Mexican Immigration and American Identity Essay

Mexican Immigration and American Identity - Essay Example According to the author, even though other values and principles of non-Protestant immigrants have helped to shape and modified this concept, most Americans accept these basic elements of an Anglo-Protestant culture as the key defining elements of their national identity. Yet, the author states that in the last decades of the 20th century, this culture has been challenged by a context of globalization and ideas of multiculturalism and diversity. The rise of groups that focus on race, ethnicity, and gender over a more general national identity are regarded as a threat to 'the country's cultural and political integrity'. Huntington views immigration from Latin America, especially from Mexico, as the single largest threat to the American identity. This due to a combination of six unique characteristics that differentiate contemporary Mexican immigration from past immigrant flows, being contiguity (boarder proximity), scale (steadily increasing numbers), illegality (illegal entry and permanence into the country), regional concentration (particularly concentrated in California and the Southwest), persistence (no signs of decline over the years), and historical presence (historical claim to the US territory). The boarder proximity with Mexico in the Southwest region encourages immigration and illegal entry into the U.S., which results in the steady increase of Mexican immigration throughout the 20th century. Similarly, it increases the concentration of Mexican immigrants in that area of the country and the illegal characteristics of the flow. Since the conditions creating such immigration (economic cond itions of Mexico, boarder proximity, etc) are unlikely to change, the flow is expected to persist. These factors, the author argues, differentiate the Mexican contingent from previous immigrant groups and are likely to hinder the assimilation of Mexicans into the United States culture. One of the author's main arguments defending the poor assimilation of Mexican immigrants into the U.S. society is the persistent use of their native language through successive generations. Huntington admits that statistics on English proficiency and Spanish preservation are limited and ambiguous. Nevertheless, the author insists that particular characteristics of the flow - scale, persistence and concentration - are likely to encourage the perpetuation of Spanish among successive generations of immigrants. Huntington considers that Spanish retention has a negative impact on the assimilation of the new culture even when proficiency in English is achieved. In addition, bilingualism would affect earnings and put English-only families in disadvantage within the job market. Finally, the concentration of Mexicans in certain areas transform portions of the country into bilingual and bicultural areas, reinforcing Mexican values over the traditional Anglo-Protestant values, which, according to the author, threatens the integrity of the nation, possibly dividing the nation 'into a country of two languages and two cultures'. From my point of view, Huntington's concept of the American identity is limited and excludes a great portion of the nation's cultural and ethnic background. The author's

E-Commerce Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

E-Commerce Law - Essay Example It should be noted that everybody values their privacy very much and the effort to disturb privacy is prevented by different laws in different countries. Spam or bulk emails sent as part of marketing without taking the consent of the public is definitely a privacy intrusion. Many countries already started efforts to regulate spam by implementing suitable laws. European Union has recently implemented comprehensive laws to regulate spam. The EU Directive 2002/58/EC on the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector deals with direct marketing via email and other electronic means. The Directive requires prior consent before email is sent to the recipient unless there is already an ongoing relationship with the consumer. The Directive does not apply to legal persons however; Member states are free to extend the legislation to cover legal persons (Please provide proper citation). Advertising is an essential activity in the business world. No product or services can be effectively sold in the market without proper advertising. In other words, advertising is the basic right of the product manufacturers and service providers. At the same time, consumers or general public also have some basic rights. Privacy is a basic right of the ordinary people. Advertisers can conduct advertising activities as long as they stay away for violating the privacy rights of the ordinary people. In short, spam or bulk emails sent to the public without taking consent can be considered as illegal because of privacy violation. According to the spam regulation laws in UK, electronic mail marketing messages should not be sent to individuals without their permission. Both the sender and the recipient should agree each other for sending and receiving bulk emails. UK laws with respect to spam have lot of loopholes. It allows senders to send marketing mails to an existing customer. In other

UAE Legal and Ethical Issues in the Media

UAE Legal and Ethical Issues in the Media RESEARCH BASED REFLECTIVE PAPER ON MEDIA JOURNALISM IN THE UAE WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES 1. Introduction Media originated with the advent of newspapers and magazines and later on broadened its perspective to radio, Television, cinema, internet, and so on. This broadening accordingly multiplied reach to mass audiences across nations. Media has the capability to reach masses in no time. This inherent quality necessitates regulations owing to which Media law came into existence. The UAE also has a constitution of Laws governing Media and a code of ethics for the journalists. This paper analyses on Media with the following considerations. Are the regulations of Media laws in the UAE in the right approach? Do the journalists in the UAE enjoy enough freedom? What is the level of interference of the governing bodies on the media? Are the journalists publishing ethical and authentic content that will not harm the society? What is the effect of the contemporary and emerging media have on the society? Considering the unique cultural situation in the UAE, this study analyses the media laws and the journalistic code of ethics with the contemporary and the emerging media and to understand if Media laws have broadened and expanded with respect to the new media and its demands. 2. Media Ethics Vs Law 2.1. Definition Media ethicsis the subdivision ofapplied ethicsdealing with the specific ethical principles and standards of  media, including  broadcast media,  film,  theatre, arts,  print, and the internet. The field covers many varied and highly controversial topics, ranging fromwar journalism  to  Benetton  advertising. Media law can be defined as laws that regulate the activities of the Media. 2.2. Scope Media ethics is a subject which deals with the perspective of a perfect media person who takes ownership of the information published by him without causing harm and sensation to the public. Sometimes what is legally correct may not be ethically appropriate. The media person is expected to do a lot of psychological analysis on the value system combined with social responsibility. Media Law is a legal field that regulates the Advertising Broadcasting Censorship Confidentiality Contempt Copyright Defamation Entertainment law Freedom of information Information Technology Internet and on-line services Privacy Telecommunications  (Wikipedia). 2.3. Relevance The SPJ Code of ethics is a statement of abiding principles which gives a clear picture on the journalistic practices. Although it is not a set of rules, it directs the journalists in their task of publishing, regardless of medium. This code makes sense as a whole only and it cannot be used in bits. The SPJ code recommends the following: Seek Truth and Report It Minimize Harm Act Independently Be Accountable and Transparent  (SPJ Code of Ethics, 2014). 3. Why media ethics matter? Media has created a major impact on the social and political sectors. The reach of media and various forms of communication has generated a mass effect in the public and furthermore the effect it creates in each individual has varied with respect to multiple factors. 3.1. Social Impact On a social level, media has brought about the greatest impact. The media publications have been shaped on the basis of different cultures, races, genders, religions and sexual orientations in the society. The perception of the two main elements, the entertainment and the news differ. The representations are valued at face value in entertainment sector. There are also cases of unfair stereotyping which causes a major social impact. Unfair Beauty Standards is one such practice where the beautiful women are often in favorable roles, portrayed as successful always. These standards in media have an adverse effect on the psychology of the women. Failing to meet those standards or adopting those characteristics have even forced them to dejection and sometimes depression too. Other practices are sexual orientation, religion, devastating mental and physical health of children and older generation, principles of extremist groups which can cause unnecessary sensations in the society. 3.2. Political Impact On a political level, media is capable of influencing the society to a larger extent. Media can advocate for a particular political party. Construction of the news is another way in which the mass media can have an influence over the masses. The media people are bound to abide by the media laws. There are instances when the government or the ruling party enforces media to project only what they deem appropriate. Owing to its power to build public judgment, media influence can create or dissolve the government. Attributed to the high levels of public impact, both in social and political grounds, ethical practice becomes inevitable in Media. As a matter of fact while dealing with the Media Laws, what is legal may not be ethical necessarily. 4. Is there any need to ‘regulate’ (media law) media? With relevance to the UAE market an analysis on the contemporary and the emerging media will throw light on the significance of Media Ethics. The process of convergence of Telecommunications and Broadcasting has been in the process of entirely changing the media globally. Convergence has brought together mobile telecommunication operators and the television broadcasters to use technologies like DVB-H facilitating people to watch television as well as internet content in the mobile. Media has the dangerous effect of inducing fake ideas through advertisements. People are fascinated by media’s influence to buy harmful or substandard products. Sometimes, Media develops unnecessary sensation and distorts truth just to attract customers. Because of its power to build public judgment, the influence of media can create or dissolve a government. Some of the emerging media have no control over the content as the Media laws are not refined in detail. In a conservative unique society like that of the UAE, the content may not be as per the strictly adhered society norms and could create social impact. The information sharing in the social networking sites are bound to cause cyber crimes. The media pivots in bringing specifics of all major political circumstances, stands and other scenarios. This helps people to understand their rights and make better decisions. The impact of Media can also create agitation and political turnarounds(Arab Media Outlook 2007-2011). The UAE requires a clear media law that provides absolute clarity protecting the journalists and at the same time defining boundaries to ensure the responsibility of the press. The other countries with established media freedom have these boundaries created over the years through the legal system. The recently released guidelines set by Abu Dhabi Media Zone, a media-creation free zone anchored by the content-incubator TwoFour54 carries clear guidelines(Gulfnews.com, 2012). Human Rights Watch has reported that a new law has been drafted to regulate the media which hampers freedom of expression and unduly interferes with the medias freedom to report on sensitive subjects. The pending law also allows the government to decide the organizations that can operate in the country and also interfere in the selection of journalists. The law imposes unreasonable civil penalties that could wash out media outlets completely and subtly impose restrictions on the published content. It also enforces media organizations to pay an unspecified security deposit that set a powerful barrier for independent and small press organizations(Human Rights Watch, 2009). 5. Media and Journalism in the UAE Code of ethics is based on the Following Principles†¦ Accuracy in reporting Appropriate acknowledgement of sources Avoiding discrimination Avoiding sensationalism Avoiding the fanning of public feeling Confidentiality Credibility Eliminating and/or minimizing harm (especially to children) Fairness to all Freedom and integrity Impartiality Innocence until proven guilty Professionalism, especially in relation to plagiarism Refusing to accept bribes and advantage Respect for public feeling Respect for the truth Respecting personal privacy Rightful acquisition of information Transparency Upholding human rights Understanding this code of ethics in reality, it offers a minimal safety for the journalists. A revised media law in the UAE is the need of the hour. The lack of effective protections for journalists has brought down the ranking of freedom in the UAE to the last and the scholars in media call out for revision. Dr Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a professor at UAE University, after a thorough study has brought this issue to the attention of Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of the UAEs National Media Council and has suggested immediate amendments  (Gulfnews.com, 2012). 6. Media law and Ethics in the UAE The press freedom rankings of UAE is 112. The features like pervasive self-censorship and Internet blocking policy have pushed the country to the â€Å"not free† category. The freedom enjoyed by the journalists operating in other countries is far more compared to the journalists in the UAE making most of the media zones to set up regional centres out of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE Constitution does not encourage freedom of expression. Article 30 states that â€Å"Freedom of opinion and expressing it verbally, in writing or by other means of expression shall be guaranteed within the limits of law† (Dr. Matt J. Duffy 2013). The penal code as well as the media law pose numerous restrictions on journalism and freedom of speech. Also, the Constitution specifically guarantees personal freedom in religious worship, movement and having associations. The UAE constitution contains points that define personal freedom but does not outline regulations for the society as a whole  (Dr. Matt J. Duffy 2013). The UAE penal code Article 378 strictly prohibits defamation against the royal family and has rights to criminalize journalists for publicizing secrets of royal family life. Publicly insulting the UAE’s rulers is a crime according to Articles 176 and 8 of the UAE penal code. Article 312 of Federal Law No. 3 of the 1987 Penal Code of the UAE has blasphemy laws that protect Islam and other religions from defamation  (Dr. Matt J. Duffy 2013). Abusing any form of sacred and Islamic rites or blaspheming any of the divine religions is considered a crime and penalties are chargeable for these crimes  (Dr. Matt J. Duffy 2013). 7. Reflections The technological developments have brought into life to contemporary and emerging media with their own positive and negative effects on the society as well as the people in the media. Although there have been revisions in the Media law in the UAE since the time it was formulated owing to globalization, the media laws lack clarity. The fact is that it requires several amendments in comparison with the Media Laws of the global counterparts. When it comes to freedom although it looks like the freedom is highly restricted. Media contributes to a transformation in the culture, fashion and social values of the masses influencing lifestyles of communities and culture of nations. Media transforms the attitudes and beliefs of the people and is responsible for influencing our daily activities. Media has a significant role in refining the society by opening views against racism, gender bias, poverty, and spreading awareness about the need for world peace. Media laws have been an ambiguity for the journalists. The UAE Constitution does not guarantee freedom of expression. Much of their provisions tell journalists what they cant do rather than offering protections for their actions. In a nutshell, code of ethics in reality it offers a minimal safety for the journalists. The law imposes enormous civil penalties that could completely wipe out media outlets and silence disagreeing voices found to violate the huge but subtle constraints on content. Media organizations found to have defamed or slandered senior government officials or members of the royal family are charged penalties. 8. Recommendations The media organizations have to bring about constructive changes within the organization and communicate clarity both in media laws and ethics to its personnel to have a positive influence on the society. The Media Laws also have to be refined to give sufficient freedom to the media to serve better. Media organizations, governing bodies, media laws, media ethics, skilled human resources together have to work together to revise the media laws as and when new media emerge. This helps in bringing out the authentic information to the public without creating unnecessary sensations. Media ought to be regulated failing which the society will face unnecessary complications in politics, culture, values, beliefs etc., The public should also abide by the laws when delivering opinions and expressions in social media to develop a healthy society. UAE women taking up lead positions in Media organizations can also contribute to peace and upliftment of the society. In short, publishing authentic content regulated by media ethics and laws should be the goal of the media. 9. Conclusion The UAE Constitution does not empower Media and Journalism to publish all facts truth. Practical constraints are plenty in this field. The journalists as well as the media organizations are charged huge penalties the governing authorities have all rights to deem content as inappropriate or to block the websites. These conditions prevailing could suppress the truth and actual facts may be darkened or completely blocked by the media. The development of the country largely depends on the people and their potential to acquaint the economical developments, the political circumstances, the technological evolutions, the business standards, the social interactions, the international affairs etc., the main source of information being Media, the freedom of media plays a significant role in the development of the country. Moreover, the fortified opinion of the scholars is to revise Media laws and to enhance the freedom. Refining the media laws and the ethics code by giving more clarity to the ambiguities will give more scope for the journalists by amplifying their freedom and to do more justice in their work. Subsequently, the fine borders have to be defined meticulously to avoid misuse of freedom resulting in unnecessary sensations in the country. Taking into consideration the culture, religion, people etc., the Media laws and the media ethics code have to be conjointly revised for constructive changes in the country. 10. References / Bibliography. Page 1 of 9

Censorship of Music :: Music Censoring Singers Bands Musicians Essays

Censorship of Music During the Doors concert in Miami, in 1969, lead singer Jim Morrison, "did lewdly and lasciviously expose his penis and shake it. . ." (Rosen et al. 90). Today, Billy Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day, bares all at his concert in Philadelphia (Bernstein 95). The eccentric Courtney Love will rip off her bra for the audience to marvel and glorify at her action (Bernstein 95). She acts in such a fashion because she is insane and wants to prove it to the world, where as Billy Joe just performs naked for the shock value and the love of hearing tabloids and gossip. Both performers of past and present conducted strange acts on stage for the shock value and attention, but with performers of old, it reflected their life and what they were really like. Today's performers, however, do not act like that in real life, for the most part. Today, performers take on challenges, like the dare of a child. . . "Betcha won't do it!" These rock performers cannot turn down a dare or back away from even the slightest bit of public notoriety. By listening to one of their "questionable" albums, it is easily noticeable how they thrive off of it. All of these performers do have one thing in common, at one time or another, censorship made them victims because of their social unacceptable actions or the content of their music and lyrics. While censorship is slightly more realistic and open-minded (no more censoring performers from the waist down, like Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan show), it still affects listeners and their choice of music quite significantly. Although the government, music associations, and other various groups try censorship, the music a person chooses is still, and always should be, his choice. Some children are too young for the exposure to certain types of music. Albums containing sexually explicit lyrics depicting sexualacts in great detail are not good for young children to hear. Also, sexual content within the albums, as in their artwork, is unacceptable. For example, the Frankenchrist album by the Dead Kennedys, which portrays an extremely sexual painting by H.G. Giger, entitled Landscape #20: Where Are We Coming From (Wishna 444). Not to mention all the shows and concerts in which some kind of pornography is used or displayed that is inappropriate for younger kids, such as Billy Joe Armstrong, of Green Day, baring all for a concert of his in Philadelphia (Bernstein 95). Also, in Cleveland, a frustrated Courtney Love tore off her bra and screamed, "Now you know how I get all the guys," (Bernstein 95).

Revenue Recognition Essay

The revenue recognition principle is a foundation of accrual accounting and one of the main principles of GAAP. The revenue recognition principle is a set of guidelines that helps accountants to identify when a revenue event has taken place and how to appropriately record cash exchanges before, during, and after the revenue event. According to the revenue recognition principal, revenue must (1) be realized or realizable and (2) earned, in order to be recognized. According to the SEC revenue is realized when (1) Persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (2) Delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, (3) The seller’s price to the buyer is fixed or determinable, and (4) Collectability is reasonably assured. It is essential for the users of financial statements to know that the real revenues are recorded and disclosed and not fraudulent revenues. A constraint of GAAP that is relevant to the revenue recognition principle is the materiality principle. Fraudulent revenues will create misstatements that could have a material effect on the decisions of financial statement users. In 2002, WorldCom a telecommunication company, filed for bankruptcy. It was later revealed that the company was involved with improper accounting in two major forms. First WorldCom inflated revenues to increase profits, thereby increasing stock prices, and increasing the satisfaction of stakeholders. Second, the company understated line costs. Revenue is important to users of financial statements because it helps them evaluate a company’s performance and prospects. WorldCom violated the revenue recognition principle by creating an account that did not come from the operating activities of the company’s sales channel. WorldCom named this fictitious schedule corporate unallocated account. This action was unethical and illegal, and gave the company a very bad reputation. According to paragraph 25 of PCAOB Auditing Standard No. 5, because of its importance to effective internal control over financial reporting, the auditor must evaluate the control environment at the company. As part of evaluating the control environment, the auditor should assess the following, †¢Does management’s philosophy and operating style promote effective internal control over financial reporting? Has the company developed sound integrity and ethical values, and more importantly, do all employees understand these values, particularly top management? †¢Does the Board or audit committee understands and exercises oversight responsibility over financial reporting and internal control? The control environment is what sets the tone for an organization and is the foundation for all other components of internal control. It provides discipline and structure and reflects the ethical values, integrity and competencies of the organization. The control environment is very important to effective internal control over financial reporting to an audit client like WorldCom, because good designs can prevent and detect frauds and errors. But because WorldCom had such a poor control environment, the company would require more testing for an audit. This shows that the board did not exercise oversight responsibilities over financial reporting or internal controls. According to PCAOB Auditing Standard No. 5 paragraphs 26 & 27, the top-side adjusting journal entries are when the executives record the entries, or when the accountants are asked by the executives to record the entries. A valid use of top-side journal entries is to allocate income or expenses from a parent company to its subsidiaries. However, top-side adjustments can also be used to improperly reduce liability accounts and increase revenue or decrease expenses. Companies undergoing mergers, acquisitions or restructuring are particularly susceptible to the fraudulent misuse of top-side journal entries. Necessary evidence to obtain include sales invoices, credit memos, customer master file list, analytical procedures, and accounting systems. In the auditing of WorldCom, we would require adjusting journal entries, the MonRev spreadsheets detailing revenue, the corporate unallocated schedule, the automated process for closing and consolidating operational revenue numbers, and propriety of a top-side journal entry made to their revenue account. We would also need the authorization of the CFO or any officers. Good ethics is very significant for an organization. When ethical dilemmas are not recognized there could be serious consequences that could lead to imprisonment. In addition, a company will lose its reputation instantly. Assuming that Lorenzo and Taranto knew that the entries being proposed by Scott Sullivan were fraudulent they should not have recorded the journal entries as they were directed. If WorldCom had a control environment where it took more than three employees to conspire to commit such a large fraud, and where the board checked on the corporate adjusting entries, this could have been prevented. Employees should be trained and guided by a code of ethics and observed with appropriate influences for violation

Sexism and Film Anaylisis/G.I.Jane

The movie G. I. Jane was written by Daniel Alexander. The film was directed by Ridley Scott and was released in 1997. The film is about a female senator that succeeds in getting a woman, Jordan O’Neil (Demi Moore), into the Navy SEALS training. If women compare favorably with men in a series of test cases, the military will integrate women fully into all branches of the Navy. The female character goes through rigorous training right alongside the men. Everyone expects the woman to fail during the intensive training that a SEAL must complete. O'Neil faces sexism and physical challenges as she struggles to complete the training at the same quality or better than her male counterparts. The film’s title is interesting because it immediately draws attention to the difference between the commonly, known cliche of G. I. Joe to G. I. Jane. The title stands for a woman in the military which is not the norm. The film opening shows the unrest on the subject of fairness to women in the military. Throughout the film, there are scenes discussing the inequality in the military for women. The scene where the senators are discussing selecting a woman and then the scene when O’Neil is selected set a tone for the film showing the unfair manner in which women are treated in the military. Continuing the unfair treatment, the scenes during the basic training and the scene showing how the officers abuse O’Neil reinforce the problems faced by a female in the military. Sexism is a hurdle that any woman in the military must confront. In the film, darkness and dimmed lighting sets a mood where there is some mystery or some violence involved. The director uses one scene that is seen through the eyes of G. I. Jane to give the viewers a real feel for how G. I. Jane sees the world. The scene is where O’Neil fights her Master Chief and features a wide variety of camera angles while focusing in on O’Neil fighting to free her teammates. A climaxing scene in the film is when O’Neil is given the poem â€Å"Self Pity† and is then congratulated by her Master Chief. O'Neil fights back and wins his respect and that of the other trainees. This scene sums up all of the good work and success achieved by O’Neil in the Navy SEALS. In this case, O’Neil has conquered and won the battle of sexism facing women in the military. O’Neil has proven she has the physical strength to compete with the men. The film shows that sexism is unnecessary, but unfortunately will probably exist forever. In this movie, sexism is thrown out the door as Demi Moore’s role in the movie proves sexism is outdated. The film shows that adversity can be overcome. Another piece of literature that has a similar theme is A Jury of Her Peers that deals with women being under appreciated. In the short story, a country attorney speaks with sarcasm to women and pokes fun at the women for occupying themselves with little things while the men were investigating a murder. All the while, the men were missing the details and clues that would help explain what happened during the murder. In this story and in the movie G. I. Jane, men underestimate what women are capable of accomplishing.