STONECPS

Is every action that is legal also ethical? If I will base my answers on the four Philosophical theories, I should be able to say that anything that is legal is supposed to be ethical. Like if I will base my answer on the theories of Utilitarianism, then a legal action is ethical since the consequences of the legal action to the people directly or indirectly affected by the legal action is more favorable than unfavorable. But if we will think about it based on actual experiences, any legal action is not always ethical. Let us take for example slavery. There are some countries dating back to history and up to modern times where slavery is legal. If we will use the Fairness approach to judge this action, then we can say that slavery is ethically wrong because it does not treat all people the same.

The same is true if we are to ask if all ethical action is legal. For me, the answer here is also no. An action can be ethically correct as long as it conforms to the norms set by society as what they believe is right but it doesn’t always follow that it conforms to the regulations set by the law. Let us take for example one practical application. You run a traffic light and disobey traffic rules because you are in a hurry to rush your son to the hospital. This is illegal but is ethical because base on theories of Duty Ethics, we have a duty towards other people, and saving a person’s life is one of those duties.

So if I were to ask, what would be the more relevant guide for our actions, then I would say Legal (but this is with a premise that our government system is not corrupt). I can say that ethics laid the foundation for law but Ethics is bias as the decision if an action is ethically right or wrong is base on a lot of things like culture, religion, the people directly affected by the action, by virtues, and the like. There are a lot of factors to consider before you can come up with a non-debatable answer if an action is ethical or not. Whereas something legal is concrete, it is solid. The laws has been passed and enacted because it is for the good of the majority. The lawmakers have set the law for the people to follow and if you break the law, then it is illegal. A person can be force to follow what is legal but you cannot force a person to be ethical because that is a choice for the person to make and even if a person does not act ethically, then that person will not be sanctioned by the law.

Sometimes, it is a choice between right and right. But if I will be face with that dilemma, I think I would choose Legal.

Of What use is a Certification to me?

For me, getting a certification definitely will give any IT Professional an edge against those who are not certified. I admit that when I tried for my first certification, I have a thinking that it is for everybody and that it is just a money generating thing for Microsoft, Cisco, etc because anyone who spends time reading the Technical books can pass and be certified. But when I finished the test, I learned that he questions given are a true test of experience of an IT professional, something that you will be able to answer if you have a deeper knowledge of the subject matter and something that you won’t acquire from reading and memorizing text books.

Most if not all companies, have use this as a gauge to measure the experience and knowledge of IT Professionals which I think is a very good tool to use since those who are certified really deserve to be called one as they have devoted a lot of time and effort in obtaining that Certification.

Yes, you have to pay Microsoft or Cisco or CompTia or other companies in order to be acknowledge as an experienced and certified IT Professional of their products but I don’t think this is money generating. These big companies have dedicated a lot in order to get the reputation and prestige that they have now in the IT industry and of course, if they awarded somebody their certification, it means that they are allowing that person to be associated with the reputation that their company holds. And of course I believe that nothing in this world is free so it is just okay for me to pay if what I will be getting in exchange is the equal amount of respect as what this companies’ are getting once I get certified with them.

Currently, I am already holding 3 Microsoft certifications and I am still pursuing other certifications because I believe that getting certified is one of a good proof that I am trying my best to update my knowledge and be regarded as a credible IT Professional who really knows her craft.

My best friend will be celebrating her birthday this month and up to now, I still have no idea what to give her on her special day. Luckily, I received an email from Artscow which gives me an idea on what to give my best friend.

Since she just gave birth, I thought of having their family picture printed in canvass print. Artscow metropolitan canvas print uses true color printing skills and is ideal to convert photos or portraits into artworks.

And for a limited time only, Artscow is having a promo for their 4x4 metropolitan canvass print. From its original price of $12.99, they are now offering it for only $3.99 with free shipping. Just enter the coupon code: 4X4CANVAS399 under you’re account. This code will expire on July 31, 2009.

So if you like to transform your pictures into works of art, you better hurry since this is a limited promotion and only the first 200 orders per day will be accepted at the offer price.

Do you want to become a storyteller someday? If you answer yes, then you should not miss this opportunity that the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in Manila, Philippines has organized in partnership with Museo Pambata.

South African writer, artist, and storyteller Gcina Mhloph will hold a one day workshop at Museo Pambata on Saturday, July 11 2009, from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m where she will share tips, secrets, and views on how to become a good and effective storyteller. This will be a perfect opportunity for storytellers, teachers, students and even those who just like to be a storyteller to learn from one of the best storytellers.

The workshop fee is really very affordable. It only cost Php 300 and it already includes workshop kit, snack and coffee, tea or juice.

Limited seats are available for this workshop so book early to reserve. You can call Liza Lim at 523-1797/98, 536-0595 or email info@museopambata.org for more information.

Have you tried installing Skype on your Iphone? I just did as I am planning to use this during our trip so I can easily make a Skype call to my daughter for free while we are away.

But did you know that you can use the Skype application even on second generation Ipod touch? Yes, you heard it right. You just need a Wi-Fi Connection to install the application, then you need a Wi-Fi connection again to log in to Skype network and all you need is just a head set with a built in microphone to make a call to other Skype users. How cool is that?

I think I have only used Skype once only because I always use Yahoo Messenger. But my friend who always uses PC to PC calls said that the quality of the video and audio is better with Skype. And since I will just be using my Iphone most of the time during our trip, I think this Skype application will be my most used Iphone application.