Understanding Cyber vandalism. How is it different from Cyber warfare.

Cyber vandalism is an act of editing the data in electronic form on a computer system in a malicious manner which is intentionally disruptive. It can involve hacking and defacement of a popular website by editing, adding, removing or modifying the nonsensical, humorous or other content that may be seen as derogatory, humiliating or offensive.

Examples-

1. The defacing of the Indian government websites by hackers.
2.  Defacing Social media content, spreading false and fraudulent information or pictures about somebody.
3. The alleged attack on the Sony networks in US against the launch of a comedy movie "The Interview" by North Korea.

Cyber Warfare is politically motivated act of espionage and sabotage on the computer systems and networks.

Examples-

    Sabotage-

1.  Malware Stuxnet attack on the Iran nuclear facility by US-Israel.
2.  Blowing of a gas pipeline allegedly by Russia by hacking into the computer network and controlling the pressure in the pipelines.

    Espionage-

US surveillance system of "Prism" covering majority of the internet-collating and analysing sensitive and classified data of other countries without their knowledge.

Cyber vandalism would be an infringement on personal rights, freedom and liberties of an individual or organization and is considered as a minor breach or cyber threat when compared to Cyber warfare which compromises the national security of any country and can be construed as an act of war.

“Leaving all decisions to markets results in grave inequalities.” Has the free market model failed?

The world today witnesses grave inequalities where majority of world’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few. These handful of people are able to enjoy all luxuries of life when a significant number of people find it difficult to meet even their basic requirements. This acute disparity in distribution of wealth and income calls for certain remedial steps to be taken.

Leaving all decisions to demand and supply mechanism has its advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages:

1. Free economic model encourages healthy competition in the market by reducing monopolistic tendencies which helps the end consumer
2.  Lack of monopoly in the market ensures that the prices of products remain competitive and fair.
3.  Competition encourages better and faster growth.
4.  Minimum state intervention reduces chances of corruption. 
5.  Certain aspects associated with free markets like outsourcing and globalisation brings cost advantage and faster penetration of modern technology in less developed countries of the world.

Disadvantages:

1. Lack of government intervention can sometimes result in formation of strong corporate nexus which can eliminate competitive price advantage.
2. With no welfare measures by the government to ensure fair income distribution, it can widen the income gap between rich and poor.
3. In the absence of state intervention, development will take place and opportunities will be created only in the areas of wealth concentration and a person born in a poor family with have very little chance to alleviate his state of poverty.

Hence it is notable that free market has led to inequalities. The extent of failure may vary from country to country such as in India the inequality is grave and in developed countries it can be managed with minimum state interventions as in USA.

Hence the idea is to adopt and economic model that maintains a balance between the extreme right and the extreme left and follow a mixed economy where there is sufficient market factor and government intervention so that masses can live in "Shared Prosperity".

Massive coral bleaching is under way in many part of the world thanks to various factors. Here we examine these factors and explain the consequences of coral bleaching

Coral Bleaching, which refers to the coral polyps losing their color and becoming white, takes place under conditions in which zooxanthellae, the symbiotic algae that imparts color to the corals, cannot survive. When corals are stressed by changes in conditions such as temperature, light, or nutrients, they expel zooxanthellae living in their tissues, causing them to turn completely white. Such conditions often find their roots in the process of global warming and manifests in the following forms:

1. Increase (most commonly) or sometimes decrease in sea temperatures creates condition where zooxanthellae, the algae which imparts color to corals cannot survive.
2. Excessive fishing and persistent global warming causes depletion of microorganisms in sea water. This makes the survival of corals tough as there is little left for them to feed on
3. Change in water composition(salinity, acidification, bacterial levels etc.) due to increased industrialization also creates condition that are difficult for the algae to survive

Since coral bleaching is nothing but a reflection of global warming, it has following consequences:

1. Extensive bleaching would indicate an eventual extinction of coral polyps which forms the basis of food chain, thereby disturbing the entire food chain.
2. Consistently rising sea levels, which is also indicated by coral bleaching, will subsume the coastal regions and the resources therein.
3. Eventual fading away of coral reefs, which are home to more than 25% of the ocean life
4. Change in the ocean salinity, which will trigger a chain of events impacting human life, including ocean currents and atmospheric pressure too.

Critical examination of increase in instances of the number of carnivores attacking humans and domestic animals in and around some of India’s forest regions.

Man-animal conflict is on the rise throughout India. Increasing intensity of carnivores attacking domesticated cattle has drawn attention to the increasingly dominant role played by anthropogenic factors in modifying the natural landscape. Instances of carnivore’s attacks are on the rise due to:

• Demarcation problem- In India clear demarcation of forests and wildlife sanctuaries is absent. There is little or no fencing. This leads to unchecked cattle grazing and interference by human settlements into restricted forest areas giving rise to man-animal conflicts. There is high prevalence of illegal cattle grazing inside national parks and wildlife reserves, which makes them prone to attack by wild animals.

•  Habitat depletion- With depleting habitat and forest cover, carnivore are often forced to look for food and water in outer regions. In National Parks like Bandipur and Nagarhole, the intense competition for prey and territory coupled with increase in population density of carnivores has led to the ejection of weak and old animals from the core areas into outer areas with lesser prey. These old and weak carnivores the stray into human landscape in search of prey. They begin to stalk and prey on domestic cattle grazing inside the forests which become easy kill for such ejected animals.
• Absense of stringent laws- Collection of forest produce like tendu leaves, mahua, firewood etc is still prevalent in many forest areas. Due to lack of enforcement of restrictive laws by forest officials, villagers are able to  go deep into forest areas for collection of produce which leads to increased encounters with wild animals.
• Unsatisfactory resettlement plans- Little attention is given by government to the people living in such areas. Many communities of grazers rely on a steady supply of grass for their cattle and are forced to take such risks in absence of pastures, leading to frequent attacks

To prevent such attacks, state administration and forest officials have to work hand in hand to adopt certain remedial measures. Rapid deforestation must be stopped. Environment clearances to industrial projects must be given keeping in mind the extent of damage it will cause to the natural habitat of wild animals. Stringent laws should be there to ensure that the buffer zone between forest area and human settlement is respected. The government must show initiative in providing better opportunities and resettlement packages to these marginalized communities.