9 Resume Mistakes That Make You Look Dumb by Lauren Gartner

9 Resume Mistakes That Make You Look Dumb 9 Resume Mistakes That Make You Look Dumb What is a resume? It is not something you send out that lists your job experience and your educational background, in the hopes that someone will read it and think you might be good for an interview. A resume is a marketing tool, and you have to get into the â€Å"feel† of marketing if you are going to sell yourself on a piece of paper. Resume Designs and Formats Resume designs have changed, and you can change your design based upon the type of organization to which you are applying – conservative, moderate, fairly progressive, and â€Å"out there.† These are things you can learn about anywhere. The other thing about resumes today is that you can format your background information in several different ways – you don’t have to go with the standard chronological order necessarily. Again, you can find examples of all types of formats online, and really good recommendations about which to use dependent upon your circumstances and the organizations to which you are applying. Dumb Mistakes You may have the greatest, most-eye-catching design and the perfect format fit for a position opening, but if you make any of these dumb mistakes, your work will find its next home in â€Å"resume heaven.† Putting an Objective at the Top of Your Resume Objectives are meaningless because they do not speak to what you can offer the organization; they only speak to what you want. A potential employer doesn’t care about what you want. S/he wants someone who can be a problem-solver for the organization. If you must have a headline, and those are good to have sometimes, make it about the specific position and what you can bring to that position. Long Prose and Sentences Think about it. When you want to read something quickly, what do you want to see? You want to see short sentences and phrases, bullet points, and really important stuff in bold or underlined. A reviewer of our resume is no different. Fast-track your accomplishments with action verbs, phrases, and bullets. Linking to All of Your Social Media Accounts Who cares if you are on Facebook – so is half the human race. If a potential employer wants to access your page, s/he will. Now, if you have a really great LinkedIn profile or an online portfolio, then that is quite another story. Definitely, link to those. Grammatical Errors and Typos Your college professors didn’t like grammar mistakes, and resume reviewers don’t either. You look either really lazy or compositionally challenged. You don’t want to â€Å"look† either. So, check your resume a bunch of times for any English mistakes and have somebody else check it too. Lying You certainly want to paint yourself as someone who has accomplished a lot, especially in those specific areas included in the job posting. But overstating your accomplishments, exaggerating your educational performance, stating you resigned when you were terminated – these things have a way of catching up, especially when background checks, references, and online research can reveal so much. If you don’t want to say you were fired, don’t. You can talk about the circumstances during the interview if you are asked. Too Long Less is really more when it comes to resumes. Be concise, and brief. When you speak to accomplishments, stop with the laundry lists. Include those that directly relate to the position you are seeking. If there isn’t a really good fit, then list the most significant ones. There will be time to speak to the others during an interview if they become relevant. Good rule of thumb: If you don’t have a lot of employment experience, one page is the max; if you are a more seasoned professional with several positions and/or a number of years of employment, two pages should be the max. Same Words Over and Over How many times can you say â€Å"developed,† or â€Å"organized,† or â€Å"lead,† or â€Å"produced?† In a resume, the answer is many! Find some synonyms for words that you are using over and over again – maybe some that â€Å"pop† or add some â€Å"sparkle.† Using Passive Voice You want to give the impression that you take action; you do that with action verbs. All accomplishments that you list should begin with an action verb (not the word â€Å"I† either). â€Å"Increased sales by 15% over a period of one quarter;† â€Å"Created new marketing strategies which increased conversions by 46%.† Now you’re an action figure! Failure to Customize If you don’t customize your resume for each position, using keywords that will be picked up by automated screening tools, then you won’t look dumb to someone reviewing your resume. Your resume will never make it to that someone at all. Any reader can pick out generic resumes – they are vague and do not speak to specifics of the position s/he has available – deleted! Use the information available to you regarding design and format. Then go through this list and make sure that you are not committing the fatal errors that will kill your chances for an interview.

Why Good Girls Like Bad Boys Essays

Why Good Girls Like Bad Boys Essays Why Good Girls Like Bad Boys Essay Why Good Girls Like Bad Boys Essay Application Paper Why Good Girls like bad boys? Just about every woman at some point in her dating life will fall for a bad boy. For example there’s Edward and Bella from the Twilight Series and there’s Uncle Jesse from Full House. A bad boy is a thug, a roughneck and a rebel without a cause or he could be the nice guy next door who’s smooth as silk, but deep down inside he’s a cold hearted person. Bad boys are the type of guys your mom warns you about but because they’ve got thug appeal your common sense goes out the window. If you ask most females why they like bad boys it’s because they like the challenge, the excitement and the thrill of living vicariously. According to evolutionary reasoning, the isolation of male and female species is not to mate but due to their reactions to each other. This occurs in many animals because the female animal becomes attracted to the male animal that stands out the most of all the other males. For example peacock’s spread their wings making themselves more vulnerable to predators as a sort of way to attract the opposite sex. Peacock’s are risking their lives which show how strong and dedicated they are towards standing out and being above all the other peacocks. Women find security, resources, and signs of commitment and long-term mates attractive while men find youth, fertility, and chastity and short-term mates attractive. Distance is also a major factor for women and even animals whether it’s close or faraway. For a typical bad boy and a good girl it is usually the good girl who really wants to make the first approach but doesn’t because she’s afraid of what he may think of her. And for the bad boy he just continues to stand out but if neither one is able to approach the other then the attraction would just end at that. I believe that there is four reasons why good girls like bad boys. The first one is the secret fear of intimacy. If a girl is attracted to guys who they cannot really have it is because they don’t want a real relationship. Girls find a bad boy so appealing because they can be with him without ever letting him get too close. This is related to the attachment theory. Because these girls haven’t had a father figure in their life they have an anxious/ambivalent attachment to the guy. This is because the girl is characterized by a concern that others will not reciprocate one’s desire for intimacy. Secondly, it could be that it’s a subconscious wish to bring daddy back home. As you already know the relationship you had with your father shapes the relationships you will have with other males. Growing up without a father or if he father wasn’t emotionally available can be a girls reason for wanting to find someone who can fill that void. The third reason is low self esteem. If a girl is in a relationship with a guy who lies, cheats, talks down to them, then they do not feel good about themselves. When people feel good about themselves they set standards about what they want in life. Lastly, is media brainwashing. The media has brainwashed so many people in our society. For example, the Jerry Springer Show or the latest music videos, in these you can see how the media portrays the bad boy image as every girl’s dream. Popular television and music videos try to make you believe that it is acceptable for guys to disrespect females and reduce them as sex objects and nothing more. In class we read an experiment, Dutton Aron Experiment: Some Evidence for Heightened Sexual Attraction Under Conditions of High Anxiety. The experiment showed that fear and arousal are linked. The same part of the brain is activated, the amygdala. There was an experimental bridge which was a small, rickety ridge that easily swayed and was located 230 feet above a shallow river with pointed rocks. Then there was also a control bridge which was a much wider, more stable, and stronger bridge which was located 10 feet above a relatively safe looking river. Males who crossed either bridge were approached by an attractive female and asked to fill out a questionnaire. The males were then given the female’s phone number. The attraction was measured by how many males called the females. On the experimental bridge 50% of the males called the female and on the control bridge 12% of the males called the female. Bad boys are seen as rebels: they get into fights, ride motorcycles, have enemies, etc. and being with fearful men creates fear and anxiety, which leads to arousal.

Insurance Need for Workers and Citizens within the Drilling Zone Term Paper

Insurance Need for Workers and Citizens within the Drilling Zone - Term Paper Example This paper illustrates that the Texas Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the death of oil workers increased by 3.2 percent for the period between 2008-2012, to a total of 545. The Houston Chronicle reported that Texas had the highest deaths at 216. The oil and natural gas industry in Texas faces challenges where insurance partners and energy companies will be forced to adapt for them to benefit from emerging opportunities, as well as the changing landscape. Recently, changing relationships, technological advances and global demand have turned natural gas and oil resources that were previously inaccessible into lucrative opportunities. However, it is evident that opportunities bring about risks that have to be prevented or accounted for by the companies. The companies exploiting these new opportunities increase the potential risks of incurring heavy losses. The subsequent strategic, reputational and financial consequences for the companies involved can be significant. As a result, natural gas and oil companies should focus on the price as well as the quality of their insurance cover. Insurance is an efficient tool for mitigating loss and transferring risk. There are various risks that Texas oil exploration industries face which should be covered with insurances. According to Amirbekyan & Stylianos, oil and natural gas fracking activities pose risks to human health. During the fracking process, approximately 600 chemicals are used to drill out natural gas including known carcinogens and toxicants such as radium, methanol, lead, uranium, mercury, formaldehyde and hydrochloric acid. Natural gas producers engage in activities that have a negative effect on the health of the people and drinking water. The extraction and production of natural gas contaminates water and releases poisonous gases into the atmosphere.

Provide an outline of the various selection methods that are Essay

Provide an outline of the various selection methods that are available. From this discuss their accuracy as selection tools, which are most popular and why - Essay Example Selection methods should be reliable and applicable. Here are different types of recruitment selection methods, along with a brief description of their efficacy as recruitment tools. Competency-Based Interview: This selection tool has a very comprehensive structure. McLaughlin (in Dayan et al 2008, pg.102) stated that the competency-based interview has a certain degree of rigidity that makes it very precise in matching the applicants skill sets with the prerequisites of the job. Ellen OMahony, Financial Directions manager, stated that the competency interview is definite when it comes to determining the adequacy of the qualifications appropriate for a specific post. A competency is depicted as the knowledge and skills essential to perform a job; however, individual attributes and attitudes do add up thus making attitudes a critical part of what needs to be assessed. Detailed job analysis is the foundation of a competency interview, leading to a list of job requirements (Dayan et al 2008, pg.102). Traditional personality tests: These tests are direct to the point, gauging the personality and preferences of the individual. For example, it measures whether the applicant is introverted or extroverted; authoritative or collaborative; a leader or a team player; touchy-feely or cold and so on. These tests help assess key personality traits of the person. To look for consistency, questions are asked repetitively (Taylor 2009, p.35). The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) is traditional personality test. It is a personality questionnaire that measures deeply rooted and potentially self-destructive predispositions that can be manifested by a person under stress. This questionnaire is extensively used in the UK and internationally across an array of sectors, including financial services, construction, government, IT, airlines, shipping and retail. The HDS emphasizes 11 proven characteristics

Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Communications - Essay Example Ease of use and included software installation are other selling points touted on the product web page. This system would prove effective in corrections facilities, which would be expected since this is the target market segment for the product. The Comfort Contego is a communication system that is promoted as a device for hearing enhancement and assistance. On a webpage on which the device is sold (TecEar LLC, 2011), the Comfort Contego is described as a high definition wireless FM system that uses an encrypted signal on securely coded channels. These features have several areas of use (lectures, at school or work, entertainment and telephone audio enhancement), but the secure nature of the system makes it an ideal hearing assistance device for courtrooms. The technology applied in this device is a focal point in the marketing of the Comfort Contego, with features such as the FM transmission system, integration with hearing aids, and the presence of two microphones being advertised as technical benefits associated with the device. If the Comfort Contego communication system is as secure as is advertised, then it would be ideal for sensitive applications such as courtroom hearing

Safe Use Of Online Shopping

Safe Use Of Online Shopping When you use the internet, it doesnt matter where you are in person. You can view the same web pages and shop on the same online store without having to physically enter the store. This provides huge advantages for online shopping over conventional shopping. No traffic hassles, no parking problems, no fighting the crowds of people visiting in the shopping center! Before the World Wide Web, people used to shop around looking for the best gift for the best price. Now, the story is a different. You can do everything youre your own home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can browse and select products; purchase and gift wrap; and even organize delivery of the goods online, anytime and anywhere in the world. But, just like any other good thingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.there are risks that come with online shopping. You can easily become a victim of phishing, identity theft and fraud. So you must take precautions to ensure that you and your family are always safe when youre shopping online. As noted many times in this book, the most common examples of online fraud are phishing scams, auction fraud, credit card fraud and online shopping fraud. In chapter 4 we have looked a number of examples of how these scams work. If you are unfamiliar with these scams please review them before continuing. Defense in Depth is the Best Security Strategy As I have said many times, everyone has to take responsibility to protect them from online fraud. You are a wise person because you are educating yourself about internet fraud by learning and adopting simple proven internet safety practices. In chapters 16 17, we looked at protecting your home computer network using a Defense in Depth security strategy. Here, we looked at seven different layers of security. If youre not sure about this strategy then you should re-read this chapter. This is the best security strategy you can use when youre shopping online. This chapter builds on the principle taught in these chapters. Fighting Against Spam If you intend to surf the Internet, then the best thing you can do is to install an internet security suite. Many internet security suites like Nortons Internet Security have spam phishing filters as a standard features or at worst an optional downloads. The spam filters use in-built rules to detect and filter spam phishing e-mail into separate files. Spam filters also blacklist the offending mail preventing it from reaching you. If your spam filter is working well, you will never see the spam unless you locate the file in the security directory and view it. However, even if you have the best anti-spam software in the world, spam can still evade your spam filter and end up in your inbox. You also need to know how to detect spam and deal with it correctly. Here are some of the important features that you should look for when choosing the ideal spam filtering subscriptionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.accuracy and false-positive rating. Accuracy ratings refer to the percentage of legitimate e-mails that successfully reaches the users inbox after being filtered. The accuracy of several spam filtering subscriptions are continually being tested by passing thousands of e-mails through the spam filter. Today, a spam accuracy rating of 80% is very poor. You should expect a minimum rating of 95% and some anti-spam subscriptions have accuracy ratings as high as 98% to 99%. The False-Positive rating is the percentage of legitimate e-mails that have been wrongly identified as spam. This rating should be less than 1%. Different computer publications such as PCWorld and PCMagazine offer reports on the accuracy and false-positive ratings of spam filtering subscriptions. The cost of spam-filtering subscriptions has to be measured against the services it providesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.ultimately you get what you pay for! A subscription may be expensive but it may be worth paying for its quality features, speed and control. Sometimes choosing a lower cost provider means paying more in lost time and poor output performance. A good spam filter should fit your specific needs. It should be flexible in its configuration so that it meets your needs. It should also provide automatic updates. There are some simple rules that you should follow: When you detect spam in the email box, never respond to the spammer. Avoid opening your spam messages at allà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.just delete it. Whenever a pop-up window appears from someone you dont knowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦just delete it! They are mostly scams. Do not close your mail box or blog without signing off completely. Use usernames and passwords that are hard to guess. You should review Chapter 17 for rules about creating and using strong passwords. How does shopping online increase the risk of identity theft? Using shopping carts in unsecured websites dramatically increases the risk of you becoming a victim of identity theft. I learnt that lesson the hard way! In chapter 1, I told you my story as to how I twice became an identity theft. The first time was 1995 by people with whom I shared a residence. At the time, this was the most common method of identity theft. In 2001, I became a victim of identity theft victim a second time. Online shopping sites were in their infancy and internet security technology was not as advanced as it is today. Unfortunately, I made a credit card payment for a product sold on an unsecured website. My personal data was stolen and my credit card was charged with a number of fraudulent purchases. Fortunately, I discovered the fraud early and the bank was able to stop it and limit the damage. Be warned! There are still unsecure online shopping sites operating today. Please do not use them! In chapters 3 4 our story, our poor fall guy Victor, uses the internet for online shopping. He has no sense of security and suffers immensely. If you are not sure about what can happen to you when you are on the internet, then you would do well to reread these chapters. Learn how to read a websites privacy policy One of the most important steps to protecting your privacy is to be able to know how to read a websites privacy policy. Australian privacy laws dont enforce the use of privacy policies or the information that should be included in the policy or how it should be presented. Further there is no industry body which regulates online privacy policies. Therefore you should know what to look for when reading the privacy policy of the website you are visiting. You should expect that a privacy policy be made available to you in writing if you are asked to provide personal information. In the bricks and mortar world, financial institutions, health facilities or other businesses that collect your private information, can be asked to show you their privacy policy before you give them that information. If the company does not you with a privacy policy, then you should consider doing business elsewhere. Websites should show of respect to their customers and tell them how their information will be used. In the online world, you will find privacy policies posted on their websites. The privacy policy tells you the steps they will take to protect your identity or to inform you of how they will treat the information you provide to them. Simply having a privacy policy does not guarantee you any level of protection, at all. However, to understand what information is protected and what is shared you must read the websites privacy policy. Each website has its own criteria for its privacy policy. Some websites give full protection including encryption of passwords. Further, they will not provide your information to any third party. Other websites will tell you that your information will be shared with any affiliated companies or business they feel you would be interested in hearing from. Therefore, you must read the policy to be aware of the steps being taken to protect you. Here are some of the items to look for on a privacy policy: What Information is Collected and Why? When a business is requesting personal information from you, it is reasonable to ask what information will be collected and why it is needed. If they request information that isnt relevant the website should clearly state why they need it. If there is no explanation for the request try to avoid giving the additional information or ask them why they need it. Asking for your income or the name of your spouse is the kind of information you might question providing without reasonable cause. How is the Information Collected? While filling out paper forms are straight forward in the bricks and mortar world, providing information is very different in the online world. You need to find out from websites how the information is being collected. Information can be collected in web forms or by electronically behind the scenes programs called cookies that are automatically installed on the visitors computer. Cookies track information about the web pages users click on, how long they spend there and the web address. This information can be tracked with or without your consent. Usually it is done to facilitate the companys marketing research or to assist you by using your information from previous visits. You should be able to find out what information is automatically stored by reading the privacy policy. What is the Information used for? If the online business asks for your personal or financial information you have a right to know what it will be used for. You must know if it is only used to complete the transaction? Or will they view a purchase as permission from you to market to you again in the future? Or will they sell your private information to other businesses? This information should be available in the websites privacy policy and information on how you can opt-out if you wish. Who Will Have Access to Your Information? Will the private information you have provided be sold or rented to other people or businesses? Will the website share your name, email address or purchasing habits with other affiliated businesses? These policies should be clearly outlined in the privacy policy. If they do sell or rent the names on their list, then you may wish to limit the information you provide to themà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦or deal with them. Watch out for terms like partners, affiliates or sponsors, since you will have no idea who will be receiving your private information. How Secure is Your Information? What steps has the website taken to protect your personal information? Any transaction where you enter and submit personal information should have SSL (Secure Socket Layers). SSL will encrypt the information so that it cant be read by others during transmission. We will discuss website security in detail later in this chapter. Can You Correct Your Personal Information? You should be able to review and/or correct information that will be collected about you. The steps should be clearly stated in the privacy policy and should be convenient and inexpensive. Can You Opt-Out? Wherever your information may be shared you have the right to opt-out. In some cases you can click an opt-in or opt-out box when entering your information. Make sure that these small boxes havent already checked as default, since legally you are implying that you are accepting the offer even if you havent personally checked the box. The privacy policy should also give you directions on how you can opt-out if you werent given the option when you entered your information. While this list is not exhaustive these are the main features you should look for in a websites privacy policy. The other information that should always be listed in the websites privacy page is a contact name, address and telephone number. You should always be able to speak to a real person regarding the websites privacy policy. How do you detect online shopping scams? Scammers love online shopping because it is very easy for them to target victims. Shoppers have to distinguish between an honest trader and a scammer. This is not as easy as you may think! Scammers are professional sales people who use proven social engineering techniques to trick you into doing something you wouldnt normally do. For example, scammers may pretend to sell you a product online at very cheap prices; but they are actually looking for your credit card or bank account details. They may take your money and send you a faulty or worthless product or even send you nothing at all. The important thing is that when they make a sale, they have captured what they wantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..your sensitive data like name, address, credit card number, bank accounts etc. They have tricked you into giving them your sensitive details in exchange for a worthless product! Buyer Protection Schemes Many online businesses put a lot of effort into protecting their customers from scammers. Some websites provide buyer protection schemes that will cover you if you are the victim of fraud. Credit card companies Visa and MasterCard; payment processing companies PayPal ClickBank; and banks around the world have buyer protection schemes. If you buy something through eBay or PayPal and it never arrives, or if it arrives significantly different than originally described by the seller, then youre eligible for a full refund. Check out PayPals Buyer Protection policy, and learn how to open a dispute. If you ever see a transaction in your PayPal account that you didnt authorize, you should report it immediately to PayPal. They will begin an investigation and help you get your money back. You can learn more about this process here. You should also be aware of sellers on online auction sites. They may offer to make a deal to you outside of the terms of eBay website. This is usually a good sign of a scam. You will also lose any fraud protection that eBay may provide. You must stay one step ahead of the scammers. The SCAMwatch website provides detailed advice about online shopping auction scams, internet scams and many other scams that target you. You can learn how scams work, how to protect yourself, and report a scam via SCAMwatch. Basic Tips for protecting yourself when shopping online Here are some important safety tips for online shopping: Use your credit card instead of a debit card: Credit cards offer better protection against identity theft than debit cards. For instance, when you use a credit card, your liability for any fraudulent charges is maximum $50, on the condition that you report the fraud within 30 to 60 days and you werent party to the fraud. On the other hand, when someone gains access to your debit card, and they clean your savings account, you may not be able to recover any of money at all. Use disposable credit cards: A recommended way to use a credit card is to get a disposable credit card. This works like any gift card from a bricks and mortar shop. You load it with a specified amount of money and the card is good until that amount is consumed. Then the card becomes worthless. This will protect you from identity theft. If a disposable credit card is stolen, the criminals will only gain access to the unused amount on the card. They cannot reload the card with additional funds. Check the website security. Before making any payments online through shopping cart sites, you should check the sites security. There are different levels of security available. You can check the URL web address. This is the box in the web browser where you type the websites online address e.g. www.anystore.com. A secure website will start the URL web address with HTTPS:// instead of the usual HTTP: //. Also, you should see a small lock icon in the screen which indicates that the site is a secure. This security level means that the online stores database and data transmissions for your transaction that made over the internet have been fully secured. The transaction is locked and receiver must use the correct key to open the transactionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.just like a key to a house! Data transmissions that should be secured include: Notification emails; Online downloads; and Payment transfers between the site and other sites. A single online transaction will access the databases of a bank, a payment processing company, a credit card company and a secure online storage company etc. Dont shop online from public computers. If you want to shop online, then do so from the comfort of your own home. This ensures that you use your own secured computer which is free from internet nasties like viruses and worms, malware and spyware botnets. Shopping online at an internet cafà © can be very dangerous because the computer and the wireless network may not be secure. Hackers can easily steal your private data from internet cafà ©s. Read and understand the websites terms conditions and privacy statements. Before buying online, make sure that you understand exactly what is involved in the purchase. The terms and conditions of your purchase should be outlined by the seller on the website. They may be located on a separate web page to the advertisement. The terms and conditions should be clear to you and outline any extra warranties or guarantees, security policies, privacy and returns. Make sure that you understand all the disclaimers of responsibility before you accept the terms and conditions. Credit Card Security codes. If you use a credit card with a magnetic stripe, then online stores will require the CVV or card verification number when you make a purchase. You will find the CVV code on the back of your credit card in the signature bar. The last 3 digits of the code are required to be entered into the website online payment page. This number is designed to prevent fraudulent purchases from someone who does not have your card but may have stolen your personal details like name; card number and expiration date. Advanced security measures. Another security feature credit card companies are using is to create a second level of security by adding an additional password. An example of this is Verified by Visa or Mastercard Secure Code. These are optional security features provided by selected websites or payment processing systems. If you activate the code and shop on sites that carry the Verified by Visa or Mastercard Secure Code logos, the check out process will require the entry and validation of additional secret password or PIN that you previously have set up. The purchase cannot be authorized without successful validation of this second password or PIN. Automatic teller machines (ATM) and point of sale terminals also have this option to enter a PIN number for magnetic stripe cards. Modern Micro-chip PIN technologies also provide a pass-over option where you dont have to swipe your card through an electronic readerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦you just pass your card by the electronic sensor and it reads all the cards details. You then enter a PIN into the machine for verification. These technologies are designed to prevent skimming attacks by hackers  [1]  . Phishing Emails Dont Get Reeled In. Be aware of email scams designed to gain access to your credit card information. Phishing scams have been discussed at length in chapters 3, 4, 16 17 in this book. Use a secure web browser when surfing online. How you pick the best web browser to use? There are many choices in how you can experience the world-wide-web. Some popular internet browsers include Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Chrome, and Safari to name a few. You should choose a popular browser is always safe but it also needs to have extra security features. By this I mean that it has additional security add-ons available. Internet Explorer has been active since the beginning of the internet. This web browser is preloaded on every computer that uses the Microsoft operating system. Unfortunately, history has proven that Microsofts Internet Explorer isnt the safest web browser available on the market. A competitor called Mozilla Firefox is quickly dominating the field. As of July 2010, Firefox has become the second most widely used Internet browser. Google Chrome, Opera and Safari are also fast becoming major players in the market. Read this review of web browsers from PCWorld. What makes Firefox special? This web browser features pop-up blocking, tab-browsing, easy to use privacy controls and an integrated Google search bar. In addition, Firefox provides you with over 1 billion add-ons and has about 120 million users. Many of its add-ons offer additional protection for a safer online buying experience. For example, the add-on Web of Trust shows a traffic-light rating based on four factors: trustworthiness, vendor reliability, privacy and child safety of a web page. McAfee SiteAdvisor is a similar add-on and Adblock Plus stops banner ads and pop-ups. Pop-ups can also carry computer viruses which can infect your system. You can also download a program called NoScript which forces web-programming like JavaScript, Java to only run from the trusted domains you have chosen. These are just a few samples of many add-on protections Mozilla Firefox offers their users for safe online shopping. They can be downloaded free from Firefoxs home page along with Mozilla Firefox. Check out the security features of Firefox here. What about other web browsers like Opera, Chrome Safari? You may think that the latest Internet browsers: Opera, Chrome, Safari, etc. are best to web browsers to use. However, theyre mostly brand new and still in the beta stages of testing. This means that not all the bugs and glitches on them have been all figured out. On the other hand Mozilla Firefox is already a proven web browser. Today, its considered a full operating web browser. In the near future, Opera, Chrome or other web browsers may overtake Firefox. Firefox is also continually updating its browser. However, for the moment, Firefox is the safest online shopping and security due to its many layers of security add-ons and customization. Before you do any online purchasing, you need to be sure your computer is secure with anti-virus software. This has been discussed thoroughly is chapters 16 17 of this book. By following these tips using Mozilla Firefox with adequate anti-virus protection will give you the confidence you need to have a safe online shopping experience. Online auction scams and how to avoid them Buying and browsing items online is a real treat and online auctions like eBay can deliver some real bargains! However, as usual there are many scams to trap you. Here are some really good tips for avoiding eBay scams and having a really great online shopping experience. Take note of the shipping prices. These can have a great effect on the total cost of the item. Some sellers will absorb the shipping costs, while others require you to pay the cost. If you have two vendors selling the same items with similar prices, then check out the best shipping offer. Check the online auction seller feedback scores: The most important precaution you should make is to check the online auction sellers feedback score. This score is vital because it is the reflection of the sellers credibility. This score tells you whether a seller can be trusted or not. If the online seller has feedback score greater than 95%, then it is most likely that the seller is reliable. You should also see the detailed feedback about the seller. Check the most recent buyers comments because they are a great hint as to how your prospective seller is like to do business with. Follow up on any negative comments and ask the complainant what the real problem is. If there are a number of negative comments about postage times, shipping, and delays, then the seller is not reliable. Keep On Browsing: Just like in real life shopping at bricks and mortar stores, there are online vendors that sell overpriced items. Prices vary from seller to sellerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.some offering a good deal, other not so good! It is important that you browse through a number of sellers that offer the same item to get the best price. Browsing through a sellers page is absolutely free so explore your choices. This is the best thing you can do make sure that you dont get ripped off. Pay for online auction purchases through PayPal: If you want to use a secure online payment system, then PayPal would be the service to have. PayPal and the eBay auction site merged in 2002 to form the largest online auction site in the world. The PayPal payment systems are the most reliable and secure payment processing you can get. There are no extra charges to pay and payment conversion is automatic. PayPal has an excellent after sales service, particularly in resolving disputes and returns. If the seller hasnt contacted you and your item hasnt arrived, then you can go to your eBay account and fill in a complaint form. This is transferred directly to PayPal and they organize your refund. PayPal have a very quick and efficient dispute resolution system. It should only be used if your seller hasnt contacted you within a month. Ask Questions: It would be best if you ask your prospective seller questions regarding the product. This way you will not encounter any misunderstandings and will have an understanding. Questions about price, quality, quantity and shipping are important. What Are They Selling? You should always be suspicious and check out thorough what the person has been selling over time. For example, if you see that they has been selling cheap magazine clippings in the past year and now are selling Gulfstream jets, there is obviously a reason to be suspicious. How to Avoid Internet Scams on Adult Websites Adult sites are very popular but criminals use these websites for identity theft purposes? There are two ways by which identity fraud can happen on adult websites. The most common method is the scammer enticing the unsuspecting user to download a file from the website containing a virus, malware or spyware, which in turn harms your computer. You can protect yourself from this fraud by installing a good anti-virus or anti-malware program (see chapter 16 17) You can also be an identity theft victim of when you unknowingly download a keylogger or dialer program or pop-up advertisement. This allows criminals to hijack your computer and steal vital information. For example, if you shop online regularly, they can use your credit card details to make online purchases. Before you become a member of the site, make sure that the site is a legitimate site. You can check this out by reading the User Agreement and Privacy Policy carefully. They are usually long documents and will take some time to review them. You must do this check these documents thoroughly, if you want to keep safe on the internet. You can also check the ownership of a website using the free search tool on the website Whois MyDomain. This website contributes to user confidence in the Internet by promoting legitimate uses of the websites including digital inclusion and e-commerce. The site helps users to identify the persons or entities responsible for web content and online services. If other family members use the computer, limit their access to see white-listed websites. This prevents others from accidentally downloading something into the computer. If your children are alone, you need to blacklist or block adult sites so they cant visit adult sites. Most internet users wont know if the adult website is fraudulent or not. Therefore it is advisable to install a website monitoring system. This program is designed to keep a log all the programs that are installed and visited. Website Monitoring programs can also be setup to automatically enforce a no downloading policy and no unsupervised surfing policy. For example, if your teenage child visits a blacklisted pornographic website, a message will appear informing the web surfer that the site cannot be visited. This ensures that your child will not be victimized when they are online. If you use Adult websites, you should always review your credit card bill or phone bill for any charges which you knew were never made. The earlier that you report these calls, the earlier the credit card or the telephone company will be able to adjust your account. Adult internet sites are not the only websites that are used by fraudsters. Charities, auction sites and commercial websites are also being used as a front by criminal gangs. If you think the site you are visiting is not legitimate, leave the site and report it to the police. Dating and Romance scams This scam takes advantage of your romantic side by befriending you. You may be a single person looking for love and are very vulnerable to attack. The scammers are professionals who can pretend to be whatever you think they are. In the online world you are anonymous, so you can pretend to be some-one else. For example, a male scammer could pretend to be a gorgeous female who is really interested in you. Female scammers can also pretend to be some-one elseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and so on! The scammers know the right emotional buttons you have and form an online relationship with you. When they have your complete confidence, they often start asking you for money. Normally this type of scam happens on dating sites and online social networks like MySpace or FaceBook. Online scammers are NOT interested in having a relationship with you no matter how attractive you may be. They have only one interest and that is to take advantage of you and defraud you! Never trust anybody you meet on the web unless you know and trust them in real life. In the real world, you need to spend quite some time with a person before you get to know them well enough to enter into a relationship with them. Here is an example of a dating and romantic scam that I received in my e-mail Good day, dear! I am looking for a strong, kind, caring man. In my life I have almost everything except love. Everything I want is to be loved by a man like you. You seemed to me very interesting and different from others. And I think you are the man I was looking for such a long time. You can be sure, I will make you the happiest man in the world! I will make true all your fantasies. And I can be for you not only a perfect lover, but the best friend and good wife. We will spend all our free time together. I need you here. I need you like my lungs need air. I do not find strange that my second half is so far away, my destiny and life has been all over the world, but now that I found you, I really need you near me as soon as possible. Please write me. I will be waiting for your letter http://finebeautifulwomen.net/6184/ See you later Uli M I immediately deleted the e-mail as spam. I am happily marriedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Online Gambling Scams There are many risks involved in online gambling. The game i

Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein and Confessions of a Justified

The Gothic Novels of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein and Confessions of a Justified Sinner      Ã‚  Ã‚   The word 'Gothic', taken from a Germanic tribe, the Goths, stood firstly for 'Germanic' and then 'mediaeval'. It was introduced to fiction by Horace Walpole in 'Castle of Otranto, a Gothic Story', and was used to depict its mediaeval setting. As more novelists adopted this Gothic setting; dark and gloomy castles on high, treacherous mountains, with supernatural howling in the distance; other characteristics of the 'Gothic Novel' could be identified. The most dominant characteristic seems to be the constant battle between the good and the dark side of the human soul and how that, given a chance, the dark side of human nature will gradually develop, through the actions of the character in question, until it has engulfed the good, and also raises the theme of suffering and isolation. Other keynotes of 'Gothic Novels' seem to be the misuse or abuse of technology. For example, science is used to create new beings, the characters turning against or abusing nature and/or God, w here the character may take on the role of God, the forbidden attraction of evil, the thrill of the kill, and death.    The novels Frankenstein, Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Confessions of a Justified Sinner all contain important truths about human nature and mankind. By looking into these three texts, I am going to explore exactly how they fit or do not fit into the various interpretations of 'Gothic' I have laid out. The two most prominent themes in Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde are those of the 'misuse of technology'and 'the dark side of man and all its attractions.' These two themes are, in fact, directly linked with each other as it is as a r... ... Making monstrous. Frankenstein, criticism, theory. Manchester University Press, 1991. Boyd, Stephen. York Notes on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Longman York Press, 1992. Mellor, Anne K. Mary Shelley. Her Life, her Fiction, her Monsters. Methuen. New York, London, 1988. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. Edited with an Introduction and notes by Maurice Hindle. Penguin books, 1992 Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New York:Dover Publishing, Inc., 1991.   Stevenson, Robert Louis.   The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.   1886.   The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Stories.   Harmondsworth: Penguin,1979.   27-97. Svilpis, J.E.   "The Mad Scientist and Domestic Affection in Gothic Fiction."   Gothic Fiction: Prohibition/Transgression.   Ed. Kenneth W. Graham.   New York: Ams, 1989.

Belonging: Past Hsc Student’s Draft

The need to belong is a human phenomenon that is the underlying cause of our actions. As humans, we search for like-minded people with whom we can find a sense of ourselves as people. This is a product of the fact that belonging is integral to the formation of one’s identity. However, a sense of belonging is often achieved by following a path of alienation. Similarly, alienation leads to disillusionment with that (verbose line) which one once believed in. Apocalypse Now directed by Francis Coppola, John Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat and Peter Skrzynecki’s poetry all deal with these three dimensions of belonging.Belonging and acceptance is integral to the formation of one’s identity. Peter Skrzynecki’s poem 10 Mary Street illustrates the security and comfort that is a product of a sense of belonging. In this case, it is a sense of belonging to a family routine that occurs daily at number 10 Mary Street. The mundanity of the routine provides stability and familiarity. Skrzynecki uses time frames such as â€Å"5pm† and â€Å"For nineteen years† to establish a sense of repetition and order in the reader’s mind.Collective pronouns such as â€Å"we† connote collaboration and inclusion in the family sphere. This family inclusivity allows the poet to establish his identity at an early age in a place in which he belongs, as shown when he describes him wandering in the garden after school. The simile â€Å"like a hungry bird† shows (avoid using ‘show’ repetitively) him to be curious and boisterous. It connotes a healthy organic childhood. In the second stanza of the poem, Skrzynecki uses images of growth and nurturing to suggest a loving family environment and a sense of belonging to the land.The quiet â€Å"hum-drum† of daily routines, such as washing clothes and gardening, suggests that the house and Skrzynecki’s parents rarely change. This conjures an image of immense strength and solidarity. Skrzynecki establishes his childhood home as an enduring sphere of safety. He does this by personifying the house â€Å"in its china-blue coat† as a friend and part of the family. The home is a place in which to remember their Polish heritage. The repetition of the line â€Å"for nineteen years† illustrates the length of time that his family have been paying homage to their ancestry to as they â€Å"kept pre-war Europe alive. The use of the Polish word â€Å"Kielbasa† not only adds authenticity and depth to the poem but reinforces the idea that, though Skrzynecki’s family has moved away from war-torn Poland to Australia, they still firmly belong to their Polish heritage and there is a link for them and their family through which to establish their identities in their new land. The poet mourns the passing of his childhood and the destruction of the home in which he learnt the nature of growing up caught between two cultures and the rift b etween the past and the future. This notion is further explored in Apocalypse Now.Colonel Kurtz was the pride of the American Military Command. Having broken from the decrepit and corrupt school of thought that was the US army, Kurtz establishes his god-like rule over a clan of like-minded natives in the jungles of Cambodia. His character extrapolates all issues surrounding America as a nation, from war crimes to environmental stability. In one of the most compelling scenes of the film, Kurtz expresses his thoughts to Willard, one of the first Americans he has encountered since his dissent. He speaks of his son at home and his fear that if he were to be killed, his son would not understand his father’s actions.At this point, the extended close up shot of Kurtz’s face, half shrouded in darkness, changes slightly as he moves further into the light. This conveys that Kurtz still holds onto the hope that his son will one day come to understand his identity and why he acted in the way that he did. Kurtz is not ashamed of his actions because ultimately, he has fully formed his identity. First he was transformed on the battlefields of Vietnam by the death and ignorance he encountered/witnessed and then again in the jungles of Cambodia amongst the natives and free thought.Therefore, both 10 Mary Street and Apocalypse Now effectively explore the concept that acceptance and belonging are integral to the formation of one’s identity. A sense of belonging is achieved by following a path of alienation. In Migrant Hostel, Skrzynecki’s family struggle to establish themselves in a new land. Skrzynecki delineates the sense of alienation that the migrants have towards the rest of Australia. The â€Å"sealed off highway† demonstrates the separation they feel from the rest of the country.The simile of â€Å"rose and fell like a finger† demonstrates that they do not feel welcomed or accepted in their new land, but are constantly reprimanded , like a naughty child. The line â€Å"needing its sanction† demonstrates how the migrants are enslaved to the entrapment they feel in the hostel. They need permission to continue living in a manner that doesn’t reflect their culture or beliefs. This alienation from their culture and freedom renders each migrant unimportant and attempts to destroy their sense of personal identity and belonging. However, it is because of this alienation that they achieve a sense of belonging and identity.Nationalities ‘found each other’ based on their accents and the town they came from. Inside the hostel, they keep the memory of their home and culture alive though they are haunted by the â€Å"memories of hunger and hate† that destroyed their countries. Skrzynecki uses the simile â€Å"like a homing pigeon† to connote the strong sense of survival and solidarity shared by the migrants. The homing pigeon is a survivor that travels great distances. Skrzynecki us es a reoccurring motif of birds throughout this poem as they have connotations of freedom and migration.This dimension of belonging is further explored in John Steinbeck’s novel Tortilla Flat. Danny, Pilon, Jesus Maria, Pablo, Pirate and Big Joe Portagee are half Spanish- Mexican, misfits who form a brotherhood of drunken antics that centre around the home they all share in Tortilla Flat in California. The book is written in an entirely episodic fashion to fit with the allegory that Steinbeck creates, comparing the six men to King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table. However, instead of knights in shining armour, they are the unruly and boisterous men upon whom the community of Monterey frown upon.Therefore Steinbeck creates a paradox within this novel because whilst this brotherhood is the only place that the men find a sense of belonging, it is also their association with each other that renders them unacceptable to normal society. Steinbeck quite obviously uses the technique of having his characters speak in language befitting the Elizabethan era. This reinforces the notion that they are all fallen from the grace of a former life not mentioned in the novel, but they are fallen together. It is also a distinguishable way from separating the adopted brothers from those in normal society.It heightens not only the sense of unreality that permeates the whole book but also the sense of alienation from the outside world. The brothers eat, drink wine, sleep and occasionally venture out to do good deeds for those around them. They live by an entirely alternative concept of time, space, possession and love. The growing sense of belonging that develops through the novel is conveyed through the slow gathering of the six men to form the brotherhood and the corresponding rising action. Once they are all convened under a banner of bemused freedom, Danny states, â€Å"we are now as one, as never such men have been before. Each member is crucial to the groupâ €™s dynamic and therefore to each individual member’s sense of belonging. This is conveyed at the conclusion of the novel when, after Danny’s funeral, the house that was their home accidentally catches fire but instead of trying to save their one worldly possession, the men allow it to burn to the ground and then go their separate ways. The last words of the novel are â€Å"no two walked together† conveying that the bonds of brotherhood had been broken and that it was only with each other that they belonged.Therefore, both Migrant Hostel and Tortilla Flat effectively convey the idea that belonging is reached by a path of alienation. Alienation leads to disillusionment with that which one once believed in (is there a different way to express this? ). Skrzynecki’s poem In The Folk Museum describes the experiences of the poet as he becomes increasingly alienated from his heritage. After describing his parent’s typical migrant experience in Migrant Hostel, the poet now finds himself unable to empathise with a past that is not his own.The use of first person not only allows the responder to connect on a deeper level with Skrzynecki, but also highlights the fact that he is alone in his musings about a past that he does not fully comprehend. In turn, this adds to the bleakness of an already melancholic poem. The caretaker of the museum represents everything that alienates Skrzynecki from his Polish heritage. She is knitting and has grey hair demonstrating that she is a relic herself and incongruent to contemporary society, just as Skrzynecki views his dying past.The simile of â€Å"cold as water† further illustrates that the poet no longer empathises or has any emotional connection to the events of his past. Although it is not as directly referred to in this poem(weak expression) as in others, In The Folk Museum also conveys how the poet’s disillusionment with his past leads to a sense of belonging with his present . The use of personification in â€Å"the wind taps hurriedly† communicates not only the poet’s frustration but also the determination of the outside world to remind him of the pointlessness of his reminiscing about his Polish heritage.The use of alliteration in â€Å"I leave without wanting a final look† conveys his speedy exit as well as his eagerness to regain the world outside of the museum, where he belongs. This notion of disillusionment is further explored in Francis Coppola’s film Apocalypse Now. Captain Willard, an American officer fighting in the Vietnam War, believes wholeheartedly in the US army and Western Civilisation as a whole. He belongs to war. At the beginning of the film, Willard is off duty in Saigon and recounts one of his trips home.The use of direct speech narration adds depth and authenticity to Willard’s character. He states â€Å"I’d wake up and there’d be nothing. Every minute I spend in this room, I get w eaker and Charlie gets stronger. † The reference to the Vietcong warriors implies that Willard is more at ease when he is fighting in Vietnam. His alienation from normal society is further conveyed by a montage of images of war superimposed with Willard’s face. The non-digetic music of The End by The Doors plays, with lyrics such as â€Å"the west is the best† that further illustrates Willard’s faith in the American way of life and war.However, at the conclusion of this montage, Willard is left naked and bleeding, wrapped in a torn sheet and screaming on his hotel room floor, a high angle shot highlighting his vulnerability. This scene is purposely designed to alienate the audience from the character and connotes the detrimental effect that Western civilisation is having on him. The repetitious rigmarole of a soldier’s life is communicated through the undershot of the turning fan in Willard’s room. He stares up at it from the bed, implying th at he is physically and mentally dominated by his life and routine as a soldier.As Willard travels further and further up river in search of Colonel Kurtz, he reads increasingly on Kurtz’s life and the events that have led him to the insanity that the US army now deems dangerous. Willard experiences more of the US army’s arrogance, blood-lust and drug use and becomes steadily disillusioned with the entity that he placed his faith in. Everything that is wrong with Western civilisation is represented through the arrogant Bill Kilgore who infamously states â€Å"I love the smell of Napalm in the morning. As the boat travels further up river, there is a distinct change in lighting. Before Willard boards the boat, there is a reoccurring motif of brightly coloured flares. The camera pans directly in front of the plumes of red, green and yellow smoke so that they form a veil over the scenes of battles and civilian deaths. However, once up river, the lighting becomes softer, greener and more defined. There is a distinct lack of smoke. This implies that Willard is travelling both physically and mentally away from the chaos of Western civilisation and heading deeper into Kurtz’s state of mind.Finally, Coppola uses the reoccurring motif of extreme close up shots on the faces of Willard and Kurtz. He does this to communicate that these two men are not necessarily similar but that they represent contrary facets of one human entity. The extreme close up shots of Willard and Kurtz reveal them to both be acutely serious men who have come to empathise with the same point of view. However, they are distinctly contrasted. Willard is often sweaty, dirty, constantly smoking whereas Kurtz is pristine, unchanging and aloof.This signifies that they will never be able to emulate the virtues of the other’s character that they themselves are deficient. Therefore, both In The Folk Museum and Apocalypse Now reveal themselves to be texts in which the view that alienation leads to disillusionment is explored. For humans to find where they truly belong, they must be placed outside of their comfort zone. They must travel beyond what they have before and thereby find something in the world, in others or in themselves that gives them a sense of belonging.Peter Skrzynecki’s poetry, Apocalypse Now directed by Francis Coppola and John Steinbeck’s novel Tortilla Flat all successfully explore differing dimensions of belonging such as the necessity of belonging to shaping ones identity, that belonging is reached by a path of alienation and that alienation leads to disillusionment. (just check over your section on Apoc Now – it is very good, however ensure you are explicitly referring to belonging – I would suggest that at the moment it is implicit – and of course make sure you use the words of the question in your answer)

UN Human Rights Regime Assignment The WritePass Journal

UN Human Rights Regime Assignment Introduction UN Human Rights Regime Assignment :1391) argue on similar lines, stating that if one denies the participation of former leaders (who are also the perpetrators of past offences) in a present government, it may effectively â€Å"obstruct social integration and political stability†. By way of example, Alston and Goodman refer to the undesirable consequences of prosecuting major organisations who were involved in the apartheid regime in South Africa, (2012: 1392). Perhaps the most powerful argument against amnesties involves victims’ rights and tolerance of impunity. Protesters of amnesty measures argue that amnesty infringes states’ obligations to make sure that victims receive means to achieve justice, and seek out the truth in their cases (Mallinder, 2008:7). By imposing an amnesty measure, the perpetrators’ crimes are effectively denied, causing victims to feel alienated from society, which, in turn, increases the likelihood of vigilantism on their part (Mallinder, 2008:10). There are not many who would deny the negative impact that amnesty has on victims and/or their families, and the argument here is that such a negative impact cannot be avoided if one is to achieve common good for the society as a whole. Another point against the statement that justice must sometimes defer to amnesty following gross violations of human rights is that such a deferral, by its very nature, prevents the achievement of the aims of criminal justice, such as prosecution, retribution, stigmatisation and deterrence (Freeman, 2009: 20).   Aston and Goodman take this view and point out that trials can be very important in the promotion of â€Å"norms and expectations of punishment† in the country, (Alston and Goodman, 2012:1392). Moreover, as Freeman points out, the deferral of justice to amnesty in spite of the International Bill of Human Rights’ promissory note, undermines public confidence in the rule of law, (Freeman, 2009: 33). However, even assuming that amnesty is capable of preventing the realisation of some of the criminal justice’s goals, it should not be forgotten that an amnesty measure can take many forms. Freeman states that, more often than not, an amnesty measure would be accompanied by other provisions, such a reparation programme, which may lessen the harm caused by an amnesty, and an amnesty’s potential harm caused is always overestimated, (2009:25). Another argument is that there are many conditional amnesties in existence, which may encompass some of the aims of the criminal justice process, for example, Freeman enumerates a number of temporal and provisions amnesties, (2009:93). Even if one takes into account the need for a trial and all its benefits, it is not altogether clear that a trial or its threat may lead to beneficial results in every case, because as Freeman argues, a threat of a trial may lead to the perpetrators destroying the vital evidence needed in the future for the victims or their relatives to find out the truth about a crime, (2009:24). In support of this argument Alston and Goodman also state that any attempts at prosecution in a state which undergoes the transition from an authoritarian past may threaten a delicate peace-conflict balance between different groups, (2012:1391). Mallinder makes a similar argument when she states that although the trial of leaders may benefit the society by asserting the supremacy of democratic values (as argued by Scharf), there may not be enough evidence to put those leaders on trial in the first place, (2008:18). Here, it is interesting to point out an illuminating point made by Mallinder that there could be an instance where the distinction between victims and perpetrators is not clear, for example, in the case of child soldiers who are part of a rebel group in Uganda, and, therefore, the prosecution and punishment may have to take a back seat, (Mallinder, 2009: 34). Clark also questions the belief that the promotion of individual criminal responsibility is always desirable, (in Lessa and Payne, 2012:13). He draws attention to the criminal prosecutions in Rwanda and Uganda, and argues that by insisting on the prosecutions, the international organisations overlooked â€Å"the specific context and dynamics of these countries†, for example, the absence of   legal procedures and institutions to carry out an effective judicial process, (2012:14). This means that even though the countries may be the signatories of the International Bill of Human Rights, their specific contexts should be taken into account, and may be used to justify the imposition of conditional amnesties. One of other widespread arguments against the idea that amnesty should be granted is that doing so only creates a culture of impunity, encouraging future violence, and prevents accountability. This view has a widespread support from many governments around the world, for example, from the government of Sri Lanka.[5] When academics make this argument they often refer to the offenders who continue violate human rights, and are only stopped when amnesty is granted to them. The clear example of this is Ugandan rebel group ‘The Lord Resistance Army’s public statement that they will only stop the violence if amnesty is granted to its members. Nevertheless, to these arguments it can be replied that it is not necessarily the case that amnesty will produce further violence, and in fact, there may be situations where one must choose a lesser of two evils and invoke an amnesty provision. Freeman supports this argument. Therefore, it seems that although the case for the abolition of amnesty is a strong one, it is not without its weaknesses, and despite the promissory note of the International Bill of Human Rights, there may be circumstances where the imposition of an amnesty provision is not a truly unthinkable course of action. It is clear that there are obvious discrepancies between the theoretical foundations of the International Bill of Human Rights and the practical application of the Bill. There inevitably will be circumstances where it is unwise to follow the literal meaning of the Bill. The reality of an international/domestic political scene is that sometimes compromises must be made in order to safeguard peace in a country and prevent further conflict. In the same vein, Snyder and Vinjamuri maintain that in order to prevent future violations of rights and reinforce the respect for the rule of law it is often necessary to â€Å"strike politically expedient bargains that create effective coalitions to contain the power of potential perpetrators of abuses,† (Snyder and Vinjamuri, 2003:17). Thus, one of the main arguments for the proposition that justice must sometimes defer to amnesty following gross violations of human rights is that such deferral of justice is likely to foster reconciliation and may be necessary to achieve peace in terms of promoting political settlement. Linked to this is an argument that amnesties are needed so that a state can make a break from its past and start from a ‘clean slate’, (Mallinder, 2008:13). Governments often use these reasons to justify the imposition of amnesties when it is necessary to end violence. However, this view is becoming more controversial as the states-signatories to the International Bill of Human Rights move to the implementation of more mechanisms of accountability, and this view is not shared by everyone. For example, in 2007 the ICC Prosecutor, Lois Moreno-Ocampo termed the demands of amnesty made by combatants as being nothing less than pure blackmail. Moreover, the offering of amnesty may appear as t hough a state is showing signs of weakness, which may, in turn, encourage more violations of human rights, (Mallinder, 2008:12). However, despite this, Freeman supports the view that amnesties may sometimes be necessary to achieve peace in a state, (2009:11). He contends that there may not be any other choice for societies which have gone through mass violence and genocide, (2009:7). Freeman asserts that he is against the idea of impunity for serious crime, but he states that there may be situations where the desire for peace and security should stand above any impunity which may result from granting amnesty (2009:6). In particular, he states that if we look at such countries as Burma and Somalia and their particular contexts, one may be forgiven for wishing any kind of amnesty in order to ensure the survival of people by lessening daily violent conflicts, even though this leads to impunity, (2009:24). Another argument against the view that amnesties are needed to achieve peace in a country, and to ensure a smooth transition from an authoritarian regime to a democratic one, is provided by Robinson when he draws on an example of Sierra Leone, (Robinson, 2003:490). In that country, unconditional amnesties were granted to ensure that peace would follow only to discover that the culture of impunity was reinforced and gross violations of human rights continued. However, in reply to all this, it can be pointed out that, regarding the International Bill of Rights in particular, amnesties can be used, because the International Bill encompasses a wide variety of rights, and unlike the Rome Statute, is not primarily concerned with the protection against gross human rights violations. Freeman also makes a relatively convincing argument that amnesties are rarely granted without the imposition of other orders or qualifications, such as a reparation programme or an institutional reform measure, (2009:14). Truth Commissions, which are primarily set up to investigate the causes of death/injury unlawfully perpetrated, often play an important role in offsetting the damage done by amnesty. However, it is questionable whether they are, in fact, as successful as they were initially perceived to be. For example, again using the Sierra Leone example, the Lome Accord 1999 was designed to provide both an amnesty provision and a Truth Commission investigation, but was unsuccessful in its implementation (Alston and Goodman, 2012:1452). Nevertheless, a broad conception of justice usually agrees with the idea that there could be a Truth Commission and a limited amnesty in place to satisfy â€Å"the essential purpose of the right to justice†, (Naqvi, 2003:34). Dugard seems to be of the same view when he states that even though unconditional amnesties should not be permitted, a Truth Commission should still be capable to grant amnesty after an investigation, provided that amnesty contributes to the achievement of peace and justice, and is more effective than prosecution, (Dugard, 1999:1020). Arguably, South Africa’s imposition of a conditional amnesty showed that it was possible to combine an amnesty with an accountability process which culminated in the achievement of truth and social healing. Another argument, which is linked to the argument about the right to remedy discussed above, and which is put forward by Freeman and Pensky (in Lessa and Payne, 2012), is that an amnesty measure will not necessary infringe international law in every instance. This argument rests on the well-known fact that the status of amnesties in international law is unclear, and the practice of its imposition still persists in many countries, including Rwanda, Cambodia, El Salvador and South Africa. This point is supported by Laplante, who argued that the status of an â€Å"outright prohibition on amnesty remains unclear†, (Laplante, 2009:920). To illustrate the point, Mallinder discovered in her research that the number of amnesties which includes different kinds of crimes has increased, and this casts doubt on the proposition that we are living in the age of accountability (Mallinder in Lassa and Payne, 2012:95). Mallinder concludes that this means that there is still a belief that an am nesty measure may be deemed necessary where there is some exceptional situation, (Mallinder in Lassa and Payne, 2012: 96) Liked to this is the idea that amnesties do not necessarily stand in opposition to the spirit of the International Bill of Human Rights, and, in fact, can fulfil some of its provisions by balancing   competing goals, and facilitating long-term peace and security in the nation. One particular example is where a political activist-offender is integrated into a society anew, preventing further disputes. The final point is that some defendants are unlikely to come within the scope of criminal prosecution as defined by the Rome Statute, and some countries’ legal systems may not be sufficiently evolved to prosecute such defendants. In these cases, it may be argued that amnesty could be granted to alleviate the political tension in the country if it exists. Moreover, even the Rome Statute could be said to presuppose the use of amnesties as it gives discretionary powers to prosecutors/judges to take account ‘the interests of justice’, particularly for those defendants which are unlikely to come within the scope of the International Criminal Court’s prosecution.[6] Thus, it seems that it may not be correct to treat all amnesties as being in the opposition to   the principles of justice and truth, and the specific context of a country must be taken into account. Even though amnesties violate the victim’s rights and can potentially create a culture of impunity, it is important to recognise that some amnesties, in some circumstances, may be an effective measure directed at achieving peace and security in a country. This is especially true since it is wrong to think of amnesties as either granting complete impunity or achieving long-term peace. This view fails to take into account the sheer diversity of amnesty measures which a state can employ, and which can be combined with the variety of accountability measures, (Mallinder, 2008:8). Moreover, as Freeman points out, justice may sometimes defer to amnesty because such practice is virtually unavoidable, although it should be maintained as a practice of the last resort (2009:4). Moreover, o ncloser examination, the granting of an amnesty may not be in the direct conflict with the spirit of the International Bill of Human Rights and, therefore, it is fair to say that justice must sometimes defer to amnesty following gross violations of human rights in a state. Word count: 3,228. Bibliography Books/Academic Articles Alston, P. and Goodman, R. (2012) International Human Rights, New York: Oxford University Press Cassese, A. (2008) International Criminal Law, New York: Oxford University Press Cassese, A. (2004) International Law, 2nd Edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press Dugard, J. (1999) ‘Dealing with Crimes of a Past Regime: Is Amnesty Still an Option?’, Leiden Journal of International Law, 12, No. 4, at p. 1001 Freeman, F. (2009) Necessary Evils: Amnesty and the Search for Justice, 1st Edition, New York: Cambridge University Press Griffey, B. (2011) ‘The ‘Reasonableness’ Test: Assessing Violations of State Obligations under the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’, Human Rights Review, Vol. 11, No. 2 Harris, D., Moeckli, S. and Sivakumaran, S. (2010) International Human Rights Law, 1st Edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press 8.   Joyce, D. (2010) ‘Human Rights and the Mediatization of International Law’, Leiden Journal of International Law, Vol. 23, Issue 3, pp. 507-527 Laplante, L. (2009) ‘Outlawing Amnesty: The Return of Criminal Justice in Transitional Justice Schemes’, Virginia Journal of International Law, 49, at p. 915 Lessa, F. and Payne, L. (2012) Amnesty in the Age of Human Rights Accountability, New York: Cambridge University Press Loucaides, L. (2003) ‘TheDeveloping Case Law  of the  InterAmerican Court  of  Human Rights’, Human Rights Law Review, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp.  1-25 Mallinder, L. (2010) ‘Law, Politics and Fact-Finding: Assessing the Impact of Human Rights Reports’, Journal of Human Rights Practice, 1, No. 4 Mallinder, L. (2009) ‘The Role of Amnesties in Conflict Transformation’, in Ryngaert, C. (ed.) The Effectiveness of International Criminal Justice, Intersentia Publishers Mallinder, L. (2008) Amnesty, Human Rights and Political Transitions: Bridging the Peace and Justice Divide, Hart Publishing Meisenberg, S. (2004) ‘Legality of Amnesties in International Humanitarian Law. The Lomà © Amnesty Decision of the Special Court for Sierra Leone’, International Law Review of the Red Cross, 86, No. 856 Naqvi, Y. (2003) ‘Amnesty for War Crimes: Defining International Recognition’, International Law Review of the Red Cross, Vol. 85, pp. 583-560 (2003); Available: mkkk.org/eng/assets/files/other/irrc_851_naqvi.pdf [10 Dec 2013] Orentlicher, D. (1991) ‘Settling Accounts: The Duty to Prosecute Human Rights Violations of a Prior Regime’, The Yale Law Journal, Vol. 100, at p. 2537 Robinson, D. (2003) ‘Serving the Interests of Justice: Amnesties, Truth Commissions and the International Criminal Court’ European Journal of International Law, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 481-500 Snyder, J. and Vinjamuri, L. (2003) ‘Trials and Errors: Principle and Pragmatism in Strategies of International Justice’, International Security, Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 5-44; Available: http://belfercenter.hks.harvard.edu/publication/343/trials_and_errors.html [ 9 Dec 2013] Weissbrodt, D. Ni Aolin, F., Fitzpatrick, J. and Newman, F. (2009) International Human Rights: Law, Policy, and Process, LexisNexis Publishing; Available: http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/intlhr2006/chapters/chapter8.html [ 7 Dec 2013] Reports United Nations (2011) Report of the Secretary General’s Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka, New York: United Nations Publications; Available: un.org/News/dh/infocus/Sri_Lanka/POE_Report_Full.pdf [10 Dec 2013] Web Materials The International Centre for Transitional Justice (2009) Justice, Truth, Dignity: Amnesty Must Not Equal Impunity [Online]; Available: http://ictj.org/publication/amnesty-must-not-equal-impunity [8 Dec 2013]

US Democracy essays

US Democracy essays Is the Unites States Political System a Legitimate Democracy In any system which claims to be democratic, a question of its legitimacy remains. A truly democratic political system has certain characteristics which prove its legitimacy with their existence. One essential characteristic of a legitimate democracy is that it allows people to freely make choices without government intervention. Another necessary characteristic which legitimates government is that every vote must count equally: one vote for every person. For this equality to occur, all people must be subject to the same laws, have equal civil rights, and be allowed to freely express their ideas. Minority rights are also crucial in a legitimate democracy. No matter how unpopular their views, all people should enjoy the freedoms of speech, press and assembly. Public policy should be made publicly, not secretly, and regularly scheduled elections should be held. Since "legitimacy" may be defined as "the feeling or opinion the people have that government is based upon morally defensible principles and that they should therefore obey it," then there must necessarily be a connection between what the people want and what the government is doing if legitimacy is to occur. The U.S. government may be considered legitimate in some aspects, and illegitimate in others. Because voting is class-biased, it may not be classified as a completely legitimate process. Although in theory the American system calls for one vote per person, the low rate of turnout results in the upper and middle classes ultimately choosing candidates for the entire nation. Class is determined by income and education, and differing levels of these two factors can help explain why class bias occurs. For example, because educated people tend to understand politics more, they are more likely to vote. People with high income and education also have more resources, and poor people tend to have low political efficacy (...

Effects of the Alberta Tar Sands Development on the Environment Essay

Effects of the Alberta Tar Sands Development on the Environment - Essay Example The larger environmental impact of the oil sands is the use of cyclical steam stimulation to remove the in situ bitumen deep within the earth's surface. This process has a negative effect on the ecosystem in general especially within the tailing ponds. The research will look into the primary environmental effects of what the bitumen extraction has as well including what the major oil production companies are doing to alleviate this problem and not add further to the shaky ecosystem occurring in the oil sands production areas. The research will look into the efforts of Suncor Energy, Petro Canada, Husky Energy, Imperial Oil, Nexen, EnCana, Shell Canada, Syncrude Canada and Talisman Energy. Jackson (2004) writes that the problem with using ground water for steam extraction belies the problem that "the release of such chemicals to the subsurface and the subsequent contamination of groundwater was not appreciated until the late 1970s when their widespread presence was finally recognized. The lack of a technical paradigm explaining the processes of contamination and the potential adverse health effects prevented the anticipation of this problem" (Jackson, 2004). To further look at how environmental contaminants caused th... As of writing, the Kyoto protocol was signed by Canada which is designed to be "a treaty that imposes constraints on how much climate-changing 'greenhouse gas' - in particular, carbon dioxide - a signatory can emit. Since Alberta is a huge emitter of greenhouse gases, and the production of oil from tar sands is particularly carbon-intensive, it will make meeting the treaty's targets a lot harder" (Hess, 2006). Annotated Bibliography: Through both primary and secondary sources can the fulfilment of this thesis statement can be obtained. The primary sources include both environmental journals and published academic papers as a directive of this thesis, as well as including secondary sources from historical data and company records respecting this environmental challenge. An effort will also be made to contact the major oil companies through their media relations department to discuss the companies' environmental record to further enhance the topic statement. Sherrington, Mark. (2005). "Biodiversity Assessment in the Oil Sands region, northeastern Alberta, Canada. Sherrington's paper discusses the large numbers of environmental impact assessments (EIAs) that have been completed for approximately twenty oil sands projects over the past two decades. The EIA process in the oil sands has been unique with respect to the impact of the ecological health in relation to the overall goals to maintain biodiversity in the region. This impact addresses issues regarding vegetation, soil and landforms, watershed integrity and biodiversity through the landscape and biodiversity subgroup within the Sustainable Ecosystems Working Group (SEWG). The goal of the SEWG is to "sustain the natural

Monetary Policy of the U.S. Federal Reserve Essay

Monetary Policy of the U.S. Federal Reserve - Essay Example This paper discusses the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary policy. Most simple put the attempt by the Federal Reserve to establish balanced national income and help spur economic growth by controlling the size of the money supply is termed as monetary policy. It is implemented with the help of policy tools which usually consist of open market operations, discount rates, and reserve requirements. Open market operations are the strongest monetary policy tool consisting of the purchase and sale of treasury and federal agency securities. The federal open market committee normally specifies all short-term objectives related to open market operations. These objectives normally identify reserve targets or the desired federal funds rate. It is interesting to note that there have been diverse objectives over the years ranging from federal funds rate targets in the eighties to policy changes in the nineties. No matter what the short term objective the long term objective has always been price st ability and sustainable economic growth. Another integral monetary policy tool is the discount rate which most simply put is the interest rate being charged to depository institutions including commercial banks on loans they receive from their regional discount window (Federal Reserve Bank's lending facility). These loans include primary, secondary and seasonal credit each one with its own respective interest rate. The primary credit program consists of very short term loans to sound financial institutions. Those not eligible for primary credit are allowed to apply for secondary credit whereas seasonal credit is provided to those depository institutions that have fluctuating funding requirements. It should be noted that the discount rates on all three lines of credit vary with the rate on primary credit being the lowest followed by a higher rate on secondary credit whereas the seasonal credit discount rate is an average of selected discount rates. Reserve requirements are another monetary tool that which as the name signif ies are the number of reserve funds that a depository institution must hold as a safeguard against deposit liabilities. These reserves are held in the form of physical cash or deposits with Federal Reserve Banks with the board of governors having lone authority over any changes in the reserve requirements. The reserve requirements are not erratic and are determined using Federal Reserve Board Regulations.All of the above help the government implant its monetary policy and eventually result in a stronger economic power. Proper use of monetary policy can have extremely positive results which were visible during the first half of 2006 when the US economy showed speedy growth. Any change in the federal funds rate triggers a chain of events that affect other short-term interest rates, foreign exchange rates, long-term interest rates, the amount of money and credit, and, ultimately, a range of economic variables, including employment, output, and prices of goods and services.