Anti forensic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Anti forensic - Essay Example Innovatively, there are anti-investigation techniques, aimed at making information collected by automated tools as well as fresh-and-blood investigators. With the help of modern operating systems, especially by the nature of management of data, events, and information, it is easy to find these individuals. However, due to the different techniques applied by computer users, it is hard to find people who use anti-computer forensics. Introduction Recently, due to the development of anti-computer forensics into a significant field of study, more researchers have undertaken intensive studies and research on the issue. Defined as any attempts focused on affecting negatively the existence, amount or quality of evidence from a crime scene, or making an analysis of the examination of the evidence difficult or impossible to conduct, anti-computer forensics is essentially a creative way of sabotaging any type of investigations into a crime scene. However, anti-computer forensics is a more techn ologically advanced method, which criminals use in hacking. This approach makes sure that it is hard for investigators to find the criminals, and if they were to find them, make it impossible for them to prove ha they ever found them. Most of the researchers do not put into consideration the use of forensics as a method of ensuring the safety of one’s personal data or information. Criminals use different techniques to protect their identity from the authority. However, not only is this approach useful to criminals, individuals have excessively use it in stalking each other. It is due to the rise in the use of this technology that many researchers have undertaken to conduct research and study on this form of technology (Lim, 2008). As a result, I take to conduct research on the techniques used by people in anti-computer forensics. The effectiveness of these techniques to their users will also form part of this research. Problem Statement In the recent years, there has been a s harp increase in the number of anti-forensic techniques used by criminals in frustrating investigative processes. Due to technological advancement and innovation, criminals have increasingly perfected their acts, by developing means and ways of overwriting data, hiding or deleting it to obscure it from the investigators (Busing, et al. 2005).. This is not the only way in which these criminals make investigations impossible to investigators. Another way of doing this is by sabotaging any form of investigation, to make sure that the law does not catch up with them. This leads to the abandonment of numerous cases in their investigation stages, while others never proceed to full trial due to lack of evidence. Even if the evidence is available, if accessed by criminals, and due to immense tampering, it is scanty, unreliable, misleading or damaged (Shanmugam, et al. 2011). As such, this study seeks to identify the methods and techniques used in anti-forensics. Literature Review According to Busing et al., (2005), computer Forensics is the use of scienti?c knowledge for collecting, analyzing, and presenting evidence to the courts. On the other hand, Anti-Forensics includes tools and techniques that frustrate forensic tools, investigations and investigators. Shanmugam, et al. (2011) point out

A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner Essay Example for Free

A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner Essay There are popular sayings that goes â€Å"love moves in mysterious ways† and â€Å"love makes people crazy. † The amalgam of those sayings would somehow serve as a rough description of William Faulkner’s story â€Å"A Rose for Emily. † Since its publication, the story still captures the imagination of many present-day readers—although, in a disturbing way. The title is deceptively, and ingeniously for that matter, designed to make the story seem as a love story. It is important to note that a rose is a generally accepted symbolism for love. However, the story begins with the death of the protagonist. Actually, there are many points in the story that would lead the readers to the conclusion that Faulkner’s story is far from a love story. This reading will be standing beside the argument that â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is a love story that presents to the readers love in an unfamiliar form. Faulkner exquisitely described how Emily is madly in love with Homer. She even dreams of being married to him someday. Faulkner’s details resemble a layout of a typical love story. However, all of those beautiful renditions of Emily’s love are just diversions to the author’s twists. When Emily mentioned that she wants to be married to Homer, he replied that â€Å"he was not a marrying man† (366). The reader could almost picture Emily as a rose whose petals are torn by the sharp gust of wind of Homer’s subtle rejection. This particular event of her life had significantly contributed to her impending insanity. And because Emily loves Homer so much, Emily had devised a plan to keep him beside her. She had poisoned Homer, paralyzing him for a moment, and then for eternity. She then set Homer’s lifeless body in her bed, then slept with him—in every context of the word slept. Emily’s version of love could be described as unconventional. The story begins describing how the townspeople of Jefferson (Faulkner’s fictional city) treated her â€Å"†¦a sort of fallen monument† (Faulkner 5). Even though the townspeople treat Emily in a revered manner, it would be arguable that they have love for her. In the first part, Emily is already dead and her pitiful yet gruesome background would be unfolded as the plot progresses. A safer claim to make about the townspeople treatment to Emily is that they pity her at the same time disgusted by her life, or more particularly, her love life. The shocking ending, considered a classic, reveals to the readers that Emily had murdered the one she truly loves, Homer Barron. It is just understandable that the townspeople of Jefferson and the readers (of the real world) would raise the question: could this be considered love? If we would set aside the conventional notions of love (like couples promising to each other eternity, sincerely caring for one another, a mutual understanding, etc. ), Emily’s version of love would certainly be dismissed. However, we could still interpret Emily’s actions as out of love, but to put it more succinctly, it should be categorized as unrequited love. It should not be disputed anymore that anyone is capable love, even those with hints of insanity. Moreover, it is a general notion that a person who loves someone needs some kind of returned love. And if love is unrequited, the most likely effect on the unrequited lover would be a seemingly incurable misery. Emily’s murder of Homer is oftentimes interpreted as an act of desperation. On the other hand, it could also regarded as an reaction to the subliminal messages of her love and passion for Homer. As we know of love, through literature and real life, it could paint in our minds illusions of being easily loved back. Emily may have been genuinely convinced that she would someday marry Homer and that they would spend eternity in each other’s arms. The living Homer had rejected her proposal, she may have immediately though that the dead Homer may compromise. Moreover, she had set the dead body in a bed, a symbolism for marriage. In addition, it is implied that she had slept with the dead body of Homer. It is important to consider that the context of the story is a time period where the people are mostly conservatives, especially the aristocrats like Emily’s family. It could be interpreted that she did not slept with the body out of mere lust, it could be something close to being love itself. Emily’s life could be considered lacking love. The title, â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, suggests that she desperately needs to be loved. She loved her aristocratic lifestyle and her father who provides it for her. But when her father had passed away, she may have felt that all she loved had gone to grave with her father, â€Å"†¦being left alone and a pauper, she had become humanized† (366). Considering her mental state, she had found love in Homer, he does not want to be with her, it is just understandable that she would do anything to be with the one she loves. After all, the topic at hand is love, a term and a concept with no satisfying definition. Even science admits that love is more than just chemical reactions. If we would delve further in this attempt to understand love, we might just end up mad like Emily. Works Cited Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily. An Introduction to Literature. Ed. Joseph Terry. New York: Longman, 2001

Holography: From Physics to The Big Screen Essay -- Cinematography

The technical evolution of film industry is one notable feature of modern civilization. The innovation of combining motion pictures with recorded sound. Black-and-white film gradually replaced by the colour motion picture film and the visual effect involve the integration of live-action footage and computer generated imagery to create a scenes which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly or impossible to be recorded and the popularization of three-dimensional cinema. The developments of technique contribute the film industry to get closer to people’s perception, however, in the real life. The observation of objects would change if we look from different distance and angle. And this experience of perception cannot be done in film. Because of the lack of stereoscopic impression of film images, it limits our sense so that the actual we see might be different. In 1920s, Sergei Eisenstein had predicted that the future of cinematography was tridimensional and there are many other film pioneers hold the same view. What most film histories leave out is that the Lumià ¨re Brothers were trying to achieve a three-dimensional image, Louis Lumià ¨re eventually re-shot L’Arrivà ©e d’un Train with a stereoscopic film camera and exhibited it (along with a series of other 3D shorts) at French Academy of Science. The films were shot in two views of the scene and then printing the film in two different colors and combining them with layered film on one reel. S3D (Stereoscopic 3D) film with better use of polarization systems were invited in 1930s and shown in the public in 1950s, however, after this initial huge excitement, S3D films were not widely recognized. Although the polarized stereoscopic film technology have been improved in all possible... ...nounced that they developed a generator of holograms on a board with a circuit that generates holograms on the LCD panel. The holography had demonstrated its potential. Now holograms are not so distant future any more. The idea of the holographic movies started becoming popular among filmmakers. Andrei Tarkovsky said, "The most important thing for cinema is for it to become holographic". A hologram can be made not only with the light waves of a laser, but also with sound waves and other waves in the electro-magnetic spectrum. Acoustical holography can see through solid objects by using sound waves. Microwave holography detects images by recording the object’s radio waves. Some holograms made with ultraviolet light can record an image of particle such as atom or molecule. Holography is one of the most significant discoveries humankind has ever made.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque

All Quiet on the Western Front In the book â€Å"All Quiet on the Western Front† by Erich Remarque, the author uses nature, and comradeship, to describe what the characters are going through. Erich uses nature in several ways, such as describing how the soldiers are facing terrible hardships, also it reflects on their sadness, and provides a contrast to the unnatural world of war. The author also uses the theme Comradeship through all the horrifying pictures of death and inhumanity, he talks about when Paul and his friends pick on Himmelstoss and beat him.We think it’s funny because Himmelstoss deserves it for being rude to them, and Paul and his friends are just giving him what he deserves. As we start going farther into the book, we start to realize that beating on someone isn’t funny anymore. We read the how the soldiers feel after assaulting and killing other people, it gives us a disturbing thought about war. Erich shows the theme Nature in many parts of the book. In chapter 2, when Kemmerich dies Paul takes his identification tags and walks outside.He then says â€Å"I breathe as deep as I can, and feel the breeze in my face, warm and soft as never before. † (Remarque 33) This is one of many times, when nature has helped the men go through bad experiences, and help them move on. Nature also reflects the terrible sadness of the lost generation. In Chapter 4, Paul's company sustains heavy losses and a recruit is wounded so badly Paul and Kat consider killing him to end his suffering. The Lorries and medics arrive too quickly, and they are forced to rethink their decision.Paul watches the rain fall and says: â€Å"It falls on our heads and on the heads of the dead, up in the line, on the body of the little recruit with the wound that is so much too big for his hip; it falls on Kemmerich grave; it falls in our hearts. † (Remarque The cleansing rain falls upon the hopelessness of Paul's life and the lives of those around him. Throughout Remarque's book, we also see a strong affinity between nature and lost dreams and memories. When Paul is on sentry duty in Chapter 6, he remembers his childhood and thinks about the poplar avenue where such a long time ago they sat beneath the trees and put their feet in the stream.Back then the water was fragrant, the wind melodious; these memories of nature cause a powerful calmness and awaken a remembrance of what was but sadly, will never be again. Finally, butterflies play gracefully and settle on the teeth of a skull; birds fly through the air in a carefree pattern. This is nature in the midst of death and destruction. While men kill each other and wonder why, the butterflies, birds, and breeze flutter though the killing fields and carry on as if mankind were quite insignificant.Even at the end when Paul knows there is so little time until the armistice, he reflects on the beauty of life and hopes that he can stay alive until the laws of nature once again prevail a nd the actions of men bring peace. He describes the red poppies, meadows, beetles, grass, trees at twilight, and the stars. How can such beauty go on in the midst of such heartache? Remarque says that this novel â€Å"will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war. If words can touch what men hold to be dear in their hearts and so cause them to change the world, this book with its words of a lost generation, lost values, and lost humanity is surely one that should be required reading for all generations. . When Paul and his friends waylay Himmelstoss and beat on him, we laugh because he deserves it and they are only giving him his due. As time goes by, however, the pictures of camaraderie relieve the terrible descriptions of front line assaults and death, and they provide a bright light in a place of such terrible darkness.A young recruit becomes gun-shy in his first battle when a rocket fires and explosions b egin. He creeps over to Paul and buries his head in Paul's chest and arms, and Paul kindly, gently, tells him that he will get used to it (Chapter 4). Perhaps the two most amazing scenes of humanity and caring can be found in the story of the goose roasting and the battle where his comrades' voices cause Paul to regain his nerve. In Chapter 5, Paul and Kat have captured a goose and are roasting it late at night.Paul says, â€Å"We don't talk much, but I believe we have a more complete communion with one another than even lovers have. We are two men, two minute sparks of life; outside is the night and the circle of death. † As he watches Kat roasting the goose and hears his voice, it brings Paul peace and reassurance. Over and over again, in scenes of battle and scenes of rest, we see the comradeship of this tiny group of men. Even though Paul counts their losses at various points, he always considers their close relationship and attempts to keep them together to help each oth er.In Chapter 9, when Paul is alone in the trench, he loses his nerve and his direction and is afraid he will die. Instead, he hears the voices of his friends: â€Å"I belong to them and they to me; we all share the same fear and the same life; we are nearer than lovers, in a simpler, a harder way; I could bury my face in them in these voices, these words that have saved me and will stand by me. † There is a grace here, in the face of all sorrow and hopelessness, a grace that occurs when men realize their humanity and their reliance on others.Through thick and thin, battle and rest, horror and hopelessness, these men hold each other up. Finally, Paul has only Kat and he loses even this friend and father-figure in Chapter 11. Kat's death is so overwhelming and so final that we do not hear Paul's reaction; we only see him break down in the face of it. There is such final irony in the medic's question about whether they are related. This man, this hero, this father, this life â €” has been closer to Paul than his own blood relatives and yet Paul must say, â€Å"No, we are not related. † It is the final stunning blow before Paul must go on alone.

Forward the Foundation Chapter 10

6 The weather was holding up over the undomed area of the Imperial Palace grounds-warm and sunny. It didn't often happen. Hari remembered Dors telling him once how this particular area with its cold winters and frequent rains had been chosen as the site. â€Å"It wasn't actually chosen,† she said. â€Å"It was a family estate of the Morovian family in the early days of the Kingdom of Trantor. When the Kingdom became an Empire, there were numerous sites where the Emperor could live-summer resorts, winter places, sports lodges, beach properties. And, as the planet was slowly domed, one reigning Emperor, living here, liked it so much that it remained undomed. And, just because it was the only area left undomed, it became special-a place apart-and that uniqueness appealed to the next Emperor†¦ and the next†¦ and the next†¦ And so, a tradition was born.† And as always, when hearing something like that, Seldon would think: And how would psychohistory handle this? Would it predict that one area would remain undomed but be absolutely unable to say which area? Could it go even so far? Could it predict that several areas would remain undomed or none-and be wrong? How could it account for the personal likes and dislikes of an Emperor who happened to be on the throne at the crucial time and who made a decision in a moment of whimsy and nothing more. That way lay chaos-and madness. Cleon I was clearly enjoying the good weather. â€Å"I'm getting old, Seldon,† he said. â€Å"I don't have to tell you that. We're the same age, you and I. Surely it's a sign of age when I don't have the impulse to play tennis or go fishing, even though they've newly restocked the lake, but am willing to walk gently over the pathways.† He was eating nuts as he spoke, which resembled what on Seldon's native world of Helicon would have been called pumpkin seeds, but which were larger and a little less delicate in taste. Cleon cracked them gently between his teeth, peeled the thin shells and popped the kernels into his mouth. Seldon did not like the taste particularly but, of course, when he was offered some by the Emperor, he accepted them and ate a few. The Emperor had a number of shells in his hand and looked vaguely around for a receptacle of some sort that he could use for disposal. He saw none, but he did notice a gardener standing not far away, his body at attention (as it should be in the Imperial presence) and his head respectfully bowed. Cleon said, â€Å"Gardener!† The gardener approached quickly. â€Å"Sire!† â€Å"Get rid of these for me,† he said, tapping the shells into the gardener's hand. â€Å"Yes, Sire.† Seldon said, â€Å"I have a few, too, Gruber.† Gruber held out his hand and said, almost shyly, â€Å"Yes, First Minister.† He hurried away and the Emperor looked after him curiously. â€Å"Do you know the fellow, Seldon?† â€Å"Yes, indeed, Sire. An old friend.† â€Å"The gardener is an old friend? What is he? A mathematical colleague fallen on hard times?† â€Å"No, Sire. Perhaps you remember the story. It was the time when†-he cleared his throat, searching for the most tactful way to recall the incident-â€Å"the sergeant threatened my life shortly after I was appointed to my present post through your kindness.† â€Å"The assassination attempt.† Cleon looked up to heaven, as though seeking patience. â€Å"I don't know why everyone is so afraid of that word.† â€Å"Perhaps,† said Seldon smoothly, slightly despising himself for the ease with which he had become able to flatter, â€Å"the rest of us are more perturbed at the possibility of something untoward happening to our Emperor than you yourself are.† Cleon smiled ironically. â€Å"I dare say. And what has this to do with Gruber? Is that his name?† â€Å"Yes, Sire. Mandell Gruber. I'm sure you will recall, if you cast your mind back, that there was a gardener who came rushing up with a rake to defend me against the armed sergeant.† â€Å"Ah yes. Was that fellow the gardener who did that?† â€Å"He was the man, Sire. I've considered him a friend ever since and I meet him almost every time I am on the grounds. I think he watches for me, feels proprietary toward me. And, of course, I feel kindly toward him.† â€Å"I don't blame you. And while we're on the subject, how is your formidable lady, Dr. Venabili? I don't see her often.† â€Å"She's a historian, Sire. Lost in the past.† â€Å"She doesn't frighten you? She'd frighten me. I've been told how she treated that sergeant. One could almost be sorry for him.† â€Å"She grows savage on my behalf, Sire, but has not had occasion to do so lately. It's been very quiet.† The Emperor looked after the disappearing gardener. â€Å"Have we ever rewarded that man?† â€Å"I have done so, Sire. He has a wife and two daughters and I have arranged that each daughter will have a sum of money put aside for the education of any children she may have.† â€Å"Very good. But he needs a promotion, I think. Is he a good gardener?† â€Å"Excellent, Sire.† â€Å"The Chief Gardener, Malcomber-I'm not quite sure I remember his name-is getting on and is, perhaps, not up to the job anymore. He is well into his late seventies. Do you think this Gruber might be able to take over?† â€Å"I'm certain he can, Sire, but he likes his present job. It keeps him out in the open in all kinds of weather.† â€Å"A peculiar recommendation for a job. I'm sure he can get used to administration and I do need someone for some sort of renewal of the grounds. Hmmm. I must think upon this. Your friend Gruber may be just the man I need. By the way, Seldon, what did you mean by saying it's been very quiet?† â€Å"I merely meant, Sire, that there has been no sign of discord at the Imperial Court. The unavoidable tendency to intrigue seems to be as near a minimum as it is ever likely to get.† â€Å"You wouldn't say that if you were Emperor, Seldon, and had to contend with all these officials and their complaints. How can you tell me things are quiet when reports seem to reach me every other week of some serious breakdown here and there on Trantor?† â€Å"These things are bound to happen.† â€Å"I don't recall such things happening so frequently in previous years.† â€Å"Perhaps that was because they didn't, Sire. The infrastructure grows older with time. To make the necessary repairs properly would take time, labor, and enormous expense. This is not a time when a rise in taxes will be looked on favorably.† â€Å"There's never any such time. I gather that the people are experiencing serious dissatisfaction over these breakdowns. It must stop and you must see to it, Seldon. What does psychohistory say?† â€Å"It says what common sense says, that everything is growing older.† â€Å"Well, all this is quite spoiling the pleasant day for me. I leave it in your hands, Seldon.† â€Å"Yes, Sire,† said Seldon quietly. The Emperor strode off and Seldon thought that it was all spoiling the pleasant day for him, too. This breakdown at the center was the alternative he didn't want. But how was he to prevent it and switch the crisis to the Periphery? Psychohistory didn't say. 7 Raych Seldon felt extraordinarily contented, for it was the first dinner en famille that he had had in some months with the two people he thought of as his father and mother. He knew perfectly well that they were not his parents in any biological sense, but it didn't matter. He merely smiled at them with complete love. The surroundings were not as warm as they had been at Streeling in the old days, when their home had been small and intimate, a virtual gem in the larger setting of the University. Now, unfortunately, nothing could hide the grandeur of the First Minister's Palace suite. Raych sometimes stared at himself in the mirror and wondered how it could be. He was not tall, only 163 centimeters in height, distinctly shorter than either parent. He was rather stocky but muscular-and not fat, with black hair and the distinctive Dahlite mustache that he kept as dark and as thick as possible. In the mirror he could still see the street urchin he had once been before the chanciest of great chances had dictated his meeting with Hari and Dors. Seldon had been much younger then and his appearance now made it plain that Raych himself was almost as old now as Seldon had been when they met. Amazingly, Dors had hardly changed at all. She was as sleek and fit as the day Raych had first showed Hari and Dors the way to Mother Rittah's in Billibotton. And he, Raych, born to poverty and misery, was now a member of the civil service, a small cog in the Ministry of Population. Seldon said, â€Å"How are things going at the Ministry, Raych? Any progress?† â€Å"Some, Dad. The laws are passed. The court decisions are made. Speeches are pronounced. Still, it's difficult to move people. You can preach brotherhood all you want, but no one feels like a brother. What gets me is that the Dahlites are as bad as any of the others. They want to be treated as equals, they say, and so they do, but, given a chance, they have no desire to treat others as equals.† Dors said, â€Å"It's all but impossible to change people's minds and hearts, Raych. It's enough to try and perhaps eliminate the worst of the injustices.† â€Å"The trouble is,† said Seldon, â€Å"that through most of history, no one's been working on this problem. Human beings have been allowed to fester in the delightful game of I'm-better-than-you and cleaning up that mess isn't easy. If we allow things to follow their own bent and grow worse for a thousand years, we can't complain if it takes, say, a hundred years to work an improvement.† â€Å"Sometimes, Dad,† said Raych, â€Å"I think you gave me this job to punish me.† Seldon's eyebrows raised. â€Å"What motivation could I have had to punish you?† â€Å"For feeling attracted to Joranum's program of sector equality and for greater popular representation in government.† â€Å"I don't blame you for that. These are attractive suggestions, but you know that Joranum and his gang were using it only as a device to gain power. Afterward-â€Å" â€Å"But you had me entrap him, despite my attraction to his views.† Seldon said, â€Å"it wasn't easy for me to ask you to do that.† â€Å"And now you keep me working at the implementation of Joranum's program, just to show me how hard the task is in reality.† Seldon said to Dors, â€Å"How do you like that, Dors? The boy attributes to me a kind of sneaky underhandedness that simply isn't part of my character.† â€Å"Surely,† said Dors with the ghost of a smile playing at her lips, â€Å"you are attributing no such thing to your father.† â€Å"Not really. In the ordinary course of life, there's no one straighter than you, Dad. But if you have to, you know you can stack the cards. Isn't that what you hope to do with psychohistory?† Seldon said sadly, â€Å"So far, I've done very little with psychohistory.† â€Å"Too bad. I keep thinking that there is some sort of psychohistorical solution to the problem of human bigotry.† â€Å"Maybe there is, but, if so, I haven't found it.† When dinner was over, Seldon said, â€Å"You and I, Raych, are going to have a little talk now.† â€Å"Indeed?† said Dors. â€Å"I take it I'm not invited.† â€Å"Ministerial business, Dors.† â€Å"Ministerial nonsense, Hari. You're going to ask the poor boy to do something I wouldn't want him to do.† Seldon said firmly, â€Å"I'm certainly not going to ask him to do anything he doesn't want to do.† Raych said, â€Å"It's all right, Mom. Let Dad and me have our talk. I promise I'll tell you all about it afterward.† Dors's eyes rolled upward. â€Å"You two will plead ‘state secrets.' I know â€Å"As a matter of fact,† said Seldon firmly, â€Å"that's exactly what I must discuss. And of the first magnitude. I'm serious, Dors.† Dors rose, her lips tightening. She left the room with one final injunction. â€Å"Don't throw the boy to the wolves, Hari.† And after she was gone, Seldon said quietly, â€Å"I'm afraid that throwing you to the wolves is exactly what I'll have to do, Raych.† 8 They faced each other in Seldon's private office, his â€Å"thinking place,† as he called it. There, he had spent uncounted hours trying to think his way past and through the complexities of Imperial and Trantorian government. He said, â€Å"Have you read much about the recent breakdowns we've been having in planetary services, Raych?† â€Å"Yes,† said Raych, â€Å"but you know, Dad, we've got an old planet here. What we gotta do is get everyone off it, dig the whole thing up, replace everything, add the latest computerizations, and then bring everyone back-or at least half of everyone. Trantor would be much better off with only twenty billion people.† â€Å"Which twenty billion?† asked Seldon smiling. â€Å"I wish I knew,† said Raych darkly. â€Å"The trouble is, we can't redo the planet, so we just gotta keep patching.† â€Å"I'm afraid so, Raych, but there are some peculiar things about it. Now I want you to check me out. I have some thoughts about this.† He brought a small sphere out of his pocket. â€Å"What's that?† asked Raych. â€Å"It's a map of Trantor, carefully programmed. Do me a favor, Raych, and clear off this tabletop.† Seldon placed the sphere more or less in the middle of the table and placed his hand on a keypad in the arm of his desk chair. He used his thumb to close a contact and the light in the room went out while the tabletop glowed with a soft ivory light that seemed about a centimeter deep. The sphere had flattened and expanded to the edges of the table. The light slowly darkened in spots and took on a pattern. After some thirty seconds, Raych said in surprise, â€Å"It is a map of Trantor.† â€Å"Of course. I told you it was. You can't buy anything like this at a sector mall, though. This is one of those gadgets the armed forces play with. It could present Trantor as a sphere, but a planar projection would more clearly show what I want to show.† â€Å"And what is it you want to show, Dad?† â€Å"Well, in the last year or two, there have been breakdowns. As you say, it's an old planet and we've got to expect breakdowns, but they've been coming more frequently and they would seem, almost uniformly, to be the result of human error.† â€Å"Isn't that reasonable?† â€Å"Yes, of course. Within limits. This is true, even where earthquakes are involved.† â€Å"Earthquakes? On Trantor?† â€Å"I admit Trantor is a fairly nonseismic planet-and a good thing, too, because enclosing a world in a dome when the world is going to shake itself badly several times a year and smash a section of that dome would be highly impractical. Your mother says that one of the reasons Trantor, rather than some other world, became the Imperial capital is that it was geologically moribund-that's her unflattering expression. Still, it might be moribund, but it's not dead. There are occasional minor earthquakes-three of them in the last two years.† â€Å"I wasn't aware of that, Dad.† â€Å"Hardly anyone is. The dome isn't a single object. It exists in hundreds of sections, each one of which can be lifted and set ajar to relieve tensions and compressions in case of an earthquake. Since an earthquake, when one does occur, lasts for only ten seconds to a minute, the opening endures only briefly. It comes and goes so rapidly that the Trantorians beneath are not even aware of it. They are much more aware of a mild tremor and a faint rattling of crockery than of the opening and closing of the dome overhead and the slight intrusion of the outside weather-whatever it is.† â€Å"That's good, isn't it?† â€Å"It should be. It's computerized, of course. The onset of an earthquake anywhere sets off the key controls for the opening and closing of that section of the dome so that it opens just before the vibration becomes strong enough to do damage.† â€Å"Still good.† â€Å"But in the case of the three minor earthquakes over the last two years, the dome controls failed in each case. The dome never opened and, in each case, repairs were required. It took some time, it took some money, and the weather controls were less than optimum for a considerable period of time. Now, what, Raych, are the chances that the equipment would have failed in all three cases?† â€Å"Not high?† â€Å"Not high at all. Less than one in a hundred. One can suppose that someone had gimmicked the controls in advance of an earthquake. Now, about once a century, we have a magma leak, which is far more difficult to control-and I'd hate to think of the results if it went unnoticed until it was too late. Fortunately that hasn't happened and isn't likely to, but consider-Here on this map you will find the location of the breakdowns that have plagued us over the past two years and that seem to be attributable to human error, though we haven't once been able to tell to whom each might be attributed.† â€Å"That's because everyone is busy protecting his back.† â€Å"I'm afraid you're right. That's a characteristic of any bureaucracy and Trantor's is the largest in history. But what do you think of the locations?† The map had lit up with bright little red markings that looked like small pustules covering the land surface of Trantor. â€Å"Well,† said Raych cautiously, â€Å"they seem to be evenly spread.† â€Å"Exactly-and that's what's interesting. One would expect that the older sections of Trantor, the longest-domed sections, would have the most decayed infrastructure and would be more liable to events requiring quick human decision and laying the groundwork for possible human error. I'll superimpose the older sections of Trantor on the map in a bluish color and you'll notice that the breakdowns don't seem to be taking place any oftener on the blue areas.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"And what I think it means, Raych, is that the breakdowns are not of natural origin but are deliberately caused and spread out in this fashion to affect as many people as possible, thus creating a dissatisfaction that is as widespread as possible.† â€Å"It don't seem likely.† â€Å"No? Then let's look at the breakdowns as spread through time rather than through space.† The blue areas and the red spots disappeared and, for a time, the map of Trantor was blank-and then the markings began to appear and disappear one at a time, here and there. â€Å"Notice,† said Seldon, â€Å"that they don't appear in clumps in time, either. One appears, then another, then another, and so on, almost like the steady ticking of a metronome.† â€Å"Do ya think that's on purpose, too?† â€Å"It must be. Whoever is bringing this about wants to cause as much disruption with as little effort as possible, so there's no use doing two at once, where one will partially cancel the other in the news and in the public consciousness. Each incident must stand out in full irritation.† The map went out and the lights went on. Seldon returned the sphere, shrunken back to its original size, to his pocket. 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His name was Kaspal Kaspalov and he is well known to have been one of the intimates of Laskin Joranum. And now he's deadknifed.† Raych frowned. â€Å"Do you suspect another Joranumite Conspiracy, Dad? There aren't any Joranumites around anymore.† â€Å"It wasn't long ago that your mother asked me if I thought that the Joranumites were still active and I told her that any odd belief always retained a certain cadre, sometimes for centuries. They're usually not very important, just splinter groups that simply don't count. Still, what if the Joranumites have kept up an organization, what if they have retained a certain strength, what if they are capable of killing someone they consider a traitor in their ranks, and what if they are producing these breakdowns as a preliminary to seizing control?† â€Å"That's an awful lot of ‘what if ‘s,' Dad.† â€Å"I know that. And I might be totally wrong. The murder happened in Wye and, as it so happens, there have been no infrastructure breakdowns in Wye.† â€Å"What does that prove?† â€Å"It might prove that the center of the conspiracy is in Wye and that the conspirators don't want to make themselves uncomfortable, only the rest of Trantor. It also might mean that it's not the Joranumites at all but members of the old Wyan family who still dream of ruling the Empire once again.† â€Å"Oh boy, Dad. You're building all this on very little.† â€Å"I know. Now suppose it is another Joranumite Conspiracy. Joranum had, as his right-hand man, Gambol Deen Namarti. We have no record of Namarti's death, no record of his having left Trantor, no record of his life over the last decade or so. That's not terribly surprising. After all, it's easy to lose one person among forty billion. There was a time in my life when I tried to do just that. Of course, Namarti may be dead. That would be the easiest explanation, but he may not be.† â€Å"What do we do about it?† Seldon sighed. â€Å"The logical thing would be to turn to the security establishment, but I can't. I don't have Demerzel's presence. He could cow people; I can't. He had a powerful personality; I'm just a-mathematician. I shouldn't be First Minister at all; I'm not cut out for it. And I wouldn't be-if the Emperor weren't fixated on psychohistory to a far greater extent than it deserves.† â€Å"You're kinda whipping yourself, ain't you, Dad?† â€Å"Yes. I suppose I am, but I have a picture of myself going to the security establishment, for instance, with what I have just shown you on the map†-he pointed to the now-empty tabletop-â€Å"and arguing that we were in great danger of some conspiracy of unknown consequence and nature. They would listen solemnly and, after I had left, they would laugh among themselves about ‘the crazy mathematician'-and then do nothing.† â€Å"Then what do we do about it?† said Raych, returning to the point. â€Å"It's what you will do about it, Raych. I need more evidence and I want you to find it for me. I would send your mother, but she won't leave me under any circumstances. I myself can't leave the Palace grounds at this time. Next to Dors and myself, I trust you. More than Dors and myself, in fact. You're still quite young, you're strong, you're a better Heliconian Twister than I ever was, and you're smart. â€Å"Mind you, now, I don't want you to risk your life. No heroism, no derring-do. I couldn't face your mother if anything happened to you. Just find out what you can. Perhaps you'll find that Namarti is alive and operating-or dead. Perhaps you'll find out that the Joranumites are an active group-or moribund. Perhaps you'll find out that the Wyan ruling family is active-or not. Any of that would be interesting-but not vital. What I want you to find out is whether the infrastructure breakdowns are of human manufacture, as I think they are, and, far more important still, if they are deliberately caused, what else the conspirators plan to do. It seems to me they must have plans for some major coup and, if so, I must know what that will be.† Raych said cautiously, â€Å"Do you have some kinda plan to get me started?† â€Å"Yes indeed, Raych. I want you to go down to the area of Wye where Kaspalov was killed. Find out if you can if he was an active Joranumite and see if you can't join a Joranumite cell yourself.† â€Å"Maybe that's possible. I can always pretend to be an old Joranumite. It's true that I was pretty young when Jo-Jo was sounding off, but I was very impressed by his ideas. It's even sorta true.† â€Å"Well yes, but there's one important catch. You might be recognized. After all, you're the son of the First Minister. You have appeared on holovision now and then and you have been interviewed concerning your views on sector equality.† â€Å"Sure, but-â€Å" â€Å"No buts, Raych. You'll wear elevated shoes to add three centimeters to your height and we'll have someone show you how to change the shape of your eyebrows and make your face fuller and change the timbre of your voice.† Raych shrugged. â€Å"A lotta trouble for nothing.† â€Å"And,† said Seldon with a distinct quaver, â€Å"you will shave off your mustache.† Raych's eyes widened and for a moment he sat there in appalled silence. Finally he said in a hoarse whisper, â€Å"Shave my mustache?† â€Å"Clean as a whistle. No one would recognize you without it.† â€Å"But it can't be done. Like cutting off your-Like castration.† Seldon shook his head. â€Å"It's just a cultural curiosity. Yugo Amaryl is as Dahlite as you are and he wears no mustache.† â€Å"Yugo is a nut. I don't think he's alive at all, except for his mathematics.† â€Å"He's a great mathematician and the absence of a mustache does not alter that fact. Besides, it's not castration. Your mustache will grow back in two weeks.† â€Å"Two weeks! It'll take two years to reach this-this-â€Å" He put his hand up, as though to cover and protect it. Seldon said inexorably, â€Å"Raych, you have to do it. It's a sacrifice you must make. If you act as my spy with your mustache, you may-come to harm. I can't take that chance.† â€Å"I'd rather die,† said Raych violently. â€Å"Don't be melodramatic,† said Seldon severely. â€Å"You would not rather die and this is something you must do. However†-and here he hesitated-â€Å"don't say anything about it to your mother. I will take care of that.† Raych stared at his father in frustration and then said in a low and despairing tone, â€Å"All right, Dad.† Seldon said, â€Å"I will get someone to supervise your disguise and then you will go to Wye by air-jet. Buck up, Raych, it's not the end of the world.† Raych smiled wanly and Seldon watched him leave, a deeply troubled look on his face. A mustache could easily be regrown, but a son could not. Seldon knew perfectly well that he was sending Raych into danger.

Payroll Accounting Essay

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History of American Government - Essay Example   James Madison became a student of colonial history and political theory in his search for a solution to the political and economic dilemmas which beset the colonies at the time. Madison felt the Articles of Confederation were too weak to serve the needs of the United Colonies. He reasoned that the state autonomy clause, precluded the perpetuation of a strong central government, which Madison felt was necessary to adequately regulate commerce.This inadequacy left the central government with little ability and left the Confederation coffers inadequate to wage war. Meantime, inflation began to engulf the country; a pound of tea could cost as much as $100. Of course this inflation resulted in a contraction of business activity; some small farmers were arrested for bad debts and many farmers were forced to sell their farms to pay their taxes.Madison solicited the assistance of the elder statesman, general George Washington.. Washington initially found a number of reasons to lay suspec t to the idea proposed by Madison, and was reluctant to accept Madison’s offer for assistance. Washington dealt with the issue of credibility; â€Å" what if the new experiment did not work? What light would be cast upon his reputation? After a considerable amount of soul searching, Washington wrote to Madison. â€Å"Wisdom and good examples are necessary at this time to rescue the political machine from the impending storm†. (Madison)George Washington understood that Madison envisioned a strong central government to provide order and stability.... pay their taxes. Madison solicited the assistance of the elder statesman, general George Washington.. Washington initially found a number of reasons to lay suspect to the idea proposed by Madison, and was reluctant to accept Madison's offer for assistance. Washington dealt with the issue of credibility; " what if the new experiment did not work What light would be cast upon his reputation After a considerable amount of soul searching, Washington wrote to Madison. "Wisdom and good examples are necessary at this time to rescue the political machine from the impending storm". (Madison) George Washington understood that Madison envisioned a strong central government to provide order and stability. Madison responded to Washington with; "let it be tried then whether any middle ground can be taken which will once support a due supremacy of the national authority, and providing state power only when subordinately useful" This was a mighty issue, one which would generate much debate. It became so fervent until the labels of federalist (those who supported a strong central government and anti-federalist (opposed to watering down of state sovereignty), created substantial followings. James Madison and John Tyler served together in the Virginia General Assembly. They devised a plan for a states convention to be held in Annapolis, Maryland3 in September 1786. At this convention the two men proposed that macro commerce be controlled and regulated by the Continental Congress. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton issued a report of the Annapolis meeting. The meeting

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Psychology - Essay Example According to Sacks, â€Å"Does the mind run the brain or the brain the mind?† This poses an interesting question regarding the development of mental abilities, which runs parallel to that of the nature vs. nurture debate. Are cognitive abilities the result of the neurology and brain development of the person, or does what a person learns influence brain development? The question is similar to that of the chicken and the egg. Thus, the question of whether our abilities are biologically driven or if they are environmentally driven are laid as a foundation to human growth and development. The compendium of human knowledge and consciousness is seated within our skulls as the brain. The brain is the most vital organ in our body in that it controls everything, both voluntary and involuntary. It is a vast collection of neurons, which work together to rely, process, and send out information. It is organized into different lobes that govern different cognitive tasks that develop with a ge. As a person ages, these parts of the brain become more complex and eventually start working together in order to processes and integrate things together. The conscious and the unconscious merge here with the storage of memory and the performance of cognitive tasks. One of the most unique features of the brain is in its adaptability (plasticity). If a part of the brain becomes injured, it will rewire itself by creating new pathways in order to bypass the damaged tissue. As a person learns, the brain rewires itself in order to make new connections to make the pathways of thought more efficient and complex. However, the reason that a person is able to learn is due to the fact that these pathways have already been created. Even as the brain develops, there is a certain threshold that is met in which the neurons will eventually lose productivity and die off. Because of this learning is hindered, however recent studies show that additional cognitive exercises can keep these neurons al ive longer, thus showing how an environmental, or rather external stimulus, can play a part in being able to alter the physiology of a person. The first basis that psychology looks at is from the biological/physiological standpoint. Innately, humans are born with traits, which are derived from a genetic code. These discrete units, called genes, are passed down from generation to generation. The genetic code, DNA, encodes for proteins and other chemical components in the brain. As a result, some behaviors and physiological functions are affected by errors or mutations in the DNA. These mutations can occur as the result of random probability as well as through interaction of environmental effects. Thus, the behavior of an individual can result from these inherent features, which are determined by biology. For example, in cases of aggression, researchers find that amounts of testosterone in an individual can effect how aggressive an individual is. Both male and female individuals have testosterone in their body (except in the case of some genetic disorders). However, there are factors in which the levels of testosterone in the body can either be abnormally high or abnormally low. Thus, we see deviations from the normal patterns of behavior. From this example, it can be shown that biology and genetics does play a role in influencing human behavior. Another important basis in biopsychology is the development of the

Syllabus critique Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Syllabus critique - Assignment Example A syllabus is a contract, which is written between a teacher and students. A good syllabus meet specific objectives, it has important components and answers critical questions. Nonetheless, few syllabi fulfill all these functions well. A focused and brief syllabus is the best. It should communicate the nature of the course to the students clearly and understandable manner. When the students understand the procedures and purpose of the course, they are more likely to enjoy the learning process. It is very important that all teachers follow the policies and needs set in their syllabi. They should not forget the whole parts of the contract. As the students are required to abide by the procedures and rules spelled out in the syllabus, the teacher is also agreeing to follow the same. A detailed syllabus will make the expectation clear to all parties. A teacher should organize to discuss the syllabus fully during the first class meeting. This requires fast distribution the syllabi to all t he students. Teachers should meet the deadlines of teaching. they should provide the requirements of the syllabus promptly if they require their students to be prompt. Strategies When planning the syllabus, one should consider the following strategies: basic identifying information, information about t6he instructor, texts and other materials, course description, objectives, description and requirements, course calendar, grading procedures and scaling Basic Identifying Information The basic information to identify includes the institution, course title, year, the semester, and time of class and location of class meetings. It should also include benefits earned for completing the course successfully. The title and the name of the instructor should also be included. The office telephone number, location, working hours, and mailing address are important if students can communicate with the teacher. Textbooks and Other Materials The syllabus should specify the authors, titles, editions, and sometimes publishers of the texts. It is important to specify the location for acquiring these materials. The location of library, bookstore, computer laboratory, and personal offices should be clear. It is essential to know the requirements and conditions for obtaining these materials. Course Description The course description is given directly by the institution. It must include a short and clear description of the knowledge, skills, major topics to be covered and any special opportunities and prerequisites obtained. Course Objectives The course objectives are very important because it should emphasize on the evaluation of learners outcome. The syllabus should clearly state the objective of the course. Objectives can be affective, behavioral, or cognitive. A well-set instructional objective provides a layout for instructional approach communicates instructional intent and gives guidelines for evaluating students. Course Requirements This explains exactly what learners are exp ected to do in the course. It includes a brief description of the assessments administered, and the paper written. Course Calendar It contains the dates of specific lesson topics, exams, reading assignments, and deadlines for projects and other papers. Any change s to the syllabus calendar should be provided to learners in writing. Grading Procedures and Scales The syllabus should provide clear criteria and procedures for assessing students’ performance and grade assignment. Regulations regarding extra credit, deadlines, and penalties for late work should be stipulated. It should include academic policy with explanations of these concepts in its literature. A good syllabus enables teachers to share their pedagogical ideas with their students. It tells the students how their teachers view the learning process, whether passive or active. How they emphasize skill building, knowledge enhancement or the combination of both. The syllabus shows how the course is organized from simpl e to complex. It should have

Enforcement Directorate Essay Example for Free

Enforcement Directorate Essay Enforcement Directorate ‡Pertains to the establishment of Directorate of Enforcement and the powers to investigate the violation of any provisions of Act, rule, regulation, notifications, directions or order issued in exercise of the powers under this Act. The Director have been empowered to take up investigations. Enforcement Directorate ‡ The Directorate of Enforcement is mainly concerned with the enforcement of the provisions of the FEMA to prevent leakage of foreign exchange which generally occurs through the following malpractices. 2.Remittances of Indians abroad otherwise than through normal banking channels, i. e. through compensatory payments. 3.Acquisition of foreign currency illegally by person in India. 4.Unauthorized maintenance of accounts in foreign countries. 5.Illegal acquisition of foreign exchange through Hawala. 6.Secreting of commission abroad. Organizational Set-Up *The Enforcement directorate, with its HQs at New Delhi has seven zonal offices at Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Jalandhar, Madras, Ahmedabad and Bangalore. The zonal offices are headed by the Dy. Directors * The Directorate has 9 sub zonal offices at Agra,Srinagar, Jaipur, Varanasi, Trivendrum, Calicut, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Goa, which are headed by the Asstt. Directors. FEMA 1999 ENFORCEMENT DIRECTORATE Established by Central Govt to investigate due adherence to the provisions of the Act by market participants. Concerned with enforcement of the provisions of the Act to prevent leakage of foreign exchange occurring through various malpractices. Directorate of Enforcement is responsible for detection of cases relating to violation and performance of adjudicatory functions to curb malpractices FUNCTIONS To collect and develop intelligence relating to violation of provisions of FEMA. To conduct searches of suspected persons, conveyances and premises for seizing incriminating materials. To enquire into and investigate suspected violations or provisions of FEMA. To adjudicate cases of violations of FEMA for levying penalties and also for confiscating the amounts involved in contraventions. To realise penalties in departmental adjudication. The Parliament has enacted the Foreign Exchange Management Act,1999 to replace the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1973. This Act came into force on the 1st day of June,2000. To investigate provisions of the Act, the Central Govt. have established the Directorate of Enforcement with Director and other officers as officers of the Enforcement. ROLE OF ENFORCEMENT DIRECTORATE The Directorate of Enforcement is mainly concerned with the enforcement of the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act to prevent leakage of foreign exchange which generally occurs through the following malpractices 1) Remittances of Indians abroad otherwise than through normal banking channels, i.e. through compensatory payments. Acquisition of foreign currency illegally by person in India. Non ²repatriation of the proceeds of the exported goods. Unauthorised maintenance of accounts in foreign countries. Under ²invoicing of exports and over ²invoicing of imports and any other type of invoice manipulation. Siphoning off of foreign exchange against fictitious and bogus imports land by Illegal acquisition of foreign exchange through Hawala. Secreting of commission abroad. 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) Directorate has to detect cases of violation and also perform substantial adjudicatory functions to curb such malpract ices. ORGANISATION SET-UP The Enforcement Directorate, with its Headquarters at New Delhi has seven zonal offices at Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Jalandhar, Madras, Ahmedabad and Bangalore. The zonal offices are headed by the Deputy Directors. The Directorate has nine sub ²zonal offices at Agra, Srinagar, Jaipur, Varanasi, Trivandrum, Calicut, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Goa, which are headed by the Assistant Directors. The Directorate has also a Unit at Madurai, which is headed by a Chief Enforcement Officer. Besides, there are three Special Directors of Enforcement and one Additional Director of Enforcement, FUNCTIONS The main functions of the Directorate are as under: ² The main functions of the Directorate are as under 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 To enforce Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999 and Prevention of money Laundering Act 2002. To collect and develop intelligence relating to violation of the provisions of Foreign Exchange Management Act and Prevention of money Laundering Act 2002. To conduct searches of suspected persons, conveyances and premises and seize incriminating materials (including Indian and foreign currencies involved) To enquire into and investigate suspected violations of provisions of Foreign Exchange Management Act and Prevention of money Laundering Act 2002. To adjudicate cases of violations of Foreign Exchange Management Act penalties departmentally and also for confiscating the amounts involved in violations. To realize the penalties imposed in departmental adjudication; To attach and confiscate properties involved in the act of Money laundering. To arrest the pers on suspected to be involved in the act of money laundering. To prosecute the person involved in the act of money laundering. In addition to the above functions relating to the Foreign Exchange Management Act. Directorate also processes and recommends cases for detention of habitual offender under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act,1974 (COFEPOSA), which provides interalia for detention of a person with a intention of preventing him from acting in a manner prejudicial to the conservation and augmentation of exchange. PROCEDURAL PROVISIONS For enforcing the provisions of various sections of FEMA,l999, the officers of Enforcement Directorate of the level of Assistant Director and above will have to undertake the following functions: 1) 2) 3) 4) Collection and development of intelligence/information. Keeping surveillance over suspects. Searches of persons/vehicles as per provisions of Income ²tax Act,1961. Searches of premises as per provisions of Income ²tax Act,1961. 5) Summoning of persons for giving evidence and producing of documents as per provisions of Income ²tax Act,l96l. Power to examine persons as per provisions of Income ²tax Act,196l. Power to lcall for any information/document as per provisions of Income ²tax Act , 1961. Power to seize documents etc. as per provisions of Income ²tax Act,196l. Custody of documents as per Income ²tax Act,196l. Adjudication and appeals- Officers of and above the rank of Dy Director of Enforcement, are empowered to adjudicate cases of contravention of the provisions of the Act; these proceedings which are quasi ²judicial in nature, start with the issuance of show cause notice; in the event of cause tshown by the Notice ²not being found satisfactory, further proceedings are held, vis. personal hearing, in which the noticee has a further right to present his defence, either in person or through any authorised representative; on conclusion of these proceedings, the adjudicating authority has to examine and consider the evidence on record, in its entirety and in case the charges not being found proved, the noticee is acquitted, and in the e vent of charges being found substantiated, such penalty, as is considered appropriate as per provisions of section 13 of the Act can be imposed, besides confiscation of amount involved in these contraventions. The penalty imposed has to be deposited in the concerned office of the Dy. Director within 45 days of the date of receipt of the Adjudication order. In case the party feels aggrieved by the orders of the adjudicating authority, he/she/they can refer appeal, before the Appellate Tribunal/Special Director (Appeal), Foreign Exchange. Whereas, another appeal lies to the High Court, against the order of the Appellate Tribunal, however, only in the matters involving question/points of Law. PUBLIC GRIEVANCES MACHINERY The Directorate keeps a constant vigil over its officers/staff and strict action is taken against anybody found/suspected to be involved in any undesirable activity. The Vigilance Cell of the Directorate works under the direct supervision of the Director of Enforcement, and, at present, it includes two very senior officers.

Book Review: Understanding Dying, Death, and Bereavement

Book Review: Understanding Dying, Death, and Bereavement Antonia Wadell Abstract The research was based on interdisciplinary subject of social thanatology to further explain the process of dying, death and bereavement. The main objectives are to sensitize people to the subject of dying, death and bereavement, to aid those who have experienced loss of a love one to help individuals examine their own feelings and reactions to death and grieving, to make readers aware of different cultural groups’ death and bereavement. The topics cover cross-cultural examples of traditions, customs and burial rites through end of life issues. The different theories are introduced from Piaget cognitive stages of development, Durkheim’s four type of suicide, and Erickson’s developmental stages through suggested readings from latent functions of a funeral. Current issues of death and dying are covered in the research and the legal issues of death in today’s society. The scholarly and academically is practical for students because it addresses personal issue s relating to an individual ability to cope with psychological and the social processes of dying, death and bereavement. Summary The text was written to inform students in different fields how to go through end of life issues. The authors, Drs. Leming Dickinson, wanted to prepare informative, practical, words of wisdom to be understood by understanding the emotional and psychological experience to the process of dying, death and bereavement. The textbook begins with the current interest in death from different academic perspective to the through the grieving process through the life cycle. The American public has suffered great losses due to mass killings of the innocence bystanders so it has become a mystery to understand the loss of life and the lingering deaths of the chronic illness of love ones who come to the end of their lives. Thanatology has become a social interest in learning to deal with death emotionally and psychologically. Leming Dickinson desire to prepare medical and theological students for work related death. Death rate is based on gender, race, chronic disease and infant mortality that track the number of deaths for the year. The authors explains the different academia approaches to the topic of death by first understanding the biological approach, the psychological approach, anthropological approach and sociological approach through analysis of these approaches the student should acquire that this is a part of the end cycle of life. We must learn to cope with death because it will not diminish over time but continuing to be a part of life. In our society, we tend to know more about death based on causes and conditions but we haven’t learned to cope with it. Society must learn to talk about death with our young people and explain it to those who are children need to understand their emotions and the concept of death. The more we age the less frighten we become to accept death and we began to depend on intellectual, educational and social skills because our physical prowess will diminish. Our religious beliefs and practices are related to the preparation that Christ gave to the church that we would be transformed physical into a spiritual being. Many different societies believe in a supernatural force due to less complexity of their society however; societies which are more advance tend to rely more on scientific and advance technology to explain the causes of the situation. Religion tends to help people cope with the loss of a love one. The thought of dying is stressful but we must learn to be aware of dying and death through the understanding the emotional and psychological especially dealing with children and siblings of children because this not the natural of life but it is apparent that the effect of the loss will impact the family. The stages of grief developed by Kubler-Ross would benefit a family experiencing grief. The American way of life has progressed and accepted change to the way the dying has chosen to end life being surrounded by family and friends. No longer is the setting to death is at the home of the love one but now the settings can be at hospice care, nursing home and hospital. Hospice allows the younger child to be near the terminally ill and it allows the dying person to have all members there. The dying person may have the option to die where they chose which not an option of the past was. The changes of today’s care of the dying is to give them palliative care which focuses on the whole care of the person ranging from physical,social,psychological and spiritual attributes. Technology has changed the way death is determined because scientific breakthrough can allow the body live without brain activity. An individual can have life sustained for years with life support machines. Patients have the choice to donate their organs to give the hope of life to others who suffering from chronic ailments and diseases. The rise in suicide has been a road of debate does one have the right to take his/her life or rather die on his/her terms instead suffering through the chronic pain of an illness. Dr. Kevorkian begins to assist the terminally ill with the suicide or rather euthanasia procedure to end the cycle of life. The sociological perspective is that suicide occurs based on the feelings, thinking and doing by the person. The most important thing about the effect of suicide is that the love ones may be left with the feelings of shame and guilt. The people who are left to grieve may have a long road to find closure due to the perception of ‘no social support’ among others who are grieving too. The average person who attempt suicide is either adolescent, elderly male and not married. Males, more than females are likely to commit suicide because the males will use deadly weapons to complete the task. The death experience is more than a biological process because it connected to social structure and correct behavior related is shared, symboled and situated by those who are relative to the dying person. In the United States, funerals are the expression of one’s grief and bereavement period for the mourner. The development of insurance policies, cemeteries and funerals are part of the contemporary American life styles and regulation of funeral homes. The process of end of life issues by giving advance directives to dispose of personal property, living will and legal healthcare of power attorney. In the United States, the cost of a funeral expenses may run anywhere from $2500.00 to $9000.00 however; that is only one part of the expenses to death because all the deceased personal and hospital bills need to be paid. The legal system handles a person life from beginning to end. The process of grieving, bereavement roles, normal acceptance to the loss, four tasks of mourning and coping with a violent death are the methods to start the healing process. The grief process is not automatic because those who are grieving really need to do grief work to find closure. The stages of grief developed by Kavenaugh began with the shock and denial, disorganization, volatile reactions, guilt, loss and loneliness, relief and reestablishment. The behaviors and Kubler- Ross five stages of the dying process are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The five stages are described in detail of the behaviors associated to the dying process. The transformative process within grief includes three components that can be understood by three questions: 1.What have I lost? 2.What do have left? 3. What may be possible for me? The process of transformation takes time and each question should be given the work to understand and to accept the loss. The mourner needs to have social support and assistance in the bereavement process. The most important deed that can be given to the mourner is to give of yourself time to listen and comfort them in their loss. The life cycle will be experienced by all and it will not be easy but those who are left behind have to learn to make adjustments to their lives. The loss of a love one does promote a growth experience with those who are left behind because it teaches those to meet the challenges of life without their love one. In conclusion, the textbook begins with the current interest in death from different academic perspective to the through the grieving process through the life cycle. The ability to understand the cycle of normal and abnormal grief by the symptoms identified through the text. To use the text to understand the stages of grief and apply them to the lives those who are suffering from depression and withdrawal from society. The authors give important steps to having a healthy recovery from grief. This is basically a map to begin the road of recovery from the need to understand the supernatural, the secular or the spiritual side of death. Concrete Response Upon reading this textbook of dealing with the subject of death and dying there were two topics that captured my attention. The first topic discussed those individuals who are in older adulthood. The authors talk about how the older adults are treated within the death and dying process. The elderly seem to be placed in nursing homes where they are expected to live until they die quietly. The older adults seem to be forgotten and tossed aside as if they were old news. This topic reminded me of my maternal grandmother and how she went through her dying process. I was stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina when she died. The immediate family, which included siblings, and grandchildren, were called to the hospital to make an important family decision about her arrangements after leaving the hospital. The decisions that needed to be made were where were we going to place her? Would she be institutionalized or would she die at home? The other decision was if the family wanted her to be sustained by life support systems until death. The factors that we had to consider were her age, would her body be strong enough to undergo any surgical procedures if necessary and what type of quality of life would she be able to maintain? First of all, my grandmother was 102 years old at the time of her death. Secondly, her body was so fragile that we were afraid for the doctors to do anything else to her. The doctors let us know that they had done all they could do f or her. Finally, the doctors made us aware of her condition and that her quality of life would not be a good one as her time to live was limited. The family made the decision to let her die at home in peace, and there would not be any life support equipment given to her. I noticed that my mother was not in agreement with the decision and made it known to me after leaving the hospital. My mother wanted to do whatever was necessary to keep my grandmother alive. Needless to say I felt as if I had betrayed my mother and my grandmother due to the decision that was made. The other event that came to mind was the death of a premature baby that belonged to a friend of mine and her husband in the military. I was disturbed by the picture of a family on page 14 posing for a family photo with the dead child in the mother’s arms. I understand that this is their way of keeping record of the living as well as the deceased but I felt that the picture was so impersonal. Not only did the family seem sad but there seemed to be coldness in the picture with the deceased child. My friend and I were stationed in Germany but we were both from the state of Georgia. My friend and her husband had not been married long but they were looking forward to becoming parents. She had to be taken to the hospital early due to some complications with the pregnancy. She had tried to have a baby before but unfortunately she miscarried. My friend had asked me to come to the hospital for moral support sense her family was not present at that time and I agreed to be there. Her husband was fortunate enough to have his younger sister stationed at the same base. When the baby was delivered the doctor told them that the baby was premature and alive but he was not sure for how long. After an hour the doctor came into her room an informed her and her husband that the baby had passed away due to being premature. The nurse came in and asked the couple if they wanted to see the baby and they of course replied yes. The nursing staff brought them their baby, placed the baby in the motherà ¢â‚¬â„¢s arms, and then took a photograph with the couple holding the baby. The father broke down in tears and my friend touched the baby for the last time. I asked the nurse was that a common procedure and why was it necessary. The nurse explained that taking the picture was a common procedure as some parents want to remember their first child whether they are alive or not. In my heart I did not agree with the procedure because of the agony I witnessed in that room but I was in no position to protest. Reflections The textbook help me to truly understand the grief process and I would like to work further on the process for myself because of the loss I have had in my life. I have suffered a great loss within the last nine years. I agree with the author about the experience with grief and losing a child and a parent has given me the ability to finish working through my issues. The scriptures of Lazarus allows me to look at death as an end of growth in natural rim but a new beginning in the spiritual. The key points of story are the time and the end of the story that we overcome through death. Being able to give someone the closure of losing a love one is the greatest gift that a person can give. I had to realize that I had to go on after the greatest loss of my life but God gave me the courage to keep living. I was riding home by myself and I heard the voice of God speak to me with the deepest of conviction: Now, you understand my feelings about my son whom I sacrificed for the world from that moment on I found strength in those words to help those who were suffering from a loss. The content of the book answered a lot of questions for me because I was given a method to actually go through the process and definitely face some the things I didn’t want to face with death. The textbook was a process of healing for me because I suffered loss during my last class and now I know that I am healing from the course. The course and content showed me if I had done the grief work and I honestly say at points I had not work through all of the stages of grief. Application The information from this book will influence how I will continue my own personal and professional growth process by aiding me to provide informative knowledge facts about death and dying to family, friends and clients. For example, there is a wealth of information concerning the â€Å"The Business of Dying in which I can provide help with the task of planning for funerals. I would aide my clients in researching the best options for life insurance so that they will be prepared if death does occur. I had a pastor express to me that one of the most common problems in the African American community is the lack of life insurance needed in order to provide the deceased family member a proper burial. He stated that at the last funeral he held in his church he had to take up an offering in order to assist the family with funeral expenses. I would like to offer grief support groups for parents who have lost their children. The increasing unrest happening in the different cities of our socie ty is being plagued with the deaths of African American children. There seems to be more of a need for grief support groups. While grieving for my son I was recommended to an organization called â€Å"The Bereaved Parents of the USA†. The organization was instrumental in guiding me as well as other bereaved parents through the bereavement process. The actions or changes that I plan to make in my career and personal life as a result of my learning are first to search out training programs that will train me to become an effective crisis response person. This book has demonstrated that death needs to be studied more in depth and that we should not be afraid of the unknown. I would like to volunteer in a church organization that provides trained individuals that are qualified to demonstrate the procedures that need to be used to in a crisis situation. I have an interest in researching what certifications will be needed to qualify to become a crisis response person. This book has furthered my commitment to become a bereavement counselor because I have had the experience and understand the pain which will allow me to help those who have begun this journey and I can walk with them to recovery. If given the chance, I would work with death and dying patients because I believe that they will see the love of God in me and I will offer a listening ear, a very open heart and the gift of laughter to those who need to be comforted in their time of sorrow. Reference Leming, M. R. Dickinson, G. E. (2011).Understanding dying, death, and bereavement (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.