Face Recognition Technology To Augment Security Measures At The Sporting Event Essay

Facial recognition technology refers to a computer driven application that automatically identifies an individual from his or her digital image by a comparison of particular facial features in a facial database and in the live image (â€Å"Face Recognition,† 2007). The technology creates a template of people’s facial configurations, such as the lengths of their noses and the angles of their jaws. It thereby functions like the other biometric technologies (e. g. iris scanning) that use biological features for the purposes of recognition. According to Visionics, a manufacturer of face recognition technology, this technology is capable of finding human faces â€Å"anywhere in the field of view and at any distance, and it can continuously track them and crop them out of the scene, matching the face against a watch list† (Kautzer). While iris scanning and other kinds of biometric technologies are known to be far more accurate than the face recognition technology, it is believed that the latter would be more widely accepted because it is least intrusive. The technology also does not require users to push, click, or insert anything into the system. Moreover, companies using the face recognition technology do not require the installation of anything except the new software application. The cameras in place as well as the pictures of their employees on file are enough for companies that use the technology. Hence, face recognition technology is cheaper for organizations than the iris scanning, for instance, which requires reading setups. According to Frances Zelazney of Visionics, yet another advantage of facial recognition technology as compared to the other biometric technologies is that â€Å"[unlike] other biometrics, facial recognition provides for inherent human backup because we naturally recognize one another†¦ If the system goes down, someone can pull out an ID with a picture as backup, something you can’t do with fingerprint devices (Rutherford, 2001). † Unsurprisingly, facial recognition technology is known as the fastest growing biometric technology in our day. Law enforcement agencies and the military have been using the technology successfully for many years without the public being aware of it. In the year 1988, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (Lakewood Division) began using composite sketches of suspects, as well as video images, in order to conduct searches on a database of digital facial shots. The department also has a photo database of sex offenders, and plans to find suspects on this database. Then there is the Gang Reporting Evaluation Tracking system that can be searched with the use of photos of suspects in order for law enforcement to circumvent false identification cards as well as information that has been presented by gang members (Jarvis). There are numerous United States embassies around the world that are already using the face recognition technology to keep criminals from entering the country. The Israel-Palestine border control is similarly equipped with the technology to reduce crime across the border (Jarvis). IQ Biometrix, established in 2001, is a company providing help to thousands of law enforcement agencies around the world with the FACESTM, which is a groundbreaking software tool allowing for the â€Å"creation and recreation of billions of facial images, as well as their encoding, cataloging and transmitting. † The technology incorporates a facial composite tool that the FBI and the CIA also use. The United States Department of Defense, the U. S. Navy, and various local as well as state police agencies have similarly opted for this groundbreaking system of facial recognition (IQ Biometrix, 2004). Given the importance of putting a name to a face, whether it is to solve crimes, protect the public, or to ensure security in jails, face recognition technology is proving itself to be of tremendous value. Sheriff Everett Rice along with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in Florida employs the Viisage face recognition technology to â€Å"positively identify and verify individuals. † Some of these individuals have just been recently arrested, while others are about to released. The face recognition technology is also of use with people that visit the courthouse. So far, the application of the technology has been successful, and users of the technology believe that it would have a greater impact on crime control in the years to come (â€Å"Facial Recognition,† 2007). The United States Department of Defense, with its focus on perfecting the face recognition technology to spot criminals at the borders of the nation, had been funding scientists’ research on the technology for more than decade. Private companies were similarly convinced that the face recognition technology could help dramatically in combating crime within the borders of the United States. Because of their belief, the marketing of the technology became widespread during the mid-1990s (Rutherford). Then came 9/11 – the day that changed the security concerns of the entire world in the matter of only a few hours. There was increased interest in face recognition technology following the terrorist attacks on the American soil. Although the Americans had viewed the face recognition technology with skepticism before the attacks, they became confident that widespread use of the new technology in security as well as public safety would help protect them from similar attacks in future. Indeed, the face recognition technology could play an important role in the prevention of tragedies. All the same, law enforcement agencies have discovered that in the areas covered by the new technology, no terrorist has ever been identified. What is more, despite the redoubling of efforts to create dependable face recognition systems after 9/11, the technology suffers from problems. The facial recognition technology faces a difficulty, for example, in the recognition of the effects of aging. Digitally compared photos of individuals that had been taken eighteen months apart produced untrue rejections by the software application at least forty three percent of the time. Furthermore, it has been found that the technology is more successful when used by casinos to identify cheaters; in welfare offices; and by driver’s license bureaus, given the uniformity of lighting and the use of the same cameras in these places (Jarvis; O’Harrow, 2001). Seeing that the face recognition technology is not fool proof, albeit useful – and security experts have confirmed this – it is best to use it at the sporting event only to augment security measures. The new technology can help security personnel at the sporting event to spot terrorists, for instance. However, face recognition technology should not be considered a replacement for traditional security measures by any means. What is more, this technology is easy to use, and security personnel would not have a difficult time installing and working through the system. Hence, the use of face recognition technology at the sporting event is definitely recommended as a boost to the traditional security measures. References Face Recognition System. (2007). Wikipedia. Retrieved 25 August 2007, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Facial_recognition_system. Facial Recognition in Action. (2007). Penton Media. Retrieved 25 August 2007, from http://govtsecurity. com/current/. Jarvis, A. Are Privacy Rights of Citizens Being Eroded Wholesale? Forensic Evidence. Retrieved 25 August 2007, from http://forensic-evidence. com/site/ID/facialrecog. html. Kautzer, C. Face Recognition Technology. ZMAG. Retrieved 25 August 2007, from http://www. zmag. org/ZMag/articles/march02kautzer. htm. O’Harrow, R. (2001, August 1). Matching Faces With Mug Shots. Washington Post, p. A01. Rutherford, Emelie. (2001, July 17). Facial Recognition Tech Has People Pegged. CNN. Retrieved 25 August 2007, from http://www. cnn. com/2001/TECH/ptech/07/17/face. time. idg.

What is the American Dream Essay

What is the American Dream Essay What is the American Dream? Essay The American Dream What is the â€Å"American Dream?† Is it a big lawn, a white picket fence, and 2 kids? Or is it what our ancestors came here for? They came here for a chance at a better life. They came here for a freedom that could not be found anywhere else. They came here for life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. Some 200 years after our country was founded, we are still striving for the â€Å"American Dream.† The question is, are our ideals of the American Dream still attainable for everyone in America today, or did they fade with our ancestors themselves? The original American Dream was written into our Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson. In this document he stated that all men had the right to â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness†. This mentality led our ancestors, from countries all over the world, to America. They came searching for all these things and certainly found them. They worked hard for what they had, and were very determined. Coming from a place where they were persecuted, really made them appreciate the raw freedom they found when they came to America. This is a mindset that everyone should strive for. Is the American Dream attainable for everybody? Some argue that people have rough lives, and that it is so much harder for someone nowadays. However I think that is ridiculous. Everyone has the chance at their â€Å"American Dream† no matter how hard you life is. Take Chris Gardner for example. Chris Gardner was a young man from New York City. He sold bone marrow scanners for a living while his wife worked at a cleaners. They had a very hard life and eventually his wife left him. At this point his life got harder and harder and eventually him and his very young son became homeless. At this point most would give up or just say he has had a hard life and he cannot reach his American Dream, but Chris didn’t give up. He lived in shelters, worked hard selling his bone marrow scanners , and also worked as a stock broker. Chris Gardner made a new life for himself. He may have had a â€Å"hard life† but he never gave up. Now Chris Gardner is a huge stock broker, motivational speaker, and donates to many charities. This man proved that no matter how hard someone’s lot in life is, there is always still a chance for the American Dream. Working hard, in my opinion, is the

PsychoSocial Development Theory in Movie Essay

PsychoSocial Development Theory in Movie Essay Eriksons Psychosocial Development Theory Essay Eriksons Psychosocial Development Theory Essay The development of human beings does not only revolve around biological factors but also psychological and social factors (â€Å"Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory†, n.d.). The challenges that people face and the intervention measure that they may choose to employ, usually bear resemblance in terms of the people’s biological, psychological and social position (McLaren, 2002). That is to say that, for instance, a human, biological disorder could be the main cause of an individual’s disturbing, psychological condition. For example, a person whose forehead has a deformity may leave with discomfort and dire emotional pain, as a result of that. This situation may inhibit the individual to participate effectively in beneficial activities of within their immediate surroundings, ultimately interfering with their social well-being. Using Jim Sheridan’s movie, In America, this paper seeks to investigate how human beings; functioning hinges on biologica l, psychological and social factors as it is in the Bio-psychosocial-Social Development model, using the individual life experiences of the characters. It is noteworthy that a critical investigation of a personal issue will always yield multiple factors as causes and diverse implications of psychological, biological and social aspects. For instance, disability may be a cause for one’s poor living conditions since they are not in a position to fend for themselves adequately. Consequently, such individuals would lack social recognition in their society, diminishing their chances of self-esteem. Disability, which is a biological issue, leads to poverty-a social problem. Poverty, ultimately, deprives an individual of human dignity and self-esteem which are psychological conditions to any normal human being. Essentially, the PsychoSocial theory is an approach which posits that psychological, biological and social play a significant role in the normal functioning of humans in the context of illnesses (Halligan Aylward, 2006). Movie Overview In the year 1982, a family of Sarah and Johnny Sullivan, together with two daughters-Ariel and Christy, enter the United States of America through Canada. Still feeling the pain of losing their young son Frankie, the bereaved members find their dwelling in unbearable conditions, in the city of New York. They managed to obtain their only shelter, a dilapidated kitchen apartment that accommodates even transvestites, drug addicts and an ascetic Nigerian photographer/artist, Mateo Kuamey (Scott, 2006). The desperate situation affecting the family has waned Johnny’s faith, in spite of his position as a devoted catholic faithful. His relationship with the family has deteriorated while they struggle painfully to make ends meet. In spite of their distress, the pleasure of entering the United States and the unity of the family serves as their motivation to face each day with courage and determination. To hold their cherished moments, Christy uses her valued camcorder. Sarah works in a local ice-cream parlour while Johnny, after numerous auditions, lands the job as a cab driver, in their quest to make a living and support their daughters’ pursuit of education at the Catholic School. The rising temperatures in the area and the diminishing level of their financial ability raise the tension between her and Johnny.   The discovery of Sarah’s pregnancy complicates matters, adding to the already existing emotional strain of the family (Scott, 2006). As they struggle with the life, they get acquainted with Mateo Kuamey who ends up becoming their friend, despite his deteriorated, health condition. The Nigerian photographer/artist has the dreadful AIDS condition. In the end, the death of Mateo and the b irth of the baby marks Johnny’s end of his emotions over Frankie’s demise. The movie comes to an end at the baby shower at the Sullivan family’s apartment with the apartment’s tenants as Christy and Ariel look for Mateo in the sky. Facing Bio-Psycho-Social Challenges Social problems and psychological problems are prominent, throughout the movie, In America. Among the outstanding social challenges that individuals face include poverty, drug and substance abuse, unemployment and lack of adequate education. As a result of these issues, people have to deal with other challenges, which are direct or indirect outcomes of the former. They include a number of psychological tests, which include emotional strain, tension, anger, intolerance and despair. In addition, there are conditions of the body which may pose serious dangers on the body. Such problems may include normal illnesses, deformities on different body organs and abnormal body formation which appear at childbirth. All these problems are interrelated and require appropriate measures of intervention. In accordance with the Bio-Psycho-Social Model of health, with a basis on the social cognitive theory, the treatment of diseases needs to consider factors of psychological, biological and social factors (Sarno, 1998). Thus, in handling tragic incidents of disease, which may sometimes lead to death, people need to find the individual’s connection with other factors within their immediate environment so that not only one side of the coin receives all the attention while the one gets none. It is crucial to bear in mind the concept of body-mind dualism, which posits that, the two, body and mind, work as interconnected elements (Sarno, 1998). That is to say that the body functionality reflects what could be the state of the mind, and functionality of the mind also relies heavily on the state of the body. Although Mateo had the condition of AIDS, his accelerated death may be a result of multiple factors, as opposed to his supposed killer disease. Although he stayed under medication, the Nigerian man suffered from numerous challenges. When he falls off the stairs, Christy attempts to assist him by resuscitating the feeble man. The other residents who know his positive HIV status warn her away. That is a clear indication of stigma in the society for people living with such conditions. The fact that the man spends sleepless nights is an apparent sign of his psychological torture as a result of that stigma. He has money in the trust fund, but nobody knows about this until after his death, when the Sullivan family discovers that he had paid the medical bills for their newborn baby. Besides, Sarah struggles with her pregnancy but eventually gives birth to a child, prematurely. That is abnormal, an indication of her ailing body. From the story of her family, it is evident that the Sullivan family has gone through thick and thin for sustenance, in New York. In addition, they entered the new land with the trauma of losing their young son, Frankie. With this in mind, it becomes certain that the cause of her premature childbirth is multi-factorial. First, she physically strained to make a living from working at the local ice cream parlour. Secondly, she lived with tension between him and his husband, Johnny, because of the severing, relationship. She had the responsibility of ensuring a motherly upbringing of her two daughters, Christy and Ariel Sullivan. In addressing her unfortunate circumstance, the Bio-Psycho-Social Development approach would consider all those factors in a way of finding appropriate treatment options for her. Johnny appears to be a nasty character, from the beginning to the end of the film. His unmistakable problem is of a psychiatric nature. Although his unattractive, social status emanates from the sudden death of his young son at such a tender age, there are other significant factors which can help explain his frustration and anger. He is a father who needs to take good care of his family. He has to find a way of solving his problem of poverty in his family; he has to find a way of paying tuition fees to keep her two daughters in school. However, he lives in New York, poverty-stricken and spends a substantial period searching for jobs unsuccessfully. He never went to a doctor to rediscover himself, eventually. He did so after the death of Mateo and the birth of his child. The two daughters of Johnny and Sarah Sullivan also face challenges of psychological and social complications in their life, both at home and school. Their home languishes in poverty. This makes their living experience a living misery. Besides, their attendance in school is not a smooth ride because of difficulty for their parents to obtain school fees. Expectedly, their performance cannot be up to the mark because of their emotional discomfort resulting from their impoverished lives. Charity, being the oldest child, seems to have accepted the scircumstances as they are, and always tries to find useful activities to do in order to get rid of the disturbing emotions. She uses her camcorder to capture the events of their experiences for reminiscence. For the two daughters, poverty has had a considerable impact on their social welfare, diminishing their social status and confidence as they strive through school, thereby hampering their academic excellence. The outcome is utmost psycholo gical trauma. In the movie, In America, it there is veracity of the Bio-Psycho-Social development approach in human functioning. There is no single factor which characterizes the existence of a challenge on a human’s functional capability. It is true that biological, psychological and social factors influence human development. Hence they affect human function in a connected manner. A fundamental observation also reveals that a person’s challenge, whether psychological, biological or social, may have serious influence upon the lives of others. As a result of Mateo’s HIV status, there is a considerable concern by the whole community. His condition seems to have an impact on the people around him. For instance, there is a fear among many individuals who consider him a risk person to get in contact since he could   infect one with the HIV. This is evident at the time of his falling on the staircase. Christy takes the initiative of resuscitating the ailing man despite the uneasiness and worry among the people around, knowing that he is HIV-positive. On the side of Christy, the man’s condition is a cause for deep concern and empathy, compelling her to risk her own life to offer help. This is a vivid show of psychological challenge that may result from another human’s physical or biological disorder. On the other hand, when Sarah gives birth prematurely, the baby’s health condition becomes everyone’s concern. The father, Johnny gets down to serious business of finding ways of discharging his responsibilities as a father. Although the issue of bearing the child’s medical expenses causes the family a lot of emotional distress, the situation calms down when they discover that the late Mateo had generously catered for them before his death. That brings peace of mind in the family, resulting to Johnny’s change of emotion for a long time, becoming lively and a social man of the family. He put his past behind. He even managed to land a role in the Chorus Line in Broadways. Conclusion Challenges that affect the normal functioning of humans usually bear psychological, biological and social aspects, in their provenance and ultimate impact (McLaren, 2002). In America, the experiences of different characters, more so the members of the Sullivan family and Mateo Kuamey, reflect the inevitable interconnection among the psychological, social and biological factors in the functioning of a normal human being (Gatchel Oordt, 2003). This resembles the mind-body dualism concept which supposes that the state of the mind significantly affects the functioning of the body. Similarly, the state of the body at any given moment affects the thoughts and emotions of a human (Sarno, 1998). The Sullivan family’s experience brings out the true picture of Bio-Psycho-Social development among humans.

How blind hiring can improve workplace diversity

How blind hiring can improve workplace diversity There’s a growing trend across industries when it comes to hiring- and in the age of information, you may be surprised to learn that involves having access to less information instead of more, in an effort to enhance ethical hiring practices and improve workplace diversity. If your company isn’t utilizing blind hiring practices yet, it might not be long before it jumps on this progressive new hiring bandwagon. What is blind hiring?This bold new hiring practice is referred to as â€Å"blind hiring,† and according to a recent article by Analytics in HR (AIHR), â€Å"Blind hiring is any technique that anonymizes or ‘blinds’ personal information about a candidate from the recruiter or hiring manager that can lead to unconscious (or conscious) bias about the candidate. This bias tends to be unfair and discriminatory because much of the personal information that is presented is generally unrelated to his or her on-the-job performance.†How blind hiri ng can improve your company’s hiring practicesAs an HR professional, not having access to personal candidate information that tends to lead to bias allows for increased objectivity when evaluating potential hires. As a result, decisions will be based on a candidate’s skills, knowledge, and potential to succeed, and things like a candidate’s race, gender, age, and education level are ignored- and when ability is the primary driving factor for hiring, it results in a more qualified and talented workstaff. Increased hiring objectivity also leads to a more diverse workforce, which benefits both employers and employees.How are companies- and the HR world at large- warming up to the idea of blind hiring According to AIHR, â€Å"Blind hiring is gaining more acceptance as part of a larger movement to remove faulty human judgment element that interferes with hiring people that were truly the best candidates in first place. Research featured in the Harvard Business Revie w found that candidates who were hired based on an algorithm were  50% more likely to be successful  on the job than candidates picked based on recruiters’ human judgment.†How companies are implementing blind hiring practicesCurrently, the most common methods for doing so are occurring during the resume review process and through the use of anonymized pre-hire tests and assessments. AIHR reports that significant human bias exists during the resume review process: â€Å"Resumes with White-sounding names receive  30 percent more interviews  than identical resumes with African American names. Resumes with old-sounding names were rated as  less suitable for the job  compared to identical resumes with modern-sounding names.† Removing all superfluous personal candidate info from their applications, resumes, and online profiles is designed to eliminate this bias. Pre-hire tests and personality assessments- using anonymous candidate IDs- are also being used m ore frequently to assess a candidate’s abilities and potential fit when making hiring decisions. Both of these tools are reported to increase hiring objectivity and workplace diversity, which can be gauged and tracked through your HR department’s recruitment metrics.hbspt.cta.load(2785852, '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});Are your company’s hiring practices as objective as they could- and should- be? If not, then consider adopting blind hiring practices to make things more fair. Use the strategies and advice presented here to help improve the diversity in your workplace and make sure you’re hiring the most qualified candidates possible.

What are the Key Reasons Why Traditional Expatriation Appointments and Essay

What are the Key Reasons Why Traditional Expatriation Appointments and Repatriation Often Fail What can MNCs Do about this - Essay Example In this regard, it is observed that most of the MNCs in the current globalized world is encountered with the high rate of the expatriates and repatriates failure. Such failure witnessed by the MNCs has reduced their capacity to sustain their business smoothly and profitably in the overseas market. At the same time, the increasing failure rate related to traditional expatriation appointments and repatriation has drawn urgent demand for resolving these challenges faced by the MNCs (Harzing, 1995).   Collings & et. al. (2007) asserted that staffing issues in the international context are complex and challenging. Despite the challenges associated with the staffing issues, it has been argued that MNCs are using traditional expatriation appointments on a frequent basis. Accordingly, myriad reasons have been propagated behind the use of traditional expatriation appointments. In this regard, one of the potential reasons has been associated with the rapidly growing demand for competent and experienced global managers which is accompanied by the reduced supply of the same. The other reasons include the desire of the parent company to acquire centralized decision making and control over the operations of the subsidiary located in the overseas market. Thoo (2013) has defined expatriate failure as â€Å"as the expatriate’s premature return to his or her home country prior to the completion of his or her actual assignment duration†. Accordingly, Thoo (2013) has identified multiple reasons that contribute towards expatriate failure.

Annotation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Annotation - Assignment Example Nonetheless, the other authors support a balance between prohibition and legalization while Angela Hawken advocates full legalization. One possible bias of this book is when Caulkins implies that the responsible majority users of marijuana should sacrifice their fun in order to aid the irresponsible minority. Nevertheless, he does not prove that prohibition has protected the minority irresponsible users. The article is based on the gateway hypothesis. It researches the prevention or invention and genetic factors of using other prohibited drugs after using marijuana. The gateway hypothesis implies that a marijuana user will commence using more lethal/ hard drugs at some point in their life. According to the study, marijuana users are most likely to try heroin and get addicted to it. As such, marijuana use makes it possible for the user to advance to more lethal and dangerous drugs. The authors used adolescents as part of the study. The study is biased since correlation is not always cause. Marijuana typically precedes rather than follow the initiation into other illegal drug use. However, alcohol use and underage smoking precede the use of marijuana. Therefore, marijuana is not the first gateway to illegal drug use. Khatapoush, Shereen, and Denise Hallfors. "â€Å"Sending the wrong message†: did medical marijuana legalization in California change attitudes about and use of marijuana?." Journal of Drug Issues 34.4 (2004): 751-770. The article suggests that the recent policy changes in California have had a minimal impact on the attitudes and behaviour related to marijuana. The authors in their study to assess and analyse the effect of legalizing medicinal marijuana among the youth used telephone survey data. Consequently, they found out that some marijuana behaviour and attitudes did change after proposition 215 in 1996 was passed. Conversely, marijuana use did not increase. The major possible bias of the study is that sanctioning the use of

D3 H1N1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

D3 H1N1 - Essay Example Isolating within the embroyonated eggs reduces the possibility of contaminating the virus strain. The now hybrid virus is tested to determine its effectiveness, safety and establish whether it stimulates appropriate antigen response in the body. The entire production process of influenza vaccine takes about six to nine weeks (Gerdil, 2003). New influenza vaccines are produced every year because the virus undergoes constant genetic mutation that changes the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase surface glycoprotein of the pathogen (Gerdil, 2003). The mutation undermines effectiveness of the influenza vaccines. When a healthy person is vaccinated with the influenza vaccine, the body immune system responds by producing relevant antigens to fight and destroy the influenza virus. Therefore, when influenza pandemic occurs, the immune system of the vaccinated persons is capable of fighting the infection easily. Though the vaccinated individuals could become infected, the symptoms and the effect s of influenza are less severe compared to individuals who are not vaccinated. This limits transmission of the highly virulent influenza virus to other persons who are exposed to the infected person. Influenza is an airborne disease that is mainly transmitted when a person inhales droplets that are released when an infected person coughs or/and sneezes (Carrat, et al, 2008). Vaccinating people helps in preventing the spread of diseases and reduces the severity of ailments in the community. Failure to vaccinate people against influenza and other diseases could cause outbreaks that affect economy, social interactions and the environment negatively. When people are infected with a particular disease, the productivity of the country is lowered because of lengthy bed rests, incapacitation and deaths, which reduce the number of people capable of working. Disease outbreaks undermine social activities such as sports, travelling