who should be looking at your medical records

It’s Your Privacy

As physicians, we know many patients request that certain parts of their medical history not be formally recorded. One friend recently asked his own doctor to keep his records private. He asked the doctor if she would have any difficulty lying to the government. When she seemed reluctant, he insisted, asking, "Why not? They lie to us all the time."

There is not a person among us who does not have some health issues he or she would rather not share with the entire world. Mental illness, disability, cerebral palsy, retardation, herpes, and genetic disorders are just a few among many conditions we might choose to keep private.

Government officials already have access to your credit records and your files at the IRS and FBI. Do you want to lose control of your medical history, psychiatric profile, lab studies, diagnostic tests like CT or MRI, and unique DNA structure?

Any measure claiming to protect the privacy of personal medical information must, at a bare minimum, include the following key provisions:

The measure must aggressively enforce, not eliminate, your right to consent before your personal medical information can be released.
The measure must not require you to accept a "unique health identifier" ID number for tagging and tracking your medical records electronically.
The measure must provide that if anyone, including a government official, abuses your privacy, you as an individual have the right to sue the privacy violator. You, not some government agency acting on “your behalf,” should be compensated for any damages that result from the invasion of your privacy.

Are Word Processing Programs Making Students Lazy?

Although prior research has identified general procedural and qualitative differences between word-processed and pen and paper writing, little attention has been directed toward identifying how these differences relate to the prior word processing experiences of individual students. Additionally, few researchers have addressed the issue of fairness when discussing the use of word processors in writing assessment. This study investigates this relationship by comparing essays composed with pen and paper for a direct writing assessment to those composed with a word processor by students having different levels of experience with using word processors for writing.
We observed differences between the two composition media similar to differences observed in previous studies of word-processed writing. That is, our results show that, overall, word-processed essays are neater and longer than were pen and paper essays. Word-processed essays also have a more formal tone and a weaker voice than their pen and paper counterparts. No composition medium differences were observed for the number of mechanical errors.
In terms of how word processor experience interacts with writing quality, we found that word processors use neither improved nor worsen the quality of essays produced by students who have medium to high levels of experience using computers for writing. On the other hand, the word processor essays produced by students with a low level of experience writing with computers were scored, on a six-point scale, almost an entire point lower than those produced with pen and paper by these same students. Groups with high and medium levels of experience with word processors wrote slightly more words with a word processor than with pen and paper. On the other hand, the group with a low level of experience with using computers for writing wrote over 100 words fewer on word processors than with pen and paper. As for the number of simple sentences, groups with high and medium levels of comfort and experience with computers for writing wrote fewer simple sentences with a word processor than with pen and paper, while the group with a low level of comfort and experience with computers for writing wrote more simple sentences with word processors than with pen and paper. There were no group by media interactions for the number of mechanical errors.

Over one billion computers in use worldwide

How many computers do you use on a regular basis? Maybe you’re a super geek with three or four, or perhaps you’re a bit more conservative with your one laptop. Either way, you’re contributing to a pretty huge number as we have just surpassed the one billion mark. That’s how many computers are now being used around the world, according to the Gartner group.

Their study shows the first 58% of these computers came in the form of enterprise machines, including the millions found in offices around the world. Not surprisingly, this trend is decreasing with a more mobile workforce and many workers simply bringing their own computers to work.

The news does come with a sobering end-note, however. While many people are using the proper channels when disposing of their old computers, some are still simply chucking them in the garbage, an incredible toxic disaster. Gartner analyst Meike Escherich had this to say:

It will become an even more pressing issue, especially in emerging markets, as the number of retired PCs grows with the continuing expansion of the PC installed base.

Computer design isn’t going to get significantly more green-friendly any time soon, so the answer must be to teach consumers more thoroughly before they buy a new rig. Mother Earth will thank you for putting your old machine into a recycling program

Putting an End to Account-Hijacking Identity Theft

Executive Summary and Findings

Focus of Supplement
Identity theft in general and account hijacking in particular continue to be significant problems for the financial services industry and consumers. Recent studies indicate that identity theft is evolving in more complicated ways that make it more difficult for consumers to protect themselves. Recent studies also indicate that consumers are concerned about online security and may be receptive to using two-factor authentication if they perceive it as offering improved safety and convenience.

This Supplement discusses seven additional technologies that were not discussed in the Study. These technologies, as well as those considered in the Study, have the potential to substantially reduce the level of account hijacking (and other forms of identity theft) currently being experienced.

Findings
Different financial institutions may choose different solutions, or a variety of solutions, based on the complexity of the institution and the nature and scope of its activities. The FDIC does not intend to propose one solution for all, but the evidence examined here and in the Study indicates that more can and should be done to protect the security and confidentiality of sensitive customer information in order to prevent account hijacking.

Thus, the FDIC presents the following updated findings:

The information security risk assessment that financial institutions are currently required to perform should include an analysis to determine (a) whether the institution needs to implement more secure customer authentication methods and, if it does, (b) what method or methods make most sense in view of the nature of the institution’s business and customer base.
If an institution offers retail customers remote access to Internet banking or any similar product that allows access to sensitive customer information, the institution has a responsibility to secure that delivery channel. More specifically, the widespread use of user ID and password for remote authentication should be supplemented with a reliable form of multifactor authentication or other layered security so that the security and confidentiality of customer accounts and sensitive customer information are adequately protected.

How much technology should be provided to students and teachers?

Nowadays ther is alot of access to the internet to both the students and the teachers .Most schools encourage their students to use internet.Their work is from the books found online,their research is also from online.To most parents it has become an expense to buy thier children notebook computers.

Computer skills have become very essential both in schoo and at the workplace .By equiping students with this skill they are able to go with some confidance in the workplace .Moreover nowadays most companies look for people who are computer literate.So for those who have the knowhow jobs are easy to find.

Computers need maintainance,this may slow down some students .Until the computers are fixed that is when they can continue their lessons.Young children may lack the responsibility to for and use the computer properly.

To whom much is given much is tested,