Sinking of USS MAINE
by m0gliE on Sep.07, 2010, under College Esseys
Neither of the nations wanted war but both had gotten ready as the crisis built up after the USS Maine sank. Mr. McKinley, who opposed the war, had a desire to end it quickly without having to spill blood. The U.S. did not have a large amount of people to fight in the war but also relied on foreign relief as it does the same today. Spain had some garrisons setup in Cuba and the Philippines. Their navy was much weaker and not as strong compared to the U.S. I assume that the leaders in America during this time sought the need to expand. As Mark Twain or the American anti-imperialists league or perhaps Henry James would agree that greed is tempting and evil. My thoughts are that during this time, there was still a race to dominate the globe and it needed to be done quickly.
I can imagine also that during this time, many white protestant men with dominant features ruled the new ideas on national and global control. Some elements of this type of diversity include racial as well as ethnic pluralism. Churches were made up all over the land to help dominate ideas and make it possible for unity to go along with the acceptance of diversity. Religion was introduced and many types of it started to form. This was an easy way to influence and inspire both black and white people.
There was the struggle for women’s rights that needed to be changed and with the war, it showed how women were needed in the decisions of maintaining business and government. There had been suffrage for women, especially blank women who were forced to work kitchens or crops. Men later found out that women were needed in the working class. They sought to run the nursing programs that were needed during the time of war even though some men did not want to give them the right. There were many men who thought they should be running the hospitals while the women took care of the men but nothing more. After women were showing that they could work and provide for themselves, and also prove they were also really good at it, men were beginning to see how women were needed drastically. It was starting to look like all people are truly equal. Although most people had so much to deal with, they still kept their dreams alive and their spirits high. They still had much to look forward to, freedom and their civil rights as a citizen of the United States. It had to have been still depressing for families who strived to keep their dreams and have to send their children to war. I’m sure that many mother’s grew tired of the obstacles that they were constantly being faced with.
Of course for some people there were even more greater obstacles to overcome. African Americans had some of the worse obstacles to live through. Yet, during the war, again the white men were able to see how much they were needed and how good they were at what they did. They were not just farmers, they were large strong men who could also fight in war for this country. Finally because of the Fourteenth Amendment during this time, African Americans were finally recognized as citizens and had overcome much of the troubles that white men caused. They were given equal protection under the laws just like all other Americans and were protected with the same privileges and immunities. African Americans were still, for the most part, denied the benefits of emancipation which is a term to obtain political rights or equality. I wonder about it today, how groups of white men could think such things about other men, just because of their appearance. They have denied them the same rights while standing firm on a constitution based from the Bible and the belief that all men are created equal. Finally there was true change coming to America as more people both white and black, stood firm on their belief and prayed for a future with equal civil rights for everyone in this country.
- Jon Marshall Reimer
October, 19 2009
Populists and Progressives
by m0gliE on Jul.19, 2010, under College Esseys
Both populists and progressives stand with liberal grounds and strived both for the well being of the working class of society and equality for Americans. One problem I see between the two is that while populism can be socially conservative and without being as demanding for their ideas, progressivism can be totally socially liberal and not care for the people they leave behind in their ideas.
A major issue during this time was the lack of control over government and how it was regulated. They wanted equal fairness that needed to be changed to insure a future for their children. They introduced more ideas that would benefit their next generations for years to come. Ideas that were initiative to the future of all Americans with a referendum and recall which were needed by the state constitution to make new laws. They needed to change the way banks did business. They needed to make new socialistic ideas to help support a new born nation thrive and make sure the government can help in the creation of money, power, roads and railroads. They needed to choose what types of areas to nationalize as they did with railroads and banks. The Populist Party most of the labor support with the majority of its supporters bring farmers, who at the time took up over half of the population.
Many presidents have taken approaches that would fall under this category. We always need change in government and depend on the people along with the president to make these changes for us. Taking away government funded programs can only hinder society. Take Obama for instance, I believe he has the ideas of almost a progressive approach but, for the benefit of the working class we have yet to see results except for his statements for change in Washington and change for society . It takes a horde amount of people to change the law of the land. To me, it’s amazing what the members of the populists and progressives’ parties have done to change history for us.
Zombies Ahead
by Jon on Mar.12, 2010, under Funny Stuff
Zombies Ahead Caution Sign at roadside, done by re-programming the computer inside the control box.
Disabled in America
by Jon on Mar.11, 2010, under College Esseys
Jon Reimer
Sept. 21 2009
There are many people with disabilities throughout the world and the United States. According to United States Census Bureau the number of people living with disabilities over the age of 5 in the United States is 49.7 million, which is an estimated 1 in 5 residents in the United States. There are 5.2 million between the ages of 5 and 20 and 30.6 million were 21 to 64 with 57 percent of them being employed. There are many types of disabilities ranging from physical, emotional, as well as psychological disabilities. Some people with disabilities are able to live normal lives while some are subject to wheel chairs, limited mobility, as well as completely being confined. According to the University of California, San Francisco Disability Statistics Center there is an estimated 1.6 million people who are confined to wheel chairs outside of institutions. Among these statistics were numbers showing the age range, sex, as well as type of wheel chair used whether it is electric or manual. What was most surprising to me were the male to female ratio confined to wheel chairs. There are nearly twice as many women in wheel chairs than men. Many people with disabilities of all kinds have trouble fitting into what others perceive as a normal society. They are stared at, made fun of, and even harmed physically and emotionally. Although we are becoming more adaptive to providing a better environment for people with disabilities with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, studies show that within 5 years of passing, the job rate for people with disabilities had little to no improvement since it was passed.
There has been an amendment to the Americans with Disabilities Act in 2008. I believe backed up by new statistics that this amendment has helped people with disabilities tremendously. I can see around my own college campus that new wheel chair ramps have been put into place. There are more tutors and services are available to help achieve a better education including note takers, sign language interpitors, close captioning, as well as assistance with taking tests in order to achieve a good education. We are all entitled to equal rights and without some of these services a large majority of disabled people could not be receiving the education they are today. The top 3 reasons people become disabled and are entered into Vocational Rehabilitation programs are orthopedic impairments 20.0%, mental disorders 17.7%, and mental retardation at 13.4% with substance abuse at 10.4%. These statistics show just how much diversity in disabilities there are in America today.
Many people are very judgmental when it comes to hearing someone tell them they are disabled. We need to help inform others and also become more aware of people who suffer from disabilities and help them fit in with the rest of society without being discriminated against.
Computer Forensic Science
by Jon on Mar.11, 2010, under Computers
Introduction
America has invested more money in information processing and management using advanced computer technology than ever before . We transfer money electronically and are much more likely to receive an E-mail rather than a letter. It has been estimated by the Commerce Net Research Council that the worldwide Internet population is over 400 million and growing.
In today’s information technology age, the immediate need for advanced law enforcement is drastically becoming a high demand. Some of the crimes concerning finance and commerce conducted over the internet continue to rise as advanced security flaws frequently become more exposed. In the past, criminals would leave “paper trails” but today, they leave electronic trails using electronic devices. I work with computers almost every day and truly see what people leave behind on their computer. I have mandated not disclose any information or anything I see on someone’s personal computer unless of course there is child pornography. In the state of California in a PC technician is mandated to report such findings on any computer.
Crimes that are associated with theft and manipulations of data are being reported every day. A serious terrorist threat could originate from the Internet or the secret plans of a dangerous serial killer could be found located on a portable thumb drive or hard disk drive inside a computer.
Just as our society has been gradually converting the way we manufacture goods, or the way we process the information needed for reference, the criminal activity has also upgraded from a physical dimension where evidence and investigations can be described by other terms, into a “cyber dimension” one could say, and in this, which evidence exists electronically over the internet where the majority of investigations need to be conducted.
Executive Summary
After introducing the subject of computer forensic science, we can begin to follow the different ideas on which computer forensics can be provided and to what extent. How it can prove to be more efficient than the old fashion ways of putting together a puzzle. The criminal justice system has changed a lot since the good old days when people took care of things themselves, or else could simply tell the sheriff who did what to quickly eliminate a problem with a neighbor. Criminals were dealt with in any fashion the law enforcement back then saw fit, unlike today where criminals are really treated far better than before.
The science of catching these criminals has totally evolved as well since the olden days when tracking footsteps with a local Indian was your only option. We have advanced into a futuristic world where catching criminals has been easier than ever and we owe this advancement to computer forensic science.
The advanced programming software development for computer forensic science specialists has given new advanced techniques to fingerprinting, the process of DNA analysis, as well as the advancement in forensic lab tests . Forensic scientists can then use these techniques to either prove people’s innocence or catch criminals red handed with solid evidence.
Chapter I
What is Computer Forensics?
The main objective of using computer forensic science is to provide digital evidence of a specific criminal activity generally conducted by someone using a computer or the Internet. Criminals conducting in online pornography, credit card fraud and identity theft can all be traced using computer forensic tools and software.
There are many definitions that can describe the use of computer forensics within the criminal justice system. Generally, computer forensics can be considered a series of investigative techniques to identify, collect, examine and preserve evidence or information which is digitally stored or encrypted using today’s most advanced computer systems and software.
Giving a computer forensics expert the proper tools and software, he or she can then provide a useful service to the criminal justice system. This can, and will help protect against the growing numbers of computer and Internet criminal activity.
There a number of slightly varying definitions that can be used, however, for any type of crime committed regarding Internet fraud, theft, or the organizing of a criminal activity via the Internet can be investigated by computer forensic science specialists. As technology advances, the criminal justice system can also broaden the use of computers, along with software designed to help solve criminal cases in which the use of digital evidence can be substantial.
A forensic investigation can be initiated for a variety of reasons and is becoming more frequent as criminals take to the Internet to conduct criminal activity. The most high profile cases usually involve a criminal investigation, but computer forensic techniques can be an adequate use in a wide variety of situations, including recovering data that a criminal tried to erase.
There are several scenarios listed below where computer forensic science can be used.
Internet abuse – piracy, copyright infringement, Employee’s activities (porn, chatting, shopping) The use of unauthorized corporate information (bank account, sales, clients) Industrial espionage (rare, handled by FBI in most cases) Assessment Cases (fraud, incident cases) Criminal fraud and deception cases General criminal cases (harassment, identity theft, trafficking)
In many cases, there are criminals who store their secret information on computers and do so either sometimes not knowing that they can be tracked, traced or monitored, along with that information being used against them in the court of law.
Chapter II
How is it approached?
Computer forensic investigation can be approached in different ways. Although, It is a detailed science and must be conducted in a series of steps, the first approach is the most critical. The main phase consists of securing the subject system, making a mirror image of the hard drive, identify and recover all files. Recover any deleted files and access any hidden or protected temporary files. Examine all areas of the hard drive and investigate all of the settings from installed applications to the structure of the file system. Taking into account the general factors relating to the users activity and including a detailed report. Throughout the investigation, a mandatory full audit log of conducted activities should be maintained for future presentation.
There are a few things that should not be conducted during a computer forensic investigation. This is directly related to the way the subject computer system is being used. Typically, it is important to avoid changing any files on the system including the attributes, dates, or time stamps. The same can apply to overwriting any unallocated blank space on the hard drive, this is why it very important to create a mirror image of the original hard drive before powering up the system. This ensures an original hard copy that can be used multiple times in the event of any data loss during the initial assessment part of the investigation.
Chapter III
Common Uses: Evidence
There are many very useful ways that computer forensic science has advanced the techniques used by forensic investigators to produce evidence for criminal cases. There has been software designed to provide a more advanced type of determination of blood spatter at a scene and in conducting an overall analysis. This certain analysis is conducted on a pattern of bloodstains distributed at a crime scene to determine the cause and effect. There are many effects and various types of patterns that blood creates on surfaces which ultimately determines its interaction with the surrounding environment . For example , the location and actions of the assailant can be determined and the movement of both the assailant and the victim during the incident. Using a computer to import the data from the crime scene can then give a better visual scenario as to what happened.
Without the use of today’s advanced computer forensic tools, these determinations would not have been possible. Because of the advanced techniques used by experts to produce this type of software, it has been easier for investigators to determine such factors in a relatively short period of time as well. Continuing to support the advancement of technology is important to reduce the overall risk of future Internet terrorist attacks.
Trace evidence is another common type of forensic evidence that is used today. This is commonly recovered as evidence from any number of items at a crime scene. These items can include fibers, skin, hair or other types of substance found in or around the scene of the crime. Hairs that are recovered from the crime scene can be examined to produce the source of DNA, which can then be used as an important factor determining the innocence or guilt of the subject on trial. Examination of material recovered from a victim’s or suspect’s clothing can then make an association between the victim or other person, place, or thing. DNA analysis can be considered one of the most important aspects of forensic science but could not be done without the use of advanced computer hardware and software. While DNA evidence can come in many forms when found at the scene of a crime, the most common collected is hair or bodily fluids. These can be tested to find a match for either the assailant or the victim. The DNA can then be the basis of making a conviction and charging someone guilty in the court of law, or it just may prove their innocence. It has been decided in many cases as we advance farther into the century, that we need to adapt . As the future ways of criminal activities continue to change and the criminals get smarter, we will always need to find new advanced ways to catch them.
Chapter IV
Cyber Crime
Forensic science is the most advanced method yet, but is only the beginning. As the field of computer science grows, so will the abilities of the criminal justice system as they will have further evidence to judge and punish criminals. The continuous advancement in computer technology increases the chances of proving crime fit for today’s advancing criminals. It also gives officials better results when conducting investigation by having access to advanced satellite and GPS tools. As other countries teach programming language’s to teenagers in high school, the United States needs to be prepared to defend against intruders who simply “try to hack” as well as keeping security and privacy at safe for Americans. If America uses the Internet to purchase most of their products, that just opens up variations of fraud. Some of the earliest known cases of “cyber crime” involved these types of “amateur” hackers who only wanted to prove a point or show off for their friends.
Because amateurs can generally be caught by tracing, there is also software designed to act as a fake area to be targeted, this is called a honey pot. The hacker may make an attempt to steal some honey, but without knowing that it is only a trap for which he is now stuck in. Intruder detection software and analysis tools can help monitor and protect against cyber crime and thieves. Upgrading is also important because there is always the danger of someone knowing how to penetrate the new security standards.
Chapter V
Database Profiling
Profiling is a helpful tool, but will never be used to replace a criminal investigation, unless more progress is made, this is because profiles are to general and lack individualism.
The main disadvantage to the police using a profiler is that they look for a specific type of person, but if the profile is wrong they have no other suspects. The profile of a criminal is only based upon the quality and accuracy of the evidence gathered. Also, innocent people get stereotyped because of profiling, if they fit the description of a criminal.
One positive influence of the research that has been done on offender profiling is that with the use of IT experts, the FBI have produced computer profiling. This is a database system that uses offender profiling to search for offenders based upon description, age, MO etc. It is called the Homicide Investigation Tracking System, first invented in America. The description, age and MO etc of caught offenders is input into a database, then when a crime occurs the FBI can search for any known offenders that have the same description, age or MO. The database produces a list of offenders with the same description, age or MO. The selection of offenders can then be narrowed down to a location or previous convictions.
The advantage to this system is that a list of suspects can be complied immediately. Information on all offenders across a wide geographical area is available immediately to all FBI and police departments. One disadvantage to this system is that it relies on data to be correct. Databases of know offenders only have information on criminals that have been caught. It could be suggested that that criminals that have not been caught may differ in characteristics than those that have been. Also convicted criminals may give false information to sensationalize their crimes.
Psychological research has certainly influenced changes in society, in law and in forensic science, however these changes have been limited. It can be suggested that psychological research may improve over time to make more advanced changes to our society, in laws and in forensic science services.
Chapter VI
The Advancing Media
Research has been conducted on the influence that media has over criminal behavior. Studies have resulted in a surprisingly significant change being made regarding certain laws. After the Jamie Bulger murder, officials and investigators cracked down on those selling violent video games and films to underage children who also influence and lie to cashiers to obtain to latest title. The ratings on videos, DVDs and games are judged for sales, and are created far more advanced then they use to be, along with new categories for classification for these violent games and movies that have been introduced. Now, there are ways that investigators can issue fines against those selling films and games to underage children, and for repeat offenders, can be sentenced with a hard prison time.
There are many legal constraints on the media and the advancing film industry. They currently have control over what information can and cannot be disclosed and advertised to the public. The majority of advertisements we see are by the ones who pay the most money. One of the very serious offences committed by the media is when they identify an individual who is “supposed to remain anonymous”. At one time, reporters were able to publish information about a trail, however the law has changed to give a person the right to remain anonymously. For example, children and victims or suspects of sex crimes cannot be published for the public. There are some journalists who report false information, or information from the offenders past that could pose a substantial risk and prejudice during a trial.
These advanced changes within the law are positive, before, there was hardly any protection from the media among victims, resulting in them less likely to report criminal activity. By not revealing some victims previous past convictions to a jury may make them less, or sometimes more likely to find a guilty individual rather than innocent. Because of more in-depth conducted research by forensic science, we are able to stand on firm grounds for future convictions as we struggle to fight the battle of determining right from wrong.
Due to research in these areas, the government has introduced over seven thousand new police officers into our streets and in America. Every chief commissioner is now responsible for their own precinct thus, making low crime rates a personal reward. This can only be a positive outcome from such research. The introduction of many new IT college institutions designed to train law enforcement to help fight against cyber crime.
Chapter VII
Conclusion
Although I have spoke with those who disagree with the advance uses of technology in today’s changing world. Some may believe that the old fashion way of conducting investigation still provides the best form of evidence. On the other hand, computer forensic science has added a great deal of development dealing with cases such as criminal harassment using E-mail or chat system.
Parents worry about criminals who use the Internet to influence children, they rely on computer forensic investigators and technicians that prevent the fraud and crime, especially involving underage children exploiters. As the Internet increasingly becomes more of a danger zone than the media, magazines and television. Still as of today, there are many laws being broken by using the Internet as the source and the government has little control. FBI Agents, Security Tech’s and Police Officers do what they can everyday to help control the crime conducted over the internet. As the Internet grows more every day, so will the need for stability and a fair place where our rights may still be expressed. The crime can easily be managed and controlled with the advanced technology that is produced by security experts around the world.
Bibliography
American Academy of Forensic Sciences “Zes’s Forensic Site” Criminal, 110, 2009
American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors / Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB). ASCLD/LAB Manual. “American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board” Garner, North Carolina, 1994, pp. 29–30.
Anderson, Terry M., and Thomas J. Gardner. “13.” In Criminal Law. 10 ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing, 2008. 331.
Anderson, Terry M., and Thomas J. Gardner. “15.” In Criminal Law. 10 ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing, 2008. 360,367
Commerce Net Research Council, Industry Statistics, 2000, Title II <http://www.commerce.net/research/stats/wwstats.html>
“National Academy of Sciences Finds” Serious Deficiencies in Nation’s Crime Labs“. National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. February 18, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
“Recovery Software.” In PC Magazine. New York: Ziff Davis, 2006. 23.
“Computer Dictionary” Hard Disk Drive, Saugus.net 2003-2006. <http://www.computerdictionary.info/>
Electricity in America
by m0gliE on Dec.15, 2009, under College Esseys
Electricity in America
Electricity was the most important aspect of the industrial revolution relating to American lives. This new era inspired inventers who used electricity in ways that nobody had ever dreamed of. So many people helped in creating a network of cables that ran across the United States. There were new ways invented to help manufacture supplies that used this electrical current. It made it easily possible to give American’s a taste of relaxation and luxury at the end of a hard days work. Markets needed refrigerators to store food for local buyers. They needed to keep the food fresher and longer. This was only possible with the help of this great change.
Thomas Edison helped during this time to drive the demand for the electrical current. He helped aid a team of scientists in creating power plants that could provide power for every American. Men worked day by day to secure power poles for businesses so they could provide a better service for their customers using electricity. The main goal was to publicly distribute power to every city, business and home. Lights helped attract attention for business and provide people with a warm feeling that resulted in better sales. The men working in factories, stores and shops could work longer hours. Other lights were used all night like City Street lamps which provided a warm feeling for a small town and brought the towns people together. The industrial revolution provided not only power, but the power for Americans to strive for more new technology and businesses in America for another new changing age.
Participation in Elections
by m0gliE on Nov.30, 2009, under College Esseys
Participation in elections and voter turnout has been declining since the early nineteen hundreds, or so the statistics tell us. However, these are based from poll data that some also say might not be accurate. These stats show that people, registered to vote, end up not voting at all. This adds to the decreased stats based on voter turnout. There was also a high amount of voter fraud in the early 19th century, which could have also been the reason for reaching nearly 80 percent voter turnout. The Australian ballot was set forth to reduce voter fraud. This cut back on fraud, but did not eliminate it.
There was a decline in turnout around 1970, but I believe that it also depends on the era we live in and how our economy stands. Sometimes, the public simply makes the choice not to participate. One reason could be personal neglect or being anti-political perhaps. This year we have seen a huge increase in both voter registrations and turnouts. I think that this is because more people are interested in trying to make some kind of change, the increased amount of population allowed to vote today can also add to the statistics. Political views and opinions have increased drastically in younger people as well, driving younger students to cast their vote. In addition, making it easy for college students to register and vote on campus has been an influence on increasing turnout. There is still a high amount of older educated individuals who participate and greatly help the way politics work. But we should not have to rely on them in order to make our system work. Educating students in schools at a young age is a good idea so we see younger people more involved with politics when they are of age to vote.
The way voter turnouts are calculated is by collecting data from two areas, voting age, and voting eligibility. These both leave open doors to what could cause inaccurate calculations. Not all registered young voters will end up going down to vote on Election Day, they perhaps could be out of town or have too much going on. Eligibility stats will change, people who move out of the area could be the cause for many missed votes on Election Day. The one report of a man driving 12 hours back home just to cast his vote is one example. If all states allowed registered voters to cast their vote the day of registration, before the Election Day, maybe we would see more involvement and a larger turnout increase . This could cut back on polling costs and help produce the end results more accurate and earlier. If we followed The Canadian system of universal enrollment we could also see how this could change voter turnout. Making every American citizen eligible and adding them to the statistics. Italy will mark on your ID papers that you did not vote, perhaps if we adopted something like this it would help influence people to vote.
Democrats seem to think that a higher turnout will help them in elections whereby the Republicans believe it would not help. I think they should come to a compromise and work together to produce a better working election system based on the needs of the people, not the influence and views of their political parties. The people end up voting for and electing many members to various different offices. We do have a large influence on who gets appointed to represent us, which makes me wonder why people are not more involved. I still strongly believe that if we want to see more results and higher turnouts within our political system, we need to start educating our earlier K-12 students about community relations, law enforcement and politics. There has been far too much negative influence cast by anti-official and anti-government parents who raise their children the same way.
The Computer Field
by Jon on Aug.27, 2008, under Computers
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