Evidence-Based Practice among Hospital Nurses Term Paper

Evidence-Based Practice among Hospital Nurses - Term Paper Example In this light, the healthcare leader was categorical that the final decision arrived at must be premised on available data and the rightful conviction that the decision made will elicit the most optimal patient outcome. The healthcare leader was also very categorical that the foregoing differentiates EBP from research-based practice (RBP). This is the case since, unlike EBP; RBP is a scientific method which involves the collection and analyzing traditional practices that are sustained within standards of care.   The import of this is that in RBP, the care being advanced towards the patient has to have been identified as the most effective. This identification is normally carried out by comparing available research with and the established methods. The results available are thus to change the delivery of care, upon the changes having been deemed medically appropriate. Also, the changes that are being made must have been proven to have the capacity for improved outcome. During the in teraction with the healthcare leader, it became very palpable that he felt strongly about the topic. The strong conviction that the health care leader harbors are pegged on the belief that evidence-based research study will pave way for more efficient and productive services delivery in a medical institution and the healthcare sector in general. This is mainly because, according to him, an evidence-based research study is likely to herald certain values. Particularly, employing the use of evidence-based research studies in healthcare puts focus on health care and scientific literature. All this consideration of medical and scientific literature is underpinned by the need to improve: treatment modalities such as appropriate medical technology; safety and quality (including prevention of accidents, errors, and infections); and exercises (as a way of encouraging rehabilitation and exertion).

Where does Curatorial Practice enter your own practice Essay

Where does Curatorial Practice enter your own practice - Essay Example Curatorial practice also helps people understand the history and origins of important materials. I am a marketer by profession, and since the advent of digital curation, a new dimension of curatorial practice has emerged in the marketing field. It is known as content curation, and it is one of the hottest areas of content marketing. It plays a vital role in accomplishing various objectives, depending on how, where and how organizations use it (Rosenbaum, 2011). While content marketing in the limited sense primarily revolves around identifying, developing and sharing content to achieve business goals and what customers want across the consumer life cycle, content curation is concerned with aggregation, finding, collecting relevant content and then presenting or sharing it to audiences in an optimized or targeted manner. Content curation is more than just about presenting all types of content that marketers stumble upon (Rosenbaum, 2011). It is mainly about doing it in a clever and audience-oriented way, by concentrating on specific topics an organization wants to curate content about. Some curation models even clearly center on community marketing objectives. Content curation is part of the overall content marketing

Maquilapolis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Maquilapolis - Essay Example This allows tackling of successive challenges within the women group alongside a replacement of pity and hopelessness by determination and uplifting faith. The moment of activism is from collaboration of three sweatshops employees with Funari, her co director and De La Torre the artist photographer. ‘Maquilapolis: city of factories’ takes us to Tijuana where Mequiladoras takes advantage of cheap labor and low taxes. Most of The workers are women who take the mental of championing for justice and necessary changes. Social, environmental and economic changes from industrialization results to pollution, joblessness and poverty in Mexico, that is sentimental in the film. Carmen and Lourdes are the women at the centre of the film. Manufacturing and assembly plants are full of women who make consumer goods for long hours in unsafe conditions and low wage. Horrors of industrialization get some expression through self-confession. Workers face exposure to chemicals that damage skin, lungs, and nasal passage. Kidney complications are not exception here as in most places of work drinking and urination is illegal. Apart from factories, home environment is also a delicate this makes most of the workers and their families to be abreast with pollution. A shantytown is their home where the waste products from factories are eminent. The lack of union representation, laxity in dealing with problems of workers and fight for women to develop their work environs is a centre of attention. Millions of workers weave the consumer nation’s fabric of life through productions of television, electric cables, toys, clothes, batteries and IV tubes. In the due process, Carmen and her colleagues reach the optimum struggle and organize for a change. Carmen takes to task a major TV manufacturer for the violation of her labor rights and gets a pay to improve her life. Lourdes and her associate group pressurize the authorities for a cleanup of

Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 10

Annotated Bibliography Example I concur with the author`s conclusion that AIDS screening and training programs that are gender-specific lowers HIV transmission in prisons. This research used questionnaires to figure out gender differences in the level of knowledge about HIV symptoms, transmission and prevention measures among inmates in the United States. Both sexes showed an understanding of what HIV is and the common routes of transmission. However, some presenting symptoms associated with HIV, like the frequent vaginal yeast infection and vaginal discharge, are only in women and not in men. In addition, prevention measures in women were slightly different from the ones for men. Due to these differences, the author concluded that preventive education oriented programs used in male inmates prisons may not be entirely beneficial to female inmates. Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS. (2009). Advancing the sexual and reproductive health and human rights of people living with HIV: a guidance package. Amsterdam: The Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+). This paper intends to educate women inmates living with HIV on how and why to fulfill their sexual needs and have a reproductive health. The well-being of HIV-positive women is taken into consideration as one way of respecting the human rights. Methods meant to make them live longer, be healthier, be more productive and live more satisfying lives are explored. Inmates are encouraged to get involved in physical exercise, avoid intravenous drug use and avoid risky sexual behaviors. Peer education and respecting human rights (no rape) can prevent the spread of new infections. The author concludes that preventing transmission of diseases protects not only the inmates but also the society at large. This work is one of the articles from United Nations & AIDS (UNAIDS) - an international body that focuses on HIV/AIDS. The author explains what makes women more vulnerable to

Similarties and Differences Essay Example for Free

Similarties and Differences Essay Every day in real life we go through a many struggles ranging from man vs. man, man vs. himself and even man vs. nature. The most common struggle we all face is that of man versus man. In the short stories â€Å"Cathedral† by Raymond Carter and Ernest Hemmingway’s â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† the main principal of the story is that of man versus man. In both short stories 3 characters are used, but in each story each character is completely different than the other. â€Å"Cathedral† and â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† share similarities and differences with the main principal of man versus man and the reasoning behind why one man is against the other. Both stories also share similarities and differences in their setting and the most significant differences both stories have is the resolution. In â€Å"Cathedral† and â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† 3 main characters are used. In each story, one character is the antagonist (the man going against the other) and the protagonist. In â€Å"Cathedral† the main characters are the wife, the husband, and Robert. The husband is the antagonist while Robert is the protagonist. In â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† the three main characters are a customer who is an old man, a young waiter and older waiter. The younger waiter is the antagonist in while the old man is the protagonist. Both stories share the similarities between their characters that the protagonist and antagonist are both men. Robert in â€Å"Catherdral† is a friend of the antagonist’s wife and that Robert is blind. The old man in â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† is the protagonist, who the other characters and reader know nothing about other than the fact that he is old. In both stories, the wife and the older waiter both try the protagonist. The first line in â€Å"Cathedral† is â€Å"This blind man, an old friend of my wifes, he was on his way to spend the night†. The wife knows the blind man and is friends with him. In â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† the younger waiter is angry because he doesn’t understand why the old man won’t go home to which the older waiter replies â€Å"‘He stays up because he likes it. ’ While the characters are similar and different in each story the main conflict of Man versus Man is another point that each story shares similarities and differences. In both â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† and â€Å"Cathedral† the central issue and reasoning behind the conflict of man versus man is addressed. In each story one main character is against another, both have similar and different reasons of why. In both stories the major conflict of man versus man happens because the antagonist does not fully understand the protagonist. In â€Å"Cathedral† the husband is against Robert because he does not know how to act around Robert because Robert is blind. The husband has never had to encounter a blind person before and doesn’t wish to. A excerpt from â€Å"Cathedral† shows exactly how the husband feels of Robert’s visit: â€Å"I wasnt enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew. And his being blind bothered me†. There shows the main reasoning of why the husband is against Robert. In â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† the younger waiter is against the old man because he is tired and wants to go home. The younger waiter doesn’t understand why the old man is still at his cafe so late. The younger waiter also doesn’t like the old man because of his age; he tells the older waiter â€Å"’I wouldnt want to be that old. An old man is a nasty thing. ’ Also throughout the story the younger waiter is talking of how the old man tried to commit suicide and how he doesn’t understand why. The younger waiter is making assumptions about the old man throughout the story and finally kicks him out of the cafe. The reasoning that the younger waiter is against the old man is that he doesn’t understand the actions of the old man and doesn’t want to. Both stories share that in common, that the antagonist does not understand and does not want to get to know the protagonist. Both stories share similarities between man versus man and the reasoning behind this conflict. â€Å"Cathedral† and â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† also share similarities and differences between their settings. Both â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† and â€Å"Cathedral† take place at night time. The first line in â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† is: â€Å"It was very late and everyone had left the cafe except an old man who sat in the shadow the leaves of the tree made against the electric light†. In â€Å"Cathedral† the story starts around dinner time and goes into the night. Although both stories take place at night time- both stories have tremendously different places. In â€Å"Cathedral† the story takes place in the wife husband’s house. In â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† the story takes place at a small cafe. Neither one of the stories gives a town’s name for the reader to associate the story with. Also, neither story gives too many details about the place of the story. The only indication of how the cafe was in â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† was when the older waiter said â€Å"†¦ This is a clean and pleasant cafe. It is well lighted†. Both stories share the similarity in setting because of the stories taking place at night time. Both stories are different in the setting because of the fact that one takes place in a house, and the other takes place in a cafe. Although both short stories share their similarities with the characters, the main conflict and the setting- both stories have a very different resolution. In â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† the younger waiter, the antagonist, eventually kicks out the old man, the protagonist. The older waiter then tries to talk to the younger waiter about how the cafe can be a place of peace for certain people, regardless of the time. The younger waiter doesn’t want to have that conversation; he just wants to go home. The younger waiter is selfish and if it doesn’t benefit him, he doesn’t want anything to do with it. In â€Å"Cathedral† the husband, the antagonist, eventually gets to know Robert, the protagonist. Towards the end of the story Robert and the husband share some stories, share some laughs. As the husband and Robert are watching television, Robert asks the husband to try to explain what a Cathedral looks like. When the husband can’t explain to Robert what a cathedral looks like, Robert has the husband draw a cathedral while Robert’s hand is on the pen being used also. Then Robert tells the husband to close his eyes and keep drawing, and the husband does. The last line in â€Å"Cathedral† was the husband saying ’Its really something,’. This last line shows that the husband finally understands that although Robert is blind, that Robert can still experience things just as well as him. The resolution in â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† was the fact that the younger waiter got to go home, but the younger waiter didn’t take anything away from his experience meaning the conflict he has with the old man is still on going. In â€Å"Cathedral† the husband eventually stops the conflict of man versus man when he finally realizes that Robert is just like him. The short stories â€Å"Cathedral† by Raymond Carter and â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† by Ernest Hemmingway both share similarities and differences. When the similarities are pointed out the two stories seem to run parallel with each other: man versus man, 3 characters and the setting. But, when the differences in the details of man versus man, the three characters and the setting are pointed out it is easy to see these stories have completely different plots and twists. The major difference between both stories is the resolution. Both stories show similarities and differences within each.

Fetal Pig Dissection Essay Example for Free

Fetal Pig Dissection Essay -Three pairs of exocrine glands in the mouth that secrete saliva; the parotid, submandibular (sub maxillary), and sublingual glands The parotid is the largest and most easily visible of all the salivary glands. The sunbmaxillary is bean shaped and located under the bigger parotid gland. The submandibular gland lies near the jaw line. Glottis -The opening between the vocal cords at the upper part of the larynx. The epiglottis is what covers the glottis during swallowing, to block food/water form getting in the trachea. Epiglottis -The function of the epiglottis in a pig is to prevent food from going into the trachea. Epiglottis is attached to the entrance of the larynx and is made of elastic cartilage. The epiglottis projects up through the soft palate into a region called the nasopharynx Thymus Gland -Gland located near the heart; produces several hormones which stimulate development of cells important in immmunity Thyroid Gland -Endocrine gland located below the voice box; it produces hormones which control metabolism. The thyroid gland is darker and lies between the posterior ends of the two lobes of the thymus gland. Esophagus -Muscular tube that moves food from the pharynx to the stomach. The esophagus is dorsal to the trachea. Vocal Chords Lungs -To breathe, oxygenize blood Bronchi At end of trachea, branches for air to enter lungs. Stomach Digests food, breaks it down Small Intestine Finishes digestion, absorbs nutrients, moves food to large intestine Large Intestine Larger tubular structure that receives the liquid waste products of digestion, reabsorbs water and minerals, and forms and stores feces for defecation Rectum A short tube at the end of the large intestine where waste material is compressed into a solid form before being eliminated; straight, posterior part of large intestine Cecum The cecum houses a large number of bacteria that help in digestion of plant materials, mostly cellulose, that remains undigested in the stomach and small intestine. Appendix Evolutionary remains of a larger cecum Anus It allows the pig to release waste Liver Organ that makes bile to break down fats; also filters poisons and drugs out of the blood Pancreas Gland that produces hormones that regulate blood sugar; produces enzymes that break down carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids; and produces sodium bicarbonate, a base that neutralizes stomach acid Spleen Organ near the stomach that produces, stores, and eliminates blood cells

Cyber Crime In The 21st Century

Cyber Crime In The 21st Century As the world has moved into the 21st century and technologies presence in our lives have increased, so has the amount of crime that is committed using the Internet and computers. Cybercrime is a form of crime where the Internet or computers are used as a medium to commit crime. Issues surrounding this type of crime have become high-profile, particularly those surrounding hacking, copyright infringement, child pornography, and child grooming. There are also problems of privacy when confidential information is lost or intercepted, lawfully or otherwise. In recent years the U.S. has invested money and effort towards protecting vital systems in the U.S. from following prey to cybercrime and cyber terrorism. However, various studies and recent incidents in the news show that the U.S. lags behind other nations such as China in efforts to combat cyber crime and cyber terrorism. This problem is one that the public often overlooks, yet it is a very serious matter nonetheless. HACKERS What comes to mind when you hear the word computer crimes? A common response is hackers. Although many may not know of a fully fledged hacking case, they often fall under federal jurisdiction. Hacking is nothing new and has been around for many years. It actually can be dated back to 1870 when a male teenager was first hired as a switchboard operator and was able to disconnect and redirect calls and use the line for personal usage. The advent of the computer age brought about the traditional hacker, who was first thought of as a harmless user with a curiosity about how things worked. The best way to figure how things work was to take things apart or view the internal configuration and learn what makes them function, and hackers did just that with electronic devices and systems. Over the years, hacking has taken on a completely different meaning and is often identical with the activity of a computer criminal. Hackers, both good and bad are here to stay and have a role in our society. There are three types of hackers and each is different from the other. For example, a white hat hacker is a person who identifies weakness in a computer system or network but instead of taking advantage of it, expose the weakness to the system owner and recommends a fix before the flaw can be taken advantage of by others (Michael Knetzger, 2008). They usually work with major law enforcement agencies and big industrial corporate offices to help reduce hacking. In contrast with white hat hackers, black hat hackers break into system with malicious intent to steal damage or deface them, (usually a computer, phone system or network) for vandalism, credit card fraud, identity theft, piracy, or other types of illegal activity( (Michael Knetzger, 2008)). Grey hat hackers are those who are on both side of the hacking fence. A gray hat hacker discovers and supplies information about network security issues and weakness to the network administrator and also to black hat hackers to exploit the s ystem. Hacking in general continues to have a negative association and implies any illicit activity against a computer system or other digital device. Hackers can be defined or categorized, there is not a one size fits all hacker profile, but statistics have shown that hackers share similar traits. Hackers tend to be between the age group of 14-25 years, insecure, white males who are intelligent social outcasts or loners who have had previous problems in school and lack positive outlets for their talents. They are also the technical superiors to criminal offenders and are most difficult for law enforcement to track. The actual number of hacking attacks against private and public industry is unknown. Statistics show that only 17% of companies whose computers were hacked report them to law enforcement due to fear of negative publicity. In addition, business owners feel that they may lose hundreds of millions of dollars. According to the New York Times, 90% of Fortune 500 networks have been hacked. In Canada Internet hacking has doubled to 8% in 1998 over a period of just one year (Parker, 1983). If this trend continues then it must now be around 32%. This only includes reported computer hacking trends; therefore it certainly would be much higher. Not only is business having trouble with hacking but also Homeland Security and Department of Defense. There have been approximately 250,000 attempts to break into the Government systems in 1995, 65% of which were successful (Michael Knetzger, 2008). According to research in 1998 the Financial Cost to computer security breaches was reported for the 163 co mpanies at $123.7 Million (1999 CSI/FBI Report). Copyright infringement Hacking continues to be one of the major issues of cyber crime. At another level copyright infringement is the appropriation of new forms of intellectual property that have been created or popularized within cybercrime. Copyright infringement (or copyright violation) is the unconstitutional or prohibited use of works covered by copyright law, in a way that violates one of the copyright owners restricted rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work or to make derivative works (Parker, 1983). There are many ways that copyrights infringement are being used; the most common ones from the 21st century are musical works, TV, films, and text. It is a continuous thing that continues to grow. For example, replication of a CD or other recorded media containing copyright material without authorization of the copyright holder may be a form of copyright infringement, depending on local laws. Unauthorized downloading of copyrighted material and sharing of recorded music o ver the Internet, often in the appearance of MP3 files, is another form of infringement; even after the termination of Napster and a series of infringement suits brought by the RIAA. Bootleg recordings are musical recordings that have not been formally released by the artist or their associated administration or production companies. They may consist of demos, outtakes or other studio material, or of dishonest recordings of live performances. Music enthusiasts may use the term bootleg to differentiate these otherwise unavailable recordings from pirated copies of commercially released material, however these recordings are still covered by copyright regardless of their lack of formal release, and their distribution is still against the law (Parker, 1983). Sampling of copyrighted music for use in other works without authorization is also a form of copyright infringement. Some companies exploit this fact by attempting to sue the creators of the new work for copyright violation. Promoti onal screening DVDs distributed by motion picture studios (often for consideration for awards) are a frequent source of unauthorized copying when movies are still in theatrical release, and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has attempted to restrict their use. Movies are also still copied by someone sneaking a camcorder into a motion picture theater and secretly taping the projection (also known as camming), although such copies are often of lesser quality than DVDs. Some copyright owners have responded to breaches by displaying warning notices on commercially sold DVDs; these warnings do not always give a fair picture of the purchasers legal rights, which in the US generally include the rights to sell, exchange, rent or loan a purchased DVD. According the Straits Times, a copy of the most recent James Bond movie the World is not Enough was available for free on the Internet before its official release. (Wall, 2001) This and similar other incidents have caused conside rable concern to owners. When a creator is unable to profit from their making of a movie, it causes a massive financial loss. Child pornography Child pornography generally includes sexual images connecting both prepubescent and post-pubescent adolescent minors and computer-generated images with the intention of appearing to involve them. The majority possessors of child pornography who are arrested are found to possess images of prepubescent children; possessors of pornographic images of post-pubescent minors are less likely to be prosecuted, even though those images also reduce inside the statutes. Child pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry; one of the fastest increasing criminal segments taking place in the internet. Philip Jenkins notes that there is overwhelming evidence that [child pornography] is all but impossible to obtain through non electronic means. (Parker, 1983). The Internet has drastically changed how child pornography is reproduced and disseminated, and, according to the United States Department of Justice, resulted in a substantial increase in the availability, accessibility, and volume of child po rnography. (Michael Knetzger, 2008). The production of child pornography has become very profitable and is no longer restricted to pedophiles. Digital cameras and Internet distribution facilitated by the use of credit cards and the ease of transferring images across national borders has made it easier than ever before for users of child pornography to obtain the photographs and videos. The NCMEC estimated in 2003 that 20% of all pornography traded over the Internet was child pornography, and that since 1997 the number of child pornography images available on the Internet had increased by 1500%. In 2007, the British-based Internet Watch Foundation reported that child pornography on the Internet is becoming more brutal and graphic, and the number of images depicting violent abuse has risen fourfold since 2003. The CEO stated The worrying issue is the severity and the gravity of the images is increasing. Were talking about prepubescent children being raped. (Parker, 1983) About 80 percent of the children in the abusive images are female, and 91 percent appear to be children under the age of 12. Prosecution is difficult because multiple international servers are used, sometimes to transmit the images in fragments to evade the law. Some child pornographers also circumvent detection by using viruses to illegally gain control of computers on which they remotely store child pornography. In one case, a Massachusetts man was charged with possession of child pornography when hackers used his computer to access pornographic sites and store pornographic pictures without his knowledge. T he U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has ruled that if a user downloads child pornography from a file sharing network and possesses it in his shared folder without configuring the software to not share that content; he can be charged with distributing child pornography (Wall, 2001). Regarding internet proliferation, the U.S. Department of Justice states that At any one time there are estimated to be more than one million pornographic images of children on the Internet, with 200 new images posted daily. (Parker, 1983). They also note that a single offender arrested in the U.K. possessed 450,000 child pornography images, and that a single child pornography site received a million hits in a month. Further, that much of the trade in child pornography takes place at hidden levels of the Internet, and that it has been estimated that there are between 50,000 and 100,000 pedophiles involved in organized pornography rings around the world, and that one third of these operate from the United States. (Wall, 2001). In 2008 the Google search engine adapted a software program in order to faster track child pornography accessible through their site. The software is based in a pattern recognition engine and is helping to track down people who try to access child pornography sit es. Child grooming The deliberate actions taken by an adult to form a trusting relationship with a child, with the intent of later having sexual contact, are known as child grooming (Michael Knetzger, 2008). This involves psychological manipulation in the form of positive reinforcement, activities that are typically legal but later lead to sexual contact. This is done to gain the childs trust as well as the trust of those responsible for the childs well-being. Additionally, a trusting connection with the relatives means the childs parents are less expected to believe possible accusations. Child pornography images are frequently shown to the child as part of the child grooming process. To establish an excellent connection with the child and the childs family, a child groomer might do quite a few things. For example, they might take an undue attention in someone elses child, to be the childs special friend to gain the childs trust. They might give offerings or money to the child for no apparent reason (toys, dolls, etc.). They may show pornography-videos or pictures-to the child, hoping to make it easy for the child to accept such acts, thus normalizing the behavior. People are very sick they may simply talk about sexual topics to interest the kid. These are just some of the methods a child groomer might use to gain a childs trust and affection in order to allow them to do what they want. Hugging and kissing or other physical contact, even when the child doesnt want it, can happen. To the groomer, this is a way to get close. They might talk about problems normally discu ssed between adults, or at least people of the same age. Topics might include marital problems and other conflicts. They may try to gain the childs parents trust by befriending them, with the goal of easy access to the child. The child groomer might look for opportunities to have time alone with the child. This can be done by offering to babysit. The groomer may invite the child for sleepovers. This gives them the opportunity to sleep in the same room or even the same bed with the child. Sexual grooming of children also occurs on the Internet. Some abusers will pose as children online and make arrangements to meet with them in person. According to a 2003 New Zealand study, 23% of 7-10 year olds and 37% of those 16 or older reported meeting someone face to face that they met over the Internet. In 2003, MSN implemented restrictions in their chat rooms to help protect children from adults seeking sexual conversations with them. In 2005, Yahoo! chat rooms were investigated by the New York State attorney Generals office for allowing users to create rooms whose names suggested that they were being used for this purpose. That October, Yahoo! agreed to implement policies and procedures designed to ensure that such rooms would not be allowed. An organization called Perverted-Justice (known as PJ) specializes in capturing persons who solicit PJ operatives posing as underage teens. To catch a predator is a television show based on such activities. An organization called Crisp Thinking specializes in anti-grooming activities by studying chat room and other Instant messaging logs with a special software that can identify when adults are trying to groom children. Cyberterrorism Cyberterrorism is the convergence of terrorism and cyberspace. It is generally understood to mean unlawful attacks and threats of attack against computers, networks, and the information stored therein when done to intimidate or coerce a government or its people in furtherance of political or social objectives (Michael Knetzger, 2008). Further, to qualify as cyberterrorism, an attack should result in violence against persons or property, or at least cause enough harm to generate fear. Attacks that lead to death or bodily injury, explosions, plane crashes, water contamination, or severe economic loss would be examples. Serious attacks against critical infrastructures could be acts of cyberterrorism, depending on their impact. Attacks that disrupt nonessential services or that are mainly a costly nuisance would not. Cyberspace is constantly under assault. Cyber spies, thieves, saboteurs, and thrill seekers break into computer systems, steal personal data and trade secrets, vandalize Web sites, disrupt service, sabotage data and systems, launch computer viruses and worms, conduct fraudulent transactions, and harass individuals and companies. (Furnell, 2002) These attacks are facilitated with increasingly powerful and easy-to-use software tools, which are readily available for free from thousands of Web sites on the Internet. Many of the attacks are serious and costly. The recent ILOVEYOU virus and variants, for example, was estimated to have hit tens of millions of users and cost billions of dollars in damage. The February denial-of-service attacks against Yahoo, CNN, eBay, and other e-commerce Web sites was estimated to have caused over a billion in losses. It also shook the confidence of business and individuals in e-commerce. To understand the potential threat of cyberterrorism, two factors must be considered: first, whether there are targets that are vulnerable to attack that could lead to violence or severe harm, and second, whether there are actors with the capability and motivation to carry them out. Looking first at vulnerabilities, several studies have shown that critical infrastructures are potentially vulnerable to cyberterrorist attack. Eligible Receiver, a no notice exercise conducted by the Department of Defense in 1997 with support from NSA red teams, found the power grid and emergency 911 systems had weaknesses that could be exploited by an adversary using only publicly available tools on the Internet (Wall, 2001). Although neither of these systems was actually attacked, study members concluded that service on these systems could be disrupted. Also in 1997, the Presidents Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection issued its report warning that through mutual dependencies and interconnectedness, critical infrastructures could be vulnerable in new ways, and that vulnerabilities were steadily increasing, while the costs of attack were decreasing. Although many of the weaknesses in computerized systems can be corrected, it is effectively impossible to eliminate all of them. Even if the technology itself offers good security, it is frequently configured or used in ways that make it open to attack. In addition, there is always the possibility of insiders, acting alone or in concert with other terrorists, misusing their access capabilities. According to Russias Interior Ministry Col. Konstantin Machabeli, the state-run gas monopoly, Gazprom, was hit by hackers who collaborated with a Gazprom insider. The hackers were said to have used a Trojan horse to gain control of the central switchboard which controls gas flows in pipelines, although Gazprom, the worlds largest natural gas producer and the largest gas supplier to Western Europe, refuted the report In conclusion, the violent pursuit of political goals using exclusively electronic methods is likely to be at least a few years into the future. However, the more general threat of cybercrime is very much a part of the digital landscape today. In addition to cyberattacks against digital data and systems, many people are being terrorized on the Internet today with threats of physical violence. On-line stalking, death threats, and hate messages are abundant. The Florida teen who threatened violence at Columbine High School in an electronic chat room is but one example. These crimes are serious and must be addressed. In so doing, we will be in a better position to prevent and respond to cyberterrorism if and when the threat becomes more serious. In a matter of years, cybercrime has permeated many aspects of our society. Financial information and other personal information are susceptible to cyber criminals and their actions. Children, nowadays, need constant supervision on the Internet as these criminals seek to hunt and abuse innocent children. Each of these challenges presents the imperative for law enforcement to increase their ability to protect citizens against cyber crime. Perhaps, programs supported by law enforcement to train intelligent individuals with superior technological skills will not only provide law enforcement with skilled individuals to combat cybercrime but it may also prevent many of those people from becoming hackers in the first place.