Auditing - Madoff Securities Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Auditing - Madoff Securities - Research Paper Example Bernard Madoff had been able to dupe thousands of investors across the world through the famous Ponzi scheme (The Wall Street Journal, 2009). The company had been keeping its investment strategies secrets for years which already hinted at the fact that there is something significantly wrong going on behind the closed doors of Madoff Securities in the Wall Street. A proper investigation of how a company can give such abnormally high returns to its investors for years may have exposed the Ponzi scheme earlier. One of the main reasons why the Ponzi scheme had not been detected from external sources is that the high returns from the financial schemes offered by Madoff Securities incited greed among the general people which often made them invest blindly in these schemes. Also, the oversight on the part of the regulators of the capital markets added to the factor of Ponzi scheme going undetected for years. For a firm which has invested in Madoff Securities, the materiality of the investments made by the company in Madoff Securities should be evaluated and established by the auditors of the investing firm. Also, the nature and amount of transactions should have been evaluated carefully. There would be associated risks of the possibility of material misstatement of the company being reported in the consolidated financial statements and the financial reports of the company. The auditors should also evaluate the risk assessment capabilities of the investing firm and take steps to detect any fraudulent reporting of the investing company in their financial reports caused by the investments in Madoff Securities. The key audit procedures included in the Audit Sections should be followed in this case. These would include a calculation of the fair value of the investments, performance of analytical procedures, inspection of the supporting documentations done for subsequent settlement or realiza tion of the investments

Suburban Sprawl (Environmental Issue) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Suburban Sprawl (Environmental Issue) - Essay Example These hazards being talked about refer not to only to body health issues but a rapid jump in mental health issues, prompting the former vice president of the U.S Al Gore to comment that the urban spread is like â€Å"cookie-cutter monster.†(Brooking Inst, 1998). While supporters of urban lifestyles contend â€Å"consumers prefer lower density neighborhoods and that sprawl does not necessarily increase traffic.† (Moore, Henderson, 1998). Nevertheless there is evidence that urban sprawl is one of the primary contributing factors to the specter of inner city degeneration. By pulling economic resources out of communities that are already existing and diffusing it into new and unconnected developments away from the current core, older communities get neglected and are led to ruin. These new developments are subsidized heavily to create newer roads, water and sewer infrastructure, new schools and enhanced spending on police and fire protection. While urban spread directly inf luences new lawns using ever more water and the use of chemical fertilizers as well as pesticides, it displaces native plants, which have not needed constant watering. It could be concluded that Sprawl wastes tax payers’ money With the population of the world exceeding 6 billion already and progressing toward doubling by the 22nd century, it is estimated that 95% of the new inhabitants of the planet earth will be living in urban areas. When compared to the fact that only 15% of the world lived in urban areas as recently as 1990, the task to manage urban sprawl is both vital and urgent. If not the exponential growth in urban dwellers combined with Socio-economical, geopolitical factors, with the certainty of limited land availability and in -efficient planning is certain to create cities that devour land used for other purposes historically directly influencing equally important aspects such as food security. Combating urban sprawl has two major forms of endeavor both, which i nclude detailed planning. â€Å"The first, the French/British/European tradition, considers urban planning a matter of public health and focuses on strong land- use regulation, public-sector investment, and civic design. The second tradition, born in North America, focuses on zoning and subdivision regulations within a context of strong private property rights† (Calthorpe, 2001)). Peter Calthorpe a New Urbanism thinker and architect illustrates the differences in these two styles by flavoring the European model a more ecological model and the North American planning model a more mechanically motivated model. The European model appears to be the antecedent to the concept called smart growth, and the other of developing efficiencies through zoning. The search for solutions to urban sprawl has given birth to various special-interest groups that promote a concept termed SMART growth at all levels federal, state, and local government. This might look nostalgic with a promotion of return to the city lifestyles of the last two centuries. Living in smaller apartments or smaller land plots with the emphasis on limiting transportation to bicycles or simply walking. Smart growth can be defined as the prevention of urban sprawl through meticulous planning with associated restriction to

Starbucks and Types of Ownerships Essay Example for Free

Starbucks and Types of Ownerships Essay Most companies have different types of ownerships; from being a sole proprietor to having a partnership. Starbucks has a legal entity, distinct from any individual persons, with the power to own property and conduct business, also known as a Corporation. From becoming a Corporation, Starbucks has setbacks, but they also have benefits. Starbucks plays a big role in the growth of the United States and many other countries. The transportation options were made possible by railways, commercial airplanes, and mass-produced cars and trucks. They had the ability to pull money by selling shares of stock to outside investors; for example, when they licensed themselves out to Target or Barns and Noble. However, investors can easily and quickly convert their stock into cash by selling it on the open market. Having an ownership like a Corporation can also make your corporate stocks look like an attractive investment, which can increase the number of people and institutions willing to buy or invest their time? Corporations can use shares of their own stock to acquire other companies or find willing buyers for a corporate stock. Starbucks being a corporation has unlimited liability, but the various shareholders who own the corporation face limited liabilities? For example, as much as they put in or invest into that specific company, is as much as they potentially have of losing. Alex Whitt, an Assistant Manager at a Starbucks located in Manteca said, â€Å"I enjoy the fact that the company I work for is a Corporation because no matter what store I choose to work at or get transferred to, won’t have a transition I’d really need to get used to. Meaning, because Starbucks is a Corporation, each individual store is ran the same in some way shape or form; from creating the same experience for each customer to knowing how to make each drink the same because each Starbucks carries the same type of products to produce the same taste in ever cup. It’s always a question that comes up. What was the company like when it first started? Well, a lot can be learned about finding out the history of your favorite store. For Starbucks, 3 men got together for the love of coffee and opened up the first Starbucks store in 1971. English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Siegel, and writer Gordon Bowker opened the store† (The McGraw-Hill Companies) â€Å"in the touristy Pikes Place Market in Seattle† (The McGraw-Hill Companies). They all were interested in fine coffee and exotic tea, which was what Starbucks established for. They came up with the Starbucks name â€Å"in honor of Starbuck, the coffee-loving first mate in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick† (The McGraw-Hill Companies). Including that it gave off a romantic feel of the store’s name as well. The logo, which is a two-tailed mermaid with the store’s name circling it, was designed by an artist friend. Starbucks was inspired by Alfred Peet who opened a small store known as Peet’s Coffee and Tea. In the 1980s, Siegel got burnout and eventually left the company to pursue other interests. Baldwin took over day-by-day management for the company and was acting chief executive officer. And Bowker stayed involved with the company but was more involved with his advertising and design firm. In 1982, â€Å"Howard Schultz took on his new responsibilities at Starbucks† (The McGraw-Hill Companies). Prior to this, there were many meetings and interviews within a year with Baldwin and Bowker before they finally made a decision. The stone continued to grow and got ideas from pretty much anywhere which has led up to the Starbucks that we know today. Entrepreneurship the spirit of innovation, the initiative, and the willingness to take the risk involved in creating and operating a business. Courtland L. Bovee, 2011)This is exactly what Howard Schultz had in mind; he once said â€Å"I believe life is a series of near misses. A lot of what we ascribe to luck is not luck at all. It’s seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future. It’s seeing what other people don’t and pursuing that vision. † (Ogden)His vision of creating a coffee house where people not only have a cup of coffee, a place where people interact a third home away from home as the own Schultz puts it. Imagination, passion, a clear vision are some of Schultz ingredients for success. From a poor boy living on the poorest neighborhoods in New York to the owner of a multibillion company Schultz trained for success. (Ogden)He used the same principles as to when he was an athlete he never gave up instead he tackled the situation with an attitude of endurance and stayed focused to overcome any situation. Schultz had a vision of creating an Italian Cafe experience here in the United States. His vision led him to launch his own Italian cafe. This was the beginning of something big. He built a brand, by focusing on the total experience of the Starbucks customer. Schultz has made people his priority; by meeting employee’s expectations in return he has built a loyal more dedicated workforce, resulting in higher levels of customer service. â€Å"Our mission statement about treating people with respect and dignity is not just words but a creed we live by every day,† says Schultz (Ogden) Another key element to his success was his ability of recognizing his strengths and weaknesses. He knew he wasn’t going to do it all by himself instead he recruit others that share the same vision and values and that brought different strengths to the mix. Till this day is something he fosters and attributes to his success. Without these key elements Starbucks would not be the company that it is now. His entrepreneurial vision and innovative thinking has placed him among the top business entrepreneurs. ?

Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?

Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? Having seen written and filmed visions of the future, one would think that by now we would all be moving around on flying skateboards and in hovering cars and that we would have our breakfast served by helpful, patient and understanding robots, under the risk that these robots go berserk and start taking over the world. The people who imagined such a future should have given the world a few more years to develop in such a way since smart-phones and tablet computers are still the most progressive gadgets of today. On the other hand, there are a significant number of cameras and tracking devices following every suspicious move one makes, practically everyone has access to our most intimate data and some governments enabled themselves to make undesirable people disappear  [1]. This would mean that most visionaries were pretty right about the way in which society would (d)evolve, but they were slightly over-optimistic when it came to technological breakthroughs. This is why I find it interesting to read about changes in the world and in the human mind various authors expected to have happened by now because most of them are currently happening, and people are turning away from each other and focusing mainly on themselves and their personal success (by personal success I mean money and power). Philip K. Dick depicted this estrangement in detail in his 1968-novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and I have been fascinated by it ever since I started playing the videogame Blade Runner when I was 14 years old. For that reason I chose to write about how Dick thought everyday life would look in the year 1992, which is when the novel takes place (on January 3rd, to be precise). First I will give a short outline of the storys plot and analyse the story according to Todorovs criteria of the Fantastic and Brooke-Roses theory of the encoded reader. The major part of this paper will consist of the description of the state of society after World War Terminus, the things that surround the humans who stayed on Earth and those who migrated to colonies on other planets, and of a description of the status of androids per se, as well as compared to electric animals. 1.2. Plot overview and analysis Philip K. Dick (born in 1928) takes us to the year 1992, 24 years after the novel was written. He introduces us to Rick Deckard who works for the San Francisco Police Department as a bounty hunter and whose job is to retire androids (replicants) that have fled from extraterrestrial colonies and come back to Earth. Deckard just received a new challenge to retire six Nexus-6 androids that are almost impossible to discern from real human beings. With the bounty of 1.000 $ per retired andy Rick could finally buy a real animal instead of having just an electric replacement that would embarrass him in front of the neighbours if they ever found out. After facing a few obstacles and intrigues, Deckard finally manages to retire the six replicants in one day, making him the SFPDs best bounty hunter, a role for which Deckard has become too weary after his whole life turned upside down and he lost faith in all the principles that led him through the story. Dick immediately takes us into this new future, he is not offering any rational explanations for why he believes the world would look like this in the future, and the reader doesnt feel the need to ask any questions. According to Todorovs criteria of the fantastic (1975:54-57) this novel fits into the category of the instrumental (scientific) marvellous, since all of the novums (Shippey, 2005 citing Darko Suvin) are introduced as if they were completely normal, everyday things that arent meant to provoke any awe in the reader. The determination of the text is balanced, according to Christine Brook-Roses theory (1981:122-124), which means that the reader is neither over- nor under-determined, he or she receives the same amount of information as the characters in the text, mostly through dialogues and the thoughts of the characters. The novel is one of the dystopian genre, which had its climax after the Second World War, and in which societies worse than those of our time are described (Wegner, 2005:88-91) through topics such as overpopulation, urban decay, environmental catastrophes etc., which were all major concerns in the years when the world was expecting a third World War. Estrangement and alienation between people and the search for identity, or, to be more specific, for what it means to be human are also issues frequently touched upon in this kind of literature. Part II Earth after World War Terminus à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ no one today remembered why the war had come about or who, if anyone, had won. (Dick, 2005:11) These are the words Dick uses to describe the absurdity of war it usually starts due to insignificant reasons and causes pain and loss to everyone involved. There can never be a real winner and the effects are felt for years afterwards. This particular nuclear war completely altered the face of Earth most of the population emigrated to colonies on other planets because their homes got covered by a veil of radioactive dust, most of the vegetation disappeared and animals became extremely rare. This gloomy atmosphere is nicely depicted in the film Blade Runner which was based on the novel, and in which it is clear that the sunlight doesnt even reach the street-level of the city due to all the dust and smog. 2.1. The colonization program Even before World War Terminus had the people of Earth started to move to other planets and build colonies there. But, as Dick writes in Chapter 2, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ now that the Sun had ceased to shine on Earth the colonization entered an entirely new phase. (2005:12) Large amounts of people began to emigrate in the search for a new home where they wouldnt be exposed to radioactive dust and where they could start over and try to live a normal life. The government and the UN encouraged these migrations, their scientists modified the Synthetic Freedom Fighters, a prototype of the android (as described in Chapter 2) which was supposed to assist humans in their migration. Later each human would receive an android servant specially designed to fulfil the needs of its master, as a welcome gift to their new homes. Those who decided to stay on Earth were constantly exposed to radioactive fallout. The remaining population was divided into regulars (those who passed the IQ test and had acceptab le reasons to stay on Earth) and specials (those who were considered to have insufficient mental capabilities, it was forbidden for them to emigrate and they were sterilised because their reproduction was undesirable). Regulars were obligated to visit a doctor on a regular basis, because the dust could soon turn them into specials too. That is why a popular TV slogan says: Emigrate or degenerate! The choice is yours! (2005:5) Earth was no longer safe and the longer one would remain here, the greater the chances were for the dust to take effect. 2.2. Dust and kipple The most important motifs Dick uses to describe the atmosphere on Earth after WWT are silence, dust and kipple. The silence is described in Chapter 2 and it is felt by John Isidore, a special who lives all by himself in a massive empty apartment building. Since most of the population has left Earth, most of the buildings are empty and one can find themselves often being completely alone. Isidore feels the silence radiating from every pore of the building from the appliances that had stopped working years before that, from the walls and from the ceiling. He felt as if the silence possesses a power of its own, as if its goal were to take over all the objects (and people!) and, finally, as if the silence had come alive, to claim its throne among everything there is. Another thing that is slowly occupying the routine on Earth is kipple, a term coined by Dick himself. Kipple are objects such as junk mail or gum wrappers people fail to throw away. Kipple then accumulates and reproduces itself (2005:52), it spreads all over mans daily environment. According to John Isidore, No one can win against kipple, one can try to fight it with non-kipple, but as soon as one surrenders or leaves, kipple will take over and, eventually, completely occupy the universe. Buster Friendly, a popular TV-personality whose importance I will elaborate later in this paper, warned that this would cause the ultimate decadence of Earth by saying: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Earth would die under a layer not of radioactive dust but of kipple. (2005:69) While the accumulation of kipple can at least be postponed, and the silence can be avoided by staying in the city surrounded by people, the dust is one thing that is completely independent of human influence. As already mentioned, the dust is radioactive fallout which remained on Earth after the nuclear war, and which still influences the mental and physical health of the remaining population. The effects of dust are well seen in the description of Hannibal Sloat, Isidores boss: The dust, over the years, had eroded him; it had left his features gray, his thoughts gray; it had shrunk him and made his legs spindly and his gait unsteady. He saw the world through glasses literally dense with dust. For some reason Sloat never cleaned his glasses. It was as if he had given up; he had accepted the radioactive dirt and it had begun its job, long ago, of burying him. (2005:60) The dust cannot be evaded, under its influence humanity on Earth would soon decay, and the only culprit is humanity itself, starting pointless wars and destroying what does not belong to them. Part III Humanitys favourite pastimes Humans would certainly cease to be humans if they would simply surrender to the depression and the silence. Life goes on, and there were things to do, people to judge and rituals to perform. It would be pointless to continue living without being able to take care of a real animal, without fusing with Wilbur Mercer or laughing at Buster Friendlys perpetually interesting jokes. 3.1. Animals The nuclear war wiped out most of the vegetation and almost every animal species known to mankind, starting out with owls and other birds and then affecting the others as well. Being in possession of a real animal is a symbol of status, but it is also an obligation not taking care of an animal and trying to restore the fauna on Earth is considered to be an act of moral turpitude. But real animals cost money, and the prizes are displayed in Sidneys Animal Fowl Catalogue, which is carried around by almost every human being hoping to be able to afford a real animal one day. Until that day, it is a social requirement to at least have a replica, even though it is, as said on page 6, gradually demoralizing. One does not simply admit that their pet is a fake one, which is why even animal repair services have to look like real animal clinics, so that this whole faà §ade can be preserved and no one has to feel bad. People will always strive to earn enough money to buy a real animal still, there is no money in the world that can resurrect extinct species, so even the owl belonging to the powerful Rosen corporation is proved to be a fake in the end. The death of an animal presents a heavy emotional burden for its owners, and it is no exception to have an identical replica of the deceased animal built. 3.2. Mood organs In this reality mood-altering products are either illegal or have to be prescribed by a doctor. In Philip K. Dicks world a Penfield mood organ is a must-have for every household. Using the mood organ that stimulates the brain and alters a persons disposition toward the world, one can choose with what mood they will wake up setting D, for example, makes one feel well-disposed toward the world (2005:1) in the morning. There are several hundred moods one can choose from to schedule for the days ahead, reaching from The desire to watch TV, no matter whats on it (mood 888) to the Awareness of the manifold possibilities open to me in the future (no. 481). By dialling a mood combination on another persons mood organ, one can easily manipulate other people in order to win arguments or persuade them into doing things the dialler wants them to do. One can also dial oneself into a depression and undergo the risk of causing harm to oneself. 3.3. Mercerism Ever since theres been humanity, there have also been religions, cults, belief in deities. In the world of Do Androids?, everyone is under the influence of Wilbur Mercer. By grasping the handles of the empathy box everyone owns, one undergoes a fusion with this old man who is climbing a mountain. The purpose of this ritual is to connect with every other person who is doing this same thing at the moment, to share emotions with others and to exchange the deepest thoughts with Mercer. It is considered polite to use the empathy box when one is feeling truly happy or grateful, and to share these positive feelings with those who might not be as satisfied at the moment. This strengthens empathy, a feeling characteristic of mankind only and a concept that is of utmost importance in the novels world. By holding the handles of empathy (2005:7) one finds out about Mercers past in his childhood he was able to resurrect animals by turning back time, until the killers found out about his talent, forbid him to use it and eventually attacked his brain with radioactive cobalt, which altered Mercers state of mind and at first sunk him into a pit of dead creatures. After a while, the creatures came back to life and Mercer started ascending with them, lost them, and since then he climbs the hill alone. Those who use the empathy box find themselves ascending with Mercer, being hit by rocks supposedly thrown by the killers (an entity of absolute evil) and, through these wounds, feeling Mercers pain and becoming one with him. People, who could not stand this torment which would grow the higher they climbed, have even been known to die during the fusion. Later in the novel, Buster Friendly announces some shocking news: Mercerism is a hoax! Busters team of scientists discovered that the hill and the sky in the scene of Mercers ascent are artificial, that the rocks are made of plastic and that Wilbur Mercer is, in fact, played by an unknown, failed actor. Although this revelation shook the belief of many Mercerites, John Isidore did not stop believing. When he heard the news, he approached the empathy box and once again fused with Mercer, who admitted that everything Buster said was true. However, nothing has changed, Mercer was still there, and so was John Isidore, and Mercer promised to always be there and never judge anyone. Afterwards Mercer begins to appear outside of the empathy box, he manifested himself in front of Rick Deckard to warn him about the androids and to support him. For Mercer everything is easy, he thought, because Mercer accepts everything (2005:182). This is why Mercer says that he himself is not a moral person because he accepts the good and the bad. For that reason he told Deckard it was alright to retire the androids, and Deckard could not comprehend this tolerance of his actions. Towards the end of the novel, Deckard got so tired from everything he had done that, for a moment, he became Mercer, climbing and being hit by real rocks, and nothing except for him existed. According to this, the collective mind of people could bring things into life although they were scientifically disputed. This would mean that empathy is a feeling above the individual, something connecting all the people on a higher level. I will return to the notion of empathy and its significance later. 3.4. Buster Friendly His Friendly Friends Buster Friendly His Friendly Friends is a popular TV and radio programme in the novel. Buster Friendly is a TV-comic beloved throughout the whole Solar System, and John Isidore refers to him as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the most important human being alive, except of course for Wilbur Mercerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (2005:55) Busters show lasts for 23 hours every day, and Isidore finds it peculiar that he has time to tape both the radio and the TV show without ever repeating himself in content. In addition, his guests are always lovely females with whom he always engages in witty, non-repetitive conversations, despite having them in the show every other day. Although Isidore loves Buster, he cannot help being irritated by his constant mocking of Mercerism, and in the end it was Buster who exposed the truth about Mercer, after having announced his exposà © for days. Isidore, despite being a special, came to the sharp conclusion that Buster and Mercer are fighting over the human minds, trying to win ove r as much control over humanity as possible. Isidores boss agrees and considers Buster to be equally as eternal and immortal as Mercer (2005:61). This is proven to be false when the androids admit that Buster is one of them, which means that he has an approximate lifespan of four years. With this the reason for Busters disrespect towards Mercer is explained androids cannot comprehend the notion of empathy, and to them something that connects the humans in such a way is simply ridiculous. Part IV Androids The first humanoid robots were called Synthetic Freedom Fighters and they served as a weapon of war (2005:12). After the war ended, they were modified in order to assist in the colonization program, and later they became one of the motives for emigrating each emigrant would receive an android subtype of their choice, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and, by 1990, the variety of subtypes surpassed all understanding, in the manner of American automobiles of the 1960s.(2005:12) One could order an android to be a servant or cheap (or rather free) labour, it would be designed to fulfil all of its owners needs. Even though they resemble humans and often act like them, androids are considered unequal people refer to them as andys and they use the neutral form it to talk about them. From time to time it would occur that a group of androids rebels and decides to go to Earth, after having killed the people who were standing in their way to freedom. This is where Rick Deckard and the other bounty hunters come in their job is to track down, test and retire the returned androids. The job is quite risky, but the bounty makes it worth the risk. And, since androids lack the capacity of empathy, they are inferior to human beings and thus perfectly legal to kill. Certainly, a bounty hunter is not allowed to simply run around and laser his suspects first he has to test whether they really are androids or not, and this is done with the Voigt-Kampff Altered Scale. 4.1. The Voigt-Kampff Test The Voigt-Kampff scale was designed to determine whether the subject being tested is a human or an android. The test equipment resembles a polygraph and it is supposed to measure the level of empathy and affect in the subjects. The principle is that only humans, who are used to undergoing the fusion with Mercer, are capable of feeling empathy. It is not entirely reliable because, as Deckards boss explains on page 30, the test could easily label schizoid or schizophrenic persons as androids due to their equally unempathic reactions. The SFPD is worried that the test will fail to work on the new model of androids, Nexus 6, which would leave them without a dependable method for detecting androids. The test uses two gauges to establish the movement of the eye-muscle and capillary reaction. The examiner presents the subjects with various hypothetical situations, and the subject has to respond accordingly. When, for example, he or she presents the following situation: You have a little boy and he shows you his butterfly collection, including his killing jar. (2005:38), the examiner is trying to determine how and whether the subject will react to the situation of butterflies being killed. The verbal response is utterly unimportant in this case, only the physical reaction matters, because it cannot be consciously controlled. The largest problem arises when the android does not now that he or she is an android. In this case, it takes many more test questions to determine the truth. If, after that, the examiner is still uncertain, the subject can be admitted to a bone marrow test which is slow and painful when applied to living subjects, but it is also the only bullet-proof method. 4.2. The Nexus-6 model Nexus-6 is an android model designed by the Rosen association, a major manufacturer of androids. According to Eldon Rosen, the colonist market demanded a progressive form of android, which would resemble a real human almost completely, so as to be the ultimate companion in the process of colonisation. The brain structure of the Nexus-6 is extremely complex, they à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦have two trillion constituents plus a choice within a range of ten million possible combinations of cerebral activity. In .45 of a second an android equipped with such a brain structure could assume any of fourteen basic reaction postures. (2005:23) The Nexus-6 is intelligent, fast, skilful, and it can barely be distinguished from real humans. Deckard is afraid of them for that reason because they almost undermined the Voigt-Kampff scale, the only method he knows that is adequate for detecting androids. His weak point are especially the female Nexus-6 Rachael, whom he slept with, Pris, who looked exactly like Rachael so it was hard for him to kill her, and Luba Luft, whose opera-singing and taste in art fascinated him, and for whom he thought that she seemed genuinely alive (2005:112). As John Isidore said (2005:129), the Nexus-6 are intellectual and able to thing abstractly, which is why they are so diffi cult to distinguish from humans. This is also what motivated the group of androids Deckard was after in the novel being equally (or even more) intelligent to humans was not enough. They wanted to feel the sensation of togetherness and be considered alive, and not just as mere machines. 4.3. Androids vs. humans: Empathy Empathy is the main notion in the novel, it is what defines people as people and it is the only positive thing that was left after World War Terminus. As a matter of fact, it is the only thing stopping humans from starting new wars and completely self-destructing. The fusion with Mercer is therefore highly important, in that it strengthens empathy between persons who do not even know each other, but who at that moment became one with Mercer and everyone else. Dick sees man as a herd animal (2005:24), and the whole herd depends on every single unit. Other animals, mostly those who depend on hunting, would starve if they felt empathy, because they would feel reluctant to kill their victim. Androids are incapable of empathising. They can develop a sense of identification (as Rachael did with Pris, since they are the same type of android) and they can wish to be alive (in the film Blade Runner the android Roy Batty was driven solely by the wish to live longer than 4 years; when he found out this was impossible, he became furious and killed his maker), but they will never be able to feel what a human being feels. Because of this lack, androids often react mercilessly. For Rick Deckard an escaped humanoid robot, which had killed its master, which had been equipped with an intelligence greater than that of many human beings, which had no regard for animals, which possessed no ability to feel empathic joy for another life forms success or grief at its defeat that, for him, epitomized The Killers. (2005:25) According to this, Deckard does not see androids as being merely different or inferior, no, he sees them as the ultimate enemy of Mercerism and everything human, and therefore it is not morally wrong to retire them. He also compares them to electric animals, feeling contempt towards both species. The electric animal does not appreciate the existence of another being (2005:34) and neither does the android. In the end, one can without any problems be considered as the inferior or superior version of the other. The androids are aware of the difference between them and humans. When Isidore took them in, they knew that, unlike Isidore, a fellow android would have turned them in first thing in the morning. Deckard also noticed that there exists no real sense of unity between androids when Garland had no problem with blowing the cover on the whole alternative police department. Something that is a moral taboo for humans, such as making an animal suffer, is no problem for an android who thinks completely logically if a spider could survive and move around with only four legs, then why does it need the other four? (2005:162) Some other characteristics that distinguish androids from people can be found in the novel. Firstly, in life-threatening situations, they would simply resign, as if all their life force was gone: Mechanical, intellectual acceptance of that which a genuine organism with two billion years of the pressure to live and evolve hagriding it could never have reconciled itself to. (2005:157) So, maybe in these situations, androids feel as if they had never even been really alive, and therefore easily resign to the fact that they are going to die. Secondly, Roy Baty let Deckard into the apartment when Deckard pretended to be John Isidore Deckard later calls androids stupid (2005:178) because they obviously could not distinguish the nuances between two completely different human beings. They also miss some common knowledge that humans have for instance, when Pris didnt know what bean curd (tofu) was (2005:118), and she was aware that that was something only an android wouldnt know so they would always raise a certain degree of suspicion, no matter how well they would adjust. Androids are yet another example of man wanting to play God, and as long as he can acquire enough money doing this, he will be hard to stop. The market required androids to look as authentic as possible, and the Rosen association complied with these requirements. So they created beings completely aware of themselves, with the ability to think and comprehend, but unable to control their physical, sensual passions (2005:154) a time bomb ready to explode any second, a time bomb that has been denigrated since the moment it came into existence. Therefore I can empathise with the androids actions in a way, because they just wanted to be treated the same as real human beings, and it is no surprise they were happy when Buster revealed that Mercerism, and maybe even empathy, was just a swindle. Now humans wouldnt have an advantage over androids anymore. But, as it always happens, it was easier for the humans to kill off their problems rather than solve them in a non-violent manner, or maybe even (but that would just be too radical) learn from their mistakes and cease to do them. Conclusion After World War II, it was no surprise that most authors lost their faith in humanity. One could not simply witness what one human being is capable of doing to another and then stay completely indifferent. There was only one thing left to do write a novel and try to warn the world about the possible consequences of its behaviour. This is precisely what Philip K. Dick has done. In every aspect of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? can we see criticism towards society: Deckards relationship with his wife, with whom he barely converses (they do talk, but there is no real communication behind that) and who voluntarily falls into a depression just so she could feel something; the Rosen association, producing androids so similar to humans, that it could easily happen that a real human gets retired instead of an android, just for the sake of profit; the commercials, aggressively inviting people to emigrate and start a new life with their custom android servant. Dick knows that the more people grow distant from each other and focus on their own needs, the higher the chances are for a new war which would bring societys doom. Luckily, there is a way out, something that should connect each one of us and something they should start teaching in kindergarten. It is called empathy, and it is one of the things that distinguish us from other species, in fact, according to Dick, it is the only thing that can actually prove that we are humans, and not just human machines. If we could just work on that, and have a bit more respect for other peoples feelings, maybe human would stop degenerating into a pejorative term and start standing for a being that is rational, civilised and empathic again. Works cited and consulted Brooke-Rose, Christine. A Rhetoric of the Unreal.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 122-124. pdf Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? London: Orion Books Ltd, 2010 (1968). Print. Jackson, Rosemary. Fantasy. The Literature of Subversion. London, New York: Routledge, 1981. 24-36. pdf Palmer, Christopher. Philip K. Dick. A Companion to Science Fiction. Ed. David Seed. Blackwell, 2005. 389-397. pdf Shippey, Tom. Hard Reading: The Challenges of Science Fiction. A Companion to Science Fiction. Ed. David Seed. Blackwell, 2005. 14-15. pdf Todorov, Tzvetan. The Fantastic. A Structural Approach to a Literary Genre. New York: Cornell University Press, 1975. 54-57. pdf Wegner, Philip E. Utopia. A Companion to Science Fiction. Ed. David Seed. Blackwell, 2005. 88-91. pdf

Otto Von Bismarck Essay -- History

Otto Von Bismarck Otto Von Bismarck was a great leader in the unification of Germany. His skill as a diplomat was unrivalled during his reign as chancellor of Prussia. The mastery he showed in foreign policy was such that he was able to outwit all other powers and make their leaders appear inadequate. Bismarck was an unrivalled diplomat during his reign. His German Reich constitution of April 1871 allowed him to dictate the government on his own terms. However, the parliament only â€Å"had the power to initiate debate upon any point of his (Bismarck’s) policy, but neither he nor any other minister was responsible to the assembly for his actions" (T. A. Morris, p116). Furthermore, the constitution was designed to give the impression that power was shared equally between the emperor and the chancellor, however Bismarck had the upper hand in all crucial decision-making, as he was adept at convincing Wilhelm of the correctness of his policy. A further example of the extent to which he was a great chancellor is the fact that he was able to deal with the internal opposition. Bismarck was able to gain the support of the National-Liberal party as they were sympathetic to the chancellor because he had brought about national unity, the party's major policy aim, and also because many short-term goals of the two partners coincided - most notably "consolidation of that national unity and the centralisation of the administration of the Reich" (Morris, p118). His association with the ...

Characteristics of Orientalism Essay

There are several differences between the Arab and Muslim groups. The actuality is that Arabs are an ethnic group and Muslims are a religious group. A Muslim is a person who practices the Islam religion. In the world, most Muslims are not necessarily Arabs and most Arabs are not necessarily Muslims. â€Å"Orientalism is the simplistic view of the people and history of the Orient, with no recognition of change over time or the diversity within its many cultures† (Schaefer, 2006). This term is a misrepresentation of people from the East by those in the West. One characteristic is stereotyping the difference in religious expression. Discrimination and prejudice are other characteristics of orientalism. For example, the overemphasis of Arab and Muslim women wearing face veils in the media. This is seen as oppressing women but yet the history behind it is not being told. After the 9/11 attacks, the USA Patriot Act, which was passed in October 2001, had specific provisions that condemned discrimination against Arab and Muslim Americans. This act was revised because it had been accused of contributing to the fear within the Arab and Muslim communities. Unfortunately, all policies were not changed in a positive way. The U. S. Department of Justice required all foreign-born Muslim men to report to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. They have to be fingerprinted, photographed, and interviewed. There are several things that individuals can do to promote tolerance and reduce prejudice in their towns and cities. One way to achieve this is by treating everyone equally. Another way to reduce prejudice is by educating ourselves about a person’s culture. If we can gain an understanding of an individual’s cultural background, we are opening up our minds to realize that those that we consider â€Å"different† may have similar views.

Deception Point Page 18

â€Å"My God,† she whispered. What is this place? 20 The CNN production facility outside of Washington, D.C., is one of 212 studios worldwide that link via satellite to the global headquarters of Turner Broadcasting System in Atlanta. It was 1:45 P.M. when Senator Sedgewick Sexton's limousine pulled into the parking lot. Sexton was feeling smug as he got out and strode toward the entrance. He and Gabrielle were greeted inside by a pot-bellied CNN producer who wore an effusive smile. â€Å"Senator Sexton,† the producer said. â€Å"Welcome. Great news. We just found out who the White House sent as a sparring partner for you.† The producer gave a foreboding grin. â€Å"I hope you brought your game face.† He motioned through the production glass out into the studio. Sexton looked through the glass and almost fell over. Staring back at him, through the smoky haze of her cigarette, was the ugliest face in politics. â€Å"Marjorie Tench?† Gabrielle blurted. â€Å"What the hell is she doing here?† Sexton had no idea, but whatever the reason, her presence here was fantastic news-a clear sign that the President was in desperation mode. Why else would he send his senior adviser to the front lines? President Zach Herney was rolling out the big guns, and Sexton welcomed the opportunity. The bigger the foe, the harder they fall. The senator had no doubt that Tench would be a sly opponent, but gazing now at the woman, Sexton could not help but think that the President had made a serious error in judgment. Marjorie Tench was hideous looking. At the moment, she sat slouched in her chair, smoking a cigarette, her right arm moving in languid rhythm back and forth to her thin lips like a giant praying mantis feeding. Jesus, Sexton thought, if there was ever a face that should stick to radio. The few times Sedgewick Sexton had seen the White House senior adviser's jaundiced mug in a magazine, he could not believe he was looking at one of the most powerful faces in Washington. â€Å"I don't like this,† Gabrielle whispered. Sexton barely heard her. The more he considered the opportunity, the more he liked it. Even more fortuitous than Tench's media-unfriendly face was Tench's reputation on one key issue: Marjorie Tench was extremely vocal that America's leadership role in the future could only be secured through technological superiority. She was an avid supporter of high-tech government R D programs, and, most important-NASA. Many believed it was Tench's behind-the-scenes pressure that kept the President positioned so staunchly behind the failing space agency. Sexton wondered if perhaps the President was now punishing Tench for all the bad advice about supporting NASA. Is he throwing his senior adviser to the wolves? Gabrielle Ashe gazed through the glass at Marjorie Tench and felt a growing uneasiness. This woman was smart as hell and she was an unexpected twist. Those two facts had her instincts tingling. Considering the woman's stance on NASA, the President sending her to face-off against Senator Sexton seemed ill-advised. But the President was certainly no fool. Something told Gabrielle this interview was bad news. Gabrielle already sensed the senator salivating over his odds, which did little to curb her concern. Sexton had a habit of going overboard when he got cocky. The NASA issue had been a welcome boost in the polls, but Sexton had been pushing very hard lately, she thought. Plenty of campaigns had been lost by candidates who went for the knockout when all they needed was to finish the round. The producer looked eager for the impending blood match. â€Å"Let's get you set up, senator.† As Sexton headed for the studio, Gabrielle caught his sleeve. â€Å"I know what you're thinking,† she whispered. â€Å"But just be smart. Don't go overboard.† â€Å"Overboard? Me?† Sexton grinned. â€Å"Remember this woman is very good at what she does.† Sexton gave her a suggestive smirk. â€Å"So am I.† 21 The cavernous main chamber of NASA's habisphere would have been a strange sight anywhere on earth, but the fact that it existed on an Arctic ice shelf made it that much more difficult for Rachel Sexton to assimilate. Staring upward into a futuristic dome crafted of white interlocking triangular pads, Rachel felt like she had entered a colossal sanatorium. The walls sloped downward to a floor of solid ice, where an army of halogen lamps stood like sentinels around the perimeter, casting stark light skyward and giving the whole chamber an ephemeral luminosity. Snaking across the ice floor, black foam carpetrunners wound like boardwalks through a maze of portable scientific work stations. Amid the electronics, thirty or forty white-clad NASA personnel were hard at work, conferring happily and talking in excited tones. Rachel immediately recognized the electricity in the room. It was the thrill of new discovery. As Rachel and the administrator circled the outer edge of the dome, she noted the surprised looks of displeasure from those who recognized her. Their whispers carried clearly in the reverberant space. Isn't that Senator Sexton's daughter? What the hell is SHE doing here? I can't believe the administrator is even speaking to her! Rachel half expected to see voodoo dolls of her father dangling everywhere. The animosity around her, though, was not the only emotion in the air; Rachel also sensed a distinct smugness-as if NASA clearly knew who would be having the last laugh. The administrator led Rachel toward a series of tables where a lone man sat at a computer work station. He was dressed in a black turtleneck, wide-wale corduroys, and heavy boat shoes, rather than the matching NASA weather gear everyone else seemed to be wearing. He had his back to them. The administrator asked Rachel to wait as he went over and spoke to the stranger. After a moment, the man in the turtleneck gave him a congenial nod and started shutting down his computer. The administrator returned. â€Å"Mr. Tolland will take it from here,† he said. â€Å"He's another one of the President's recruits, so you two should get along fine. I'll join you later.† â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"I assume you've heard of Michael Tolland?† Rachel shrugged, her brain still taking in the incredible surroundings. â€Å"Name doesn't ring a bell.† The man in the turtleneck arrived, grinning. â€Å"Doesn't ring a bell?† His voice was resonant and friendly. â€Å"Best news I've heard all day. Seems I never get a chance to make a first impression anymore.† When Rachel glanced up at the newcomer, her feet froze in place. She knew the man's handsome face in an instant. Everyone in America did. â€Å"Oh,† she said, blushing as the man shook her hand. â€Å"You're that Michael Tolland.† When the President had told Rachel he had recruited top-notch civilian scientists to authenticate NASA's discovery, Rachel had imagined a group of wizened nerds with monogrammed calculators. Michael Tolland was the antithesis. One of the best known â€Å"science celebrities† in America today, Tolland hosted a weekly documentary called Amazing Seas, during which he brought viewers face-to-face with spellbinding oceanic phenomena-underwater volcanoes, ten-foot sea worms, killer tidal waves. The media hailed Tolland as a cross between Jacques Cousteau and Carl Sagan, crediting his knowledge, unpretentious enthusiasm, and lust for adventure as the formula that had rocketed Amazing Seas to the top of the ratings. Of course, most critics admitted, Tolland's rugged good looks and self-effacing charisma probably didn't hurt his popularity with the female audience. â€Å"Mr. Tolland†¦,† Rachel said, fumbling the words a bit. â€Å"I'm Rachel Sexton.† Tolland smiled a pleasant, crooked smile. â€Å"Hi, Rachel. Call me Mike.†