Password Management System Advantages and Disadvantages

Password Management System Advantages and Disadvantages Project Aim: Passwords management is an important aspect of computer security, it’s the front line of protection for user terminals and it is by far the most common user authentication method within the largest multinational organizations. A poorly chosen password will increase the probability for an information system to be compromised. As such, all organization employees are responsible for taking the appropriate steps, to select good password security policies. Does that happen in reality? No, that’s why software password generators are activated to handle password management problems and enforce password management policies requested from the organization in order to comply with national standards, and undertake problems of selecting strong passwords. So the aim of this project is to analyze and test a standard password generator system and propose a technique for helping people to remember strong passwords easily. Project Objectives: According to the above facts the objectives that must be undertaken and strongly research in this Bachelor project report are the following: Identify the importance of passwords as it concerns the advantages and disadvantages in their daily use in home and corporate environments. Identify the weaknesses raised from these poorly chosen passwords and describe the modern attacking techniques against these passwords. Besides propose possible countermeasures to address and eliminate these attacks. Examine the characteristics of an effective password policy which can be applied in a corporate environment in order to establish and manage the appropriate defenses to eliminate the dangerous posed by insecure passwords systems. Conduct a critical analysis of different techniques used to facilitate users to remember strong passwords easily. Propose a mnemonic system which is based on users’ favorite passphrases. Analyze the operating principles of the Password Mnemonic System (PA.ME.SYS) and the processes that it enforces in order to produce â€Å"safe passwords†. Test this password generator system (PA.ME.SYS) for the strength of all passwords it generates. In order to achieve the above purposes of this project a series of logical steps were taken: In order to achieve the first and second objective of this project, a survey was conducted in the Internet, in books and in the Web application design 1 and Web application design 2 lecture notes. This survey was concerned with the importance of passwords in an organization’s security framework, the reasons they are widely used in today’s businesses and the catastrophic consequences posed by the exposure of insecure passwords to unauthorized people. Another survey in books and in the Internet was necessary to identify the weaknesses raised from these poorly chosen passwords, the attacks which are forced by modern attackers to gain unauthorized access to users passwords and the possible defense mechanisms used to address and eliminate such attacks. For the third objective of this report, a survey was conducted in the Internet and in books. The aim of this survey was to find and understand different password policies which can be applied in an organization’s global security policy to establish and manage the defenses used to eliminate the dangerous posed by insecure passwords. A university password policy analyzed for the rules they apply in order to define the secure creation and storage of strong passwords. In addition the relationship between the users and the password policies was examined together with the risks that businesses face due to the implementation of inadequate password policies. For the fourth objective, which defines the added value of this project report, it was important to conduct a search on the Internet for different techniques used to help users to remember strong passwords easily. These techniques were analyzed for their operation and the disadvantages they have. For fifth objective, it was important to propose a mnemonic system which is based on users’ favorite passphrases. The proposal of this mnemonic system was based on the research we made of different mnemonic techniques described on the previous chapter. For the sixth and seventh objective which also defines the added value of this project report it was to analyze and test the proposed Password Mnemonic System (PA.ME.SYS). After the end of the survey a mnemonic system based on users’ favorite passphrases was developed and implemented. For the development analysis and design data flow diagrams were used to clearly show the processes and data that make up the system. For the implementation and testing visual basic language was used which shows in a graphical environment how this mnemonic system works 1. Introduction to Authentication and â€Å"Something you know† 1.1 Identification and Authentication Techniques Controlling access to system resources is an important aspect of computer security. Access control is about managing which users can access which files or services in an organization’s computer system. All entities involved with receiving, accessing, altering or storing information in a computer system, are separated to active and passive ones. The term â€Å"active entities† is used to describe all subjects (users, processes, threads) that are accessing, receiving or altering information in a system. The term â€Å"passive entities† is used to describe all objects (files, database) that actually hold or store information accessed by subjects. Without having access control mechanisms it is not possible to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability (CIA triad) of system resources.   Access control is used to force users to provide a valid username and password to gain access to a system resource. The two vital components of access control are the identification and authentication processes. In the identification process the user is obligated to present an identity to a computer system. The information provided by the user trying to log on could be a username or by simply placing his/her hand/face to a scanning device. This action triggers the start of the authentication, authorization and accountability processes.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Today, authentication processes are usually classified according to the distinguishing characteristic they use. These characteristics are classified in terms of the three factors described in the following section. Each factor relies on a different kind of distinguishing characteristic used each time to authenticate people in a system. 1.2 Authentication Factors In a typical system, there are basically three ways for human users to authenticate themselves to a client such as a computer, a mobile phone, a network, or an ATM machine. These three authentication factors are the following. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Anything you know: a password The distinguishing characteristic is private information that only authorized people know. In modern computer systems, this characteristic might be a password, a Personal Identification Number (PIN), lock combination or a pass phrase. It is the least cost effective factor and most popular method that can be employed easily in any modern system to authenticate authorized users within the organization. They are simpler and cheaper than other, secure forms of authentication but also because they do not require to spend large amounts of money for the implementation of them in comparison with other more modern security mechanisms. Additionally, Users don’t have to spend time and effort learning how to use them. The passwords are the only user-friendly way to identify a user in a network or computer system and it is believed that they can provide the same level of strong security as a more modern security mechanism. However the usage of passwords as an authentication technique presents some disadvantages that are directly connected to the way that users are managing these passwords. In more specific the users On the other hand, there are also some disadvantages that need to be taken into consideration such as the need to create complex and strong passwords,, the obligation to change their passwords frequently and the instructions and guidelines on how to keep their passwords secret. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Anything you have: a token The distinguishing characteristic is that authorized people own and present a specific item to be authenticated. This characteristic is enclosed in a token device such as a magnetic card, smart card, a memory card or a password calculator. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Anything you are: a biometric The distinguishing characteristic is some physiological feature (static) that is always present in a person, or a certain behavior pattern (dynamic) that is unique to the person being authenticated, and is measured and recorded once in the enrollment process. When the same person requires access entry the biometric identifier compares the current characteristic provided by the user with the previously collected pattern from the original authentic person. This characteristic could be a voice print, fingerprints, face shape, written signature, iris/retina pattern or hand geometry.   2. Attacks on Passwords 2.1 Introduction Passwords are a very important aspect of computer security. They are the front line of protection for user terminals and it is by far the most common user authentication method within the largest multinational organizations However the usage of passwords as an authentication technique increases the probability for an information system to be compromised. That happens because these passwords are directly connected to the way that users are creating, remembering, storing and distributing them. In fact passwords are the weakest element inside the security chain of an organization’s network system and are susceptible to different types of attacks. The next section presents the weaknesses on users’ passwords and modern attack techniques performed by malicious attackers to gain unauthorized access. 2.2 Attacks on Passwords Easily Guessed Passwords: The first weakness lies in the composition of the password itself. Most attackers rely on the fact that most people do a bad job in creating passwords and keeping them secret. Most passwords that people select depend on the following: Favorite football player and actor names, Simple strings, such as passwords consisting of the same character (e.g. 11111). Job titles and nicknames. Important numbers, such as insurance numbers, home addresses, telephones, credit card numbers, driver license, birthdays, or vehicle tags. Favorite words found in dictionaries. Children, family or relative names. The most common attack on passwords is that where malicious hackers exploit human nature and try to guesswhat passwords people select. In this case, hackers build a list with all information related to the victim and make attempts to log on hoping to find out the victim’s password quickly.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Brute-force Attacks: In cryptography, a brute force attack or exhaustive key search is the strategy that can in theory be used against any encrypted data by an attacker who is unable to take advantage of any weakness in an encryption system that would otherwise make his task easier. It involves systematically checking all possible keys until the correct key is found. in the worst case, this would involve traversing the entire search space. The key length used in the encryption determines the practical feasibility performing a brute force attack, with longer keys exponentially more difficult to crack than shorter ones. Brute force attack can be made less effective by obfuscating the data to be encoded, something that makets it more difficult for an attacker to recognize when he has cracked the code.one of the measures of the strenth of an encryption system is how long it would theoretically taken an attacker to mount a successful brute force attack against it. Consequence of this attack is that all users cannot use the network recourses and must wait until system administrator reserts or unlock that account. It is obvious that this kind of attack causes confusion and big delays to user’s critical job tasks. Dictionary Attacks: In cryptanalysis and computer security, a dictionary attack is a technique for defeating a cipher or authentication mechanism by trying to determine its decryption key or passphrase by searching likely possibilities. (Shape1.1). Shape1.1 Dictionary attack A dictionary attack uses a targeted technique of successively trying all the words in an exhaustive list called a dictionary. In contrast with a brute force attack, where a large proportion key space is searched systematically, a dictionary attack tries only those possibilities which are most likely to succeed, typically derived from a list of words for example a dictionary (hence the phrase dictionary attack) or a bible etc. Generally, dictionary attacks succeed because many people have a tendency to choose passwords which are short (7 characters or fewer), single words found in dictionaries or simple, easily-predicted variations on words, such as appending a digit. Social Engineering Attacks: Another weakness lies on the fact that people are not capable to remember and keep their passwords secret. In computer security social engineering is described as a non technical intrusion that is based on the psychological characteristics of the human nature. It is the art of persuading people to reveal vital secrets or to perform actions that comply with the hacker’s wishes {Shape 1.2}. Social engineering can be conducted into several forms. Reverse Engineering: In this method, a legitimate user is induced into asking an attacker questions to obtain information. The attacker poses as a person of higher authority and tries to deduce the needed information from the questions, which are asked by the user. [emailprotected]: This mode of social engineering involves sending an e-mail to a user asking confidential information. The e-mail is meant to trigger an emotional response from the user. It makes the user unwittingly participate in the hacking by disclosing the confidential information. Webpage’s: False Webpage’s, that require users to enter e-mail addresses and passwords, are created by attackers. Hackers hope that users will enter the same passwords at the false websites, as they use at their organization’s computer systems. Shoulder surfing: In this type of attack a malicious attacker could look over a user’s shoulder and watch him while he is typing his/her password to grant access to a system. However shoulder surfing attacks are not always successful but can give important information and strength to a malicious attacker to achieve his goal. Dumpster diving: One of the most intelligent techniques to retrieve users’ passwords within large commercial organizations is the dumpster diving attack. In this type of attack malicious attackers search through discarded material to find passwords, credit card numbers, confidential records or other useful information related to security policies and passwords. Sniffing Attacks: Except brute-force guessing, dictionary and social engineering attacks today’s hackers are using more clever programs and methods to retrieve users’ passwords. These methods include software sniffer programs which are used to capture and sniff passwords either a) when they are typed during the authentication phase of a network login session (Trojan Login, Van Eck Sniffing, Keystroke sniffing, hardware key loggers) or b) when they are transmitted across complex networks via email and other document delivery systems (network sniffers). {Shape 1.1}. Shape 1.1 Sniffing Attacks The next paragraphs describe in more detail each of these techniques used to sniff user’s passwords: ÃÆ'ËÅ" 1.Network Sniffing: Net sniffer is a program, who capable of capturing all traffic made available to one or more network adapters. ÃÆ'ËÅ" 2. Trojan Login: A Trojan Login sniffer program is a software tool used to capture users’ passwords during the authentication phase of a network login session. A malicious user who has access to a personal computer connected to a network can easily install a Trojan Login program. The strength of this malicious program is that it has the ability to display perfectly imitations of the operating system’s standard login program. As a consequence the user enters his/her username and password without any knowledge of the situation, while the Trojan login program saves this authentication information in a secret file. ÃÆ'ËÅ" 3. Van Eck Sniffing: These signals, which are called Van Eck radiation, are visible from as far away as 1 kilometer. It is obvious that a malicious hacker using the appropriate    equipment and without specialized skills could easily sit outside a building and eavesdrop passwords and other secrets displayed on any nearby user’s video screens and monitors.   ÃÆ'ËÅ" 4. Keystroke Sniffing: Shape 1.2 shows clearly a classic keystroke sniffing attack associated with most modern operating systems. In this type of attack usernames and passwords are captured directly from the keyboard input buffer. When the user enters the required authentication information in order to gain access to a computer system, this information is stored in a special area of memory RAM.   While the user enters information, another malicious attacker could run a sniffer program and retrieve the contents of the keyboard input buffer. As a result the user’s username and password is obtained by the hacker and can be used for later attacks {Shape 1.2}. Shape 1.2: Keystroke Sniffing ÃÆ'ËÅ" 5.Hardware Key Loggers: A key logger is a hardware device that intercepts and stores strokes of a keyboard. This type of attack can be conducted very easily by a social engineer. The social engineer simply walks into the location of interest and plugs very professionally this small piece of hardware between the keyboard port and the keyboard.Assuming that most users place PC towers under their desks and most of them are unaware of hardware technology, key loggers can record all typed keystrokes and store them to their internal memory without user knowledge.   Attacks on Password Storage: Passwords have often been vulnerable to different kind of attacks when they are stored in huge databases and password files.Most modern operating systems ask from the user trying to grant access to systems resources, to enter his/her valid username and password. Then the operating system searches on the system’s password file for an entry matching the username. If the password in that entry matches the password typed by the user, then the login procedure succeeds and the user is authorized by the system. Shape 1.3 shows clearly how the password checking procedure works [1.3]. Shape1.3 Password Checking The storage of any password immediately breaks one important rule concerned with password security: â€Å"Do not write passwords down†. If the password file containing all users’ passwords is stolen then automatically the intruder has direct access to all system’s passwords. The primary arguments against password storage can be stated as: Single Point of Failure:If the password file is compromised then all passwords are compromised. Compromise of password file can happen due to: Poor encryption mechanisms or use of a weak master password, so its contents are easily accessed by a malicious hacker. Poor protection of the file itself. Poor Audit Trails:Most operating systems keep logs used to review login failed password attempts. Usually these logs contain a large number of wrong usernames and passwords typed by users while they are trying to login on a computer or network system. If these logs are not well protected ,then attacks become easier. For example, a malicious attacker who sees an audit record with a nonexistent username of 7rs or eri67 can be sure that this string is a password or a part of the password for one of the valid users. Software Bugs: One important reason for the success of password attacks is sometimes based on badly designed operating systems and application programs running on them. These badly designed features because software bugs which do all the hard work for malicious hackers and continue to be a major source of many security problems.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   One recent software bug was found in the Solaris operating system. Users with low level privileges could force a network application program to end abnormally. As a result this program dumped its memory contents to the hard drive in a file available to all users. This file contained copies of the hashed password values that were normally stored and protected in a shadowed file. As a consequence this file could be used as input to Crack software for an off-line brute-force attack. 2.3 Countermeasures against these Attacks Assuming all the above, it is obvious that attackers use several techniques to capture users’ passwords. In this section countermeasures against all attacks on passwords (describesin section2.2 Attacks on Passwords) are analyzed and listed in order: Countermeasures against brute-force attacks: A possible solution against login guessing attacks (or on-line brute-force attacks) is to have a password policy which specifies the maximum number of login failed attempts. System administrators by configuring the operating system could limit the number of failed login attempts allowed for each user. If the threshold is reached then the account should be locked and users will not be able to log until the system administrator arrives to reactivate the login process for the specific account. It must be mentioned that using such defenses against login guessing attacks will only delay a hacker from accessing a system and gaining access to confidential information. Failed login thresholds will not prevent a brute force attack from occurring but will identify the attacking attempt to the security administrator. This defense method will deter a malicious attacker from initiating a brute force attack and increase the level of difficulty for executing this attack. There is no actual defense mechanism against an off-line brute-force attack. This type of attack can be applied to any given password database. There are many cracking software’s available on the Internet which are capable of generating character sequences and working through all possible character combinations until the user’s password is found. The only defense mechanism against this type of attack is to have users that select and use â€Å"strong† password. Countermeasures against dictionary attacks: This type of attack could be eliminated by having a policy which simply prohibits the use of common words found in dictionaries or attacker’s word lists. If all generated passwords do not appear in such lists, then dictionary attacks will not succeed. Besides system administrators should perform themselves dictionary attacks to test users’ passwords within an organisation. If any passwords are compromised, then they must inform the users directly of the results and obligate them to change their passwords to more secure ones. Countermeasures against Social Engineering attacks: Education and user awareness must be supported by the organization’s global security policy. The users should understand the importance of keeping their passwords secret and be familiar with the different ways that a social engineering attack can be conducted against them. In this case, people are able to take the necessary steps to react accordingly when such a situation occurs. Besides this, companies shouldshred all printouts having usernames, passwords and other similar confidential information in order to prevent dumpster diving attacks. Countermeasures against Network sniffing attacks: Today’s hackers are using many network sniffing programs to retrieve users’ passwords, while they are transmitted over distant networks or inside organization’s corporate network. Most businesses facing this threat and considering the consequences due to this type attack implement and use different network protocols for the secure transmission of confidential information. More often organizations indicate detailed security policies that specify ways, encryption methods and protocols to be used for the secure transmission of any important information. The most important defense mechanism against network sniffing attacks is the use of well-known secure network protocols such as SSL/TLS and IPSec protocols. These protocols have the ability to build secure channels based on cryptographic keys, shared between trusted parties, for the safe transfer of passwords and other confidential information in any system’s network Countermeasures against Trojan Login: A defense mechanism against Trojan Logins is to have a trust path for all functions that require users to enter or present authentication information for purpose of authentication. This trusted path must be established between the user trying to login and the operating system. Secure Attention Sequence (or SAS) is a trusted path mechanism used in many modern operating systems such as Windows 2000. When user requires to log on, by executing the sequence Ctrl+Alt+Del is guaranteed that he is communicating with the operating system and not malicious software such as Trojan Login. Another important countermeasure against this type of attack is the installation of commercial available anti-virus software programs (such as Norton Antivirus and MacAfee Antivirus). These anti-virus softwares have the ability to detect and prevent sniffing attack programs such Trojan Logins to be installed, downloaded and operate in operating systems. 9 Countermeasures against Van Eck sniffing attacks: The types of countermeasures used to protect against Van Eck Sniffing attacks are known as Transient Electromagnetic Pulse Equipment Shielding Techniques (TEMPEST). The U.S TEMPEST standard is one guideline that manufacturers have to follow in order to reduce electromagnetic signals and prevent these types of attacks against passwords and other secrets displayed on video screens and monitors. TEMPEST mechanisms include Faraday cages, white noise and control zones. A Faraday cage is a box, a room or an entire building that is designed with an external metal skin that fully surrounds an area on all six sides. As a result all electromagnetic signals transmitted from PC’s monitors are blocked inside the building, preventing eavesdroppers from revealing users passwords.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Countermeasures against Keystroke sniffing attacks:.   A good defense mechanism against keystroke sniffing attacks is to protect CPU’s memory. In particular the keyboard input buffer is the exact location where keystrokes typed by users are stored. It is clear that this area should be protected using various encryption techniques in order to become impossible for an intruder to retrieve its contents in plaintext form when they are intercepted.   Countermeasures against Hardware Key Loggers: There are not well-known defense mechanisms against Hardware Key Loggers. The only countermeasure against them is to state clearly in the organisation’s password policy that all sides of electronic equipment, and especially computers, should be visible to users and security officers. Moreover system administrators may be obligated to check all hardware and electronic devices plugged on users’ computers, or forced to check all hardware connections in computers rooms periodically.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Countermeasures against Password Storage attacks: The types of defense mechanisms against password storage attacks include the use of various encryption and hashing techniques. These techniques are used to encrypt password files and never leave passwords exposed in plaintext form. Usually modern operating systems (Windows, UNIX) use one-way encryption systems to encrypt users’ passwords. In one-way encryption systems the password is transformed in such a way that the original password can not be recovered. When a user is logging onto such a system, the password that is entered by the user is one-way encrypted and compared with the stored encrypted password. The same encryption method and key must be used to encrypt the valid password before storage and to encrypt the entered password before comparison. Besides the use of one-way encryption, strong access control mechanisms (such as Role-Based and Clark-Wilson access control models) should be enforced and applied to the files that keep system’s hashed passwords. Without implementing tough access control mechanisms, the operating system is unable to check who is accessing these files. As a consequence an adversary could easily copy them and mount different kinds of attacks on them. Countermeasures against Software Bugs: As was mentioned in the previous section (section 2.2 software bugs), sometimes badly designed features in operating systems and applications can lead to software bugs which do all the hard work for malicious hackers. A defense mechanism to prevent such software bugs is to have a good software design. Software should be designed in an organized way keeping procedures simple, reviewed periodically for vulnerabilities and threats, and hardened with the latest patches.   Where a software bug is found in any operating system or application, people discovering it should report this problem directly to the security officer and the correspondent company selling and providing licenses for this specific product should be informed to solve this problem. 3. Password Policies 3.1 Introduction Password policies are necessary to protect the confidentiality of information and the integrity of systems by keeping unauthorized users out of computer systems. Usernames and passwords are the fundamental protection of computers and networks against intruders. Password policies specify rules about the secure administration of usernames, rules used to define valid passwords and the type of protection needed for secure password storage. Α password policy is a good place to start to build the security of a company’s network and protect its assets. The next sections discuss issues related to the secure usage and management of both usernames and passwords. 3.2 Administration of Usernames The front gate within an organization’s network is where the user or the service identifies themselves and presents some type of authentication information only known to them in order to grant access. The failure to have a reliable Login Security Policies activated is like having a big building with the best guards and security mechanisms around it with the main front gate open to anyone. 3.2.1 Login Security Policies and Usernames Within a secure system, the first thing that should be expected for any login attempt is to identify who is the person requesting entry. Regardless of the protocols used, you need to know who is trying to access the network services and who they want the network services to think they are. In high-security military environments the user identifications are assigned based on a random sequence of characters. Other organizations, such as commercial, use something that can uniquely identify the user without worrying about how to create usernames. If the usernames can give away information about the organization, then the implementation of random names could be a good solution. Although by using these random

The Host Chapter 10: Turned

The electric bell rang, announcing another visitor to the convenience store. I started guiltily and ducked my head behind the shelf of goods we were examining. Stop acting like a criminal, Melanie advised. I'm not acting, I replied tersely. The palms of my hands felt cold under a thin sheen of sweat, though the small room was quite hot. The wide windows let in too much sun for the loud and laboring air-conditioning unit to keep up. Which one? I demanded. The bigger one, she told me. I grabbed the larger pack of the two available, a canvas sling that looked well able to hold more than I could carry. Then I walked around the corner to where the bottled water was shelved. We can carry three gallons, she decided. That gives us three days to find them. I took a deep breath, trying to tell myself that I wasn't going along with this. I was simply trying to get more coordinates from her, that was all. When I had the whole story, I would find someone-a different Seeker, maybe, one less repulsive than the one assigned to me-and pass the information along. I was just being thorough, I promised myself. My awkward attempt to lie to myself was so pathetic that Melanie didn't pay any attention to it, felt no worry at all. It must be too late for me, as the Seeker had warned. Maybe I should have taken the shuttle. Too late? I wish! Melanie grumbled. I can't make you do anything you don't want to do. I can't even raise my hand! Her thought was a moan of frustration. I looked down at my hand, resting against my thigh rather than reaching for the water as she wanted to do so badly. I could feel her impatience, her almost desperate desire to be on the move. On the run again, just as if my existence were no more than a short interruption, a wasted season now behind her. She gave the mental equivalent of a snort at that, and then she was back to business. C'mon, she urged me. Let's get going! It will be dark soon. With a sigh, I pulled the largest shrink-wrapped flat of water bottles from the shelf. It nearly hit the floor before I caught it against a lower shelf edge. My arms felt as though they'd popped halfway out of their sockets. â€Å"You're kidding me!† I exclaimed aloud. Shut up! â€Å"Excuse me?† a short, stooped man, the other customer, asked from the end of the aisle. â€Å"Uh-nothing,† I mumbled, not meeting his gaze. â€Å"This is heavier than I expected.† â€Å"Would you like some help?† he offered. â€Å"No, no,† I answered hastily. â€Å"I'll just take a smaller one.† He turned back to the selection of potato chips. No, you will not, Melanie assured me. I've carried heavier loads than this. You've let us get all soft, Wanderer, she added in irritation. Sorry, I responded absently, bemused by the fact that she had used my name for the first time. Lift with your legs. I struggled with the flat of water, wondering how far I could possibly be expected to carry it. I managed to get it to the front register, at least. With great relief, I edged its weight onto the counter. I put the bag on top of the water, and then added a box of granola bars, a roll of doughnuts, and a bag of chips from the closest display. Water is way more important than food in the desert, and we can only carry so much – I'm hungry, I interrupted. And these are light. It's your back, I guess, she said grudgingly, and then she ordered, Get a map. I placed the one she wanted, a topographical map of the county, on the counter with the rest. It was no more than a prop in her charade. The cashier, a white-haired man with a ready smile, scanned the bar codes. â€Å"Doing some hiking?† he asked pleasantly. â€Å"The mountain is very beautiful.† â€Å"The trailhead is just up that -† he said, starting to gesture. â€Å"I'll find it,† I promised quickly, pulling the heavy, badly balanced load back off the counter. â€Å"Head down before it gets dark, sweetie. You don't want to get lost.† â€Å"I will.† Melanie was thinking sulfurous thoughts about the kind old man. He was being nice. He's sincerely concerned about my welfare, I reminded her. You're all very creepy, she told me acidly. Didn't anyone ever tell you not to talk to strangers? I felt a deep tug of guilt as I answered. There are no strangers among my kind. I can't get used to not paying for things, she said, changing the subject. What's the point of scanning them? Inventory, of course. Is he supposed to remember everything we took when he needs to order more? Besides, what's the point of money when everyone is perfectly honest? I paused, feeling the guilt again so strongly that it was an actual pain. Everyone but me, of course. Melanie shied away from my feelings, worried by the depth of them, worried that I might change my mind. Instead she focused on her raging desire to be away from here, to be moving toward her objective. Her anxiety leaked through to me, and I walked faster. I carried the stack to the car and set it on the ground beside the passenger door. â€Å"Let me help you with that.† I jerked up to see the other man from the store, a plastic bag in his hand, standing beside me. â€Å"Ah†¦ thank you,† I finally managed, my pulse thudding behind my ears. We waited, Melanie tensed as if to run, while he lifted our acquisitions into the car. There's nothing to fear. He's being kind, too. She continued to watch him distrustfully. â€Å"Thank you,† I said again as he shut the door. â€Å"My pleasure.† He walked off to his own vehicle without a backward glance at us. I climbed into my seat and grabbed the bag of potato chips. Look at the map, she said. Wait till he's out of sight. No one is watching us, I promised her. But, with a sigh, I unfolded the map and ate with one hand. It was probably a good idea to have some sense of where we were headed. Where are we headed? I asked her. We've found the starting point, so what now? Look around, she commanded. If we can't see it here, we'll try the south side of the peak. See what? She placed the memorized image before me: a ragged zigzagging line, four tight switchbacks, the fifth point strangely blunt, like it was broken. Now I saw it as I should, a jagged range of four pointed mountain peaks with the broken-looking fifth†¦ I scanned the skyline, east to west across the northern horizon. It was so easy it felt false, as though I'd made the image up only after seeing the mountain silhouette that created the northeast line of the horizon. That's it, Melanie almost sang in her excitement. Let's go! She wanted me to be out of the car, on my feet, moving. I shook my head, bending over the map again. The mountain ridge was so far in the distance I couldn't guess at the miles between us and it. There was no way I was walking out of this parking lot and into the empty desert unless I had no other option. Let's be rational, I suggested, tracing my finger along a thin ribbon on the map, an unnamed road that connected to the freeway a few miles east and then continued in the general direction of the range. Sure, she agreed complacently. The faster the better. We found the unpaved road easily. It was just a pale scar of flat dirt through the sparse shrubbery, barely wide enough for one vehicle. I had a feeling that the road would be overgrown with lack of use in a different region-some place with more vital vegetation, unlike the desert plants that needed decades to recover from such a violation. There was a rusted chain stretched across the entrance, screwed into a wooden post on one end, looped loosely around another post at the other. I moved quickly, pulling the chain free and piling it at the base of the first post, hurrying back to my running car, hoping no one would pass and stop to offer me help. The highway stayed clear as I drove onto the dirt and then rushed back to refasten the chain. We both relaxed when the pavement disappeared behind us. I was glad that there was apparently no one left I would have to lie to, whether with words or silence. Alone, I felt less of a renegade. Melanie was perfectly at home here in the middle of nothing. She knew the names of all the spiny plants around us. She hummed their names to herself, greeting them like old friends. Creosote, ocotillo, cholla, prickly pear, mesquite†¦ Away from the highway, the trappings of civilization, the desert seemed to take on a new life for Melanie. Though she appreciated the speed of the jolting car-our vehicle didn't have the ground clearance necessary for this off-road trip, as the shocks reminded me with every pit in the dirt-she itched to be on her feet, loping through the safety of the baking desert. We would probably have to walk, and all too soon for my taste, but when that time came, I doubted it would satisfy her. I could feel the real desire beneath the surface. Freedom. To move her body to the familiar rhythm of her long stride with only her will for guidance. For a moment, I allowed myself to see the prison that was life without a body. To be carried inside but unable to influence the shape around you. To be trapped. To have no choices. I shuddered and refocused on the rough road, trying to stave off the mingled pity and horror. No other host had made me feel such guilt for what I was. Of course, none of the others had stuck around to complain about the situation. The sun was close to the tips of the western hills when we had our first disagreement. The long shadows created strange patterns across the road, making it hard to avoid the rocks and craters. There it is! Melanie crowed as we caught sight of another formation farther east: a smooth wave of rock, interrupted by a sudden spur that swung a thin, long finger out against the sky. She was all for turning immediately into the brush, no matter what that did to the car. Maybe we're supposed to go all the way to the first landmark, I pointed out. The little dirt road continued to wind in more or less the right direction, and I was terrified to leave it. How else would I find my way back to civilization? Wasn't I going back? I imagined the Seeker right at this moment, as the sun touched the dark, zigzagging line of the western horizon. What would she think when I didn't arrive in Tucson? A spasm of glee made me laugh out loud. Melanie also enjoyed the picture of the Seeker's furious irritation. How long would it take her to go back to San Diego to see if this had all been a ploy to get rid of her? And then what steps would she take when I wasn't there? When I wasn't anywhere? I just couldn't picture very clearly where I would be at that point. Look, a dry wash. It's wide enough for the car-let's follow it, Melanie insisted. I'm not sure we're supposed to go that way yet. It will be dark soon and we'll have to stop. You're wasting time! She was silently shouting in her frustration. Or saving time, if I'm right. Besides, it's my time, isn't it? She didn't answer in words. She seemed to stretch inside my mind, reaching back toward the convenient wash. I'm the one doing this, so I'm doing it my way. Melanie fumed wordlessly in response. Why don't you show me the rest of the lines? I suggested. We could see if anything is visible before night falls. No, she snapped. I'll do that part my way. You're being childish. Again she refused to answer. I continued toward the four sharp peaks, and she sulked. When the sun disappeared behind the hills, night washed across the landscape abruptly; one minute the desert was sunset orange, and then it was black. I slowed, my hand fumbling around the dashboard, searching for the switch for the headlights. Have you lost your mind? Melanie hissed. Do you have any idea how visible headlights would be out here? Someone is sure to see us. So what do we do now? Hope the seat reclines. I let the engine idle as I tried to think of options besides sleeping in the car, surrounded by the black emptiness of the desert night. Melanie waited patiently, knowing I would find none. This is crazy, you know, I told her, throwing the car into park and twisting the keys out of the ignition. The whole thing. There can't really be anyone out here. We won't find anything. And we're going to get hopelessly lost trying. I had an abstract sense of the physical danger in what we were planning-wandering out into the heat with no backup plan, no way to return. I knew Melanie understood the danger far more clearly, but she held the specifics back. She didn't respond to my accusations. None of these problems bothered her. I could see that she'd rather wander alone in the desert for the rest of her life than go back to the life I'd had before. Even without the threat of the Seeker, this was preferable to her. I leaned the seat back as far as it would go. It wasn't close to far enough for comfort. I doubted that I would be able to sleep, but there were so many things I wasn't allowing myself to think about that my mind was vacant and uninteresting. Melanie was silent, too. I closed my eyes, finding little difference between my lids and the moonless night, and drifted into unconsciousness with unexpected ease.

Five ways of identifying a setting Essay

My essay will examine five ways of identifying a setting as inclusive. I work as a nanny in a sole charge role, in a family home. I work with a family of 3 children, one of the little girls has additional needs and she attends a special needs school. I will reflect on my life experiences and the course material within this essay and how this has influenced my understanding of inclusion. Inclusion is about feeling like you belong, being valued and feeling happy within the setting and the local community, regardless of social backgrounds, age and ability. The five criteria I have chosen are The name of the setting, social inclusion, the curriculum, setting funding, and the view of inclusion presented. I have chosen these criteria as I believe they can form the basis for a setting to be seen as inclusive. I believe that the name of the setting says a lot about what is taking place, if you are sending a child to a special unit attached to a school my view is that it should have the same name as the school. Social inclusion is important because everybody has the right to be treated the same, everybody should be interacted with and spoken to in a kind and friendly manner. I think its important that the same curriculum should be followed in all educational settings and then adapted as required for individual needs. It sets a baseline for the educational system so that essential fundamentals are met. I feel that the settings funding needs to be provided equally between main school and special units. I understand that special settings require additional equipment to support their children and needs to be taken into consideration. However, the amount of money spent for teachers should be the same. I think peoples own opinion on inclusion is important as everybody needs to work to the same guidelines in early years provision. If perspective parents are not presented with an adequate view of inclusion it could greatly effect their standpoint on certain settings. All of the five criteria are important to me when thinking about inclusion, and my own understanding of what inclusion involves. Part B Name of setting Pen green has its own name which is unique to the setting, where as Aspen 2 a special needs school has given the name as an addition to the main stream school. Aspen 2 used to be referred to as the mobile which wasnt seen as inclusive. Aspen 2 is now in the main stream school and has it owns unique unit. Deri View is a newly built primary school with a childrens centre attached the local community had a say in the design and structure of the  building. The school and childrens centre is in a poorly deprived part of Wales. Social inclusion Pen Green is a centre for under 5s and their families in Corby in Northamptonshire. Pen green shows social inclusion through its video clips. Pen Green has an open community, providing team building and meet and greet sessions. Pen Green focuses on the whole family, it allows children to progress from a very young age offering groups such as baby massage. The centre offers a wide range of groups and drop in classes, there are options to go to something everyday. Pen Green cares about all the children at the centre and gives them all equal chances at learning and play. Sheena Griffiths-baker a teacher at Pen green explains that we will being these observations to plan for him as an individual (E214,DVD2) which tells me that the setting is inclusive . Pen green offers classes for parents to learn GCSEs or computer courses, which has helped the parents to gain confidence and independence. At Aspen 2 the children all have additional needs they are included in some main stream school lessons. The Aspen 2 students are treated equally in main stream lessons they are given the same work load but are provided with learning support assistants (LSA) to help them to understand. The Aspen 2 students take part in P.E all together and its adapted to their needs. Deri View is a school with the Acorn Childrens Centre attached to it. The school offers primary aged teaching with the Acorn Centre ranging from pregnancy to 13 years old. The Acorn Centre works with the local community to provide children with a breakfast club. The centre offers adult learning and services for parents to use e.g. the crche for when they go to study at the centre. Maggie Teague the head teacher at Deri View comments 70 of our pupils parents were unemployed now that has gone down to between 30 and 40. I am certain the school has an impact, because of the number of parents who have started with us through family learning are now in employment (E214,DVD2). The curriculum The Pen Green centre offers a wide and varied curriculum staff members observe childrens patterns of learning and make action plans on the children to help with planning activities that are age and stage appropriate. The centre records videos of the children which is known as the PICLE involvement, this allows parents to view what their children have been doing at nursery and can link in with what the child is doing at home. Sheena Griffiths-baker explains about the PICLE group There are several PICLE groups, so there will be  morning afternoon and evening PICLE groups so it as available as possible to many parents, so during that time they watch of video of him, the worker discusses whats happening with the parent and then the parents reciprocates with there information of what is happening at home.(E214,DVD2) There are courses for parents to gain an education and learning together groups for adults. At Aspen 2 the local educational authority aims to develop and provide inclusion at the school. The children work to the same curriculum as the main stream school, the activities are adapted to the students needs. Sarah Wilmshurst a teacher at Aspen 2 comments I take the abilities of all children into consideration (E214, DVD2). Children are allowed to sit nearer to the front that allow for sight problems and hearing needs. Some of the children in Aspen 2 work on the gold curriculum which is part of the main stream school programme for children who are struggling. Aspen 2 children are included in sports days, music and art lessons. Richard and Sam two students talk about the Aspen 2 course programmes and that the students gain a course certificate at the end. A teaching assistant called Mary Fellows talks about how some of the children can not access the mainstream education, especially the PMLD students that she works with.(E214,DVD2) At the Deri View school and the Acorn Centre they work together to give the families the best support available, they provide respite care and work with health visitors and the local authority. The butterflies pre-school provided free childcare for children ages 2 and half to 5 years on five mornings a week. The Acorn Centre has credit union service that comes in to the centre to help parents and give advice. The children also have their own saving scheme available to them. Funding and recourses The Pen Green setting provides funding for childrens groups and adult learning courses to allow everybody to be given a chance to attend the services provided by the centre. Pen Green uses the European social fund. Deri View and the Acorn Centre work together with the welsh assembly to provide free breakfasts for children in the area, all children are included. The centre has access to the community fund. Aspen 2 is given money from the local authority to help with special equipment needed to teach the lessons. The PMLD group has bought equipment to make them inclusive. The course materials state that the mechanisms that local authorities use to distribute their resources can have an impact on the development of inclusive practices (E214, Unit 12, p.209)  Views of inclusion The community around Pen Green see that the centre is for parents, grandparents, males and females of all ages and cultures, it provides groups to suit the needs of everybody and the centre represents new schemes in the area. Pen green provides partnerships with local schools and the community. At Pen Green, Donna the Community Education Manager says Pen Greens unique as it grew out of a community and planned by the community (E214, DVD2.) Sure start is used within the centre sign language groups provide people to learn how to communicate with the deaf. The centre has been used for generations. The Aspen 2 setting is for children with serve learning difficulties. One to one LSA support teachers are provided to students. Main stream teachers provide hints on work sheets to allow the Aspen 2 children to be able to do the work. Lynne Mills a teaching assistant at Aspen 2 says in the last 8 years I have had to do a lot more training, (E214,DVD2) This is so that she has the skills provided to teach individual children. Deri View and the Acorn Centre work together and share joint management. The sure start centre is part of the Acorn Centre. The Acorn Centre provides a food co-op, midwifes and speak and language classes. There is a community bus that goes around the people who are unable to make it to the centre and has rhyme times and story sessions on board. The centre has a drop in area for parents where they can go to get a hot drink, have a chat or use the parents forums. Conclusion I feel that a setting needs to treat children, parents and adults as equals to allow the setting to be fully inclusive. All settings need to be offered the recourses needed and given funding to all departments justice. References The Open University, E214 Equality, participation and inclusion learning from each other views, 2011 The Open University, E214 Equality, participation and inclusion learning from each other, DVD 2, 2010

High School Sports Make Student Athletes - 1599 Words

High school sports make student athletes strive for better success in their education. Sure some Schools have a minimum G.P.A requirement of 2.0, and to get that all your classes have to be â€Å"C† or better. Well that’s better than letting them have a 1.0 and letting them play. It makes them have something worth studying for, For example my friend Bryan Garcia does not like school or work but he is always looking for ways to make his grades better so that he may play with the John F. Kennedy soccer team. Also not all the states in the United States of America have a G.P.A requirement to play in a sport activity, twelve out of the fifty states in the USA require a G.P.A to play.A High School Athlete s GPA Vs. Average High School Student s GPA. Everyday Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2016.†Sports participation is associated with higher GPAs, lower dropout rates and stronger commitments to school compared to the average,non-athlete high school student†. 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