Frequently Asked Questions About Sexual Crime
1. How are sex offenses punished?
Punishment for a sex offense can vary dramatically depending on the category of crime. A misdemeanor sex crime conviction (such as indecent exposure) might receive less than a year of jail time, a fine, community service, counseling, or even probation. A felony, on the other hand, might be punished by a long prison term (up to a life sentence). Released sex felons must register as sex offenders. Multiple convictions typically lead to increasingly greater punishments.
2. Is consent a defense?
Consent, if it can be proved, is a defense to many sex crimes. However, some people are not considered able to consent to sex under the law. For those individuals, even if they explicitly agree, their agreement is not legally valid. For example, minors, the mentally disabled, and unconscious or intoxicated people (even if they willingly became intoxicated) typically cannot provide valid consent. Statutory rape or date rape charges may result.
3. What is entrapment?
Police operations often try to capture sex offenders by posing as prostitutes, underage individuals, or other parties in an attempt to catch them while committing (or preparing to commit) a sex crime. Some sex offense defendants argue that police actions, such as the offer of sexual services, are entrapment. Entrapment means that the police induced the defendant to commit a crime he or she did not intend to commit before it was suggested by the police. However, entrapment is not a valid defense if the defendant intended to commit the crime and the police simply provided a means to do so. In prostitution cases, for instance, the offer of sexual services by a police officer is almost never held to be entrapment because the defendant is generally found to have been intending to purchase sexual services prior to interacting with the decoy officer. The elements of an entrapment defense are complicated and very sensitive to the facts of your situation. Contact an attorney immediately if you believe you were entrapped.
4. Is it statutory rape if someone lies about his or her age?
A mistake about age is not a defense to statutory rape charges, even if the underage person lied and gave consent. It is a “strict liability” offense, which makes the perpetrator responsible regardless of the surrounding circumstances.
5. What is the difference between rape and sexual assault?
Many state laws no longer use the term “rape,” replacing it with sexual abuse or sexual assault to describe prohibited acts. Traditional rape is covered by these statutes and may be designated sexual abuse in the first degree. However, most sexual assault statutes cover more types of sexual acts and apply to victims of either sex. Also, husbands can generally be charged with sexual assault of their wives, and lesser offenses, such as unwanted touching, may be included.
6. What is probable cause?
“Probable cause” is a term that refers to the belief that a person has committed a crime by legal standards. A finding of probably cause can lead to an arrest or conviction. There is not a bright-line rule establishing precisely what is probable cause. However, a finding of probable cause requires objective facts indicating a likelihood of criminal activity. A hunch or an unfounded complaint alone do not satisfy the requirement.
7. Who must register as a sex offender?
Generally, any adult or juvenile who has been convicted of certain sex offenses, which vary from state to state, who is on active supervision for a sex offense, or who has been committed as a sexually violent predator must register with the state law enforcement agency as a sex offender. The duration of the offender’s duty to register varies, based on the original offense and the risk of re-offense. In some states, sexual predators or sexually violent offenders must register for life.
The information you obtain from this article is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation.
Joseph Hawthorne
http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/frequently-asked-questions-about-sexual-crime-680655.html
Voices Can Change the World
Voice talent Dave Christi runs an organization comprising of professional voice talent working towards bringing awareness and an end to one of the worlds most evil atrocities, genocide, particularly, the genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan.
A genocide literally means that an entire group of people, or, in many cases, the majority of a population, is annihilated without just cause. The motives behind these genocides often revolve around religion, politics and ethnicity with hate as the catalyst.
Genocide is defined as: The deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group
You may recall the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. At the time, Canadian Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire was in the then war-torn Rwanda with a UN peacekeeping mission. While he was there, he heard that there was going to be a genocide. In this country, there are two distinct groups of people, the Hutu people and the Tutsi people, the latter being the minority and also considered the aristocracy.
To give you an extremely brief summary of what happened, the Tutsi people suffered a genocide at the hands of the Hutu while the world turned a blind eye. Between April 6th and July 16th 1994, over 800,000 Tutsi men, women, and children along with moderate Hutus were slaughtered over a period of 100 days – a massacre which has been likened to a modern Reign of Terror.
I happened to have the opportunity to attend a moving presentation a couple of years ago that screened a documentary about the Rwandan genocide in London. Major Brent Beardsley, who served as the personal staff officer to LGen Romeo Dallaire in Rwanda, was there to share what he saw of the massacre first hand and how if the UN had only continued to provide support to their peacekeepers, the genocide may have been stopped.
Several survivors from the genocide were there and spoke that evening, many of whom were the only living members of their family, letting us as Canadians know how much it meant to them that Romeo Dallaire and his troops did not pull out or abandon them when the United Nations and the rest of the world did.
Romeo Dallaire and his troops defied the UN in order to defend the people of Rwanda, and the battle they fought has made the term genocide very real.
The question Romeo Dallaire asks is “Are all humans human? Or… are some humans more human than others?”
What is going on in Darfur is eerily familiar… it is a genocide.
In our human history, we have seen genocides before Darfur and Rwanda, although, sometimes they are known by other names. Remember what happened to the Jewish people during World War II? The Holocaust, as termed by the British government, is a genocide. Millions of Jewish people were brutally murdered by the Nazi regime.
History repeats itself, but as we also know of history, we can learn from it to change the world. While it is true that not everyone can be at ground zero, there are things that you can still do from home.
When I heard about what Dave Christi had started, my heart broke for the people of Darfur and I wanted to see his purpose and the mission of his colleagues uplifted and shared with you.
I was fortunate to have an interview with Dave earlier this week.
Stephanie: What inspired you to start this project?
Dave Christi: A while ago, I happened upon an article online about a recent trip that a celebrity had taken to Darfur. Then another person on another trip. Then another and another. I wondered, “What’s going on in Darfur?” I always knew that there were problems in Africa, but I never knew to what extent. A quick Internet search later, I found more information.
I was horrified. Not just by the atrocities happening there, but by my own ignorance of the gravity of the situation. I couldn’t figure out why I hadn’t heard more about this on mainstream national news outlets.
I petitioned my congressman and signed the petition to the president and so on, but I didn’t feel like I was doing enough. I don’t have sacks of cash lying around, so I decided to donate my talents as a voiceover artist and copywriter. Then, I figured there may be one or two other voiceover talents that would like to contribute in the same way.
Stephanie: Do you offer services to charitable organizations directly, or do they need to find you first and ask?
Dave: The website and concept are both still in their infancy. My vision is to offer voiceover services to non-profits that may need a PSA read, or a presentation narrated.
Also, since I am a writer, I am putting together a series of PSAs for radio. As far as I can tell, there is a serious LACK of media coverage of this genocide. I’ll be contacting human rights organizations to ask them what we can do to help.
Stephanie: How many people are involved with the project?
Dave: This is the truly amazing part. I made this project public when I had the first PSA script written. That was on Monday, December 11. Just a few days later and I have over 20 voiceover talents who have helped on the PSA and many more that have expressed an interest in donating their voices for future projects.
I am now looking for others that can help with administration.
Stephanie: Do you have a mission statement?
Dave: Not an official statement, but the mission is 3-fold:
1. Donating voiceover work to non-profits who raise money/awareness for the crisis in Darfur.
2. Drive website traffic through our website to sites that accept donations.
3. Creating effective PSA’s to distribute to radio stations to help raise public awareness of the crisis in Darfur.
Stephanie: Do you have a blog to promote your project?
Dave: The entire website is setup on blogging software. I found this the easiest way to organize the fluid content of the site. So, yes, a blog is in place.
Stephanie: What is the demand for a service like yours?
Dave: I feel the demand could be quite great. Like any “for-profit” business, charities need to market themselves. This means they need voice work. UNLIKE a “for-profit” business, charities don’t have large marketing budgets. Every penny they have to spend is one less penny that goes toward their cause. If an organization like ours can lower their bottom line just a bit, I feel like we’ve been successful.
Stephanie: What does a typical client of your service look like?
Dave: Right now there is just one focus. Darfur. I am running the organization as a one man show right now. If I’m successful with charities that help Darfur, then I’d like to expand to domestic children’s charities.
Stephanie: Do you have a case study on hand that people could relate to?
Dave: The only case study I have right now is my own. The abuse of human rights in Darfur as been going on since 2003. Why was I unaware until the end of 2006? Why is it that my local and national media saw fit to educate me on every tedious detail of TomKat’s relationship, yet the stories of the suffering of the Darfuri people go unaired and unpublished?
Stephanie: How would someone go about getting a talent to record their message? Can clients pick their preferred voice from your base of volunteer talent or do talent view opportunities and respond if interested?
Dave: Right now I am collecting names of those interested in donating and I’m still researching charities that would need work done. Come to think of it, Voices.com has a lot of experience in getting voices and people who need voices together.
Stephanie: What qualifies to be recorded for free through your service? Are there any restrictions?
Dave: I want to ensure that the charities that use Voices for a Change are legitimate. In the US, that would simply mean faxing a copy of their 501(c)(3) to us before they would be given access to our services. The other requirement is that their charitable efforts go toward delivering relief to, raising public awareness for, and encouraging media and government response for the genocide in Darfur.
Stephanie: How can people get involved?
Dave: Even those who do not wish to donate their voices may still help the people of Darfur. Talk to your congressman. Talk to your local media. Talk to your friends. Be A Witness said it very well; “You can’t stop a genocide if you don’t know about it.”
Stephanie: Thank you Dave for your time and for sharing this mission with us at Voices.
Dave: Thank you for the opportunity.
Stephanie Ciccarelli
http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/voices-can-change-the-world-97280.html
What should I do to convince my mom that the Iluminatti and the New World Order are real?
I am 15 perfectly normal and my parents want to hospitalize me because I believe that the new world order will happen in 2012!! I am not acting crazy or anything like that. They just want to do it because i simply believe in the NWO
Just tell them it’s normal for teenage boys to believe obsessively in wacky outlandish theories with no basis in fact.
Don’t forget to apologise to them in 2013.
Shopping Nightmare
I was arrested for Trespassing on 3/19 and 6 weeks later charged with battery and disorderly conduct. The stories of the Security Guard from Jewel Foods and Monterrey Security guards was totally different from what they wrote in their incident report, the Chicago Police Report was different, their written statements were different and on 5/16/2009 their testimony in court was totally different from all the evidence. I was found not Guilty of Trespassing, Battery and Disorderly Conduct.
This entire incident started because I questioned the customer service of Jewel Foods and I was denied a manager by the Jewel Foods Security Guard. When the Guard denied me a manager he smiled as if it was a joke. I told the security guard, “What do I have to do? Do I have to go down the street and get some of my rich white friends and come back so you can open up the self check out line? That comment made the Jewel Security Guard mad and he followed me to the grocery line and blocked me in, knocked my orange juice out of my hands, grabbed me by the arms and pushed me out of the line. I was pushed to register #3 where I was picked up and slammed to the concrete floor where I yelled for help because I was in pain. I was dragged from register #3 to Register #10 by a Jewel Food Security Guard by one handcuff which cut into my skin and I was dragged by a Monterrey Security Guard by the other arm. I was yelling because I was in pain because of the slam to the floor and the handcuff cutting into my skin while I was being dragged. The security guards were trying to pull me into the Loss Prevention Office which the customer did not allow that to happen because they witnessed the security guard touching me for no reason.
A customer called 911 and once the Chicago Police arrived the customers were trying to explain to them what happen but refused to listen. The customer who called 911 tried to explain to the Chicago Police Officer he called 911 and the officer choose not to listen. In the Chicago Police Report it states, The Reporting Officer Was responding to a battery: The customer who called said, “They are beating this guy up in front of Jewel.” I’m wondering why did the Chicago Police refused to take a statement from the customer? Did the Chicago Police look at the video evidence?
I went to court on 4/30 to fight the Charges of Criminal Trespassing and the Jewel Foods filed an additional charge of Battery and Disorderly Conduct.
3/19 Criminal Trespassing to Land: “KNOWINGLY REMAINED UPON THE LAND OF JEWEL FOODS LOCATED AT 1224 S. WABASH AFTERRECIEVING NOTICE FROM OWNER/OCCUPANT.AGENT TO DEPART.”
4/30 Battery: The Security Guard signed a complaint in Court claiming Battery. “Intentionally or knowingly without legal justification made contact of an insulting or provoking nature with the complainant in that the defendant swung fist at complaint hitting complainant in the arm.”
4/30 Disorderly Conduct: The Cashier signed a complaint in Court claiming Disorderly Conduct. Knowingly acted in such an unreasonable manner as to disturb another and to provoke a breach of the peach in that the defendant was screaming and yelling which prevented the complainant from performing her duties as a cashier for Jewel.
Go to Youtube and type in “Jewel-Osco Security Guard Gone Wild”
Video #1 and 2 will show the Security Guard following me to the grocery line.
Video # 3 will show the Security Guard grabbing me and pushing me out of the Grocery Line.
Video # 4 will show the Security Guard lifting me up from behind and slamming me to the floor.
Video # 4, #5 and #6 will show I was dragged by the security guards.
Video # 7 will show I was dragged and jerked by the handcuff and arrested by the Chicago Police Officers.
The Trespassing Charges
The security guard told the judge he told me in the Grocery Line that if I could not keep quiet he would have to tell me to leave. The Judge asked the Security Guard, “So you gave the defendant a condition?” The security guard said, “Yes.”
1st My attorney asked the security guard to read the Trespassing Warning in court and when he read the warning he did not know what time it was given to me. There’s two different times on the warning.. 1st It states it was given to me at 1:15am and 2nd It states it was given to me at 1:25am. There was no way I received any Trespassing warning because at 1:15am I was grabbed and pushed out of the line and slammed to the floor at. Then I was dragged from register 3 to 10 by one handcuff.
2nd The trespassing warning also state, “The above named person was advised that if he/she returns to said premises that he/she would be in violation of this Trespass Warning and be subject to arrest.” In order for the Trespassing Warning to be valid I had to leave and come back onto the Premises I was band from.
3rd My attorney asked the security guard the following question to show I was illegally detain with warning.
A: Where was my client standing? The security guard replied in line.
B: What was on my Client left side? The security guard replied, a pop machine and a candy rack.
C: What was on my Client Right side? The security guard said the self-check out line.
D: Who was standing behind my Client? The security guard said he was.
F: My attorney said, “If my client wanted leave out of the store would he go in the direction you were standing which is behind my client or would he go in the direction the customer were facing. Better yet, would it be easier to say the only Exits would be in the front of the store and not the back? The security guard said the only Exit would be the front of the store?
My attorney said, if you were blocking his rear, the pop machine and the candy rack is blocking his left, the self-check out line was blocking his right and the 10 to 15 customers in front of my client was blocking his front which prevented him from Exiting the Store, please explain to the courts if you gave my client a trespassing warning to leave, how was he going to leave if he was blocked in? The security guard could not answer.
4th The security guard said they gave the Trespassing Warning to the Chicago Police after I was arrested and assumed they gave it to me.
5th In Jewel and Monterrey Security they lied about the security guard was telling me to leave several times and that never occurred.
6th The Security Guard from Monterrey Security was asked why did he sign his name on the Trespassing Warning as a witness? He said I was in the parking lot and I did not know what was going on?
The charges were dropped because it showed he blocked me in, he had no reason to stop follow me to the grocery line which he told the judge he did not follow me, the times were wrong and in order for the trespassing warning to be valid he would have to word it correctly, give it to me directly and time must match.
Battery Charges:
1: The Video Evidence shows I never swung at anyone.
2: The Judge looked at the Video Evidence and said, “It clearly shows the security guard grabbed the defendant and there is not proof of the defendant swinging according the the video evidence.”
3: The Security Guard from Monterrey Security wrote in his statement, “At this point the man dropped to the ground of his own will and started to scream.”
4. In court the Security Guard told the Judge he could not remember because it’s been so long but later said, “1st it look like he dropped to the ground on his own. 2nd it look like Christopher Mendoza laid him on the ground and 3rd I did not have a clear view.”
5. The video evidence shows I was slammed to the floor by Jewel Loss Prevention and Monterrey Security Guard was standing directly in front of me.
On May 16, 2008 Christopher Mendoza told the Judge that I swung at him with a bag of Pistachios Nuts and when he blocked my swing with his arm and the Pistachios Nuts when everywhere on the floor. The Monterrey Security Guard support the story also.
March 19, 2007 Christopher Mendoza wrote in his Loss Prevention Incident Report, “He Gestured as if he was going to strike me, I blocked his arem and tried to handcuff the subject. Kerry Kielbon (Monterrey Security) assisted me.”
March 19, 2007 Christopher Mendoza told the Chicago Police, “At this time subject was asked to leave premise, subject refused stating he would make a scene if security touched him subject was asked again to leave and refused, at this point security attempted to place subject into customdy, scuffle ensued while handcuffs were being placed on offender.”
April 30, 2007 Christopher Mendoza filed a complaint in court stating, “Intentionally or knowingly without legal justification made contact of an insulting or provoking nature with the Complainant in that: The defendant swung fist at complainant hitting complainant in the arm.
May 16, 2008 Christopher Mendoza told the judge I swung toward his face with a bag of Pistachios and he blocked the swing with his arm which made the bag of Pistachios fall on the floor.
My attorney asked where did the allege swing take place and the security guard was not able to give that information. My attorney asked did this take place after you tried to arrest my client or before you tried to arrest my client? The Security Guard from Jewel Foods said, “It took place before I tried to arrest him.” So my attorney said we should be able to see Pistachios Nuts everywhere on the floor, Correct? The Jewel Food Security Guard agreed?
We showed the Video Evidence from Line #1 Which show no punches were thrown and it clearly showed he grabbed me and pushed me out of the line. We paused the video which showed I had Pistachios in my hand and we showed the floor area where Pistachios show have been and there were not Pistachios on the floor because I had the bag in my hand. We showed Video Evidence from Line #3 which show the Jewel Foods Security Guard picking me up from behind which holding my arms in the air. We pause the video and it showed I had Pistachios in my hands and there were not Pistachios on the floor. We were about to show more of the video and the Judge said, “That’s Enough.” I’m sure she was in disbelief of what happen and the video showed they were lying..
The judge looked at the video and said, It clearly shows the security guard grabbing the defending and pushing him out of the line. There is no proof showing the defendant swing at anyone and there are no Pistachios on the floor.
The Jewel Security guard was asked if I was handcuff and he replied, “No”. The video evidence showed the security guard dragging me from lane #3 to lane #4 and you see customers taking pictures with their phones because he was dragging and jerking me by the handcuff.
Disorderly Conduct:
The Jewel Food Cashier claimed my yelling for help and 911 stopped her from doing her job. The video evidence clearly show she never stop working and did not witnessed the incident.
The cashier wrote the following statement on 4/3/2007: “I was the only line open and the line was long and customers were complaining about the line but there was no help I had no extra bodies to perform the job.”
The cashier did not show up to court on April 1, 2008 and on May 16, 2008 my attorney asked to have the disorderly charge dropped but a Manager in the Loss Prevention Department said Linda Williams passed away. The Judge allowed the Disorderly Conduct to stay because the Loss Prevention Manager stood in her place. The charges were later dismissed because there was no proof of Disorderly Conduct I did not need to show any video evidence to prove my innocence.
Jewel Foods and Monterrey Security tried to intimidate me not to come to court and I was harassed for about 8 months. I was also told by the Loss Prevention Manager if I sign a letter no to file Civil Suit they would drop the charges. The Loss Prevention Manager also stated, ” Beside, I’m 22 and Zero when I come to court.” I told him the charges are weak and false and I’m going to fight this in court.
On May 16, 2008 I was offered a plea of 3 months supervision from Jewel Food Loss Prevention. I was also offered to plea no Contest and to stay out of Jewel. I told my attorney no because I did not do anything wrong and I would rather fight this in court.
On May 16, 2008 I was found Not Guilty of all the charges filed against me.
I was found not Guilty of Criminal Trespassing to Land
I was found not Guilty of Disorderly Conduct
I was found not Guilty of Battery
The Court Transcript will show the Security Guards lied from day 1 and 95% of their statement was conflicting.
Joseph Robinson Jr
It’s All About People, Process, and Technology. Technology is Dead Last in the Order of Importance When it Comes to Security
The recent and explosive growth of the Internet and technology has brought many good things such as e-commerce, collaborative computing, online markets and new avenues of sharing and distributing information. But each side has its counterpart, and with the technological advances came hackers. With this dark side and the many security breaches that are associated with it, companies, governments and individuals are afraid of hackers breaking into their servers or networks, stealing valuable data, collecting passwords and intercepting financial and credit card information.
And many times this can become reality. Recently, there has been a flurry of security breaches among large organizations such as Western Union, that reported a security breach on their Web site that let loose the credit-and debit-card information for 15,700 customers. Another recent hacker case is a 16-year-old youth, who admitted hacking into military and NASA computer networks. His activities caused a three-week shutdown of NASA’s systems and a security breach of a military computer network which protects against conventional, biological, chemical and nuclear-weapon attacks. That’s just a small sampling of actual hacks. Most industry watchers agree that only a handful of security breaches are ever reported.
For a long time, most computer network crackers hacked a system for the same reason: “Because it’s there.” But that’s no longer the only reason or even the dominant one. More hackers now do it because “It’s where the money is.” In the past decade, hackers have changed from script kiddies who hacked websites and spread worms to professionals sponsored by foreign governments and organized crime. Modern hackers want more than infamy. They exploit new technologies to crack systems or hack into computer systems and hold data for ransom. Hackers today commit real crimes, sometimes for significant financial gain.
To safeguard themselves from the modern hackers, most companies and government agencies that want to uncover network and system security vulnerabilities have two choices: they can hire a team of penetration experts to scan and probe their systems and uncover their vulnerabilities, or they can wait for a malicious hacker to come by and exploit them. Unfortunately, many times it is the latter. A security analysis or penetration test, performed by a security consultant, would produce a report or security posture assessment, detailing all vulnerabilities found and the actions needed to remedy them and minimize the risk of being the victim of a successful hack attack.
The security consultant or penetration expert can be a “white hacker”, someone who uses ethical hacking to discover vulnerabilities within a network or a reformed “black hacker”, who once was an active part of the dark side and used to exploit the identified security holes. The subject of whether it is ethical to use former hackers to evaluate a network’s security is a topic that is often hotly debated – and for many reasons.
Ethical hackers or security consultants typically have very strong programming and computer networking skills and have been in the computer and networking business for several years. Their base knowledge and expertise is augmented with detailed knowledge of the hardware and software, project management skills and methodology which are necessary for the actual vulnerability testing, as well as when reporting after the test was performed. In addition to that, ethical hacking seminars, courses and certifications are being offered to IT professional to broaden their horizon and skills in these fields. But many times these hacking courses and seminars only provide a very limited insight, outdated hacking or only basic hacking techniques. Their main purpose is to educate professionals but not to create a new generation of hackers. The goal is to fill security holes, not exploit them.
A disadvantage that white hackers or security consultants have over hackers is the real world experience and the insight knowledge. There are many things that cannot be taught in a seminar or learned from a book. The most obvious advantage former hackers have, is the real world hacking experience. As each network system differs based on various network defenses and configurations, the hack approach will be unique and only someone with plenty of real world hacking experience can efficiently go from using one technique to another as required by the present situation.
Another positive aspect of hiring reformed hackers as security consultants is that staying up on the latest security exploits, vulnerabilities and countermeasures is part of their job. A good hacker has a level of security knowledge that goes far beyond that of most other IT professionals. Keeping up with the latest exploits and countermeasures is a full time job and although the IT professional has an acceptable level of security knowledge, they must focus most of their attention on the day to day responsibilities of keeping the network up and running. To make up these “deficiencies” many white hackers and security consultants rely on automated and commercial vulnerability and penetration software, that can provide needed security reports, but their functions are limited. The huge differences can be seen when comparing the results from an automated scan and a hacker assessment or professional penetration test.
But before a company makes the decision to hire a reformed hacker, one needs to evaluate the negative sides. Certainly there are several types of hackers that can be found. One kind oft them are the “gray hats” – the unpaid tinkerers who find flaws to improve security for everyone. They are the best hackers, because their passion for tinkering drives their excellence and they do not break the laws. The black hat hackers – the criminals – break the law and feel justified doing it. They are the kind of hackers who seek to increase their fame in the hacker community, while others want to prove at any cost that their targets’ security is vulnerable. Black hats wreak havoc not only by their own actions but also by drawing attention to weaknesses that they and cybercriminals can exploit. The last and worst kinds of hackers are the cybercriminals, who perpetrate the worst crimes. They are paid to use existing tools and techniques to steal confidential personal, government or industry information, and particularly financial data. Cybercriminals usually work for foreign governments, organized crime or independently.
The probably biggest negative in the decision making process is trust. Which hacker will you hire and how much can you trust them? The main premise of security is deciding who you trust and then locking out everyone else. When hiring a hacker as a security consultant, because of network’s security concerns, paradoxically the trust goes to the criminal. Not only is it the trust factor that plays a major role in the decision making process but also the impact the decision might have on customers and shareholder. How will the customers react, if they knew a former criminal was hired to test the security of a system or database that contains all personal and financial information? Someone with a questionable morale and judgment, is not someone who should have control of a corporate network with sensitive data. In most cases hackers, and that is what makes them hackers, do not appreciate or respect standard business processes and structures. A disgruntled hacker with inside knowledge of a company’s networks could create a nightmare scenario.
Hackers are like adventurers, motivated by intellectual curiosity. “The more secure you make your systems, the more you attract them. The hacker mind-set is like exploring space, except they’re exploring the network. If that essential curiosity on finding out how things work, which is what causes people to be hackers, goes away, then you don’t necessarily want that person as a hacker or security consultant. However, just because a hacker has the desire and capabilities to explore a network, does not necessarily make them prepared to build a secure network and fix identified vulnerabilities. Breaking into things, does not always mean knowing how to fix them. These are two different skill sets. Once security threats have been identified, these need to be communicated including the potential business processes affected by the vulnerability, along with a list of impact assessments and countermeasures. Besides technical knowledge, the hacker will need to have experience in business processes and management, to relay his findings to the company.
Another hey factor to consider before making a decision who to hire as a security consultant, is to know that no computer system is ever completely secure, especially when considering the human factor. Spending astronomical amounts of money pursuing total security, by hiring security consultants and eventually becoming dependent on them, is not going to help. Some corporations in some industries must guard against intrusions from tech-hungry foreign governments – in particular China, France, Israel, Japan, Germany and Russia – that converted their cold-war spy machinery into “economic espionage” units, but that does not apply to all businesses. A realistic set of goals of what to expect from a security consultant need to be set first.
But no matter what the decision is and if the company hires a professional security consultant or a reformed hacker, the real threat will be still there. Any hacker, who wants to exploit a system will always try to use the path of least resistance. This path of least resistance is often through the front door. The front to door can be “identified” as the area over which businesses may have the least control: people. People are the weakest but first link when it comes to security. With good social engineering skills and not very well trained employees, disgruntled workers and ex-employees, a hacker can get enough information to access a system, insert malicious codes that contain keystroke and network sniffers and other means to collect information. The hacker just “exchanged” his keyboard with social engineering. And this is a part of security where a highly educated security consultant or a reformed hacker will not be able to help you.
Dasha Deckwerth
http://www.articlesbase.com/security-articles/its-all-about-people-process-and-technology-technology-is-dead-last-in-the-order-of-importance-when-it-comes-to-security-703665.html
Philippines Outsourcing Forecast in 2008
A LOT happened in 2007, it is mixed with good and bad scenario. Investment continues to be a big wave in spite of the political bickering which cannot be set aside. Despite the odds in the Philippine business arena, the country continues to spread its wing and gain reputation from the potential foreign investors. The Philippine government hurdle the trials in surviving from the economic dilemma last year, but ready to face the New Year.
In line with this, one of the most talked about forecast in the Philippine economy is about outsourcing industry. The question is, if what would the forecast in this industry be in the current year and beyond. Contact centers contributed millions of pesos as per recorded by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and other concerned government agencies. Graduates easily landed on a job because of the opportunity it offers to the Filipino people. It is exceptional knowledge that English proficiency and outstanding customer service skills are among of the few reasons why Filipinos are known to this.
Based on the 10-point agenda highlighted by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and to quote: "The creation of six million jobs in six years via more opportunities given to entrepreneurs, tripling of the amount of loans for lending to small and medium enterprises and the development of one to two million hectares of land for agricultural business."
It means to say that the Philippine Government wanted to fill-in jobless Filipinos because of the outsourcing jobs. A call center in the Philippines is noted to be the answer in the crisis which is the major concerns of all government agencies from the local and the national scene. Mrs. Arroyo vowed to strengthen the operations of world class call center companies in the country.
However, if the government is serious about its plan then eliminating, or intensifying drive against graft and corruption should be done accordingly. If the country intensified its campaign against this war, it will ensure to protect the benefits of the booming economy because of the operations of largest call center companies in the country.
The Cabinet vowed today to wage an intensified campaign against graft and corruption to ensure that the benefits of the growing economy would trickle down to the people, especially the poor, unmarred by corrupt practices. To prove this campaign, the Cabinet members led by Her Excellency proposed the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) to crack down on grafters, including the issuance of the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act No. 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007.
The President signed RA 9485 last June 2. RA 9485 states that heads of government offices are accountable to the public in rendering fast, efficient, convenient and reliable services. It also requires agencies concerned to act on pending papers within five working days involving simple transactions, and a minimum of 10 days for complex cases.
Another notable action done by the government was the call for the immediate passage of the Right to Information Act, Whistleblowers Act and House Bill 3003. The HB 3003 seeks to compel the government to publish the income tax returns of all government officials, whether they are elected or appointed, in a move to lessen if not eradicate corruption.
This is a good development because it shows that the national government is concerned about the protection of the investor no matter what happened. If the country is an investor-friendly then giving the opportunity to bind the relationship in terms of customer service business will be a great one.
Meanwhile, it is attractive also to call center investors if there will be enough allocated budget in the year 2008. In addition, the President appealed to the Congress for the passage of proposed PhP1.227-trillion national budget for 2008 the soonest possible time.
The immediate passage will not hamper the delay in the implementation of the government’s priority projects and programs.
However, news reports revealed that the Congress did not approve the proposed PhP1.227-trillion 2008 budget before it went on its Christmas recess last December as the Senate questioned the amount of P13.5-billion supposedly inserted by the House of Representatives.
Breakdown of the proposed 2008 national allocation is P91 billion higher than the 2007 general appropriations of P1.126 trillion. Of the P1.227 trillion allocations, P11.5 billion will fund infrastructure projects mentioned by the President in her State-of-the-Nation Address.
It was tackled that the national budget will focus on priority sectors like infrastructure facilities, education, health, science and technology, including housing and salary adjustments for the state workers.
With the presentation tackled above, it only means that outsourcing industry will remain as one of the top revenue contributors in the country. If the national leaders will stick on their promises, no doubt that in the shortest time allotted, the country will gather the fruits of its labor. And also, the country will continue to boost its honor as one of the top leaders in the outsourcing business.*
Roberto L. Bacasong
http://www.articlesbase.com/outsourcing-articles/philippines-outsourcing-forecast-in-2008-363707.html
Why Your Next Job May Be A Mistake! The Non-Job Alternative
If you’re in the job market, don’t risk making a big mistake! Check out the non-job alternative before you make a move.
OK. So you’re looking at finding another job. But have you ever considered that this may me exactly the right time for a non-job alternative? Let me show you what I mean.
First of all, just exactly what is a non-job alternative?
Well, the easiest way to look at it is as a work activity which replaces or enhances your job-related income. For example, getting into business for yourself.
Now, before you click to something else, just consider this. The opportunities for making good money in a business of your own, full-time or part-time, are astronomical right now. And, if you narrow your thinking only to a business you can run from you home . . . well, things really begin to get interesting.
But let’s narrow the non-job alternative focus either further. Today, without question, the most unique and lucrative opportunities are the ones where you use you computer to run an online e-business. Why is this such an exciting option?
Because you can get into without fuss, quickly and with a modest investment of time and money. In other words, if you can use your computer for browsing, emailing or gaming, you’ve already got the technical skills to run an e-business successfully.
Part of the reason for that is because of the tremendous advance in e-business technology–just in the past couple years. For example, there are turnkey programs that have done all the programming you need. These amazing internet resources can have you up and running in a matter of minutes because all the hard work is already done for you.
And the variety of non-job alternative e-business opportunities is incredible! In fact, I’ve never seen anything like it. But you have to be careful.
Unfortunately, there are scams out there. So you need to explore your non-job alternatives with intelligence. Don’t jump into anything without checking out the business plan carefully. Make sure it can verify what kind of money you can make. And that it has a long-term track record of success.
Be sure the e-business plan you’re considering has a money back guarantee. In other words, you want the chance to try it on for size say for a month. And if it’s not working the way you expected, you can get your money back.
However, you also must be realistic. Nothing is going to happen if you’re unwilling to invest some time and energy, especially learning how to market and sell your product or services. After all, we’re talking about a business here. A stagnant business is no business.
On the other hand, if you never consider a non-job alternative, you’ll be missing out on one of the great movements of the 21st Century!
Paul Megan
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/why-your-next-job-may-be-a-mistake-the-nonjob-alternative-98081.html
What does the War on Terror have to do with the so-called New World Order?
What does the War on Terror have to do with the so-called New World Order?
Nothing at all. The NWO is a hoax, but the War on Terror is all too real.
How far along is New Zealand in the New World Order and Police state compared to America?
In America, there is very little freedom left, and is very advanced in the so called New World Order, turning the citizens into slaves. Look at how BP is arresting folks for taking pictures of the Gulf Disaster for instance. How far along is New Zealand in the New World Order compared to America and how does it treat its citizens, especially free speech. Thanks
I have to disagree with the person above me.
Firstly, NZers think they have a right to obtain secret information. Now I don’t know what you think, but how well do you think the CIA would function if it had to tell everyone its secrets? For example, NZ tried to setup a secret force to deal with terrorism threats to the Rugby World Cup. How ever under the "official information act" one news published this, told everyone, and the agency is basically useless.
Some where in NZ’s history people decided that name suppression was in fact unfair to the society. This is due to a fairly low level of IQ – name suppression is to protect the identity of certain humans until they have been found guilty of their actual crime.
Imagine being posted on the news as a paedophile, only to find after a court case, the court actually ruled you didn’t do anything wrong and were falsely arrested by the police. You would never get your rep back.
I believe the above post is from a fairly extremist person. Their are a couple of angry NZers who run blogs like his/hers. NZ has been consistently voted one of the least corrupt, peaceful and safe countries in the world.
Police Search And Seizure – How Does It Help The Society?
Search and Seizure procedure is a well known phenomenon in the police department. This procedure is absolutely legal and it allows any official from the law enforcement department to conduct a search on one’s individual property in suspicions of any kind of criminal activity or for any crime committed by an individual. There are several rules to be followed when carrying out a search and seizure procedure. Unauthorized search and seizure cannot be carried out by any police official, and it is condemned. Everyone has his right to claim his privacy and can question when it is invaded. Anyone whose property is going to be checked can actually claim a warrant, in which case, a warrant must be submitted before the raid is conducted.
The United States Constitution has put the search and seizure procedure in the fourth amendment act. The violation of the fourth amendment act is pretty common in the society. This act gives the assurance that the any citizen can claim security against the whole idea of seizure. There must be a very valid reason for the search warrant to be issued by the judge in the court. The warrants are not always issued when there is a lack of evidence in the case. Fourth amendment is a weird rule with certain requirements that have to be brought in when the court deals with the search and seizure procedure.
If a search warrant was issued, and if there is a valid reason behind it, there are certain things that can question the fidelity of the warrant. And it’s the duty to assure the individual that a proper procedure has been carried over to get the consent of the concerned authorities to carry the search out. In case there is no warrant, a search can be conducted with the consent of the person whose place is being raided. There are no points to state that a search is voluntary. The court decides if the case given is valid or not after lookin into the situation. The law enforcement people don’t have the necessity to inform the concerned person about the search. In case there is another party involved, who is the owner of the property, then, they have all the right to give a permission to search the house without the present tenant’s permission. The search and seizure procedure was institued in such a way that the government has the maximum hold over the rule, anyone who is suspected can be searched without prior information, all that is required is a proper notice to the concerned authorities as to why the procedure is going to be carried out on that particular individual.
The whole idea behind this search and seizure procedure is to ensure that the community is protected from all sorts of wrong happenings. It is true that ones privacy needs to be respected, and nobody wants to go home with a feeling that his rights have been overstepped, but, this is seen in a more wider perspective as a society, and not as an individual. This is the reason for which the fourth amendment was coined. It is always wise for you to keep yourself aware about all the rights that you have and what can be done to protect it. The best idea to protect yourself from all these hassles is to be a citizen who abides by the law, so that you will stay out of trouble.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-security-articles/police-search-and-seizure-how-does-it-help-the-society-753970.html