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Death, Dying and Loss
Death, Dying and Loss
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Death and dying are part of nursing practice. Despite the fact that healthcare providers do all they can to help patients get better, death is sometimes inevitable. Nurses play an important role in caring for dying patients and their families. Nurses spend a lot of time with dying patients and their families, and they might feel a lot of responsibility during the process. It is critical that nurses learn and develop necessary skills and attitudes to cope with death. As a nurse, I would like to view death as a relief from pain and suffering for both patients and their families, while still acknowledging how hard it is for them to accept the process.
As part of nursing practice, most nurses will care for dying patients. These nurses have different attitudes towards death and dying. End of life care should be a part of training for nurses. I look forward to caring for those nearing the end of their lives, and IW would like to help them through the process with as much dignity as possible. I plan to work in a nursing home at one point, and this is where many dying patients are cared for. Alftberg et al. (2018) published an article on conversations with dying older adults. One major concern of the nurses who participated in the study is the emotional toll of helping patients and their families prepare for death. When approaching the end of life, most patients would like to express their wishes, their desires and feelings about death (Ong et al. 2018). However, all these should be at the request and comfort of the patient. Medical staff are often at hand to listen to the patients during these times. I would like to offer a listening ear at this time as it is one of the last comforts that the patient will receive.
Caring for families of the dying or dead patient is another overlooked part of end of life care in nursing. As family members and loved ones approach the end of their life, those left behind struggle to accept the reality of loss. Nurses play an important role in helping families of dying patients. Adams et al. (2014) explored the major role of nurses in dealing with families as patients approach the end of life. The major roles for nurses include showing concern, giving factual information, supporting the family’s decisions and building rapport (Adams et al., 2014). As a nurse, I would like to be a source of comfort for patients’ families. The best way to do this is to explain the patients’ experiences especially when they cannot communicate, such as whether they are in pain, and what can be done for them. It is important to outline the options available for the patient and their family, and support whichever decision they make,
In summary, nurses must recognize the critical role they play in end of life care. These moments are usually very difficult both for the dying patient and the family they will leave behind. It is important to handle all parties involves with the required tact, compassion and professionalism. End of life care will often remain with the families long after the patient is gone, which is why nurses must do their best to address the needs of the dying patients and their families.
References
Adams, J. A., Anderson, R. A., Docherty, S. L., Tulsky, J. A., Steinhauser, K. E., & Bailey Jr, D. E. (2014). Nursing strategies to support family members of ICU patients at high risk of dying. Heart & Lung, 43(5), 406-415.
Alftberg, Å., Ahlström, G., Nilsen, P., Behm, L., Sandgren, A., Benzein, E., … & Rasmussen, B. H. (2018, June). Conversations about death and dying with older people: An ethnographic study in nursing homes. In Healthcare (Vol. 6, No. 2, p. 63). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.
Ong, K. K., Ting, K. C., & Chow, Y. L. (2018). The trajectory of experience of critical care nurses in providing end‐of‐life care: A qualitative descriptive study. Journal of clinical nursing, 27(1-2), 257-268.
Continuous Assessment #3
Continuous Assessment #3
In 2018, GitHub, a developer platform, was attacked using a distributed denial of service (DDoS) method. The attack was performed using more than 1.35 terabits per second (Tbps) of traffic (GitHub, 2018). Specifically, GitHub faced a memcached DDoS attack. The platform had to combat intermittent outages while its digital infrastructure evaluated the situation. In a short period, the system called for assistance from Akamai Prolexic, its DDoS mitigation service. The intermediary took over and rerouted all of the traffic coming in and out of GitHub, via scrubbing centers. The result was an 8-minute battle of weeding out and blocking any malicious packets of data. The assault lasted only about 8 minutes, yet remains to be the biggest DDoS attack to date.
A memcached DDoS attack is a type of a cyber attack that targets the database caching structure referred to as memcached (GitHub, 2018). The caching framework is intentionally designed to speed up networks and websites. The attack to the system is designed to flood an application or website with loads of traffic in order to crash the servers. Initially, memcache uses a distribution memory caching approach to help applications and website load their content faster through a temporary storage of content on other devices (Bai, 2018). The intention is to efficiently load whenever visitors come back to the site or application. An attack uses the same approach to create havoc. Because memcached is an open-source software it remains vulnerable to attacks. Memcached attacks, for example the one that GitHub faced, combines with a user datagram protocol (UDP) to enable data to reach and be transferred to users before the receiving party can agree to the communication. For instance, quick audio playbacks or other formats such as video are used to flood victims with intense and high volumes of data, thus crashing servers.
GitHub was affected in a number of ways. First, its services were inaccessible to end users for a short period, which meant a loss on its business end. This could also mean a loss on the financial side of the business. In another view, the company may have lost data to the attackers in the 10-minute window. Loss of data is a sensitive matter because it could mean future attacks or access to information that may be used to perform a different type of attack. Although the company was able to mitigate the attack in record time, it could also have exposed the vulnerabilities of the memcached system to other hackers and attackers (GitHub, 2018), opening up GitHub to more attacks or attempts on the same or a larger magnitude.
In response to the attack, GitHub used Akamai’s Prolexic Platform. The platform mitigated the attack through filtering all traffic in and out of the system from the UDP port. This is a part of the best common practices adopted to tech companies and a practical memcached remediation procedure to minimize risks (GitHub, 2018). The use of an intermediary, Akamai, was a good approach for GitHub owing to the former’s experience in dealing with amplification attacks for other clients.
References
Bai, K, 2018, ‘Analysis and Prevention of Memcache UDP Reflection Amplification
Attack’, International Journal of Science, 5(3), pp.297-302.
GitHub 2018, ‘GitHub Survived the Biggest DDoS Attack Ever
Recorded’, https://www.wired.com/story/github-ddos-memcached/Continuous Assessment #4
Crozier & Corner (2017) highlight the story of an Aussie defence contracting firm that lost loads of sensitive data to an attack in its network. The attacker was able to gain a full and unfettered access to the company’s environment and exfiltrated information without detection. The attacker, labeled an advanced persistent threat (APT) group, managed to get hold of more than 30GB of defence-related data related to high profile projects in the US and Australian militaries. To illegally exfiltrate the data from the company, the culprit used the victim’s internet-facing IT helpdesk server that used an outdated software with a vulnerability to arbitrary file uploads. The attacker exploited the vulnerabilities and uploaded a web archive file containing a copy of the backdoor that gave entry into the organization’s data. Other network enumeration tools were then uploaded, including scripts cred dumping tools, and lateral movement tools. The cred dumping platform used a modified variety of Mimikatz to obtain login credentials that are cached on the helpdesk server. MITRE ATT&CK describes the exfiltration method to include a command and control channel where the attacker remotely performs exfiltration via C&C infrastructure (MITRE, n.d.). The adversary communicates with the system under their own control. In this case, the IT helpdesk system was used to remotely grant access to the servers.
The impairment of the company’s critical infrastructure could lead to serious consequences. In the case study highlighted by Crozier and Corner (2017), the company lost a lot of sensitive information that could affect an entire nation’s defence stance on an international level. Therefore, organizations should, first and foremost, learn that no system is completely secure or safe from attacks of any kind. An important lesson is to know that every system has vulnerabilities and attackers are always looking for a way in though these vulnerabilities and weaknesses. A good way to prevent an organization from facing such losses is to remain non-complacent. Internet access points should be limited with silos. Another important lessons is the need to test often and to train employees on how to detect and prevent attacks. It is important for organizations to find time to improve on its security as a part of the best practices in order to minimize risks. The attack on the organization in the case study was detected weeks later after the initial attack. This means that it would have happened again without the knowledge of the company. It is, therefore, an important lesson for organizations to train its employees to detect and prevent potential threats.
To mitigate such attacks as mentioned in the case study, the MITRE ATT&CK framework suggests that ensuring that commonly used ports have detection systems, blocking internal connections, configure the network security infrastructure to block traffic to reach the internet, monitor application layer protocols, and monitor data obfuscation and encoding such a Base64 encoding (MITRE n.d.). The MITRE ATT&CK framework basically advises organizations to look at vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the perspective of an attacker in order to identify risky areas that may lead to potential attacks.
References
Crozier, R, Corner, S, 2017, Hacked Aussie Defence firm lost fighter jet, bomb, ship plans, itnews, Oct 12, https://www.itnews.com.au/news/hacked-aussie-defence-firm-lost-fighter-jet-bomb-ship-plans-475211
MITRE, ‘Exfiltration’, The MITRE Corporation, https://attack.mitre.org/wiki/Exfiltration
Death What do you know about death
Name: Sierra Koprowicz
Teacher: Mr. Fitz
Class: Lit
Date: 11.15.19
Death
“What do you know about death?” Guildenstern demands of the Player and, when the Player replies that dying is “what actors do best,” Guildenstern insists death can’t be acted because “the fact of it is nothing to do with seeing it happen- it’s not gasps and blood and falling about.” (42)
As the title suggests, death is the main idea of Stoppard’s play. In the quote, the player explains to Guildenstern what death is. Guidenstern on the other hand does not agree with the Player that death can be acted. The protagonists, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, are used by the author to show that death is inevitable. Even though the protagonists do not know they are going to die, the audience is aware because their deaths are detailed in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. Stoppard builds his play around Shakespeare’s characters to show that death is inevitable. The protagonists struggle against death even though it is certain to humankind.
Stoppard argues that there is an incomplete understanding of death by using the protagonists to portray the human understanding of death that is incomplete. In the quote, because Guildenstern does not understand what death is, he asks the Player to explain why he thinks it’s what actors do best. Death addresses the world’s capacity of staying together in harmony because of the common factor that is incomplete understanding of death. However, it can also be a cause of decay and dissolution because of the difference in its interpretation. I agree with Stoppard’s idea that even though death is inevitable, it is certain. Human beings may not understand it fully but they are aware it will come to pass.
Fate and Free Will
“The only beginning is birth and the only end is death – if you can’t count on not matter. n that, what can you count on? ” (39).
No matter how lucky a person is, fate is pre-determinant because even free will do. The most fascinating things that people do in life are the adventures that they take. From the quote we understand the inevitability of death and how death is the end of life. From the quote the answer to the question is that people can count on emotions as well as feeling in their life as the feelings give them motivation to do things in life. According to Stoppard the course of life events is independent of free will. No matter the actions people pursue or the direction they take in their activities, the destination does not change. Theme of fate and free will addresses world capacity of unity because of the common understanding that as humans we decide what to make of our life although limitations exist. It can however also cause dissolution on how we view the concept of free will as others may not see free will and do not believe on idea of fate. I agree with Stoppard ultimately as humans although we have the free will to choose, eventually our fate is sealed as we all die.
Identity
Guildenstern: What’s your name?
Rosencratz: What’s yours?
Guildenstern: You first. (1. 14)
In the conversation between Guildenstern and Rosencratz, the two actors seem to have forgotten their identity. They cannot remember their names and end up introducing themselves by the wrong names. The conversation shows that the protagonists are not sure about their individual identities. Stoppard uses these two characters to show that human self is powerless. The protagonists’ identities appear to be porous in the way they lose track of their identities. Stoppard wonders what distinguishes people if everyone is bound to die. When individuals are aware of their multiple identities, they are able to understand themselves and their purpose and live with others harmoniously. If not well understood, confusion occurs as seen in the play. I agree with Stoppard’s idea that humans are lowly and powerless because they find themselves in situations that they are unable to recognize themselves.
Existentialism
GUIL: Well… aren’t you going to change into costume?
PLAYER: I never change out, sir.
GUIL: Always in character.
PLAYER: That’s it.
(Pause.)
GUIL: Aren’t you going to – come on?
PLAYER: I am on. (Stoppard 33-4)
Throughout the play we see the theme of Existentialism showing itself. Ros and Gil are not able to make any significant choices in the play. The Player tries to hint to Ros and Guil that all of them are on stage as characters playing the roles they were assigned to but they do not get the hint thus throughout the play they remain confused wondering about their identity. Existentialist exist in the play because the two pair are not actual humans but just mare characters in the play. Them being unable to remember their identities reflects on existentialism in that existing is insignificant and unexplainable. Stoppard brings the idea of harmony in the play as we see that a man needs to take action of his life so that he may be essentially alive. However, we also see dissolution in that when one lets the whims of other people to determine what he does or his fate he may be existentially dead. I agree with the concept of existentialism in order for one to understand their true purpose they need to question their reason for existence or why they are in that particular state just as Ros and Gil.
Works Cited
Stoppard, T. (1967). Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are dead: a play in three acts. Samuel French, Inc.