to come up with steps to find out and research about ways in which employees a can be motivated. An organization needs a systematic methodologies based on sound research philosophy. A good research philosophy should be based on positive- scientific approach where analysis is based on factors which can be verified by statistics. Another, aspect of the research could be based on exploring the circumstances or the situations. Based on these two philosophies information should be gathered. The purpose is to research the different motivational factors that affect sales people in the client organization. The research approach should be selected to suit the nature of the company. The research approach can be deductive- based on testing the theory or inductive –based on building the theory. The inductive theory with emphasis on qualitative research should be the focus of research. The environment and the demographics of the company should be considered. The study should use qualitative research. In qualitative research the events could be studied in their natural surroundings. The data can be obtained by exploring the circumstances or the situations. The data for this research comes from the secondary sources. Secondary data is more accurate than the primary data, and is also most economical and easy way of accessing information. The process requires the past and the recent researcher’s studies including books and journals, the internet, newspaper as some of the main sources for secondary data research. This information is very useful and provides comprehensive understanding of the issue. The research analysis is conducted after gathering and analyzing data. The emphasis is on the size and the nature of the respondents. The respondents were randomly selected. All the salespeople from different brands were asked to participate in the survey. The primary source of the survey is through interview. Ten shops have been chosen as target interviewees in different districts. The interview is designed to be done face to face. The time selected for interview is lunch hour. The questionnaires have been put together, which are to be collected after the interview. All data which is collected is confidential. The method employed in this research is through the questionnaire survey. A comprehensive list of question is prepared which could target the employee’s personal information aspect as well as the motivation aspect. The targeted interviewee’s are the staff below manager level. The aim is to evaluate relationship between pay and motivation. The question is prepared in simple and clear language, Chinese version is also made available to help in understanding. Every effort is taken to avoid misunderstanding. The first part of the questionnaire gives personal information of the staff. The personal information related to the employees will reflect that information which gives information about them like, age, sex, education level and years of service with a particular facility or organization. This personal information is very essential for the selection of the right person for the right job. If the person is selected to perform a particular job for which he is suitable, this will lead to the growth of the company as well as the employee. His education a level and his experience plays a key role in determining the nature of his job. His age should be considered in deciding if he can take the amount of work related stress and strain. His gender would give him/ her a certain way of thinking which may help or hinder the kind of commitment. It requires careful selection based on these factors, to really find the right person with good motivation who can work with the company for the long-term. The second part of the questionnaire focuses on the motivational factors or preferences based on eleven questions. These questions are ranked as highest to least desirable as far as motivation is concerned. They take into account he factors which determine motivation. It is important to understand what offer can the company make to raise the motivation level of its employees. If everyone feels that they are equally treated as far as company policy is concerned with regard age, sex, ethnicity, and disability. If the employee’s are well compensated with benefits, holidays, allowances and health benefits determined by their personal qualification. They will be happy to work for the company. The company should make an effort to find out through survey about How the Employee’s feel about working for the company. It is very important to have a motivated workforce with proper training, education and development for success in the present economy. This part of the survey has been evaluated in the following survey done to address the employees’ response. It is very important to have authentic data, which can help research and analyze the motivation factors existing in the retail industry. Data should be collected from the literatures, journals, newspapers and the internet. The research is also aimed to analyze the internal motivation factors with information collected from staff interviews, official website and the staff handbook. The research and the analysis of the survey results combined with the statistical applications allow for the researcher to draw conclusion based on the objectives of the study. Ethical issues regarding the confidentiality of the information should also be carefully observed. The information should be well guarded. The participants should trust the source of their survey. Then only can one obtain authentic and honest information. There are certain limitations to this method of survey; the information may change from day to day. In the process of research it is difficult to update the information on a continuous basis, until the final study is finished. Thus this kind of research imposes that there be date beyond which information cannot be used. This can be a handicap. Some of the information which has been collected is found in Chinese, this will require time for translation. Sometimes the meaning can get lost in the process of translation. Though the study tries it’s best to translate the original meanings from the original meanings. These surveys are critical to the analysis and the discussion of the motivation level of the people working for the retail company. This beautifully classifies the personal qualification which determines the level of their position within the company. Once the employees and employers know each others strength, they find where the right person can be placed for the right kind of job. Even an employee can be trained if interested for a particular job to which he may have better liking. If employer treats every employee with equal opportunity, the employee will work hard and with sincerity. It is very important to maintain that balance and motivation to keep a well trained workforce. If the employees are asked to respond to particular question as mentioned in the survey, they will feel they have important role and participation within the company. This will make them more confident about their future and make them more motivated. So accurate personal evaluation, good benefits and reward system will keep the motivation level high. These methodologies help the company to find clear and defined ways to find suitable employees and also to retain them for long term. They can be a guideline for future decisions made by the company. It can also help company cone up with a reward system for positive consequences and penalties for negative consequences. The internal and unseen aspect of motivation can be developed with good training, proper developmental setup and secure future. The competition and the benefits can be planned in the light of the information gathered. This will further improve understanding between the employers and the employees for better teamwork. Works cited Human Resource Management, HR354, Professional Competence, The Management Report, Student Handbook, 2006/07 Â   Â   Â  

Berkeleys Theory of Immaterialism Essays - Perception, Ontology

Berkeley's Theory of Immaterialism As man progressed through the various stages of evolution, it is assumed that at a certain point he began to ponder the world around him. Of course, these first attempts fell short of being scholarly, probably consisting of a few grunts and snorts at best. As time passed on, though, these ideas persisted and were eventually tackled by the more intellectual, so-called philosophers. Thus, excavation of "the external world" began. As the authoritarinism of the ancients gave way to the more liberal views of the modernists, two main positions concerning epistemology and the nature of the world arose. The first view was exemplified by the empiricists, who stated that all knowledge comes from the senses. In opposition, the rationalists maintained that knowledge comes purely from deduction, and that this knowledge is processed by certain innate schema in the mind. Those that belonged to the empiricist school of thought developed quite separate and distinct ideas concerning the nature of the substratum of sensible objects. John Locke and David Hume upheld the belief that sensible things were composed of material subezce, the basic framework for the materialist position. The main figure who believed that material subezce did not exist is George Berkeley. In truth, it is the immaterialist position that seems the most logical when placed under close scrutiny. The initial groundwork for Berkeley's position is the truism that the materialist is a skeptic. In the writing of his three dialogues, Berkeley develops two characters: Hylas (the materialist) and Philonous (Berkeley himself). Philonous draws upon one central supposition of the materialist to formulate his argument of skepticism against him; this idea is that one can never perceive the real essence of anything. In short, the materialist feels that the information received through sense experience gives a representative picture of the outside world (the representative theory of perception), and one can not penetrate to the true essece of an object. This makes logical sense, for the only way to perceive this real essence would be to become the object itself! Although the idea is logical, it does contain a certain grounding for agnosticism. Let the reader consider this: if there is no way to actually sense the true material essence of anything, and all knowledge in empiricism comes from the senses, then the real material essence can not be perceived and therefore it can not be posited. This deserves careful consideration, for the materialist has been self-proclaimed a skeptic! If the believer in this theory were asked if a mythical beast such as a cyclops existed he would most certainly say no. As part of his reply he might add that because it can not be sensed it is not a piece of knowledge. After being enlightened by the above proposed argument, though, that same materialist is logically forced to agree that, because the "material substratum1" itself can not be sensed, its existence can not be treated as knowledge. The materialist belief has, in effect, become as futile as proving that the cyclops exists; his ideas have lead him into skepticism. Having proven that the materialist is, at best, a doubter, Berkeley goes on to offer the compelling argument that primary and secondary qualities are, together, one thing. As the materialist believes, primary qualities of an object are those things that are abstract (not sense oriented). Examples of these would be number, figure, motion, and extension. Secondary qualities are those things that are concrete (sense oriented), such as color, smell, sound, and taste. The materialist feels that these primary qualities persist even when the secondary ones are not there. Thus, if a person were blind, then that individual would not be able to hear or to touch items; yet the so-called real qualities such as figure would remain existent in the objects. As previously shown, the materialist is agnostic in his belief of these real (primary) qualities. It is here that Berkeley directs an alternate hypothesis: that the abstract primary qualities don't exist at all. In fact, the immaterialist position states that these qualities are merely secondary in nature, as they, too, can not be perceived as being separate from an object. For inezce, if a person is asked to imagine a primary quality

Information System Management Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Information System Management Assignment - Essay Example I will discuss about the basic needs for the outsourcing for some parts of our IT operation and system development. Then the second part of this report is aimed to discuss the implementation of the home working/ teleworking scheme within Chrichton. This section will concentrate on the teleworking implementation, its advantages and disadvantages and ways by which we can implemented within the organization. This section provides the brief introduction of the company. Crichton was established as a family business in 1964, increasing and selling plants in marketplaces throughout the Midlands and south of England. The corporation has developed a standing for high excellence at small price and by means of knowledgeable family members manning the marketplace stalls, the business raised quickly. Near the beginning of year 1968, Crichton opened their first permanent shop on a site near busy route just north of London. Through the 70s and 80s Crichtons sustained to develop, spreading into garden accessories like that the garden furniture, children’s play equipment and barbecues and garden planning/ design.1 (As provided in the case study) This section is about the basic establishment of the corporate information system that was implemented to augment the on the whole business. In 2006, the decision was taken by the Crichton family that they should move into internet based sales in addition to the accessible shops. After protracted negotiations, Crichton brought the diggitin web business, with Hanson becoming a member of the management board at Crichton. Astely was retained to manage the web operation and associated garden design applications. Gee, who was frustrated with an increasingly desk-based role at diggitin left to resume her gardening/landscape business. She remains active in the diggitin online forums, for which she is paid. By 2008 Crichtons permanent workforce had grown to nearly 400 and turnover

What did the peace of Westphalia entail and how far did it mark a Essay

What did the peace of Westphalia entail and how far did it mark a significant shift in contemporary European international relations - Essay Example As Benjamin Straumann comments, â€Å"This is a notion of sovereignty that is based on an analogy between states and individuals, deriving its force from the application of liberal political theory to the international realm† (Straumann, 2008). The Westphalia agreement is acknowledged to be the beginning of modern International relations (IR) on the basis of the acknowledgment of state sovereignty. In Medieval Europe, feudal authorities occupied a remarkable geographical space accompanied with various political organizations. Networks of rival authorities placed on top in territorial spaces. Church and its authorities often practiced claims to jurisdiction. In the beginning, the Thirty Years War started as a religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics became a serious battle which included major European forces such as Spain, France, Germany, Sweden and Denmark. Scholars of international relations have widely accepted the Peace of Westphalia as shorthand to determine the system of states which formed the world in the present day. Before the Thirty Years War, European political order was a combination of the traditions of Roman Empire and the Church. The U.S efforts to built Free State in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq highlight the relevance of Westphalia settlement. Historical upbringing: From the Thirty Years’ War to the Westphalia treaty The Thirty years War explore some remarkable changes that happened in the field of international relations and the conflicts related with political organizations and other institutions like church, lords, empires and Pope. The war was a thrash about two major parties like the Universalists and the Particulrists actors. Hendryk Spruyt observes that â€Å"The neither jurisdictions neither discrete jurisdiction overlapped-nor exclusive – different authorities might claim final jurisdiction on the same matter† (Spruyt, 1994). Universalists includes the emperor and Spanish King belonged to the Habsburg dynasty and the Particularist actors having rich ideological and political support from Denmark. In spite of the political support from Denmark, Particularist actors have enjoyed the political and religious support from, Dutch Republic, France, and Sweden as well the German princes. Exponents of Universalists have exposed their faith in Church of Rome and they admitted the power of Pope and the power of Christendom. Andreas Osiander’s quotes showing the prevalence of the conflicts between Universalists and the Particularists. Author reminds that â€Å"These actors rejected imperial over lordship and (for the most part) the authority of the Pope, upholding instead the right of all states to full independence (â€Å"sovereignty†)† (Gale 2001). Universalists have exposed their willingness to entertain Pope’s dominance in determining the sovereignty of states. Unlike Universalists, their opponents have required the formation of a free sovereign state having full independence. Military conflicts caused devastation to the civilian population. Studies have mentioned that â€Å"it is estimated that at least half of the German and Bohemian people lost their lives due to starvation, diseases and brutal attacks from soldiers bent on pillage† (Franca Filho, n.d.). The Peace of Westphalia refers to the couple of agreements named Instrumentum Pacis Monasteriense and the Instrumentum Pacis

Reflection on Research Interview Schedule Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflection on Interview Schedule - Research Paper Example In this step, one gives an opinion of what should have been done to obtain better results. Finally, an action plan is stated. Specifically, an action plan includes recommendations for changing the situation if it occurs This report is a reflective essay examining the process of developing and conducting an interview. An interview is a data collection mechanism often used in conducting qualitative research. The primary aim of conducting an interview is to comprehend an interviewees perception or experience (Gillard et al., 2012, p. 26-1137).The interview was carried out to collect data from students in the health promotion top-up degree. The three types of interviews are a structured interview, unstructured, and a semi-structured interview. The study used a semi-structured interview in conducting the research. Specifically, a semi-structured interview involves both planned and unplanned questions. For this reason, it is preferred to other methods as it is open and enables the researcher to gather maximum information possible during the interview. Furthermore, it does not limit a person to what they can say. Therefore, it promotes interaction and creates a room for clarification. The interviewee can ask questions that are not included in the manual or plan (Markel, 2013). The semi-structured interview includes different forms of questions covering the same topic. Notably, the questions can be framed in varying formats but still cover the research topic. I felt comfortable dealing with a semi-structured interview because it gives one the freedom to modify questions to suit different contexts (Galletta and Cross, 2013). The Gibbs reflection model was utilized to reflect on the interview. The following questions helped in gathering information about the progress The research topic seemed very particular. The target population was limited to students pursuing the health promotion top-up degree. Proper preparation and implementation were essential

Proposed Keystone XL Pipeline from Canada to Gulf Coast Research Paper

Proposed Keystone XL Pipeline from Canada to Gulf Coast - Research Paper Example It summarizes key arguments for and against the pipeline presented by the pipeline’s developers, federal agencies, environmental groups, including other stakeholders’. Finally, this report points out the reasons why the remainder of this project has not been approved and how politics has influenced this approval. How likely the project is to be approved after the just concluded November U S presidential election? The Keystone Pipeline is a project designed for transportation of synthetic crude oil from North Alberta’s oil field in Canada, to various destinations in Texas US. The Keystone XL extension of this pipeline was proposed in 2008. In September 2009, the hearings started, with the extension project being approved on March 11, 2010 by the Canadian National Energy Board. However, the issue became politicized and has faced several lawsuits and rigorous criticism from citizens and environmentalists groups. The development of the pipeline came to a standstill in November 2011 as an ultimate decision was postponed into 2013. The pipeline is owned by TransCanada Pipeline- a Canadian energy company. Founded in 1951 in Calgary, the company is a leading North American energy company developing and operating energy infrastructure in North America. It has a pipeline network of approximately 59000km. TransCanada signed contracts with Bakken oil producers to carry oil from the keystone region through the keystone pipeline. This project would be operational by 2013 if the Keystone XL Pipeline received regulatory approvals. The project seeks to double the capacity of the initial keystone pipeline system by connecting it with the US gulf coast. This will make possible the delivery of an estimated 1.1 million barrels of Canadian crude oil to the US market daily (http://stateimpact.npr.org). The proposed route would start from Hardisty, Canada and connect to the existing network in Steele city, Nebraska until Cushing, Oklahoma,

Legal, Safety, and Regulatory Requirements Paper Essay

Legal, Safety, and Regulatory Requirements Paper - Essay Example However, some industrial scholars also have the idea that litigation has already replaced common sense and compassion in the workplace, given the fact that there are very stringent legal, regulatory requirements in the workplace, and that disagreements in the workplace are already commonly settled through litigation. In this case, this paper aims to answer the following question: have common sense and compassion in the workplace already been replaced by litigation? In order to answer this question, the researcher would primarily rely upon three main sources: the United States Department of Labor (United States Department of Labor, n. d.), the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (U. S. EEOC, n. d.), and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA.gov, n. d.). One of the main agencies of the United States government that oversees working place relations in the country is the United States Department of Labor (United States Department of Labor, n. d.).

The fair debt collection practices act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The fair debt collection practices act - Essay Example First is hours for phone contact, contacting consumers by telephone outside of the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time is prohibited in respect to private time of the person to be collected. Next is failure to cease communication upon request, communicating with consumers in any way after receiving written notice that said consumer wishes no further communication or refuses to pay the alleged debt, with certain exceptions, including advising that collection efforts are being terminated or that the collector intends to file a lawsuit or pursue other remedies where permitted. This is in accordance to what has been stated in the written notice which is therefore considered as a mutual understanding between two parties. Causing a telephone to ring or engaging any person in telephone conversation repeatedly or continuously: with intent to annoy, abuse, or harass any person at the called number. Such act is indeed an act that goes beyond the realms of the collection process as it br eaks through the rules of decency and formality. Communicating with consumers at their place of employment after having been advised that this is unacceptable or prohibited by the employer. All company duly uphold certain rules and regulations among their employees and anyone who still insist of getting through these companies in order to collect is highly prohibited by this law.

Community Health Education Intervention Research Paper

Community Health Education Intervention - Research Paper Example In my community, one of the major obstacles that I have seen regarding health education has been the delivery of sex education. One of the most important reasons that can be attributed to poor sex education is limitation in curriculums. This has created a lot of problems for the teachers who have been assigned the role of promoting health awareness amongst the population, particularly the youth. Although education related to sexuality is being imparted since some time now, and AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases have made the need for health education even more acute, there are still impediments in its delivery. These obstacles not only prove to be a barrier in the development of the plan but also prevent the effective implementation of the health education initiative. As a result, the aims of the initiative fall short and the plan fails to achieve its objectives. Gilbert, Sawyer and McNeill (2009) report that one in every five sex education teacher have problems in the curr iculum that they are provided. There are also other problems in the delivery of sex education such as opposition from the parents of the children that the education is aimed at, or by the community as a whole, and lack of support by the higher authorities. There are various issues that arise as a result of poorly planned or inadequate curriculums. Some of the aspects of the programs being followed by health educators are abstinence curricula. In 1981, the American Family Life Act was put into effect. The Act developed Title XX funds which were aimed to devise sexuality programs that were based on the promotion of abstinence in order to holdup the beginning of the sexual activity of the youth. A number of abstinence-until-marriage... This report approves that the writing committee should be made up of professionals who do not only have know-how of sex education but also come from the area or institution that is the target of the program. The size of the committee must be given due attention, since too small committees might not be a fair representation of the targeted population. In order to make the implementation of the program more effective, the peer leaders or teachers who are meant to deliver the course should be motivated and must show faith and interest in the plan. The sex educators should provide them with effective training to equip them with the necessary knowledge and teaching skills. This essay makes a conclusion that it can be said that curricula of the health education program is very important in the effective implementation of the program and for the achievement of productive outcomes. Failing to do so, as in the case of abstinence-only and abstinence plus programs not only negates the purpose of the program but also affects the stakeholders, i.e. the target population; such programs fail to bring about voluntary behavior changes in the population such as to promote healthy sex behavior. There is a need to develop comprehensive sex education programs since research has shown that they are more effective than abstinence-only education. The designing of the curricula can be done by first performing a needs assessment and then designating two committees, the writing and the advisory, to draft the curricula. To make the program wholly effective, evaluation must be carried out. All the health education activities are for nothing if the target population does not r eceive any benefit from it in some substantial, measurable way.

Harry Potter’s Influence on Society Essay Example for Free

Harry Potter’s Influence on Society Essay Its important to remember that we all have magic inside us. (J.K. Rowling, scholastic book fair promotion, October 1999) One of the most influential novels of this generation is the Harry Potter Saga. Since the first book was published in 1997 these novels take you on a breath-taking adventure through witch-craft and wizardry. How has this saga written by J.K. Rowling been an influence on society you ask? Come explore how Hogwarts the school of witch-craft and wizardry made its way from a small fantasy school in England to a worldwide phenomenon. It all starts with the author; J.K Rowling is the master-mind behind these magical books. Born on July 31st, 1965 as Joanne Rowling she decided to go under the name J.K for her books. She chose this because her key target readers were young boys and she thought that they would not want to read a book by a female author although she was mistaken. The idea came to her while she was on a four hour delayed train trip from Manchester, England to London. She saw a young boy sitting across from her and started to create a story for this him. She decided his name would be Harry and he was on his way to attend his first year at a school as a wizard. This is what started the successful journey that would change reading for our generation. The Harry Potter saga is made up of seven novels. (Listed below in order) * Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone ( Sorcerer’s Stone) * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix * Harry Potter and the Half –Blood Prince * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows These books follow the life of Harry Potter a young wizard who has been through something you cannot imagine. Both of his parents were murdered when he was just a baby by Lord Voldemort ( who plays the villain in the story). Harry Potter was present while this happened but he survived the killing curse with only a minor scar on his forehead. He survived because mother’s love for him was so powerful that it somehow protected him from the curse that took his parents lives. Since he was orphaned he was living with his aunt, uncle and cousin just outside of London, England. When he turned eleven years old he received an invitation to attend the Hogwarts school of Witch-craft and Wizardry because he was wizard. While on his way to Hogwarts he comes to learn that he is famous for the events that lead him to have just mere scar on his forehead and being the only wizard to survive a killing curse. On the Hogwarts express he meets two young wizards who eventually become his best friends, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasely. Each book is a new school year which comes with new tasks and new level of maturity. Throughout the novels we come to understand that Harry Potter has the same problems as a everyday teenager but there is extra level of responsibility because along with magic comes consequences. There is two ways that magic can be used. There’s good magic but there is also dark magic and both of these are seen within the Harry Potter novels. Voldemort being the villain is constantly in a fight with Harry. This is where the theme of the story comes in. The theme of the Harry Potter novels is good vs. evil. Harry represents the good character and Voldemort represents the evil. The only way for Harry to be free of the evil spirit is to kill him. Harry uses dark magic to do so but uses it in defense. Along every step of the way Harry’s two best friends where there to help. When he needed advice or someone to lean on the both Ron and Hermione were always there. Without them Harry Potter would never have been able to demolish the evil character and enjoy his life to the fullest. That is the moral of the story, love can overcome evil and if you have support system you can do anything. That is something as human beings we should keep with us for all time. Morals are something we can learn from reading but because sometimes we get distracted by technology and materialistic items we forget that. J.K Rowling was taking on a generation that was attached to technology and attracting them back to reading. This may be the largest impact the Harry Potter Saga has had on society. Reading is somehow lost in this generation and many people do not realize the importa nce of reading. Reading enhances vocabulary, helps speech, and really broadens a person’s understanding and tolerance. Reading always teaches you something, from Harry Potter we learn that evil cannot stand in the way of love, and no matter what has happened you can always get through it if you have people to support you. J.K Rowling also focused on one other important detail, imagination. Reading allows you to use your imagination to come up with scenarios for you self. It allows you to build your artistic ability and creativity by doing so. Creativity stems from imagination; this means without an active imagination there would be no creativity whatsoever. Imagination allows you to transport into a fantasy world and experience things you would not be able to in reality. One important thing about imagination and creativity is that is undefined. Every single person views it differently and there is no right or wrong answer. J.K Rowling took this into consideration while writing her books and many people think because she created such a conversely topic that it opened the public up to the books. But one thing everyone can agree on is that this book changed our generation. Michelle McMorrow Ramsell the director of Tuscarawas Public Library says in a news paper article that: â€Å"The popularity of the Harry Potter series made reading a cool thing and made reading a cool thing to talk about with friends. The time that Harry Potter was released was is when technology started to become a major part in our generation. Harry Potter books got millions of people involved from the middle-school age level and up.† This is one of the reasons Harry Potter is such an influential book. Not only did it bring people back into reading but it also has characters that people can relate to. J.K Rowling started to write because she was an English major and it was a passion of hers but as she got more into depth with the books she started to make all the characters relatable. She started writing the book when her mother fell ill, but quickly after her mother passed away and that is when she decided she would use this idea for the book. She knew what it felt like to lose someone who was so important so that is where she came up with the idea for Harry to lose his pare nts. Many people know what it is like to lose someone important to them and when someone else dealing with the same thing it makes you feel like you are not alone. J.K Rowling was diagnosed with clinical depression in 1993, she needed a way to escape real life and she chose this with Harry Potter. She decided to add the dementors, the creatures who are known as the soul-sucking creatures who are constantly after Harry because of the way she felt. She thought that a good way to come out of depression is to be sidetracked in a way, and Harry Potter was her way out of reality and she took that into consideration. She also tried to relate most of her characters to people she knew when she was younger. J.K Rowling says that she sees a lot of herself in Hermione. Hermione comes off as a know it all sometimes and J.K says that’s how many people saw her when she was young. The Wesely’s were a poor family that did not have much, she was able to relate to this because before Harry Pot ter she was in that place for a long time. Ron was also based on J.K Rowling’s best friend Shane Harris. She also saw herself as Harry because there was always something she was trying to fix and she was not a quitter. She was never going to give up in what she believed in and it helped her get through many hardships she faced throughout her life just like him. Reading books can allow you to escape reality and maybe even sometimes solve a problem which is what she was trying to accomplish. The Harry Potter books were such a success that they were turned into a film series starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. The entire film series made 7.7 billion dollars and is also one of the top highest grossing films of all time. The first movie premiered in 2001 and the last being in two parts finished in 2011. Over the last ten years J.K Rowling worked closely with the script writers because she wanted it as close to the books as possible. The movies success made the young actors Hollywood superstars and it al so had a huge impact to our generation. The movies and books are translated into 67 different languages, so no matter where you live or what language you speak you can get a taste of the magic. It was a family movie that everyone can enjoy together and seeing the magic come alive on screen really touched people all over the world and that also made an impact on society. Many things have evolved from the novels and the movie is not the only one. On June 18th 2010, Universal Studio’s opened up a new Theme park named: The Wizarding world of Harry Potter. Here you can experience the magic of Hogwarts in real life. You can you visit the Hogwarts castle, Three-broom sticks diner, Honeydukes sweet shop, Ollivander’s wand shop, Zonko’s joke store, and dervish and banges quidditch equipment store. These are all places that are in the movies and books and after ten years there finally a reality. â€Å"I used to leave set wishing I was at Hogwarts and that Harry Potter was real life. I got to experience the magi c of it but normal kids didn’t and now because of the theme park they can, and it’s wicked.† Daniel Radcliffe( interview in 2010 about the Theme Park) This is a huge impact on society because there is not anything like this visting the theme park gives you the full experience and your imagination really comes to life. Daniel Radcliffe believes that â€Å"The wizarding world of Harry Potter has the potential to be a fantastic memory that kids will take with them, that will be something that stands out with them for a long time.† ( interview about the theme park 2010) This is a true fact and everyone who visits seems to capture some of the joy and take it with them where ever they may go. Pottermore is also another place to experience the Hogwarts school of witch-craft and wizardry. A website created by J.K Rowling in order to keep the Harry Potter Saga alive after the seventh book and the eighth movie being completed. She did this in response to her fan base being so strong. â€Å"So I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you because no author could of asked for a more wonderful, diverse readership. I’m thrilled to say that I’m now in a position to give you something unique. An online reading experience unlike any other and its called Pottermore. It’s the same story with a few crucial editions; the most important one is you. Just as the experience of reading requires the imagination of the author and reader work together to create the story, so Pottermore will be built in part by you the reader. The digital generation will be able to enjoy a safe, unique online reading experience built around the Harry Potter books. Pottermore will be the place where fans of any age can share, participate in and re-discover the stories. And I will be sharing additional information that I’ve been holding for years about the world of Harry Potter. I hope to see you soon.† (J.K. Rowling on Pottermore.com) By visiting this website you can go through journeys of the books and through every chapter you visit you learn something new about the wizarding world. Like the books and movies you get sorted into a house: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin, here you get to experience life as if you were a student. Just like the book you earn house points, make friends from many houses, brew positions, casts spells, attend quidditch matches , take journeys through diagon ailey ( located in London where the shops are), visit the wizarding bank and really experience life as a virtual Hogwarts student. As you can see the Harry Potter novels really do influence society. There has been over a million copies of the books sold, eight successful films translated into 67 languages, a enchanting theme – park, amazing websites, and even merchandise which includes, shirts, stickers, hats, sweatshirts, wands, anything you can think of. It is a spectacular story that has transformed reading. Most people before the Harry Potter series thought reading was boring and that TV. and the internet were more entertaining, but after reading it they changed their mind. J.K Rowling created an imaginary story that was still relatable and people will remember this book for years to come. â€Å"There’s always room for a story that can transport people to another place, and I feel I completed this task with Harry Potter.† ( J.K. Rowling on the success of her novels.)

John Locke of Poor Reform and Workhouses Essay Example for Free

John Locke of Poor Reform and Workhouses Essay The reading for this week addresses Locke’s understanding of the relationship between the poor and the capable citizens in society. He stated explicitly in his second treatise on government, the importance of work and labor in order to assess a person’s worth. Locke believes that man is not meant to be idle and that the purpose of existence is to live in the image of God and work towards a life of moral bounds and labor upon the earth making it more beneficial to all those who enjoy its benefits. During the century that Locke is writing, about 50-70% of the population is extremely poor. There seemed to be no freedoms unless the institution of waged labor came into question. Waged labor during this time was not much better than being a slave and in many ways is just an extension of slavery. In order to combat the growing problem of the poor in the England cities, Locke proposes the idea of workhouses which would be the equivalent of reform schools. In these institutions, young people of the poor or incapacitated nature would learn tangible skills that they can then use in their homes or that they could use in order to attain a job. Education is very important to Locke because it is one of the main differences between rich/ able bodied and the poor. In my opinion, it is because of the lack of extensive education that the numbers of poor during this century in English history skyrocketed instead of declining as more jobs and resources became available. According to Locke, a major factor in the high numbers of poor is the fact that they are simply idle or lazy and do not want to work hard in order to attain money or land. For some citizens, things of this nature come automatically due to inheritances and things of that nature and presents Locke with a parallel of poor with no means of moving up and the rich with any intent of sharing the wealth and / or knowledge. Rather than poor people, idleness seems to be the root of all evil and the proposal of the English workhouses serve as a remedy to that problem. The sort of public school training that they would provide would give them the opportunity to learn skills that would be used in waged labor so that the poor could be re-entered into society. When referring to the issue of how to address the poor, Locke states that at some point everyone must be trusted to govern themselves and that all able-bodied men are made so by being able to be taught to be good, virtuous, and hard working. Other than spinning and knitting and things of that nature the papers of the purpose, structure, and ends of the development of workhouses does not discuss the formal education of the subjects with regards to curriculum. Because there cannot be accommodations made for any member of society all people should be treated on relatively equal bounds and all should have the opportunity to labor and work in order to combat idleness which is the devil’s playground. I think an important aspect of Locke’s philosophy is the idea that children are property of the public and it is the public’s responsibility to make sure that they have the means to train and educate them so that they will grow up to be able-bodied virtuous citizens. This concept holds true today in that in the United States children are required to go through school until a certain age in order to ensure that they will be able to contribute to society at large.

Pro And Cons Of Security Measure Information Technology Essay

Pro And Cons Of Security Measure Information Technology Essay This work requires the student execute a limited research based assignment in Network security. This work should be a conference style paper. Suggested Topics are given below. However, the work should reflect real thought and effort. The grade will be based on the following factors: novelty, depth, correctness, clarity of presentation, and effort. Students can select any other topics relevant to network security other than listed below with the approval of the module leader. In this paper student should explain the Security issues relevant to their topics and should analyze any two of the security tools/measures widely used to overcome those issues. More emphasize is given to the analysis of pros and cons of the security measures followed where a thorough knowledge/understanding of the problem and its countermeasures are gained. Introduction Voice over Internet Protocol also known as Voice over IP, IP Telephony or VoIP and it started by a small company called Vocaltec, Inc in February 1995 from Israel. [Joe Hallock, A Brief History of VoIP] By that time, it will be the first internet phone software. Vocaltec aims are to provide user to makes phone call from one computer to another computer using sound card, microphone and speaker. This VoIP software created by Vocaltec only works when both caller and the receiver have the same setup software installed. VoIP is design for deliver the voice communication and multimedia session over the Internet Protocol and it is also categorized as one of the internet technology, communication protocol and transmission technology. In simpler terms, VoIP converts the voice signal from your telephone into a digital signal that travels over the Internet. There are three types of VoIP tools that are commonly used; IP Phones, Software VoIP and Mobile and Integrated VoIP. The IP Phones are the most institutionally established but still the least obvious of the VoIP tools. Of all the software VoIP tools that exist, Skype is probably the most easily identifiable. The use of software VoIP has increased during the global recession as many persons, looking for ways to cut costs have turned to these tools for free or inexpensive calling or video conferencing applications. Software VoIP can be further broken down into three classes or subcategories; Web Calling, Voice and Video Instant Messaging and Web Conferencing. Mobile and Integrated VoIP is just another example of the adaptability of VoIP. VoIP is available on many smartphones and internet devices so even the users of portable devices that are not phones can still make calls or send SMS text messages over 3G or WIFI.[2] One of the most significant advantages of VoIP (over a traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN also known as a legacy networks) is that one can make a long distance phone call and bypass the toll charge. This integrated voice/data solution allows large organizations (with the funding to make the transfer from a legacy network to a VoIP network) to carry voice applications over their existing data networks. VoIP telephone systems are susceptible to attacks as are any internet-connected devices. This means that hackers who know about these vulnerabilities (such as insecure passwords) can institute denial-of-service attacks, harvest customer data, record conversations and break into voice mailboxes.[26] Another challenge is routing VoIP traffic through firewalls and network address translators. Private Session Border Controllers are used along with firewalls to enable VoIP calls to and from protected networks. For example, Skype uses a proprietary protocol to route calls through other Skype peers on the network, allowing it to traverse symmetric NATs and firewalls. Other methods to traverse NATs involve using protocols such as STUN or ICE. Many consumer VoIP solutions do not support encryption, although having a secure phone is much easier to implement with VoIP than traditional phone lines. As a result, it is relatively easy to eavesdrop on VoIP calls and even change their content.[27] An attacker with a packet sniffer could intercept your VoIP calls if you are not on a secure VLAN. However, physical security of the switches within an enterprise and the facility security provided by ISPs make packet capture less of a problem than originally foreseen. Further research has shown that tapping into a fiber optic network without detection is difficult if not impossible. This means that once a voice packet is within the internet backbone it is relatively safe from interception. There are open source solutions, such as Wireshark, that facilitate sniffing of VoIP conversations. A modicum of security is afforded by patented audio codecs in proprietary implementations that are not easily available for open source applications[citation needed]; however, such security through obscurity has not proven effective in other fields.[citation needed] Some vendors also use compression, which may make eavesdropping more difficult.[citation needed] However, real security requires encryption and cryptographic authentication which are not widely supported at a consumer level. The existing security standard Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP) and the new ZRTP protocol are available on Analog Telephone Adapters (ATAs) as well as various softphones. It is possible to use IPsec to secure P2P VoIP by using opportunistic encryption. Skype does not use SRTP, but uses encryption which is transparent to the Skype provider[citation needed]. In 2005, Skype invited a researcher, Dr Tom Berson, to assess the security of the Skype software, and his conclusions are available in a published report.[28] The Voice VPN solution provides secure voice for enterprise VoIP networks by applying IPSec encryption to the digitized voice stream. The IAX2 protocol also supports end-to-end AES-256 encryption natively. Traditional enterprise telecommunications networks used to be viewed as relatively secure because you practically needed to be within physical reach to gain access to them. Sure, things like toll fraud and war dialing were problematic, but those were easily remedied by longer or more complicated passwords and other access controls. The age of converged networks has changed that with voice now traveling over IP networks (VoIP). These converged networks inherit all the security weaknesses of the IP protocol (spoofing, sniffing, denial of service, integrity attacks, and so on). In addition, voice quality and confidentiality are potentially affected by common data network problems such as worms and viruses. Converged networks also offer an array of new vectors for traditional exploits and malware, as each IP endpoint becomes a potential point of network entry. Internet telephony refers to communications services-voice, fax, SMS, and/or voice-messaging applications-that are transported via the Internet, rather than the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The steps involved in originating a VoIP telephone call are signaling and media channel setup, digitization of the analog voice signal, encoding, packetization, and transmission as Internet Protocol (IP) packets over a packet-switched network. On the receiving side, similar steps (usually in the reverse order) such as reception of the IP packets, decoding of the packets and digital-to-analog conversion reproduce the original voice stream.[1] VoIP systems employ session control protocols to control the set-up and tear-down of calls as well as audio codecs which encode speech allowing transmission over an IP network as digital audio via an audio stream. The codec used is varied between different implementations of VoIP (and often a range of codecs are used); some implementations rely on narrowband and compressed speech, while others support high fidelity stereo codecs. Technical review In term of security issues, VoIP encounter numerous of issues reported and some of it can lead into big loss to a company. Below are some of the security issues that discuss in this research. Service Theft The most basic thing a hacker can do with your VoIP service is to steal it. In doing so, the perpetrator can make free calls and possibly start off a new VoIP telephony business of his/her own at amazingly cheap ratesjust like the first criminal who was charged with hacking VoIP 1. Service theft is relatively easy with VoIP because the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) that is used for authentication in VoIP calls does not use encryption by default. Identity Theft Close on the heels of service theft is the risk of identity theft. If someone can steal a service, they have everything else they need to steal the identity of the person(s) using the service. Accounts as basic as utilities and as critical as financial loans are often tied to a specific phone number. If all else fails, the hacker can, at a minimum, gather sig-nificant information about the target individual(s) to be able to take the next step towards stealing the persons identity. Eavesdropping One might remember when tapping a phone required some serious instruments that needed to be installed at the right places while at the same time the person bugging the phone would have to make sure that nobody watches him/her in action. This procedure is a lot easier with VoIP. The instrument might still look like a phone and work like a phone, but tapping this phone is not at all difficult for someone with the right knowhow and tools and the wrong intentions. Hackers today can take control over several VoIP features such as voicemail, call forwarding, caller ID, call forward-ing, calling plan selection, and billing details. Stealing the VoIP service to enable free calls is actually much less prof-itable and desirable for hackers. Instead, with businesses increasingly using VoIP, sensitive corporate information is now the target. VoIP packets flow over networks like packets of data that can be sniffed just like regular data pack-ets. These packets can then be merged together to play the voice conversation in a normal media player software. Mix VoIP hacking with corporate espionage and you end up with a very lucky and enabled hacker. Vishing Vishing is the criminal practice of using social engineering over the telephone system, most often using features facilitated by Voice over IP (VoIP), to gain access to private personal and financial information from the public for the purpose of financial reward. What if you were to receive a call from your bank or your credit card company that had an automated voice at the other end asking you to enter your debit/credit card number, PIN, and other details? Chances are you might comply with the request. Better still, if you were the person making the call to your phone banking number then these chances are actually quite high considering the fact that you were the person making the call. In both these cases, a Vishing attack could have been launched using VoIP that could lead you to believe that youre calling an entity that you trust. Specifically in the second case, redirecting your call to a Visher would actually be much easier if you use a VoIP based phone. Denial of Service One VoIP hacking method that can cause significant frustration and losses to businesses is the Denial of Service. As the name suggests, the main aim of the hacker is to ensure that your organization is denied the usage of your VoIP telephony service. Voice calls made by an organization can be manipulated, tampered, and even dropped. Hackers can even flood the target VoIP infrastructure with several call-signaling SIP messages. Many times, these DoS attacks are actually a smokescreen for hackers to plant malware or even take control of systems in the background. Spyware and Malware VoIP infrastructure rests on the same architecture as a normal computer system. Essentially, the issues that a normal computer system can face are quite applicable to VoIP infrastructures as well. Top of the list is spyware and malware. Consider the example of a software application that is used to enable VoIP telephony. A user would have to run this software over a computer, a PDA, an iPhone, or such. This introduces the vulnerabil-ity of falling prey to viruses, spyware, malware, worms, and just about all forms of malicious code. SPAM Spam exists with VoIP, although it is known as SPIT or Spam over Internet Telephony. While more typically just an annoyance, SPIT does at times carry viruses and malware, just like spam. While the occurrence of SPIT is not very common today, trends definitely dictate that SPIT is heading in the direction of SPAM. VoIP telephone systems are susceptible to attacks as are any internet-connected devices. This means that hackers who know about these vulnerabilities (such as insecure passwords) can institute denial-of-service attacks, harvest customer data, record conversations and break into voice mailboxes.[26] Another challenge is routing VoIP traffic through firewalls and network address translators. Private Session Border Controllers are used along with firewalls to enable VoIP calls to and from protected networks. For example, Skype uses a proprietary protocol to route calls through other Skype peers on the network, allowing it to traverse symmetric NATs and firewalls. Other methods to traverse NATs involve using protocols such as STUN or ICE. Many consumer VoIP solutions do not support encryption, although having a secure phone is much easier to implement with VoIP than traditional phone lines. As a result, it is relatively easy to eavesdrop on VoIP calls and even change their content.[27] An attacker with a packet sniffer could intercept your VoIP calls if you are not on a secure VLAN. However, physical security of the switches within an enterprise and the facility security provided by ISPs make packet capture less of a problem than originally foreseen. Further research has shown that tapping into a fiber optic network without detection is difficult if not impossible. This means that once a voice packet is within the internet backbone it is relatively safe from interception. There are open source solutions, such as Wireshark, that facilitate sniffing of VoIP conversations. A modicum of security is afforded by patented audio codecs in proprietary implementations that are not easily available for open source applications[citation needed]; however, such security through obscurity has not proven effective in other fields.[citation needed] Some vendors also use compression, which may make eavesdropping more difficult.[citation needed] However, real security requires encryption and cryptographic authentication which are not widely supported at a consumer level. The existing security standard Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP) and the new ZRTP protocol are available on Analog Telephone Adapters (ATAs) as well as various softphones. It is possible to use IPsec to secure P2P VoIP by using opportunistic encryption. Skype does not use SRTP, but uses encryption which is transparent to the Skype provider[citation needed]. In 2005, Skype invited a researcher, Dr Tom Berson, to assess the security of the Skype software, and his conclusions are available in a published report.[28] The Voice VPN solution provides secure voice for enterprise VoIP networks by applying IPSec encryption to the digitized voice stream. The IAX2 protocol also supports end-to-end AES-256 encryption natively. Securing VoIP To prevent the above security concerns government and military organizations are using Voice over Secure IP (VoSIP), Secure Voice over IP (SVoIP), and Secure Voice over Secure IP (SVoSIP) to protect confidential and classified VoIP communications.[29] Secure Voice over IP is accomplished by encrypting VoIP with Type 1 encryption. Secure Voice over Secure IP is accomplished by using Type 1 encryption on a classified network, like SIPRNet.[30][31][32][33][34] Public Secure VoIP is also available with free GNU programs.[35] [edit]Caller ID Caller ID support among VoIP providers varies, although the majority of VoIP providers now offer full Caller ID with name on outgoing calls. In a few cases, VoIP providers may allow a caller to spoof the Caller ID information, potentially making calls appear as though they are from a number that does not belong to the caller[36] Business grade VoIP equipment and software often makes it easy to modify caller ID information. Although this can provide many businesses great flexibility, it is also open to abuse. The Truth in Caller ID Act has been in preparation in the US Congress since 2006, but as of January 2009 still has not been enacted. This bill proposes to make it a crime in the United States to knowingly transmit misleading or inaccurate caller identification information with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value [37] [edit]Compatibility with traditional analog telephone sets Some analog telephone adapters do not decode pulse dialing from older phones. They may only work with push-button telephones using the touch-tone system. The VoIP user may use a pulse-to-tone converter, if needed.[38] [edit]Fax handling Support for sending faxes over VoIP implementations is still limited. The existing voice codecs are not designed for fax transmission; they are designed to digitize an analog representation of a human voice efficiently. However, the inefficiency of digitizing an analog representation (modem signal) of a digital representation (a document image) of analog data (an original document) more than negates any bandwidth advantage of VoIP. In other words, the fax sounds simply do not fit in the VoIP channel. An alternative IP-based solution for delivering fax-over-IP called T.38 is available. The T.38 protocol is designed to compensate for the differences between traditional packet-less communications over analog lines and packet based transmissions which are the basis for IP communications. The fax machine could be a traditional fax machine connected to the PSTN, or an ATA box (or similar). It could be a fax machine with an RJ-45 connector plugged straight into an IP network, or it could be a computer pretending to be a fax machine.[39] Originally, T.38 was designed to use UDP and TCP transmission methods across an IP network. TCP is better suited for use between two IP devices. However, older fax machines, connected to an analog system, benefit from UDP near real-time characteristics due to the no recovery rule when a UDP packet is lost or an error occurs during transmission.[40] UDP transmissions are preferred as they do not require testing for dropped packets and as such since each T.38 packet transmission includes a majority of the data sent in the prior packet, a T. 38 termination point has a higher degree of success in re-assembling the fax transmission back into its original form for interpretation by the end device. This in an attempt to overcome the obstacles of simulating real time transmissions using packet based protocol.[41] There have been updated versions of T.30 to resolve the fax over IP issues, which is the core fax protocol. Some newer high end fax machines have T.38 built-in capabilities which allow the user to plug right into the network and transmit/receive faxes in native T.38 like the Ricoh 4410NF Fax Machine.[42] A unique feature of T.38 is that each packet contains a portion of the main data sent in the previous packet. With T.38, two successive lost packets are needed to actually lose any data. The data you lose will only be a small piece, but with the right settings and error correction mode, there is an increased likelihood that you will receive enough of the transmission to satisfy the requirements of the fax machine for output of the sent document. [edit]Support for other telephony devices Another challenge for VoIP implementations is the proper handling of outgoing calls from other telephony devices such as Digital Video RecordersDVR boxes, satellite television receivers, alarm systems, conventional modems and other similar devices that depend on access to a PSTN telephone line for some or all of their functionality. These types of calls sometimes complete without any problems, but in other cases they fail. If VoIP and cellular substitution becomes very popular, some ancillary equipment makers may be forced to redesign equipment, because it would no longer be possible to assume a conventional PSTN telephone line would be available in consumers homes. Improving Your VoIP The key to securing a VoIP infrastructure is to remember that it involves sending voice over the Internet Protocol (IP). So, the way to secure it is quite similar to the way you deal with an IP data network. Here are the key aspects to keep in mind when securing a VoIP infrastructure Encryption VoIP packets, by default, are transmitted in clear-text and so encryption is vital to ensure confidentiality. VoIP in-frastructures based on Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP) take a step ahead of the unencrypted SIP and en-sure that VoIP traffic privacy and confidentiality is maintained. Alternatively, encryption in the form of Transport Layer Security (TLS) or Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) can also make a great difference. Network Design A basic rule of thumb to remember is to logically separate voice and data networks. The best case scenario would be to let the VoIP infrastructure have its own isolated network with only the minimum necessary interactions with other sub-networks via secure firewalls. Having dedicated VoIP servers with audited and hardened operating systems and all unnecessary services disabled is the next step to fortifying your VoIP infrastructure. Soft Phones Soft phones add to an administrators misery by offering another end point that needs to be secured. The ideal solu-tion is to avoid using Soft phones altogether. If they must be used, ensure that they are fully hardened and patched at all times. While it adds an additional bur-den, it is absolutely paramount to the security of the VoIP infrastructure. Hard Phones Hard phones offer a great alternative to soft phones, especially when coupled with private branch exchange (PBX) systems running on a hardened and, preferably, dedicated server. Periodic checks and updates are essential to ensure that the IP-PBX and IP Phone firmware is fully patched. Physical Security This is an often understated aspect of VoIP security. While an organization can spend countless hours and resources securing the medium of transmission, it is critical to also ensure the physical security of the enabling infrastructure components like the hard phones, the VoIP servers, and any other device that directly or indirectly supports the VoIP infrastructure. Physical security can become the Achilles heel of your VoIP infrastructure if it is not respected. Defaults and Passwords More often than not, default passwords and settings are not secure. These defaults are created with a generic scenario in mind and will most likely not fit the requirements and customization that your organization demands. It is impor-tant to replace all default passwords with strong passwords that are at least eight characters long, and employ a com-bination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. This should be further bolstered by good password policies and robust identity management. Voice Messaging Systems and Storage One typical area that is easy to miss is the security of calls that are stored on voice messaging systems. Ensure that the voice message boxes of all users require that the password be changed each time the service is used. It might cause a bit of inconvenience, but it will also offer a mile of improved security. It is also important to secure the storage of voice messages by performing periodic checks and audits to look for exploitable holes. Vulnerability Assessments Last, but most important, a periodic vulnerability assessment of the VoIP infrastructure can ensure that no holes have emerged due to the ever-changing nature of business requirements and the networks that support them. Inde-pendent audits can often provide useful insights into the state of the VoIP infrastructure and serve as an additional piece of evidence of due diligence in the regulatory compliance armory. Make VoIP Work For You VoIP has truly been a genuine money saver for businesses all over the world and the world is a smaller place, in part thanks to VoIP technology. The security issues around VoIP are serious and very real. However, taking the right steps and countermeasures can truly help your organization make the most of VoIP. The Internet is like alcohol in some sense. It accentuates what you would do anyway. If you want to be a loner, you can be more alone. If you want to connect, it makes it easier to connect. Research Methodology Secondary resources such as journal, white paper and thesis are being use in this research to analyze and further study in order to produce this research. Evaluation VoIP Sniffing Tools VoIP Scanning and Enumeration Tools VoIP Fuzzing Tools VoIP Sniffing Tools AuthTool Tool that attempts to determine the password of a user by analyzing SIP traffic. Cain Abel Multi-purpose tool with the capability to reconstruct RTP media calls. CommView VoIP Analyzer VoIP analysis module for CommView that is suited for real-time capturing and analyzing Internet telephony (VoIP) events, such as call flow, signaling sessions, registrations, media streams, errors, etc. Etherpeek general purpose VoIP and general ethernet sniffer. ILTY (Im Listening To You) Open-source, multi-channel SKINNY sniffer. NetDude A framework for inspection, analysis and manipulation of tcpdump trace files. Oreka Oreka is a modular and cross-platform system for recording and retrieval of audio streams. PSIPDump psipdump is a tool for dumping SIP sessions (+RTP traffic, if available) from pcap to disk in a fashion similar to tcpdump -w. rtpBreak rtpBreak detects, reconstructs and analyzes any RTP session through heuristics over the UDP network traffic. It works well with SIP, H.323, SCCP and any other signaling protocol. In particular, it doesnt require the presence of RTCP packets. SIPomatic SIP listener thats part of LinPhone SIPv6 Analyzer An Analyzer for SIP and IPv6. UCSniff UCSniff is an assessment tool that allows users to rapidly test for the threat of unauthorized VoIP eavesdropping. UCSniff supports SIP and Skinny signaling, G.711-ulaw and G.722 codecs, and a MITM ARP Poisoning mode. VoiPong VoIPong is a utility which detects all Voice Over IP calls on a pipeline, and for those which are G711 encoded, dumps actual conversation to separate wave files. It supports SIP, H323, Ciscos Skinny Client Protocol, RTP and RTCP. VoIPong ISO Bootable Bootable Live-CD disc version of VoIPong. VOMIT The vomit utility converts a Cisco IP phone conversation into a wave file that can be played with ordinary sound players. Wireshark Formerly Ethereal, the premier multi-platform network traffic analyzer. WIST Web Interface for SIP Trace a PHP Web Interface that permits you to connect on a remote host/port and capture/filter a SIP dialog. VoIP Scanning and Enumeration Tools EnableSecurity VoIPPack for CANVAS VoIPPack is a set of tools that are designed to work with Immunity CANVAS. The tools perform scans, enumeration, and password attacks. enumIAX An IAX2 (Asterisk) login enumerator using REGREQ messages. iaxscan iaxscan is a Python based scanner for detecting live IAX/2 hosts and then enumerating (by bruteforce) users on those hosts. iWar IAX2 protocol Wardialer Nessus The premier free network vulnerability scanner. nmap the premier open source network port scanner. Passive Vulnerability Scanner The Tenable Passive Vulnerability Scanner (PVS) can find out what is happening on your network without actively scanning it. PVS detects the actual protocol, various administrative interfaces, and VoIP scanner(s). Currently includes over 40 VoIP checks. SCTPScan This tool enumerates open SCTP ports without establishing a full SCTP association with the remote host. You can also scan whole networks to find SCTP-speaking machines. SIP Forum Test Framework (SFTF) The SIP Forum Test Framework (SFTF) was created to allow SIP device vendors to test their devices for common errors. SIP-Scan A fast SIP network scanner SIPcrack SIPcrack is a SIP protocol login cracker. It contains 2 programs, SIPdump to sniff SIP logins over the network and SIPcrack to bruteforce the passwords of the sniffed login. Sipflanker Sipflanker will help you find SIP devices with potentially vulnerable Web GUIs in your network. SIPSCAN SIPSCAN is a SIP username enumerator that uses INVITE, REGISTER, and OPTIONS methods. SIPVicious Tool Suite svmap, svwar, svcrack svmap is a sip scanner. It lists SIP devices found on an IP range. svwar identifies active extensions on a PBX. svcrack is an online password cracker for SIP PBX SiVuS A SIP Vulnerability Scanner. SMAP SIP Stack Fingerprinting Scanner VLANping VLANPing is a network pinging utility that can work with a VLAN tag. VoIPAudit VoIP specific scanning and vulnerability scanner. VoIP Fuzzing Tools Asteroid this is a set of malformed SIP methods (INVITE, CANCEL, BYE, etc.) that can be crafted to send to any phone or proxy. Codenomicon VoIP Fuzzers Commercial versions of the free PROTOS toolset Fuzzy Packet Fuzzy packet is a tool to manipulate messages through the injection, capturing, receiving or sending of packets generated over a network. Can fuzz RTP and includes built-in ARP poisoner. Interstate Fuzzer VoIP Fuzzer Mu Dynamics VoIP, IPTV, IMS Fuzzing Platform Fuzzing appliance for SIP, Diameter, H.323 and MGCP protocols. ohrwurm ohrwurm is a small and simple RTP fuzzer. PROTOS H.323 Fuzzer a java tool that sends a set of malformed H.323 messages designed by the University of OULU in Finland. PROTOS SIP Fuzzer a java tool that sends a set of malformed SIP messages designed by the University of OULU in Finland. SIP Forum Test Framework (SFTF) SFTF was created to allow SIP device vendors to test their devices for common errors. And as a result of these tests improve the interoperability of the devices on the market in general. Sip-Proxy Acts as a proxy between a VoIP UserAgent and a VoIP PBX. Exchanged SIP messages pass through the application and can be recorded, manipulated, or fuzzed. Spirent ThreatEx a commercial protocol fuzzer and ribustness tester. VoIPER VoIPER is a security toolkit that aims to allow developers and security researchers to easily, extensively and automatically test VoIP devices for security vulnerabilties. Differences in how security countermeasures are applied Discussion The Advantages and Disadvantages of VoIP VoIP has many advantages over a regular phone service. However, like any emerging technology, there are still a few kinks in the system. However, as standards are developed it becomes more reliab

Around The World In Eighty Day :: essays research papers

â€Å"Around the World in Eighty Days† By: Jules Verne Adventure Novel Theme:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The themes of this novel are calmness and persistence. These two themes are exemplified by one character, Mr. Fogg. Mr. Fogg is always calm in the novel not once in this novel does he show any anxiety or nervousness. Mr. Fogg, under a prolific amount pressure of losing a wager of twenty thousand pounds, remained very tranquil never once to lose his state of mind. The second theme of this story is persistence, shown by Mr. Fogg. Mr. Fogg never gives up on wager of a prolific amount of money, precisely twenty thousand pounds. As the odds turn against him he remains on his path and does not give up. His persistence in the end pays off and Mr. Fogg wins his wager, on who The Reform Club will pay. But did he really achieve a goal by making this unbelievable trip around the world in an astonishing eighty days. Setting:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This novel takes place in the late 1800’s, approximately 1872. Mr. Phileas Fogg lived at No. 7, Saville Row, Burlington Gardens. As the story progresses on and one tiny wager is made, a trip around the world changes the setting of this novel many a times. Some of these settings are London, Suez, Bombay, Calcutta, Hong Kong, Yokohama, San Francisco, and New York. Clearly though one the most important settings was in the Indian forests, which were passed through, in order to pursue to Kandallah. The Carnatic and the Mongolia were also key settings to the novel. Plot:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the 19th century, a man by the name of Phileas Fogg, made a wager that he would be able to travel the world in approximately eighty days. At the time of his wager he was looking for a servant. He found a servant by the name of Jean Passepartout. These two came to the understanding that Fogg was the master and Passepartout was just a man. His master told Passepartout that they were leaving immediately to travel around the world and told him to pack a carpetbag. Then new means of funds were given by The Daily Telegraph, who decided that the trip had a shot. Then a detective by the name of Fix sent a telegram to the commissioner saying that he found the robber and needed a warrant immediately, if not sooner. As Fix boarded the Mongolia, Passepartout approached him.

Ronald Dworkins Liberal Morality Essay -- essays research papers fc

Dworkin begins by roughly defining liberalism according to the New Deal: â€Å"It combined an emphasis on less inequality and greater economic stability with more abundant political and civil liberty for the groups campaigning for these goals.† Dworkin states that such a definition is inadequate and goes on to elaborate on liberalism in more depth. The liberal, in economic policies, demands that the inequalities of wealth be reduced through social programs such as â€Å"welfare and other redistribution financed by a progressive tax.† Liberals also take a Keynesian policy toward the governments stabilizing intervention in the economy, such as controlling inflation and unemployment. And liberals support freedom of speech, racial equality and are â€Å"suspicious of criminal law.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dworkin states that in a society, liberty and equality, the most important political ideals, often come into conflict with one another. â€Å"In these cases, good government consists in the best compromise between the competing ideals, but different politicians and citizens will make that compromise differently.† Liberals tend to favor equality more than liberty than conservatives do. But the former statement is a tricky one according to Dworkin because liberty, unlike equality, cannot be shown because we lack a concept of liberty that â€Å"is quantifiable in the way that a demonstration would require.† Because of this, it would be mistaken of us to state that conservatives favor liberty more t...

Bladerunner: Humanity Of Deckard & Roy Batty Essays -- essays research

Roy Batty and Deckard are both able to show us what it means to be human. To what extent do you agree? Through Blade Runner, we see an epic quest filled with meaning and symbolism applicable to the human condition. Replicants are basically human beings, except for the fact that they lack a history. As a consequence of this, perhaps, they also lack proper emotional faculties especially empathy. Empathy is the ability to place oneself in the position of another living being and understand that person’s feelings. Blade runner promotes that empathy is the defining characteristics for humanity. The replicants, designed not to show any emotion, develop spiritually and emotionally throughout the film. The characters in the movie, even the ones that were not human, had many humanistic and believable qualities. Many of them were able to feel love as well as hate. Although Deckard is supposedly human he at times shows less emotion than Roy. He seems heartless and uncompassionate making himself look very unhuman. We see that Deckard is possibly not "human" as well, but a replicant. He shows no compassion when he tells Rachel of her being a replicant with implants. In tears, Rachel sneaks out of Deckard’s apartment and into the streets. The only time in which Deckard really shows emotion is accomplished when Roy, forging Deckard through the fires of a harrowing battle, looks terrified knowing that he is going to die. Through this, Roy tries to communicate his life experi...

Globalization and Sport Essay

â€Å"Sport is where an entire life can be compressed into a few hours, where the emotions of a lifetime can be felt on an acre or two of ground, where a person can suffer and die and rise again on six miles of trails through a New York City park. Sport is a theater where sinner can turn saint and a common man become an uncommon hero, where the past and the future can fuse with the present. Sport is singularly able to give us peak experiences where we feel completely one with the world and transcend all conflicts as we finally become our own potential. † This quote by George A. Sheehan taken from Quote Garden definitely says it all. They say if there’s one thing that binds a country and its people despite political differences and social struggles, it is sport. Sport is the most universal characteristic of pop culture. It defies language barriers and national boundaries to a common language of obsessions and desires. Globalization and Sport by Miller, Lawrence, McKay, and Rowe mediates between sport and culture, sport and globalization, or culture and globalization. It discusses that sport is not only an apparent means of one’s pleasure, but also a part of government, economics, and socials of daily life. Sport is also scrutinized as a major guise of globalization. As I have earlier said, sport unifies organizations, communities and brings forth economic abundance. What makes world championships or Olympic Games enticing is the fact that the world is so focused on a specific country or organization. The fight for victory, power, and recognition are mainly the goals of competing countries showing off their skills and strength via television to countless expectant viewers. The fight of their country is the fight for globalization. What then is globalization? It is a â€Å"process through which space and time are compressed by technology, information flows, and trade and power relations, allowing distant actions to have increased significance at the local level† (Miller et al, 2001, p. 131). Also, globalization simply means autonomous movement for goods and people. This movement is said to have a definite influence on intellectual, economic, social, and governmental practices. Thus, it is regarded as the keyword for the international trade plans of the sports industry and the business sector. What are the effects of globalization of sport in the local and national scales? Debates are strong and fierce in globalization. There is a sudden emergence of a pro-globalist and anti-globalist. This new concept is to some extent viewed in two opposing perspectives. Globalization is considered as an indication of progress or advancement, especially for Third World countries who attest to utilizing sport for nation building objectives. But for some people, globalization is an adversity to the world economy. Little nations or few developing countries still do fear of being taken over, completely ruled and dominated by the much industrialized nations such as the United States and Europe through the intervention of sports entertainment. They blame globalization for confusing the true identity of the country and the culture of its people, undermining nationalism. In fact globalized sports in media influence people’s opinions regarding their own origin and other countries as well. Similar writings about sport, globalization, and cultural imperialism offer a full description as to how sport connects with distinct mentalities within the historical and national frameworks. But only time will tell which perspective is correct, if a nation’s transformation towards globalization is actually healthy and significant. Lest we forget that there also people who are standing just in the middle of things, waiting for good endings to happen. The authors see globalization as ugly and dangerous. Our sense of space and time through media is questioned, and jobs are unlikely accepted by individuals on the basis of price and docility rather than work conditions. The authors are also interested in the governmentalization, Americanization, televisualization, and commodification which they see as altogether important to globalization. Globalization process needs to address a lot of political or cultural issues, and so as not to merely be considered as a brand name for economists and sociologists disguising in the world of sports, because it is not only the so-called ruling class that tries to profit from the worldwide focus on a given country or event, but even the opposing forces also try to generate news-value to get the attention of the media. The book is enthralling, ideas are thoroughly researched and written, and evidences are vividly shown through eventful phases in the history of sports and media. It is a fascinating book that discusses the theories and effects of globalization in the sports industry. It brings down a very extensive and critical analysis on the advantages and disadvantages of global sports, its historical and cultural considerations, and the role of media in globalizing it. Television is a particular marker of globalization and thus, inseparable with global sport. Remember how sport communicates with advertising, promotion, and commodification as it collects experiences between nations. The author and contributing writers made a wonderful job in collating data from previous to the current events that are taking hold in the nation. Presenting their sample ideas and evidences in their arguments are great means to fully comprehend the parameters of sport and globalization. In this case, it is not misleading its readers. It is highly recommended to academicians, sports enthusiasts, and even to the newbie in the sociology of sports. The major author Toby Miller is an editor and a professor who studies media, sport, labor, gender, race, citizenship, politics, cultural policy, textual analysis, archival research, and ethnography. Co-author Geoffrey Lawrence is foundation professor of sociology and the executive director of the Institute for Sustainable Regional Development at Central Queensland University, Australia. Co-author Jim McKay teaches pop culture in the Co-author David Rowe is an associate professor in media and cultural studies. Everyday is a lingering moment of reflection. We wake up and see ourselves on a different plane. We sleep and hope that tomorrow will still remain. But again, we wake up and find that who we are yesterday is not who we are now. What we think is real is almost dead and gone in our dreams. Globalization is storming over every nation like angry wind and rain. It is painstakingly taking over each life every single day, changing the course of an individual, a society, and eventually the whole nation. If we cannot escape the evolution in civilization, then our lives will continuously revolve on our country’s political axis. They say the bearing of a man remains to be seen in the culture of its nation. What happens to our culture if we are eventually drowned by globalization? Even in the most entertaining way to release our frustrations, which is sport, globalization has taken over. If we are globalized, are we surely free? Can you clothe the naked with your global brands of sports clothing? Can you feed international recognition and power to the hungry? Can you house the homeless in your house of victory? Can you water hope to the hopelessly stricken? Then each poor man in this world will have to painfully battle against economic modernization or industrialization. Therefore, men should not live in a world where he feels condemned to this kind of fake freedom, and if losing one’s self is the price of it. But that wishful thinking remains up to this day impossible. Reference Miller, T. , Lawrence, G. , McKay, J. , Rowe, D. (2001). Globalization and sport: playing the world. London: Sage.

Socius Meaning And The Neighbor

The socius and the neighbor are two ways of relating with others. The socius pertains to the relationship with a group or a person through social function. In my understanding, this is a functional kind of relationship based on one’s label such as a student, for example, for being a part of an organization. Thus, in other words, the socius is the arbitrate relationship I have with others. The neighbor however, is a personal way of encountering the other as a person. It’s a relationship that develops deeper in degrees. It usually starts from an initial encounter that develops into a higher level of intimacy. Therefore, the neighbor is the abrupt relationship with others. On The Level of Astonishment: In the parable of The Good Samaritan, the Levite and the priest were surprised by the event they encountered before them but since they had a prior commitment and being a responsible member of an institution, they were unavailable to entertain the man. The traveler however did not have any institution to answer to which makes him available for the man in need. Through the encounter, the traveler became present to the man. His behavior is his natural character because he’s doing such an act without an institution being a catalyst. The Last Judgment on the other hand unveils the prophecy regarding the encounter of the Samaritan with the man. It is astonishing for the Samaritan to know the meaning of his simple, compassionate act. The Samaritan symbolizes the great acts of humans and encounter Christ in a way. Through this the message â€Å"Go and do likewise† is made known. On The Level of Reflection: There is no such thing as a â€Å"neighbor† if we base it on Sociology because according to its definition, Sociology is the systematic study of the development, structure, interaction, and collective behavior of organized groups of human beings. That is why in this point of view, the neighbor is called a â€Å"man of regret, dreams and myth† meaning it doesn’t exist. The socius would refer the neighbor as outdated. The parable of the Good Samaritan would bring us to the reflection that if there are no beggars to be given charity in the future where humankind will no longer suffer or experience hunger, because of men’s ability to evolve technology, then there’s no place for a neighbor. People will be a part of an association and the parable and the prophecy will have lost its meaning. This would bring us to the understanding that the socius is the â€Å"man of history† meaning he can mold the olden times. On The Level of Meditation: Both the socius and the neighbor are two dimensions of relating with others, an encounter. It shows how human relationship is in the current society. The neighbor is the private relationship we share with others and the socius is the publicity we make with our colleagues. In reality, there is no safe abode in our private lives without the protection of a public administration. Therefore the neighbor emerges from the socius. But also, man is awakened when he is socially stripped. Charity is humble. It is the common intention of the socius and the neighbor, their common ground. The socius and the neighbor are the two faces of charity. It is charity that gives meaning to the social interaction and to the event of the encounter. An encounter is not dependent on history with its disputation between the socius and the neighbor. But history ropes the extent of charity.

Politics and Accounting Standards Essay

Politics and Accounting Standards Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The growth of an enterprise is very important for both internal and external stakeholders. It can be expressed by showing the true and fair view of a company using the financial reports that shows the actual capital allocation of the enterprise. Therefore, financial accounting is very important and it enhances the success of the business. In this context, both the definition and the body that is involved in setting the standard are important in helping to understand clearly the meaning of financial accounting. Financial accounting is the process of preparing and establishing a report on the financial information of an enterprise (.Ball, Ray, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It also shows the true and fair view of the financial statements which are cash flow statement, balance sheet and profit and loss statement. These statements are very essential for the enterprise stakeholders. Financial accounting takes into consideration the management of the business for example, its assets, liabilities and capital(Ball, Ray, 2006). Furthermore, it states its real capital and debts to enable the enterprise stakeholder evaluate the performance of the business. The true and fair view of financial accounting can be achieved by following the rules and policies that govern the people setting the rules.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The rules or rather the standards apply internationally to help ensure that the accounting standards used across the world are uniform (Armstrong, et al 2010). These are the professional regulatory bodies that are responsible for setting the standards for example the International Accounting Standards (IAS), and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) among others. The board that is responsible for setting the standard is the Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB) among other interested parties(Ball, Ray, 2006). FASB formulates a process that is followed so that it can be able to help in setting new accounting standards. First, the board has a duty to set up a committee that prepares an outline of the task at hand. Secondly, the committee board prepares the objectives for the board comments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After this, the board gives its view on the task outline and then passes it to the committee which in return prepares a discussion paper which entails the committee’s statement of the application proposal standards. Eventually, the committee also obtains views from interested parties and after their view is in the favor of the principle, they go ahead in drafting an exposure and the draft is then published as the IFRS(Ball, Ray, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order, for these standard to be effective and efficient, they are categorized into varies group therefore making it easy for the accounting. The IAS is classified into many classes for example,under the IAS 10, events that occur after the balance sheet date,should not be part of the balance sheet. Every company is required to prepare a balance sheet at the end of the year. Therefore, any entity trying to avoid or present a misleading financial statement is liable and the board provides the contents of the balance sheet. Under the IAS 19, which talks about retirement benefit costs, and the board takes into consideration the accounting of the benefits accruing from the retirement (Aboody, et a l 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The board has a duty to see that no corruption is being practiced and therefore, companies are required to show the true and fair value in terms of the retirement costs. This prevents corruption of the prominent politicians. The IAS 17talks about accounting for leases. It is very important for a company to account for every lease taken since it is a liability. This is made possible because the board provides policies and procedures to be followed in disclosure of the account on lease. Lease is an expense for the company and if not accounted for can lead to false financial statements (Aboody, et a l, 2004).Furthermore, IAS 33talks about earnings per share,whereby all the companies are required to show their profit in terms of profit earned from share. The earning per share is used to the performance of the company which is based on the shares. It is also important for the shareholders.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most company and influential parties do not support this standard and therefore it is criticized.IAS 39 is a financial standard which requires that accounting should have recognitionand measurement of assets as well as liabilities. It states that all the entities should take into account of all the assets, liabilities and equity of the business and no relevant material should be left out(Ball, Ray, 2006). The profit, loss and capital should be stated as they appear without any alterations. The IFRS is also divided into classes but in this context, the IFRS 13 is considered. This standard is concerned with the true and fair value of an entity (Armstrong, et al 2010). Itrequires all the entities to state real profit or loss incurred in their financial reports. However, accounting is not sparedfrom criticism and the board experience pressure for different organization that are not in agreement with the standard. Political pressure is one of t he areas whichexert pressure on the board. The standards of accounting requires the organizations or the enterprise to show the true and fair view of the performance of the business (.Ball, Ray,2006).Due to this, most business operating under a loss stand a chance to be wound up and there will be no investors interested in the business.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The political pressure that is experienced under the various accounting standards is in terms of legislations which they politicians enact. Some of the legislations contradict the accounting standards whereby businesses in a certain country are required to follow certain regulations in addition to the IAS and IFRS. This creates pressure on companies to try and evade the application of the IAS and IFRS in their reporting. The accounting standards are set to helpindicate the real performance of the business and therefore many world trading entities are affected by this since the competitors are in watch (.Ball, Ray,2006). The amendment of the standard brought about the reclassification of the IFRS and IAS so as to favor the entities that make losses in trading.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It has been noted that politicians own businesses across the world and closely monitor their businesses the best way they can so that they can make more profits (Armstrong, et al 2010). Therefore, considering that the politicians have the capacity of adjusting the laws on businesses as they deem right, there is likelihood that the policies that they will formulate do not match or support the accounting standards available (.Ball, Ray,2006). What this means is that there will be a lot of pressure on the accounting standards in terms of trying to ensure that the politician-owned businesses adhere to the reporting standards.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The other way through which politics may put pressure on the various accounting standards listed and discussed above is through the selection of the board members to the FASB (Armstrong, et al 2010). Politicians using their powers on formulation of policies may be inclined to have people in the board that will take care of their personal interest by formulating standards which are not supportive of all businesses equally. This means that whenever there are new standards to be introduced which can be beneficial to the whole business world, the politicians will always influence the final decisions that the board will make pertaining to the new accounting standards (Aboody, et a l 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The other issue which is part of the political pressure and interference with the standards is that of political incentives, whichthe major reason for the reclassification of the accounting standards. It is to be noted that the growth of country’seconomy is important but in case where the growth does not reflect the true economic situation, the information shown does not indicate the true and fair values of economy (Aboody, et a l 2004). The same case applies to banks which hold government equity and using the reclassified standards will not show the true and fair value. Therefore, when politicians offer incentives to the board members through corrupt ways and with intentions of promoting their interests, the pressure on the standards continue to mount hence prevents the proper application of the standards.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Therefore, in conclusion on the effects of politics and politicians on the formulation and application of the financial accounting standards, it can be noted that there is need to prevent political interference on the FASB as well as other regulatory bodies which formulate the standards. The accounting standards are quite important in ensuring proper and accurate information which can be relied upon is produced and reported by companies and organizations. References Aboody, D., M. E. Barth, and R. Kasznik. 2004. Firms’ voluntary recognition of stockbasedCompensation expense. Journal of Accounting Research 42: 123-160. Armstrong, Christopher S./Barth, Mary E./Jagolinzer, Alan D./Riedl, Edward J. (2010). Market Reaction to the Adoption of IFRS in Europe.The Accounting Review, Vol. 85, No. 1, pp.31–61. Ball, Ray (2006). International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS): pros and cons for investors. Accounting and Business Research, Vol. 36, Special Issue, pp. 5–27. Source document