The Roles of Computer Science Corporation in Homeland Security Assignment

The Roles of Computer Science Corporation in Homeland Security - Assignment Example In response to the letter, you wrote in regard to the private sector roles in Homeland security. I vindicate the following issues in reference to the above stated Company. Computer Science Corporation is a private firm that provides information technology (IT) services as well as professional services. Its headquarters are located in Virginia. The role of the Corporation to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has solely been on the provision of information regarding threats to cyber infrastructure. The advancement of the likely threats as well as the trends of emerging cyber threats to the country have in many occasions been availed by the company with the sole purpose of combating these threats. In addition, the corporation is also in partnership with other companies in various ISACs where they share information acquired through various sources. However, the company has faced numerous challenges. The quality of information received has been one of the major blows. Besides that, there have been legal constraints that have hampered sharing information since in case the information shared is flawed the corporation is likely to be used. In addition, the shareholders are skeptical in investing in incentives infrastructure that is not geared towards profit making. The DHS in collaborative effort should help in protecting companies in legal constraints that are related to situations where information availed is realized to be a flawed content. This will motivate various private entities in availing information without hesitation.

Community Service as a Graduation Requirement Essay Example for Free

Community Service as a Graduation Requirement Essay A wise person once said, â€Å"If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path. † This particular quote has helped me realize that not enough teenagers are helping their community become a more desirable place to live. Implementing community service into the senior project outline as a requirement would ultimately benefit the students and the community. Not only will the students become more aware of the activities that occur in their community, but they will also have a greater sense of self. Each student has his own reason for volunteering. Many volunteer for the joy of helping others, and some volunteer to seek career opportunities. Simply volunteering at a place that is related to the career one is interested in will help him determine whether that career is suited for him. Bill Jensen, Superintendent of Curriculum for Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation, agrees with community service being connected to career choices and provides examples. â€Å"We’ve seen students that have gone in to help at the hospital and all of a sudden see that the job is something they are really passionate about. Then we see some students that volunteer at the animal shelter and they find that they would never be able to euthanize an animal, so they have to consider finding a different career† (Jensen). Selecting a career is challenging enough, let alone discovering that the career one chose was not the best and having to choose another. Volunteering provides teens with opportunities outside of finding a career that gives them the necessary skills to help them survive the real world. Students will gain knowledge from volunteering that will lead to increasing their communication and interpersonal skills (Keeler). It can also help with the confidence of stretching ones wings at work, because he or she has already been taught the necessary skills for that job. (____). Community service would be in the best interest for the students that are seniors in high school, so that they have time to commit to a career before going to college and spending time and money on classes that are not necessary. Meeting new people while participating in community service can help students build a network of individuals who could be valuable resources when deciding a future career. The greater number of people one comes in contact with will increase the possibilities of making a productive contact. In order to meet new people, one must step out of his comfort zone. â€Å"Anytime you step out of your comfort zone, you are going to grow as an individual,† says Mark Newell, Principal of Columbus East High School (Newell). While some people are naturally outgoing, others have a hard time meeting new people. Meeting with people on a regular basis that posses the same interests can help with developing social skills(_____). Finding the confidence within oneself to reach out to different groups will allow a better understanding of the numerous cultures that are present in the community. The diversity in American communities impacts Americans’ perception of the world. Americans can observe the countless actions of people from different cultures that differentiate them from the American culture. Since each and every person is unique, Americans are taught at a young age not to judge others. Not one person is the same, whether it is the customs between cultures, or just simply looks and personalities. Each culture has a different way of communicating, and community service can help a person develop the skills to be able to communicate with someone outside of his culture. Finding ways to interpret language into a relatively easy way of understanding is difficult, but it also challenges critical thinking and problem solving skills. People often tend to only think deeply about the issues that involve them, are important to them, or that they are interested in. This is why Americans have such a difficult time learning about other ethnic backgrounds. If the culture and traditions are far different from their own, they will refuse to accept any others because Americans were raised to believe certain things and choose not to adopt anything new. In some studies, it has been shown that there are multiple academic and personal development benefits in socializing with other races (Chang). Volunteering is a great way to interact with people from other cultures. By volunteering, individuals learn to appreciate other cultures’ initiative and hard work that they put into helping the community as well as teaching the volunteer more about the world, and the people that surround him each and every day. Less fortunate people in various places attempt to reach out for help all the time. The minute people take time out of their busy schedules to assist an individual will be the moment in which they open their eyes to the world outside of their own. To help the less fortunate is to demonstrate a concern for the welfare without judging them or blaming them for their circumstances. Compassion does not blame a victim, but seeks to offer assistance no matter what the situation (____). Many people lack the resources that some others have, and possessing necessary items and being successful in life cannot be controlled. The desire to obtain the necessary items is not always present, but who is to say that they are not trying? The failures in succeeding lead to negative attitudes towards continuing to give effort. Some people object to offering help because they believe it may cause dependency, or they believe that leaving them alone will teach them some personal responsibility. What is not understood is the difference between offering assistance, and creating a co-dependent relationship (___). Instead of pushing someone everyday to change their life around, one can give something small and still make a big difference. Community service gives support and relieves the negative energy directed to the less fortunate from society, while attempting to develop better habits for a better life. The process of transforming an unknown human being into a person with importance is time consuming. â€Å"The time it takes to help someone else in a small way is not wasted when it improves someone else’s well-being† (Brannagan). Once the volunteer feels as though he has improved the life of another person and there is evidence to show that the other person is no longer living in disadvantaged conditions, then the frequency of giving and the amount given from the volunteer is increased. To witness the improvement is a priceless matter and should give the volunteer the feeling of unconditional giving. Making a difference in someone’s life gives personal satisfaction and helps teens develop a better appreciation for the little things in life (Keeler). Community service is the voluntary work intended to help people in a particular area. It should never be mistaken with a paid job or a guaranteed career. Volunteers can help communities save money by allowing them to spend the money on local improvements rather than using the funds to hire help. Studies show that communities with high rates of participation apply for and receive more funding than those with less participation. In addition, participating communities achieve greater citizen satisfaction with their community (Reid). There are a variety of opportunities given for students to volunteer. Examples of volunteer work include babysitting, house chores for the elderly, tutoring, mentoring, park clean-ups, coaching a little league sports team, or collecting cans for food banks to help feed the hungry, all of which are just a few compared to the millions not listed. The choice of service to which the volunteer devotes his time depends upon his personal interests or experiences. If someone has an interest in dancing, he or she might teach young girls ballet twice a week. If someone grew up in an abusive home, then he or she might volunteer his time towards helping others that have been abused seek help. The only ones among you who will be truly happy will be those who have sought and found how to serve† (Heim). The strength of the community becomes persistent when there are many volunteers to contribute to the everyday duties that need to be fulfilled. Requiring community service of students, either as a course or graduation requirement, will continue their engagement with community service organizations beyond their mandatory completion. It is very common for students to become emotionally connected to the communities that they serve while performing required service and for the students to want to maintain their connection with those communities (Khanna). The connection between the student and the community reveals how much the student truly cares about giving. Community service will show him the functions of the world and the people around him on a daily basis. Once he is involved, he will soon realize that there is more work to be done than there are people willing to voluntarily help out. The volunteers that have assisted many people have most likely experienced good karma. What goes around comes around, and one act of kindness can expose this proverb. This saying connects to the saying that I originally was inspired by that told of how lighting a lamp for someone can help with finding one’s own way. Making community service as a graduation requirement shows students how it benefits them as well as the community in many different ways.

What is Knowledge? Philosophy Essay

What is Knowledge? Philosophy Essay What is truth? What is knowledge? These seemingly simple questions lie at the heart of philosophys oldest debates. They have generated numerous theories, revealed issues of perception, cognition and certainty and they occupy philosophers today just as they did thousands of years ago: While our records on the topic go back as far as half a millennium B.C., important works on truth have been published as recently as 2009 (by Michael Lynch, on pluralism see David [2009]). The first part of this essay covers the topics of beliefs and truth and puts an emphasis on a defense of a correspondentist conception of truth, while the second part moves on to a discussion of knowledge based the thesis that knowledge is objective, and can be defined as justified true belief based on sufficient evidence. This paper is thus an argumentative paper, striving to defend the opinion of the author by engaging in a philosophical discussion. I. Truth Truth is a concept that, as established above, has numerous theories that established their own definitions and criteria to determine whether a truthbearer a statement, claim, belief etc. that can be true or false is indeed true. I will here focus on neo-classical theories of truth, as they attempt to address the question of what truth is most directly, and since they still serve as a foundation of much of the more recent debates on truth. I will thus leave aside theories such as Pluralism, Deflationism, and numerous other theories, while my focus lies on Correspondent, Pragmatic and Coherence theories of truth. The Correspondent Theory of Truth sees the nature of truth in its correspondence to reality. A statement is considered true if it describes the way things actually are (Russell, 1956). [EXAMPLE]. It is usually considered to presume some sort of realist framework that holds that there is such a thing as a reality outside of our minds, and that we are able to find some sort of relationship to that reality so that we can verify whether a claim is true or not. However, Kirkham (1992) holds that it would also be possible for correspondent theories to break with realism, for example by referring to facts of a world that exists rather in the mind of some superior entity rather than reality. For the sake of simplicity I will here assume correspondentist theories to adhere to ontological realism. The correspondent theory of truth has two prominent competitors and epistemic theories of truth, which I shall now illuminate. First; the coherence theory of truth defines the nature of truth as coherence of a belief to a set or system of established beliefs. This includes the possibility for a truth to become apparent if it is merely entailed by an established belief in the system. Thus, the system of established beliefs is not only a tool to verify the truth of a belief it is the source of the truth. (Glanzberg, 2006). Coherentism rejects the idea that we can access reality to verify our beliefs it is hence related to idealism. Idealists maintain that experience essentially originates in mental activity. Thus, the notion that a set of beliefs describes the world as it is comes naturally to idealists (Glanzberg). [EXAMPLE] Second; the pragmatist theory of truth proposes that whether a belief is true or not depends on the outcome of actions guided by that belief. Truth is thus determined by its practical value (Glanzberg, 2006). Even though the pragmatist theory of truth deserves a richer account, I will not engage with it much further for the sake of conciseness and because it falls prey to two important accusations. On the one hand, a false belief can also turn out to be true based on luck or different causational relationships than assumed. On the other hand, pragmatism does not allow us to make predictions of the future, since it reduces the definition of truth to beliefs of the past that have been confirmed by their outcome. The usefulness of a pragmatist account of truth is thus limited, both for philosophical study as well as the general scientific enquiry to generate truth. II. Belief and Knowledge The word belief in everyday language refers to a claim that we are certain of in varying degrees, that we have evidence for in varying degrees and that may or may not be true. We speak of belief when a young child strongly believes in Sinterklaas, just as we speak of belief when a person vaguely believes that she will receive a fine when parking her car in central Maastricht without a parking ticket. While both cases have varying certainty and varying likeliness to be true, we do not explicitly distinguish to what extent the belief is certain, backed by evidence or whether it is actually true. In philosophy it is specified what kind of belief is referred to. Further, a claim is only called a belief when its holder is certain of it; this means that hope and faith can be excluded from this definition of belief (Creel, 2001). Hereinafter I shall elaborate on three different kinds of belief and how they relate to knowledge in the realist framework. First, a belief based on evidence is closer to being knowledge than a belief without evidence. However, there are many beliefs that are false, despite being backed by some evidence. Surely the child believing in Sinterklaas has some evidence, such as having seen an actor dressed in the Sinterklaas costume, yet her belief is false. Second, let us assume the belief is true and backed by evidence. It can constitute knowledge, but the evidence on which it is based could too weak to conclude that true, evidence based beliefs are knowledge (Creel). Third, the evidence criterion is specified to exclude the possibility of weak evidence the evidence needs to be so strong, that the belief is justified. Is then a belief knowledge, when it can be said to be justified and true? This is where opinions diverge. Creel states that according to the justification theory of knowledge, the justification of a claim needs to be conclusive to be called knowledge. Steup (2006) claims that for a long time a justified true belief (JTB) has been the standard account of knowledge. Both are closely related, and both have been challenged 1963 by Edmund Gettier.

Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay: Stream of Consciousness

Stream of Consciousness in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a uniquely styled piece of literature.   In this poem Eliot employs a literary method of writing called "stream of consciousness."   This is a difficult method to grasp outside of the literary genre to attempt to understand it within the context of the higher language of poetry can further confuse readers.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stream of consciousness is simply how our brain thinks.   Perhaps as the teacher reads through this poem we hear the word "Mermaid".   Our minds see the singing mermaids on the rocks in "Jason and the Argonauts" and then jump to Peter Pan and from Peter Pan to Mary Poppins.   The idea of stream of consciousness is comparable to channel surfing; there are no logical traceable transitions. We simply switch from one thing/idea to the next.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is idea of stream of consciousness is seen in the manner in which the author sets the poem.   First he places the reader in "sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells"   (Eliot, Longman 2418 l.7) and...

Adoption and Race

Historically, transracial adoption began to be practiced after the Second World War. Children from war-torn countries – Korea, Vietnam, and even Europe — without families were adopted by families in the United States with Caucasian paThrough the years, as more racial ethnic minority children within the United States were without families, domestic adoption agencies began to place African American, Native American, and Hispanic children with Caucasian families who wanted children.However, in 1972 the National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) became concerned about the large numbers of African American children who were being placed with Caucasian families. They condemned the practice of transracial adoption of African American children to Caucasian parents.They cited psychological maladjustment, inferior racial identity, the failure to cope with racism and discrimination, and â€Å"cultural genocide† as the likely outcomes of transracial adoptive placem ents.As an offshoot of this, legislation was introduced in the form of the Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA) of 1994. MEPA, together with the Interethnic Adoption Provisions (IEP), has been signed into law to reduce the practice of race-matching in adoptive placements for children.These two pieces of legislation, commonly referred to as MEPA-IEP, were designed to decrease the amount of time children wait for adoptive placement, to improve and assist in the recruitment and retention of prospective foster and adoptive parents who are able to meet the distinctive needs of the children to be placed, and to eliminate discrimination in the practice of adoptive and foster care placements on the basis of race, color, or national origin.However, the passage of MEPA-IEP has not resolved the controversy over racial matching policies and transracial adoptions. Controversies still hound transracial adoption. Although the law prohibits categorical assumptions about the benefit of same-race placeme nts, child welfare workers still will have to make decisions about the importance of race in the life of an individual child.They are also tasked to identify reasons that may eventually require for the consideration of race. Those who believe that same-race placements are preferable may feel aggrieved that federal policy now contradicts their conviction and routinely calls for them to place children without giving weight to the child’s race.On the other hand, those who place little value on racial matching may have trouble identifying children whohave a specific need for a same-race placement.It is within this light that this study will take shape.   As issues continue to be raised regarding transracial adoption, it is only fitting to go beyond statistics and find out the feelings of those who are personally involved in the process. As this study will attempt to unravel the issues closest to the hearts of those involved, the approach that will be used will be generally qual itative.Statement of the ProblemWhat is the percentage of interracial adoption, and what are the controversies surrounding racial matching and transracial adoption?Objectives1) To define racial matching and transracial adoption;2) To find out the percentage of transracial adoption in America;3) To find out the various issues related to racial matching and transracial adoption;4) To find out the various legislations designed to address racial matching and transracial adoption.MethodologyThis study will use interview – which entails purposive sampling — as a method for gathering data. The interviews will be conducted with the aid of an interview guide which is an informally prepared unstructured questionnaire. Data will also be collected through numerous secondary sources.Materials and documents such as discourses in books, official publications, position papers, letters, newspapers and magazine clippings will also be utilized. The official websites of various organizati ons will also be used as necessary. Implications of the study will be derived from the analysis of the gathered data and issues raised in the interviews and the various secondary sources.Review of Related LiteraturePracticing social workers, leaders of minority group communities, and scholars have expressed concerns on the effects of transracial adoption (Hayes, 1993). In a study conducted by Kim (1995) on international adoption, he noted that â€Å"transracial adoption of black children stirred up many controversies regarding their psychological development, especially with respect to their ethnic identity, or cultural well-being† (p.141-142).In order to determine the effects of transracial adoption on adoptees, several studies were also conducted on the racial identity of transracial adoptees (Bagley, 1993).These studies conceptualized racial identity in terms of racial group preferences, objective racial self-identification, and knowledge or awareness of one’s racia l group membership. Andujo (1988) also studied racial identity by measuring levels of acculturation, and by assessing the degree of pride in one’s ethnic heritage and appearance.Johnson et al. (1987) found that transracially adopted Black children had greater awareness of their race at an earlier age than did intraracially adopted Black children. As they grow older, however, both groups of adopted children expressed analogous levels of awareness and preference.The findings of the study also indicated that transracially adopted children’s awareness and preference stayed constant over time, while that of intraracially adopted Black children’s both increased more swiftly to exceed that of transracially adopted children.In the end, the study concluded that transracially adopted children were developing differently from intraracially adopted children. This developmental difference could be the springboard of the problems in the transracial adoptees’ racial ide ntity.Shireman and Johnson (1986) likewise reported on the psychological adjustment, racial identity, and sexual identity of transracial adoptees as compared to intraracial adoptees and adoptees of single parents.All of the adoptees in the study were Black children and all of the parents were also Black except for the parents in the transracial placements all of whom were White. Parents and adoptees were interviewed separately. The findings of the study suggested that there were no differences in psychological adjustment among the three groups of adoptees as determined by objective ratings of the interviews.In the end, the controversies hounding transracial adoption, no matter how limited they are, still largely affect those who are involved in the process. Only when these issues are addressed and resolved can the matters be put to rest.BibliographyAndujo, E. (1988). Ethnic identity of transethnically adopted Hispanic adolescents. Social Work, 33, 531-535.Bagley, C. (1993a). Chinese adoptees in Britain: A twenty-year follow-up of adjustment and social identity. International Social Work, 36, 143-157.Hayes, P. (1993). Transracial adoption: Politics and ideology. Child Welfare, 72, 301-310.Johnson, P. R., Shireman, J. F., & Watson, K. W. (1987). Transracial adoption and the development of black identity at age eight. Child Welfare, 66, 45-55.Kim, W. J. (1995). International adoption: A case review of Korean children. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 25, 141-154.National Adoption Information Clearinghouse (2000, August). Adoption: Numbers and trends. Available: http://www.calib.com/naic/pubs/s_number.htmProject 21. (1995, March). African-American leadership group condemns racist adoption practices. (On-line). Available: http://www.nationalcenter.inter.net/TransRacialAdopt.htmlShireman, J. F., & Johnson, P. R. (1986). A longitudinal study of Black adoptions: Single parent, transracial, and traditional. Social Work, 31, 172-176.http://www.transracialadoption .net/inform.htm#Psychological%20adjustment,%20self-esteem,%20and%20racial%20identity

Enslavement essays

Enslavement essays In the three packets we read Zinn, Mannix and Cowely, Takkaki they all refer to the Middle Passage and the brutality of enslavement. Specifically my interests were how the slaves white and black were treated. The women were treated with no respect at all. They were beaten and raped for no legitimate reason by their masters. "Beatings and whippings were common. Servant women were raped. One observer testified: "I have seen an Overseer beat a Servant with a cane about the head till the blood has followed, for a fault that is not worth the speaking of...." The Maryland court records showed many servant suicides. In 1671, Governor Berkeley of Virginia reported that in previous years four of five servants died of disease after their arrival. Many were poor children, gathered up by the hundreds on the streets of English cities and sent to Virginia to work(44 Zinn). In class as we watched the movie clip from Amistad it brought such a reality to my mind of how cruel and despicable the p eople were. It makes me cringe when I see the people beating, raping, and taking away these peoples freedom. During the Middle Passage men were ripped from their families and women were prey for the sailors and no slaves wanted to be alive on these ships. The many acts of violence they have committed by murdering whole crews and destroying ships when they had it in their power to do so have made these rigors wholly chargeable on their own bloody and malicious disposition which calls for the same confinement as if they were wolves or wild boars. For wolves or wild boars a modern reader might substitue men who would rather die than be enslaved (Cowely 89). The slaves were treated so horribly they got on the ship shackled by their ankles and wrists, they had to sleep on the wood unplanned floors, elbows were skinned to the bare bones, and occasionally they were fed. The repulsive men who put these poor African American men and w ...