Janis Joplin Essay

Perhaps Ralph Waldo Emerson was right and may as well have referred to Janis Joplin as he was saying this quotation had he lived during Joplin’s time. With her death at a young age of 27, it had been a short-lived life the musical genius Janis Joplin had. We may not know whether or not her cousins can tell nothing about her but her life deserves to be relived and I am here to write about it. A look into the context in which she lived will help give a better understanding of how the course of her life was influenced and came to be the way it was. Janis Joplin is one of the most prominent individuals in the 1960s, an era considered to be a revolution of sorts. Beginnings On the morning of January 19, 1943, Janis Lyn was born to be the eldest child of Seth and Dorothy Joplin. It was years later that she would have younger siblings Michael and Laura making them a middle-class family composing of five members. Growing up in an industrial town called Port Arthur in Texas crowded with oil refineries, chemical plants, factories, and rows of oil-storage tanks with fumes hanging in the air, it wasn’t the best place to satisfy the brilliant and inquisitive little Janis as there wasn’t much room for activities and recreations. Although that was the case, she did well in school, having a great interest and aptitude for reading and painting. As a child, she already had a reputation for singing as one of the soloists in their church choir. According to one of her friends, she had been popular in Port Arthur as a talented and cute little girl. Janis considered her childhood as relatively pleasant. It was only at the age of fourteen, as confessed in many of her various interviews, that she felt like the world turned on her. That was the time she gained weight and had acne problems, problems which meant most than anything for teenagers. The eventual lost of her looks coincided badly with her entry to the highschool world where the popular girls were the ones with good looks and Janis just fell behind (Echols, 2000). While at the Thomas Jefferson highschool, Janis took rejection by heart (Amburn, 1993). Used to having attention on her, she started acting out and whilst she began to receive attention, she even emphasized her being different. She was determined to keep the attention on her even if it was a negative one. She became a beatnik girl who would flaunt her eccentric clothes ranging from above-the-knee skirts, black or purple tights coupled with liking unconventional and ‘different’ liberal arts and music. As Echols put it, â€Å"she was bent on becoming an eyesore, an affront to everything the townspeople believed in. Indeed, Janis was eager to defy as many social conventions as she could. This made her parents unhappy- â€Å"she just changed totally, overnight† quoting her mother Dorothy. As an underage girl, her defiant attitude was too much that one incident happened involving the police after she took a ride with her male friends who were overage. This made her even more the topic of talks and gossips around their Pleasantville of a town. She was much into music and drinking, acting as if these two things are wedded. And this always gets her into trouble. She was often sent to the counselor’s office for misbehavior and drinking (Echols, 2000). Her parents were baffled and felt helpless. Joplin’s rebellious proclivity was unwavering, she just wanted to be different and be free to express herself. Little did they know that Janis’ rebellious actions symbolize the beginning of an inevitable social revolution and an â€Å"emerging generation gap† that was about to come(Echols, 2000). The fact was: it wasn’t just Joplin; it was going to be a collective movement. The Sixties was well on its way. The Sixties†, as it is often used in popular culture by some journalists, historians and other academes, has seen many varied influential and transforming trends in culture and ideologies which can be described as nothing less than exciting, powerful, radical and even rebellious. It was a time when people are trying to break free from the rigid and conformist social norms and social constraints in search for individual freedom (Booker, 1970). It could be said that this period of history has a great impact on Janis Joplin and further influenced not only her genius but how her entire life turned out. Musical Inclination Music would eventually become a passion for Joplin. Aside from singing in their local church choir, Janis developed her musical interest further after befriending a group of outsiders as a teenager. She and this gang would listen and idolize African-American Blues artists such as Leadbelly whose album was the first she claimed she ever purchased (Echols, 2000). During highschool she continued listening to blues music and listened to other blues artists like Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton and Odetta. And even later on, she will begin singing blues and folks songs together with some friends, imitating the artists’ husky yet soulful voices. Amburn, 1993). She always had a gut feel about her singing ability but it wasn’t until she imitated Odetta and performed one of her songs which stunned her friends that she she confirmed, she indeed â€Å"has a voice. † Her early efforts included playing in coffee houses in their small town. Talent, Notoriety and Fame In 1963, she left for San Francisco and found herself residing in North Beach. She also ventured to other places like Venice, the Village, New York and Haight-Ashbury acquiring further experiences and experimenting on her music and creativity. It wasn’t just a year ago that she started taping her first song at a friend’s house and a year after she would record more songs with her friends Jorma Kaukonen and Martha Kaukonen providing her accompaniments. An album called Typewriter tape will be released containing seven tracks including â€Å"Long Black Train Blues,† â€Å"Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,† â€Å"Typewriter Talk,† Kansas City Blues,† â€Å"Trouble In Mind,† â€Å" Hesitation Blues,† and â€Å"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy† . As the Sixties progress, various movements are emerging from the left and right. The counterculture and social revolution was spreading. A popular term emerged as the hippies, a youth movement characterized strongly by a shift towards a more liberated society. It includes the questioning groups created a movement toward liberation in society, including sexual revolution, questioning of authority and government, fighting for the freedom and rights of the marginalized groups including Negroes, women, homosexuals, and minorities. The use of marijuana, heroine, LSD and various others drugs and listening to psychedelic music were also rampant. Janis would not be left behind and took part in these movements. Joplin’s waywardness continued well into those years. Around that time, she increased her drug use and took on a reputation as a frequent heroine user and a thrill-freak (Amburn, 1993). She was also heavy on alcohol and other intoxicants and even engaged in sexual high. In 1965, she was described as skeletal, even emaciated due to the effects of her amphetamine use (Amburn, 1993). For some time, she was convinced by her friends to become sober and to refrain from drug use. An old friend and then manager Chet Helms of a group called Big Brother was attracted by Joplin’s bluesy voice. On June 4, 1966, Joplin officially joined the band. Their first public performance was in San Francisco at the Avalon Ballroom. Her drug use was kept at bay with the help of her friends who she lived within a communal apartment (Friedman, 1992). They signed a deal with Mainstream Records on the 23rd of August of 1966. A year after, the band released their debut album by Columbia Records. Joplin and her band gradually gained fame after several follow-up performances including those in Monterey Pop Festival, appearances in television such as The Dick Cavett Show. She received positive reviews from various magazines labelling her as a powerful singer and a staggering woman of rock and roll. Eventually, she would leave the Big Brother band and went for a solo career and would later form a band called the Kozmic Blues and another group, which she would call her as her own called the Full Tilt Boogie Band. After breaking up again with the band, she recorded several songs which would be released after her death and would become the highest-selling album of her career. It included the best hit single †Me and Bobby McGee†, a cover of Kris Kristofferson’s who had been her ex-lover. Janis Joplin died on October 4, 1970 at the age of 27 years. Legacy Janis Joplin can be considered as the Queen of Rock and Roll in the late 1960s. She was a music icon which would influence the music scene in the years to come. She was an established female star who had success in a male-dominant music scene. Fans and musical experts alike would consider her songs as immortal and contiunes to influence modern day music and artists. She also made contributions to the fashion industry. The way she dressed herself had been another avenue for her self-expression. In interview after interviews, she would update the media of her latest fashion statement from her clothes, to her hair styles, hair accessories, body decorations, and body accessories. She would also affect the movie industry influencing and inspiring movie directors, actors and actresses such as Better Midler especially in the 1979 film entitled The Rose which would garner her an academy nomination for her performance as Janis Joplin. Other films were also produced based on her life including Gospel According to Janis. A musical play was composed in the 1990s, which will then win a praise and be lauded together with the outstanding performances of the artists who would play Janis. She would also receive posthumous awards including the Grammy Lifetime Achievment and the induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In the arts, some of her personal artifacts including the Porsche she owned were displayed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Musuem Exhibition which will serve as a testimony to the psychedelic era dubbed as â€Å"The Summer of Love- Art of the Psychedelic Era†. This made people reminisce to that nostalgic and definitely not-forgotten era of the human history. Truly, Janis Joplin was a genius not only of her time but her genius continues to live and influence various industried today.

Essay Sample on Corporate Social Responsibility Pros and Cons

Essay Sample on Corporate Social Responsibility Pros and Cons Definition of Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility is internal to an organization; it dictates the manner in which it has to plan about the courses of action it has to carry out with respect to the society. This term basically deals with the organizations set of operations that it carries out for the welfare of the society while existing within itself. It helps the humanity in more than one ways, to train and educate them and to ponder upon issues, which can really change the fate of coming civilizations. It all comes under this heading of Corporate Social Responsibility. [Dave, Responsibilities Under Spotlight, The Evening Standard, 1997] Role Played by Government and Citizens in CSR The Government must play its role in harnessing the skills attached with the corporate sector in finding out the better means in which it can benefit the society. For that certain loans and grants can also be fixed for a certain company depending on its market level in the business world. Extensive research has found that corporate responsibility is becoming an essential part of any companys day-to-day undertakings. Thus, the responsibility played by the Government as well as the citizens in this regard should be quite eloquent and expressive. Their voice is given due value by the company and it does just about everything to get more and more customers and consumers which in turn excites it to search for better means to get the very same people. This, in turn, enthuses the company to sponsor big events and sports galas, competitions as well as come towards social welfare works, which really benefits the society in more than one ways. Mr. Higgins, who completed a research on the local community, was not that enthusiastic about the role played by these companies in the social sector. People, according to him, were of the view that these companies filled in social responsibilities to a certain limit and not beyond that extent where other large organizations jumped in and took the lead. For the small business owner, CSR means a different thing altogether. He sees it in a different attitude encompassing his own business and its responsibilities fulfilled for the betterment of the society or let alone none at all. [Dave, Responsibilities Under Spotlight, The Evening Standard, 1997] Pros and Cons of Corporate Social Responsibility The Advantages Corporate Social Responsibility helps as a survival agent for any business in the new atmosphere of economy. By that it means whenever the economical climate changes, it favors the CSR that has been initiated by a business with respect to its role in fulfillment of the social responsibilities. This can be regarded as an advantage of CSR whereby the business gets a slight edge as opposed to the other ones in the corporate world who havent actually started with the idea of investing with consideration to the society in the forms of different sponsors, helping of non-Governmental organizations and the like. The Disadvantages The major disadvantage that CSR possesses within its fold is that it doesnt have any profits in the short-term duration but hope can certainly be placed on the longer ones. This can be regarded as a short-term con, which can banish with the changing times of the business situation. [Leadbeater, New Statesman, 1996] Application of CSR to Business and the Community Corporate Social Responsibility can be applied to a business in a very innovative way. The company can invest in the social arena with much return in mind, not in the short-term but of course in the long run. Such is the example of Shell, which has introduced education programs for children all over the globe thus acting as a consumer-friendly company. People in return like to buy products of Shell because it gives them the pleasure that some proportion of the money earned by Shell would be spent on its different social and literary programs. [Cowe, Consumer Pressure Is Not Enough (Corporate Social Responsibility), 2000] Culturally, CSR can prove to be a very vital agent which can really highlight the problem areas of different people within a particular society and then go about correcting and reforming them in the best manner possible with the aid of funds and grants. This is the basic way in which CSR has been acting to do something for the sake of community welfare. The companies from the economic aspects can earn a due share with arranging all sorts of cultural activities in the name of charity that will benefit their cause and help the poor and needy. Tesco, which is a supermarket franchise, has been involved in Corporate Social Commitment ever since 1988. It formed a new team that had the mission of raising about 2 million pounds for Macmillan nurses, which was termed as the charity of that particular year. Thus, Tesco did its part in the field of community for the people and the Macmillan nurses in specific. Same is the case with Diageo, which is an international consumer goods company that highlights on the responsibilities of the corporate citizenship in its code of conduct. This policy encourages the community welfare work to its fullest from the companys side. It has set up different programs in this very respect, one such of them is the Skills for Life program that gives the people a chance to come and discover their secret talent, attain new skills and know about themselves. Their Bartender project helps provide training and job experience for unemployed young men in Brazil. This is all community welfare work on the part of Diageo. [Cowe, Consumer Pressure Is Not Enough (Corporate Social Responsibility), 2000] Main Input: Corporal and Social Behavior Together Corporal behavior is one, which has taken its base from the dealings of the business world. As such it has no direct or indirect contact with the social norms of human life but when we talk about Corporate Social Responsibility, this mixture of both these behaviors comes in the frame. When the corporal mannerisms interact with the society and its different manners and ways whereby it helps the society in various means, call it culturally or from the community point of view then this merger comes into reckoning. The society gains quite a bit from the corporal interaction and thus gives back much in return as well. Its sort of a symbiotic relationship between the two where each benefits the other one. The business company, by helping the society in terms of different reforms and programs, gains a lot for the companys overall standing between its competitors and all. The society, on the other hand, gets to make quite a lot as the business entity restructures the different people who are either illiterate or need help or are in distress. [Dave, Responsibilities Under Spotlight, The Evening Standard, 1997] Controversies about Corporate Social Responsibility There are obviously many controversies whenever anything is done which involves the business doing something out of its actual set approach. The example here can be given of the company Enron for which the critics had said that considering the personal relationship between the CEO Kenneth Lay and the US President George Bush, the company would be rather listening and applying to Vice President Cheneys energy policy process than any other single interest taking birth from within the company itself. Such kind of controversies can erupt anytime within any company that has set its mission to go about the process of carrying the Corporate Social Responsibility. Much has to be tackled whilst hundreds of obstacles come. CSR movement needs caution while promoting their achievements because there are many critics around who can question the legitimacy of a particular accomplishment and can sabotage it altogether. Learning from CSR CSR can really get the best out of business companies and industries. When they find out that their market is in direct proportion to what they do in the social sector, they invest more and more which ultimately profits the society and the needy in particular. The citizens, no, matter what they feel about the corporal responsibilities they own to the society, must agree in principle that these business companies can really get the best out of themselves and help the society in more than one ways. Their commitment is loyal because this is the golden tenet of business, never to lie with the customer so how can they tell untruths and fool around people with false welfare works and the like. [Dave, Responsibilities Under Spotlight, The Evening Standard, 1997] Application of CSR to Enron Enron was a company that rose from nowhere to being one of the Americas top ten companies in terms of its size and employees. It employed around 21,000 workers in nearly about 40 nations of the world. This companys name is synonymous with the bi-word for corporate irresponsibility. Enron was all at ease with the CSR reporting, environmental and community programs in the society but within years this company came down to its feet. This is the same company that boasted Fortune Magazines Most Innovative Company in America for six successive years. Problems with Enron The company had been estimating itself as a highly profitable one, one that had gained much of the market share. But all this was untrue. This image rapidly changed and saw the company hiding debts of a large sum. They were being concealed so that they didnt show up on the firms account books. The company was also entailed in political lobbying whereby it had a large number of legislators close to the firm in one way or the other. This point should have saved the company from its changing image in the global market but it didnt happen that way. People started inquiring about the degree and appropriateness of such closeness between the business and the politicians. They also asked how the company had resisted the political influence for so long. Also, the firms accountants were found involved in the slicing of Enrons accounts documents. These documents listed a fair scale of involvement. Prevention of Problems for Enron Enron could have prevented these problems much before it actually encountered them. The company should have avoided political lobbying at all costs and should also have invested in the social sector as its primary duty to the society. The top heads of the company were more towards the political framework of the country, which really hampered the progress of Enron as a business unit. People started to question all sorts of claims made by the company that it was the most profitable one. Much was needed to be answered when the accounts documents were found implicated by the accountants of the company. The company, speaking from an ethical point of view, should have concentrated more on the welfare of its workers and the society but its entailment with the politics really ruined its status worldwide and nearly pulled its name out of the top American companies. It ought to have followed the code of ethics that are set to be adhered by every business company. The Government regulation body should have imposed certain restrictions on the companys involvement with the political set up. It could also have made it obligatory for the company to follow the norms like the other business giants do, failing whereby they could be imposed upon certain sanctions legally as well as otherwise. CSR as a Regulation Factor Corporate Social Responsibility can regulate the workings of the company and serve as a welfare organization for the masses of a particular society, thus boosting the market as the competition will increase between the different corporals, which will, in the long-term, only benefit the society. It would also fulfill the role due on the business companies part.

A study on impact of rewards on employee motivation in the telecommunications

A study on impact of rewards on employee motivation in the telecommunications Introduction â€Å"Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.† –Dwight D. Eisenhower Like a little kid being given a chocolate on standing first in his class or a big hug for doing something good like helping someone, or cleaning the place after playing, rewards whether monetary or non-monetary can be significant tools for the motivation of employee and a positive step towards the improvement of his performance an boosting his morale. Jack Zigon (1998) defines rewards as â€Å"something than increases the frequency of an employee action†. It’s a common observation that most of us don’t perform our tasks completely, not because they are difficult but because of low interest or motivation to perform that task. The desire or motivation is necessary for the performance of an activity. Kleinginna and Kleinginna (1981a) defines motivation as, â€Å"internal state or condition that activates behavio r and gives it direction; desire or want that energizes and directs goal-oriented behavior; influence of needs and desires on the intensity and direction of behavior.† Background Gatlin, Rebecca (1997), says that a good and attractive reward program is necessary the employees in order to motivated them otherwise the unmotivated employees will not perform their tasks properly and will ultimately affect the company in a negative way i.e. decrease in profitability. Organization’s performance is dependent on the employees who work for it, so in order to get the better and quality output, rewards contribute a lot in this part, so it is essential for organization’s managers to make effective and attractive reward programs to motivate their employees, Deeprose(1994). Gregory P. Smith, author of book ‘Dynamic Ways to Reward, Energize on the individual level as well as on the group level. In today’s world of competition to deliver best service in order to sa tisfy customers it has become very difficult; in fact organizations take it as a challenge to motivate employees in order to get best output from them. The telecommunication sector of Pakistan plays a powerful role in its economy. Excellent professional services delivered by the employees of the telecom sector of Pakistan can create a positive and everlasting image in the eyes of their customers.

Operations Management wk5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Operations Management wk5 - Assignment Example On the other hand, in the stable workforce strategy, the output is varied by changing the work hours through flexible work arrangements. In the level strategy, a stable workforce which works at a constant output rate is maintained. According to Chase, et al. the â€Å"shortages and surpluses are absorbed by fluctuating inventory levels, order backlogs, and lost sales† (2005). Since production planning strategies involve demand forecasting, production planning and work scheduling, an activity where it can be applicable is in buying groceries. One must have an idea of his needs either for the week or month, depending on how often one goes to the grocery. He has to know his level of consumption of grocery items for a certain period of time to ascertain how many of such items he will buy. My organization is a T-shirt manufacturing firm. The material requirements planning systems (MRPs) are used in our organization. First, we get orders from customers and forward these data to the production department. The production department then comes up with a production schedule to meet delivery requirements. The purchasing department is also furnished a copy of the data on the orders to determine the amount of raw materials to order. The company has a bill of materials on hand which gives information on the amount of materials needed to produce the goods ordered. My company also makes use of an inventory record file which is always kept updated An advantage of the MRP is that the company is able to closely monitor and manage its inventory of raw materials and finished goods. The bill of materials makes it easier to specify the amount of raw materials needed to complete the orders. The major drawback of the MRP is that it requires accurate data. Another disadvantage of the MRP is that it only considers the materials and not the production capacity nor the conditions in the work area. An interesting fact on MRP that can be mentioned is that one is able to

Organizational change part i Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organizational change part i - Essay Example All stakeholders have to be involved in the change process for it to be effective. There are various types of change depending on which part of the organization needs to be changed. The most critical part of organizational change lies with the leaders. An organization’s leaders have to manage the change through planning, assessment and evaluation and have to ensure that every stakeholder in the organization buys in to the ides of change and is involved in it (Cole, Harris & Bernerth, 2006). Despite change being recognized as an inevitable and necessary evil in almost all spheres of life, organizational change poses a lot of challenges to leaders. Effective management of organizational change takes four main steps namely; recognizing the need to have effect the change, planning for the change, training staff with regard to the impending change, and getting support from the employees and other stakeholders during the change process (Cole, Harris & Bernerth, 2006). The first step involves conducting a systematic diagnosis of the organization as it is currently so as to identify the need for initiating change and determine the organization’s ability to manage the change. Planning process involves determining the objectives of the change as well as outlining the procedures to be taken when effecting the change. At the end of the change process, it is necessary to conduct an assessment of the whole process to determine if the objectives were met. Organizational change can be said to be successful if it meets its objectives and the benefits of the change are realized by the management and employees of the organization (Cole, Harris & Bernerth, 2006). Successful change also improves communication among employees and other stakeholders. Health care organizations have also encountered numerous challenges that have often forced them to change in one way or another so as to effectively treat patients (Rashid, 2007). Changes in lifestyles have led to emergence of new diseases while technology has made treatment of some diseases much easier. Healthcare organizations need to adopt technology and also support research so as to discover better ways of fighting diseases. This requires a change of strategy, mission, and mode of operation or human resource. In some cases change may be needed in all aspects of the organization (Rashid, 2007). Readiness for change is one of the issues that change management experts have focused on in the recent few years by recommending strategies that organizations need to take in order to be fully prepared for change. Readiness for change is a very crucial concept in healthcare given the ever changing nature of treatment. Healthcare organizations have to be strategically positioned so as to meet the demands brought about by change (Rashid, 2007). An organization’s readiness for change depends on various factors such as organizational culture, flexibility of the organization’s policies, and the abi lity of leaders to manage changes in the working environment. Managing change in a healthcare facility is not different from other organizations. The leaders have to be very assertive and proactive in steering health organizations in the right direction. This requires constant assessment of the current level of operations in the organization and determining what needs to be done so as to help improve treatment of patients. Departmental heads

Medical school application essay statements Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Medical school application statements - Essay Example My job was to advocate for the organization at government hearings to increase education-related funding for neighborhoods. I also volunteered as an advisor for one of its subgroups, Entre Nuestras Familias, which is geared towards educating high school students in sexual-education and unplanned pregnancy prevention. Finally, my thesis compelled extensive reading research under the supervision of Dr.Ptak of Harvard medical school. It was founded on existing research where I proposed an alternative medication to patients who underwent Mitral valve replacement by inhibiting harmful side effects. By labeling ferromagnetic nano-particles with medication such as anti-coagulants and injecting them in to the blood stream, the drugs can be isolated within the heart by magnetic targeting and drug levels can be maintained at low levels throughout the body.  My volunteer experiences provided me the opportunity to make a difference in a few small communities and hopefully the right direction t o my future as a physician.  And my thesis equipped me with the technical and mental diligence imperative of a medical student. I chose to discuss these elements of my CV because I believe they best demonstrate my zeal for medicine, devotion to help people and dedication to improve

Cultural Imperialism Is A Very Old Phenomenon Media Essay

Cultural Imperialism Is A Very Old Phenomenon Media Essay During the past five hundred years, European countries colonized southern countries in the name of spreading Christian civilization to the primitive people in other parts of the world, as well as securing resources and workers for economic production. As cultural imperialism occurs, it is said to be for the own good of the other, conquered civilization, to spread universal values, rights and standards of development. The United States are currently not the only cultural imperialists, but the spread of American values in the entire world is at the leading edge of a wave of spread of Western goods and consumerist culture. Today, the phenomenon might take a different form, as it is a lot more subtle and less brutal than the European colonization: it is being done in the name of freedom of the market and freedom of expression. There are two sides and two major views on the ongoing process. Some consider the propagation of the American culture as unavoidable and beneficial to the world, for some American cultural imperialism is a threat to other cultures. I will try to review both of them to make a better and more reasonable assumption. People who do not see the hegemony of American culture as a threat, state that through the media, the United States is spreading some universal values and human rights. To some authoritarian countries, it spreads ideas of freedom of expression, democracy, equality, and rights concepts that should be, in some peoples opinion, universal. Universality of some values may be possible human nature is not that different from one culture to another, and many values are shared across cultures. However, the majority of the worlds cultures undervalue women and children in practice if not in ethos. Finally, the majority of the worlds people, regardless of the names given to governmental regimes by those with authority, continue to live without real participatory democracy. American ideals of equality, freedom, and democracy now available in the world may give more freedom to women, children, and to minorities in all cultures, and will promote anti-racist, anti-sexist or anti-authoritarian mess ages and regimes.   Irving Kristol, in The emerging American Imperialism, presents imperialism as an unintended consequence of market expansion rather than a conscious goal: one of these days, the American people are going to awaken to the fact that we have become an imperial nation. But he later argues that it is not something unintentional, but that in fact many nations have facilitated and welcomed American cultural values along with American products and ways of life: it happened because the world wanted it to happen. To him, the American missionaries live in Hollywood, which is different from the Old European imperialism, which was based on bureaucratic colonial governments and resource extraction.   Christopher Dunkley, in American Cultural Imperialism: No Bad Thing says that America provides some of the best available anywhere in the world. One of the reasons that American series are so successful in the world is that thanks to its immigration policies, the US has a population with a mixture of Anglo Saxons, Scandinavians, Asians and so on that provides American broadcasters with a domestic audience which is, to all intents and purposes, international. Please the American audience and you can guarantee you will please the world. Some theories of globalization see, instead of cultural imperialism, the movement of products and ideas from across national and cultural borders in ways that produce real changes in cultures like that of the United States. In 1994, MacQuail wrote in his book Mass Communication Theory that not only was United States influencing other cultures, but other cultures were also influencing the US: While one-way flow may be evident in terms of information flows on an information theory quantitative estimate, the reality is that as media technology and economies become more intertwined, this seemingly one-way flow reverses itself into a two-way flow in which what sells abroad influences what Americans see at home. In that perspective, we can talk about an interpenetration of cultures instead of the invasion of American culture in the world. Language is another consideration when speaking about cultural imperialism. English is indeed the language of business, higher education, diplomacy, the Internet, science, popular music, entertainment and international travel. The importance of learning English is not just a political or economic issue4. Logically and arguably, the world needs to have one kind of universal language at a basic level. Economically, having a central language could prove as a great advantage when companies can use the same computer programs in one language. As of 2006, an estimated 1 billion people speak English  5. There has been a greater desire to learn English since the Internet has made such a big impact on the world. The reality is that language and cultural barriers and misunderstandings can get in the way of effective communication and create complications in the work world. With the aid of having a universal language, work can be done more efficiently, safer, and with fewer complications than when there is the factor of a language barrier. For international companies, which have branches all over the world in hundreds of different countries with different languages, this universal language could mean a whole new level of production and growth, and in essence, raise the standard of living for many. Richard Pells states that the effectiveness of the English language as a mass communicator has been essential to the acceptance of the American culture. Unlike other languages, the simpler structure, grammar, and use of more concise sentences in the English language, are all advantageous for the composers of ad slogans, cartoon captions, newspaper headlines, and movie and TV dialogue. English, Pells says, is thus a language exceptionally well suited to the demands and spread of American mass culture10.   The American cultural imperialism as a threat to other cultures We should not forget that the differences in cultures make the world a rich and diverse place. Every individual of each country should have the right to express his or her own culture. A cultural uniformity would lead to the extinction of cultures and it would definitely represent a great loss.   However, the American culture is intruding on most cultures in the world, in many cases threatening their existence. Superman, Spider-man, and Batman replace local heroes; Pepsi and Coke replace local fruit drinks; and trick or treat begin to replace Dia de los Muertos. Perhaps more insidious, to compete with American cultural imports, local varieties and products begin to mimic American products. All the exportation of goods and information from the United States to the entire planet contributes to the exportation of the American culture.   We know that the United States is the leader in exporting its information. One problem is that the United States sells its information and media products so cheaply that it is impossible for the whole world to compete. The American producers budget to cover their costs within the US market and can consequently sell at unbeatable prices internationally. A consequence is that it is much cheaper to buy, for example, a blockbuster Hollywood movie made in the United States than to make a less expensive local production in another country. As a famous movie director George Lucas says, the United States is a provincial country with a culture that has invaded the world via Hollywood. As long as there has been a talking Hollywood, Hollywood has had a huge impact on the rest of the world. Lucas points out that people in other countries are troubled by what they see as US culture squashing local art and cinema. The motivations behind American cultural imperialism parallel the justifications for U.S. imperialism throughout history: the desire for access to foreign markets and the belief in the superiority of American culture. Though the United States does boast the worlds largest, most powerful economy, no business is completely satisfied with controlling only the American market; American corporations want to control the other 95 percent of the worlds consumers as well. Many industries are incredibly successful in that venture. According to the Guardian, American films accounted for approximately 80 percent of global box office revenue in January 2003. And who can forget good old Micky Ds? With over 30,000 restaurants in over one hundred countries, the ubiquitous golden arches of McDonalds are now, according to Eric Schlossers Fast Food Nation, more widely recognized than the Christian cross. Such American domination inevitably hurts local markets, as the majority of foreign industries are unable to compete with the economic strength of U.S. industry. Because it serves American economic interests, corporations conveniently ignore the detrimental impact of American control of foreign markets. It is easy enough to convince Americans of the superiority of their culture, but how does one convince the rest of the world of the superiority of American culture? The answer is simple: marketing. Whether attempting to sell an item, a brand, or an entire culture, marketers have always been able to successfully associate American products with modernity in the minds of consumers worldwide. While corporations seem to simply sell Nike shoes or Gap jeans (both, ironically, manufactured outside of the United States), they are also selling the image of America as the land of cool. This indissoluble association causes consumers all over the globe to clamor ceaselessly for the same American products. In recent years, American corporations have developed an even more successful global strategy: instead of advertising American conformity with blonde-haired, blue-eyed, stereotypical Americans, they pitch diversity. These campaigns-such as McDonalds new international Im lovin it campaign-work by drawing on the United States history as an ethnically integrated nation composed of essentially every culture in the world. An early example of this global marketing tactic was found in a Coca Cola commercial from 1971 featuring children from many different countries innocently singing, Id like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony/Id like to buy the world a Coke to keep it company. This commercial illustrates an attempt to portray a U.S. goods as a product capable of transcending political, ethnic, religious, social, and economic differences to unite the world (according to the Coca-Cola Company, we can achieve world peace through consumerism). Today, the spread of American culture goes through every communication medium: 90% of the information available on the Internet is in English, CNN is seen in 120 countries, Stephen King is the number one best seller in the world. Obviously, there is already a process of cultural uniformity going on, and this can be seen as a great loss.   More recently, Viacoms MTV has successfully adapted this strategy by integrating many different Americanized cultures into one unbelievably influential American network (with over 280 million subscribers worldwide). According to a 1996 New World Teen Study conducted by DMBBs BrainWaves division, of the 26,700 middle-class teens in forty-five countries surveyed, 85 percent watch MTV every day. These teens absorb what MTV intends to show as a diverse mix of cultural influences but is really nothing more than manufactured stars singing in English to appeal to American popular taste. If the strength of these diverse American images is not powerful enough to move products, American corporations also appropriate local cultures into their advertising abroad. Unlike Levitts weak multinationals, these corporations dont bend to local tastes; they merely insert indigenous celebrities or trends to present the facade of a customized advertisement. MTV has spawned over twenty networks specific to certain geographical areas such as Brazil and Japan. These specialized networks further spread the association between American and modernity under the pretense of catering to local taste. Similarly, commercials in India in 2000 featured Bollywood stars Hrithik Roshan promoting Coke and Shahrukh Khan promoting Pepsi (Sanjeev Srivastava, Cola Row in India. BBC News Online). By using popular local icons in their advertisements, U.S. corporations successfully associate what is fashionable in local cultures with what is fashionable in America. America essentially samples the worlds cu ltures, repackages them with the American trademark of materialism, and resells them to the world. Compounding the influence of commercial images are the media and information industries, which present both explicit and implicit messages about the very real military and economic hegemony of the United States. Ironically, the industry that claims to be the source for fair and balanced information plays a large role in the propagation of American influence around the world. The concentration of media ownership during the 1990s enabled both American and British media organizations to gain control of the majority of the worlds news services. Satellites allow over 150 million households in approximately 212 countries and territories worldwide to subscribe to CNN, a member of Time Warner, the worlds largest media conglomerate. In the words of British sociologist Jeremy Tunstall, When a government allows news importation, it is in effect importing a piece of another countrys politics-which is true of no other import. In addition to politics and commercials, networks like CNN also present foreign countries with unabashed accounts of the military and economic superiority of the United States. The internationalization of television news, while unquestionably a crucial aspect of the processes generally lumped together as globalization, seems paradoxically to be the least well examined, yet most alluded to, aspect of the globalization phenomena. (Paterson, C. Global television news services, Media in Global Context: A Reader, Oxford University Press:1997, p.145). As Paterson points out in his article, few people actually seem to know that most television broadcasters buy international news from transnational news agencies like Rauters, Worldwide Television News and Associated Press Television. Or as Paterson puts it: since television is the major force in shaping how Europe and America see the world, and is becoming so in the rest of the industrialised world and much of the developing world, then the images selected by these few television journalists of similar training and background, are absolutely crucial determinants of how people world-wide perceiver other nations and global issues.  Some of these major news corporations are more closely allied with Rupert Murdoch, and Rupert Murdoch is widely believed to have used his print and broadcast news holding in Britain to bolster Thatcher and Thatcherism (Bagdikian:1989, found in Paterson, C. Global television news services, Media in Global Context: A Reader, Oxford University Press:1997 p.154). Commercialisation gives further reason for concern about international news. The tabloidization regarding printed media, and overflow of clichà ©s in television, as Paterson points out, is principally a process of dumbening down news, and putting emphases on news concerning sports and stars etc. which may perhaps have further impact on peoples political perception (or maybe lack of it). This trend rises questions about consumerism in the west, and what impact this may have on a global scale. But why is it happening and with such success?  cultural imperialism is understood in the terms of the imposition of one national culture upon another and the media are seen as central to this process as carriers of cultural meanings which penetrate and dominate the culture of the subordinate nation. (Barker, C. Global television, Blackwell Publishers: 1997 p.183)  . In conclusion media have speeded up the connection between cultures and thereby started to erase the boundaries of space, and even more profound boundaries of nations and government ensuring free flow of information and influence. The fact that America arguably is in the centre of this development rises concerns about which influences and the voice of whom we are hearing. The homogenisation thesis involved, as posed by many theorists, is both seen as an advantage and a reason for concern. This concern perhaps mainly because of the threat of American cultural imperialism and a consequent loss of diversity, and the possible immense power of position for whom leads this trend because of what seems to be an ability to override governments. The capitalistic nature of media prevents any revolt against the almost monopolistic position the western world has on globalisation via media, and there seem to be no authority that can intervene in this process preventing a monopoly. So however roman tic the idea of cultures being brought closer together is, there are also power struggles and the possibility to exploit this development, which American officials openly admit to be attempting.   The rise of English as an international language of trade and politics has been one of the strongest vehicles for the transmission of American culture. The place of English in the world has crystallized in the past decades you can read signs in English in every capital, and fluency in English has become a taken-for-granted prerequisite for upper-level positions in international trade and politics. While the forces leading to the rise of an international language differ greatly from cultural imperialism, it would be difficult to separate the two. As English becomes a global language, it becomes clear that language and culture cannot be separated. The AP National Writer journalist Anthony Ted says every one from the French to the Indonesians worry that where English goes, America will follow. Scholars Nye and Owen admitted that it is the goal of the United States to have English as the international language: It is in the economic and political interests of the United States to ensure that, if the world is moving to a common language, it be English; that if the world is becoming linked by television, radio and music, the programming be American; and that, if common values are being developed, they be values with which Americans are comfortable. According to them, not only it is intentional, but also it is a developing reality. If this spread of values, language, and information is purely because of economic and political interest for the United States, the well-being of other cultures and their freedom of expression are not taken into consideration except instrumentally can they be bought and sold for a profit, or can they be used to political advantage to the profit and advantage of the US.   Not all social critics see the Americanization of the world as a negative phenomenon. Proponents of cultural imperialism, such as David Rothkopf, a former senior official in Clintons Department of Commerce, argue that American cultural imperialism is in the interest not only of the United States but also of the world at large. Rothkopf cites Samuel Huntingtons theory from The Clash of Civilizations and the Beginning of the World Order that, the greater the cultural disparities in the world, the more likely it is that conflict will occur. Rothkopf argues that the removal of cultural barriers through U.S. cultural imperialism will promote a more stable world, one in which American culture reigns supreme as the most just, the most tolerant, the most willing to constantly reassess and improve itself, and the best model for the future. Rothkopf is correct in one sense: Americans are on the way to establishing a global society with minimal cultural barriers. However, one must question whet her this projected society is truly beneficial for all involved. Is it worth sacrificing countless indigenous cultures for the unlikely promise of a world without conflict? Around the world, the answer is an overwhelming No! Disregarding the fact that a world of homogenized culture would not necessarily guarantee a world without conflict, the complex fabric of diverse cultures around the world is a fundamental and indispensable basis of humanity. Throughout the course of human existence, millions have died to preserve their indigenous culture. It is a fundamental right of humanity to be allowed to preserve the mental, physical, intellectual, and creative aspects of ones society. A single global culture would be nothing more than a shallow, artificial culture of materialism reliant on technology. The attempt by UNESCO to regulate a more equal flow of communication between the North and the South, to protect cultural diversity and to protect countries from cultural imperialism unfortunately resulted in the withdrawal of the United States because it did not correspond to its financial interests. Since 1984, which is the date of the American withdrawal, UNESCO keeps trying to influence and give recommendations to governments, but it has no power over the main country that owns most of the communication flow in the world: the United States of America.