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Posts Tagged ‘security’

Why Must We Have To Choose Between Children And School Bus Drivers

May 25th, 2011

Bus drivers would have to give up their personal privacy in order to guarantee protection of their passengers. They must disclose psychological and physical health problems to their employer. In addition, they also have to consent to random drug testing and list the drugs they are on. These were the recommendations written by Judge Bruce Fraser in the fatal accident inquiry report on the fatality of a small child in 2007.

The nine-year-old girl was killed in a school bus crash on October 18, 2007. The school bus driven by Louise Rogers swerved into a parked gravel truck then slammed into a power pole. This incident killed the girl and seriously injured 3 other children including her sister. All four are studying at Mountain View Academy but shared a bus with Third Academy at the time.

There was no suggestion that Ms. Rogers did it on purpose, as Judge Fraser wrote in his report. Authorities found no rationale why the bus driver drifted onto the shoulder where the truck was broken down. Investigations revealed that the driver had recently been hospitalized for mental health problems. She was taking sleeping pills and antidepressants. Tests revealed that the level of these drugs were low in her system.

The design of the school bus concerned might have also aggravated the accident. Judge Fraser wrote that the bus was designed so that the passenger section extends beyond the cab or engine section. This adds to the danger of the passengers since their bodies are exposed outside the engine of the vehicle, consequently increasing the danger. This is a design error that is often found in smaller buses which has to be given consideration.

The suggestions presented by the judge received constructive responses. Aside from those that were formerly described, he added one more recommendation. Bus drivers who went on leave due to psychological or physical problems must be required to present a report. This has to be issued by a health professional, stating therein whether the person is in shape to resume work.

Moreover, bus drivers should be banned from using hand-held devices such as phones and musical devices while on duty, especially while driving. According to sources, there is a draft of a new legislation prohibiting all hand-held devices behind the wheel.

The lesson from this unpleasant incident tells that all schools should set stricter standards in the hiring of school bus drivers. There should be a process in place to evaluate the mental health of would-be drivers. It is exceptionally vital to determine whether these issues will influence their driving. A little less of privacy for bus drivers would ensure the security of children under their charge while on the bus.

We strive to shield our kids. We let them out of our sight at school. But we must not let them out of our sight online. Keep them secure by installing an Anonymous Proxy to hide where they live.

Web-Based Behavioral Monitoring Can Keep A Log Of Everything You Do On The Net - Should You Worry Or Not

May 16th, 2011

Very vital information is collected from users through online tracking. A considerable amount of data gathered could be used by companies that do target advertising and strategic marketing approaches could surely boost revenues of these companies. In the past, data collection was done through surveys of readers' preferences and applications. Online tracking as a marketing "tool" progressed as modern technology developed and grew. Today, marketing firms effortlessly accumulate data by just keeping an "eye" on a user's online behavior.

As a new tool that was evolving, online data collection from users seemed harmless. Privacy issues started to come out as more and more internet marketing companies followed such practices. Keeping one's online privacy on the web became less and less possible. A user's online security is left to chance, making him or her easy "target" for internet advertising companies. Claims of unauthorized use of user internet data gradually became ordinary and critics questioned if such tactics are legal. Others argue that such actions are a clear abuse of individual privacy.

User data that goes online holds vital information with vast marketing potentials. As a whole, this contains not only the user's data but also that of his or her friends, linkages, locations, and influences. With just some minimal manipulations, this could disclose not only what the individual user wants but also those of his or her associates. In general, there are many possibilities of abusing this data.

Websites place cookies on the computers of users who visit them. With these cookies, user information can be gathered. The use of cookies in collecting data is becoming more prevalent. Out of the 100 most popular websites examined, one report says that more than 50 percent used cookies. Cookies make internet use easy for the user, notably for those sites that are frequently visited. Cookies help in storing user preferences; he or she does not have to go through the same procedure each time he or she visits the sites.

The position of the Federal Trade Commission is that behavioral marketing should be self-regulated in order to avoid privacy violation claims. It requires that website owners should not fail to disclose behavioral targeting methods in a clear and conspicuous manner. There were some website owners who were prosecuted due to violations of Section 5(a) of the Federal Trade Commission Act.

If you are at all concerned about your Internet identity or your Internet privacy, you might think about using an Anonymous Proxy to protect yourself from Internet behavioral tracking. Try our Private Proxy for free and start protecting yourself today!

Is The Use of Full Body Scanning Really Worth The Potential Health Risk

May 14th, 2011

The use of Automated Imaging Technology or AIT has been adopted within various U.S. airfields. These machines are also known as full-body scanners where passengers pass through before boarding. This new equipment can be in addition to the accustomed pat-down where travelers have "body contact" with the airport security personnel. Several assert that AIT is "better" in comparison with the older pat-down, however privacy advocates reacted and said that it is the other way around.

In Washington, this advocacy group approached the U.S. Court of Appeals judges. They told the court that the use of full-body scanners is an "unreasonable search" as well as in violation of a passenger's civil rights. This machine is currently being used at airports as a first line of defense at security checkpoints.

A passenger's naked figure is exposed as he or she passes through the device. This is the main objection of the group. They imply that while passengers are spared from body contact, they are subjected to a new insidious technology. EPIC considers the policy "in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution". Aside from the abovementioned, it also violates "laws protecting privacy and religious freedom".

In defense on the use of this modern equipment, the government responded that measures are in place to safeguard the privacy of people. They clarified that a passengers' identity is never made accessible to the "viewers" who are mostly agents at airports. This, the administration says, makes the search reasonable and "minimally invasive". However, the truth to this matter is not yet clear.

EPIC has also informed the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to put on hold the use of such technology. TSA answered that, at present, almost 98 percent of travelers endure full-body scanning with no difficulty. Only about 2 percent of people would opt out in favor of a pat-down. Attorney Marc Rotenberg of EPIC said it may well be likely that passengers do not know that they still have the pat-down as their alternative.

Even the judges themselves also expressed concern on the way TSA has been given the authority to employ the technology. One is the impact of the body scanner on individual passengers. What if one day it would be too late to find out its negative effects on passengers? Why was there no public consultation for inputs before it went into initial use? Would its use be compulsory at all times even if the level of security threat does not warrant?

There are a large number of risks when you travel. In addition to full body scanners, you also have to be safe when you use a public hot spot to connect to the Internet. Just like with body scanners, you have a choice. You can use an Anonymous Proxy to protect your online identity.

How To Use Landscape Lighting To Great Effect

May 10th, 2011

Getting your garden to look just the way you want it to is not only not easy, but it is an on-going fight against weeds, pests and disease, so once you have lovely garden, the next stage is how to show it off it in all lighting and weather conditions. This article is about just that: how to use landscape lighting to great effect.

One facet of landscape lighting is called accent lighting. This kind of lighting is used to subtly light up bushes or flowers amongst other things. You can also light up a snow storm or rain, it gives a striking effect, but this takes more powerful lighting such as flood lights.

The point is that you do not need to have the splendour of your garden on display for only the day light hours, you can also get plenty of enjoyment out of it in the evenings and even at night; in the summer and in the winter.

There is a vast choice of landscape lighting. For example, there are lamps, lanterns, floodlights and spotlights and they can be powered by grid electricity or by the sun. Clearly, if you want to use grid electricity, you will need to have an electrician lay armoured cable in your garden, which can be costly and is pretty permanent.

The alternative is solar powered lighting, which is impermanent. If you put it somewhere and then change your mind, you can move it yourself and there are no electricity running costs. Solar powered light fittings are more expensive than standard ones, but all in all, taking into account the electrician's fees and the on-going electricity bill, solar powered devices work out cheaper. Plus, you will be doing something for the environment that every gardener is doing his or her best to protect.

This article is not about security lighting, but landscape lighting does have a spin-off by adding extra security to your property. Before purchasing any landscape lighting, you should have a good idea of what you are looking for.

There are various ways of going about this. You could first of all draw a plan of your garden and photocopy it a couple of times in order that you can consign your ideas to paper.

You could take a walk around your local neighborhood and pick up ideas by observing neighbours' gardens. You could go look at how the municipality lights its parks and public buildings and you could obtain a few landscaping magazines to see the latest items on the market.

It is also worth visiting a few gardening centres, because they will also be showing off their wares to their full advantage. As you get thoughts, pencil them in on one of your photocopies. If you want to test a few ideas very roughly, you could put a suitable flashlight under a bush that you think would benefit from landscape lighting and observe it. If you do not like it remove it from your plan and try something else.

Once you are happy with your sketch, go out and get the necessary lighting. If they are grid supplied you will have to have an electrician, if they are solar powered you do not. If you try some of these suggestions you will soon learn how to use landscape lighting to great effect.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on quite a few topics, but is at present involved with outdoor accent lighting. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Outdoor Wall Lamps.

Online Dangers To Child Safety

April 19th, 2011

What is there to say about the world children live in these days? Sexed-up television, pornographic Internet sites and videos and violent board games. A world that is dropping its standards, values, and morals each day, surrounds our kids.

What makes it even worse is that we cannot use Parental Controls any more to prevent our kids from visiting websites of an adult nature. These days children are knowledgeable about technology and often more so than their parents. How can we keep our children safe from online dangers? How can we as parents provide safety for our children, while still fighting the corruption that goes on in the world?

Parental Controls are available on most types of Internet software, yet today, children are skilled at by-passing these Parental Controls. So, what can we do? We can protect our kids by monitoring their activities on the Internet closely.

How to use parental controls: It depends on which Internet provider you use, however, I will write only of the Internet providers I know about, since not all programs are the same. To use AOL Parental Controls, you will have to go to 'Safety' on the toolbar and click on 'Parental Controls'.

Once you arrive there, you will see a list of usernames available. Search for your child's username and click on the username. You will see a popup window appear. Click on 'Edit Web Control' and then click 'Kids Only', and close. Now your child is protected against dangerous sites.

Chat rooms can be serious threats to children, since anyone can go into these rooms, and often predators frequent these areas, so as to entice children into a web of danger. In the AOL browser, click 'Safety' and then click 'Parental Controls'.

In the same way, click on the 'Edit IM Controls', 'Edit E-mail Controls', and 'Edit Chat Control' and complete the same steps as you did to instigate the 'Parental Controls'.

It is wise to install passwords. Having passwords will offer additional protection to your child. However, do not give your child the passwords, because this will give the child control over the Internet connection, and the child might also reset the controls.

It is also a good idea to activate your 'Popup Controllers' too, since if you do not turn on the controls, pop ups could carry something that will corrupt your system or popup adult content, which your child will see if online. You can go into 'AOL Safety' at the toolbar to start these popup controls.

If you use Internet Explorer; open a page. Click on 'Tools' at the top menu, then click 'Popup Blocker' and then click 'Popup Blocker Settings'. Read the details carefully and set the program at medium. Medium is the norm and will block most pop ups. If you put the settings higher than medium, you could find it difficult to open websites for browsing.

Some of the dangers posed to children online include: Internet Porn; Child Porn; Child Sexual Abuse; Mobile Porn; and more. As you can see, your child is at serious risk, and if you want to master safety, you have to monitor, and take the steps to safeguard your child against online dangers.

According to recent studies, students have met sexual malpractices through webcams, instant messengers, and mobile phones. Further studies show that pornographic websites are making more profit than each of CBS, ABC, and NBC television channels each year. The studies say that the largest group that views porn sites are children. These children are between the ages of twelve and seventeen.

The statistics showed that around 74% of the porn sites had unmonitored banners, while another 66% of the sites did not issue adult content warnings. Another 11% of the sites did not have sexually explicit content warnings, and 25% mousetrapped the visitors, by not allowing them to leave the sites. Only 3% of the websites out of more than 14 millions adult sites requested adult permission for minors. Protect your child now!

If you are concerned about Child Safety on the Internet or Child Safety in general, please visit our website.

Why Should My Pet Carry An ID Tag?

October 7th, 2010

If your pet is likely to venture a long way from home then you should think about putting an identity tag on it. The ID tag can be as basic as you like, but the most modern technique is to use 'radio frequency identification' or an RFID tag.

If you have a very young cat of dog, there is perhaps no need to tag it yet, but as the animal gets older, ID tags can become critical. If your pet gets lost, anyone finding it can then return it. If you have a cat or a dog, then a simple collar could be sufficient.

Some collars have a metal tag affixed to them so that you can have your contact details or phone number etched on it, others have a ring, so that you can affix a small canister with your details inside it. Some just write their address on the inside of the collar with a felt tipped pen or a marker pen. This is more risky though because you may not notice if it rubs off.

It is necessary to think about water damage if you are ID tagging a dog. Cats try to stay out of water, rain and snow, but most dogs love playing in it. If your dog's tag is not waterproof, it will soon become impossible to read. On the other hand, cats often lose their collars.

If your pet is a horse, then it is simpler to have it branded and the brand indexed, so that anyone finding your lost horse can reference the brand and discover your contact details. If your pet is a tortoise, then you can write your phone number around the edge of its shell in a non-toxic fluid like nail varnish, but keep it small or you could poison the animal. Birds can have leg bands fitted. These leg bands have a unique number which can be referenced like a brand.

These are the conventional ways of ID tagging your pets, but the most modern method is to RFID tags them. These RFID tags can be affixed in several different ways. The simplest way is to have a plastic passive RFID tag made up and hang it from your pet's collar. This works well, until your pet loses its collar or unless someone removes it in order to steal your pet.

Another technique of attaching an RFID tag, is to have your details imprinted on a chip and have the chip installed under your pet's skin by a vet. Some people are disgusted by this idea others do not mind. However, it does not hurt, is not unpleasant and cannot be mislaid.

When the police or the pound officials are passed a stray, they scan it for a chip as part of their routine these days. Even people have them inserted so that they can move across international borders more rapidly.

The RFID tag is read by a scanner and can be read from distances of several feet to several hundred yards, which makes finding a lost pet a much simpler task if it has an RFID tag fitted.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on quite a few topics, but is currently involved with researching What to do if your dog eats chocolate. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at http://whattodoifyourdogeatschocolate.com.

Protecting Children With Mental Health Problems

July 31st, 2010

Who are the predators? Predators are Cyber Stalkers, serial killers/rapists, rapists, paedophiles, women beaters, child abusers, thieves et cetera. Predators very often have mental disorders that keep them from behaving properly in normal society. Children with mental illnesses are often the prey of these predators, and sometimes children with mental disorders are the predators themselves. In fact, the distributor of one of the most serious viruses online came from an eighteen-year old English boy.

Dangers mental illnesses: Not everyone with a mental illness is a danger to society. In general, predators with mental illnesses are plagued with sociopathic, psychopathic and anti-social disorders, oppositional defiance, conduct control disorders, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorders (BPD), and psychosis. While there are a few other mental illnesses that present a threat to our society, this is a list of the most common potential dangers that wait on the streets and on the Internet.

How to save a child with mental disorders from dangers : Never treat your child as if he/she has a mental illness. Treat your child as special, yet avoid treating the child as if he/she is mentally ill, because a lot of mentally ill patients are extremely intelligent. Teach your child the same rules that other children have to live by and stick to the rules. Do not leave room for movement when danger is present. Teach your child respect by showing respect yourself.

Children with dangerous mental disorders will often want to watch pornography, violent images, content, and so forth. This makes it harder as a parent to protect your child. However, it is important that you enforce the laws. Never put yourself in danger while enforcing these laws, since some children with dangerous problems may cause you harm.

If the child refuses to listen to you, bring the police in and make sure that they do their job to help you enforce the rules. You may pay court fees and go through headaches, but I promise you it will benefit you in the end. As a mother raising two boys with dangerous mental diseases, I can tell you it isn't simple, but it can be done.

Children with mental disorders often have brilliant minds that can often get round any parental controls and will do so without you even knowing. Take extra time than normal to monitor your child's activity online. Teach your child that giving out personal details is dangerous and encourage them to request your permission when thinking about giving name, phone number or other information online.

Leave room for your child to take some responsibility and always encourage your child to participate in family discussions that involve them. Encourage the child to protect their safety by encouraging them to report any wrong committed against them.

One of the hardest things you'll ever have to do while raising a child with mental health problems is teaching him/her to stay away from violent images and pornography. It is next to impossible to keep them clear of this trash. Still, it can be done if you set a good example for the child to follow.

It is important that you keep talking and listening to your child. Allow your child to express concerns, opinions, ideals, theories and so forth without demeaning the child. You will be amazed at the wisdom children with certain mental disorders have, if you will only listen to them.

The best advice I can offer you for dealing with children with major mental illnesses, such as psychopathy, is to seek help and stand firm. For additional child safety advice for children with mental disorders ask advice from a qualified professional.

Note: Children learn what they see and hear.

If you are concerned about protecting children with mental health disorders or Child Safety in general, please visit our website.

Monitored Home And Business Security

July 15th, 2010

Many Americans are just starting to appreciate that advanced security measures are not only for the extremely rich. You just cannot get too much security for yourself and your family or your employees. The problems in society are getting worse too, not better. The current recession is hitting hard and splitting society even more into the have and have-nots, the working and the not-working.

However, these days burglars do not seek out the very wealthy, because they have all the protection that money can buy. The people most likely to be robbed and burgled are the working middle classes. They get broken into when they are at work and the kids are at school or when they are sleeping in their beds.

This is why it is necessary to have the best automated security you can afford taking care of your home and family twenty-four hours a day. But it is not only your home, your business and employees deserve protecting too. How many gun-toting lunatics have shot their colleagues dead in the last few years?

Not many firms can afford security personnel but you could get the next best thing, which is electronically monitored surveillance. There are various types of system available and most are flexible enough to be adaptable to any building. You could then monitor the system yourself during working hours by having a screen in the office or your home and send the signal to a security firm at other times of the day, at weekends and at night.

If you adopt this kind of system, you will be placing your home or office in the top echelon of secured properties and professional burglars will realize it and stay away from you and yours. Most people resent the monitoring fees, but the system falls down, if no-one is watching the image relayed by the cameras. You could try to reduce this cost by monitoring the images yourself for part of the day and relaying the image to professionals when you are unavailable. You could also ask your insurance company for a discount and ask your accountant to put the expense down against your taxes.

The good thing about a monitored system is that you know that help is at hand twenty-four hours every day. You may be living alone or prone to fits or a heart attack. You could get almost instant help in these instances by pressing the panic alarm. These panic buttons can be placed at the front and back door, in every room in the house or you could have a radio button on a necklace around your neck. These systems are quite common and are used by many care centres for the elderly or the infirm.

You will probably have to do some arithmetic to work out whether you need or can afford a monitored home security system, but there is no doubt that it is the most secure system available. However, not all home security monitoring companies are the same, so it is worth checking up with friends or with the companies' governing body or even the local council to see if they have a good reputation.

Owen Jones, the writer of this writer, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with home security systems comparison. If you are interested in Security Systems For Home Use, please click through to our site.

How To Protect Your Home

June 8th, 2010

Everybody worries about the security of their homes and families. The question is: how can you make your home safe without turning it into Fort Knox? The sad fact is that, if someone is determined to get into your home, they can and will. Ten years ago, my home was 'safe', but I was tricked into opening the door and I let my attackers in. No home security system can safeguard against situation like that.

Burglars look for homes that seem vulnerable. Most criminals are opportunistic. In other words, if they see an open door or window or if it is evident that no one is at home and if there is no obvious security, then it is worth them trying to get in. Open gates are also an invitation. So are valuable possessions put on show in windows.

It only takes minutes to steal something, you would be astonished. I let two armed robbers into my house and they timed 15 minutes to take everything of value in my house and then a car stopped outside to pick them up. It was night time and I was tied up. It could have been a taxi, which would not have aroused my neighbours' suspicion.

It is important to show people (opportunistic thieves) that you have a home security system of some type. If you cannot afford a proper, working alarm system, get a dummy siren box with a flashing light. It is not as good as a real system, but it would take a brave or desolate burglar to find out, which means that you cannot tell anyone at all, in case it gets out.

A home security system is well-worth the money you will spend on it. The anxiety of being burgled or even held up, as I was, will make you wish that you were more security conscious. But it does not stop when the burglars go away. Then the police come and I spent from midnight until 4AM at the police station. I had to go back at least a dozen times after that. My insurance company had dozens of questions and it took four months to get a disbursement.

I felt sure that the burglars knew me, and I felt threatened everywhere I went for months. I could not stop staring into people's eyes to see if I could recognize my intruders' (they had masks on, but I saw one man's eyes). My life has changed radically. I even moved out of my house the next day and never went back again.

As I said before, I had a good system in place, but I had turned it off as soon as I got home and opened the front door to my intruders. My suggestion is to get a wired or wireless home security system and, if you can afford it, get a monitored home security system with at least one surveillance camera, but preferably one on each external wall and one inside in the hall.

Obtain contact sensors for all external doors and vibration sensors for all windows. Put a personal panic button by all external doors and have garden lights that are switched on by motion or body heat outside. Keep your system activated and be very suspicious of who you open the door to.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with wired home security systems. If you are interested in Security Systems For Home Use, please click through to our site.

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Automated Home Security

May 31st, 2010

These days people are becoming more anxious about their home security, chiefly because of the increasing crime rate. Even homes that have an older security system should be checked to see whether their security system is out of date or acceptable.

It is not so much that an older system may stop working, but technology advances very quickly and your sensors may not be the best variety or even the variety that suit your home the best.

The kind of security system that you should be using can change as the constituent members of your family changes. For example, if you have just had a baby, you could hook up a surveillance camera to the bedroom or put a motion sensor pointing along side a toddler's bed so that you know if he or she gets up out of bed.

There are many varieties of security systems, including wired, wireless, monitored and Internet. The Internet wireless system is or at least can be fully automated.

That means that you can control it through the hand set or any online device like a laptop or desktop computer. This means that you can check up on your home from your office or when you are away on holiday.

If surveillance cameras are part of your home security system, then you will be able to see and check up on your home on your computer monitor from anywhere in the world. If you connect sensors to some table lamps around your house, you will even be able to switch lights on and off to make it look as if you are at home when you are in fact hundreds of miles away. Put the TV on such a sensor and you can even switch that on and off as well.

If you put a surveillance camera in your children's bedrooms and the living room, you could check up on the baby sitter or your business cash register on your WAP enabled mobile phone or PDA. This kind of automated can be fitted by a competent DIYer, but is intended to be fitted by professionals.

This type of automated system is very reassuring. Visualize being able to check up on your home, children or business by watching live video footage on any computer or Internet phone anywhere in the world!

An automated security system is not cheap, but is worth the peace of mind that it brings. You could get almost total automated home or business security by the end of next week. Pay for it over time, if you have too, but they are not as costly as you may think

Owen Jones, the author of this writer, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with home security systems comparison. If you are interested in Security Systems For Home Use, please click through to our site.