Monday, January 27, 2020

Operation Buckshot Yankee

Operation Buckshot Yankee Operation Buckshot Yankee: The Primary Point of Weakness By Jeffrey Higa Abstract Operation Buckshot Yankee is a catastrophic event that was a turning point in cyber security for the U.S. government. This incident established the current dominating war fighting domain known as cyberspace and established the need for increased cyber security. I would like to highlight the event known as Operation Buckshot Yankee, how and why it happened, a possible solution that could have prevented this, and similar events synonymous to this situation. I would like to highlight the main point of weakness from my perspective on the situation and propose how this weakness can be strengthened with proper people management and training. I will provide explanations and examples to provide a clear view on how this situation could have possibly be prevented, and statistical data to back up my findings as well as a personal example of a real situation recently occurring in my career. By being able to estimate the possible costs of damages in both monetary and reputational damage caused in these situations, these numbers can prove how valuable data can be and what the costs of a simple mistake such as using a mysterious flash drive can cause. In conclusion, I would like to mention a possible solution to the problem and my personal view on the situation and how it applies to us not only in this event, but also has an impact on our everyday lives in the field of IT and IT security. Essay Operation Buckshot Yankee is based on a cyber security incident which took place in the Middle East in 2008. This cyber attack event was a turning point in the history of U.S. cyber defense, and caused drastic losses of data from secret government databases. Operation Buckshot Yankee was the name of the operation to stop a malicious code that was contained on a flash drive an American soldier found in the Middle East. This flash drive was then inserted by a government employee to a laptop connected to Central Command networks and caused the code to spread throughout classified and unclassified military networks allowing the enemy to steal valuable information on these systems. According to an article by Lynn (2010), U.S. government systems are constantly probed and scanned by adversaries millions of times daily, but this attack was an example of a successful cyber attack. The military lost thousands of data files including weapon and operational plans as well as surveillance data stored on classifieds U.S. networks. Having this incident happen, the government has realized the need for increased cyber security and work to create a secure international network. In response to this attack, the government declared cyberspace as an official war fighting domain, and initiated plans to regulate cyberspace crimes and safety. Up to this attack in 2008, Operation Buckshot Yankee is said to have been the most significant breach of U.S. military computers to date according to an article by Nakashima (2010). According to Lynn (2010) this type of attack is the introduction of a new type of war fighting that opens up the new domain known as cyberspace where traditional war laws do not apply. Cyberspace has now become the primary point of attack, as these types of attacks are relatively inexpensive as they only required trained individuals and computers, rather than large expensive equipment such as tanks and jets. According to another article by Nakashima, the NSA was alerted by a signal in the U.S. system trying to send messages back to the code creator. The NA then found a program that infected their classified network and was sending data out. They sourced the code to the aforementioned thumb drive and found that the code would look for important documents and spread itself to other thumb drives connected to the network. The malicious program was called Agent.btz and infected the host computer and spread over the network to other computers. Any other flash drives connected to already infected computers were then also infected and caused further spread throughout the network. The article also mentions that the code had already been out for months prior to the attack, and was floating around the internet but did not have access to government systems due to them being isolated from the public networks. Due to the government not being able to scan public networks thoroughly, the code was bypass ed until the incident. This situation highlights the danger of insider threats, whether intentional or accidental. In the case of Buckshot Yankee, the carelessness of an individual was the cause of the insider threat which compromised an otherwise secure system isolated from outsider threats. Operation Buckshot Yankee is the planned government operation of shutting down Agent.btz and putting a stop to the stealing of government data. The government analyzed the code and saw that it was looking instructions on what actions to take. The NSA Tailored Access Operations team created a plan to force the code to deactivate itself by sending their instructions for it to shut down. The operation was a success and the instructions were sent out across the network once testing as done, and the malicious code was shut down. Though this code was put to a stop, many important government documents had already been stolen, but the incident was put to a halt. This incident led to the banning of thumb drives on Department of Defense systems as a security measure from preventing a similar incident from happening again. The flash drive was sourced in the Middle East and according to an article by Goodin (2010) the source code was said to have been from Russia but there is no solid evidence directly proving this. The article by Goodin also describes that Government systems are constantly under the threat of cyber attack, and that a dozen computer hackers could drastically cripple U.S. government networks if a network vulnerability is found. This is a perfect example of how drastically times have changed, and that cyberspace is the new arena to commence attacks. According to the article as an example, a dozen people at computers could possibly bring a country down in an extremely cost and labor efficient manner. Losses of life would be minimal for adversaries compared to a kinetic attack, and damages caused could be in the form of disruption o f services or staling of valuable data as described in Buckshot Yankee. A great example of disruption of services would be the event in Estonia as described by Richards (2009). A Distributed Denial of Service attack was launched against Estonia in protest of moving a politically valued statue. These attacks lasted three weeks and were strategically launched targeting banks and other essential services to cripple the technological systems of Estonia. Having essential services shut down can cause chaos and leave a country vulnerable to attacks if an adversary were to take advantage of the situation. Taking that into account, resulting damages of cyber warfare and cyber attacks could essentially have worse effects than kinetic war or possibly result in additional kinetic war. Operation Buckshot Yankee is a perfect example of how battles will most likely be fought in this current era and going into the future. Cyber attacks are en extremely inexpensive and efficient method of causing a significant amount of damage with minimal effort. Due to the nature of cyberspace, attacks are also very difficult to pinpoint and regulate. Traditional laws do not apply here as there are no clear boundaries in the world of cyberspace. As described in an article by Mjr. Gen. Charles J. Dunlap USAF (2009), the definition of cyberspace itself is yet very unclear and undefined. Without proper definition, it is difficult to make accurate laws to apply to this new war fighting domain. The only real protection as mentioned in this article is for nations to take responsibility for their own actions and their citizens. In the case of Operation Buckshot Yankee, this was the unintentional irresponsibility of a U.S. citizen. Due to difficulty in specifically sourcing threats and the l imitless boundaries of cyberspace, it is almost impossible to place blame on a certain country or individual, especially if they are located in another country. As in the case of Buckshot Yankee, though the incident was caused in the Middle East, the code is theoretically sourced from Russia, but there is no way to truly prove it. This brings me to the point that the primary point of any cyber security system is human error. I believe that people cause the most problems in any technology environment regardless of the situation. Computers are controlled by people that cause the problems. Another great and synonymous example is the recent event of credit card information being stolen from Target. An article by Riley, Elgin and Matlack (2014) malware had been installed on Target’s computer system to steal credit card information as it was swiped. Target had installed a detection system by FireEye to detect malware prior to the event happening, but the system was ignored even when alerts were given to the companies’ IT and management. According to the article, about 40 million credit card numbers and 70 million other pieces of information were stolen before the situation was acted upon. This is another prime example of a system working properly but being held back by people. Had this situation been a cted upon as soon as the alert was announced, many peoples’ valuable information would have been saved, and the company would have saved possibly avoidable expenses. As described in a book by Harris,S., Kumar,P.V. (2013), the most important part of cyber security is people. Operation Buckshot Yankee is a perfect example of how human error can cause catastrophic damage. Whether it be due to improper training or carelessness, this event started with the actions of a single person and turned into a widespread situation with catastrophic damages. If proper training was initiated and due diligence was practiced, this situation could have been avoided. Most would consider a random flash drive found in an adversary country to be suspicious and would not try to plug it into any computer, let alone a secure government system, but user errors such as this are the primary cause of incidents regarding technology. Wilshusen (2013) shows statistics from government agencies explaining that 20% of cyber incidents are due to improper usage; only secondary to incidents still unexplained or under investigation. This statistical data is a definite indicator that people are the primary cause for problems in even federal government agencies. By having solid statistics based on real reports from 2012, it is irrefutable evidence that people are the primary cause of concern and outlines the need for continuous training and testing of knowledge. By keeping people properly trained and reducing the number of unknowing individuals having access to network resources above their knowledge these numbers could possibly be greatly reduced. A great personal example is at my place of employment. I work for a government sponsored healthcare company which handles patient data on a daily basis that is regulated by HIPAA. There are a few employees who are older aged (50-60) and are relatively unfamiliar with computers regardless of training given. A prime example is one employee in particular who is in upper management. I cannot think of a more perfect example of a prime target for any type of cyber attack, from social engineering to spam emails, she has fallen victim to them all and constantly does to this day. Upon sitting at her computer, all her usernames and passwords can be found on sticky notes on her desk or under her keyboard. She also opens every email and attachment regardless of what it says or who it is from. We recently had a couple simultaneous incidents happen with her in the past few weeks. The first sign was her email account being locked by our service provider. We called and they said her email was being used to send thousands of spam emails while logged in from China. Upon fixing this and changing her passwords etc., we scanned her computer only to find more than 17,000 malware installed on her computer. We constantly inform her about how to properly inspect email and about not giving out personal information or opening every attachment. Even with antispam programs on our server, some emails will always slip through, and she will always open them. I find this to be a prime example of human error and carelessness to perfectly describe how an incident such as Buckshot Yankee can occur. The statistical cost provided in an article by Ponemon Institute (2012) has shown in a survey that the average cost to a company of a successful cyber attack is about $214,000. This shows that the damages can be significant, and that data is extremely valuable. In the case of buckshot Yankee, the data which was stolen containing weapon plans, and confidential operations and surveillance data is of significant value and could result in catastrophic damages to the U.S. in both costs and possibly loss of life. If this data is placed in the wrong hands it could be used maliciously and the damage could be limitless. In the situation of my workplace, losing patient data could also be a significant loss, leading to possible lawsuits and compromising of patients’ personal information. In the case of target, had the situation been handled properly and the security system been utilized, it could have prevented the significant leaking of data. In a journal by Espenchied (2012) of Microso ft, Operation Buckshot Yankee took almost 14 months to clean up from Department of Defense and Pentagon networks. In all of these situations damages would not only cause significant monetary damage, but also damage the reputation of the data holder. For companies like Target, fixing the damages caused has resulted in an estimated $61 million in expenses and 9 lawsuits according to Riley, Elgin, and Matlack (2014). Had they acted quickly, these damages as well as damage to their reputation could have been minimized. Conclusion In conclusion to these findings, I would like to stress the importance of proper continued training of employees in any type of computer related job, as proper use of computer systems is the best method of preventing such events from occurring. Though proper training can be expensive, it can end up saving more money as well as reputation of the company as exampled given in each situation mentioned. Though the U.S. government has a highly sophisticated and expensive cyber security system, it was compromised by a simple mistake. The importance of due diligence and due care is extremely relevant to Operation Buckshot Yankee, as had the zero source individual been informed, they would have considered the mysterious flash drive a threat, and would not have compromised the system by carelessly using it. Because of how difficult it is to find and hold any party responsible in the domain of cyberspace, the best preventative measure is to make sure that your systems are not exposed to internal threats. Most threats from outside can be filtered with hardware and software, but inside threats are the largest problem. As described by Wilshusen (2013), user error is the leading known cause of cyber incidents in federal agencies at 20%, followed by malicious code at 18% also due to user carelessness; with direct threats such as unauthorized access and probing last at 17% and 7% respectively. The personal example I had given in my place of employment is another example of an insider threat compromising the network due to user misuse and carelessness. The only solution to keeping U.S. cyberspace safe is by ensuring that all hardware and software systems are up to date with current threats, and properly maintained in addition to informed system users. By regulating who has access to data resources, and making sure they are trained to the necessary level of knowledge, we can prevent these future mistakes from happening, and minimize possible damages due to data loss. These concepts apply not only in a government setting, but apply to use at work and even on our personal computers at home. Keeping cyberspace safe is the responsibility of all computer users, and is of utmost importance in this era where we are so dependent on computers. References Beidleman, Lt. Cl. Scott W. DEFINING AND DETERRING CYBER WAR†, (2009): 1-40 Espenchied,J.A. (2012). A Discussion of Threat Behavior: Attackers Patterns. Goodin, D. (2010, August 25). Pentagon confirms attack breached classified network †¢ The Register. Retrieved from http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/25/military_networks_breached/ Harris,S., Kumar,P.V. (2013). CISSP all-in-one exam guide, sixth edition.  New York: McGraw-Hill. Lynn, W. J. (2010, October). Defending a New Domain | Foreign Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/66552/william-j-lynn-iii/defending-a-new- domain Nakashima, E. (2011, December 8). Cyber-intruder sparks response, debate The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/national- security/cyber-intruder-sparks-response-debate/2011/12/06/gIQAxLuFgO_story.html Nakashima, E. (2010, August 24). Defense official discloses cyberattack. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/content/article/2010/08/24/AR2010082406495.html Ponemon Institute (2012, May 24). Infosecurity Cybercrime costs companies an average of $214,000 per attack. Retrieved from http://www.infosecurity- magazine.com/view/25966/cybercrime-costs-companies-an-average-of-214000-per- attack/ Richards, J. (2009). Denial-of-Service: The Estonian Cyberwar and Its Implications for U.S. National Security. Retrieved from http://www.iar-gwu.org/node/65 Riley,M., Elgin,B., Matlack,C. (2014, March 13). Target Missed Warnings in Epic Hack of Credit Card Data Businessweek. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-03- 13/target-missed-alarms-in-epic-hack-of-credit-card-data Wilshusen, G. C. (2013). CYBERSECURITY. A Better Defined and Implemented National Strategy Is Needed to Address Persistent Challenges, 36. Wilson, G. C. (2013). CYBERSECURITY. A Better Defined and Implemented National Strategy Is Needed to Address Persistent Challenges, 36

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Its Time to Reform American Health Care :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Health care advancements in America are notably the best in the world. We continually strive for preventions and cures of diseases. America has the best medical scientists and physicians that specialize in their medical fields. According to Joseph A. Califano Jr. (2003), "what makes America health care system great is its ability to attract the finest minds in our society," that can help the sick by preventing and curing medical complications. (p. 18). We are noted worldwide for our medical care and physicians from other countries jump at the opportunity to join the American medical system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, our system is based on money. The more money you have to spend, the better medical services you will receive. ?According to the Bureau of Labor education at the university of main (2003), America spends more money oh health care than any other nation, "$4,178 per capita on health care in 1998?, compared to the average of $1,783. (BLE., 2003, p.23). Still an estimated "42.5 million Americans are living without health insurance", which prevents them from receiving medical treatment. (Climan, Scharff, 2003, p.33). The numbers of un-insured Americans continue to rise. Tim Middleton (2002) states, ?insurance premiums grow at a rate greater than wages,? when you have a low-income job. ( ¶ 9). With our current economy recession, taxes are rising and small business employers are unable to purchase health plans for their employees. Employees are realizing that they are unable to gain insurance from their jobs and beginning to speak out about the high price of he alth care.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American Medical Student Association (2004) stated that ?Between 1945 and 1970, America?s economy was strong and booming?, they owned about 60% of the world profit.? ( ¶13). During this time employers were able to cover their employees and the employers were also able to ?write off the health insurance as tax-deductibles for the company.?(AMSA, 2004,  ¶ 11 ). As time progressed our economy began to unravel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the 70?s the world entered a recession because ?the cost of economic growth of other industrialized nations began to rise rapidly?, the United States felt the effect. (AMSA, 2004,  ¶ 14). With the development of other nations, came lose of industrial production for the United States of America. American Medical Student Association (2004) stated ?In 1950 we had 60% and by 1980 we only claimed 30% of the world production?, this brought higher prices as well as loses of jobs.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

1984 Sexual Rebellion

Jamie Aragon English 12 B-2 17 March 2005 Sexual Rebellion The First Lady, Abigail Adams, once stated, â€Å"If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice, or representation† (BrainyQuote). This statement was intended for rebellion regarding the rights of women, however rebellion is rebellion. Due to this stand led by Adams and other women, the females in society today are fortunate enough to have received all of the rights possible.Rebellion is not only used when citizens’ rights are needed, but as Abigail said, it is used when people â€Å"have no voice or representation. † For example, many teenagers feel like they are never listened to or that even if they were heard, their comments would be irrelevant. What happens with these kids when this occurs? Many rebel to get their point across and their voices heard. While there are many form s of rebellion among high school and early college students, such as involving oneself in alcohol or drugs, the most common type could be agreed upon as involving oneself in sexual activity.Similarly, Winston and Julia also rebelled against a government in which they did not have a say. These are the two main characters from George Orwell’s dystopic novel, 1984, in which the protagonist, Winston Smith, is watched every second of every day by their government that is also known as Big Brother. Big Brother’s intense control is what led Winston to do what he felt needed to be done. Despite the government’s support for goodness and purity, Winston and Julia engaged in sexual activity to rebel against Big Brother.When an authority figure has a strong stance on a certain rule or law, those are the situations that are more likely to be broken, simply due to the fact that they are rules that are set to not be rebelled against. Winston comments to Julia, â€Å"I hate pu rity, I hate goodness. I don’t want any virtue to exist anywhere. I want everyone to be corrupt to the bones† (Orwell 137). These were two of the many things that Big Brother strongly supported. Therefore, when one wanted to rebel against this government and the rules that they stood for, purity and goodness were easy targets to act upon, as did Winston and Julia.After hearing this comment, Julia responds by telling Winston that she is the epitome of what corruption to the bones is. Smith is delighted to hear this from her, understanding that this is the woman whom he will rebel with. In fact, â€Å"That was above all what he wanted to hear. Not merely the love of one person, but the animal instinct, the simple undifferentiated desire: that was the force that would tear the Party to pieces† (137). What is stated implies that Winston is not looking for a lifetime partner, rather more of just a partner in crime; someone that will join him in the rebellion.Their dia logue that was proceeding consisted of Winston telling Julia that the more partners she had been with, the more he loved her. However, the love that he uses with her, is it real love or is it more along the lines of lust; a lust for someone to just accompany his side? Throughout the novel, it is easy for the reader to understand that one of the main themes is purity, or the lack of. While it can be looked upon in more depth, it is stated clearly that the lovemaking that the characters share is not actually love, rather just an impure â€Å"political act† to rebel against the Party.For example, Orwell writes, â€Å"No emotion was pure, because everything was mixed up with fear and hatred. Their embrace had been a battle, the climax a victory. It was a blow struck against the Party. It was a political act† (138). There are many examples in this novel that clearly portray this relationship as just a simple act of rebellion, this being one palpable example. The author desc ribes their embrace as a battle, implying a battle against the government; their â€Å"climax a victory,† implying that that climax had just been what they were hoping for, a blow to the face of Big Brother.This embrace screams, â€Å"Look at us, we wanted to battle against you and we were handed the trophy just following the climax. † However, Winston might as well have also been yelling out that he had no idea who the woman was that he just had sex with since â€Å"even now he had not found out her surname or her address. However, it made no difference [to him], for it was inconceivable that they could ever meet indoors or exchange any kind of written communication† (139). With this stated, once again, it shows that Winston is not concerned about the actual uman that Julia is, rather just the sexual aspects that she is about or believes in. He is not interested enough in Julia to even bother asking for her complete name, or finding out exactly where she lives. However, Orwell tries to defend this circumstance by writing that even if Winston knew where she lived, there would be no possible way for the two to meet there, because if they were found lying together, their lives would be over. Even though there are many instances where Julia, Winston, and the narrator use the term â€Å"making love†, as seen before, it is not actually love making that the two engage in, rather just plain sex.While walking, Winston ponders: He wished that he were walking through the streets with her just as they were doing now, but openly and without fear, talking of trivialities and buying odd and ends for the household. He wished above all that they had some place where they could be alone together without feeling the obligation to make love every time they met. (152) Although there is a positive aspect to this quote as Winston states that he wishes he did not feel obligated to have sex with Julia every single time that they met, he still uses the term making love when describing his relationship between them.This incommodious obligation that Winston feels is understandable and is a good change from what he has been seeing him feel, however, if he really feels that what they share is love rather than sex, why did he not care to know her surname, her morals, or anything else about her that did not regard sexuality. While some may disagree, making love is exactly what it appears. It is love that is shared between two partners who love one another, not the pleasure of sex between practically strangers. While having sex and making love could be viewed as two very different acts, Big Brother does not stand for either.Big Brother always wants the members’ energy and focus on the government and does not want for a moment otherwise, as they believe is what happens when members involve themselves in sexual activity. For example, Julia states, â€Å"‘When you make love you’re using up energy; and afterwards you feel ha ppy and don’t give a damn for anything. They can’t bear you to feel like that. They want you to be bursting with energy all the time’† (145). What is sometimes worse than committing an act of rebellion, is the feeling deep inside when the time has come to confess to this action.Winston and Julia arrive at what they think is the home of another rebel; they soon discover that this man had it in for both of them throughout the entire novel. However, before noticing this, Winston confesses about him and Julia. He states, â€Å"We are enemies of the Party. We disbelieve in the principles of Ingsoc. We are thoughtciminals. We are also adulterers [and] I tell you this because we want to out ourselves at your mercy† (185). Winston thinks that by confessing his sins to O’Brien, a member of the thought police, he is setting himself along with Julia free.Little does he know that by committing this action, he was practically turning himself in by throwin g both of their lives at the feet of Big Brother. This example proves that Winston and Julia committed adultery, so he says, as a pure act of rebellion against Big Brother since they are â€Å"enemies of the Party. † However, while I, along with many others, believe that this relationship was solely based on rebellion, Albert Camus states, â€Å"Methods of thought which claim to give the lead to our world in the name of revolution have become, in reality, ideologies of consent and not of rebellion. This disagreement is stating that while it is thought to be rebellion committed by Smith and Julia, it is in fact an ideology of consent, thus having nothing to do with rebellion. Despite Camus point of view, by considering all of the statements that George Orwell provides, it is still more likely to be an act of rebellion over anything. Even though this relationship can be looked upon as an act of rebellion against the Big Brother government, Winston and Julia try their utmost ha rdest to not let the truth get out. They both know very well that, in this case, their rebellion could lead both of their lives to death if they were discovered.Julia whispers to Winston, â€Å"‘And now listen, dear, we’ve got to fix up about the next time we meet. We may as well go back to the place in the wood; we’ve given it a good long rest. But you must get there by a different way. I’ve got it all planned out’† (149). While Winston and Julia actually try to keep their rebellion a secret, many teens rebel against authority for the satisfaction of being caught and being able to reflect upon the moment they were discovered. For instance, when the Columbine shooting took place, it did not occur out of the blue, nor did the two offenders attempt to not be caught.In fact, the two boys told various people about their plan, not worrying about being disciplined before the offence. While the reader has seen proof of Winston’s lack of inter est in the person who Julia is, it is time to see Julia’s side. Had she truly cared about Winston, she could have continued to strive for the overcoming of Big Brother to end up together with Winston. However, she does not feel this way and it can be seen by viewing her comment: ‘We may be together for another six months- a year- there’s no knowing. At the end we’re certain to be apart.Do you realize how utterly alone we shall be? When once they get hold of us there will be nothing, literally nothing, that either of us can do for the other. If I confess, they’ll shoot you, and if I refuse to confess they’ll shoot you just the same. Nothing that I can do or say, or stop myself from saying, will put off your death for as much as five minutes. ’ (181) Julia reflects in-depth upon what outcomes will appear after the relationship between her and Winston is unveiled. She confidently states that when all is over and done with, the two will no t have remained together.She repeats over and over that, no matter either one of them do or say, it is impossible and nonnegotiable for the two to remain as the sexual couple that they are, not even a duo for that matter. Through George Orwell’s novel, it is clear that Winston and Julia commit adultery for the single reason of rebelling against Big Brother, despite the government’s support for goodness and purity. In society today, teenagers can be found constantly rebellion against authority for the simple sake of breaking a few rules, similar to Winston smith and Julia.In the novel, 1984, rebellion was not viewed as something patriotic, nor was it looked at as a positive change to their society. However, rebellion does not always have to be seen as a negative action. For example, Margaret Lee Runbeck once made a statement that, if turned around, could read, â€Å"Rebellion is always learning. † This supports the statement made early regarding rebellion as not always have a negative outcome or cause. Runbeck stated, â€Å"Learning is always rebellion†¦ Every bit of new truth discovered is revolutionary to what was believed before. †

Friday, January 3, 2020

Analysis Of Sarah Lucas s Bitch, 1995 - 1533 Words

Sarah Lucas is an English sculptor, installation artist and photographer who gained fame as one of the major Young British Artists during the 1990s, with a series of highly provocative work. Lucas began in the early 1990s by using furniture as a representation of the human body, usually with crude genital connotations, adopting the methods of Pop Art, Conceptualism and Minimalism, amongst others. In the piece entitled ‘Bitch, 1995’ she uses a table, t-shirt, melons and vacuum-packed smoked fish to combine misogynist tabloid culture with the economy of the ready-made. (See Fig 18) Lucas cleverly confronts sexual stereotyping, using a basic artistic language that has an affinity with the detrimental portrayal of sexuality itself. Her use of vernacular language, Surrealism and the material sparseness of Arte Povera, substitutes furniture and food for the human body, revealing the degrading attitudes to women. â€Å"As an artist marshalling everyday domestic life, Lucas in the 1990s seized Duchamp’s pioneering idea of found objects to make a significant if unlovely contribution to the repositioning of the female body in late 20th-century sculpture.† (Wullschlager, 2013) Titles such as ‘Two Fried Eggs and a Kebab’ are a perversion of the slang denomination of a woman, and the artwork is a parody of the traditional still life, that evokes Judy Chicago’s ‘Dinner Party’ (See Fig 16). Lucas employs bourgeois materials and methods to attract and engage the philistine in us all, evoking aShow MoreRelatedExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pagesmain issues inï ¬â€šuencing the competitive position of a number of organisations in the same industry with a relatively short case. For a case that permits a more comprehensive industry analysis The Pharmaceutical Industry could be used. However, if the purpose is more focused – illustrating the use of ‘ï ¬ ve forces’ analysi s – the TUI case study or Illustration 2.3 on The Steel Industry could be used. Some cases are written entirely from published sources but most have been prepared in cooperation with