Ethics Post #8

2. The Civil War brought turmoil to both the North and the South. In early Spring of 1865, towards the end of the war, Richmond dwellers found out that Petersberg had fallen. This news did little to stir the Richmond people to great energy. As Bruce Canton writes in his book Never Call Retreat, they took the news unusually. The mood was "nothing now but a restless, fruitless stirring...in the face of approaching catastrophe" (445). Canton stresses how that day came in as a "special sort of day," and that one woman admitted that she'd "never saw a calmer Sunday morning" (444).

Canton, Bruce. Never Call Retreat. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, 1965.

Home Tomorrow...yay...

This Thanksgiving break cannot come quick enough. I have a test tomorrow, but afterwards, my dad and brother are picking me up to take me home. Yay! I have not seen them since August, so I'm really excited. Then I can enjoy my mom's homecooked meals. It should be a blast. I'm really looking forward to enjoying myself and kicking back a little, since this semester has been crazy. Sorry for such a boring entry, but this is really what is on my mind right now.

Ethics Post #7

It's impossible for news to be impartial now. Example? Turn to Fox News. Fox News is known for its more conservative views. As such, it can generally post positive feedback about the Iraqi War. Whereas CNN has a more liberal slant, they'll be more inclined to discuss President Bush's low approval rating, or emphasize the deaths in Iraq.

Of course, the approaches of these differing websites is two-fold. It's meant to provide some sort of semblance of "news" and to incite debate. A conservative can agree with the general gist of a liberal news piece, but will disagree at its presentation and its innate opinion.

In the end, while journalists post up their code of ethics, they don't always follow their own set of code. It's human nature, they're going to use whatever platform they stand on to promote what they believe.

Look at this. 10:14, and I'm posting for the assignment just now? You can tell I'm getting senioritis really badly. The upcoming Thanksgiving break can't come quickly enough! Why are the Fall semesters rough? There is only one class I absolutely adore, and that is Chem 222. If you all have the chance to take it, take it with Dr. Simanek. He's one of the best professors I've had. His class is making this semester bearable. It's hard to get into a class when the professors use overheads all the time. I have a test tomorrow and I'm not really prepared for it. And I'm getting a test back that I don't want to see the grade for? Am I ready for the break? OH YES!

Ethics Post #6

Bribery-is it needed? Ask an entrepreneur in an Italian city where the "mob" is prevalent. He might find himself paying a "protection fee" to a member in order to keep his shop open. It may not be legal, but the entrepreneur will find his shop protected. Of course, if he doesn't pay, will his store stay open? I'll let you ponder that one.

Bribery is not legal, or always ethical. But if you want to open an operation in a country that deals with bribery on a daily basis, what makes you think it can change just because you want to start an operation there? It's wrong, but if you want to do business there, you should be prepared to do business as they do-or else you won't get any. If bribery is something you really can't deal with, then don't bother keeping your operation in that country.

Aggie Ring-ness

I'm sure that blogs this Thursday were inundated with Aggie Ring posts, so here is another.

Coming into A&M my freshman year, I knew that the most important thing I could receive, according to tradition, wouldn't be my diploma, it'd be my ring. I remembered sitting in Fish Camp and being puzzled as steps to receiving an Aggie Ring were outlined. I remember thinking, uhhh, shouldn't it be the other way around? Isn't a diploma much more important?

Sure it is, but I like to think of the Aggie Ring as a nice reward for our suffering from major cases of senioritis (like me). Seeing the ring on your finger kind of puts everything in perspective. It's hard to believe that I have 95 hours under my belt, and by next summer I'll be an official college graduate. The past three years kind of came back as I slipped the ring on. Being a scared little freshman the first week, overwhelmed by my introductory engineering courses, getting my ring never seemed like a reality.

The pamphlet that came with my ring said that the five stars represent phases of development in the Aggie student signify mind or intellect, body, spiritual attainment, emotional poise, and integrity of character. Thinking about my growth in the past three years, I've developed in all five of these categories. Getting my ring is just the beginning of the chapter in my life as a girl moving into the real world.