Dual Identities Essay

What is identity? We know from intuitive self-awareness that personal identity exists. It seems to be a fact of conscious life, as common as the word â€Å"I.† But the real question is how to define it? I have come to realize that there is no set definition on what makes an identity, so if my understanding is correct anything and everything can make an identity. There is no wrong answer. It varies from person to person. For example Andre Dubus, the author of â€Å"Witness†makes his identity clear through stories in which he shows his disability. In his case having a disability is part of his identity â€Å"I cannot stand or walk . . . I cannot live as normals do.† As for myself, I can relate, although not to the extent as Dubus, I can understand the anger that goes along with a disability. My disability is anemia, and while most people that suffer from anemia do not see anything other than minor side effects, I do. I am severely anemic, and so it affects my everyday life. I have trouble getting up in the morning because I am too tired, even after a good night sleep. I have to take iron pills and I eat red meat almost every day. Furthermore, I have seen more doctors than I wish to remember and they all tell me the same thing â€Å"you’ll grow out of it.† â€Å"Really, thanks Doctor, you’ve been so helpful,† I reply sarcastically. Few people know about my sickness, which I plan to keep that way. For some reason I feel that if many people knew about it they would feel bad for me, and could possibly think I was weak, which is the last thing that I want. Part of my identity is being strong and un-afraid, which is a difficult thing to pull off for a girl. Dave Barry the author of â€Å"Guys vs. Men† thinks that a lot of men give â€Å"guys† a bad name. Just like Barry I think that a lot of girls give females a bad name. Let me explain. I think that a lot of girls are overly dramatic, way too emotional, and acted dumber than they really are, for reasons that are very unclear to me. I know that I am feeding into the stereotype, but some girls fit the stereotype too well to not comment on. I refuse to take guff from anyone, unless I deserve it, and I speak what is on my mind. I have heard that I can be very threatening, but I do not believe that I should refrain from speaking my mind when I see it necessary.  In Keith Bradshers essay â€Å"Reptile Dreams† Clotaire Rapaille describes teens very well by commenting that â€Å"They want to give the message, †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢I want to be able to fight back, don’t mess with me.'† Clotaire seems to sum up the thoughts of the American youth very well, or at least me. I think that I acquired that aspect of my identity from when I lived in Los Angeles. Zora Neal Hurston explains it well â€Å"I left Eatonville, †¦as Zora†¦When I disembarked on the river boat†¦She was no more,† in her essay â€Å"How if feels to be Colored Me.†She expressed exactly how I felt when I moved to Sacramento. I felt like I wasn’t myself anymore. When I lived in Los Angeles I developed an eclectic personality; because I was friends with so many different types of people I took on other aspects of my personality. Unfortunately because I lived in LA I always had to have my guard up, im not sure how to explain it correctly other than, if you lived there you would understand. For the most part everyone had to fend for themselves, and if you weren’t able to do that than you were a follower of someone who did. I later came to realize that ones sense of self, or ones identity is developed through, among other things, external influences including friends, family, and situations. Now looking back I can see where I have gotten my attitude. I’m smart mouthed, sarcastic, and blunt. Through those traits I have also acquired nicknames. A recent nickname as of this summer was, â€Å"Ms. Attitude.† This summer I went wake-boarding with some family friends, their friends, and my best friend. So basically it was my friend and I, and 7 guys. What I came to realize though this summer, is that most guys aren’t used to girls that talk back. Because I am very sarcastic the guys were very surprised, which is why I developed the nickname. They thought it was hilarious, and I was recently told by one of them that they miss my attitude, so I guess I left an impression. What is shocking to me though, is that I usually get that reaction from most guys, which leads me to believe that they have never met any girls from LA. I moved last summer before senior year to Granite Bay, and attended Granite Bay High School my senior year. I moved from my moms house to my dads house,  willingly, to avoid a lot of un-necessary drama. The move was quite unexpected for everyone but myself. I left because I came to realize that my friends were no longer my friends. Many of my friends had begun to do some very hard drugs, and so I no longer wanted to be around them. I knew it was a bad environment, so I left. I have always been very independent and have never relied on anyone else to make decisions for me. I only did what I thought was right, yet after sharing my story with a few new friends in Nor*Cal I witnessed a lot of jaw-dropping, everyone thought that it was such a big deal. My identity quickly developed, I was the girl from L.A. I valued that identity, I almost felt like superman, I was Clark Kent when I was home in LA, and Superman when I was in Sacramento. I say Superman because a lot of people kind of looked at me like that, like I was invincible. I was like nothing any of them were used to. Other than being influenced from where one lives or lived, I believe that family can have a huge impact on ones identity. For instance, because I was raised by my mom, I turned out differently than if I was raised by my dad. If I was raised by my dad I think I would have turned out much more emotionally detached, and much more independent. I say this because my dads a guy, he doesn’t seem to care about anything other than himself and definitely shows no sign of emotion or feeling, that means no hugs. If I was raised by him Im sure I would have had a job at thirteen and would probably be living on my own now. But because I was raised by my mom I grew being very spoiled, because my mom believes that school is more important than work so I was never allowed to get a job. Unfortunately I grew up having everything handed to me. Which is good because I got everything that I wanted very easily, but bad because I got used to having everything handed to me. In addition, because I grew up living with my mom I became more compassionate and caring because that’s what I was taught. I consider the way I was raised part of my identity, I grew up with very strong ties to my family and that’s part of who I am. In conclusion, I believe that there is no one way to decipher where an identity can come from. So once again what is identity? humans are the only animal that can be aware of oneself, and so we are also the only animal to  contemplate who we are, and why we are that way. Through this constant mission of self discovery everyone seems to have an ever-changing view on their personal identity. It is a fact of conscious life, as common as the word â€Å"I,† to want to know who we are. I have come to realize that there is no set definition on what makes an identity, so if my understanding is correct anything and everything can make an identity. There is no wrong answer. It seems to vary from person to person and if any given event, person, action, etc, has effected someone greatly enough it can become part of their identity, even unknowingly. For me writing this paper was a mission of self discovery, I have never really considered who I am other than the obvious. I now know who I am and why I am the way I am. To me that was the hardest thing to answer. Why?

Genetic Engineering Essay

Do you think that Genetic engineering is a positive step in our development? Many people think that genetic engineering is the next step in the evolution of humanity and has many benefits. However, genetic engineering presents unprecedented ethical and social concerns, such as damaging nature, limiting human autonomy and risking to human health. First of all, genetic engineering can cause widespread crop failure affecting the natural environment. Nowadays, many people think that genetically modified foods can provide benefits such as increased nutrients, spoilage reduction, and a decrease of chemical contamination. However, there are a variety of environmental risks associated with genetic engineering. By combining genetic material from unlike species, genetic engineering essentially creates new organisms. When genetically engineered crops are planted there is a risk that some materials will contaminate wild plants. The consequences of this type of pollution are unknown. The long term effects of genetic pollution could include harm to plants, insects and animals and a loss of biodiversity. For example, when a farmer plants genetically engineered seeds, all the seeds have identical genetic structures. Thus if a virus grows which can attack this certain crop, there would be a widespread crop failure. The wind, insects, and plants can all carry genetically changed seeds onto close fields and land. Thus all crops, organic and non-organic, are threatened by contamination. Also, this contamination is different from other kinds of pollution because once the genes are out, they cannot be recalled. It can also contaminate water supplies and kill all the weeds in a field, thus lowering biodiversity. In short, the process of genetic engineering can thus introduce dangerous new toxins into foods that were previously naturally safe, altering the natural food chain. Secondly, genetic engineering limits children’s autonomy to shape their own destinies. Genetic engineering is becoming so advanced that soon people will be able to make their children exactly how they would like them to be. However, the genetic modification of humans can pose an ethical debate about the rights of the baby . The fetus should be free to not be genetically modified because once the genetic modification of the fetus akes place then the baby is changed forever, there is no chance that the genetic modification completed prior to birth could ever be reversed. In addition, if parents are able to remake a child’s genetic makeup, they are indirectly writing the genetic instructions that shape his entire life. For example, if my parents give me blue eyes instead of brown eyes, if they make me tall instead of medium height, if they choose a passive over an aggressive personality, their choices will have a direct effect on me. According to some statistics 90% of Americans thought cloning human beings was a bad idea. Only 7% thought it was a good idea. Even when this method helping infertile couples have children, an overwhelming number of Americans still did not accept these circumstances as enough justification to support human cloning. In brief, genetic engineering could be used to create artificial molds of people, pointing their destinies in directions that they would not freely choose themselves. Finally, genetic engineering poses serious risks to human health. Many people think that application of genetic engineering is useful for increasing positive traits in a human-being such as longevity and for the treatment of some diseases. However, genetic engineering can also increase the probability of new strains of bacteria or virus, known as pathogens which can create new diseases. There is no doubt that genetic engineering can increase immunity in crops but such resistance in crops can get transferred to harmful pathogens. New drugs can’t be developed to combat them because these viruses are stronger than those now present. According some researches the use of genetic engineering crops has, in many cases, increased dependence on pesticides and other chemicals. The health risks of pesticides are widely recognized, and actually these toxins have been linked to various cancers, as well as disorders of the neurological and immune systems. Genetic engineering would reduce the human gene pool therefore making us more susceptible to widespread diseases. In conclusion, the trend toward genetic engineering is a risky and dangerous movement that can cause concerns, such as damaging nature, limiting human autonomy and risking human health. We must leave the natural world to self-selection without creating the possible results of genetic engineering catastrophic.

Enron Accounting Fault Essay

Enron is frequently given as an example of creative accounting. It is also given as a good example of accounting fraud and insider trading. This is a good example of creative accounting taken too far – not many would disagree that it was accounting fraud, although some would say they were just unlucky to get caught. after all, the auditors were Arthur Anderson, at the time one of the most respected auditing firms. Creative Accounting – Example 1 – Creating multiple trading entities The creative accounting involved setting up other entities and then trading with these entities. This is a common practice; many businesses divide their operations into sectors that perform specialist functions and then trade is carried out between these various entities. However, normal applicable accounting standards (GAAP), would require that some sort of financial consolidation is performed and the full picture reported. However, there was a bias to record income, revenue, and profits from transactions with these entities; rather than costs, expenses, and losses. Creative Accounting – Example 2 – Moving business segments offshore Enron created these entities offshore. This is also a common practice in accounting and tax planning. Many businesses do this to reduce the amount of taxes they pay, this can be done legally (tax avoidance) and it can take illegal forms (tax evasion). Offshore entities usually enjoy an enhanced level of privacy, this can make it difficult for local governments and auditors to gain insights into what is going on. Enron appears to have manged to succeed for a long time in hiding what was going on from both auditors, investors, and potential whistle-blowers. If Enron was recording profits, and assuming not much else was happening in these other entities, then these offshore entities would be recording losses. These losses were conveniently recorded away from the financial statements and therefore investors and many staff never new about them. Creative Accounting and Insider Trading The executives didn’t stop here. By using creative accounting and fraud to manipulate profits, they were able to affect the stock price, the next logical and illegal step was to start to trade the stock to benefit from the inside knowledge they had. This is know as insider trading and is illegal in most countries.

John Berger's Comparison of Fine Art to Commercial Art Essay

John Berger's Comparison of Fine Art to Commercial Art - Essay Example This is because fine art is often esoteric and ultimately meaningless. Art critics might be able to find meaning in certain works of art, but they would be the only ones. The common man would have great difficulty understanding the meaning of a man's urinal used as artwork. On the other hand, commercial art is supposed to be understandable and accessible or, at the very least, evoke powerful emotions. For this reason, commercial art is more successful in conveying messages to mass audiences then is fine art. Discussion John Berger states that abstract art has been adopted by corporate capitalism, which is causing these aesthetics to become emblems of economic power. He says that, through this process of reducing the aesthetics of fine art into something that is used to increase economic power for the entity that uses this art, the lived experience inherent in the art work is eliminated from the image of the art. This results, in his view, in a reduced area of experience, even though it claims to be universal (Berger, 2001, p. 296). This process of commercializing fine art, and the subsequent way that this transformation has robbed the art work of meaning is particularly anathema to Berger, as he feels that art comes from a primitive part of the artist, and that it comes from the lived experience of the artist (Berger, 2001, p. 296). For Berger, drawing and art is about discovery within the artist himself (Berger, 2001, p. 10). The power of the art comes from this lived experience, the faith that this experience can produce the art, and this is typically coupled with a skepticism of the society in which the artist finds oneself (Berger, 2001, p. 297). Thus, in transforming art in commercialism, it robs the art of this lived experience which is the essence, the very heart of the artwork. The meaning of the artwork is dead, at least the meaning that the artist intended, and the meaning is instead transformed into whatever the particular advertisement is attempting to sell. Berger was also highly critical of the fact that paintings have become so commodified. He states that no work of art may survive without becoming a valuable piece of property, and that this spells the death of the painting and sculpture, as â€Å"property, as once it was not, is now inevitably opposed to all other values. People believe in property, but in essence they only believe in the illusion of protection which property gives. All works of fine art, whatever their content, whatever the sensibility of an individual spectator, must now be reckoned as no more than props for the confidence of the world spirit of conservatism† (Berger, 2001, p. 215). Thus, the fact that paintings and sculptures must be commodified to survive in the long term spells the end of the art as we know it, in Berger's eyes. According to Papastergiadis (1993), Berger's issue with the commercialization of art would stem from the fact that Berger contends that art must give meaning to human e xperiences. In particular, art works to increase our understanding of the gap between freedom and alienation in everyday life. He also states that Berger is a combination of a Marxist, in which the art is integrated with the political, thus is an

Women in Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Women in Engineering - Essay Example The first six clippings are analyzed in detail whereas the rest of them are summed up into an aggregate account in the end. The analysis throws light on the overall perspective which is affecting the economy of the US nation as a whole. FIRST CLIPPING â€Å"Women who leave engineering jobs after obtaining the necessary degree are significantly more likely to leave the field because of an uncomfortable work climate than because of family reasons, according to a study being undertaken at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM).† (Science Daily, 2008) The above mentioned news clipping revolves around the most current problem that is being faced by women engineers nowadays. The overall ethical structure of the society and more importantly that of a workplace has deteriorated so very much that day by day it is becoming increasingly difficult for the fairer sex to take advantage of it. The above mentioned current problem is very moral negating. ... The above research was the outcome of a latest study conducted in Milwaukee using about half a million grant by the National Science Foundation. The study was based on an online survey. Around 3700 women who had done their engineering degree from over 230 countries participated in the survey. Among the four type of respondents women who never entered their practical engineering field constituted a considerable part. THIRD CLIPPING â€Å"As the need for engineering professionals grows, educators and industry leaders are increasingly concerned with how to attract women to a traditional male career. A new University of Missouri study found the impact of the engineering curriculum and obstacles, including self-efficacy and feelings of inclusion, can impede women’s success in the predominantly male discipline of engineering.† (Science Daily, 2008) Engineering is a predominantly male discipline. The structural difficulties and obstacles encountered by students pursuing this c areer needs to be taken into account when realizing the reasons behind its being predominantly male. Engineering is mainly a tough field. The excessive hours spent in it along with the harsh conditions involved in the practical environment of engineering are not apart from the difficulties that are faced by engineering students during their studies. Rigid mathematical calculations involving calculus are just a few of the obstacles that the engineering curriculum involves. This scenario is making it troublesome for industrialists because lesser and lesser women are entering the field of engineering day by day. The need of the day is that steps should be taken that would persuade women and would convince them

The processing of applications at the VEC Assignment

The processing of applications at the VEC - Assignment Example The number of people involved in processing an application CT ? Processing period (35?5.71=6). Each application is processed by 6 people. 4. Throughput efficiency = Work content * 100 ------------------- Throughput time Therefore, throughput efficiency is 200?35?100= 571,2 % b) The problem with the process is that it takes a long period to process the application forms. The VEC is comprised of three ‘checkers’ with three support staff, a pool of twelve clerks who are responsible for data entry/filing and ten auditors (who prepare and issue the grant approval documentation. From these figures, it can be seen that the number of checkers is small since they may not be able to cope with the pressure in processing the number of the forms received. The number of checkers should be increased so as to make sure that the processing time for the forms is speeded up. The other problem is that all the applications that arrive at the VEC are placed in an in-tray. One of the eight cle rks opens the applications that are then put in an in-tray pending collection by the coding staff. The coding clerks are only two and this may be difficult for them to cope with the large number of files that may need to be processed at a given period. These applications are only processed further when a checker becomes available. This is where the major problem lies. If the checker is not available, then it means that there is no work being done. As noted, in each section, the clerical, coding, checkers, secretarial and auditors have incoming work but at one stage, the applications are not promptly dealt with. In some instances, they can only be checked if the checkers become available. The other issue that affects the processing is that only files from the bottom are processed first. This may result in some files staying for a long period in the trays since they are just placed there without proper order. Once the file has been placed in the incoming tray, it should be processed p romptly and moved to the next stage rather than keeping it in the tray. c) In order to improve the process, it is essential to make sure that each department is staffed with an equal number of people to process the applications. For instance, the number of clerks should be equivalent to the number of coding staff. This is meant to ensure that pressure does not mount on an individual person responsible for checking or vetting the forms to make sure that there are no mistakes. It is also important for the processors of the applications to adopt a line strategy where the forms move from one point to the next point along the processing line. Once the form has been checked, it should move up to the net person for further processing and verification. The form should not be put back in the incoming tray since this cause a mix up in the processed and unprocessed forms. Effort should be put in order to ensure that each processed form from the bottom line moves to the top in their chronologic al order. This helps the staff members to make sure that there is no duplication of duties where the processed form is put back in the incoming tray. Once all the forms have been verified, they should be passed to the auditors who will make sure that all the information on the forms is correct. These forms will then need to be passed to the dispatchers who will do the final verification of the forms. In order to ensure that the process flows smoothly, there must be additional staff members responsible for handling complaints only. This is meant to ensure that all the queries are dealt with by the right person. If the tasks are clearly spelled such that each person is aware of his or her duties, it becomes easy to eliminate all the impediments that can slow the process. In this case, the linear strategy of processing the

Interview about American Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interview about American Culture - Essay Example The first opposition was based on the fact that college students are most of the times not responsible individuals and having such a dangerous weapon with them is the worst idea ever. John tells me a brief story of how when he was in his freshman year he attended a fraternity party which he was curious to know what it was about and if he could fit or not. The only thing present other than numerous girls in semi-nude states were the many bottles of beer, cans and jugs of the beer as well as numerous drugs being smoked openly and being passed around. To cut the story short, fight erupted over a girl and beer bottles flew all over but what was vivid was the unmistakable sound of a gun and a body flying into the air and blood sputtering everywhere. Three students had been shot and one died. This was a drunken mistake which is the order of the weekend and sometimes even weekdays for the college students. They drink and their thinking becomes impaired and hence cannot comprehend the magnitude of having such a weapon at hand. According to him fatalities or serious injuries are bound to be the order of the day for the college administration to clean up. They will shoot their opponents or those who anger them in a drunken mistake that cannot be undone when one sobers up. The other reason that makes him oppose such a moral issue in America is the intensity in which aspiring student leaders’ campaign to be elected. These elections are so intense and tension as well as temper rises. It is not uncommon for fights to erupt between supporters of these opponents where minor injuries occur. He explained that if students are allowed to carry concealed weapons no matter what restrictions may be applied, they are bound to appear in such demonstrations and campaign and people are bound to get hurt in the long run. He insists that the states that have already authorized such a