Managing Organisational design and change Essay

Managing Organisational design and change - Essay Example The primary objective of an organisation is to fulfil the common objective of concerned people. It is very crucial entity for society that collected individual efforts and execute these effort for meeting its primary aim. For example, business organisations have different functions like financial functions, marketing functions, human resource functions and operational functions etc (Hoffmann et al, 2008, p.39). Organisations are composed of various human resources who work together for a common objective. The management is the most crucial factor, since it is responsible for ensuring the well being of human resources and in turn accelerating the growth of the organisation. The composition of organisation varies according to its type and nature. The management teams are responsible for developing an organisation. These management teams are divided as per the requirement and each team looks after a particular area. For example, account and finance department takes care of financial activity and human resource department manages the employee related activities. In this process, proper leadership and relevant management style determines the efficiency level of the organisation. The primary for organising an organisation, three factors are important. These are the constitution, management committee and staffs & volunteers (Object, n.d.). The purpose of creating organisation varies in accordance with the objective of its people. Therefore, organisation structure and type differs. They can be categorized as profit making or non-profit making; governmental and non-governmental organisations. For example, the profit making organisations are the business organisations and its primary objective is to increase its shareholders’ wealth. Whereas, the non-profit making organisations work for a social cause. One of the primary reasons for these differences, stated above, is the objective

Archaeology and Mayan People Essay Example for Free

Archaeology and Mayan People Essay 1. According to Principle 3 of the American Archaeology Statement on Ethics, an archaeologist should drop and avoid any activities or words that would enhance the buying and selling of archaeological Mayan objects. This is demonstrated in the Apocalypto movie, especially those Mayan objects that have not been introduced to the public view, or available for scientific study and display. For example, if the black knife of one of the main warriors in the Apocalypto film was valuable to Mayan people, then the archaeologist who reviews the movie should not mention nor speak about the knife’s value or its estimated price to the public world. If he failed to do so, the object might be sold. Therefore, that action will destroy the important information that is needed to understand the archaeological record of the Mayan people and their cultures. 2. The village life is peaceful, joyful, and they dressed in small pieces of rags. The houses are made of dry leaves and trees. Their source of light is bon fires, and they usually gather around at night to tell stories. The city life is quite harsh. The place is dried up with limited, dirty water. Slaves are the only one working; they’re covered in white pounder. City people have colorful body paint, dresses, and hats. Their ritual is the sacrificing people from the villages. Andrea Stone stated that Mayan rituals always structured in precise time and positioning under the ranked and hierarchy people in specific order, along with beautiful dance prior to them. But the movie portrayed that time as chaos and mad cheering. Also, massive slavery labors is an unfamiliar in that period of time. Stone implied that Mayan villagers don’t lie around in dirt near the fire like hunter-gatherers. Moreover, Mayan woman put their hair up in neat bun and they don’t wear beads unlike Jaguar’s wife. Additionally, Mayan warriors wield clubs, spear, and shield not smashing heavy-metal savage showed in the film. And Mayan territory has scarlet macaw, not blue and gold macaw and howler monkey. Andrea also said that some of the costumes in the movie came after the Classic period such as turquoise jewelry and gold bead, and hair inaccurately putted in corn row. The movie made an assumption that Mayan has stick through the nose. This is a stereotype and inaccurate, Stone wrote.

Understanding The Theory Acts Of Social Work Social Work Essay

Understanding The Theory Acts Of Social Work Social Work Essay Children and young people vary enormously in their responses to the same experiences and those who suffer adversity either develop coping strategies to get through it and emerge relatively unscathed whilst others do not, in other words they sink or swim. This essay puts forward bodies of research and theories of resilience that influence thinking in social work and look at the way in which those theories inform contemporary social work to promote resilience in children and young people. It will also examine some of the ways in which issues arise which could hinder these approaches. Frost and Hoggett (2008) say the psychological and the social elements of the childs world cannot be understood as two parallel paradigms that influence and impact development. Holloway and Jefferson elaborate cited in Frost and Hoggett (2008), Subjects whose inner worlds cannot be understood without knowledge of their experiences in the world, and whose experiences of the world cannot be understood without knowledge of the way in which their inner worlds allow them to experience the outer world. It is evident that it is through a childs psycho-social experience that they learn to make sense of the world and their place within it. Rutter (1999) informs us that for a child to be determined resilient they must have encountered an experience with the risk of psychopathology for example those who have been living with domestic violence. There is no one universally accepted definition of resilience however Masten et al (1990) define resilience in generalised terms, as the process of, capacity for, or outcome of successful adaptation despite challenging or threatening circumstances. However an International Resilience Project, set up to study how different cultures and countries promoted resilience, adopted the following definition of resilience: Resilience is a universal capacity which allows a person, group or community to prevent, minimize or overcome the damaging effects of adversity (Grotberg 1997, p 19). Masten and Coatsworth (1998) identified the characteristics of resilient children as good intellectual functioning, appealing, sociable, easygoing disposition, self efficacy, self- confidence, high self-esteem, talent and faith; with a close relationship to a caring parent figure and extended family network support and socio-economically advantaged. These definitions provide useful starting points for the purposes of this essay. Contemporary society has been described by Beck(1992) as a risk society and early research concentrated on how children and young people responded to risk and became casualties of adversity. Ferguson (1997) points out that following the work of Foucault and the concept of governmentality post modernist critics argue that the traditional role of social work has suffered from family case workers seeking out and working with dangerous families and children at high risk. A study of children at risk was undertaken by Garmezy and Rutter (1983). The study of 200 children from USA appears to conclude that despite the high risk environments in which they grew up some children appear to have self righting tendencies which allow them to develop into well adjusted young adults. It would seem that everyone has the capacity to be resilient at some times and in some circumstances depending on their mental state and level and duration of the stress in the given event. In order to recognise resilience it is important to understand the factors that lead children and young people to succumb to adversity and to realise that resilience and vulnerability are at opposite ends of a continuum reflecting susceptibility to adverse consequences (Anthony 1987). The response to adversity and stress can be affected by one or more variables from psychological and/or social aspects. Freud (1910) developed a psychoanalytical theory in which the unconscious is seen as a central concept on which all other aspects of mental functioning are based. The focus of his research was mainly on the individuals personality. Social workers have to be aware that unconscious processes may conceal or distort memories or even produce responses disproportionate to the situation, giving hints of underlying issues. Erikson (1959) differs from Freud in that he described eight stages of psychosocial development. In these stages he suggests that we encounter expectable crises which create conflict within ourselves and with significant others in everyday life. Personality and behaviour are influenced by the way in which these crises are dealt with. The people who manage to move through Freud and Eriksons stages of development are more likely to become resilient people. John Bowlby(1969) was a psychologist, doctor and psychoanalyst ,who specialised in working with children. He believed that attachment behaviour is a biologically originated response to anxiety and stress stimulated by physical needs such as pain or hunger, separation from or rejection by the primary caregiver or external threats such as a loud noise. He believed this response arises from the infants desire to seek security and protection through proximity to a caregiver. Aldgate(2007) surmises that an attachment relationship is part of a wider affectional relationship: that one person sees the other as stronger and wiser and someone to turn to when he or she is afraid. Through combined nature and nurture individuals begin to establish relationships and understand and begin to manage emotions. By making sense of the caregivers both psychologically and socially, (if they respond in times of need) the infant begins to see them as a dependable and reliable. Such mental models help indivi duals organise their expectations about other peoples availability and responsiveness (Howe 1996). When the caregiver does not respond in the way the infant expects they experience anxiety and this can lead to insecure attachments. Bowlbys work was later built on by Ainsworth et al (1978) who through the Strange Situation study revealed profound effects of attachment on behaviour and went on to describe patterns of attachment (secure, avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganised added later on). Trevithick (2009) confirms that over the years the work of Bowlby and others has been important within social work making links between childrens behaviour and the quality of their relationships with their parent(s) and other attachment figures. Furthermore Howe (2009) confirms that attachment theory is also playing a major role in the resurgence of relationship based social work. It is therefore of great relevance to social workers to know how parenting styles,culture, family life and the social environments have affected the childs psychosocial development. The notion of a secure base is of vital importance for children and young people. In a useful analogy Gilligan (2001) uses a tree putting down roots to elaborate on the idea of a secure base. It is through continuity, quality and consistency of relationships that a child may find their secure base. Relatives, friendship groups, a teacher or even a social worker may provide a secure base in an otherwise complex and chaotic world. If the child is looked after (a child who enters the care system either informally or legally) they may need to learn to develop new relationships and have the opportunity to develop a secure base. It is not always psychological processes that shape resilience, sometimes a particular episode or situation may occur that may be problematic and have far reaching consequences. Giddens (1991) described these episodes as fateful moments, saying that these are times when events come together in such a way that an individual stands, as it were, at a crossroads in his existence; or where a person learns of information with fateful consequences. A fateful moment will have implications for the individual which may threaten their ontological security. Fateful moments however do not always result in adversity they can signal a change for the better, a potentially empowering experience, however it is the risk that things may go awry that poses the challenge. Within this context it is important that social workers assess the extent to which they make sense of society and peoples experience. Similar to fateful moments, life events, ongoing adversities, personal stress, interpersonal problems or familial situations, can affect levels of stress or anxiety. Rutter (2000) used the example of a divorce in the family as a staged process of a life event, rather than a one off event. The divorce may be preceded by a long period of unhappiness, followed by the divorce itself and the uncertainties that accompany it such as the knowledge and burden of financial worries, possible loss of a parent, introduction of new family members, housing worries etc. Social workers working with Giddensian ideas, (that multiple choices are available to all through abstract systems) are able to help vulnerable children and young people who are on a developmental pathway to make positive choices about the direction their lives will take in their life planning. However, those who criticise Giddens say that he is too optimistic in his view of the positive capacity of individuals to understand their li ves and always know why they act as they do (Ferguson 2009). There are families who work with social workers who may not have the ability to analyse their lives in this way, and social workers should be mindful of this in their work with people. The negative impacts of poverty, lack of social and cultural capital and impact of marital discord can cause children, young people and families to be characterised as at risk according to Hoffman (2010). Poverty can have serious and possibly grave consequences for families. Nonetheless, it is important to recognise that not all poor families, or even most poor families experience these deleterious outcomes. Many impoverished families beat the odds and have stable, loving relationships ( Seccombe, 2002) Skeggs (2001) in her study with young women revealed that they were continually making comparisons between themselves and others and were sure of what they did not want to be but were less sure of what they wanted to be, thus illustrating how the constraints of class and gender are some of the structures that inhibit who we can be and how we can behave. However this does not appear to mean that structures should be accepted per se but by accepting their existence and realising that they are given meaning through human action and interaction it is possible to work with service users and their families. Frost (2003) illustrates the harsh reality for young people stating that the structural inequalities of class and poverty connect into the emotionally quite brutal lived realities of young people themselves- the power of the pecking order, popularity or unpopularity, and in-group membership or exclusion- via the conspicuous display of expensive consumer goods. For some young people, the friendship groups they form, sub-cultures they belong to, the styles they wear dictates the way in which they present themselves and gain a sense of who they are in society. Being part of the group increases self esteem and resilience, conversely being different in some way may attract adverse reaction and stigmatisation for example a disabled child may be affected by the negative perceptions of being different. According to Howe (2009) social workers in the late 1980s began to feel that the service users with whom they were working were the victims of their own biographical narratives, or their place within the social structure. Service users became service users because they had problems, pathologies or weaknesses and that this defined them in some way. The social worker viewed them as a case which then depersonalised them. By introducing a method of assessment whereby they could look at the strengths of people rather than their pathology and problems it was possible for social workers to recognise the resilience and resourcefulness possessed by many people living in adversity. By being interested in and listening to the service user the social worker could begin to uncover where someones strengths lie. Saleebey (2002) identified some types of questions that can lead to the discovery of strengths; survival questions, exception questions, possibility questions and esteem questions. It may b e difficult to tease out strengths however as many people have had years of self doubt or blame from others to carry around with them however it is on these positive elements however slim the potential for progress lies. It is crucial to the safety of children and young people that social workers can identify risks in a childs environment and remove or reduce such a risk. This may ultimately mean removing the risk from the child or removing the child from the risk which could, depending on the level of risk, involve the child becoming a looked after child. In this case the social worker can work with the child to prevent social isolation by maintaining or re-introducing contact with family members, if appropriate. The social worker should also ensure that a child is able to attach the correct meaning to an outcome, if for example, a looked after child has to move to a new placement the social worker must explain in clear language what has happened and why. Schofield and Beck (2005) studied risk and resilience in children in long term foster care and concluded that specific changes or single events in a childs life such as a new attachment relationship, a change of school, a change of contact arrangem ents or the discovery of a childs particular talent do have the potential to alter the direction significantly for better or worse. Howe et al (1999) state that good quality care giving is the most potent form of self enhancement of children confirming that it is a positive building block on which resilience to build resilience. Therefore the social worker needs to ensure that a childs caregivers are able to provide a secure attachment through their relationships to ensure that self esteem is promoted. Any relationship break-down will impact on the childs self esteem thus reinforcing their belief that they are not loved or lovable. A child needs to experience relationships with their caregivers that promote secure attachments. If a child has had a difficult time they may display behaviour or emotions that are not what is expected or are disproportionate to the situation. Atwool (2006) confirms that attachment theory adds weight to resilience theory by clearly outlining the significance of relationships as the key to all aspects of resilience- culture, community, relationships and individual. A social worker can w ork with the caregivers to explain the childs behaviour using a theoretical framework and their knowledge of the child and their social situation. Contemporary social work can help promote resilience in the vulnerable in society however Ferguson (2009) states the discretion social workers once had has diminished because of the rise of bureaucracy, managerialism and targets. This may impact on the time a social worker is able to devote to those they are trying to help. Furthermore Gilligan (2004) queried whether there is to be stress on valued practice principles, for example focus on strengths in clients or is the emphasis to be on what agency management deem important, for example their latest policy or set of procedures. It is also clear that social workers spend a majority of their time at their desk rather than with service users, as Ince (2010) points out in recent child abuse cases the social workers became victims to the point where they have much more familiarity with the computers they use than the children in need they have responsibility for; however this is an opinion and does not appear to be backed up by research. . In conclusion it is clear that relationships and attachment theory is significant to our understanding of resilience. Social workers who work with families to make sure they take full account of their religion, racial, cultural and linguistic background in their work with them are demonstrating the link between social policy and socially inclusive practice. Psychosocial practices should be carefully though out and tailored to the needs of each service users unique circumstances. Access to social and cultural capital enables children and young people to cope with stressors and adversity and increase resilience. Theories of resilience are useful tools to call upon when dealing with the complex and chaotic lives of children, young people and their families/caregivers. However there is no one skill or theory to fit all but many approaches and skills are required to inform and manage effective contemporary social work practice. 2688 words

Biblical Truths Confirmed by Archaeological Findings Essay -- Religion

Biblical Truths Confirmed by Archaeological Findings Abstract Statement I have chosen a subject that is very important to me. As a Bible major, I believe the Word of God is vital and essential and that it is the only clear direction in life. Personally, I believe by faith the Bible is true from the first word in Genesis to the last word in Revelation. However, there are times when we need physical evidence to confirm our faith proving that the Bible does not just contain interesting stories, but is based rather on historical fact. I have always been interested in archaeological findings seeing the amazing discoveries being made everyday. For instance, through these discoveries we now have confirmed evidence of the Kingdom of David, the reign of King Herod, the affirmation of biblical text shown through the Dead Sea Scrolls, and much more! In my research, I would like to examine archaeological findings that confirm the biblical accounts. The information has changed my spiritual life and I am sure it will do the same for you. Introduction I am fascinated with the information I have learned through my research and college studies concerning Archaeology. In this paper I will endeavor to relate my personal interest in the subject matter, discuss a few of my favorite archaeological finds, and then conclude with King Herod’s most cherished creation – Caesarea Maritima. This has not only proven to be a marvelous creation, but an even better archaeological find! http://www.bibarch.com. National Standards I believe there are several standards that are closely aligned with biblical archaeology. The three standards I feel are most important are under the Places and Regions element. This includes Knows ... ...ill find! For me this research proved to be an essential area for my studies and Christian life. I have found it to be a source of strength, assurance, and stronger faith towards knowing that the Word of God can be respected and trusted. Thank God. Works Cited International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic Database copyright 1996 by Biblesoft Biblical Archaeology, www.bible-infonet.org/bin/short/articles/Apologetics/Archaeology.html Tzaferis, Vassilios, Biblical Archaeology Review, January/February 1985, p. 44-53 International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic Database, copyright 1996 by Biblesoft Biblical Archaeology Review, May/June 1982, p. 26-41 Almighty God, The Bible The Best of Josh McDowell, A Ready Defense, Here’s Life Publishers, October 1990, p. 92 Frank, Harry Thomas. Atlas of the Bible Lands, Hammond Inc., 1990

Effects of imperialism in Asia Essay

â€Å"What impact did Western imperialism and colonialism have on Asia† That Colonialism and imperialism played a significant role in shaping the modern world and particularly Asia is a prudent judgment. Colonialism is â€Å"a policy in which a country rules other nations and develops trade for its own benefit† and â€Å"the extension of power or authority over others in the interests of domination† (2004). ‘The West’, which refers to the societies of Europe and their genealogical, colonial, and philosophical descendants. Spain, France, Britain, Canada, and the United States of America are some examples of Western societies. These countries have spread their influence and hegemony over other nations for centuries; shaping today’s North America, Central-America, South America, Africa, Oceana, and Asia (Western Society, 2004). Indochina is a region that today we would consider as Southeast Asia, comprised of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam (Indochina, 2001). Its most recent and most important contact with the West came from France and America. The West had a negative impact on Indochina because its influence damaged Southeast Asia’s system of government, destroyed and diluted the indigenous culture, caused many people to lose their lives and liberty, and set the course for future economic depressions and poverty. INDO-CHINESE GOVERNMENT. Under French colonisation, the Indochinese political structure went into shambles (Hammer, 1966). The puppet governments installed after French colonization were â€Å"repressive, totalitarian, and corrupt which meant that age old traditional and cultural monarchies were replaced by despots under French influence. In little time, each country lost its own unique identity; Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam disappeared off maps and were replaced simply by ‘French Indochina’ (Vietnam War, 2004). Only French-speaking or French-educated people were allowed to gain high positions in government, while others were treated as second-class citizens and toiled in the fields. Opposition to these policies was punishable by exile or imprisonment. This system of government ensured absolute French political control over Indochina’s administration and contributed to lost initiative among the working class people (Hammer, 1966). This system would dominate for about a  hundred years, suppressing regular riots and movements undertaken by the Indochinese people. As time went on, communism’s appeal grew stronger as the repressed saw a light in forms of promised equality, housing, education, money, and better jobs (Vietnam War, 2004). CULTURAL EFFECTS. Culture was also affected. Before French colonization, Vietnam was China’s ‘sphere of influence’. After French colonization, however, Vietnam was torn between two spheres of influence, Chinese and French. The French also imposed their influence on Laos and Cambodia. As a result, many Indochinese people became confused. They did not know whether they should embrace the new forceful French influence, or try to live their shattered pre-existing lifestyle in secrecy (Vietnam War, 2004). Hammer states, â€Å"the widely diffused Chinese educational system, teaching history and morality as well as language, which linked Vietnam with its past, was abolished.† (1966, p.63). The French did whatever they could to stuff their culture down the throats of the people of Indochina; one strategy was manipulating the education system. They implemented a policy where all public secondary education would be taught in French, not the native language of the people (Clayton, 2002). Since the beginning, France had plans to seed their culture in Indochina. Even before colonization of Indochina, French missionaries were sent around the world to spread the French culture through mission civilisatrice (civilizing mission). This policy affirmed that it was France’s â€Å"duty to spread the ways of the superior beings to inferior beings with inferior ways of living† (Ty, n.d., para.17). In addition to implementing new policies and changing existing ones, assimilation was another method of cultural dominance. The French were not hesitant to intermix with Indochinese women and assimilate them and their children to adhere to Western ways of life (Vietnam War, 2004). Everyday lifestyle changes were another method of ensuring cultural dominance. The French manipulated those who had power. A portion of the elite class in Indochina admired the French for their ‘prestigious’ lifestyle and converted to Catholicism, setting an example for the lower  classes (Vietnam War, 2004). Literature is an important part of culture, seeing that countries keep their records, history, and information in texts which would be stored for future generations. A French missionary named Alexander de Rhodes romanized the Vietnamese language, which used to utilize Chinese symbols. This new script, called ‘Quoc Ngu’, detracted Vietnam from its original culture and China’s sphere of influence. Quoc Ngu’s impact is so large, that it is the how the Vietnamese language is written and read today (Quoc Ngu, 2001). In the later 20th century, the Western urban youth’s rebellious lifestyle leaked its way to the Indochinese people. Many young Indochinese people embraced sexual freedom and the movies, clothing styles, and rock music from Western cultures became popular (Vietnam War, 2004). As well as corrupting the way of life for all of Indochinese people and destroying the cultural language of Vietnam, many important historical and cultural cities such as the ancient dynastic capital of Vietnam, Hue, were physically destroyed during the Vietnam War’s bombings (Vietnam War, 2004). As most people lost their government and culture, they became restless and weary of living their peasant lifestyle. Peasants struggled under heavy taxes and high rents. Workers in factories, in coal mines, and on rubber plantations labored in abysmal conditions for low wages. A growing nationalistic fervor was growing by shared feelings of anger, poverty, destitution, and lost liberty. This fervor contributed to the formation of many revolutionary movements. Many people died, became refugees, or became homeless while trying to overthrow foreign invaders out of their country to unify their people. The Vietnamese revolutionary group, the Viet Minh, had a prime objective to overthrow the oppressive governments and install a Communist regime to unify Vietnam. After the end World War II, Ho Chi Minh, leader of the Viet Minh, declared Vietnam’s independence from France (Vietnam War, 2004). Minh was prepared to go at great lengths and sacrifices to achieve his dream of a unified Vietnam. â€Å"You can kill 10 of my men for every one I kill of yours, yet even at those odds, you will lose and I will win.†, decreed Minh himself (Karnow, 1998, para.2). The French were unwilling to give up their colony, a symbol of their world power, so they opposed this informal declaration and attempted to reassert their power back into Indochina by militarist means. This resulted in the bloody Franco-Viet  Minh war where the French were defeated, but at a large human cost to the Vietnamese freedom fighters (Vietnam War, 2004). The victory for the Vietnamese in the eight-year-long Franco-Viet Minh war was supposed to end Indochina’s colonization, and end the bloodshed to unite their people. For nearly a hundred years the people of Southeast Asia resisted and rebelled to no avail, until this landmark victory. But the bloodshed did not stop. Minh’s declaration of independence and liberation would not happen for thirty more years of fighting. The second Indochinese War, The Vietnam War, had an even greater effect on Southeast Asians’ lives. American ‘Secret Bombing’ campaigns and countless napalm strikes lead to the destruction of many homes and at least 10 million people became homeless, and 800,000 became war orphans in South Vietnam alone at the end of the Vietnam War. Most crucially, most of these casualties were civilians. South Vietnamese civilians made up a significant portion of victims of the bombings, even though they were allied to the Americans. Entire cities, forests, mountains, and fields were laid to waste. One quarter of Laos’s population became refugees; which is approximately 500,000 people. In total, over 5 million Indochinese lives were lost fighting for their independence and freedom (Vietnam War, 2004). ECONOMICS. Indochina’s economic problems today can be traced back to colonial times. France’s mercantilist policy exploited the land, labour, and resources of Southeast Asian countries. Indochina was simply a large pool of natural resources for French industrialists. France would get the resources it needed from Indochina, manufacture them into goods, and sell them to her colonies at inflated prices. In addition, Indochina was not an autonomous colony, meaning it could not be self-sufficient. This was intentional because France wanted to have a monopoly on trade with her colonies (Hammer, 1966). France’s attempt to industrialize Indochina only ravaged the land. The sudden shift from calm subsistence farming to large plantations lead to a precariously unbalanced economy that was extremely dependent on agricultural exports; which would eventually be disastrous because of future  land degradation (State of the Environment Vietnam, 2002). A large decline in the number of farmers was not good for agriculture, either. During the time of European domination, productions of rice grew immensely. With this increase of production came an increase in quotas that impoverished peasants had to yield to their landlords, causing widespread famine (Hammer, 1966). Hammer states, â€Å"[Both areas referring to Vietnam] In the 1930’s, at a time when the Vietnamese people did not have enough to eat, Cochin China exported rice in considerable quantities, even Tonkin managed to export some.† (1966, p. 64). Adding to the famine was the insistence that nonfood crops like jute, oil seeds, and opium be grown in certain areas instead of rice (Hammer, 1966). Today, economic expansion is extremely difficult because of Indochina’s history. Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia rank as some of the most undeveloped and impoverished countries in the world. Strained foreign relations as a result of Indochina’s wars and its communist system of government have lead to significant decreases in foreign aid over the past decades (CIA World Factbook, 2003). Although agriculture makes up a significant portion of Indochina’s economy, Indochina cannot even rely on their agricultural economy because Vietnam’s fields, forests, and streams have been contaminated or destroyed by Agent Orange and napalm strikes. As well, Laos’s beautiful jungles consisting of exotic woods, timber, and stones are laden with millions of deadly, unexploded land ordnance, and Cambodia’s prolonged anarchy has proven fatal for any form of significant economic growth. The effect of Indochina’s hardships created by the West has even hindered i ts ability to pick up where it left off, before foreign influence (Vietnam War, 2004). Even decades after formal European military conquest and intervention, Indochina continues to feel the sting of the West’s influence. Today, Southeast Asia is among the poorest places in the world, where people enjoy very little personal freedom and opportunity. Indochina’s primitive infrastructure and poverty-stricken society is burdened by its history and injured foreign relations. The future for Southeast Asia in terms of political stability, human liberty, and economic growth looks unpleasant  because of on-going internal civil tensions caused by unresolved conflicts brought upon by Western imperialism and colonialism. The West truly had a detrimental impact on Indochina because it caused the collapse of Indochina’s traditional system of government, loss and weakening of its pre-existing culture, diminishment of its people’s prosperity and freedom, and destruction of its economy. Concisely, Indochina’s relationship with the West brought nothin g but bloodshed, tears, poverty, famine, and a legacy of economic and social problems that will continue to plague Southeast Asia for centuries to come.

How to File Loud TV Commercial Complaints

How to File Loud TV Commercial Complaints If you, like many if not most people, had visions of the government really cracking down on TV stations and cable companies that broadcast annoyingly loud commercials after enactment of the CALM Act, you had a wrong vision. The fact is that the FCC has placed most of the burden for enforcement of the law squarely on TV viewers. The much-desired TV commercial volume control law - the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act - is now in effect, but you can bet your eardrums there will be violations. Heres when and how to report CALM Act violations. Taking full effect on December 13, 2012, the CALM Act requires TV stations, cable operators, satellite TV operators, and other pay-TV providers to limit a commercials average volume to that of the programming that it accompanies. It May Not be a Violation The CALM Act is enforced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the FCC does provide a simple way to report violations. However, the FCC also advises that not all loud commercials are violations. According to the FCC), while the overall or average volume of the commercial should be no louder than the regular programming, it may still have louder and quieter moments. As a result, says the FCC, some commercials may sound too loud to some viewers, but still comply with the law. Basically, if all or most of the commercial sounds louder to you that the regular program, report it. Broadcasters who fail to comply with the CALM Act regulations face significant financial penalties imposed by the FCC. How to Report a CALM Act Violation The easiest way to file a loud commercial complaint is by using the FCCs online complaint form at www.fcc.gov/complaints. To use the form, click on the Complaint Type button Broadcast (TV and Radio), Cable, and Satellite Issues, and then click on the Category button Loud Commercials. This will take you to the Form 2000G - Loud Commercial Complaint form. Fill out the form and click on Complete the form to submit your complaint to the FCC. The Loud Commercial Complaint form asks for information, including the date and time you saw the commercial, the name of the program you were watching and which TV station or pay-TV provider transmitted the commercial. Its a lot of information, but it is necessary to help the FCC correctly identify the offending commercial from among the tens-of-thousands of commercials aired every day. Complaints can also be filed by fax to 1-866-418-0232 or by filling out a 2000G - Loud Commercial Complaint form (.pdf) and mailing it to: The Federal Communications CommissionConsumer and Governmental Affairs BureauConsumer Inquiries and Complaints Division445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20554 If you need assistance in filing your complaint, you may contact the FCCs Consumer Call Center by calling 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) (voice) or 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) (TTY).