Media Law in South Africa

The Press Freedom Commission (PFC) was launched in July 2011 by the press industry representative body, Print Media South Africa and the South African National Editors Forum in order to set up a suitable regulatory media system for South Africa (Press Freedom Commission, 2012: 1). The Press Freedom Commission that was held earlier this year assessed all measures concerning co-regulation, self-regulation, independent regulation and state regulation so as to ensure that the media is accountable to the public that they serve and similarly to ensure the protection of press freedom (Press Freedom Commission, 2012: 1).This year, the PFC recommended that an independent co-regulatory system , which does not include State participation, would best suit the country. This would mean that the press are accountable to serve in interest of the population (Press Freedom Commission, 2012: 1). With reference to Julie Reid’s and Julie Posetti’s article in the Rhodes Journalism Review, I aim to evaluate various contexts and henceforth provide reasons for why I am in accordance with the co-regulation of the media.Under the South African Constitution, in the Bill of Rights (1996) it is stated that every person has a right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom of press and the media, the freedom to receive or impart information or ideas, freedom of artistic creativity, academic freedom and freedom of scientific research (Act no. : 108 of 1996). Henceforth press freedom means the autonomy to communicate ideas, opinions and information without restraint.The media are a public trust with the ability to inform and influence and because of this power they should serve to represent the interests of the citizens without external institutional constraints. When analyzing freedom of the press with the current regulatory system, there are two powerful institutions in society which cannot be ignored, that is political and economic power. Under apartheid the freedom of the press was heavily restricted.The Newspapers Registration and Imprint Act of 1985, required that all newspapers had to be registered and conform to a strict code of conduct. In addition newspapers were also required to lodge R40 000 as a deposit before they could publish, as a result the act silenced many liberal newspapers (Manoim, 1996: 7). With the transition into a new democracy, self-regulation of the media was employed to uphold freedom of expression, a pivotal component of a true democracy.Self-regulation is a system that operates on self imposed rules by the media, it consists only of representatives of the media profession who use the Journalistic Codes and Ethics as a guideline (Reid, 2012: 1). The relationship between the government/ state and the media is one of conflict and dependency because on the one hand, the media are commonly referred to as the ‘unofficial opposition’ to the government.As ‘watchdogs’ they make public a range of issues concerning health care, education, corruption, unemployment etc and because of these disclosures the government repeatedly attempt to censor their biggest critic. As such, the government proposed a Media Tribunal, which could lead to the forced registration of all newspapers, the registration of all journalists and punitive fines(Reid, 2012: 1). The tribunal exemplifies the government’s hostility towards the media and it clearly epitomizes the Newspapers Registration and Imprint Act of 1985 .Another example constitutes as the Protection of Information Bill which will allow the government to classify specific information which is deemed harmful to the â€Å"national interest†. The government have suggested media-unfriendly laws which pose a threat to attack the heart of the struggle for democracy (Reid, 2012: 1). On the other hand, however, the media are dependent on the government for information and official materials and similarly the government depends on the media to produce important information to their citizens.It is evident that the media plays a large role in making public the successes and the failures of the government, however, I argue that a change in the regulatory system could improve the relationship between the two so that the media do not have their own agendas for the information they produce, but they produce that which of interest of the public that they serve. Although self-regulation of the press was once highly valued, examples like the Murdoch scandal have shown that the system is weak and does not assure the accountability of the press.Journalists from the News of the World were accused of phone hacking, police bribery and using unethical means to obtain ‘public interest’ stories (Posetti, 2012: 19). The self-regulatory system allows for journalists to operate freely without state interference and although there haven’t been any situations like the aforementioned unethical proceedings in South Africa, the regulatory system does not fulfill the democratic vitality of the inclusion of wider population (Reid, 2012: 18). For many years under the rapacious system of apartheid, the black population was silenced, their grievances and njustices undocumented. In this new democracy, the media are still seen to cater for the interests of the elite, this can be conceptualized in Noam Chomsky and Edward. S. Herman’s â€Å"propaganda model†. Granted the media does deliver information to serve the interests of its citizens, news coverage is frequently tailored to what suits the corporate. The media are a profit-seeking institution, funded by advertisers and are (sometimes) owned by private investors, this can henceforth lead to the media placing profit above public interest (Manoim, 1996: 4).An example of this can be seen in various newspapers during the apartheid era, particularly the Business Day. The Business Day embraced a conservative liberal take on the apartheid system. Th e reporting that the Business Day encompassed relied on keeping an apolitical stance and avoided negative consequences of full disclosure. The newspaper did not report on any issues negative aspects of the apartheid system or its effects on the population and the reason for this was to gain more revenue than to possibly create controversy (Manoim, 1996: 4).Another example of this was the recent Marikana shootings, wherein the first pieces of information distributed by the media through print and broadcast, told a story of a violent, armed and angry mob, charging towards apprehensive policemen who then shot the mobsters from afar, in fear of their lives (Johnson, 2012: 1). At least 36 miners were shot dead and because of the inadequate coverage by the media, many people were under the impression that the police action was proportional to the threat posed by the miners.It wasn’t until Greg Marinovich went on to publish shocking findings about the deaths of the Marikana minors, in his article â€Å"The murder fields of Marikana: The cold murder fields of Marikana† (Marinovich, 2012: 1). The article made public that some of the miners had been shot by close range (execution style) and others crushed by police vehicles, thus providing proof that the police did not act in fear, but instead hand the upper hand and viciously killed the miners.In many of the articles published, before Marinovich’s, statements were mainly one sided, comprised of policemen, the mining management and government official (Manoim, 1996: 7). It can be understood that many journalists and news firms did not accurately report on the Marikana shootings because they did not want to cause controversy and did not want to lose revenue. With regards to the aforementioned relationships between the media and political/ economic institutions within the self-regulatory system, I argue that the system is clearly weak.There is indeed more freedom of speech with this system, however, t he press aren’t held accountable to the citizens that they serve, the press can be seen to accommodate only the elites and silence the people. For these reasons and the above examples, in my opinion it is clear that the self-regulatory system in inadequate for a new democracy such as ours. The proposed system of independent co-regulation without state or government intervention will best serve the freedom of the press in our country.The system will consist of members of the public (e. g: academics, civil society organizations etc. ) and members of the press industry therefore sufficiently creating integration between the press and the society that it serves (Reid, 2012: 18). The independent system as well as journalists will henceforth be accountable to the public. The co-regulatory system will allow regulatory rules to be created by more than one stakeholder and it will have independence from industries (Press Freedom Commission, 2012: 1).The system should sufficiently allow members of the public and the press to engage with reports made by the independent body. This nature of transparency will build a close relationship between the public and the media and henceforth it will encourage the media to be accountable to the citizens that it serves (Reid, 2012: 18). I believe that the increased integration between the public and the press will give the once unheard voices of the public a platform for their opinions furthermore it will directly assist the country on the road to true democracy.The PFC suggests that the system will introduce a more efficient framework for dealing with sensitive matters especially when dealing with children. There will also be a be a method of â€Å"space fines† which will consist of monetary fines, summons or rulings for any offences made by the press (Press Freedom Commission, 2012: 1). The co-regulatory system proposed by the Press Freedom Commission is not an attack at the freedom of the press, rather, it is very nec essary to strengthen the system of the press in South Africa.Co-regulation will not only serve the public because of the system’s transparency and allowance for integration but it could also improve the quality and credibility of journalism in the country. The marginalized and excluded persons of this country need an environment where they are able to make public their discrepancies and regarding the extensive reception to the current self-regulation it is evident there needs to be a change in the system.In my opinion co-regulation will ensure the greatest independence from different influential institutions, it will reinforce the accountability the press should have for the citizens, it will allow for press freedom and furthermore it will assist to uphold the principles of a democracy. References: Manoim, I. 1996. You Have Been Warned: The First Ten Years of The Mail & Guardian. Penguin Books: South Africa. Posetti, J. 2012. Media Regulation, Murdoch and the Journalism Wars of Oz. Rhodes Journalism Review. Press Freedom Commission, 2012.What the Press Commission recommends. Retrieved from http://www. politicsweb. co. za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71656? oid=294997&sn=Detail on 11/01/1012 Reid, J. 2012. Press Freedom in South Africa and why self-regulation is best. Daily Maverick. Retrieved from http://dailymaverick. co. za/opinionista/2012-01-26-press-freedom-in-south-africa-and-why-self-regulation-is-best on 11/01/2012. Reid, J. 2012. What will co-regulation mean? The Press Freedom Commission report and its implications for the regulation of journalism. Rhodes Journalism Review.

Psychology Dream Analysis

As I was sitting down, I notice d three people that looked like teenagers walk in. Everyone in that dream looked boring and dread rye, lacking much color, all except this one girl. This girl was wearing a blue shirt. It didn't take 10 Eng for my 5 year old self to recognize this girl in a very strange way. As kept watching her I area sized she was an older version of myself. She had the same long curly brown hair, and green e yes. Younger me continued sitting in the corner watching older me. I saw her sit on the one side e of the booth by herself while her male and female friend sat on the opposite side of her. Fro m far away heard older me say to her friends â€Å"he said he would be here, he is going to be here s non. Don't worry. A server went up to the three of them and asked if they wanted to order food and the two friends said yes and ordered and older me said she would wait for â€Å"him† till he came t order her food. Little me realized she was talking about her boyfr iend and how he was soups seed to meet with them for dinner and he still had not shown up. Older me called â€Å"him† and he did not answer. Older Sabina kept getting more and more anxious telling her friends â€Å"he isn't here! He is not responding to me, where could he be? It has been a few hours! I can't believe he forgot† Among this, the younger Sabina started seeing everything In a time lapse, where the re was no more dialogue after that. Everyone started moving much faster. People were comic Eng in and out, bovine around, talking, eating.Before knew it almost everyone was gone, in clouding older Sprain's friends and all the other customers in the restaurant had left and the e manager or owner had locked up and turned all the lights off and went, leaving older and younger r me in the room. Older Sabina did not acknowledge my younger self nor did she even see me. There was a single light on older Sabina and her table. Older Sabina was very quiet and looked very pe nsive. All of a sudden there was a light on the complete opposite side of the room, older r me noticed and darted walking over to it. Little Sabina then became one with older Sabina a ND I was no longer on the sidelines, was right there.Under the light there was a desk like piece of furniture and on that desk there was a picture frame. Picked up the picture frame only to see it was black and white photo of a teenage couple at the beach. The girl had a big floppy sunhat and sunglasses and a polka dot one piece and the man had a regular battings on. They looked like they were in the middle of laughing. I flipped the picture frame and saw a note written on the back of the photo. It read â€Å"Sabina, This is a photo of my parents when they were younger. It make s me think of us. † Confused I stood back, and looked to the right of where the frame stood and saw a pill bottle. I picked it up and the bottle was completely empty.I turned the bottle around and on that side there was a nother note that read† Dear Sabina, I'm so sorry I couldn't be with you tonight, I couldn't make it. I'm so sorry I had to do this. † I began to scream and panic an d I threw the pill bottle against the wall and looked around for someone to be there, and no on e was there. I was lone, in the dark without any light besides the one shining on the desk full of horrid things, to guide me. I still remember I woke up I screamed and began to bawl, I ran to m y mother's room and told her what I dreamt. Will never forget how horrifying and painful that dream was and how hurtful it still is thinking about It. In the dream, the dreamer was younger at first, observing an older self inside of a restaurant.Seeing an older self symbolizes that maybe the dreamer is going t wrought cometh ins, and moving on from something. Being inside of a restaurant symbolizes that t e dreamer may be upset and is in need of emotional nourishment. When the dreamer observed that her older self was wearin g blue and everyone else was vague and bleak can be associated with the dreamer and views of herself. The dreamer wearing blue may be upset, or depressed. The p art where the older version of the dreamer was waiting for someone( boyfriend) to show up show s that she is very dependent on this person and finds them extremely important. It can also gig unify that one is waiting for something important or significant to happen.In the dream, after everyone was bovine around and the restaurant had been locked up and the older version of the dreamers self was all alone it symbolizes that she may feel abandoned or left in an encounter liable situation. When there was a sudden light across the room and the dreamer approached it and saw the black and white picture frame, it symbolizes a Wish to keep things the same and bee Eng afraid of change. Having the photo be black and white symbolizes that the dreamer may be fee ling confused, blank, depressed or lost. Something very tough and confusing may be going 0 n in the dreamer's fife. The note written on the back of the picture frame can be symbolic for a m usage that the dreamer has to know and figure out.When the dreamer stumbled backwards and into the darkness again it signifies that again, the dreamer is in a whole fit of confusion n and anger with a situation. In the dream, when the dreamer saw the pill bottle and realized it w as empty and saw the note on the back signifies that there may be something that needs to chaw Eng that isn't being accepted. The fact that the person the dreamer was waiting for and never shoo wed up. Along with he empty pill bottle and note that says the boy could not make it with an app logy shows that the dreamer may feel wronged by someone or a situation and that the death of t he boy shows that the dreamer may be in an upsetting situation experiencing a form of loss. O feel like this dream was certainly an accurate representation Of my life at that place in time. My parents had just divor ced and my mom took me with her when SSH e left my father. I was young and my father really was everything to me. At this point I had not s en him for a little while and it was the end of life as I knew it. I think seeing an older self was SSH owing that was going through something. Being with people, and then being left alone really r presents how I felt I was being abandoned and left behind by my father, because I didn't undo restart it was for my benefit that my mother left him. It really was an excruciating pain to deal with as a child especially not seeing someone I spent much of my time with as a child.

Decision Making Essay

The decision making approach that will be employed by the organization is based on a model where all members of the organization will be involved. A decision is made when the organization is faced with some problems in its operations or when the organization plans to redraw its operation so as to plan for the future. The top management, after realizing the need for change on the specified areas that may either be controversial or whose effect is organization wide, instigates a research that will involve all the members of the organization including the investors. The research must be through in that it should analyze the internal operational environment, the industry conditions, market trends and predicts any change in the environment. Moreover, the research must accurately determine the compatibility of the range of opinions and thus solution to the organizational culture and their profitability or effects on the organization productivity. The findings must be presented before the board of management who will ascertain the viability of the solutions and choose the one that best address the needs of the organization and is sustainable with respect to its resources. The board will at all time be constituted of all stakeholders in the organization including departmental representatives, departmental heads, top managers, trade union representatives and investors each of whom have equal right of expressing their points of view. The top management is charged wit the responsibility of evaluating the recommendations made by the research team and ensuring that the whole organization implements the decisions passed. The organization understands that in any community where the members are actively involved in any form of economic or social undertaking that involves their interaction and varied output, problems must always be present. The organization adopts the Osborne-Parnes problem solving methodology that is based on creativity. The first stage in the solution of a problem is the determination of the goals and challenges that the organization works for. After which the management is charged with the responsibility of instructing the research teams to find all data, facts and emotional responses involved. The data and findings will help in bringing out the problems that will affect the achievement of the goals. In clarification of the problem the two main concerns are the needs that should be addressed and the problems that should be focused on. The decision in this phase is based on the perceived impact of the problems as per the research findings. The next stage is the generation of ideas which involves all stakeholders in the organization. The research department and teams are responsible for the implementation of the idea generation process. The main concern at this stage is finding out all the solutions to the problems without any consideration of their effectiveness. The main methodology in the generation of ideas is brainstorming which is implemented in groups. The next stage is implemented by the board of management with the help of the research teams. The main concern at this stage is finding out how the solutions can be made better. Pareto analysis is used in determination of the best method though the implementation of a cause effect analysis will also aid in determining a range of good solutions to the problems. The last phase is a decision making process as the whole organization takes step that are aimed at implementation of the solutions. The decision making model is adopted in this last phase. ii. Behavior The organization appreciates the effects of behavior on the operations and other aspects such as investor confidence and the respect the organization will receive from all in the organization. The employees and all stakeholders will at all time endeavors to uphold a code of conduct that is respectful of their colleagues and all that they may relate to in the course of their activities. The main methodology that will be used in the assessment of the organization employees’ behavior is based on Osborne-Parnes approach. The methodology involves the creation of a code of behavior that all employees are expected to follow. Research is then undertaken to establish the organization behavior with the aim of establishing its relationship and association to the code of behavior. Conformance and other areas of divergence are accurately determined and their exact nature established. The causes of the divergence must be determined through wide research and the results presented to either the top management or to the department heads depending on the level of the investigation and who instigated it. The impact of the diversion on the end consumer of the services and product is determined and the impact on the organization’s operation and thus productivity noted. The problem solving mechanism is then applied to solve the area of divergence and any anomalies in the code of behavior corrected.

Teaching and Classroom Management in Religious Education Essay

Teaching and Classroom Management in Religious Education - Essay Example The RE is the establishment of the faith and responsiveness to the presence of God, to practice his orders and to lead a life with the patterns, which are given by God to his creatures through his messengers. Religion is the faith, faith in God. The RE first begins with the lap of the mother. Parents are the first educators of a child in the development of their faith in God. The values and thoughts, once developed in God are everlasting and parents are responsible to develop believes through in-formal way of teaching in pre-school days of child. However, the comprehensive and systematic study of the religion needs a person who knows well about faith, religion and has firm belief in God. A teacher is a person who builds a base of pupil with the relationship between faith and life in a manner that makes the pupils curious to learn more about religion. According to Religious Education Curriculum Directory for Catholic Schools (1996: p. 10) the outcome of RE may be "religiously literate young people who have the knowledge, understanding and skills, appropriate to their age and capacity, to think spiritually, ethically and theologically and who are aware of the demands of religious commitment in every day life". Discipline is the pre-requisite for proper learning and teaching process in the school and classroom. As for as RE is concerned, the discipline is more important because it needs more attention and concentration of pupils to learn. The pupils need limits and the teacher should manage properly when he is in the classroom. So, classroom management is essential both for a teacher and a student, to develop and promote faith in God. Good classroom management means, to provide the pupils enough freedom and courage to discuss among themselves about the context of the subject within discipline and limits. Pupils should know the limits and teacher should not make them cross the limits. Teaching of Religious Education (RE) The success of the teaching of RE lies in the quality and dedication of the teachers. So, recruitment of able and devoted teachers is a pre-requisite of a good teaching in the subject of RE. I think, the proper way to teach the subject of religion is to involve pupils in the process of teaching. There should be exercises, writing activities, and group discussions and brainstorming through questions/answers. In the classroom, the teacher should judge the feelings, motivations and opinions of their pupils in order to manage classrooms more effectively. Encourage the pupils to express their ideas, opinions and thoughts and know the religious trends of their pupils. Teach them the objectives of the subject within the limits of the time. Religious Education: from Classroom to Society Classroom of the RE plays an important role in the life of a pupil. It is the place, which either makes his mind social or fundamentalist. Understanding an issue, by uncovering the network of interrelationships, not only leads to a new awareness but also usually offers a wealth of ideas (Altrichter et al 1993: p. 160). So, try to develop positive ideas in mind of your pupils regarding religion and society. ICT in Religious Education (RE) ICT stands for "Information Communication Technology". ICT in RE means the use of modern techniques and approaches to understand religious affairs. It is a powerful tool that can improve the teaching

Critically assess weather the glass cieling still exists in the modern Essay

Critically assess weather the glass cieling still exists in the modern workplace - Essay Example The most appropriate pattern in this situation is the formation of glass ceiling within organizations that hinder the growth of specific group of individuals. First quoted by Gay Bryant, glass ceiling refers to the barrier faced by specific groups in an organization from moving up the management cadre. The United States Labour Secretary, Lynn Martin, defined ‘glass ceiling’ as ‘Those artificial barriers on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevent qualified individuals from advancing upward in their organization into management-level positions’ Bollinger and O’Neill, (2008) p.10. The following discussion critically assesses practices adopted by organizations to eliminate glass ceiling effect and attached implications. In spite of various diversity management practices, evidences indicate that organizations have not been successful in eliminating the glass ceiling at various levels. Reasons and implications of glass ceiling have been briefly disc ussed hereafter. Employee and labour relations studies as well as organizational behaviour reveal that various practices introduced to counter the glass ceiling have been quite effective in many ways. Glass ceiling effect is seen on different economic and organizational aspects. From an economy perspective, the number of female employees has significantly risen in many parts of the world in recent years. Also, organizations are consciously adopting various diversity management practices in order to enhance their performance and also abide by the human rights constitution (Mor-Barak, 2005; p.372). These practices are specific initiatives to bring about a balance in the labour economy. This need has arisen because of various reasons such as increase in number of immigrants into foreign countries; increase in amount of knowledge and technology-driven work; changing life styles; and, increasing costs of living driven by changing businesses and globalization. From an organizational viewp oint, organizations are hiring more women at various positions and are employing distinct diversity management practices to provide opportunity to people belonging to various races, ethnic and social groups. Yet, evidences through reports, researches, news articles etc indicate that women continue to face discrimination issues at workplace. Moreover, blocking the advancement of specific groups to move up to higher management positions will hinder organizational growth to a significant extent. Breaking the glass ceiling helps organizations to harness valuable talent possessed by, women in particular, and all people, in general, at lower levels that belong to diverse groups. Impact of glass ceiling is varied in different parts of the world. In some regions, the glass ceiling is very obvious and others it is discreet, but still exists. For instance, glass ceiling is more pronounced in single-culture dominated regions like the Islamic countries, South African nations and parts of Asia. In these countries, though constitutional rights are provided to minorities as well as women in terms of work and employee relations, yet discrimination and obstacles confront individuals because of sociocultural customs and practices. Its effect is lesser in the United States, European Union, parts of Asian and Australian regions. Most of these countries are multi-cultural, multi-social and pluralistic nations, which is the reason for subtlety of glass ceiling effect in

Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and antisemitism as shown in the Essay

Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and antisemitism as shown in the treatment of Shylock - Essay Example But unlike Marlowe, Shakespeare endowed his villain Shylock with some very human qualities that evoke much sympathy. (Glock, 144-50) The result is an ambivalence toward Shylock that makes his role one of the most dramatically complex and compelling among all of Shakespeare's characters, and one that reinforces the sense of this work as a problem play. (Oldrieve, 87) Next to Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice is Shakespeare's most frequently performed play. The reason for its apparent popularity may be in part because it is perennially a required text set for national examinations that students in British secondary schools take. It is less popular in the United States because of the anti-Semitism that the play incorporates, although many producers, directors, and actors have argued that while the play contains elements of anti-Semitism, it is not in itself anti-Semitic. Recently, some scholars have tried to show that, on the contrary, Shakespeare explores ways to reconcile the age-old antagonisms between Christians and Jews.( Glock, 144-50) Shylock, of course, is not the only important character in The Merchant of Venice, which takes its title from Antonio, the Venetian merchant who borrows from Shylock to help his friend, Bassanio. Portia, the rich heiress whom Bassanio courts, is another major character, and the relationship between her and her suitors also raises important moral issues. Unfortunately, in the history of anti-Semitism, Shylock has since become a symbol for a heartless, money-grubbing Jew. Heartless he may be in act 4, but earlier he offers Antonio a loan at no interest in an attempt to win his friendship (1.3.134-37). Usury is the lending of money at interest. It was considered to be inappropriate for a Christian to do this, and as a result, Jews who were in the business of usury were looked down upon. Antonio, who lends money freely, appears to be the charitable Christian, in contrast to Shylock, who preys upon the hardship of others in order to further increase his own material wealth. The perception created by Antonio's argument is that Shylock hates someone for their following a Christian virtue, which implies that Shylock is against Christianity. The demonization of Shylock proceeds by three stages: Shylock is stripped of his name. In the entire play his referred to by name only three times; in the trial scene, the Duke twice identifies him by name, and Portia does so once. In the course of the rest of the play he is called "the Jew" or "dog Jew"(II,viii,14) or "currish Jew"(IV,I,133-34). Shylock is reduced to something other than human. Gratiano curses Shylock with "O, be thou damned, inexecrable dog!"(IV,i,128) Shylock is equated with the devil. In (II,ii,24-28), Launcelot Gobbo identifies Shylock as "a kind of devil", "the devil himself", and "the very devil incarnation". The images of Jews as blood-thirsty murderers of Jesus who snatch innocent Christian children for slaughter in bizarre Passover rituals seems to provide a potent back-drop for the demonic traits heaped upon Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Shylock is characterized nearly throughout the play as an evil, murderous man. This image of him is supported by the excessive bloodlust that Shylock exhibits. (Rosen, 89-93) The audience is made to hate Shylock early on. In Act 1, scene 3, Shylock tells

Business Law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Business Law - Research Paper Example For any business or corporation to expand, agents are required in dealing with the third party on behalf of the employer (Jennings, 2012). Thus an agent is accorded authority to represent the principal when dealing with a third party. An agent may act implicitly or apparently, and thus the principal is bound to be liable to the agent’s actions and conducts when acted within the authorities accorded to him. The principal may also incur liability when the agent intentionally harms a third party (Jennings, 2012). The principal and the agent are liable for any loss or damages caused to the third party if the agent and principal’s identity are partially or fully undisclosed when dealing with the third party. A principal must indemnify the agent for any damages caused to third party if the agent acted within the actual authorities confided to him. The agent though, must indemnify the principal of any payments for any authorities exercised outside the stipulated actual or apparent authorities allowed. Fraud, extortion and other ills though may befall the third party when an agent assumes inherent powers by virtue of agent – third party relations. A popular and good example of this kind of scenario i s the Colorado Supreme Court case of Grease Monkey vs. Montoya (Jennings, 2012). Grease Monkey Holding Corporation is a Utah based corporation and Grease Monkey International Company is a fully owned subsidiary of Grease Monkey Holding Company. Arthur Sensenig was the President, Chief Operations Officer (COO) and Chairman of the Boards of Grease Monkey International, Inc. on a period between 1983 through 1991. He had broad authorities and acted as agent and chief officer of Grease Monkey. Sensenig was mandated with raising capital from banks and other lenders, up to $500,000 without the Boards approval (Davant, 2002). Between 1983 through 1991 Sensenig was able to extort money from Nick and Aver Montoya under the guise that it was an investment to Grease Monkey.

Summarize the reasons for the failure of Lehman Brothers Essay

Summarize the reasons for the failure of Lehman Brothers - Essay Example hat the problems of the Lehman Brothers were well published over the media which gave time to the derivatives market to prepare for the worst (The Economist, 2008). The statement was pretty correct as the credit-default swaps market had not been broken but buckled up (The Economist, 2008). The bank was unable to assess the risk of the borrower or trading partner which resulted in defaults paralyzing the cash flows of the bank. According to The Economist, a senior bank executive quotes this mistake of deregulated leasing â€Å"the mistake of a lifetime† (The Economist, 2008). The Lehman Brothers was caught up amidst US$ 613 billion of debt of which US$ 160 billion was held by international investors as unsecured bonds. The European pension funds and the individuals in Asian markets had believed in the high rating of the Lehman Brothers and put their investments in this unsecured bonds. The price of this unsecured bonds collapsed quickly destroying the share price of the company to half overnight. The shareholders had already witnessed downfall of the prices of shares in the past few months. These losses caused a spiral in the money market. International investors pulled off US$ 400 billion from the money market funds which was supposed to be a safer investment. This action was taken when a fund suffered losses which were loaded on Lehman’s debts (The Economist, 2008). Dick Fuld was the CEO of the Lehman Brothers at the time of the collapse of the bank. The Lehman Brothers has been the 4th largest investment bank in the US since 1994. Mr. Fuld has been partly blamed for the collapse of the bank and the losses made by the investors. The CEO enforced many policies and precautions to avoid any financial storm, but still the bank revealed US$ 2.8 billion losses in the next quarter. On the 15th of September, 2008, the share price of the bank went down 94% as compared to the previous year. The redundancy of 24,000 employees caused a great human cost. All these factors

Four Functions of Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Four Functions of Management - Essay Example If we talk about planning from business point of view, we can say that planning not only includes setting measurable and realistic goals for the future but also includes development of strategies to meet those goals. For proper planning, managers need to consider many factors, such as, availability of resources, assessment of organizational environment, assessment of customers’ demands, future trends of the market, and proper use of capital. As Tatum (2011) states, â€Å"Like any type of business planning, project planning is about gaining the most benefit while making the wisest use of available resources† (p. 1). Proper planning provides many benefits to the organizations, such as, reduction of risks, completion of tasks within deadlines, avoidance of confusions, and correct use of resources. Organizing Organizing is the second function of management that means to organize different organizational activities in such a way that they work in a sequential manner. Once ma nagers are done with planning to do something, the need for organization of tasks and activities arises. Managers need to bring together all resources in such a way that they work in collaboration with each other to achieve desired goals. The function of organizing includes many core activities, such as, communicating goals to employees, identifying the resources, classifying the resources, assigning tasks to employees based on skills, and delegating the authorities. Leading Leading is the third function of management that comes after organization of tasks. It means to motivate employees to achieve organizational goals. The function of leading plays a critical role in ensuring success of a business by injecting the sense of responsibility and dedication in the minds of employees. Managers of large businesses play the role of leaders for their subordinates. The main objective of leading is to increase the level of employee productivity in order to increase the overall organizational productivity. Controlling Controlling is the last function of management and comes after managers are done with planning, organizing, and leading. This function is very critical in the success of any particular project because it deals with the assessment of the organizational performance and project related activities in order to know whether the performance and organizational activities are going in the right direction or they need some changes to produce desired results. Controlling in many organizations is viewed as a follow-up process in which managers compare planned set of actions and guidelines with the overall organizational or project-based performance to ensure proper alignment between the performance and organizational goals. ‘Systems Approach’ To Management The systems approach to management says that all systems are interrelated and work together to achieve any particular business goal or objective. The main concepts included in the systems approach to man agement include synergy, sub-system, open or closed system, feedback mechanisms, defined boundaries, input/output system, and consideration of the whole system. The systems approach to management puts a dynamic and influencing impact on the overall business. For example, it helps managers get an in-depth view of the business processes. Similarly, it helps in forecasting consequences of the planned actions. It also helps an organization

Sociology Dissertation Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sociology Dissertation Report - Essay Example This report details my reasons for taking up this subject for my study and reflects on the conclusions drawn therein. While there were many issues I considered for the purpose of preparing a sociology dissertation, obesity appeared to be the one that had registered the sharpest rise in recent years and was also affecting the greatest number of people. At the outset, I recognized that obesity could also be classified as a medical problem rather than a sociological one. But there is one aspect in which obesity differs from other urgent medical problems that pose a danger to health. Such medical problems are restricted to limited sections of society; but obesity appears to be a prevalent condition, which is affecting a huge segment of American society, especially among young people who have traditionally been more active and thereby less obese than adults. The question that arose in this context was – what could be the possible reasons for such a dramatic rise in obesity, especially among children, in recent years? Applying Mills’ Sociological approach, the trend towards rising obesity is a feature of recent times, therefore it appeared likely that changing lifestyles with concomitant sedentary lifestyles were contributing to obesity. There are of course, medical reasons that can also be attributed as causal factors in obesity. But while some individuals may be obese due to medical reasons it is difficult, if not impossible, to explain away the increase in obesity among Americans across the nation, from different walks of life, purely on these grounds. There appeared to be indisputable sociological factors or elements in the environment that are causal factors of obesity. From this perspective, I began to explore the literature to discover the findings of other researchers on the causal factors leading to obesity. I found that there was a clear

Strategy and Competitive Advantages of Aldi Group Essay

Strategy and Competitive Advantages of Aldi Group - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that by maintaining a healthy work culture the company is in an advantageous position to grab a large share of the market and expand its business. It is noted that the organizational culture is constructed socially and it is influenced by the environment change. It also depends on the leadership strategies adopted by the team leaders of the organization which influences the team members to perform well in teams and have a cooperative attitude. Good performance of the organization has a positive impact on the society and the company gains reputation in the international markets. A well-designed strategy involves the mission and vision of the organization and the way the employees can be motivated to contribute to the organization’s reputation. By applying the cost-cutting strategy the company earns a profit that it can utilize in future business activities. The company aims at developing a new business program in order to invite supplie rs as well as provide benefits to the employees. The business model followed by Aldi was based on efficiency as well as simplicity. The product strategy followed by the managers of Aldi depended on carrying a limited variety of the relevant products that are in high demand in the market. The change management theory involves the building blocks within the company in order to achieve the future goals. The managers of Aldi Inc. plans to carry out the change within the company so that it can compete with the modern world. The company follows the Kotter’s eight-step change management theory that involves various steps to undertake a change within the organization. The first step involves the process of identifying requirement of change within the company. The next steps deal with planning for the change by forming a team. The third step involves that Aldi Inc sets a vision for undertaking the change. The fourth step involves that the employees of Aldi understand the vision and ac cept it. The fifth step involves that managers Aldi plans the strategies in such a way so as to remove the obstacles in the path of undertaking the change. The sixth step involves that the employees and the managers of Aldi plan for a short-term win. The seventh step of the theory involves that the company hires employees to undertake the change and plan for the process to be followed to undertake the change. The ultimate step involves that managers of Aldi Inc. ensure leadership development within the organization for the success of the organization and to achieve its goal.

Introduction to Linguistics Essay Example for Free

Introduction to Linguistics Essay What is meant by the field of linguistics? This introductory chapter concerns some dimensions of linguistics, which give us a general idea of what linguistics is, including the history of linguistic, grammar, and other disciplines of linguistics study. What does grammar consist of and what are the relationship between one and another? How many languages do human beings have the capacity to acquire? What other studies are made in recent centuries? Each of these aspects are clearly described, and other chapters will go into further details. While in this chapter we will provide some less detailed information on the various aspects of linguistics mentioned so far. 1. 1 Defining Linguistics There is nothing that can be said by mathematical symbols and relations which cannot also be said by words. The converse, however, is false. Much that can be and is said by words cannot successfully be put into equations, because it is nonsense. C. Truesdell Linguistics is a study to describe and explain the human faculty of language. There is no doubt that linguistics has changed through human development. 1. 1. 1 History of linguistics See more: how to write an introduction The history of linguistics can be divided into three periods: antiquity, middle ages and modern linguistics. 1. 1. 1. 1 Antiquity Dating back to earlier period of linguistics, linguistics is often associated with a need to disambiguate discourse, especially for ritual texts or in arguments. Ancient Indians made a big contribution to linguistics development. Similarly, ancient Chinese played a key role in improving linguistics development. Around the same time as the Indian developed, ancient Greek philosophers were also debating the nature and origins of language. During this period, syntax and the use of particles developed fast. In addition, scholars proposed that word meanings are derived from sentential usage. 1. 1. 1. 2 Middle Ages In Middle East, in terms of expanding Islam in 8th century, a large number of people learn Arabic. Because of this, the earliest grammar came to being gradually. At the same time, Sibawayh, a famous scholar, wrote a book to distinguish phonetics from phonology. In the 13th century, Europeans introduced the notion of universal grammar. 1. 1. 1. 3 Modern Linguistics Modern linguistics beginning can date back to the late 18th century. With time passing by, the study of linguistics contains increasing contents. Meanwhile, it is used in other fields, computer, e. g. , has come to be called computational linguistics. The study of applications (as the recovery of speech ability) is generally known as applied linguistics. But in a narrower sense, applied linguistics refers to the application of linguistic principles and theories of language teaching and learning, especially the teaching of foreign and second language. Other related branches include anthropological linguistics, neurological linguistics, mathematical linguistics, and computational linguistics. However, linguistics is only a part of a much larger academic discipline, semiotics. It is the scientific study of language. It studies not just one single language of any one society, just like Chinese or French, but the language of all human beings. A linguist, though, does not have to know and use a large number of languages, but to investigate how each language is constructed. In short, linguistics studies the general principles whereupon all human languages are constructed and operated as systems of communication in their societies or communities. 1. 1. 2 An Interesting Comparison. Linguistics is a broad field to study, therefore, a linguist sometimes is only able to deal with one aspect of language at a time, and thus various branches arise: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, applied linguistics, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, lexicology, lexicography, etymology and so on. Suppose that the study of linguistics can be considered to be a computer, so linguistics is equal to the CPU, which supports all the other parts. Moreover, sound card would stand for phonetics and phonology, and then morphology and semantics are like the memory of the computer. Whats more, syntax plays as an important role to translate single words to a whole sentence which is full of meaning, just like a graphics card, which uses picture to make sense of the idea of memory stick. Finally, everything is ready, it s time to use computer and the same goes for language acquisition. Very interestingly, the properties of computer are amazingly similar to human language. from www. iflytek. com/english/Research-Introduction%20to%20TTS. htm Above all, linguistics is concerned with the study of verbal language particularly speech and written language. Whats more, language is a system and there is a set of options of which one must be chosen depending on the purpose and context. (Marie E. John P. , 1991, p. 64). 1. 2 The broad study of language Language is a highly complex system of communication, so it sometimes will be called a ‘system of systems’. It is used to construct, exchange, express, and record information and ideas. It performs these functions effectively because it is based upon systems that are understood by those using the language. In this chapter, four topics will be concerned. They are phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. In this section, some overall definitions and interactions among the four parts will be talked about. 1. 2. 1 Phonology In order to assist learners at the early stages of literacy, it is very important to understand the relationship between sounds and letters. The sounds of speech are studied in phonetics and phonology. (Marie E. John P, 1991) 1. 2. 1. 1 Definitions of phonology and phonetics Phonology is the study of sound systems- the invention of distinctive speech sounds that occurs in a language and the patterns wherein they fall. In other words, we study the abstract side of the sounds of language, a related but different subject that we call phonology (Peter, 2000). In short, it is about patterns and roots. On the other hand, it is more strict linguistics. Phonetics is the science which studies the characteristics of human sound-making, especially sounds used in speech, and provides methods for their description, classification and transcription. In common, speech sound is used everywhere, and it can be divided into three parts: articulatory phonetics, auditory phonetics, and acoustic phonetics. 1. 2. 1. 2 The difference between phonology and phonetics It seems that phonology and phonetics are similar. That is why both of them make learners confused. In fact, they have great difference. Phonology pays attention to how speech sounds of a language pattern are put together according to regular rules. On the contrary, phonetics focuses mainly on description of how speech sounds are made. For instance, if someone says â€Å"we should get our two lips close together and then push them open with a strong air†, that means he or she is relevant to phonetics field. Another example is â€Å"no words should begin with the ‘ng’/N/ sound, the sound only occurs at the end of words†, and this concerns phonology area. Plenty of terms are used to describe different patterns of letters and sounds. Some of the common used terms are blend, digraph, schwa, syllable and phonics, which are widely and frequently applied. 1. 2. 2 Morphology Morphology has been regarded as a necessarily synchronic discipline. That means the rules focusing on the study of word structure instead of the development of words (Katamba, 1993, p.3). It is the basic element used in a language, and the concept of morphemes is one of the main aspects in the study of morphology (Yule, 2006, p. 66). Basically, it is the branch of linguistics that studies the internal structure of words. In morphology, morphemes are the minimal units that have semantic meaning. It is the linguistic term for the most elemental units of grammatical form (Fromkin, Rodman, Hyams, 2006, p. 77). 1. 2. 2. 1 The classification of morphemes Morphemes are composed of free and bound morphemes. Free morphemes are the morphemes that can stand by themselves as single words, while bound morphemes are those that can not normally stand alone, but that can be attached to affixes (Yule, 2000, p. 75). Free morphemes contain lexical and functional morphemes. The first category, free morphemes, is the set of ordinary nouns, adjectives, adverbs and verbs which carry the content of the conveyed messages (Yule, 2000, p. 76), and most English words refer to this category. The functional morphemes consist largely of the functional words, including conjunctions, prepositions, articles and pronouns (Yule, 2000). Bound morphemes can also be divided into two categories. They are derivational and inflectional morphemes. Derivational morphemes are those which make new words in the language and make words of a different grammatical category from the stem (Yule, 2000, p. 76), which means that it can change the meaning or the word class, whereas the inflectional morphemes are used to indicate aspects of the grammatical function of a word (Yule, 2000, p. 77). 1. 2. 2. 2 The interaction with other aspects Morphology has interactions with phonology. The selection of the form that manifests given morpheme may be affected by the sounds that realize neighboring morphemes (Katamba, 1993). For example, prefixes and suffixes will normally affect the stress. Meanwhile, there is interaction between morphology and syntax. The form of words may be influenced by the syntactic construction in which the word is used (Katamba, 1993, p. 13). 1. 2. 3 Syntax So far in our study of language, we have made studies of phonetics, phonology and morphology. We have analyzed the structure of sounds and words. Therefore, we have been concentrated on the level of small units of language. After our analysis of words, we move to the consideration of larger structural units of language: phrases and sentences. If we concentrate on the structure and ordering of components within a sentence, we are studying what is technically known as the syntax of a language (Yule, 2000, p. 100). Syntax can be simply defined as the scientific study of sentence structure. According to Geoffrey (2005), syntax is a term used for the study of the rules governing the way words are combined to form sentences. The origin of this word is from Greek and it means a setting out together or arrangement (Yule, 2000). In the sentence The boy hits the door, we can discover that the words are related to each other in this order that it only has one meaning. If we change the order of the words The door hits the boy, the sentences meaning has totally changed and it is nonsense. The reason is that the parts of the sentence are structurally related to each other, and this structure is reflected in the word order. In English, the word order is very necessary and important for the meaning of the sentence according to linguistic rules. In some languages, word order plays a less important role. The meaning of the sentence depends more on the form of the words themselves. In such cases, it is possible for sentences with totally different word order to have the same meaning. English used to be one of these languages. The following examples are taken from Old English: Se cyning metech thone biscop-The king meets the bishop Thone biscop meteth se cyning-The king meets the bishop Although the words are arranged differently, they still mean the same. However, nowadays, the word order is very crucial for meaning. As a consequence, there is a great need for us to explore syntax. Some important concepts are included in the study of syntax. 1. 2. 3. 1Complex and compound sentence Three sentence types are basic in the syntax. There are simple sentence, compound sentence and complex sentence. A simple sentence includes one word. However, in some situation, the simple sentence contains two words. A compound sentence contains at least two simple sentences. The sentences are linked with a conjunction. A Complex sentence composes of at least one main clause and one subordinate clause. 1. 2. 3. 2 Syntax Analysis The following example is provided for syntax analysis. The football team won the match last year. S NP VP NP Det N Vt Det N Adv Ext(time) The football team won the match last year. The chart above is called tree diagram. The letters above each indicate: S = sentence, NP = noun phrase, VP = verb phrase, N = noun, V = verb, and so on. The syntacticians use this method to analyze the sentences. 1. 2. 3. 3 Basic Syntactic Structure In English, the structure of sentence depends heavily on word order. The four basic structures are listed as follows: SNP + Vc + NP ( NPN, NP Det + N) SNP + VP ( NPN, VPVc + Adj) SNP + VP ( NPN, VPV) SNP + VP (NPN, VPVt + NP, NPDet + N) 1. 2. 3. 4 Basic Syntactic Generative Process. There are four basic syntactic generative processes: substitution, expansion, extension, transformation. Take the following sentence as an example to clarify these three concepts. Ken is a policeman. Substitution: Ken is a policeman. Tom is a policeman. Expansion: Ken is a policeman. Ken is a bad policeman. Extension: Ken is a policeman. Ken is a policeman at that time. Transformation: Ken is a policeman. Is Ken a policeman? 1. 2. 4 Semantics Semantics, a subfield of linguistics, is the study of literal meaning. It is the recent addition to the English language. (Palmer, 1976, p. 1). According to Matthews (2007), during the early years the study of meaning focused on the lexicon alone. The scope of the study has expended since 1960s to include both semantics and pragmatics (analyzed in 1. 3), which come to the main fields of the study of linguistic meaning(Katamba, 2000 Matthews, 1997). Semantic meaning is fixed and abstract. It can be understood by surface. However, it is de-contextualized. In another word, it is easily subverted by different gestures or intonations. Semnatics interacts with other aspects of linguistics. For example, when synonyms are used, they can be understood, so it fits the rule of syntax. However, synonyms are used to describe something similar. In a sentence, a synonym can be substituted by another synonym. However, the meaning of synonyms speaker or writer determines or predicates have different degrees, which indicates the meaning is actually different (Alan, 2004). Thus, it is the interaction between syntax and semantics. As for the interaction with phonology, the term tonic syllable in phonology has three kinds of functions. The first one is the accentual function, which is to indicate the focus of the information. The second one is the attitudinal function that is to indicate the speakers attitude. And the last one is grammatical function. If speakers use these functions, the same sentence will turn out to have various meanings. To conclude, in this section, linguistics is analyzed from the aspects of sounds, word structure, grammatical rules and meaning. Each of them is in charge of a certain system. Thus linguistics can help people to communicate, to express, and to be understood. 1. 3 Other disciplines Apart from the core subparts of linguistics, which we have demonstrated before, for further reading, we introduce some other exciting aspects in the field of linguistics. There are a lot more to discover than those areas. 1. 3. 1 Sociolinguistics People may know something about you through the way you speak, for example, where you come from, where you spend most of your life time, your social identity and so on. Two people growing up in the same geographical area, at the same time, may speak differently owing to a number of social factors (Yule, 2000). Consequently, it’s very important to consider the social aspects of language. It’s because speech is a form of social identity and is used, consciously or unconsciously (Yule, 2000). The study of the social aspect of language is known as sociolinguistic. â€Å"Sociolinguistic is concerned with investigation of the relationship between language and society† (Ronald, 2006, p. 13). It consists of cultural norms, expectations, and context on the way language is used. The first linguists who studied the social aspect of language are Indian and Japanese in the 1930s. Another person called Gauchat who came from Switzerland had a analysis of this in 1900s as well. However, these three people didn’t receive much attention in the West. Until the late 19th century, the study of social aspects of language laid its foundation. Sociolinguistics gradually appeared in the 1960s in the West. Linguistics such as William Labov in the US and Basil Bernstein in the UK first brought out this concept and explored it. (Wikipedia, 2007, para. 1) 1. 3. 2 Neurolinguistics Though the neural structures of most animal species are very distant from man, there are still resemblances between human and animal languages (Marler, 1981; Nottebohm, 1970), since neurons work in both. Human brain contains billions of neural cells, and so far, the exact number of those so-called neurons is still to be defined (Fabbro, 1999, p. 21). These teeny tiny neurons have close link with the production of language. There can be innate or learnt vocal utterances. Oral language can be the innate property of the human brain, written language, however, is an invention of humankind. Dogs can bark, cats can miaow, and man can cry even after the removal of the midbrain, whereas parrots cannot imitate human sounds, and we cannot produce human language (Fabbro, 1999, p. 21). Therefore, the neural center of our brain is playing an irreplaceable role in the production of language. How does the main cerebral structure serve the production of human  vocalizations? The study of neurolinguistic rely on the study of neurology and neurophysiology, and in these fields, all parts of the nervous system, each having different functions in generating language, are discovered. Theories are found based on lots of experiments concerning the removals of different sections of the brain. The destruction of different language areas destroys language distinguishingly. 1. 3. 3 Historical linguistics Historical linguistics definitely is not concerned with the history of linguistics, though historical linguistics has played an important role in the development of linguistics. It is the main kind of linguistics practiced in the 19th century (Campbell, 1998, p. 5). Historical linguistics concerns the investigation and description of how languages change or maintain their structure in the course of time. Language change can be easily proved by documents written in the same language but at different periods of history. The differences of wording and structure of sentences can reflect the historical development of language. From series of datable documents, Lord’s Prayer widely recorded the history of mankind, and different versions help us analyze the language of each period (Bynon, 1978, p. 7). Meanwhile we can also discover that certain structure rules are still used in current language. There are some constructs and rule that link the grammars of two different but related languages, which descend from a single original language, sharing a common ancestor. More accurately, historical linguistics deals with the kinds of changes, and the techniques and methods we have use to discover history, rather than the origin of words themselves (Campbell, 1998, p. 5). 1. 3. 4 Anthropological linguistics Anthropological linguistic is the study of relations between language and culture. It is related to human biology, cognition and language. It belongs to the field of linguistic anthropology, which is a branch of anthropology that studies human-beings through the language they use(Wikipedia, 2007, para. 1). Some Linguists who explore theanthropological linguistics consider these topics such as chimpanzee communication, pidgins and creoles, structural linguistics,total languages, whorf hypothesis, etc. 1. 3. 5 Pragmatics According to Kate (2000), pragmatics is one of the two main fields in the study of linguistic meaning. Pragmatics deals with natural language, while language is always used in context for an intended purpose. The listeners must try to grasp the meaning implied, enrich the ideas, and finally make out the opinion that what the speakers meant when talking about a particular expression (Kate, 2000). According to Yule (1996), ‘pragmatics studies the context in which the utterance is produced as well as the intention of language user. ’ That means pragmatic meaning depends on context or situation. Without context, meanings can be vague and may be misunderstood by people. Two of the branches are: speech acts that cover ‘requesting’, ‘commanding’, ‘questioning’ and ‘informing’, and politeness that shows the awareness of another person’s face. In short, sociolinguistics is the analysis of interrelationship of language and society. Neurolinguistics is the study of the brain and how it functions in language. Historical linguistics is the consideration of language change and how different languages are related to each other. Anthropological linguistics is the study of language and culture. There are some other disciplines in linguistics. Pragmatics deals with the speakers meaning. The five mentioned above are some main disciplines in linguistics. Different disciplines of linguistics enrich the content of linguistic. The study of linguistics tends to be more and more detailed and completed. 1. 4 Language Acquisition This chapter began with a general introduction to language study. It ends with a consideration of the acquisition of language, containing first, second and foreign language, which is affected by the relationship between teacher and learner. Some experienced educators advise that it is only through learning to speak a language that you can fully analyze it (Everett 2001). Acquisition is described as occurring in spontaneous language contexts (Krashen, 1982), is subconscious, and leads to conversational fluency. 1. 4. 1 First language acquisition For a child, learning first language is automatic, not after starting school, not in specific circumstance and not by great efforts (Yule, 2006). It requires only basic physical capability of sending and receiving sounds directly or indirectly, and interaction with others using this language. Children are brought up in particular environments, being affected by different surroundings, especially by those people whom they spend most of their time interacting with. Infants start express themselves through some simple utterance, such as some vowel-like sounds. Children gain increasing abilities at different development stages, from producing single-unit utterance to producing speech by communicating through expressions (Yule, 2006), since they are able to understand what others said. This a big step forward, like quitting toddling and being capable of walking steadily, forwards, or backwards. As children are being increasingly exposed to communication and interaction, their language skills are developing rapidly because of the expansion of vocabulary. They are never forced to speak first language and seldom be corrected by others, but they correct themselves through interactions every day. Then children learn to use verbs in different sentences, and how to use different words to form a sentence (Yule, 2006). They gradually learn to ask questions correctly and how to use the word no in their speeches to express negative meanings. The last stage of first language acquisition is the ability of making meaningful sentence (Yule, 2006). There is massive variation in the rate at which features of ones first language are acquired. 1. 4. 2 Second language acquisition  Being able to speak first language is one of the basic skills of second language acquisition. Except for the minority of people who are bilingual speakers, most of the learners have no access to a second language until our late childhood. Actually most of the Chinese learners are now learning English as a foreign language, because it is immediately back to Chinese speaking time out of the classroom. But later on they may have the chance of learning it as a foreign language in a native speaking environment, during immersion semesters, when they will acquire this second language in circumstances similar to those of Chinese acquisition. There are obviously differences in foreign language achievement, sometimes related to differences in aptitude (Carroll, 1982), sometimes to affective factors (Gardner Lambert, 1972), sometimes to learner strategies (Naiman, Frohlicn, Stern Tedesco, 1978), sometimes to environmental factors such as opportunities for language use or instructional conditions (Long, 1982), and sometimes simply to time (Carroll, 1975). Human beings have the ability to learn more than one language all through ones live. Farwell (1963) (cited in Taylor, 1976) reports that a British explorer in the 19th century claimed to have spoken more than 40 languages and dialects. Usually, however, after the age of 10, the acquisition of second language is very different from the way one acquired his first language, which is relatively slower and cannot achieve native-like proficiency. 1. 4. 3 Educational factors Most of us begin learning second language in teenage years, spending only few hours on it every day and for most of the daily activities we use our mother tongue. Accordingly, we will encounter lots of difficulties in learning second language without enough exposure to it. Therefore, the largely distinguished part of acquiring first and second language should be language teachers. In order to learn a second language, we must learn from a teacher, or at least follow their guidance. The classroom is a very powerful instrument of instruction and it can control language learning in a very direct way (Richard, T. Roger,H. ). As language teachers, we should focus on students requirements and follow learner-centered approaches. We should impart knowledge in a more practical way so the students can receive easily. Keep the class disciplined and orderly so that students can learn most effectively from the lessons. There are often the situations that the students seldom volunteer answers, and the teacher sometimes has to call on someone and wait for a long time before a response is forthcoming. Why not try breaking away from typical Hong Kong classroom practices in class? Like, students do not have to stand up to greet teachers, and they do not have to raise their hands or stand up when they answer questions. In a relaxed classroom atmosphere, students will feel free to interact. They will not fall silent when the teacher enters the room, then stand up and chant a choral greeting. If the pupils are put in this position in the classroom, they can be more effectively kept in their place in social life. During the class, we teachers should never say like this: I am your teacher. By the authority vested in me I have the right to ask you to behave in a certain way, whether you like it or not. And you, in your role have the obligation to obey (Widdowson, H. G. ). Whereas, we should say that in another way: Do this because I am the teacher and I know whats best for you, but not Do this because I am telling you and I am the teacher. This difference has the advantage of largely increasing participation in the use and practice of language. 1. 4. 4 Summary Approaches to the acquisition of language account for different backgrounds of learns first language, and different conditions of exposure. In acquiring language, learners often go through transitional stages of development, which is at distinguished rates. References Cruse, A. (2004). Meaning in language : an introduction to semantics and pragmatics. Oxford, New York, Oxford University Press. Bynon, T. (1983). Historical Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Campbell, L. (1998). Historical Linguistics-An Introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Dechert, H. W. (1990). Current trends in European second language. Great Britain: WBC Print, Bristol. Fabbro, F. (1999). The Neurolinguistics of Bilingualism. Psychology Press Ltd. Fromkin, V. , Rodman, R. , Hyams, N. (2006). An introduction to language (8th ed. ). Boston, MA: Heinle Heinle. Palmer, F. R. (1976). Semantics: a new outline. Cambridge; New York : Cambridge University Press. Geoffrey, F. (2005). Key Concepts In Language And Linguistics. USA: Palgrave Macmillan. Kate, K. (2000). Semantics. Basingstoke, England, Macmillan. Katamba, F. (2006). Morphology. Basingstoke : Macmillan Press. Marie E. John P. (1991). Language and Learning. Melbourne: Oxford University Press O Mally, J. M. , Chamot, A. U. (1990). Learning strategies in second language acquisition. Cambridge University Press. Matthews, P. H. (1997). Oxford Concise Dictionary of Linguistics. Oxford. University Press, USA. Peter, R. (2000). English Phonetics and Phonology. Cambridge University Press. Ronald, W. (2006). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. USA: Blackwell Publishing. Widdowson, H. G. (1990). Aspects of Language Teaching. Oxford University Press. Wikepedia: Sociolinguistics (n. d. ). Retrieved 30 October 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Sociolinguistics Wikepedia: Anthropological linguistics (n. d. ). Retrieved 30 October 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Anthropological_linguistics Yule, G. (2006). The study of language (3rd ed. ). Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press.

The desire for wealth and possessions

The desire for wealth and possessions Materialism in American Society Over the course of the last century America has undergone many societal changes, none of which have had as great an ethical effect as the nations transition towards ever increasing materialism. Materialism, or the desire for wealth and possessions, has faced virulent opposition for thousands of years from both religious institutions and social activists. Throughout time, materialism has been widely slandered not only as spiritually corrupting, but also as a major cause of a multitude of societal ills throughout the world. Although absolute materialism would obviously be awful for all involved, to date materialism has overall been very positive for American society, driving it towards ever-greater productive, intellectual, and ethical heights. First, the most obvious benefit bestowed upon America by materialism is the increased productivity of its people. With the attainment of wealth and possessions as the predominant motivation, it is to be Is American materialism increasing? Is American materialism increasing? To answer this question, we need only look at the current buying trends in present day society. Even a cursory glance at these trends would cause the question to be answered with a resounding YES! The pursuit of the American dream has become rather costly in that it is fraught with a large quantity of material possessions. The requirements to â€Å"keep up with the Joneses† are becoming more and more burdensome. Americans are made to feel that they absolutely must have certain things that had not even been invented just a few years ago. The increase in high tech, computerized, and digitized devices in the areas of electronics and household appliances has altered the landscape of the American home and family. What has fostered and fed these new trends? First and foremost, Americans will continue to subscribe to the pursuit of material goods, especially high tech devices for two basic reasons: the need for comfort and the need for entertainment. The deep, sometimes unspoken desire is to be coddled, catered to, and distracted. Embedded in this need for comfort and entertainment is the need for easy, quick access to information and resources. So, along with popping the family dinner into a microwave oven and eating the meal in a room with perfect temperature control, bill paying can be done from the comfort of home without ever writing a check or mailing an envelope. One can simply place his or her laptop on their laps from the comfort of any room in the house (thanks to a home-based wireless network), type in a few digits and press â€Å"go.† Any topic may be researched from the limitless stores along the information highway from how to treat a skin rash to exploring ancient religion s. Next, a parent can â€Å"talk† back and forth with a son or daughter in college or to an elderly mother halfway across the world. Such things were virtually unheard of many years ago. After the bill paying, research, and e-mailed correspondence, one can relax in the family room and choose from literally hundreds of movies or programs accessed through their cable or satellite TV provider. The picture will be viewed on a screen nearly covering the entire wall while the stereo sounds fill the entire room. These are just a few of the things that have become necessities, along with video games, luxury cars, summer homes, boats, designer clothing, and disposable contact lenses. These are the â€Å"must haves† of the American dream. Families, couples, and individuals expend hours, days, and years of their lives to obtain these things so that they may feel that they have â€Å"arrived† and so that they may be comfortable. This increase in American materialism, unfortunately, exists along with other less fashionable increases; teen suicide, depression, divorce, the disintegration of the family, bankruptcy, and despair. It does not appear that those living by the law of materialism are necessarily happy or fulfilled. The increase in the pursuit of things is evident; satisfaction from possessing these things is suspect and spurious. Jesus declared in John 10:10b, â€Å"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.† He also asked the rhetorical question, â€Å"Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?† (Matthew 6:25b). While Americans continue to search and work for the â€Å"full life† it is urgent that they also discover the real source of full life. Materialism And Consumerism In The 1920s A crucial transformation to the structure of American culture during the 1920s was the rise of consumerism and materialism. As the country experienced an extraordinary economic boom, the outlook of America shifted. People began receiving higher wages, and there was a sudden increase of spending on discretionary goods which advertisements claimed people could not live without. The progress of the automobile industry, radio and motion picture production, and advanced technologies made it possible for this great escalation of the economy. There were many notable critics of the decade that made their opinions known in various ways. One such critic was F. Scott Fitzgerald, who wrote the novel The Great Gatsby. In this novel, he is critical of the 1920s as the obsession of consumerism and materialism flourish throughout the United States. Fitzgerald feels that it is this mindset that ultimately leads to the tragedies and miseries at the end of the novel, as well as at the foreseen end of t he 1920s. The Great Gatsby portrays an image of abundant leisure and excess, which parallels similar ideas with those of the 1920s. To illustrate this, Nick Carraway, the storys narrator, compares his â€Å"eye-sore† of a house with the man In addition to Jay Gatsby, materialistic and consumerist elements are also present in other characters in the novel. Daisy Buchannan becomes conscious of the fact that her husband Tom is cheating on her, yet she does nothing about it. It can be argued that she doesnt confront him, or threaten to leave him because Tom has all the money that she could ever need. That is what truly matters to Daisy and what will always make her happy, not honesty and commitment, but financial benefits. Also all the people in attendance at Gatsbys parties are guilty. They have no problem showing up at his home to party, drink, and dance all night long, but when it came to his funeral, â€Å"the minister glanced several times at his watch so I took him aside and asked him to wait for half an hour. But it wasnt any use. Nobody came† (p. 182). This shows that all those materialistic party-goers werent really friends of Gatsby, but just there to use him for his wealth with no common courtesy for him. Another character in the novel, Jordan Baker, seems to be rather superficial in her outlook on life. She appears to lie her way out of bad situations she may get herself in, and her lack of honesty and careless attitude are some of the factors that turn Nick away. Nick says â€Å"she wasnt able to endure being at a disadvantage† (p. 63). Another character, Meyer Wolfshiem, Gatsbys business associate, apparently had been the man responsible for fixing the 1919 World Series. It is fitting that Fitzgerald included a Wolfshiem type of character in his novel, for the fixing of the World Series mirrored the idea that money could buy any American utterly anything, even love and happiness. As Americans continued to gain material prosperity, in return, they began to lack spiritual wealth and strong religious faith. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald depicts a world in which value systems have been distorted and religion faded. It illustrates a nation that gets too caught up in the moment to reali 1. The theory or attitude that physical well-being and worldly possessions constitute the greatest good and highest value in life. Advertising generates new needs and establishes brand loyalties. Ads alert people to both new products and new versions of old ones. Consumption today is not only about keeping up with the Joneses. The labels you wear, the food you eat, the restaurants you frequent, the haircut you flaunt, where you go on holiday, even your spiritual cravings are social symbols. What is happening to the average man, the man who is caught in the web of a consumerist and materialistic culture with all the temptations it offers him? The general scenario is one of utter helplessness and nobody seems to have any control over his future. Added to this is the acquisitive tendency of those who are tempted to go for all kinds of things the market offers. A kind of insatiable greed seems to have taken control of all of us and no effort is being made anywhere to limit ones wants. And this has become a global phenomenon and no country seems to be free from it. Thus the average man finds himself to be tr! In conclusion, most advertisements do not tell the whole story. They neglect to tell you the problems that their car can cause the environment. In most of these cases the advertising agency attempts to gain your interest through certain aesthetics in the ad. I chose to show a car ad because they have so many components that directly effect society and the environment in a harmful way. Because car ads like to show you what the ideal car (without pollution) would be like, society needs to simply keep in mind that what you see is NOT always what you get. Carbon dioxide is another gas released through exhaust emissions. It isnt dangerous directly to humans, but it is considered to be a â€Å"green house gas.† A â€Å"greenhouse gas† is a gas that is associated with global warming. Global warming is the gradual increase of temperature due to human activity. Certain gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and ozone allow radiation from the sun to break through the atmosphere and go to the earths surface. Global warming affects all living things on the entire planet.1 In a few ads, like the Outback commercials, you see the car in the wilderness with green lively trees and wild life flourishing. A true, maybe exaggerated, depiction would be animals suffering from car pollution and the sky covered by smog. One of the most important things that is neglected is the fact that, there may not be a hugely visible affect of pollution where you are but in other parts of the world there is plenty; in other words, we have only one Eart h. The fact that most of society does not care enough about the environment to take a bus, or carpool to minimize the amount of hydrocarbons in the air, only encourages manufacturers. Sure society can say that in a few years we wont have to worry about these emissions and there is nothing to worry about now. That sounds great, except following the trend of the human race thus far, we have only created more harmful and destructive things such as the atom bomb and biological warfare. The thing to keep in mind is that the things that affect the environment now may be gone in a few years, but who is to say there will not be something even worse Materialism: As Seen Through Four Different Authors As defined materialism refers to the theory that physical matter is the only reality and that everything, including thought, feeling, mind, and will, can be explained in terms of matter and physical phenomena. Although it is far too easy to merely look up the definitions of materialism understanding the concept is rather difficult. To help with the comprehension of materialism we take a look at four renowned authors who are tied to the idea of materialism. These four men are Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Morton Fried, and Marvin Harris. First we take a look at Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles, who collaborated to produce Feuerbach: Opposition of the Materialist and Idealist Outlook. Both Marx and Engles were idealist in every sense, they grasp on reality was far reaching. Although they were both idealists, Engles believed that ideas where what shaped people, and that if a person where to think like a wealthy land owner they would indeed start feeling like a wealthy land owner. Marx on the other hand had a more sensible approach he felt that means of production were what drove society not ideas. The things in particular that drove society were not only basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and protection, but also, money, need for material things, division of labor, exchange, and ownership. Ownership is a concept that ties in with materialism, ownership as presented in the article has various forms. The first form of ownership is tribal ownership which is limited to within the family. This is followed by state o wnership which is where there is a collaboration of many tribes which have the power to control the workers only under their state ownership. Finally, there is estate property which gave rise to the concept of princes and peasants. As we can already see these different Materialism I can get no satisfaction There is something perverse about more than enough. When we have more, it is never enough. It is always somewhere out there, just out of reach. The more we acquire, the more elusive enough becomes. -Unknown. Materialism is todays religion. We always value ourselves by what we wear, what we drive or how much we can spend. Brands are taking over the world very fast and today a 3 year old child is more likely to recognize and remember McDonalds than to know his last name. (Lynas, 2007) As the quantity and variety of brands and products grow, so does our need to have it all, apparently we can get no satisfaction. But what is materialism and why is it spreading so quickly around the world? The two most important definitions of materialism include those of Belk (1984,1985) and Richins and Dawson (1992). Belk describes materialism as â€Å"believing the acquisition and possession of thing is the ultimate source of happiness†. Richins and Dawson define materialism as a â€Å"set of centrally held beliefs about the importance of possessions in ones life.† The people who follow this trend are the perfect consumers, willing to buy anything the industry convinces will make them feel better. They are easy prey for advertisement and follow it without further thinking. When buying they are low involved and not pay attention to the product characteristics. But why do people focus so much on their possessions and turn into materialists? Researchers have found that family communication is a decisive factor when determining if a person will become materialistic or not. Families where parents do not fulfill the childrens needs, adolescents who do not have good communication with their parents and who make social Ethics Of Materialism Repercussions of Materialism Materialism and the want of consumer goods, has proved to be a prevalent force in the last century. When superficially thinking about materialism, one would not immediately register that there is a relationship between materialism and ethics; although, under examination, we can see that there is indeed a great association between the two. Are materialism and the obsessive consumer culture we have made for ourselves ethical? Peoples opinion on this question can be polar opposites. Some people believe that materialism has great benefits for the technological and economic growth, while others argue that materialism strips people of their individuality and creates unethical division between the rich and the poor. Its very easy to understand why someone would chose to live a life full of materialism as there is a lot of luxuries, lavishes and comfort. However, looking at it deeper, consumers have now become victims of this never ending cycle of materialism where they always want the newes t and latest goods. Also, people who cannot afford to pay for these products try and find illegal and immoral ways to gain wealth so they can be accepted in society. So, although materialism promotes technology and modernity, excessive amounts of it creates a division between social classes, which causes poor people to act unethically in order to live up to the materialistic standards society has created. The goal of a materialistic life style is to be on the top of the social hierarchy, to be recognized as the most powerful and to be able to flaunt the greatest amount of luxuries. Without consciously realizing it most of us judge others on their status and position in society. This means, that we are internally programmed to look at people based on the amount of materialistic goods they have. This is one of the main reasons why people who can not afford to live up to the materialistic standards set by the privileged, have to resort to unethical means American Materialism Materialism in American Society Over the course of the last century America has undergone many societal changes, none of which have had as great an ethical effect as the nations transition towards ever increasing materialism. Materialism, or the desire for wealth and possessions, has faced virulent opposition for thousands of years from both religious institutions and social activists. Throughout time, materialism has been widely slandered not only as spiritually corrupting, but also as a major cause of a multitude of societal ills throughout the world. Although absolute materialism would obviously be awful for all involved, to date materialism has overall been very positive for American society, driving it towards ever-greater productive, intellectual, and ethical heights. First, the most obvious benefit bestowed upon America by materialism is the increased productivity of its people. With the attainment of wealth and possessions as the predominant motivation, it is to be expected that the majority of Americans go to great lengths to attain material success. Even with such a relatively short lifetime as a nation, Americas capitalist beliefs have catapulted it to the forefront of the world as the only true modern superpower. One of the most significant factors contributing to Americas dramatic rise in power is the capitalistic drive for success and achievement, a love for material possessions that has manifested itself in the typically American value of hard work, both in ones profession and in school. Since education and socioeconomic position are closely correlated, it is not surprising that America is the worldwide leader in higher education. Not only does America produce great thinkers, but it also attracts the best and the brightest of other countries, people who are drawn to Americas freedom of thought and the material possibilities that abound. So many great minds have made America a land of unprecedented innovation. The copious amounts of money Materialism Materialism: Can it make you Happy? Can Greed and Materialism lead to true happiness? â€Å"Greed is good. Greed is right. Greed works and greed will save the USA.† (Wall Street) â€Å"Cause we are living in a material world and I am a material girl† a theme in one of Madonnas most famous songs. Greed and materialism stand in apposition to any manifestation of true happiness. People are under a false perception that money will solve all of their problems and as a result bring them their utmost joy and happiness. Many psychologists, philosophers, and religious figures throughout the ages have refuted this assertion. People in American society take money very seriously because it can either make or break your life choices. In order to fit in todays society Americans feel the need to obtain material assets so that they are looked upon as being â€Å"in style† or being economically sufficient. Money and greed is the main factors that cause people to be in debt. People today work hard to obtain wealth and success not so that they can be happy but just because they want to â€Å"keep up with the Jones†. Money can only make you happy temporally because if you are working hard just so that you can buy material things you really are not going to enjoy them because all o f your time and energy is put into maintaining your material wealth by working extra hard. It is Normal to think that money is not everything in life, although in the world we live in your not going to accomplish anything or get anywhere or even live a life that is considered normal to the world without money. Even though you cannot buy love or happiness you are very unlikely to find either if your living under a bridge. We rely on money, if all the money in the world disappeared tomorrow the world, as we know it would collapse. Everything is connected to money in some way. Everything essentially has a price tag on it if your pocket is fat enough. This is what makes money extremely appealing. But money shouldnt be the Materialism Is The Root Of All Evil There is an old adage which says, â€Å"The root of all evil is money.† This, however, is not true in America. In America, money is not the problem, the love of money, or materialism, is the problem. Materialism is at the core of our American dream. We grow up learning that success is rooted in material wealth and power. We live in a country where material things mean more to the general populous than a good education, where material things dictate the amount of money we spend, and where material things motivate our lives in most every way; something needs to change. Realizing that we are corrupted by materialism is not difficult. What is difficult, however, is finding a solution to the problem. Habits recognizes the difficulty by saying, â€Å"And since we have believed in that dream for a long time and worked very hard to make it come true, it is hard for us to give it up, even though it contradicts another dream that we have- that of living in a society that would really be worth living in.† (Bella, et. Al. 285) Materialism is closely tied to our individualism. We are taught to pursue our materialistic American dream, to get ahead in life, to be somebody, to pursue our own happiness. Even our own Declaration of Independence assumes we are individuals first and for most: â€Å"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. . .† For Americans to be primarily self-reliant and selfish is not surprising. Americans only do what is beneficial to themselves, if it helps someone along the way, then thats great, but helping people is not their initial motive. In order to have the necessary balance between individualism and community, we must be willing to give and then, only after giving, take what has been given to us. If we learn to give, and then take what has been given to us, we Materialism In the oxford English dictionary materialism is described as a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values. This theory is far more than a simple focus on material possessions. It states that everything in the universe is matter, without any true spiritual or intellectual existence. We live in a world surrounded by and composed of matter. It is natural; therefore, that we may become distracted from spiritual or intellectual pursuits by material possessions, but this is frequently where problems occur. We can become obsessed by a desire to obtain them, or simply frustrated by the need to maintain them. In a short play called Rodeo written by Jane Martin, a young girl name Lurlene, becomes unsuitable for the rodeo because she doesnt dress like a showgirl and wear material clothes (Martin 9). In an essay called Super-Size It written by Lisa Colletti, consumer commodity and must need material possessions are major concerns in the daily lives of Americans. Money is a valuable thing and wasting it on unnecessary items is a sin. Contrary to popular belief, Americans spend on average $3500.00 a year on unnecessary products such as a new iPod, a flat screen TV, a computer, clothes, dining out or a vacation. Nowadays, new products advertised on TV make the people watching it feel as if they need to buy that item. This is the problem with Americans; we buy what we dont need just so we can say I have that! And show off to our friends. We spend money we dont have just to be up to date with the latest fashion trends. Its unethical what this world is coming to, what happened to the days were people watched every penny they made and only bought necessary items. Stores that have been in business for decades are being remodeled by new management in order to lour in customers. In the same fashion, Lurlene from the story Rodeo is kicked to the curb by new management because she is not up to date with the new fashion True Materialism It is human nature for people to desire material possessions. Our material yearnings are an attempt to satisfy are need to special and wanted. In a world where most of society defines â€Å"socially acceptable† as the material possessions one owns such as, the latest clothing, the biggest house, or the fastest car one comes to believe that you need all of these things to be viewed as a part of society. For many, work has taken over community life and has had a major effect on happiness. Advertising has also become a primary determinant of our satisfaction, and is only a small part of a larger materialistic culture in which we are not only enticed customers but also prominent consumers. We have been beguiled into believing that material possessions will bring satisfaction and happiness. We imagine ourselves as being more than we are and in this we see how powerful images are. As a teenager I have fallen victim to the web of deceit and lies that has been spun by the stereotypical belief that we need to buy the latest fashion or the best technological devices. I put a lot of effort in my appearance and my material possessions. I watch and look at the advertisements and the images presented within them wishing that I had, or could afford what they are selling. I have come to realize that I am a very materialistic person and that I buy expensive phones, cars and clothing in order to appear better than others who do not have what I have. For instance, I wanted a new cell phone that cost well over four-hundred dollars. So I got a second job just to afford it. Another instance was when I bought my new car. It is a 2006 Phantom. I now have three jobs just to afford the car note, insurance, gas, and general up-keep of the car. This only goes to show that I have become so enamored with the desire for material possessions that I will go to unearthly lengths to obtai n them. Some of the possessions I have show me for what I want to be, but not for who I really am. My cell phone, Has America known its finest hour? Are we losing our religion and sanity as well? What is wrong with our society anyway? These are baffling questions that are frequently being asked by more and more people, even the media. From environmental pollution to spiritual pollution, from artificial food to artificial joy these are the side effects of the pursuit of materialism (a by-product of the American Dream, as we know it). Today, everything is fair game in the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain and personal responsibility, not to mention the absence of morality and a wholesome values system. Is America at risk of reaching a point of no return, or worse becoming a third world nation? According to universal laws, its all a simple matter of cause and effect or as its been said â€Å"as you sow so shall you reap.† What we are witnessing is the powerful consequences of these laws from which no one is exempt. We live in a time characterized by a modern battle between good and evil which can be defined as limited awareness (the norm) and integrity and enlightenment (which are the exception). Its a time when chaos and anarchy are the order of the day. While technologically we may live in a space age, morally we are still living in the stone age as reflected in our social ills, the failure of our systems and institutions and the growing conflicts both domestically and internationally. One of the greatest human tragedies is not the lack of resources and/or control over our own circumstances, but rather the lack of awareness. Whether we realize it or not, the current climate of insanity, including terrorism, is a reflection of a moral and spiritual crisis. Its indicative of our denial of our own spiritual roots and the perception that we are separated, which eventually leads to conflicts and even wars. An engineer can look at the foundation of a building under construction and tell you its eventual height and even fate of a structure. Similarly, a society is as strong and free as the pillars of the spirit upon which its built. Spiritual roots are the foundation upon which total prosperity and peace and harmony are built. When we reject concepts of spirituality, integrity and morality we also deny the greatest part of our existence (our spirit) which enables us to prosper and experience a fuller life of meaning, purpose, real joy, fulfillment and peace (inner and outer). By so doing, we also deny our access to the ultimate real and positive power, the ever-present force (God) that builds and doesnt destroy. Thats because we are spiritual beings experiencing the human experience and not the other way around. As such we were designed and meant to live a life of meaning and purpose through spirit and integrity beyond the narrow boundaries of the material world. In a materialistic-driven society where vanity, not virtue, is worshipped, all the things we used to hold dear like, religion, marriage, family, loyalty, faithfulness, hard work, and being of service to the community are no longer sacred. Instead consumerism, in the spirit of â€Å"He with the most toys lives,† rather then â€Å"He with the most joys lives,† is promoted and driven by profit and greed to the point that even a holiday like Christmas is now more of a marketing concept and devoid of any real meaning. The media, especially Hollywood, is also at fault. Rather than celebrating excellence and the human spirit, by promoting positive concepts such as personal responsibility, making a difference, tolerance, kindness, giving and sensitivity to the human condition, the media produces shows and movies that celebrate human weakness, vanity and perversion. These productions promote social ills such as anti-social behavior, excessive self-indulgence and entitlement, instant gratification, greed, corruption, compromised integrity and obsession with external, shallow values, including the obsession with fame, fortune, and youth. This has led to a significant increase in substance abuse, senseless violence in our schools, and increased teen suicide. You can blame it all on the pursuit of the American Dream, as we know it, which is an illusion based on a materialistic values system characterized by corruption, greed, compromised integrity and the erosion of morality whereby the love of power overcomes the power of love. It certainly does not represent the true spirit of America, which was based on perspiration, innovation, risk and reward and where the focus used to be on a strong work ethic, high integrity, family and community. All of which created a nation of producers with an enviable prosperity that created real joy and fulfillment. Its obvious that America has gone off track and is in desperate need for healing and revival if we are to maintain a free and thriving nation, not to mention our leadership in the international arena. The solution to restoring our spirits and our economy is through increased awareness and by reconnecting with our spiritual roots. Awareness can be used as a useful tool to better understand the unity of life, our place in the universe and ourselves. By understanding ourselves better, we come to understand God as the