Restoration & Recovery Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Restoration & Recovery Plan - Essay Example These directives and orders are part of Continuity of Operations (COOP) planning is required for Federal Government Agencies. PDD 63 or the Critical Infrastructure Protection directive and FPC 65 summarize the requirements for COOP information system infrastructure and emergency measures. FPC 65 stipulates that federal agencies are required to get back into operations within 12 hours from any kind of service collapse. OMB CircularA-130 prescribes continuity of operations planning which includes emergency procedures and policies for immediate operations recovery and restoration as well as long-term mitigation of potential services interruption of critical operations (EMC Corporation, 2006). In any kind or emergency, police and emergency services are the most essential. Therefore, the integrity, restoration and recovery of information systems in these branches of government should be the utmost priority. Florida is one of the states that have had to be vigilant regarding these concerns since the 1990's (Mittler, 1995). The Palm Beach Sheriff's Office is no exception to these circumstances. Palm Beach's experience with Hurricane Katrina emphasized not only the need to be prepared for the disasters and the essential role that police and emergency services have to play in recovery (Kam & Gomez, 2005). Restoration and Recovery of Information Systems and Data Breakdowns of information systems and data loss are not limited to the event of disasters. Natural disasters may impact systems extremely and can impair critical functions when they are needed the most but system attacks, hacking and other related crimes that is becoming the most urgent. Restoration of Information System Operations According to the National Security Agency (NSA), through the Information Assurance Directorate (IAD), information assurance refers to procedures designed to safeguard and secure information and information systems against failure, collapse or attacks. Part of this program is the re-establishment of information systems by the development of security, response and resolution competencies into the system (2006). These standards govern feral information systems and have been adopted by industry as well. These measures include providing for restoration of information systems by incorporating protection, detection, and reaction capabilities. Public sector agencies and departments must comply within the prescribed recovery period and point service levels depending on the significance of their operations and information. They have to take into account considerable quantities of paper and electronic data, data storage distribution, necessity for nonstop operations and high data security and integrity measures (EMC Corporation, 2006) Recovery of Data Data backup and replication are the underlying concern in restoration and recovery. The primary factors considered are cost, management, reliability and security Effective back up strategies limit the need to reinstall programs and regenerate data in the events of data loss. However, data loss over a long period of time either by malicious acts or because of inadequate systems is more difficult to salvage and may go unnoticed (Ginty, 2005).

Preparing for Terrorism and Disasters in the new age of Health Care Research Paper

Preparing for Terrorism and Disasters in the new age of Health Care - Research Paper Example imilar in their occurrences that pay no regard to national borders and, therefore, no country or community is immune from terrorism and disasters, not even the perpetrators of terrorism themselves. However, depending on the levels and type of preparedness of governments, communities and individuals, vulnerability to terrorism and disasters vary on a wide scale (UNGA, 2012). The most obvious consequences of terrorism and disasters are the setbacks impacted on economic and social development, disruption of water and electricity supply and the crippling of communications and transportation systems. Agreeably, some countries in the developed world are sufficiently prepared to recover from these disruptions, even though the costs in terms of time and finances are considerably high. However, terrorism and disasters also present constant threats to public health, especially among older adults with conditions and disabilities that call for extra assistance, those with chronic diseases and to families with children who have special needs. More importantly, the effects are of magnitudes that surpass the affected communities’ capability to manage with their own resources (UNGA, 2012). It is critical for authorities and communities to plan how they will respond to these vulnerable groups when stricken with terrorism or disasters. Among the preparedness measures is taking care of medication and equipment, notifying health professionals and moving to special shelters. This paper will research and discuss on the topic of preparing for terrorism and disasters in the new age of health care. The presence of threats to public health cannot be doubted, as is manifested in nuclear, natural, terrorist, biological, radiological and chemical incidents. Apart from the traditional causes of health problems which are mainly diseases, terrorist attacks and disasters compound the effects of the complexity of the threats. The impacts these events have on a nation’s well-being are more

Utilitarianism And Libertarianism Views On Public Policy Issues Philosophy Essay

Utilitarianism And Libertarianism Views On Public Policy Issues Philosophy Essay Ideologies are a set of ideas, ways, thoughts, goals, expectations and actions that are shared within a community. It is made by a society that believes in the same goals, expectations, etc. Its purpose is to offer change in a society where the group belongs. It is a set of views that guides its members on how to see things. Literally, it means the science of ideas. Moreover, it is a set of ideas that characterize a certain group. In this paper, two famous ideologies will be compared. The following topics will be covered in this discussion: What is Utilitarianism? What is Libertarianism? How does Utilitarianism and Libertarianism view the public policy issues on economic inequality, homosexual conduct, and abortion? Which of the two is a more convincing ideology? What is Utilitarianism? Utilitarianism is a theory in ethics that believes in the maximization of things for the benefit of the whole society. It is a form of consequentialism. The goal is commonly referred to as happiness or pleasure. It can be summed up to a general statement which states: The promotion of the greater good for the greatest number. But, there is an ambiguity in the words greater good. It means happiness or pleasure, not necessarily that it means the right thing or wrong thing. According to Bentham, it only means the tendency to augment or diminish happiness or pleasure. When talking about the number, one is equal to one vote; no one identity has a value of two. There are two types of Utilitarianism: Act Utilitarianism and Rule Utilitarianism. Act Utilitarianism believes that the best action is the one that can give the most happiness. It has no moral rules. It believes that for each individual situation, there is an individual action that is to be justified as best if it is for the greatest happiness. On the other hand, Rule Utilitarianism believes that there is a general act of greatest happiness for each situation. In general, it believes in a set of rules or laws that is perceived to be for the greatest happiness. Furthermore, a Rule Utilitarian will consult the rules instead of acting first. What is Libertarianism? Libertarianism is the belief in liberty. It is set of beliefs and ideas which advocates the maximization of an individuals thinking and living by abolishing or minimizing the power of the state. It believes in a world that is free, peaceful and abundant. Also, they want to take control of their own lives without taking into consideration other ideas. Each individual has his own opinions; each individual may choose what to do with his life. Libertarians believe that each individual has his own life and that he has a freedom to choose and live his life. Their goal is to bring liberty into the world. They believe in the non-initiation of force. How does Utilitarianism and Libertarianism view the public policy issues on economic inequality, homosexual conduct, and abortion? First, the issue of economic inequality, the Utilitarians believe that if something is benefiting the whole of the population, it is considered good. For example, if the economic inequality is of benefit to the greater masses and that it brings the greatest happiness for the community, it is considered to be good. But the Act and Rule Utilitarians differ in how they view economic inequality human rights. For an Act Utilitarian, if torture is benefiting the population, even though it is a violation of the human rights in general, it is still good for the Utilitarians. Their goal is just to achieve happiness for the greatest number. If the majority of the people achieve happiness in torturing, it is not wrong for them. Furthermore, for a Rule Utilitarian, human right is considered a moral rule. They follow their rules, whatever it takes. They will protect it whenever possible. Therefore, they believe that economic inequality is not right. On the contrary, for the Libertarians, economi c inequality is a no-no. Libertarians believe in equality, that each individual is entitled to have a fair judgement in the law. Libertarians grant each individual freedom on what they want to do in their lives. They oppose every kind of unequal treatment such as racism, discrimination, etc. Second, the issue of homosexual conduct, for the Utilitarians, same as the one discussed before. They believe in the greater happiness of the greatest number. It does not matter if it is a wrong ethically speaking thing to do. Also, if homosexuality is benefitting the greatest number of the population, then it is still acceptable. If homosexuality brings happiness to the majority of the population, then it is considered a good thing. That is the general case. But like the previous discussion, the Act Utilitarians differ greatly from the Rule Utilitarians. For an Act Utilitarian, if it is not bringing the greatest number of population happiness, then it is considered bad. Even if the thing is right ethically speaking it is not favoured if it does not please the majority. But, for a Rule Utilitarian, human rights are considered a moral rule. That is why they respect these kinds of actions. On the other hand, Libertarians view homosexual conduct as a right to express ones feelings. They are not against these kinds of act. As discussed earlier, the Libertarians view equality as an equal to freedom. They believe that each individual has the right to express his own individuality. Third, the issue of abortion, for the Utilitarians, it is the same old story. The Act and Rule Utilitarians differ greatly on their way of accepting things. For an Act Utilitarian, it will do whatever that they believe is to be benefitting the greatest number of the population. If, for example, abortion is benefitting the society, it is believed to be a right thing to do. If abortion gives happiness to the majority of the community, it is considered to be a good thing. On the other hand, for a Rule Utilitarian, it believes that human right is a moral rule. Thus, abortion is opposed. Furthermore, for the Libertarians, it is very clear that equality and freedom is their goal. Thus, abortion is strongly approved in their ideologies. Their rights as individuals prevail. Although there are some Libertarians that oppose abortion, they have their own views. A view of an individual is respected in their community. Freedom in their thinking is what they advocate. Which of the two is a more convincing ideology? I believe that the points of the Libertarian are more convincing. People are born as free individuals, with human rights. As time goes by, certain rules were implemented as to make the community organized or follow a certain code. But I believe that these implemented rules and codes should not eradicate an individuals human rights. As an individual, I also believe in equality. I believe that each person has a right to live his own life. On the other hand, on the case of abortion, I oppose it because I believe that it is murder. The tiny speckle in the womb of the mother is alive. I believe that it has also its own rights. But comparing Utilitarianism with Libertarianism, the latter is the more convincing ideology. I dont believe that the Utilitarians view of imposing what is right and what is wrong in a society. I dont believe in their labels of good things and bad things. Again, it is a violation of human rights. In the sense that if you are not a part of the majority, you cannot do what you want. You cannot do things that the majority thinks that is bad. This is stripping you of your freedom. That is why I believe in Libertarians better than the Utilitarians.

George’s Life Sacrifice in Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day Essay -- Gloria Na

George’s Life Sacrifice in Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day George and Ophelia, two characters in Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day, have a complex yet intimate relationship. They meet in New York where they both live. Throughout their hardships, Ophelia and George stay together and eventually get married. Ophelia often picks fights with George to test his love for her, and time after time, he proves to her that he does love her. Gloria Naylor uses George as a Christ figure in his relationship with Ophelia to eventually save her life. While visiting her relatives in Willow Springs, Ophelia becomes deathly ill as a result of evil forces on the island. George tries to think of ways to save her, but he cannot get to a real doctor. The real doctors are across the bridge, which has been destroyed by the hurricane. George helps with rebuilding the bridge practically 24 hours a day, but eventually he becomes disgusted with the others who are working on the bridge, believing that they work too slowly. In his frustration, he speaks in his mind retrospectively to Ophelia: â€Å"If there was a boat ...

Motivation and Tourism

As it is a human right to have a holiday, this report discus the motivating reasons and the appeal factors why people choose their tourist destination. The report will start with definitions of tourism and motivation, followed buy a few theories of motivation, and ending with a conclusion. Theses theories are relating to the push of individual/s to embark on a holiday, and the pull of the tourist destination. Definitions †¢ According to the UK Tourism Society and cited in the BTEC National Travel and Tourism book, by Elise James, Joanne Thirlaway and Ursula Woodhouse. (2007, pg3) Their defection of tourism is as follows. â€Å" The temporary, short-term movement of people to destinations outside the places where they normally live and work, and their activities during their stay at these destinations.† †¢ Motivation as defined in the in the book Tourism: Principles and Practices. By Cooper, Fletcher, Gilbert, Shepherd and Wanhill, 2nd edition. (1998, pg32) Is â€Å" Derives from the word ‘motivate’, which is to course a person to act in a certain way, or to stimulate interest†. Definitions of Tourism and Motivation There’re as many different types of holidays and tourists destinations, as there are people. Personality traits have a lot to account for in the decision making process, of where we choose to go on holiday. Mr Stanley Plog in 1974 (Holloway 6th ed, 2002) developed a theory, which classified the general US public into two desictive groups. †¢ Psycho-centric A tourist that is more concerned with himself or herself, more than often is anxious about the security of travelling. They enjoy a resort or group package style holiday. Would more than likely be a return visitor for the comfort of familiarity. Example of this would be a Packaged style holiday to Spain. Were the tourist has purchased the transport and accommodation as one product. †¢ Allocentric A tourist that seeks excitement, novelty, and mostly likes being out of his or hers comfort zone. They would have no qualms of travelling alone to or from a destination by them selves, or stay outside the resort or hotel environment. Examples of this would be a backpacker, staying at a hostel in Budapest. Not only is it a non-English speaking country, it is also out side of the European Union. Making it more exciting to the true allocentric. As this is only a theory, one cannot just place every body into two boxes. So of course in practice, holidaymakers fall somewhere in between these to extreme examples as mid-centric. Plog’s theories are also discusses in Tourism: Principles and Practices (Cooper et al, 1998 pg35) they suggest his theories are hard to apply inside the tourist industry. â€Å"Tourist will travel with different motivations on different occasions.† They also follow on to suggest, that out of these individuals that gravitate more towards the psycho-centric are of a lower incomes. This in turn would limit the style or type of holiday they would go on. There motivations wouldn't be different just the tourist destination. It would just mean that having a domestic holiday would be more appealing to save money. The family might opt for a low-key holiday like going camping in the Lake District, or to a Butlins seaside resort. Incomes are one of the major factors in deciding where to travel. As we have briefly discussed a budget holiday and Plog’s theories. He would suggest that on the other side of the scale tourists with more expendable funds would certainly have different destinations in mind. But with money comes affordability, witch fashion and trends are a by-product of. Just like keeping up with the latest cloths fashions, is the appeal of some destination. This would be the chase, and not wanting to stereotype here. But for or the young generation there will always be the seduction of the four S’s. This will most definitely appeal to most 18 to 35, which are looking to partake in an atmosphere that is more carefree. Escaping to destinations that are away from the judgement in their local environment. This trend will pull tourist to places like Ibiza, which offers sun, sea, sand and sex. But like all cloths they go out of fashion and tastes change. As Holloway says, â€Å"that all products, including tourism will experience a life cycle of growth, maturity, saturation and eventually decline†. Being young is just one place in the Cycle of Life. It is human nature to evolve, to grow in all areas of life and seek better things. Wells and Gubar (1966) (T:PP 2nded Cooper et al pg 41 1998) cauterised the life cycle of families in the USA, from bachelor to retired stage as seen in the graph. (Figure 3) What was appealing to a young person will certainly change when one has more obligations, to their employer and maybe their family. They theorize that as an individual moves through the life cycle there needs and wants as a tourist will change. The tourist needs are the psychological needs they are not the essential needs of survival. In explaining these need better Abraham Maslow (1966), came up with a hierarchy of needs. (See Figure 1) The graph shows that if more of the Basic and Safety needs are achieved. We’ll then move on to more Social, Esteem, and Self-actualisation needs. These needs are for well being, such as the need to relax, to have fun and to be in love. The need maybe is to escape their daily route, or to have sought better weather. These are like the push factors or the motivators, to take the time to have a holiday. Figure 4 shows a range of other motivators for overseas travels from the UK. As explained in Holloways book (Holloway 6th ed 2002) these Push Factors are the General Motivators that arise out of our individual perception, of what will satisfy our needs. He also talks about general motivators as a broad reason to travel, and is the start of the decision making process. Examples of this would be someone seeks change, maybe from urban environment. They mite looking at going away to the rural setting, perhaps a weekend in the Cotswolds, (See Figure 5) or vice versa. Holloway also follows to say that along with General there is a Specific motivation to travel. The consumer has, in some way got a perception of the destination in mind, will meet their specific needs. The destination in mind might have health befits to the tourist. The attraction to Bath spa might just be, to have a day of relaxation to rest the body in the warm water. The tourist enjoys Broadway musical, so a trip to London’s West end it could be (See Figure 6). Or there is a certain attraction that's pulling yourself or maybe your family. Like a trip to Disneyland, were the attraction is the destination. Places like these are very convenient, as the accommodation is nearby or on site of the attraction. May be it the mode of transport that has your attention, like a train trip on the Glacier Express? What ever the motivation there is a process to explain it, and it is lustrated in this simple flow cart. (See Figure 4) The chart briefly out lines the consumers needs, the attraction of the destination, then ending motivation. Conclusion Just start off by saying that yes it is a human right to travel, and have time off from work. But being a tourist to some people is a luxury they just can’t afford. There is always going to be two most important factors of be coming a tourist, that's time and money. If either one of these two things is lacking, it makes it very difficult to involve in any tourist activity. But in saying that one doesn’t need to travel far to become a tourist in ones own country. Looking back at plogs theory, It would suggest that one is more allocentric domestically, than international. The motivations in relation to travel is very diverse, the push to go on holiday is always going to exist. It’s the biggest industry in the world customer and consumers are only going to increase. The pull of the destination will change as we all move trough our lives. Our life choices, our attitudes, and the perceptions of other destinations will change. Through the media and other people infusions, will shape the type of holidays we choose. The appeal in going to a certain destinations is forever going to up to the individual. And just like the freedom of rest and leisure, we have a freedom of choice.

Reflection of “A Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr.

For our honors portfolio this quarter we were required to read three documents. We, then, were quizzed over each of the readings. First, we read â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† by Martin Luther King, Jr. , then, we read the transcript of President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, and last but not least, we read â€Å"Millennial Makeover† by Morley Winograd and Michael Hais. Furthermore, we had to read and analyze the documents because the quizzes required us to think deeper than the written words on the paper. I believe these documents are critical because they have shaped the government and our society today.My favorite of these three documents, if I had to pick, would be â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail†, not only because I admire Martin Luther King Jr. , but also because this letter is a very powerful and inspiring piece of work. Luther wrote while being confined in a jail in Birmingham, Alabama, for participating in civil rights demonstrati ons. His letter states that he will continue resisting nonviolently against racial discrimination and pleads the readers to see segregation from a different point of view. Moreover, I noticed that he quoted many people including Apostle Paul, St.  Augustine, Reinhold Niebuhr and many others.This made me realize that he most likely had the quotations memorized since he didn’t have access to those sources while imprisoned. He mentions that â€Å"injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere† and that â€Å"an unjust law is no law at all† (Luther). This means that an unjust law causes harm; for example, if it is lawful to torture a certain group of people, then that is not a law whatsoever. This idea of injustice affects many directly, but also affects everyone else indirectly in the fact that prejudice is occurring around them.Furthermore, his words describe in detail what segregation was like and what people like him had to go through. This impacted me b ecause now, the idea of racial discrimination is completely frowned upon, while in the 1900’s it was something that seemed right and normal. It took years of hard work, bloody massacres, and non-stop action to obtain equality and I hate to see that a little bit of racism still exists today. The idea that immigrants are taking away jobs and opportunities that should be for U. S. citizens, surprises me because this country was founded and created by immigrants.Instead of seeing different countries and different people in one world, we should see the whole world as one, because every human being, no matter what race, has his/her own rights and should have the same opportunities that his neighbor does. Luther is one of the most charismatic and persuasive people in history and has not only inspired many, but also revolutionized a country’s view. He wrote this letter hoping to stir up some emotion and I think he got his point across in a very non-violent and mature kind of w ay that was unexpected and at the same time, admirable.His stance of a nonviolent action and the desperate cry for an end to social discrimination is as powerful now as it was 50 years ago. We now stand by these liberal values and believe the God has made us all equal and has given us certain rights that no law can take away. Although this was not an easy project, I certainly did learn something from it and it inspired me to stand up for my beliefs, but also, in a way, allowed me to see that anything is possible through hard work.

John F. Kennedy Essays (654 words) - City-states, De-Stalinization

John F. Kennedy Essays (654 words) - City-states, De-Stalinization John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy was president of the United States of America from 1961 to 1963. Once he was elected Khrushchev (the Russian leader who was a Communist) tried to test the young president and see how far he could push the new American president. While in office Kennedy faced many obstacles that he had to overcome. Quite a few of them were against the Russians who were communists. After the second World War , Germany was split up into two new nations. One which was being controlled by the Russians ,that was called East Germany. In East Germany there was a communist government. The other nation was being controlled by England , France , and the US ,that was called West Germany. In West Germany there was a democratic government. The capitol of ?Old Germany? was the city of Berlin. Berlin was now located in East Germany. Berlin was split up into two different cities they were East and West Berlin. East Berlin was controlled by the communists. West Berlin was controlled by the democrats. On August 12, 1961 the Communists closed off the line between East and West Berlin and didn?t even let the commuters who worked in West Berlin but lived in East Berlin go to work. The trains and railroads were also cut off. Nobody knew how long this would be going on for. A reporter tried to cross the border of East Berlin and a guard said to him ?You are not allowed to go through we received instructions to this effect about an hour and age.? In 1961 people all over the US were debating if the US should go to war with the Russians and in August 1961 the pentagon ordered reservists to active service. Around 76,500 men most of them who were fathers and were in either World War Two or in the Korean War were being called to go back by the president. But after weeks of uncertainty and hopes and opinions that the whole crisis will ?somehow blow over? the reality of the crisis in Berlin struck America. A lot of times the crisis almost resulted in a war. One example is that two East German tankers squirted water from a powerful hose onto two young American GI?s. The GI?s were taught not to fire unless fired upon. So they reached for their grenades and were about to throw it when the tankers stopped spraying them. Events like this were not very rare. The troops on both sides were not easily provoked. The leaders on each side would try to do everything in their power to avoid a war. After a while there were rumors that Khrushchev wanted to have ?peace talks? if he really meant it the US was ready to go ahead with ?peace talks? only if the ?peace talks? would guarantee the freedom of the people in West Berlin. Most people believed that Khrushchev did not realize that by threatening Kennedy he would get the US to leave West Berlin. But a couple of people thought that Khrushchev had recognized he had not done anything by threatening Kennedy and they thought that the Russian communists really wanted to have ?peace talks? these people said that ?He now accepts that it is impossible to force the Democrats out of West Berlin by threats and that he will take care that his East German satellites don?t drive the Soviet Union into war.? {Newsweek - Berlin - p 17 } For war there are two key factors they are ?timing? and ?nerve?. ?In a free society President Kennedy was under far stronger public pressure than Khrushchev to pull back from the brink of war.? { Newsweek - Berlin - p 17 } BIBLIOGRAPHY 1 Hafner, Katie The House At The Bridge New York : Scribner 1995 2 ?Berlin? Newsweek 13 - 17 (September 4, 1961) 3 ?Warsaw Pact States Says Allies? Routes Remain Open? New York Times (August 13, 1961)