FIG 100, section 3, American Popular Culture linked three courses, offered for students in the University Honors Program, that promised a variety of objectives: Communication 230H The Rhetoric of Media, taught by Professor Richard Morris, carried three hours of credit in the humanities area of general education. In many ways this course anchored the FIG with a formal analysis of how the history, form, and content of radio, popular music, fashion, architecture, television, film and advertising shape and reflect our society. Communication 200H Public Speaking, taught by Professor Martha Cooper, carried three hours credit for the core competency requirement of speech communication in general education; the course explored the process and techniques of developing and presenting oral communication in a world of virtual values and electronic culture. English 105H Rhetoric and Composition, taught by Professor Robert Self, satisfied the university's core competency requirement in English. The course examined the terms of critically reading cultural texts and practiced the process of composition in a networked computer environment.

English 105 required the development of three kinds of essays: a "personal" essay, in which the writer focused on some individual experience or recollection and discussed its relevance to larger cultural concerns; a "public" essay, in which the writer analyzed the complexity and context of some contemporary cultural issue; and a "professional" essay in which the writer engaged a topic of cultural interest as reflected by published research in science and technology, in the humanities, or in the social sciences. This collection contains the essays which each of the twenty-two students in the FIG considered their best writing.

Some of these essays are personal: Jill Briscoe uses the discovery of a particularly colorful hawaiian shirt as a means of self awareness. Beth Lenz finds a striking parallel between images of inspiration in film and her own experience. Emily Peck moves from a friend's anorexia to an analysis of the images of women in advertising. And Carmen Sovanski looks at the tension between the desire for individuality and the inevitability of conformity. Other essays are public: Jennifer Crawford examines conflicting values in the contemporary debate over euthanasia. Olivia Cronk offers a feminist critique of contemporary representations of women in the mass media. Kevin Sweeney explores the ways e-mail has entered the business work site.

Many of these essays are professional. They not only reflect the writer's investigation of resources discovered both in the library and on the Internet; they reflect the writer's contribution to the academic and professional conversations ongoing in the published research. Tracey Arahood describes the positive reflection of family values in contemporary "anti-family" television. Emily Bergschneider argues against the dangers to young women posed by gymnastics. Veronica Falson explains the importance of dietary awareness for people active in body building. Andy Hansen examines the political controversy over flag burning as a "non-issue" in the context of First Amendment issues. Erin McCarty explores the complex debate over television's impact on the development of young children. Jeff Salkas explains the business mistakes of Apple Computers in the "PC Wars." Shelley Streitmatter illustrates and argues against the "chilly climate" for girls in American classrooms. Michael Tam analyzes the developing role of computers in Accounting Information Systems.

A central concern of this Freshman Interest Group developed around the understanding of symbiosis that exists between the terms of personal identity, the forms of public culture, and the energies of academic research. "Personal" papers always thus address "public" and "professional" matters. "Public" debate speaks to person concerns and draws upon professional expertise. "Professional" writing begins in individual commitment and answers to public interests. Many of the papers considered by the writers to be their best work reflect this multiple engagement. Jatare Barrett looks at debate over solving racism in a context of both personal experience and the cultural significance of current burnings of African-American churches. Jennifer Curry examines as a former gymnast the physiological and psychological values of gymnastics in the context of publicity from the Olympic Games. Elizabeth Hendry combines personal religion with an interest in Hispanic culture as a Spanish major to explore in the context of December the differing English and Spanish traditions of Christmas. Erin Lafferty's appreciation for the musical score of Evita as a music major serves as the basis for her proposal of discursive parallels between the careers of Evita and Madonna. And both Maria Morrison and Michelle Svee illustrate the interaction between commitment to social service--physical therapy and elementary education--and popular social concern with nurturing and teaching, and academic investigations into central issues in these fields.

This collection thus marks an end to their work by its publication. But the collection also publishes the energy, the creativity, and the strength of young people embarked upon the critical comprehension of their culture.

Robert Self, Department of English

The Changing of American Sitcom Families: Traditional Families vs "Anti-Families"

Tracey Arahood

The "traditional" American family is no longer the "original" traditional family. Prime-time comedy shows are changing with changing times and are trying to keep up with the way families are in the real world. In this paper I will be focusing on four comedy sitcoms that I watch regularly or have seen enough of to know the characters and situations of their storylines. These four include the following: "The Simpsons," "Mad About You," "Murphy Brown," and the new NBC sitcom "Something So Right." What I hope to do is view the similarities and differences between "Mad About You" and the other three and examine how they relate to traditional family as opposed to anti-family values. I will prove, on my own terms, that the "T.V. Anti-family" is not one lacking in values, but rather a family that has moved away from the mainstream of what one would like to call "traditional."

First, let us take a look at "Mad About You." This sitcom is running it's fifth or sixth, maybe even seventh, season. This show, in my opinion, is the traditional American family. Paul and Jamie Buchman meet, they date, they get married in a traditional wedding, and three or four years later, they start a family. This was, and, in some people's minds, still is the way it should happen. Boy meets girl, boy and girl get married, boy and girl start a family, BUT NOT until they have established a stable home and stable careers. Careers, not career; a two income family: the 90's version of the traditional American family, or is it?

Let's take a look now at "Murphy Brown." Murphy Brown is a journalist at the FYI news station. At a time when the teen pregnancy rate is climbing, an unwed Murphy becomes pregnant and catches the general public's attention. Teen pregnancy is bad enough, but an unwed adult getting pregnant seems even worse. No one addressed this situation more critically than Vice-President Dan Quayle. "It seems that Dan decided. . . that Murphy's decision to have a baby out of wedlock represented the crumbling of traditional American family values under the corrupt influence of the liberal entertainment industry in Hollywood." (Rubio 1) Dan Quayle spent more time criticizing Murphy Brown for being an unwed mother than he did embracing her decision, which was that she chose life. "Dan was too busy to watch any of the episodes in question, and so he was stuck on the absence of a father in the new baby's life, and was unable to appreciate the importance the newborn Brown had in Murphy's life." (Rubio 2)

Murphy Brown is an unwed mother, but I have often heard the phrase, "it is better to have one good parent than two not so good parents." Her being an unwed mother is an issue most likely because this was the first sitcom to try it. I consider her a model citizen. It isn't easy taking care of children, especially if one is single, so I admire her for wanting to take on the challenge of being a single parent. In my opinion, if it were me, I would rather be criticized for making the right choice than be criticized for ending the pregnancy. Murphy Brown not only had to deal with the issue of being a single parent, but also the confrontation within herself that this may have been her only chance to have a child. I don't consider her choice to be anti-family; I consider her choice to represent the realistic family life. Families no longer consistently have a mom, dad, and 2.5 children; families come in all shapes and sizes: uncles and aunts raising nieces and nephews, grandparents raising grandchildren, single mothers/single fathers, divorcees remarrying and blending their families together. As Rubio states: If Murphy Brown were really anti-family values, her sitcom might look something like a John Waters movie circa 'Pink Flamingos': just imagine Murphy chowing down on the baby's placenta while Eldon made a sandwich of baby poo and saliva. . . The uproar over the importance of culture overshadows the very real similarities between the world view of 'Murphy Brown' and the Democrats fight for votes, CBS fights for ratings, but it's all part of the selling of the mainstream. (3)

Next, let us take a look at "The Simpsons," which has become a type of realistic cartoon for children and adults alike. "By redefining and reshaping the way television portrays the American family, 'The Simpsons,'. . . have provided Fox with a steady stream of advertising income, along with a show with which people can identify the network." (Tappa 1) This show has succeeded because it portrays the American family with storylines that the general public can relate to. The Simpson family is not perfect; they, along with Murphy Brown, have just moved away from the mainstream. A T.V. anti-family is not lacking in values, but is just different from the mainstream of traditional. As Tappa writes: "The Simpsons' portray family life in a blunt, yet personal light. Victoria A. Rebeck of Christian Century also argues that, The Simpsons are a typical American family -- typical in a way most family-based shows never acknowledge. It acknowledges that parents do not always provide their kids with correct wisdom, sometimes there aren't many presents under the Christmas tree, and sometimes Mom gets pregnant by accident"(2). This show is proud to admit and to show its viewers that most parents aren't perfect.

The Simpson family represents the lower-middle class family, acknowledging that this class is growing. It also acknowledges that, even though this family has strayed from the mainstream, the family values are still present. The families stick together through bad and good times. When someone in that family is going through a rough time, the other characters add laughter to their lives and help each other through it. What we notice in "The Simpsons" in particular is that the Simpson family pokes fun at each other and the kids act up, but in the end family is still more important than anything else, which is the "value" that most families still represent today. In addition to "Mad About You," the Simpson family represents a family happening the "right way"-- the only difference being the fact that the Simpsons are struggling to make ends meet. In the end, though, their values is what keeps their family together.

The last comparison is the new NBC sitcom "Something So Right," a show about two divorcees trying to bring their separate families together. This program is what I consider to be the updated 90's version of the ex-T.V. sitcom "Step by Step." In contrast to "Step by Step," "Something So Right" allows its viewers to relate to its storylines by acknowledging the fact that each parent in this relationship has baggage from his/her past and that they are struggling to make a new family together. In "Step by Step," this part of their lives is never discussed, never even acknowledged; therefore we, as the audience, feel as though their lives continue without distractions. "Something So Right" deals with issues that are present in today's world and that we, as the audience, can all relate to. "Something So Right" is also not lacking in values, just different from the mainstream. The parents have brought their children together under the same roof and are trying to establish a new, but stable home. This show is realistic because divorce is a very big issue in our society today and an issue that many parents and children must deal with. "Something So Right" may have changed family values a little to fit their lifestyle and live together peacefully, but again family is what keeps them together.

"Mad About You," "Murphy Brown," "The Simpsons," and "Something So Right," are not the traditional American family, but the "original" traditional family very rarely exists anymore -- in television or in real life. "Anti-families" stray away from the mainstream, but moving away from the mainstream does not mean that they no longer have values. The "anti-family" predominates on T.V. today because T.V. now acknowledges that not all families are alike and that, in order to relate to its audience, the shows need to move away from the mainstream because the people in "T.V. Land" now recognize that not all parents and families are the same and that they are not all perfect.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cater, Douglass. Television as a Cultural Force. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1976. Leibman, Nina C. Living Room Lectures:The Fifties Family in Film and Television. Austin: U of Texas P, 1995.

Rubio, Steven. "Dan Quayle Was Right." Online. Bad Subjects. October 1992.

Tappa, Scott. "The Simpsons: Fox's Prime-Time Pillar of Strength." Online. Internet.

Taylor, Ella. Prime-Time Families: Television Culture in Postwar America. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989.

Jatare Barrett

Imagine being snatched from your home and taken to another. But it is not your home and the people there do not welcome you. The people raise you to hate everything about yourself and teach you that you are nothing. Slavery and racism have common factors, but in general they are both wrong. Slavery striped Africans of their home land. Racism stripes away America making immigrants and non white nationalities feel unwelcome. With Bill Clinton signing this bill, immigrants will be limited in number. It is teaching children to hate one another, adults distrust in others and leaving our future bleak. The cure to such a disease needs to be taught or applied to keep the generations from continuing to hate.

Slavery originated from Euro-Americans taking Africans from Africa to support and build America's economy. In the process of building America's economy white Americans had to dehumanize the Africans so that they were seen as cattle. Slave owners dehumanize Africans because they know morally slavery is wrong. Racism does the same, but not in the extreme. Slavery physically held Africans captive. Racism burns black churches, teaches white supremacy and enslaves the minds of minorities. Racism also teaches dehumanization. Minorities need to be viewed as humans by racists. Racists refer to every minority by some racial slur or name. Their minds allow them to lynch, burn and kill without conscience because they see the torturing or killing a lower animal.

While slavery imprisoned minorities bodies, racism enslaves their minds. The constant threat of being whipped, lynched, murdered was enough to keep slaves from rebelling. Now the threat of losing a job, not getting a promotion, being thrown in jail for driving in a certain neighborhood, not receiving a fair trial, hanging out with friends, all cause minorities to fear the justice system and the government. This fear is based on the consistent display of leniency toward the white community. The television show, Dateline, conducted an experiment which consisted of five black men, five white men and situations. The black men were told to drive around a neighborhood. The police stopped them. The officers made all the men get out of the car and patted them down. They also checked the car. After being hassled for about twenty minutes the five black men were allowed to return to their vehicle and were told to leave the area. The five white men were told to do the exact same experiment. They did all the same things the black men did. The same officers pulled them over. They were not made to get out of the car or patted down. The white men reported the officers asked them if they were lost and needed directions. This was not the only experiment Dateline conducted. They did several more using different nationalities compared to whites but the test proved that minorities are more likely to be stopped and hassled than whites.

Child abuse and racism are similar because they are immoral. Teaching these destructive things to children can influence them for the rest of their lives. Racism can have a profound effect on children. If a child is abused for most of their early life, they are being taught to abuse. They are not taught by explanation or logic , they are taught by example. Abuse teaches children to hurt. Racism teaches segregation when a child sees its parents dividing by color the child follows suit. Where child abuse is physical as well as mental, racism is a dangerous and serious mind game. Racism is taught by word of mouth. Children consistently in contact with racial slurs, comments, and put downs start to believe this behavior is acceptable. There are exceptions to every rule but majority become a child abuser or racist. Like children abused as children are more likely to become child abusers, children raised by racist parents are more likely to be racist adults. An occasional racial slur in front of a child, can effect the child's perception of that particular race. Parents need to be aware that they can teach children racism without intention. "Parents should talk honestly with children about racial , ethnic, and cultural differences." (Fitzpatrick 68) They have a responsibility to teach right form wrong, blue from green, black from white, but also teach not to condemn by color.

Children who are raised by racist parents are done an injustice. By separating that child from other cultures and filling them with hatred for people unknown to them, the parents rob the child of its right to form its own opinion. The child is cuts off from reality. The parents create a one race world that does not exist. How is a child full of hatred going to adapt to having to work, eat, sit, talk and deal with people of different cultures? The child will not adapt or accept the different cultures. The child may seek out others that share its racist ideas like the Ku Klux Klan.

Racism is still evident because of active organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan, Nazis and skinheads. The recent black church burnings send a message loud and clear. A poll taken by U.S. News &World Report in 1995 showed the opinions of whites about blacks: "Opinions find that many white Americans still believe that African Americans are inherently inferior to whites in important areas."( Eddings 41) such as work ethic, intelligence, and violence. The media plays a major part in portraying minority communities. The media coverage focus on the negative aspects in minority communities or any of America's communities. By showing the world the ghetto (which is not where all minorities live) drug dealers, drug addicts, gang violence, and riots in a fairly mixed community, people can easily make the stereotype that all minorities live this way. The media reinforce stereotypes by displaying minorities on welfare. "White male politicians, instead of using money in the national budget for job creation, education reform, drug rehabilitation, or social and psychological counseling, seek instead to limit welfare spending and keep criminals in jail. Such measures equate black people with crime and welfare." (Jordan 23) In the article "The Covert Color War" is subtitled "stealth racism." Obviously, racism is not hidden well enough to be considered stealth racism. When a person walks through a door people decide how they feel about that person due to past experience or past impressions but if they have never been in contact with a different nationality they take what they see on television as gospel. Being different for others makes people run for the door and escape.

And to many of us this understandable. Why? Many things people take for granted reinforce racism but not blatantly. Has anyone recently filled out an application for a scholarship, ACT test, credit card, checking account, or apartment? All these things ask for the nationality of the applicant. Why is this important? Should not a person be eligible for these things despite their nationality? People are taught to be comfort with their own nationality but why not others? Though most people are not taught outright, most people associate race with whatever the current stereotype happens to be. When clubs have a name that includes a race, people of different races automatically assume that those will be the only people there. Even when the club has signs up that say "All are welcome to join," people are intimidated by the name, but really if people were interested they would at least check it out.

Another cue that racism is still alive is minority shoppers. When most minorities enter a high priced store, they receive one of three or all three responses: an immediate shadow ( a store clerk following them around), a "What are you doing in here?" look from some white customers or a salesperson who announces the price loudly to signal your immediate departure. " While such incidents often strike whites as trivial misunderstandings, they remind blacks that they are often dismissed as less intelligent, less hard working, less honest, and less likely to succeed." (Eddings 41) And even yet another example of "stealth" racism is directed toward immigrants. Bill Clinton has considered signing a bill that would stop immigrants from everywhere south of Texas. All Americans do not feel this bill should be passed, especially those who came from that country. This country was founded by immigrants, for immigrants. Not just immigrants who "look like us."

The cure to racism lies in recognition, patience, understanding, and communication. If racism is not recognized as a problem then the problem continues. Many people either deny or simply refuse to accept the fact that racism is still around. Ignoring the problem will not provide a solution nor make it go away. "America must begin to leaving behind its fatal fixation on race. The legal and rhetorical overemphasis on race in the past generation, which has led to busing, affirmative action, quotas, and punitive political correctness, has only compounded America's problems." (Morrow 106) Patience factors in due to the fact that racism is not simply going to go away. The African American race has been free from slavery for at least forty years, but their minds are still not set free. After those forty years, blacks still remain imprisoned. Free to voice their opinions, free to vote, free to hold a peaceful protest but not free to buy what they want, when they want, from whom they want. Even now in the '90s, racism has not disappeared. The hate is passed on through children.

One of the cures to racism is time, and patience will surely be needed. Understanding factors definitely factors into this equation. Patience alone will not suffice if people are not taught that racism is wrong than all the patience in the world will not stop racism. Understanding, respecting and accepting other cultures, races and ethnic backgrounds play parts to stopping or curing racism that is so deeply imbedded in America's past, present and probably near future. Another important key to curing racism is communication. When people talk they break down barriers that could be keeping races apart. The ability to communicate with one another is highly valued and highly underrated. If slaves could have voiced their concerns without fear of beatings, punishment or dying than maybe slavery might not have lasted as long, but would the problem still be the same? Communication helps understanding different races by voicing feelings, thoughts and opinions. When people communicate than others can understand. If people apply this medication to the problem of racism it will eventually die.

Works Cited

Cain, Joy Duckett. "Talking Racism (Helping Children Cope)." Essence (September 1992): 114.

Cashman, Sean Dennis. African-Americans and the Quest for Civil Rights, 1900-1990. New York: New York UP, 1991.

Eddings, Jerelyn. "The Covert Color War." U.S. News and World Report (October 23, 1995): 40-41.

Ezekiel, Raphael S. The Racist Mind: Portraits of Neo- Nazis and Klansmen. New York: Penguin, 1995.

Fitzpatrick, Jean Grasso. "Can We All Get Along?" McCall's (August 1992): 68.

Lemann, Nicholas. "The End of Racism?" American Heritage (February/March 1996): 93-103.

Morrow, Klance. "The Cure for Racism" Time (December 5, 1994): 106.

Vaughan, Alden. Roots of American Racism: Essays on the Colonial Experience. New York: Oxford UP, 1995.

Emily Bergschneider

Americans love to watch petite cute young girls stretch their muscular bodies like rubber bands as they gracefully perform in gymnastic competitions. Since it is a popular sport to watch in our country, gymnasts must fulfill the expectations of this large audience. However, many young gymnasts who compete in elite, top level, gymnastics experience emotional and physical abuse from parents, the general public, judges, and coaches. Rather than damage their bodies and minds, these people should protect these women from harm. Too many young women are suffering from abuse; therefore, changes need to be made in the expectations of these young gymnasts.

If one of the members on the United States Summer Olympic Women's Gymnastics Team wins the gold medal, she instantly becomes America's little sweetheart. Her picture appears on Wheaties boxes and the cover of popular magazines. This accomplishment requires a lot of dedication and hard work; therefore, gymnastics is a very rewarding sport. After vaulting on her sprained ankle in the 1996 Summer Olympics, Kerri Strug feels that she can show kids that if you work hard anything is possible (Hersh, 1996, p. D8). "Competitive gymnastics can have some very positive influences on the youngsters, promoting self-confidence and teaching them the value of hard work and discipline" (qtd. in Warning, 1996, p. C12). Even though many gymnasts reach the Olympic level, many young girls never make it that far. America is obsessed with winning at any cost and in many cases this cost means for some gymnasts their career or even their lives. Gymnastics is a very beneficial sport, but on the elite level too many children are suffering mental and physical abuse. At the age of ten, most gymnasts are training intensely. During this critical stage of development, children experience rapid physiologic, neurologic, and psychological growth. Therefore, "participation in Olympic-level gymnastics may place inappropriate physical and psychological demands on these children, which may have lifelong consequences" (qtd. in Tofler, 1996, p. 281).

Despite all of the positive aspects of this sport, gymnasts face a great deal of pressure. For example, the parents invest a lot of money into the girl's training in hopes that she will make it to the Olympics. Many parents put too much pressure on the gymnast to succeed without realizing it. They are too involved with the sport and will do anything so their daughter will make it to the top. "Strong parental encouragement of a potentially dangerous endeavor for the purpose of gaining fame and financial rewards can result in child abuse" (qtd. in Tofler, p. 281). Even though parents do not wake up each morning and plot how to ruin the gymnast's life, the money, the fame and the promise of great achievement can turn a parent's head. Carroll Stack, an Olympic gymnast's mother, says that "the more money you put into it, the more you want to see. It gets to the point where it's real vicious" (qtd. in Ryan, 1995, p. 152). Kerri Strug's father states that, "I hope that I never wake up from this dream" (qtd. in Hersh, p. D1). With all the pressures that the athlete has to deal with from her parents, the gymnast must also satisfy the general public's and judges' expectations as well.

If the typical gymnast is cute, sixteen years old, four feet nine inches tall, and weighs a mere eighty-three pounds, then she must satisfy this ideal image. When a gymnast makes a mistake during her Olympic performance, she must remember that more than one billion people are watching her very closely; she is likely to see her mistake played in slow motion on the television and she will see it on the front page of the newspaper's sports section. When an elite gymnast fails, she fails globally. The fans and judges expect perfection, and this is difficult to achieve because routines are becoming more difficult each year. Gymnasts are Michael Jordans before they can drive. Usually, they are a "has been" before they graduate from high school, because Americans will turn their attention to the next world champion. With all the pressures that a gymnast deals with from her parents, the general public, and judges, a gymnast faces an immense amount of pressure from her coach.

A gymnastics coach tries to provide an ideal training environment that will produce an Olympic champion. Consequently, coaches put a tremendous amount of pressure on the athlete because their reputation rides on the gymnast's performance. They have a strong desire to win and will demand perfection at all times. In elite gymnastics, this causes the coach to put pressure on the gymnast to perform perfectly and to maintain the ideal figure. Gymnasts spend most of their time with the coach during this state of development. Unfortunately, many coaches do not have any knowledge of child development. The coach's lack of awareness causes unhealthy physical and psychological demands. However, United States gymnastics coaches do not have to have a license, coaching certificate, or education to train the young girls (Ryan, p. 12). This causes problems because they might know a great deal about gymnastics, but they might not have any expertise on how to deal with emotional or physical problems that a gymnast might face during her career.

In many cases, gymnasts work too hard. However, college athletes are restricted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to just twenty hours of formal training, but these young girls do not have any limits on the number of hours of they practice. "The government does not take a look inside the gym to make sure the children are not being worked too hard. It never asks a coach, who holds the lives of his young pupils in his hands, to pass a minimum safety and skills test" (qtd. in Ryan, p. 12).

An elite gymnast trains in a very isolated environment. Usually, an athlete will leave her immediate family to train with her coach, and in some cases, the coach has full custody of the child. The athlete will usually do homework through the mail because they must concentrate on gymnastics, not education. This isolation from family and friends affects the gymnasts in a very harmful way. For example, gymnasts usually do not have effective communication skills for their age. When Kristie Phillips was on the Johnny Carson show, she was given a few tips on what to say about boys, school, and having fun so that it appeared Kristie was leading a normal teenager's life. However, she tried to commit suicide prior to her appearance because her coach said her ninety-eight pound body was too heavy (Ryan, p. 112). Kristie Phillips' suicide attempt proves that many gymnasts cannot excel under intense pressure and high demands.

A gymnast is to be seen and not heard; therefore, if her coach tells her to lose weight or to practice with an injury she must do so or the coach will not continue training. This pressure causes many physical problems for an athlete that can permanently damage her body. Gymnasts train during their developmental years. Coaches try to produce a star before the girl's body develops into a woman's. Girls are under pressure to not only win but to win quickly because they are racing against puberty. "Training more than eighteen hours a week before and during puberty may alter the growth rate and prevent the attainment of full adult height" (qtd. in Tofler, p. 281). Gymnasts are short compared to the average teenager because their intense training alters her growth spurts. A gymnast and her family must be aware of these consequences before she begins training, but disordered eating and slow healing injuries are two areas which many gymnasts do not consider until they fall into the trap.

Since gymnastics is an appearance sport, athletes feel pressure to achieve the optimal figure. The characteristics of an elite gymnast are extremely low body fat, short stature, and narrow hips and shoulders (Claessens, 1992, p. 761). "The constant focus on either achieving or maintaining a prescribed weight goal may put the female athlete at risk for developing a disordered eating pattern" (qtd. in Yeager, 1993, p. 775). Almost sixty-two percent of elite gymnasts have eating disorders (Noden, 1994, p. 54). Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are two very common eating disorders. Disordered eating can cause amenorrhea, a condition in which the menstrual cycle is irregular or nonexistent. A gymnast delays the beginning of her menstrual cycle three months for each year of prepubertal training (Cahill, 1993, p. 219). Most gymnasts do not menstruate until they retire. For example, Olympic medalist Kathy Johnson did not begin her menstrual cycle until the age of twenty-five.

Most gymnasts seek medical help in order to fight the eating disorder, but unfortunately, one United States gymnast died of anorexia nervosa. Christie Henrich shriveled to a mere fifty-two pounds of bones and skin after she desperately sought a weightless gymnastics figure by starving herself (Plummer, 1994, p. 37). The truth that lies behind eating disorders is that most gymnastics coaches encourage them. One of Bela Karoyli's athletes lost eight pounds during the 1992 Summer Olympics because he only allowed them to eat an apple for breakfast and a salad and half of a portion of the main course at the hotel for lunch. This United States gymnastics coach expected his athletes to practice with less than one thousand calories (Ryan, p. 71). A gymnast can become anorexia or bulimic, but these eating disorders can be prevented by careful vigilance on the gymnast to ensure that she is eating healthily.

Many coaches do not realize that eating disorders damage the body. Gymnasts who limit their calorie intake to improve their performance or to gain a competitive edge, results in a diminished bone density. If an elite gymnast practices more than forty hours a week, she is definitely at high risk for stress fractures (Cahill, p. 182). If a girl is not menstruating, she is not producing estrogen and this causes the bones to weaken, which puts the athlete at high risk for injury. The risk of injury increases with longer practice time and the degree of difficulty of the routines (Tofler, p. 281). With weak bones, the gymnast is more vulnerable to injuries. Bela Karolyi's theory is to rest an injury is to kill precious time. Therefore, coaches have their gymnasts practice with an injury. For example, Olympic gymnast Karen Tierney performed with a cracked C-2 vertebra in her back despite the agonizing pain. Also, many practice with sprained ankles or injured wrists. In order to dull the pain, gymnasts take shots of cortisone or take five to seven Advils before a performance (Ryan, p. 39). Gymnasts take care of pain like they take care of their teeth and their hair. A gymnast without a high pain threshold is a gymnast without a career.

Gymnasts face pressures from parents, fans, judges, and coaches that causes both mental and physical child abuse. Even though gymnastics can be a rewarding sport, many gymnasts are feeling too much pressure, which leads to injuries, eating disorders, and suicide attempts. The positive aspects of this sport are tremendous when a gymnast does win the gold medal at the Olympics, but the negative aspects outweigh them greatly, especially when the people who love the athletes so much are the ones who are actually damaging them. Until changes in gymnastics are made, young girls will continue to suffer mental and physical abuse. Whether it is requiring a coach to be certified, keeping an eye on the gymnast's eating habits, decreasing the training time, or allowing an injury to heal completely, some significant reform must occur before this celebrated child abuse stops.

References

Cahill, Bernard, and Arthur J. Pearl. (1993). Intensive participation in children's sports. Champaign: Human Kinetics.

Claessens A.L., et al. (1992). Growth and menarcheal status of elite gymnasts. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 24, 55-63.

Hersh, Philip. (1996 December 6). Crazy for Kerri. Chicago Tribune, pp. D1, D8.

Noden, Merrel. (1994 August 8). Dying to win. Sports Illustrated, pp. 52-60.

Plummer, William. (1994, August 22). Dying for a medal. People Weekly, pp. 36-39.

Ryan, Joan. (1995). Little girls in pretty boxes: the making and breaking of elite gymnasts and figure skaters. New York: Doubleday.

Tofler, Ian., et al. (1996). Physical and emotional problems in elite female gymnasts. The New England Journal of Medicine, 335, 281-283.

Yeager, K.K., et al. (1993). The female athlete triad: disordered eating, amenorrhea, osteoporosis. Medical Science in Sports and Exercise, 25,775-7.

Jill Briscoe

"The clothes make the man." Yes, I had heard that one before. To put it bluntly, you are what you wear. No matter how you say it, the idea remains the same. Now and forever, people judge others by the clothes they wear. For example, one may observe a man in a polo shirt and instantly think, "Oh my God! What a prep!" Or maybe two people see a woman wearing leather and say to each other, "Look at that biker chick. I bet she acts real wild." For years I tried to combat these kinds of stereotypes. I believed that personalities display so much diversity that no one article of clothing could cover everything about them. Yet one Saturday I learned my naivete. On that fateful day, an event happened to me that changed the way I thought about clothing and personalities for the rest of my life.

I did not intend to go shopping for clothes that day. My main objective consisted of purchasing a video cassette for class. The buying of clothes just sort of . . . happened. I was circling the parking lot of Wal-Mart trying to find a space. I kept traveling down row after row until I finally reached the rows in front of Fashion bug. Lo and behold, they were having a sidewalk sale. I had to stop and look, because sales embody my greatest weakness. After all, who am I to pass up clothes on clearance? Anyway, I set out thumbing through the racks, not looking for anything in particular. I had not necessarily been avoiding the rack. It seemed more like it wanted me to save it for last, as if it held something special.

Unsuspectingly, I finally approached the fateful rack. Never in my life could I have prepared myself for what happened next. There, in all of its cheesy glory, hung the most vibrant, tacky, fish and coconut-covered Hawaiian shirt I had ever seen. I almost fell to my knees and wept, it looked so beautiful. It whispered into my ear, "Take me home, I'm yours. I've always been yours." I think it even smiled at me. Instantly, I snatched the shirt up and bought it for $5.06. I sped home so that I could see how it looked.

By now, dear reader, your thoughts probably follow the idea that "this girl is cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs and should be locked away immediately." But there exists a story behind the shirt. About a year ago, I received a call form my friend Chrissy who lives in Streator. We had not been talking for long when she said, "I have to tell you about the dream I had last night. You're going to get a kick out of this." She then proceeded to tell me her dream about the two of us at a party. She had dressed normally, but I arrived decked out in this goofy Hawaiian shirt. All during the party, I mingled amongst the crowd acting like, as she put it, the "Queen of the Lounge Lizards" (picture Larry from Three's Company). But she could go no farther. We laughed so hard that neither of us could catch our breath. "I couldn't help it," she sputtered, " I immediately thought, 'that is so Jill.'" I could not deny it. So for the rest of the year, Chrissy and I both scoured out respective home towns, seemingly in vain, for the perfect Hawaiian shirt. We could never find one that would send us into the hysterics that we experienced that night. Yes, the task seemed impossible. That is, until the Saturday when I took that stroll through the racks of cast-away clothes. Now I proudly own a reminder of that dream and a public proclamation of who I am.

But why is it me? My Hawaiian shirt contains several different characteristics that I connect to my personality. First and foremost, the shirt looks loud. I would not be surprised if people fell to the ground from being blinded by it. Not only does the shirt have a wide variety of colors, but a variety of very bright colors. The designs seem to leap out at you, screaming, "Look at me!" In my family, everyone speaks loudly. I had to learn the hard way that you must be the loudest in a conversation or get ignored -- something I do not particularly enjoy. Only lately have I learned to place importance in the skill of being able to shut up and listen. Second, the shirt is colorful. Whoever made this shirt must have liked rainbows, because Roy G. Biv and all of his friends live on the happy Hawaiian shirt. I like to believe my personality displays many colors and diversities. One minute I am listening to a Gershwin musical, the next I am enjoying the Cornholio jokes on Beavis and Butthead. My bulletin board holds a number of things that evoke memories and reveal my personality: an article on atheism, various cartoon figures, a penguin, Disneyland tickets, an ad for Schindler's List, the business card of a tattoo parlor, various Circle K advertisements, my bridesmaid gown receipt and a pin of a cello-playing mouse, just to name a few. Even my bookshelf shows the wide range of my personality. I have everything, from a book of Middle Eastern poetry to a cheesy romance novel from the seventh grade. When I pierced my nose, some people told me, "You were the last person I ever thought would pierce their nose." Others smiled, shook their heads and said, "Only you." Also, as I mentioned, someone had put it on the cast-away rack. Some people were not interested in it because they thought it was too odd or tacky. The shirt did not fit the fashion styles of the moment and therefore did not deserve to hang in someone's closet. Some people, upon meeting me, may not want to get to know me. They may think I am too tacky or odd for their tastes. I do not fit many people's definition of "normal" or "trendy," nor do I want to. Lucky of me, there are many people like me who value more than the latest passing trend that society spoon feeds them and they get to know the inner joy that is me.

But do not go away yet, kiddies. I can tell oh so much more. Let us examine the shirt itself. Patterns of fish swim all over this shirt. Lately I have been purchasing items with fish on them to help me overcome my fear of fish. You read correctly -- fish. It all goes back to when I was a kid and used to dream about fish attacking me and crawling all over me and . . . well, we will leave that one for the psychiatrist's couch. Next, fruit appear all over the shirt. I cannot resist fruit, especially tropical fruit like cantaloupe and pineapple. In fact, right before I left for college I ate an entire cantaloupe and became sick of about two days. The viewer can also see little half-dressed men whirling around in blissful joy, a pastime my friend Amanda and I often practiced in our Orchestra class. We worked on speed, technique and direction, all in hopes of finding the perfect spin. Also, I do not dance very well, so when given enough room I will start jumping and hopping around like a madman. Happy, yummy suns live all over the shirt. About 95 percent of the time this describes my disposition -- a happy sunny-yummy person.

Most of all, in a public situation, a Hawaiian shirt never goes unnoticed. When I wore this shirt around campus, people kept smiling at me and looking back at me as I passed by. Also, I twice overheard conversations where people tried reliving the happy days when they owned a Hawaiian shirt. I smiled, but without surprise. This shirt just evokes responses of that nature. I often get the same kind of reaction. I always seem to make my presence known, for better or for worse. Maybe people remember me for my unbelievable skills as a witty conversationalist. Or maybe they see I have a huge green booger hanging out of my nose. Whatever the reason, people notice. If a person needed to describe me to someone else in the room, they would not be short of details, just like the shirt. To describe it you could say, "The shirt with the red and the blue and the green that has flowers and coconuts and suns and fat, half-naked dancing men on it." The same goes for me. One could say, "Jill? Why, she is the one with the pony tails and the nose ring and the tattoo on her ankle."

My friend Chrissy plans to visit me in the next couple of weeks. Then she will finally view the masterpiece that once only existed as a figment of her subconscious. We will laugh and make jokes about it, but the truth still hurts. Cliches are cliches for a reason -- they sometimes do come true. In the end, I know one cliche that holds true some of the time -- the fact that I have become, at least in a little way, a product of my environment by finding myself in clothing, a shopping center, and a good friend.

And do you know what? I think maybe this is not such a bad thing.

Jennifer Crawford

People carry different views on euthanasia, but most believe that people have the right to die. Richard Roeper believes that euthanasia is not a privilege, but a person's right (11). Euthanasia has two sides: the compassion for life and the compassion for death. It is morally right with certain circumstances meaning a person should not have to be kept alive by machines if they do not wish to be. If a person is suffering, and the only way to end that suffering is death, then the choice should be made by the one is pain.

People do not yearn for pain, and that is why they fight for the right to die. When someone is terminally ill, the illness causes physical and mental pain to the victims of the disease and to those who love them. According to Dan Martin, "To him, pain is the most horrible thing in the world. Any person who has watched a member of the family die slowly and painfully hates death, hates what it does to the dying person, hates what it does to those who love him or her"(12). Watching a loved one suffer day after day can cause that person to go insane. Those who care for the one who is sick only want what is best, but as they sit watching the ill, their own mind is slowly deteriorating.

Who really is capable of deciding if someone has the right to die? Should that person's life be left to a judge, a doctor, a family member, or to themselves? Discussing who should live, or die, or who decides was not discussed until now with the uproar of euthanasia. Most people believe the choice should be left to the one who suffers. As Dan Martin points out, "The decision should not be made by we who are suffering, too"(12). However, in an article posed by USA Today entitled "Your Views on Helping People Die," Chris Huffer argues, "Life is a precious gift from God, and a person does not have the right to kill himself. If they would have taken their own lives when they have first heard about the illness, they would never have been cured"(13).

Accordingly, confronting death can be difficult for many. People rank their preferences of dying differently because of their values of life. Death to some can be a scary way to end life, but to others it is a dream to end the pain. Katie Lyle of Newsweek compares euthanasia to putting animals to sleep when they are too sick. She claims, "Euthanasia may be the best answer to handling severely mentally retarded and mentally ill people since the quality of life they have is agonizingly low"(14).

The situation of intense pain, the birth of a radically deformed child, and the deterioration that accompanies aging illustrate many reasons for considering euthanasia. People will use their illness as an excuse to die. Those who suffer greatly look to euthanasia as a way to end the agony. John Quinn of USA Today says, ".the right to die with dignity is more humane than the 'right' to endure a living death"(12). However, in today's society the word "humane" does not exist, but not having the right to die, for some people, is death. The concept is simple. Is it humane to allow one to suffer a great deal of pain knowing there is something that can be done to stop the suffering?

As might be expected, there are those people who believe they would rather be a vegetable then to ease their pain and die. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun Times states, "If someday I am thrust by fate into a permanent vegetative state, with no hope for recovery, I wish to be kept alive through modern technology. I want to continue to breathe while my brain stays dormant and my body withers. I will be more helpless and less communicative than a one-day-old baby. But I will be alive"(11). Many believe in artificial breathing, for themselves and everyone else. Nevertheless, some patients have died even with the use of life-support machines. What kind of life would a person have if they are kept alive by machines? Dan Martin claims, ".if death is the only means through which compassion can be achieved, then let it come naturally"(12). People need to realize that these machines may give a body a fresh face, but still, the person has been gone for a long time.

Furthermore, being held captive can be a scary and horrible thing; yet, many people believe they are prisoners of life. These are the people forced to breathe by life-support machines unable to end their fight against death. In spite of the person's wishes, they are unwillingly forced to live. Robert Baird and Stuart Rosenbaum point out, "The man who was sentenced to life, the man who lives to defend the right to die"(15). It is similar to the lives of prisoners. Many prisoners would rather be given the death sentence then to live the rest of their life in prison.

Meanwhile, those people who pull the plug on life-support machines are doing it out of love because they are so unnerved and exhausted by seeing someone suffer even homicide laws and severe punishments become irrelevant to them. According to Gary McCuen, "Intentionally causing one's own death, or suicide, is equally as wrong as murder(43). A physician's shooting or poisoning of a dying patient, even at the patient's request and from merciful motives, falls within the definition of murder"(53). Moreover, there are many doctors who would cooperate with euthanasia even if the law is against them. A survey that was conducted in Ladies' Home Journal shows that twenty-six percent of doctors would practice euthanasia if asked to perform it. Furthermore, many health-care professionals believe euthanasia is ethically acceptable, but they must still consider the possibility that it will be abused. The fact that some people believe there is a need for punishment doesn't seem to stop those who still rebel against the law. Namely, Dr. Jack Kevorkian was in jail for assisting suicide of three women, and since his release, he continues to assist suicide. He believes the law is immoral, and therefore it is his duty to violate it. Robert Baird agrees because he as taken this sort of action himself. "I could not give her health, but I could give her rest"(24).

In conclusion, people hold different beliefs on what they feel, and their beliefs will most likely never change. What people want to hear is that death is okay, and that they have the "right" to die. In America, we have the freedom to live how we wish, and the choice to withstand life from a machine. However, no one can say either way that euthanasia is definitely right or wrong because when it comes to ending one's pain and suffering, there is no right or wrong. Lastly, people should worry more about comforting those who are going to die and making their last moment count, instead of concentrating on the pain that others will feel when they are gone.

Gary McCuen and Therese Boucher say it right when they say, "When alternatives are death with dignity, or death accompanied by prolonged pain and distress, common sense as well as compassion support our demand that the choice should belong to the individual"(38).

Alecson, Deborah Golden. Lost Lullaby. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995.

Baird, Robert M.,and Rosenbaum, Stuart E. Euthanasia The Moral Issues. Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1989.

Blyth, Myrna. "Survey Results." Ladies' Home Journal. May 1993: 14.

DeSimone, Cathleen. Death on Demand: Physician- Assisted Suicide in the United States: A Legal Research Pathfinder. Buffalo, N.Y.: W.S. Hein, 1996.

"Doctor Death." CQ Researcher. 21 February 1992: 24.

Lyle, Katie Letcher. "A Gentle Way to Die." Newsweek. 2 March 1992: 14.

Marks, Stanley M. "The 'Right To Die' Isn't the Same as the 'Right to be Killed.'" American Medical News. April 1992.

Martin, Dan. "I'll Kill You For Your Own Good." USA Today. 11 March 1982: 12.

McCuen, Gary E.,and Boucher, Therese. Terminating Life, Conflicting Values In Health Care. Hudson, Wis.:G.E. McCuen, 1985.

Quinn, John C.; "Death With Dignity Demands Great Care." USA Today. 3 April 1986: 12

Roeper, Richard. "'Pro-life' Invaders Try to Stall a Merciful Death." Chicago Sun Times. 12 Jan. 1990, 11.

"Your Views on Helping People Die." USA Today. 9 April 1988: 13.

Olivia Cronk

The women's movement was, and arguably still is, a major force of change in our society. Feminism graced and shocked popular culture with its call for equality and a human-oriented world, as opposed to the patriarchal society which had ruled for centuries. The women's movement certainly brought about some changes, and attempted to reconstruct the mind-set of society. Due to the progress of this movement, we, as a popular culture, have come to a fuller acceptance of women in "non-traditional" roles. We now see women everywhere, women in political/business fields, women as public speakers, women making breakthroughs in science and technology, and endless other "roles" in which they overwhelmingly succeed. However, images of women in the advertising we are subjected to daily, indicate that significant progress has not yet been made in that particular facet of popular culture.

Advertising is a stark contradiction to all that the women's movement has accomplished. Advertisers have seemingly locked their doors to contemporary ideas and concepts of women. The reason this issue needs to be addressed is because we are failing as an equality-based society when the negative images of women as portrayed by advertising are the images most readily available to society; particularly girls, teen-agers, and adult women. We are bombardeded with endless images of women on billboards, on television, and at checkout counters and newstands, that go against and hold back the waves of feminism . Magazine ads in particular reflect these poor images. Negative images of women exist in housewife magazines, fashion magazines, and teen magazines. This last example may be the most detrimental because these images are what we are training future adult women to want to be. According to advertising innuendos, women are prized if they come across as sexual objects or as innocent, pure, and pretty; look younger than they are (wrinkle free); cook, clean, or bake; or prove themselves to be "good" mothers. The ads on which this discussion is based (included in this paper) clearly demonstrate this outdated set of values.

The first type of negative image presented is the portrayal of women as mere sexual objects. This type of advertising tells women that they should buy products which enhance their sex appeal, in a way that not only makes them attractive, but also turns them into the object of vulgar sexual desire. This image of women comes out in all sorts of ways; thin, good-looking models, catchy sayings, images of women being lustily watched by equally attractive men as a result of a special perfume, or leather purse, or even a new color of lipstick. These ads not only present images of women in unattainable physical states, but also imply that this level of sexual desire is necessary for a fulfilling lifestyle.

In ads number 1 and 2, the images of women clearly suggest sexual appeal. In the first ad, for Vanilla Musk perfume, a woman stands with her back side uncovered, displaying her obviously flawless figure. The catchy phrase "What innocence does for sensuality," indicates to the consumer that this perfume, by combining vanilla and musk, perhaps captures the two dimensions of a woman [the author does not necessarily accept these dimensions] : her pure side and her natural tendency and need to be alluring and seductive. The vanilla and musk combination thus defines the two "appropriate" places for women as the kitchen and the bedroom. Vanilla is a baking item. It is sweet and mellow. Musk is an aroma of the bedroom. It is seductive and alluring. Both are enticing. That, of course, is why a woman should wear Vanilla Musk, to entice men.

The second ad is for a high-fashion clothing designer in New York. The picture shows a woman sitting amongst three good-looking young men, all of whom look at the camera, and seem to share the same secret (in fact, the attractive, leggy young woman is winking); the secret is that she is the adored, eyed, sought after object of sexual desire. This woman has a perfect figure, a form-fitting outfit on, and full, red lips. An interesting observation is that the three men are in uniform-like attire. The woman seems to be in a position of command. However, this is not the kind of position advocated by the womens' movement. This woman is controlling these men with only her sexual side. It is not unreasonable to say that they have absolutely no regard for her ability to think critically or logically, or her capacities to create, build, and develop. Rather, these men under her command seek to evaluate her peformance in bed.

Ads 1 and 2 each attempt to sell different items, but they both target women and assert that women need only adorn themselves with overpriced cosmetics and designer clothes, and they will find happiness as the object of male sexual desire. This advertising, then, says that women are not to be independent, powerful human beings, but rather, sensual play things.

The next type of advertising suggests that women must always look pretty and delicate, and defy their ages, by fighting back wrinkles and bags under their eyes. Ads number 3 and 4 are most notable for their use of color and the simple, pretty expressions on the models' faces. Both advertise perfume, each employing "pretty", "feminine" colors such as purple, pastel blue, white, creamy beige, pink, yellow, peach, and different hues of all those colors playing upon one another. This type of advertising tells women that they are to fit into these societal stereotypes, and wear only colors, perfume, shoes, etc. which are appropriately feminine. Ad number 5 is for make-up/cream which is supposed to lead to younger looking skin. Lancome again appeals to the "pretty" image by showing a beautiful model's face. Her clear complexion, lovely pink lips, and innocent, gazing blue eyes all blend into association with a perfect rose in the ad. This ad uses purely feminine images to tell women that their wrinkles (marks of their wisdom and growth) are unwanted, unattractive, and can be erased with expensive creams in bottles just as lovely as their fresh, young model. In advertising, a woman's worth is defined by her appearance, which, according to the advertisers of today, is pretty, young, and delicate.

The final type of advertising does not contradict feminism through images as much as through the placement of women in "traditional" roles. In ad number 6, an attractive young mother sits with her adorably blond little girl, sharing a peanut butter sandwich. According to the ad, this mom is "choosy" (meaning a "good" mother) because she has chosen to feed her precious daughter Jif peanut butter ( which the author contends is a completely processed, unnnatural peanut butter, with a fresh peanut "taste"). The subjects of this picture are ideal looking family members. The mom is reminiscent of Mrs. Cleaver; she is dressed casually, but still very nicely, with hair perfectly in place, and a happy smile on her face. This very together mother has made "the right choice." This ad tells women that motherhood is about looking nice, having cute little children, and spending quality time with those perfect offspring eating peanut butter in clean, bright kitchens.

Ads number 7, 8, and 9 appeared in a women's magazine, and are relevant to this discussion simply because they put women in roles which are reserved for women. These ads reinforce the social rlegation of women as the primary bakers, laundry-doers, and dishwashers in the family. Two of the ads use women's hands in displaying the product, and the third ad uses a generalizing phrase, " Working moms have learned to deal with all the things they have on their plate," followed by a picture of a dirty dish and a box of Cascade. These ads suggest that men are unable to carry out at least some portion of the household chores required in a family. When both parents work, only the "moms" have a lot to do? Shouldn't the dads share some of those mundane activities of washing, scrubbing, and vacuuming? These ads clearly fail to recognize gender equality as proclaimed by the womens' movement.

Another serious implication of ad numbers 6 and 7 is the portrayal of little girls and boys. The girl in ad 6 is pretty and well-behaved, and enjoys quality time with her mother. As far as little girls go, she is flawless; cute, friendly, and dressed in flowers. The little boy in ad 7 seems to be developing into the trouble-making, mischievious "devil" which society finds an acceptable role for boys. His fingers are going to be messy. However, his dutiful mother will promptly wash him up. These ads are a major contributing factor to the gender stereotypes in our culture. Advertising, therefore perpetuates these stereotypes.

By displaying women as objects of sexual desire or as examples of pretty, feminine things, by telling women that old is ugly, and by trying to maintain the traditional roles of women, advertising subverts the innovations of thought initiated by the women's movement. Perhaps the most clear cut example of advertising's contradictions to the positive images generated by the womens' movement is the proof of how detrimental these images are. First of all, ad number 10 sells breast enhancing curves. This tells the reader that there is a strong demand for women to feel better about themselves, simply by having larger chests. This product attempts to satisfy the need for a certain physical likeness to the hot models of today, a need which should not exist.

The second example is the fact that at NIU, we offer a support group called "Seeing Ourselves As Beautiful," which helps women cope with the images of perfect bodies they see versus their own bodies. This says that women are being severely damaged by advertising. This is a mental, emotional remedy for image problems, while the breast enhancing curves offer a physical remedy. The support group seems to be an attempt to repair the damage done by advertising and popular culture's dangerously uncritical response to it.

Jennifer M. Curry

The word gymnastics evokes an extensive range of images. Some recall their high school gym class, learning cartwheels and somersaults on a sweaty, stick wrestling mat. Others remember the sensation of Nadia Comanenci's perfect ten in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Some may think of the highly publicized death of former National Team member Christy Henrich from complications from anorexia, or perhaps the triumph of the 1996 gold medal Olympic team is revived. These thoughts create various emotions; many people have positive feelings toward the sport, while others condemn it. Critics of the sport complain of an abundance of eating disorders, an epidemic of injuries and the possibility of abuse among gymnasts. However, gymnastics also instills positive qualities, improves the overall fitness and decreases the chance of several ailments in older age of the athletes as the positive attributes of the sport remain with the gymnast for their lifetime. Although the sport draws criticism, gymnastics offers many benefits to its athletes.

One complaint against the gymnastics community is a prevalence of eating disorders among the athletes. Gymnasts have battled these illnesses, during and after training, with different levels of success. The USA's Christy Henrich developed anorexia while working toward her goal of competing on the 1988 Olympic team. Despite being checked into several hospitals and clinics to treat her anorexia, Henrich died in 1994 due to complications from the illness (Noden, 1994, p. 54). However, not all gymnasts with eating disorders suffer such a tragic end. Cathy Rigby recovered from a twelve year battle with bulimia (Noden, p. 56) and today is involved with a successful career as a gymnastics commentator. Despite the large amount of attention directed toward the problem of eating disorders in the sport, gymnastics is not the only sport with such stories.

Athletes in several additional sports display a tendency toward eating disorders. Randall W. Dick (1991), states that "it should be recognized that individuals susceptible to eating disorders may participate in a variety of sports" (p. 139). Runners, swimmers and and tennis players demonstrate problems with eating disorders. In a survey conducted in March 1990, 803 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) member institutions supplied information concerning the number of athletes experiencing eating disorders and the sports in which these athletes competed (Dick, p. 136). The results illustrate that any number of athletes participate in dangerous eating habits. In reference to female runners, 23% of the schools reported cross county runners and 21% reported track runners on their competitive team with eating disorders. Similarly, 21% of the schools revealed that women swimmers experienced eating disorders (Dick, p. 139). In addition, Jake Anthony, the owner of a sports fitness clinic in Aspen and a touring tennis professional, estimates that 30% of the women on the tennis tour suffer from an eating disorder (Noden, p. 54). Peter Farrell, the Princeton women's track and cross country states that 70% of his runners have "dabbled" in eating disorders (Noden, p. 54). While all these sports report athletes afflicted with eating disorders, gymnastics seems to receive an unduly large amount of criticism. Prevalence in eating disorders is not exclusively applied to gymnastics; unfortunately, athletes of all sports may develop eating disorders.

In fact, gymnasts are no more likely to engage in eating disorders than the average woman. "Although competitive gymnasts.are concerned about their weight, their degree of concern may not be statistically abnormal" in light of the normal discontent that American women feel about their weight (Harris & Greco, 1990, p. 432). Gymnasts receive the same amount of influence about weight and figure as the average woman. In addition to receiving criticism for eating disorders, gymnastics receives criticism for injuries sustained by the athletes.

Critics claim that the bodies of gymnasts are abused by injuries. The film of 1996 Olympian Kerri Strug vaulting her team to a gold medal on an injured ankle played on television for days. Shannon Miller competed with a hamstring injury earlier in her career. People disagree with the decision to allow these athletes to compete, some suggesting that the coaches and the gymnastics community exploited the athletes for their personal gain. Strug commented that "a lot of people are criticizing (coach) Bela (Karolyi) for encouraging me to do it (compete)." (Swift, 1996). These courageous gymnasts pushed through their pain in order to participate in the competition for which they trained for and dreamed of during their entire lifetimes. These athletes did not compete under strict orders; they competed on their own free will Strug asserted ".I'm 18. I'm an adult. I make by own choices" (Swift, 1996). Peggy Liddick, coach of Miller offers an other perspective. "It's nothing but sexism. When Shannon Miller competed with a hamstring injury, her coaches were the meanest people on earth. When Emmitt Smith played with an injured hamstring, he's gutsy and no one call Barry Switzer abusive" (Starr, 1996, p. 80). Gymnasts do not experience abuse in competitions while injured. Critics may allege that gymnastics damages its athletes; however, the sport provides many benefits to the gymnasts.

Characteristics imparted upon gymnasts include independence, discipline and concentration. The sport also improves the physical condition of the athletes. Positive attributes develop with involvement in gymnastics. Independence develops through participation in the sport. When a coach calls for the completion of five full balance beam routines, it is the gymnast's responsibility to execute the assignment to her fullest potential. The athlete must learn to work by herself because the coach cannot constantly be at the gymnast's side, reminding her to finish the routines; there are other athletes in the gym that also require the coach's attention.

Discipline applies to the sport because the athlete must complete the routines in a timely fashion. She cannot dawdle or procrastinate; rather, she performs the task with minimal interruptions. The gymnast also must perform the routines to her fullest ability. It takes discipline to include the difficult skills in practice because it is only practice. However, the good gymnast knows that the routines rehearsed in practice become the routines performed in meets. A 1993 study by William A. Sands, Barry B. Shultz and Alan P. Newman explores the correlation between practice and competition. "The training a performance of full routines in competitions appears to be linked to increased incidence of injury (when the routines are not completed in practice. This would indicate to the practioner that careful preparation of full routines.could reduce the incidence of injury" (p. 277). Therefore, it is necessary for the gymnasts to practice the routines as they will be competed in meets. In order to be successful, a gymnast must develop discipline.

Concentration becomes a necessary characteristic for gymnasts to cultivate. Dangerous situations occur when a gymnast cannot block out distractions and focus on the task at hand. Gymnasts enter their "concentration room" while they complete a routine. This "room" is closed off to movement, noise and other disturbances. Often a gymnast cannot identify what occurred while he/she performed a routine. The gymnast closes him/herself off to everything except the routine. Kerri Strug's incredible concentration possibly prevented further injury as she competed her second vault in the 1996 Summer Olympics. "I was thinking about the vault and nothing else," said Strug (Swift, 1996). According to Karolyi, the slightest misstep caused by a limp would have "destroyed her rhythm and made a successful vault impossible" (Swift, 1996). Strug's ability to focus and repress outside distractions, such as pain, allowed her to complete the vault flawlessly. Her peak physical condition also improved her chance for success.

Gymnastics demands a combination of strength and flexibility. The average gymnast is in much better physical condition than the typical person because a gymnast spends much more time involved in physical activity than the amount of time suggested by the American Heart Association. The organization endorses engaging in activity which elevates the heart rate three times per week, for approximately 45 minutes each workout. A recreational gymnast may practice three hours a day, three or four days per week, while elite gymnasts may spend as many as seven hours daily, five days each week in the gym. This amount of activity places the athlete in superior condition.

A gymnast develops strength as she practices and perfects skills. Often, a gymnast supports all of her body weight several times throughout each routine. The strength increases gradually with conditioning exercises and practice of the skills. Without strength, these athletes would not be able to complete any of the difficult elements successfully. The characteristic of flexibility is inherent to the sport of gymnastics. The judges scrutinize the routines of the gymnasts for demonstrations of flexibility. Leaps must be performed with a 180 degree split. Walkovers demonstrate back and leg movement. The sport offers more aesthetic pleasure when the gymnast can display flexibility. The physical fitness of the gymnast benefits her during her career and it also has long term advantages.

Gymnastics continues to benefit the gymnast after she ends her days of competition. One study found that former athletes continued to be more active than non-athletes (Miller, 1995, p. 388). Since a gymnast dedicates such a large amount of time to physical activity early in her life, fitness and physical activity continues to be an important aspect to her. Former gymnasts continue their careers as coaches, fitness experts, fitness club proprietors, as well as any other job in society. These former athletes tend to demonstrate better physical condition and dedicate more time to fitness than their non-athletic counterparts.

Participation in gymnastics decreases the risk for injury as the athlete ages. The chance of developing osteoporosis, fractures and general injuries are reduced. Gymnastics has been shown to increase bones density in its athletes. Sports which involve high loads of activity on the bones have an effect on increasing density; gymnastics is categorized as a high load sport, with the extensive amount of jumping and landing. College gymnasts have greater bone densities than do sedentary female students (Miller, pp. 387-388). Increased bone density prevents osteoporosis and decreases the risk of fractures in older age.

A gymnast's body demonstrates increased flexibility. This aspect of fitness prevents injury, for when the body can bend, rather than break, the chance for serious injury decreases. Also, tight muscles affect other areas of the body. For example, tight hamstrings increase the risk of lower back injury and hamstring strain (Clippinger, 1996, p. 60). Even after retirement from the sport, the benefits continue to contribute to the lives of the athletes.

The sport of gymnastics also improves the attitude of the former athlete. Gymnasts carry the lessons of the gym with them throughout life, at work and with the family. The qualities of independence, discipline and concentration allow the gymnast to accomplish her goals because the athlete knows what work must be done in order to achieve the aims. The attributes employers want in their employees include those promoted in gymnastics. Gymnasts learn the skills and ideas necessary for success through participation in gymnastics.

Gymnastics receives criticism, yet the advantages of the sport are very positive. As the sport continues to evolve and become more difficult, detractors will continue to claim that gymnastics is not good for the athletes, citing eating disorders and injuries as reasons young girls should not be involved. However, the qualities and short and long term fitness developed demonstrate the value of the sport. Most little girls come to their first gymnastics class with dreams of Olympic glory. The majority never attain this goal, yet the experience gained through the sport is more valuable than any medal.

Works Cited

Clippinger, Karen. (1996, April). Tight hams? Shape, p.60.

Dick, Richard (1991). Eating disorders in NCAA athletic programs. Athletic Training, 26, 136-140.

Harris, M. and D. Greco. (1990). Weight control and weight concerns in competitive female gymnasts. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 12, 271- 178.

Miller, Jul;ie Ann. (1995). Bone Mass in the Bank. BioScience, 45, 387-388.

Noden, Merrell. (1994, August 8). Sports Illustrated, pp.52-60.

Sands, William A., B. Barry, and Alan P. Newman. (1993). Women's gymnastics injuries: a 5-year study. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 21, 271-278.

Starr, Mark. (1996, June 10). Hands together, feet apart: not bubbly, just incredibly focused. Newsweek, p.80.

Swift, E.M. (1996, August 5). Profile in Courage. Sports Illustrated, pp.58-69.

Tarkin, Laurie. (1994, March). Training for real life. Women's Sports and Fitness, pp. 46-50

Veronica L. Falson

Professional natural bodybuilders devote their lives to their profession, not only by devoting several hours a day to weight training and exercise, but also by putting a large amount of effort into ensuring that they are eating the right food. Creating a diet that maximizes a person's bodybuilding potential demands a lot of knowledge about physiology, kineology and nutrition, and because each body develops differently, for a professional to prepare for contest time he or she must know the exact needs for his or her individual body. Nutrition plays a tremendous role in bodybuilding because the foods that bodybuilders eat must fulfill all the requirements of the vitamins and minerals that the body needs and also must encourage muscle growth and healing.

The basic component to all food is the calorie, which is simply a unit of energy or heat. For a body to function properly it needs to absorb a certain amount of calories, however, if the body is deprived of energy then it's functions begin to slow down. The metabolic rate decreases, and the body begins to take away from the muscle and body fat in order to find it's nutrients. This can have disastrous effects for a bodybuilder, because when the bodybuilder finally replenishes his body with the nutrients needed the body stores the energy as fat to prepare for the next time it is deprived of food. The caloric intake an individual needs depends largely on the person's natural metabolic rate and the person's activity. Obviously a bodybuilder will need more calories than the average sedentary person, because more energy is expended due to the intensity of his or her daily routine of lifting weights and participating in cardiovascular exercise. What may not be as obvious is that not only does the amount of calories matter, but also the quality of the calories, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Each nutrient has a different biochemical structure and performs different functions in the body.

Carbohydrates contain four calories per gram, and can be found in pastas, cereals, breads, sports drinks and juices. Often the terms carbohydrates and sugars are used interchangeably because sugar is a carbohydrate, and because most carbohydrates are sugars. Carbohydrates are essential for anaerobic exercise or circuit training, which is a large element in bodybuilding. Anaerobic exercise is the opposite of aerobic exercise, meaning that instead of the body being in constant motion for a long duration, the body is required to expend a lot of energy for short intervals of time. The reason that carbohydrates are so effective is because the biochemical breakdown of carbohydrates are the simplest of the three, therefore the energy is released into the blood system quickest (Denny 30).

Although carbohydrates are important for bodybuilders, proteins are by far the most necessary for maximizing muscle growth. Proteins are commonly found in meat, poultry, fish, and lentils, but they can also be found in dairy items. They act to replenish muscles after strenuous workouts and help increase muscle mass. Proteins are also hard for body to chemically breakdown because they have an added element that carbohydrates and fats do not, nitrogen. This added element makes it difficult for protein to increase the body's total body fat index (Dobbins 74).

Fats are most essential for aerobic activity, meaning any activity that keeps a person's heart rate at a higher level for more than twenty minutes. The basic reason for this is because fats are easily absorbed by the body, but are difficult to burn. Fats mostly come from vegetable oils and animal oils, so they are often found in most cooking. The body does not require large amounts of fat, and most bodybuilders find making sure a diet is low in fat harder than making sure one has enough fat. It is still possible not to eat enough fat, especially when a bodybuilder is dieting right before competition time.

Bodybuilders use this basic understanding of caloric breakdowns to determine the types of foods they eat, and how much. For instance, if a bodybuilder in training decides that he or she needs to increase muscle mass, the first step to take would be making sure that the body is getting a lot of proteins to encourage muscle growth. On the other hand if he or she is getting tired in the middle of a workout, chances are that an increase of carbohydrates before working out will help. So much of the emphasis in bodybuilding is on muscle mass, so bodybuilders spend a lot of time trying to figure out how they are going to get a lot of protein without getting a lot of fat. This is often a problem because foods that are high in fat such as red meats, and nuts are some of the best sources of protein, but modern science has invented protein alternatives such as protein shakes. These shakes have become a great supplement for bodybuilders because they are high in proteins and usually have little or no fat in them. The only negative side to drinking protein shakes often comes from the fact that the protein found in them are usually synthetic and are arguable not as affective as protein received from other foods, because the body breaks them down differently (Dobbins 74).

Bodybuilders face other problems when it comes to nutrition, such as how much food to eat, and how often. Because each body works differently the answer often depends on the individual, although there are a few basic do's and do not's. First of all, because some bodybuilders find that their metabolism are naturally faster than others, the amount of calories that their body burns is also increased. Bill Dobbins states in his article "It's Calories that Count" that eating several small meals a day is the best plan because it not only keeps the metabolism up, but it keeps the body from feeling hungry. He also suggests that because even a bodybuilder's metabolism will slows down at night, people usually shouldn't eat past a certain time, usually between six and eight at night (Dobbins 74).

Most commonly a bodybuilder breaks up his or her diet in the following way: 40% of daily caloric total should come from carbohydrates, at least 40% from protein, and no more than 20% from fat. When contest time rolls around, a bodybuilder's diet usually changes to 45% of calories from carbohydrates, at least 45% from protein, and as low as 5% of calories from fat. Although such diets are commonly seen around times of competition, having that low of an amount of fat intake can become detrimental to a person's health when continued for long period of time(Connors 324). A serious bodybuilder has to learn what his or her limitations are so that health isn't sacrificed, but the learning process often involves a lot of trial and error. It isn't uncommon for beginning competitors to sabotage themselves because they haven't paid enough attention to the needs of their own body (Aceto 93).

To prevent such an occurrence nutritionists have put a lot of effort into helping bodybuilders structure their diet according to both their goals and their needs. The diets nutritionists put together not only have to conform to the laws of bodybuilding, but they must also include variety. For instance, although yogurt and protein shakes make up an almost perfect percentages of proteins, carbohydrates and fat, it doesn't include the proper amounts of vitamins and minerals that can only be found by eating several different food. Lack of variety is not only boring for a bodybuilder, but it also creates a whole other problem, lack of vitamins and minerals.

If a bodybuilder wants to maintain a steady flow of energy and avoid problems, such as mood fluctuations, lack of vitamins, and decreased energy level, there are basic techniques. Replace the conventional three large meals with several smaller meals that have a combination of nutrients. By doing this, a bodybuilder diminishes the chances of sabotaging months of hard training because of poor eating habits. Unlike popular belief, bodybuilders put an extraordinary amount of thought into what kinds of foods they allow to enter their mouths. It not only takes a lot of knowledge to understand what foods to eat, but also a lot of patience and willpower. Bodybuilders use food as a tool to maximize their bodies potential and to ensure that they stay healthy while training. The advancements made on health and dieting has brought the sport of bodybuilding to a new level.

Works Cited

Aceto, Chris. "Fat Burners." Muscle and Fitness. Nov. 1996: 90-4.

Coleman, Ellen. "Sports Drink Research." Food Technology. Mar. 1991: 104-6+.

Connors, James. Gold's Gym Weight Training Encyclopedia. New York: Beacon Press, 1990.

Denny, Sharron. "Sports Drinks for the Active." Current Health. May 1996: 30.

Dobbins, Bill. "It's Calories That Count." Muscle and Fitness. Sep. 1996: 74-6.

Hickson, James F. "Nutrition and Precontest Preparations of a Male Bodybuilder." Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Feb. 1990: 264-7.

Hurley, Jayne. "Fat or Fiction?" Muscle and Fitness. Apr. 1996: 130-2.

Kronfeld, David. "Optimal Nutrition for Athletic Performance." The Journal of Nutrition. V124: 2745s-2753s.

Uries, Gwen. "Vitamin Corner: Americans still don't know beans." Muscle and Fitness. Sep. 1996: 198- 199.

Andy Hanson

A contemporary issue of great debate in the United States is the legality of flag burning. Flag burning was virtually unheard of until George Bush and other politicians reacted to a 1990 Supreme Court ruling by demanding a Constitutional Amendment that would prohibit the act. The proposed amendment, which passed the House of Representatives in 1995, failed in the Senate with only 63 votes (three short). Although the vote was close, the issue is currently dead politically, but still a constant topic of debate. However, there are many reasons to prove that the issue of flag burning should really be a non-issue. This essay will examine the many reasons given in support of an amendment and show their illegitimacy, as well as provide a possible explanation for flag burning's recent attention.

The first major case of flag burning to reach the Supreme Court occurred in Street v. New York. In this landmark trial, a black man (Street) was upset by the assasination of James Meredith, a civil rights leader in Mississippi. Street was convicted for going into the street and burning his American flag while shouting, "We don't need no damn flag, if they let that happen to Meredith, we don't need an American flag" (Kalven 13). The High Court reversed his conviction in a 5-4 vote, arguing that the burning of the flag was a form of speech, protected by the First Amendment (see appendix A).

Flag burning is known as "symbolic speech," other forms of which include wearing a red ribbon for AIDS awareness, a black armband in protest, or a crucifix on a chain necklace. All of these are powerful symbols, yet their messages require no verbal speaking. In the 18th Century, King George would have never listened to the colonists had they simply written speeches on the tea tax. Instead, they spoke symbolically by dumping the tea into Boston Harbor. Flag burning may be a repulsive form of symbolic speech, but it shouldn't be disallowed.

The U.S. Supreme Court actually has four factors to determine what is considered symbolic speech, and flag burning meets these criteria (Freedman 23). Symbolic speech may be nonverbal or expressive. In Stromberg v. California, the Supreme Court ruled that preventing symbolic speech is unconstitutional, and limits "the opportunity for free political discussion" (Freedman 22).

It is also important to remember that just because speech is possibly "offensive" or even "obscene" does not justify making it illegal. Supreme Court Justice Brennan has written, "If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the Government may not prohibit expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable. We have not recognized an exception to this principle even where our flag has been involved" (Feingold 7).

Despite the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the belief that flag burning is lawful, strong opposition still exists. The following section of this essay describes a few of their contentions and provides the analyses thereof.

Six Reasons Why Flag Burning Is (Should Be) a Non-Issue

Reason #1: There are other ways to deal with flag burners.

Republicans and other Americans have concurred for many years with the sentiments of Bob Dole when he stated, "there is only one way to correct the situation, and that is to pass a constitutional amendment" (Apel 1). Because the Supreme Court has upheld that flag burning is lawful, current lawmakers feel that the only way to deal with flag burners is by modification of the Constitution. However, numerous alternatives exist to counter these actions. If flags are burned in public, arson laws may be applicable. Also, the act could be considered vandalism if someone else's flag or private property is involved. Dole and others should reconsider their rationale that a flag burning amendment is the only way to punish or curb the act of flag burning.

Reason #2: Flags can be private property, subjected to the will of their owners.

House Judiciary Committee chairman Henry Hyde of Illinois expressed how many feel regarding flags by saying, "as tombstones are not for toppling, nor churches for vandalizing, flags are not for burning" (Apel 1). This statement shows a lack of careful thought by Hyde. Destroying a cemetery or spray painting a church are criminal acts in their own right; they involve the destruction of private or government property. Obviously they should be considered illegal. However, when an individual purchases an American flag at K-Mart, it becomes theirs, giving them the right to use it as they please. The consideration of this concept is imperative, yet often neglected by even the highest lawmakers. Justice John Paul Stevens compared flag burning to "graffiti on the Washington Monument" (Dershowitz 69). A flag, as private property, should not be compared to a church, a public library, the Smithsonian, or anything else that is undoubtedly not the private property of a potential desecrator.

Reason #3: Public flag burnings are too rare to be considered a problem.

William Apel's "Flag Burning Page" on the World Wide Web estimates that protesters only burn flags in public "about eight times a year" (1). The U.S. Supreme Court did not consider this a sufficient rate of occurrence, or they would have surely rendered the act unlawful. There are other examples of symbolic speech that are unlawful; Americans are not always guaranteed freedom of speech. Shouting "fire" in a crowded theater or threatening to kill the president are examples. The Supreme Court, in Brandenburg v. Ohio, deemed these "unprotected speech," or speech that poses a "clear and present danger" (Freedman 114). If the most important lawmakers in this country, who are sworn to be impartial and non-partisan feel this way, politicians should not feel inclined to overthrow their ruling.

Reason #4: The semiotics of flags are misunderstood.

The flag is a sign that has stood for many ideas, attitudes, and actions over America's proud history. All of these connotations vary from one person to the next. When dealing with semiotics, the act of burning acts as a signifier which creates a new sign: flag burning. The flag in itself cannot be considered an object, since its pattern can be altered while remaining recognizable. Stars and stripes in red, white, and blue compose the American flag, regardless of their organization ("The Semiotic." 1). Problems arise when an individual's interpretations of the flag's meaning interfere with their fair treatment of the flag as an object. Representative Matt Salmon of Arizona advocates a constitutional amendment due to the "thought of Americans having died to protect the flag that protesters desecrate" (Apel 1). However, according to Apel's Internet page, "as many Vietnam veterans have told me via e-mail, it was never the piece of cloth they fought for--it was what that flag stood for" (2). One of the things the flag stands for is the Constitution and freedom, including the right to burn the flag itself.

Reason #5: An amendment to prohibit flag burning would be too difficult to enforce.

The most recently proposed amendment that failed before Congress read, "Congress and the States shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States" (Apel 2). (Note: the amendment would not apply to those who unwillingly desecrate the flag.) The implications of this amendment are dangerous, and would be impossible to enforce. Traditionally, the proper way to dispose of a flag is by burning it. In order to distinguish between these patriots and would-be criminals, judges and juries would have to determine whether the participants were having negative thoughts toward America at the time a match was struck. As a result, the amendment would be punishing thoughts, a concept more dangerous than seems evident.

The notion that the flag is an object is put to the ultimate test in the Internet's Ethical Spectacle. The author suggests manufacturing otherwise normal American flags that contained the words "This is not a flag" inscribed across their bottoms (see appendix B) ("The Semiotic." 3). Would the desecration of these flags be the same action as the destruction of a flag free of these words? This example shows how difficult a flag desecration amendment would be to enforce. The author sarcastically suggests that "we may as well have an amendment which carves out anger at and criticism of the U.S. from the Bill of Rights" (3). To do otherwise violates a symbolic form of our cherished freedom of speech.

To another extreme, by this wording, joggers who sweat in tee shirts and bandannas containing the flag could be considered criminals if they did so to be anti-American. Are these really flags, anyway? Even the former Attorney General of the United States has admitted that "flag" can be different things (United States 7). This capitalizes on the previously mentioned idea that the flag is a sign, not an object. For these reasons, the Senate's Constitution Subcommittee heard testimony that the amendment's wording was "problematic" and "riddled with ambiguity" (United States 7). Clearly, the amendment's boundaries must be established before it can ever seriously be considered.

Reason #6: The U.S. cannot mandate values.

William Detwiler, the National Commander of the American Legion, announced in Congress that "this amendment will clarify the importance of patriotism as an American value. It will reinstate respect for the flag as one of the guiding principles of our time" (Apel 2). This ridiculous notion suggests that the amendment will cause Americans to feel a stronger sense of allegiance or respect for the flag. They may, in fact, but only by virtue of a mandator, the Constitution. Senator Feingold of Wisconsin argued before the Senate that "value judgments have to be made, and I think these are judgments that this amendment, unfortunately, reserves to the Government" (United States 9). The coercion of values upon Americans is unethical, and an approach that lawmakers should not take.

There are many reasons to suggest that flag burning does not deserve the attention that it deserves. So why do so many politicians make such a big deal of this, and why does it receive so much attention? One possible explanation, though seemingly cynical, concerns the large number of freshman Republicans in Congress. These individuals inevitably follow party lines, and want their Congress to be the one to go down in the history books. As proof, before the flag burning amendment was considered, over 155 amendments to the U.S. Constitution were introduced by the 104th Congress, according to the Congressional Research Service (United States 2). They are trying to make patriotic decisions, but they don't realize that a flag burning amendment would be severely unpatriotic and a dangerous piece of legislation. Sandi Webb, of the Libertarian Party, feels that ".politicians have to prove that they're in favor of mom, apple pie, and the flag. Focusing on non-problems is great for diverting attention (and criticism) from their handling of real problems" (2).

The above six arguments demonstrate that flag burning is not an issue worth consideration of amending the Constitution. The United States proudly holds its flag high as a symbol, or a sign of the principles on which it was founded. Free speech is the right that separates the United States from other oppressive countries across the world, a right not worth risking. By sacrificing these principles, we diminish the meanings of our symbols. The United States flag should be permitted to burn, and hopefully, any individuals with dissenting opinions will look at the issue from a non-partisan standpoint. From there they will realize that a Constitutional amendment is unnecessary.

Works Cited

Apel, Warren S. "The Flag-Burning Page." Online. Internet. Available: http://www.indirect.com/user/warren/flag.html.

Dershowitz, Alan M. Contrary to Popular Opinion. New York: Pharos, 1992.

Freedman, Warren. Freedom of Speech on Private Property. New York: Quorum, 1988.

Kalven, Harry. A Worthy Tradition. New York: Harper & Row, 1988. "T he (Semiotic) Stench of a Burning Flag (Amendment)." The Ethical Spectacle. Online. Internet.Available:http://www.spectacle.org/296 / flag.html

United States. Cong. Senate. Senate Debate on Flag Burning: Senator Feingold (D-WI). Washington, D.C: GPO, 1995.

Webb, Sandi, and David F. Nolan. "A Grand Old Flag? Does the U.S. Really Need to Prohibit Flag- Burning?" Libertarian Party News. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.lp.org/lp/lpn/9509- flag.html .

Appendix A

Appendix B

Leslie Hendry

Have you noticed that it is that time of year again? Stores are stringing up the lights and tinsel. You will soon hear songs like "Jingle Bells" or "Feliz Navidad." As Anglo-Americans we have an infatuation with Santa Claus and the Christmas tree. But how do our Hispanic neighbors celebrate Christmas? Though both celebrations started from the same biblical narrative, both the religious and secular traditions of Christmas celebration developed in very different ways in the Anglo and Hispanic culture.

In the year zero BC, the first Christmas celebration centered on the birth of Jesus Christ. God sent a vision to the virgin Mary telling her she would soon give birth to the heavenly Son. Months after the vision, a pregnant Mary and husband Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to register for paying taxes. The night they arrived in Bethlehem, they could find no shelter for Mary to give birth to her child. So Joseph found a barn with a manger for Mary and her little baby Jesus. Far off in the distance, three kings(or magi) noticed a star shining brightly in the sky. They followed the heavenly star until they found the birthplace of Jesus. In awe of this miracle sent from God, the three kings worshiped the Savior and presented gifts to Him.

The Hispanic religious tradition at Christmas closely parallels this biblical narrative. The Mexicans celebrate with activities called "posadas" which mean inns. The posadas commemorate Joseph and Mary's journey to Bethlehem. An entire neighborhood or single family may celebrate the posadas, which last for nine nights; between the sixteenth and the twenty-fourth of December, each night symbolizes the nine months of pregnancy and nine days of travel. Each night a group with leaders portraying Joseph and Mary travels from door to door asking for shelter. At the last house on the final night, also called "Noche Buena" or Christmas Eve, Mary and Joseph find a welcoming place of rest.

As the group enters the last house, the neighborhood celebrates the end of their journey with prayer of thanks to God for allowing them to complete their journey. A traditional meal consisting of dried halibut, bunuelos or sweet bread, and turrones, a Spanish nougat, follows the prayer. Next, they celebrate with the traditional breaking of the pinata. The pinata or decorated clay pot comes in many different shapes from cartoon characters to the symbolic star. The children, while blindfolded, attempt to break the pinata with a stick in order to capture the dulces(candy) hidden inside. While the breaking of the pinata may be a secular ritual, this activity actually has religious roots. The pinata, the decorated clay pot filled with dulces(candy), represents the Devil. The breaking of the pinata shows the Christian defeat over evil.

Clearly, the Hispanic religious celebration marks a very spiritual and holy remembrance. The Anglo religious celebration of Christmas, on the other hand, lacks in this same quality of reenactment and reflections of the biblical events. Various denominations of Christianity gather on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of Christ. Many churches serve dinner and/or conduct spiritual programs filled with traditional hymns of the season. Rarely do Anglo-Americans celebrate for nine days. Often, only the close family members gather to celebrate Christmas.

Yet, Anglo-Americans and Hispanics use many similar symbols that represent the religious aspects of Christmas. Normally, the bright star, followed by the magi after the holy birth, decorates many households. At Christmas time in America, many Anglos burn candles to remind them that Jesus is the light of the world. In Mexico, the actors in the posadas use candles as a guide on their journey.

The manger or nativity scene represents one of the most noted symbols of Christmas in Anglo and Hispanic culture. Nativities replicate the scene of that very first Christmas. Many people reenact the manger scene as did St. Francis of Assisi, who is credited for the first live reenactment of the manger scene. Other people buy figurines, large or small, to place in their yard or on the table at home. Each manger scene, whether replicated by live people or figurines, places the significance of Christmas toward the reason for the season, Jesus.

Although both types of religious celebrations have similarities, the secular celebrations diverged. The Hispanic secular Christmas activities relate closely to their religious activities. After "Noche Buena" the Mexicans wait twelve days, from the twenty-fifth of December to January sixth, to mark the days of travel for the Three Kings to reach Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. Then, on the night before January sixth, the children leave their shoes on the doorstep so the Three Kings will fill them with gifts. After the children find their presents, feasting and celebration last the rest of the day, called Epiphany. The Epiphany feast celebrates "the total revelation of God in Christ."

The secular Anglo celebrations at Christmas offer very different legends and activities. All Anglo-American children know of Santa Claus or Saint Nicolaus, the European legend of Saint Nicolaus which derives from a tale about three poor daughters whose father could give them no dowry. In time, two of the daughters found stockings filled with gold left in their rooms. When the third daughter received her stocking of gold, the father spied Saint Nicolaus throwing the stocking in the window. From then on, Anglos placed stockings out on Christmas night to be filled by Saint Nicholas.

Part of the Anglo beliefs also come from a German legend about the Christ child, called Kriss Kringle. Kriss Kringle would visit the earth one night per year and drop gifts through the roof for the good girls and boys. The Anglo-American celebration combines these two legends to make up their secular celebrations. These legends led to the Anglo customs of hanging the stockings and waiting for Santa Claus, a version of Saint Nick and Kriss Kringle, to fill the stockings and leave gifts. These differences in customs show how the Anglo and Hispanic secular celebrations have diverged over time.

Both religious and secular celebrations in the Anglo and Hispanic culture give insight to the development of each culture. For instance, the reason Mexicans believe strongly in the religious aspects of Christmas comes from their Indian background. Their ancestors, the Aztec, Mayas, and Incas, had a deep faith in a higher being. Their faith traveled through many centuries and still plays a special role in many of their celebrations, especially Christmas.

In the same respect, Anglo-American culture displays the blending of traditions and tales which are now associated with many typical U.S. celebrations. Legends from countries all over Europe and Scandinavia formed together to make the Christmas traditions used today. Different traditions from countries that now make up the U.S. gave the Anglo-American Christmas celebration its start.

The Anglo-American and Hispanic beliefs of Christmas originated with the biblical narrative. From that point, the customs took different routes of development. Although many similarities appear in the respective celebrations, the differences are clear, and they reflect on the origin of traditions and legends of the past. As traditions melted together, people opened their minds to different styles of celebration. This development of culture through the ideas and styles about the Christmas celebration played a significant role in shaping the customs and traditions used today.

Works Cited

Brandes, Stanley. "The posadas in Tzintzuntzan: structure and sentiment in a Mexican Christmas festival." Journal of American Folklore July/Sept. 1983: 259-80.

"Christmas in Latin America." Internet: http//www.christmas.com/latin-america.html, 1996.

Foley, Daniel J Christmas the World Over. Philadelphia: Chilton Books, 1963.

Gardner, Horace. Let's Celebrate Christmas. New York: The Ronald Press Company, 1968.

Martin, Marty E "The real real meaning(the meaning of Christmas)." The Christian Century 20 Dec. 1995: 1263.

Nash, Edgar. "Why we do what we do at Christmas." Saturday Evening Post Nov./Dec. 1993: 34-41.

Erin Lafferty

[C]omparing Madonna's performance on the Evita soundtrack to that of her predecessor, Patti LuPone, on the 1979 Premiere American Recording - Evita (MCA), one comes away with a new admiration for her vocal skills. In many ways, she does more with less than her predecessor. LuPone defined the role with her Broadway performance, which brought her aTony Award, one of seven bestowed on the musical in 1980. She is an icily precise Evita, her diction faultless, her pitch sure. Her performance is in the tradition of good old-fashioned Broadway belters; even when she's dying in the closing "Lament," LuPone sounds vigorous. In contrast, Madonna brings a frayed, shattered vulnerability to her interpretation of the song, barely rising above a whisper. Whereas LuPone sounds more than slightly in love with the sound of her own voice, Madonna sounds like she closely identifies with Eva Peron as she faded from cancer at age 33 (Kot 7).

I was intrigued by Greg Kot's interpretation of this new musical text. After I listened to Madonna's performance, I perceived it as vulnerable yet valid, contemplative without being calculated. She clearly identifies with the legendary Eva Peron. A further examination of the careers of these remarkable women identified with single names reveals an equally remarkable similarity.

Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone has never let anyone tell her what to do. For the last fifteen years, she has firmly shaped her music, film, and performing careers in order to define her philosophies as an artist. She has experimented with many different roles in order to project her views of society and its limitations. Celebrated and denounced by fans and critics alike, Madonna has never relied on popular support in order to reach her destination. She stares risk in the eye and hurdles over it full force.

Her artistic purpose has always been to define society's parameters and to chisel away the extreme edges. An element of controversy has skirted every project of hers to date: from her coming-of-age tune "Like a Virgin" to her graphic pictorial Sex. She sheds images like a snake sheds its skin; each one further tests the tolerance of her audience. Her greatest leap yet, Madonna's central role in Evita defines yet another image in her multifaceted career. From the time movie plans had been discussed since the mid 1980's, she has pursued the role. When the script was later reconsidered for filming, she sent director Alan Parks an eight page handwritten letter outlining why she was the only one who could portray Eva. Actresses such as Meryl Streep, Barbara Streisand, and Michelle Pffiefer had been considered, but the part was finally awarded to Ms. Ciccone.

She took it upon herself to uncover every piece of biographical information in order to have a better sense of who Eva was. By reading books, articles, journals, as well as conducting interviews with friends, enemies, and acquaintances of the Perons, Madonna gained a clearer vision of the woman whose voice cried out to her. Even her dreams could not separate her from Eva Peron . She commented in a recent issue of Vanity Fair:

Last night I dreamed of Evita. I was not outside watching her. I was her. I felt her sadness and her restlessness. I felt hungry and unsatisfied and in a hurry. As I gazed down on all of B.A., my mind started drifting. I tried to imagine how I would react and what I would do if, like Evita, I knew I had cancer and was dying. I could finally understand the feverish pace at which Evita lived during her last few years. She wanted her life to matter. She didn't have time for the bureaucracies of government. She needed results. The idea of death is not so horrible if one can leave behind a legacy, and Eva did not want to be remembered as a girl from the sticks, or a B actress, or the wife of the president. She wanted to be remembered for her goodness. The desire of someone who has lived her life completely misunderstood (Ciccone 188).

Why does Madonna feel linked to this woman? What is it that caused her to gravitate toward this project and why has she devoted so much time and energy to researching Eva Peron's life? Dr. Lynn O'Brien Hallstein, Babson College, has written an essay entitled "Feminist Assessment of Emancipatory Potential and Madonna's Contradictory Gender Practices," which provides insights for answering these questions. In it, she analyzes Madonna's music videos, her text being The Immaculate Collection, a compilation of thirteen videos released in 1990. Hallstein focuses on the disagreement surrounding Madonna's freeing or reinforcement of gender roles. She lays out the argument with a observation from Douglas Kellner, that "Madonna is a site of genuine contradiction," simultaneously freeing and restricting gender roles and boundaries in her texts (Hallstein 125).

Hallstein suggests that Madonna's videos can be categorized into three different but related phases: the nomad phase, the transition phase, and the sophisticate phase. Each phase contains a period of years in her performing career. I agree with Hallstein's analysis and venture to say that Madonna's career has evolved into a fourth, the matriarchal phase. More important, I also believe that a parallel can be drawn between these four stages and the major periods in Eva Peron's life. Her life also spanned through these four phases: the nomad phase, transition phase, sophisticate phase, and matriarchal phase. Hallstein claims that the "nomad phase" in Madonna's music videos consists of three early hits: "Lucky Star," "Borderline," and "Like a Virgin." These videos were set primarily in the streets and had a working-class tone (Hallstein 128). In those early videos, Madonna's image was one of "excess." She had a hard, street punk look -- the appearance of a dancer with unkempt wild blonde hair. Madonna herself later commented:

The way I dressed in the beginning part of my career was a reflection of me being incredibly poor. I just wore things that I had left over from my training as a dancer: skirts and tights that I cut off below the knees. I would use the rest of the tights to tie my hair back. Then, suddenly, that became the look, which was funny because I was just making the best of my situation (Salamon 306).

The nomad phase also corresponds to the early days of her career, a time when she was searching for a definition, a purpose. In the late 1970's Madonna moved from a small city in the Midwest to one of the world's capital cities, New York City. New to the performing industry, Madonna relocated in order to further her dancing career. She later abandoned dancing for singing and sang with several local bands. She had a relationship with one of her collaborators, a high profile DJ, John "Jellybean" Benitez, who produced her debut album, Madonna, in 1983. At this time, Madonna, new to the performing industry and seeking new experience along with power, gravitated from careers, relationships, and bands - like a nomad.

Young Eva Duarte also sought to satisfy the desire to perform, dismissing her mother's plans for her to finish primary school and help out in their boarding house. She had other ideas. After she performed a role in a school production in October of 1933, she decided that she wanted to become an actress. She left the small town of Junin and vowed not to return until she was an established actress. At the age of fifteen, her wanderlust led her to the allure of Buenos Aires, another of the world's culture capitals. She too led a nomadic existence in the early part of her career. She was hungry and discouraged, but her relentless ambition got her into small and short-lived acting roles on screen and on radio shows. She literally survived from one job to the next. For years, people speculated whether or not Eva supported herself as a prostitute.

The question continues to be a subject of debate among Argentines. It was known that she had a succession of lovers who aided her in obtaining better roles. In any case, one must consider the influence that hunger and poverty contribute to the rationale of using sex to obtain better acting roles. Nonetheless, the early phase of Eva's career is characterized by bad films, small modeling jobs, and several bit radio roles.

In what Hallstein next describes as Madonna's "transition phase" appear the music videos "Material Girl" and "Papa Don't Preach." During this time, Madonna's personality altered to incorporate distinct qualities into a new image. Her new look reflected one of wealth and polish. Elegant satin dresses and diamond jewelry reflected her flourishing success. She gained notoriety through her music videos as well as her Virgin Tour which also fed her desire to revolutionize society.

Eva Peron underwent a similar transition phase of her own. As she obtained recognition for her acting career, her earnings increased to support a favorable standard of living. A relationship with a wealthy soap manufacturer led to a role in one of the top radio shows of the time, "My Kingdom of Love," in which she portrayed roles of famous women in history. In this forum, she disclosed her views which would have been regarded as feminist beliefs. This vehicle helped her to become the most popular radio star in Argentina.

As her acting career continued to rise, she met the man who would subsequently change the entire course of not only her career but also the life of a people. In 1944, she met a popular colonel in the realm of politics, Juan Peron. He was a military hero who was revered by his followers and reviled by his enemies. They married and Peron was soon elected President of Argentina by popular mandate. Her marriage to the president secured her a spot in the limelight; a transition which took her from being "nobody" to being "somebody" overnight. She closed the door on her poverty-stricken past and arrived to the lights of the Casa Rosada.

The next phase of Madonna's career that Hallstein describes is the "sophisticate phase," reflected by the music videos "Open Your Heart, " "La Isla Bonita," "Like a Prayer," "Express Yourself," "Cherish," "Oh Father," and two versions of "Vogue." In these music videos, Madonna clearly portrays scenes of the upper class. The settings of her videos reflect wealth: stately apartments, an artisan court, luxurious fashions (Hallstein 133). She distinguishes herself from the working class by wearing form-fitting dresses (Hallstein 134).

During this stage in her career she dominated the music charts and all other popular music performers. She became the most powerful and influential singer in the world. Since her debut, Madonna has had the success of nineteen Top Ten singles, eleven of those reaching Number 1. Every one of her eleven albums has reached the Top Fifteen; all but one has made it into the Top Ten, and seven have attained Top Five status. This power was also apparent in her 1991 film, Truth or Dare, a documentary of her 1990 Blond Ambition Tour. Her image in this film is one of a hard-nosed capitalist businesswoman who possesses total control over her dancers, backup singers, and crew.

Because of her established security, she was able to experiment with her singing and to branch off into several directions of performance. She experimented with new types of music: the big-band sound with 1990's I'm Breathless, and the urban dance sound with 1994's Bedtime Stories. She also acted in two hit films. In 1990's Dick Tracy, she played Dick Tracy's weakness, the role of the seductive Breathless Mahoney; in 1992's A League of Their Own, she portrayed one of the baseball players in the All-American Girls Baseball League, Mae. During this time, she also published the infamous book, Sex, which depicted her in a variety of sexual roles. The controversy that surrounded her almost overshadowed her success.

In her own sophisticate phase, Eva grew into her First Lady role and established herself as the most important woman in all of Argentina. In 1947, she became the proprietor of Democracia, an Argentine newspaper. She was the bridge between government power and the 'descamisados', or common people. Because of her background, she identified more clearly with them than her husband ever could. Eva became the object of intense, almost mystical admiration by the country's common people. (Fraser 79). Although Newsweek criticized her as "the most important 'woman behind the throne' in Latin America," the Argentine government defined her role as the "government ambassador to the people" (Fraser. 83).

During this time, she also became the first wife of an Argentine president to make an official visit to Europe, during the Rainbow Tour. The purpose of her itinerary was never explained by the Argentine government except in the most general terms: she was usually said to be bringing "message of peace" to Europe, or "stretching a rainbow of beauty" between the new continent and the old (Fraser. 88). Evita behaved like a queen, as if she had received expressions of affection and respect all her life (Fraser. 94). She made visits to such cities as Rome, Lisbon, Paris, Monte Carlo, Geneva, and Milan. She also developed a taste for expensive designer clothes and products, bringing those in tow back to Buenos Aires.

Despite all of this publicity, she then made a complete transition to what may be called the "matriarchal phase." Although Juan and Eva never had children of their own, Eva became the mother of the country by establishing The Eva Peron Foundation. It first began as a response to the poverty she encountered every day, then grew to an organization that performed charitable works for the poor, a distinct kind of welfare organization. It was unique because Eva would give presents such as food, clothing, housing, and money to those who approached her. In 1948, she created the Children's Football Championship, and in 1949, the Foundation turned a four-block site in Belegrano, a suburb of Buenos Aires, into "The Amanda Allen Children's City", after a 19-century Argentine pioneer in health care. As a result of this "direct aid" and humanitarian behavior, some believed that she should be considered for Catholic sainthood.

Currently, we are witnessing Madonna's entrance into a similar matriarchal phase. She recently became the mother of a child, her daughter, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon. Her other "baby" will premiere in select theaters on Christmas Day. And in this movie version of Evita, Madonna plays the matriarchal figure of Eva Peron in her own matriarchal phase. This phase has yielded a subdued, muted Madonna. Her behavior toward the press is tame compared to her controversy-filled past. She takes her new role as a mother seriously. She recently commented in Vogue:

[I] intend to pay attention to my child. I hope to instill a respect for money and that whole process of working hard and being rewarded for it. The last thing I'm going to do is raise my children the way I see a lot of celebrities raising their children now. I don't want to traipse around with nannies and tutors. I think it is really important for children to stay in one place, to socialize with other children. I had that, and I want my child to have that. I'm not saying I don' t want to go on tour or make movies anymore, but I realize I'm going to have to make a lot of compromises, and I'm comfortable with that. (Salamon 378).

Is this 'new Madonna' here to stay? Or is this just another passing phase, one in which the pendulum swings to a conservative side? Madonna commented in the recent issue of Vanity Fair, " I often say I have no regrets, but I suppose in the end I do. If I had known that I would be so universally misunderstood, maybe I wouldn't have been so rebellious and outspoken." (Ciccone 181). This contradicts her entire career philosophy of the past fifteen years, and is the biggest change of all.

Only time will tell if Madonna feels comfortable with the matriarchal phase. In any case, her entire career thus far has evidently paralleled the career of Eva Peron. In the film, as she plays Eva's different roles, she in essence is recreating all of the phases of her own career. The two women are strikingly similar. Madonna has revealed: "What drew me to the role from the beginning was the story of this remarkable woman. . . Where she came from, how she came up in the world, the incredible amount of influence she had over an entire country and the impact she had on the whole world. . . truth really is stranger than fiction." (Evita).

In evaluating other representations of Eva, she further underlines her personal understanding of Peron's life. In this upcoming film, she seeks to bring alive more of Eva's human qualities. During her stay in Buenos Aires, she viewed countless Peron documentaries in order to capture every mannerism. She strives to balance previous representations with what she has perceived as reality. I think previous portrayals of Eva Peron have been rather one-dimensional. She's always been painted as a power-hungry girl from the sticks who rose to power and took full advantage of her position before she died. It's a very connect-the-dots version and never seemed to reach the real human being behind the myth. Which is what I wanted to do in the movie. (Evita).

Ultimately, Miss Ciccone wishes to bring honesty to the role. More than anyone, she is aware of the complexities within Eva's personality. Eva was neither inherently good or inherently evil. She was both, and neither at the same time: I just tried to make her a human being. I certainly don't see her as a saint. But what I tried to do was flesh her out and show her humanity and her sadness and pain, and give it some connection, you know? She came from a big family; she was an illegitimate child; she came from extreme poverty. And I think this really disturbed her. I think that her whole like was that, really. But who knows? I could say the same thing about myself. Why did I emerge from my family and say, I getting the f--- out of here, I'm going to New York? I think it would be foolish to paint her one way or the other, and I think that a person who attained the kind of power she attained and accomplished what she accomplished couldnot be stupid or just opportunistic. (Udovitch 58).

The results of this epic project are yet to be determined; however, a 10-minute trailer received praise from critics at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. Still, one thing is certain, the film Evita has been associated with two of the most powerful and controversial women in this century. On January 10, 1997, the nation will see the film which dramatically portrays the stories of both its subject and its star. Time will tell, but I can say that after going through it all, everything from trying to sing a new way, to learning how to tango, to meeting presidents and bishops toevery other detail that needed my full attention, I'm 100% sure no one else could have handled the role. (Evita).

Works Cited

Barager, Joseph R. Why Peron Came to Power. New York: Knopf, 1968.

Barns, John. Evita, First Lady. New York: Grove Press, Inc. 1978.

Ciccone, Madonna. "Madonna's Private Diaries." Vanity Fair Nov. 1996: 174-197. Evita - Madonna Talks About Role of Life. (1996). 3 pp. Online. Netscape. Internet. 8 Dec. 1996. Available:http://www.wbr.com/evita/cmp/ madtalks.hmtl.

Fraser, Nicholas, and Marysa Navarro. Eva Peron. New York: Norton, 1980.

Hallstein, Lynn O'Brien. "Feminist Assessment of Emancipatory Potential and Madonna's Contradictory Gender Practices." Quarterly Journal of Speech Vol. 2: (1996): p125-140.

Kot, Greg. "Don't Cry For Madonna." Chicago Tribune 10 Nov. 1996: 7.

Polk, James. "Evita the Enigma." Chicago Tribune 3 Nov. 1996: 14.

Rice, Tim and Webber, Andrew Lloyd. Evita-- the Complete Motion Picture Soundtrack. Orch. Andrew Lloyd Webber., Perf. Madonna and Antonio Banderas. Cond. John Mauari. Warner Bros. Records, Inc. 1996.

Rice, Tim and Webber, Andrew Lloyd. Evita -- Premiere American Recording. Orch. Hershy Kay, Andrew Lloyd Webber. Perf. Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin. Cond. Rene Wiegert. MCA Records, 1979.

Robertson, Pamela. Guilty Pleasures. Durham: Duke UP, 1996.

Salamon, Julie. "Madonna's Moment." Vogue Nov.1996: p300(16).

Schwichtenberg, Cathy., ed. The Madonna Connection. Series in Cultural Studies 1. Boulder: Westview Press, Inc., 1993.

Taylor, J.M. Eva Peron: The Myths of a Woman. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1979.

Udovitch, Mim. "Madonna." US Jan. 1997: 54-56.

Wynia, Gary W. Argentina in the Postwar Era. Alburquerque: U of New Mexico P, 1978.

Elizabeth Lenz

Have you ever had an experience that has changed the way you view life?

About two years ago, I experienced an event, which changed the way I look at everything in my life. I saw the movie Rudi, which is about a boy named Rudi Rudiger. Ever since Rudi was a little boy, he had dreamed of playing football for the University of Notre Dame. Every time he would tell his family and friends his dream, they would laugh at him and tell him that he was too small to play football. There was only one person who believed that he had the determination and dedication to play football for the University of Notre Dame, his best friend Pete. Pete used to always say, "Having dreams is what makes life tolerable." For Rudi's birthday, Pete bought him a jacket from the University of Notre Dame. This jacket gave Rudi the courage to keep striving for his goal.

After he finished high school, Rudi did not go on to college because neither he nor his family could afford it. Rudi decided to work at his father's company with his best friend. One day while Rudi and Pete were working, one of the machines caught fire. Pete tried to put out the fire, but he was too late. The machine exploded and Pete was killed. Rudi was devastated. The only person that ever believed that Rudi could achieve his dream was gone.

Pete's death made Rudi realized it was finally time to set forth and accomplish his dream. He figured that he should have enough money to start off with, since he had been working there for about six years. Right after the funeral, Rudi left for South Bend, Indiana. Upon his arrival in South Bend, he went to the university and talked to the director of admissions, who told him that he would not be accepted into the university until he got better grades. The director told Rudi that he could go to Holy Cross, a junior college near by, in order to improve his grades. He decided to accept the challenge. Next, Rudi talked to the coach of the football team and told him that he wanted a chance to play football for the university. The coach agreed to let him have his chance, once he could improve his grade and gain acceptance into the university.

For three years, Rudi went to the junior college, trying to improve his grades. He also worked in the football stadium, at the university, attending the grounds. For Rudi, just standing on the real football field was like a dream come true. Every night, Rudi would run around the stadium, to keep in shape. After each semester, he would apply to the university, hoping that his grades were good enough to be accepted. Every time, he would receive a letter telling him that his grades were still not good enough.

Finally, after his sixth and final chance, he was accepted into the University of Notre Dame. He would finally have the chance to prove to everyone that doubted him, that he could really play football for Notre Dame. At the beginning of the football season, Rudi was devastated, because the coach who told him he could play got fired. Rudi tried out any way, hoping that he was good enough to make even the practice team. Because of his hard work and dedication, the coaches decided to place Rudi on the team. Rudi would finally get his chance to play football for the University of Notre Dame.

Before every game, he would look to see if he made the list of people who would be dressing for the game. Each time, Rudi's name was not on the list. This would make him so frustrated that he would try even harder the next time. Finally, at the last game of the season, of his senior year, Rudi was given the opportunity to dress for the game. His dream had finally come true. He was finally given the chance to play football for the University of Notre Dame.

The movie Rudi has taught me many things. The whole way that I view life has changed. I am sick of people telling me that I am not good enough to accomplish my dreams. Like Rudi, I had only one person, Mr. Terry Redford, my high school band director, that believed that I could accomplish my dreams. Mr. Redford was the only person that ever had any faith in me. He believed that I could accomplish my dreams. He used to tell me that I was going to be an awesome French Horn player one day, if I could just keep up the hard work and dedication. One of my dreams is to become a professional french horn player. I almost turned away from this dreams, because no one had any faith in me. Mr. Redford's encouragement and positive reinforcement gave me the willingness to set forth and accomplish my dreams.

My senior year, I had to audition for Illinois Music Educators Association's All-District and All-State band. Every day after school, for two months, I would practice in front of Mr. Redford. He would give me suggestions on how to improve my playing and would teach me different techniques, such as double-tonguing and triple-tonguing, in order to play specific passages better. These techniques helped me to increase the speed at which I played the music.

As the audition date grew nearer, I got extremely nervous. Instead of practicing for one hour every day, I would practice for two. I practiced with Mr. Redford for one hour and then I would go home and practice for another hour. Every time I picked up the horn, I had the same routine. First, I would practice scales, sight reading, and lip slurs. Then I would practice the different techniques that Mr. Redford gave to me. Last, I would practice the two pieces that I was supposed to perform for the judge. I would practice my music in this specific sequence, because this was the order I would have to perform my music on the night of my audition: scales, sight reading, and then the two practiced pieces. I also needed to know if I could make it through all the music without getting tired. By repeating the schedule over and over in the same sequence, I knew I would have enough stamina to make it through the entire performance. Of the three sections that made up my audition, I believe sight reading is my least favorite. It is a process where the performer is required to play a piece of music which they have never seen before as well as possible. I would practice constantly, because I wanted to make sure that everything was perfect.

On the night of the audition, all I could think about was the specific section in the music that always gave me trouble. I kept singing the music over and over again in my head, while reading the music. (We were not aloud to practice outside the audition room.) I was sure that I would do well.

As I walked to the audition room, I became extremely nervous, and my palms began to sweat. When I got to the room, the door was open. I just walked right in. The man asked me a few questions, which calmed my nerves, and then I began. First, I played my scales and sight reading. I played both very well. Next, I went into a different room and perform the two pieces for a different judge. I made a couple of stupid mistakes, but that was expected with all the pressure. I was a little mad, because the parts that I messed up on were the easy parts. I played the hard parts perfectly. When I arrived on the bus, Mr. Redford asked me how I thought I had done. I told him I thought that I had done fairly well. The judges gave me a pretty positive response, which was very encouraging. He understood the fact that I made a couple of stupid mistakes, because he knew that I was under a lot of pressure and was extremely nervous. I told him that I was just relieved that it was over.

The next day, I found out that I did in fact make the All-District band. I did not make the All-State band, but just making the All-District band was good enough for me. Mr. Redford was extremely proud of me. He knew that I could do it.

Mr. Redford and the movie, Rudi, have taught me many things. I have learned that everyone needs a dream. It's like Pete said, "Having dreams is what makes life tolerable." What can a person strive for if they do not have a dream? Like Rudi, I had only one person that believed I could accomplish my dreams. I believe this is all it takes, one person who believes in you. The movies also taught me to set my dreams extremely high. Although I may never reach these dreams, the higher the dreams are set, the more I learn and achieve along the way. The movie Rudi parallels my life. Both Rudi and I had dreams which our friends and families believed we could not achieve. We both withstood all odds and achieved the unthinkable.

Everyday society comes across prime examples, in which one person or a group of people overcame all odds and achieved some spectacular goal. I believe the media shows society that it is possible to achieve something that no one has achieved before. The movie Rudi is just one of many examples of someone achieving the unthinkable. Some other examples in the media of people achieving the unthinkable are Stand and Deliver, Dangerous Minds, and Mr. Holland's Opus. In all three movies, one specific characters or a group of characters achieves the unthinkable. In Stand and Deliver and Dangerous Minds, a teacher is required to teach a class of inner city students, who are not very well educated, how to excel in school in a very short period of time. The teachers and the students both perform the unthinkable. In Mr. Holland's Opus, the students learn to appreciate and love music through the help of Mr. Holland. Mr. Holland also does the unthinkable by achieving the dream of creating his "opus" or symphony, which no one believes he will finish. All three of these movies are prime examples of normal people in society performing the unthinkable by setting forth and accomplishing their dreams.

I believe the media is the driving force in making people believe they can accomplish their dreams. If the media never shows society it is possible to achieve the unthinkable goals or dreams they set for themselves, how would they know it was possible. The media must show society it is possible to achieve every unthinkable goal or dream they set for themselves.

Erin McCarty

Television. It is a powerful and most certainly influential learning tool. While children are not the largest consumers of television, television is one of the largest consumers of children's time. The world of television's child is as broad as the infinite horizon of the television camera. It would be hard to deny that much of what children see and know is acquired from the television set. Is this good or bad? Read for yourself and decide.

Television has wonderful positive potential for learning and development. It gives children different mental skills from those developed by reading and writing. Television is a better medium than the printed word for conveying certain kinds of information, and it makes learning easier for children who do not fare as well in traditional learning atmospheres.

Where education was concerned, the newer electronic media was seen as a threat to print by those who view print as the standard teaching tool of education. In reality, however, each medium presents its own point of view on a subject. One medium's strength is another's weakness. The forms of media are complementary. They do not oppose each other. As children grow up exposed to a variety of media, their education may not be as specialized in reading as it once was. On the contrary, children will have a more diversified set of skills as compared to merely being able to read and write than was possible when print was the main mass medium.

The characteristic that sets television and film apart from earlier media is visual movement. Movement can help children learn, because, first of all, it attracts their attention to the screen. Visual movement also helps learning by making information about action easier to remember, obviously because it is seen by the child. This ability of film or television to teach about actions can have useful applications. Actions are very much involved in manual and physical skills, such as grasping things and pointing, which small children may still be mastering.

Another way television is good is that it promotes television literacy, which is knowing how television works, such as understanding sequences, dissolves, and close-ups. Children with the highest television literacy skills, in other words, those who had been exposed to television and were familiar with it, also had the greatest knowledge of a show's content. Content in the children's show, "Sesame Street" includes learning numbers, letters, and vocabulary. In fact, having good television literacy skills at one time made it easier for children to learn the content taught by the program at a later time. This finding has application to learning in school as well, and to older students as well as young children. For example, in a high school physics class that included a series of films, students who were skilled in television literacy generally learned more from the physics films as compared to students with weaker television literacy skills. It appears that the value of film as an educational tool weighs on the level of film literacy that students bring to it (Greenfield 17).

Literacy is necessary in modern society, and in any case the newer media should not be allowed to take the place of reading and writing for our children. Learning is impossible without active participation and mental effort, so the often-noted passivity encouraged by television must be overcome if television is to be used as a learning tool. Television watching can become a passive, deadening activity if parents do not guide their children's viewing and teach their young ones to watch critically and actively and to learn from what they watch. "Sesame Street" uses repetition of information (such as the alphabet) to get children to participate actively, because active involvement is needed to learn. A child can become an active participant even though television is a one-way medium. Active participation includes imitating the verbal or physical action viewed on the show. Turning television from a passive to an active medium is central to exposing its teaching potential (Greenfield 31).

However, heavy viewing of television on the part of the child can have negative results, including bad effects on a child's health. Heavy television viewing is associated with lessened ability to wait and increased restlessness. Also, several years ago, as related in "Those Tired Children" in Time 11/06/64, there were cases with large groups of children, ages three to twelve, who were suffering from such symptoms as tiredness, headaches, upset stomaches, and vomiting. Pediatricians were unable to find any medical causes for the symptoms. Eventually, the doctors discovered after questioning the patients that they were television addicts, watching as much television as six hours each week day and up to nine hours a day during the weekend. The doctors prescribed no television for a period of time, and the symptoms disappeared as a result (Morris 127).

Dr. Markowitz offers the possible explanation that there is a hypnotic effect of the television screen. He states that, "If you keep your eyes focused [on the screen] and have trouble seeing it so that you have to stare, you are likely to experience nausea from the hypnotic effect. It is like dangling a chain or watching a windshield wiper. If you watch either one, you can get nauseated. I think this is a matter of mobility or lack of it . . . of moving around or, in effect, of wearing blinders. The kid who looks straight ahead at the TV set, not turning his head to the side, is likely to get nauseated" (Morris 128). To decrease the viewing time of children has positive effects. In one experiment, cutting a six-year-old's normal viewing time caused shifts from a more impulsive to a more reflective intellectual style and produced increases in nonverbal IQ (Greenfield 6).

In addition, there is a widespread feeling that television may be developing selective listening patterns in a number of children. Teachers in West Orange, New Jersey, noticed a constant dazed look on the faces of some of their students. They knew the source of the problem was watching too much television over the weekend. Since children are able to change television channels at will when their interest drops, they appear to be adapting this listening technique to the classroom as well. If the child loses interest in the subject at hand, s/he simply tunes out the teacher. (Morris 101).

In addition, there is much violence in the media, which has a negative effect on young viewers. Studies conducted by doctors connect violence viewed by children and aggressive behavior. After witnessing acts of violence, children become more tolerant of aggression in other children and less emotionally responsive to violence themselves. Children become immune to the atrocity of violence and eventually think nothing of it. They may also start to accept violence as a means of resolving conflicts. In addition, youngsters imitate the violence they see on television.

To examine this, one study discovered that children who view violent programs were more likely to hit out while playing with others, quarrel, disobey rules, and become impatient than those youngsters who watched nonviolent shows. Also, children who witnessed a lot of violence when they were young displayed more aggressive behavior when they reached adolescence, and went on to commit criminal acts when they were older ("Violence on Children's Television", 1). An eleven-year-old interviewed by Newsweek stated that, "You see so much violence that it's meaningless. If I saw someone really get killed, it wouldn't be a big deal. I guess I'm turning into a hard rock" (qtd.in Greenfield 51).

As with any social knowledge, television as a model for behavior can work in opposite directions, depending on the content of the program and the individual. Whether the influence of the force of television is positive, negative, or neutral depends on what is done with it. Television has the capacity to serve us or harm us. Whether we make the effort to harness its positive influence on our children is strictly up to us.

"Children and TV Violence." Online. Internet. Available: http://www.cmhcsys.com/factsfam/violence.htm.

Greenfield, Patricia Marks. Mind and Media. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1984.

Melody, William. Children's Television. New Haven, CT: Yale UP, 1973.

Morris, Thomas S. Television's Child. Boston: Little, Brown, 1971.

Paine, Jen. "Violence as Entertainment." Online. Internet. 16 October 1996. "Violence on Children's Television." Online. Internet. Available: http://www.freenet.hamilton.on.ca/- aa818/WPT18.html.

Maria Morrison

Different shaped monitors occupy the corners of his bed. The constant beeps of the machines are the only companions in this desolate room. The unfamiliar surrounding of bare white walls is the sight he sees when he opens his groggy eyes. Yet these are not the worsts of the entire situation. His once mobile body is now covered with gauze due to the flames that enveloped it the previous night. Severe pains suddenly overcome his sore, aching body. The feeling of alienation and anxiety takes over his soul, and a piercing scream fills the still hospital environment.

This scenario is a very common situation for people who have experienced the trauma of being a burn victim. People who suffer from various percentages and degrees of burns react in different ways toward their experience. These feelings could easily be altered when painful exercises and procedures are applied to the patients as they begin the process of recuperating from their wounds. As a physical therapist, one must understand the emotional and physical states that the patients' experience to help them rehabilitate at a faster rate.

First of all, physical therapists provide vital roles in helping burn patients recover. They are essential in aiding the patient in rehabilitation of their physiological and emotional needs (Kessler, p. 100). The patients must undergo extensive treatments to reinstate their previous mobilities before the occurrence of the incident. There are two main types of therapies that are given to burn patients to enable them to recuperate. In passive therapy, there are different procedures that can be applied for burn patients. The more common passive therapy is the use of hydrotherapy. The treatment involves the use of whirlpools, Hubbard tanks, and baths to maintain the elasticity of the skin. Through hydrotherapy, the skin would be stimulated to prevent the shrinking of the skin as it heals. The temperature of these tanks is adjusted according to the painful conditions that the patient is experiencing at that present time. Generally, these temperatures do not exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit (Hecox, p. 643-4). Nurses and physical therapists assist each another in changing and dressing the wounds of patients through this daily procedure (Mannon, p. 26). Through the second type of therapy, active therapy, patients are encouraged to try different types of treatments such as gymnastic exercises, work therapy, and muscle building to strengthen their use of their bodies (Kessler, p. 100). Most often patients become debilitated and weak after burn wounds have healed. By performing active therapy, burn patients regain coordination, strength, and endurance needed to return to their previous physical form (Carr & Shepherd, p. 65).

Extensive pains accompany such treatments because the injured skin is stimulated. Some patients are unable to perform these types of activities for longer periods of time due to the pain that they cause. In one instance, a patient which sustained burns more than 60 per cent of the body surface constantly complained of pains even a month after admission. He dreaded exercises and refused other movements due to any feelings that accompanied these procedures. His anxiety of enduring these emotions was extremely exaggerated even when his free nerve endings began to heal (Andreason, p. 66).

In addition to the distress that derives from the burn injuries are several other factors contribute to the patients' emotional problems. Burn victims could have a distorted state of mentality before the incident, difficulty in family interactions, and unresolved past circumstances (West & Shuck, p. 1190). The physical therapist must realize these types of conditions when interacting with the patient.

In one case report of a patient exhibiting psychiatric problems, the mental status of the patient was noted unremarkable except for his current dilemmas. The patient, a 51-year-old married father of four children, was admitted for electrical burns more than 5 percent of his body. After a week of hospitalization, the patient was ordered psychiatric evaluation due to depression and fear of death. Through therapy, the patient admitted feelings of depression and his worries of family and financial problems. He also discussed two previous episodes of depression before his hospitalization for burns. Although the patient resolved his problems without the use of medication, supportive therapy was advised to help him cope with his current situation (West & Schuck, p.1198).

Due to the extremities that burn patients encounter, the physical therapist must understand the emotional strain and psychological needs acquired by the patient. The therapist and patient need to form a positive connection to enable the therapist to gain the trust of patient (Fisher & Helm, p.103). The patient is more liable to tell the therapist any dilemmas or anxiety that he or she is experiencing through the establishing of this connection. By providing emotional support, the therapist would gain a better understanding of the behavior of the burn victim. The physical therapist could then adapt the rehabilitation procedures to suit the patient's conditions.

In an interview conducted by James Mannon, a therapist confided to him that the best method to the recuperation of the patients is the understanding of the emotional and physical traumas. When questioned about the gaining of this knowledge the therapist replied: "Listening to them! .Sometimes a whole hour of interrupted time . . . The nurses have lots of things to do every day. But a therapist has only one thing -- exercise patients. And patients can talk during an exercise routine and I listen to their concerns!" (Mannon, p. 50).

However, medical researchers suggest certain guidelines which physical therapists are recommended to follow. An instance that researchers advise that physical therapist must consider is the communication between the patient and therapist. In this situation, physical therapists should be restricted to the personal problems of the patient (Stewart & Abeln, p.238). In addition, controversial topics should not be addressed unless the therapist agrees with the opinion of the patient. Moreover, the physical therapist must give the truth of the patient's situation to the patient when communicating. For instance, if the treatment would hurt, the therapist is encouraged honesty between therapist and patient and not undermine the situation and lie to the patient that he or she would only experience a slight discomfort during exercises (Downer p.7). If the physical therapist inadvertently breaks these guidelines, the patient could become agitated or distraught that could result in a major set back. Such rules would help the patient and therapist gain a clearer rapport between one another.

Taking the time to listen to the patients is often encouraged by therapy scholars to aid in the recuperation of the patients. By listening to the patient's problems, the therapist is given the chance to play an important role in fostering positive effects for exercises. Patients consequently develop a sense of reassurance and self-confidence in their situations (Fisher & Helm, p.103). Furthermore, the trust between the patient and the therapist allows for a freer communication process. A clearer explanation of the patient's position would permit the patient to have an active role in the healing of his or her body. By gaining more knowledge of the situation, the patient is usually more motivated to "work through" the pain during exercises to insure a faster rate of physical mobility.

The physical therapist's initial concern is the agreement of patients in performing the arduous exercises designed for the body's improvement. Through encouragement and praises by the therapist, the patient is more liable to conduct these procedures even when they are accompanied by extreme pain. The information process between the therapist and patient gives the patient the opportunity to take control of rehabilitation techniques required for recovery. It is essential that the therapist understand the emotional and physical states that the patient experience when healing from burns. In the end, the patient's understanding of the treatment benefits both physical therapist and patient in obtaining their goals.

Four months had elapsed, and he will finally be going home. As he ambled toward his window, he passed the numerous flowers and "Get Well" cards decorating his bedside table. He's on his way toward normal life. Finally.

References

Andreason, N.J.C. et al. (1972). Management of emotional reactions in seriously burned adults. The New England Journal of Medicine, 286, 65-69.

Carr, J.H., & Shepherd, R.B. (1987). Foundations for physical therapy in rehabilitation. Rockville: Aspen Publishers.

Downer, A.H. (1988). Physical therapy procedures: selected techniques. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.

Fisher, S.V., & Helm, P.A. (1984). Comprehensive rehabilitation of burns. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins.

Hecox, B., Mehretcab, T.A., & Weisberg, J. ed. (1994). therapists. Norwalk: Appleton and Lange.

Kessler, H.H. (1950). The principles and practices of rehabilitation. Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger.

Mannon, J.M. (1985). Caring for the burned: life and death in a hospital burn center. Springfield: Charles C.Thomas.

Stewart, D.L., & Abeln, S.H. (1993). Documenting functional outcomes in physical therapy. St. Louis, MO: Mosby.

West, D.A., & Shuck, J.M. (1978). Emotional problems of the severely burned patient. Surgical Clinics of NorthAmerica, 58, 1189-1204.

Emily Peck

I waited anxiously for the arrival of my friend, Kara, whom I had not seen in over two months. She had spent the entire summer in Florida but promised to be back for the first day of school. I sat down within the crowded classroom and searched for her throughout the mob of unfamiliar faces. I tried to catch a glimpse of her long blond hair, which she usually kept tied up in a ponytail, or the sound of her squeaky voice, but I could not find a single trace of her. After a few moments of waiting, a girl approached me with a large smile on her face. When her eyes caught mine she exclaimed, "Hey, Emily! I've been looking all over for you!" A thought of confusion flashed through my mind, "Who is this girl, and how does she know my name?" Dumbstruck I asked, "I'm sorry, do I know you from somewhere?" Her smile vanished, and with hurt in her eyes she muttered, "Emily, it's me, Kara." I could feel my chin drop and my eyes widen as I stared at her in amazement. She sounded like my friend, but she appeared to be a stranger. My body stood frozen, and for many long moments I couldn't utter a sound. Faintly I whispered, "What happened to you? You look so different. I didn't even recognize you." Happily she replied, "Well, I went on a diet and I lost some weight."

We continued to talk, but I felt as if I was talking to "the new girl in school." I could not get over the change she made in the last two months. She lost over fifty pounds and appeared to be nothing but skin and bones. As she walked I noticed her legs, which were tight and bony. As her arms swung beside her, I observed her protruding elbows and shoulders. Her stomach was shriveled, and her ribs showed through her white t-shirt. Her collar bones looked as if they were going to split though her skin. Her cute, puggy, little cheeks had vanished and only bone remained. Her eyes looked drained and tired when at one time they gleamed with life. Just the very sight of her made me want to cry. I knew what happened; her appearance made it obvious. For the past sixty days not only had she been dieting, but she had been starving herself.

Unfortunately, this abuse continued through the school year. She constantly skipped meals and refused to eat anything but slices of celery, which actually burn calories. At lunch I would offer her my sandwich or my apple, but she always refused them. Kara continued to lose weight until she became physically ill and could no longer survive an entire day at school. Thankfully, her parents enrolled her into a hospital where she found treatment for anorexia. During her six months of treatment she grew to love and accept herself no matter what her body looked like. She discovered that true beauty is found within the body and not in the image reflected in the mirror.

Many girls similar to Kara believe that beauty is determined by the size of their waistlines, and many of them take the same drastic measures that Kara took to achieve this beauty. Unfortunately, the overwhelming influence of the media contributes tremendously to this problem. The media portray an unrealistic and virtually unattainable image of beauty which young women try to achieve, often in very dangerous ways. Although this image is very prominent throughout the media, it needs to be changed to one that represents all women in a realistic fashion.

Media sources, such as television, magazines, movies, and advertisements, have created a narrow, unfair, and virtually unattainable image of female beauty. False representations of women illustrated in the media have created this unreasonable image of the ideal woman. This trend began and has grown extremely popular since the days of Marilyn Monroe. Since the death of Marilyn Monroe, the standard of beauty has risen to the point of absurdity. Forty years ago, Marilyn Monroe was considered the world's sexiest and most beautiful women (Kiernan). She was glamorized across television screen, dazzled on the covers of magazines, and cherished on posters and calendars. She was considered to be the ideal women, perfect in all ways. Marilyn Monroe set the standard for American beauty. She was five feet and five and a half inches tall and wore a size twelve dress (Kiernan). Ironically, in today's society this figure would be considered short and heavy. Women like Cindy Crawford and Courtney Cox have replaced Marilyn Monroe's image of beauty. Today, the ideal woman stands approximately five feet and ten inches tall and wears a size four dress. This image of beauty, created in the hands of the media, has become the standard for all women, old and young. Throughout the pages of magazines and across the television screen, the ideal woman is glamorized. This constant display has a large impact on women, especially adolescent young women.

Adolescence is a time of life filled with change and confusion. Young women are at a stage in their lives when they are uncertain about themselves and their bodies. They do not know where they fit into society and how they are supposed to fit into society. They are no longer children, yet they are not quite adults. Their minds and bodies are changing as they mature, creating a period in life which can be quite confusing and frustrating for young women. Often, they have many questions, but no where to ask them. Consequently, they rely highly on the media to provide them with information and explanations.

Young women look at magazines and television for the latest updates on trends, fashions, and images. Although the media do not always answer their questions directly, pictures offer information in an indirect manner. The image of beauty is demonstrated this way through visions of models and actresses. Gorgeous women, like Cindy Crawford, Jennifer Aniston, and Jenny Garth are flaunted across the television screen and through the pages of magazines. All three of these women, even though they play different roles in the media, are remarkably similar in the image they project to their audiences. Through their popular roles they illustrate the image of beauty as a pretty face with a slender body. For example, Cindy Crawford fills the pages of magazines, usually revealing her magnificent body as she poses seductively for her audience. The pictures portray her as appealing, sexy, and joyful which can then be associated with thinness; therefore, the young viewers feel they need to be thin in order to be beautiful. Often, young women will take dangerous steps in order to reach this thinness.

Eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, victimize many young women who feel the need to reach this ideal image. Both conditions are extremely unhealthy, dangerous, and sometimes result in death. Anorexia is a disease which young women attempt to lose weight by starving themselves, as Kara did, and bulimia is a disease which young women attempt to lose weight by self-induced vomiting. Both of these methods are used by hundreds of girls and many receive treatment, as Kara did, and recover from their eating disorder; however, some girls do not and are killed from their disorder. Unfortunately, this danger will continue as long as the present image of beauty remains.

The image of beauty portrayed by the media is unrealistic and very harmful. Many young women in today's society are preoccupied with attaining the ideal image of beauty, and often attempt to reach this goal in extremely dangerous ways. However, steps can be taken by the media in effort to change the image of beauty to one that is diverse, realistic, and represents all young women equally, which would allow all girls to love themselves for who they are and respect their bodies for what they are. Girls would no longer feel the need to starve themselves or spend their time worrying about the size of their waistlines. Not only would this revelation lower the rate of anorexia and bulimia, but it would also put young women's minds at ease, allowing them to focus on truly important aspects of life, such as health and happiness, rather than appearance.

I believe the media should begin the process to a solution. Since the media had the power to create today's image of beauty, it must have the power to change it. First, the public must persuade the media that its portrayal of beauty is unrealistic and very harmful, then the procedure toward a realistic and diverse image of beauty can begin. Although many concerned viewers have already attempted to convince the media that the image is damaging to young women, it continues to remain unchanged. For example, Corrine, from Brooklyn, NY, wrote a letter to "Seventeen" magazine explaining the harm of the images portrayed in magazines. In the letter she states, "My friends and I cry ourselves to sleep after reading magazines showing all those 'stick figures.'" However, many magazines continue to illustrate only thin models. Concerned viewers, like Corrine, need to continue to write to the publishers of magazines and the producers of television shows. The people need to express their beliefs and opinions to the media in order to explain the harm of the visions portrayed. The public may have to boycot particular media forms, in order to demonstate the need for change. These steps should convince the media to change the images of women portrayed in their products. Then, magazine publishers and T.V. and movie producers can begin to incorporate diversity within their products representing girls of all shapes and sizes equally and realistically. Consequently, these new and better-suited images will influence young women to view the meaning of beauty realistically and allow them to judge their bodies fairly.

Jeff Salkas

Put a Mac user and a PC user together in the same room and ask which is the best system; the inevitable comments are, "I've never seen an IRQ problem with a Mac," or a personal favorite, "A Mac is a computer with training wheels that you can't take off.' To give credit to the Apple environment, it's probably the easiest system to get running; Apple has created the best plug-and-play system around. What this means is the ability to add things like CD-ROM or other peripherals without a hassle. Apple also has cornered the graphical market until recently, with the best graphics and desktop publishing software originating on the Macs. Beyond the simplicity and dominance in graphics, Apple and IBM employed two opposing business strategies, which is why Apple has lost the PC wars.

To understand the basis of the PC wars, a brief outline of PC history is required. Apple was founded on April 1, 1976 by two computer hobbyists: Steve Wozniak, who was working for Hewlett-Packard, and Steve Jobs, who was at Atari. They launched the Apple I at the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, California, and started making the circuit boards in JobsÆ garage for $666.66. Apple Computers beat IBM to the starting line in the personal computer market by four years with the introduction of the Apple II in April, 1977. It soon became a favorite of hackers and video gamers, and, with the arrival of VisiCalc spreadsheet software, it started showing up in offices as well. The generally accepted reason that Apple beat IBM to the punch is because of AppleÆs power structure in the form of a wide platform which allowed quicker advancement of ideas through the ranks, while IBM, which had been long established, had to approve an idea through a long line of supervisors, supervisor-supervisors. Apple also had an atmosphere of loose regulation that IBM/öBig Blueö (a play on Big Brother) definitely did not have.

In September 1980, Apple introduced the Apple III, targeted at business users. Its subsequent failure revealed that the business world was not quite ready let go of its (dummies (terminals, not employees)) at least until the next summer, that is, when IBM entered a young but increasingly growing market with its own creation, the IBM PC.

With the announcement of the PC in August 1981 (and the development of word processing, spreadsheet, and the database software to go with it), corporations became receptive to the idea of a personal computer on every desk. And while IBM sold out its PC inventories, Apple geared up for its second attempt to reach the business market with the Lisa. Lisa was the first computer to use the GUI (Graphical User Interface) interface. Xerox developed the GUI, and for the acquirement of 100,000 shares in Apple, it had opened the doors of its Palo Alto Research Centre to Steve Jobs. Xerox didnÆt seem to know how to commercialize its research, and Jobs saw the chance to do it for them. Introduced in January 1982, the Lisa was a revolutionary machine, with pull-down windows and menus, icons, and a mouse. But it was expensive (almost $10,000 ), and it lacked the software library and brand name recognition that the less sophisticated IBM PC enjoyed.

While Apple engineers were developing a new machine that would incorporate many of the ill-fated LisaÆs advanced features, Apple fortified its presence in the home and education markets with the successful marketing of two new Apple II models: the Apple IIe in January 1983 and the slim IIc a year later. Few companies survive repeated product failures (the Lisa, Apple III, Newton Electronic Organizer), but continuing sales of the II enabled Apple to try again. By now, Jobs was the central figure in Apple, and he gave employee Jef Raskin permission to build his own ôdream computerö and once again showed the success of AppleÆs social structure, turning a number of hugely-talented misfits into a tightly-knit team. Unfortunately, at this point, Apple began to disintegrate. Jobs gradually took over RaskinÆs machine, labeling it the Macintosh, creating resentment in some of his brightest employees. On January 24, 1984, the Macintosh, a direct descendant of the Lisa, was introduced with a single TV advertisement shown during the Superbowl. The Macintosh impressed buyers with its sharp monochrome graphics, simplicity of use, and Lisa-inspired pull-down menus. Three months earlier, IBM had launched a preemptive strike at the Mac with the introduction of its PCjr, but the underpowered machine could not compete with the sleek Mac. Unfortunately the Mac was overpriced; originally foreseen to be released with a price tag of $499, it cost $2495.

In August 1984, IBMÆs PC AT made its first appearance and quickly set a new standard of computing power, especially in the business arena, where its speedier database searches and spreadsheet calculations were welcomed enthusiastically. Sales of macs were dismal in 1985, and the two Steves left the company. Apple extended its two lines of computers with the MacPlus in January 1986 and the Apple IIgs, with enhanced graphics and sound, in September 1986. In March 1987, a month before IBM announced its PS/2 family, Apple presented the flagships of its new generation: the Macintosh SE and with the Macintosh II.

What allowed IBM to catch the more advanced Apple, which had that four year head start? First off, Apple has a complete monopoly (until recently) over its operating system and Hardware system. The problem is that Apple tried to maintain a monopoly on its product by not allowing the ôcloneö or a Mac substitute. This contrasts with the IBM based PC market, where over a thousand different firms contribute: not just major players like Intel, Compaq, and IBM, but specialists like Phoenix and Creative Labs. Last count showed PCs with an 80 percent margin of the market. IBM didnÆt own the chip or the operating system from which the IBM PC was built. Intel and Microsoft, who did, were delighted to sell these not just to IBM but to all-comers -- an option Apple rejected. Soon there were hundreds of manufacturers who were not competing to be different in novel ways, like Apple, but to be as much alike as possible: to be compatible, a juxtaposition on the structures of early Apple and IBM (IBM compatibles now have more sources to draw research from, or a larger research base). As a result, Apple spends roughly twice as much as Compaq on research and development, while remaining significantly less profitable. Worse, R&D is more than a matter of money. AppleÆs approach assumes that the bulk of the work can be done by people employed in, or controlled from, its headquarters in California. In the PC world, R&D is pursued independently not only across America, but over world. While Apple is highly regarded for its successful R&D efforts, which include the Macintosh and software such as QuickTime, it has also suffered many failures. These have included such forward-looking machines as the Lisa, Apple III, Apple IIc, Apple IIgs and the original Newton electronic organizer.

Apple has also had problems with numerous software developments including its joint ventures with IBM to develop the next generation of operating systems, which had its independent existence terminated last month. Worse, in technical terms, AppleÆs operating system, System 7, now lags behind multi-tasking rivals. The PC is basically the do anything machine; it can run most of the common operating systems including DOS, Windows 95, Windows NT, OS/2, Novell Netware and several varieties of Unix. From 1987 to 1990, while IBM and Microsoft were bogged down with OS/2, Apple had a window of opportunity. It could have licensed the Macintosh to other firms and tried to build a clone industry like the one driving PC sales. Instead it charged premium prices for the MacÆs superior quality, and lost market share. When Microsoft finally produced a usable version of Windows in 1990, making a Mac-like user interface popular on PCs, AppleÆs best chance had gone.

Apple says that sixty percent of all Internet access is on their computers. Where does this statistic come from? Who has been on the web for a while and has been asked what kind of platform they use? The web is supposed to be an OS free arena for information. Another argument made for Macintosh systems is that a user only needs a computer that allows for the checking of e-mail and the writing of papers, but by purchasing a Mac, you pay about $1000 more for a computer than what you needed. A $500 PC with a modem and black and white monitor allows for the same functions.

The question arises, why do we see so many Apple machines in schools? Apple has always maintained a high level of K-12 education share. According to Elizabeth RogerÆs survey on public access to microcomputers, over sixty percent of computers in the K-12 markets are Macs. This is because Apple has often over-calculated the demand for itÆs low-end models. As a result they are left with stockpiles of low-end, generally out-dated, unwanted machines, which then get markdowned and dumped into the education market. Apple is capable of doing this through one of their previously mentioned faults, having the unique ability to dump a product that has both hardware and software. What happens when these systems quickly go out of date? When the computer lab starts looking for upgrades, they want something compatible with the old standard -- Apple. School computer labs end up paying more for a truckload of Macs then they would if they got the same number of PC clones. What happens when students come home and mommy and daddy are looking into a new computer, they ask the child what system they have, and underneath the Christmas tree a Mac is found.

Apple Computer has announced an operating loss of $68 million for its latest financial quarter, $80 million in inventory write-offs, and reorganization that could mean up to a loss of 3000 employees. Having fought to keep the firm independent, AppleÆs boss Mike Spindler must now be considering whether he can sell or spin off any divisions. Claris, AppleÆs software arm, might be a candidate, but Apple cannot survive only as a software house -- its revenue would be too small, and who would manufacture the hardware? Now that PCs run Microsoft Windows æ95 almost as well as Macs run their GUI, and offer a much wider choice of hardware and software, Apple can no longer command much of a price premium. Ultimately -- regardless of SpindlerÆs desires, or the wishes of the MacÆs many fans -- AppleÆs independent survival must now be in doubt. The market forgives many errors, but an unprofitable business strategy is rarely one of them.

Bibliography

McGurn, William. (Aug 10, 1995). 'Hard Sell: Service Astray Keeps the Apples Away." Far Eastern Economic Review, vol. 158, p 53, /P>

Sherry, Andrew. (Jun. 15, 1995). "Mac Strikes Back: In a Windows World, Apple Fights to Hold On." Far Eastern Economic Review, vol. 158, p 77, . /P>

Chang, Ike Yi. (1994). The Economics of Dominant Technical Architecture: The Case of the Personal Computer Industry. Rand Corporation, Santa Monica, CA. /P>

Rogers, Elizabeth H. (1994). "A Survey of Community College Library/Learning Center Regarding Public Access to Microcomputers and Microcomputer Software," Doctoral Dissertation. /P>

Margolis, Philip E. (1991). The Random House Personal Computer Dictionary, Random House, New York.

Carmen Sovanski

In today's society, many people become caught between the pressure toward conformity and the desire of personal identity. I experienced this first hand my junior year of high school. I was unsatisfied with how I was presenting myself to the world. I had fallen into the web of conformity. I felt I was a follower of the crowd and lacked any individuality of my own. I wanted to be my own person and stand away from the crowd. I didn't want to wear what others were wearing, listen to what others were listening to, or be influenced to think how others thought. I decided to take on the challenge and begin soul-searching within myself for my own unique identity. As I began to find comfort in myself, I started to feel a sense of control in my life. I bought my clothes at second-hand stores and dug through boxes in the attic. I adopted a different style of music that I could relate to. In my most rebellious moments, I dyed my hair all colors of the rainbow. I was convinced that I had found happiness with myself. Until one day, I looked around and realized that while I was pushing myself away from one crowd, I was unconsciously leaning towards another. Even though I thought I had strayed from our popular culture views, I had actually fallen into the web once again. I soon realized that maintaining an identity, under my terms, in a mass culture was practically impossible.

Everyone has their own identity, but each one of us share similarities with others. Your identity is who you are, inside and out. Webster's New World Dictionary defines identity as "the condition or fact of being a specific person or thing; individuality." At the same time it has a second definition of "the condition or fact of being the same or exactly alike; sameness; oneness," such as groups united by identity of interests. Therefore your identity is your individuality in unison with your likeness to others. Your identity can include your clothes, your musical preference, and even your thoughts and views, but society often overlooks the person inside who choses these characteristics and throws everyone into general stereotyped groups, based on one's circle of companions or his or her outward appearance.

Our society labels people with stereotypes according to the clothes that they choose or may be forced to wear. These stereotypes can create false images in our minds. Families that can hardly put food on the table are often thankful for a few tattered articles of clothing, though not designer fashions, that fulfill their needs. The way in which one's body is shaped, the color of one's hair, or even the way that one speaks is judged by others.

The way that we dress interprets a sense of who we are. It is often a form of self-expression. Fashions can range from baggy jeans and second-hand shirts to new styles hot off the runways. The clothes that people choose to wear serve as a window to who they are inside. As fads change, people may experience a feeling of invasion on their self-expression. Clothing acts as only one aspect in a person's dress. Dress can be defined as our physical appearance. Hair styles, make-up, and body piercing are also ways that people reveal their identities to others. Many times people make outrageously different changes to prove the point that appearances should not be a basis on which we judge each other.

Another common way of self-expression is through music. There are many factors why people like the music that they do. Often they choose music that they can relate to. Music that contains lyrics or a sound that they feel expresses who they are as a person. Some individuals enjoy the soothing sounds of classical music as opposed to the intense beat of punk rock music. The type of music a person chooses is an expression of their character. Many times people listen to songs with lyrics that relate to the way that they think.

Certain songs may trigger memories of good or even sometimes bad times. For me, Friends, by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, reminds my of my own friends and of my senior year in high school. Songs such as, Spilled Perfume, by Pam Tillis trigger memories of past relationships and experiences that may have upset me at one time or another. I love going to concerts and songs by bands that I have seen bring back memories of being there all over again. Going to a concert can be an extreme rush of adrenaline, to be in the middle of all the excitement and to know that you share at least one thing with everyone around you, a love for music. Music is one piece of a person's indentity can is more often than not a quality shared with others.

The biggest factor in each person's individuality is the different thoughts and ideas that each of us hold. Our thoughts range from our likes and dislikes to our variety of outlooks on life. It is difficult to classify people on how they think. Stereotypes break down when examined in relation to this element, because it is complex to pin point what exact thoughts or feelings are running through others minds. Each person carries a set of entirely different views. Our minds contain a vast number of things such as our thoughts and ideas, our loves and fears, and our standings in the world with others and ourselves. Many times it seems people feel that they need to keep their personal thoughts and opinions hidden in order to flow with the mainstream. They fear that others may reject their opinions or look down upon them because of their feelings on certain subjects. Everyone must come to the realization that if someone does not hold their same views than they should not put down that person or discredit their standing. The greatest part about individuality is that the way that we approach certain topics or feel about certain things is never the same as someone else's views. Our relationships with family and friends are a good example of feelings that can never be duplicated by others. Close relationships may help to shape the way that we think or feel, but they never directly influence those thoughts and feelings. Sharing our thoughts with others points out how unique each and every one of us really is.

So I guess being unique isn't as difficult as I once thought it to be. Our identities are the great combination of belongingness and individuality. The great thing about being a human is that no one can invade upon your ideals. Each of us holds our own thoughts inside ourselves with a sense of pride. Our thoughts can be shared with others or kept inside to share with just ourselves. We must remember that no one can adopt exact ideas or morals from someone else. Those come from within. Humans are like snowflakes. We can search forever and never find two exactly alike. Physical appearances may change and take the place of others. But the beauty of it all is that no matter what barriers are placed between us, all of us are part of the human race.

Shelley Streitmatter

As the years go by, more w omen are enrolling in college and entering the work force. As a result, many people no longer think that gender bias in the classroom is a big issue. Some even think it no longer exists. It has decreased significantly, but evidence of gender bias in overt and hidden curriculum is in the classroom.

Gender bias in classrooms can greatly affect our culture and our economy in the future. If we fail to teach our girls adequately now, we hinder their progress in the future. If we allow them to get an education not equal in quality to boys, then we do not allow them to start their futures with equal opportunities. Girls receive lower grades and test scores when classrooms are unequal; the prestigious colleges overlook them. As a result, female students cannot achieve equal education in their collegiate careers. Therefore, employers can truly say, "The women are not as qualified as the men. That is why I hire men and not women, not because I'm sexist."

Before we can start to see that gender bias does still exist, we need to know what overt curriculum and hidden curriculum are. Overt curriculum is consciously taught in the classroom, and it includes trade books (such as SOL), texts (such as The Catcher and the Rye), and lectures. Hidden curriculum is taught subconsciously in addition to the overt curriculum, and can contain messages about race, culture, gender, war, peace, etc. The overt curriculum does not usually contain gender bias on purpose; it often has hidden curriculum in it.

One example of hidden curriculum in the overt curriculum is the texts taught in English classes. The ten most taught books in high school English classes contain only one written by a female (AAUW 60). We frequently teach books that are about the coming of age of a young man. When studying this type of book, girls must think from a male perspective. Society and schools have no problem asking a girl to think as a boy would think. Society expects girls to be able to relate to and learn from these stories. However, we almost never teach books that deal with the coming to age of girls. Think about your own high school English class experience. How many of us had to read Huck Finn, Great Expectations, and other such books? Now, how many had to read Little Women? Society frowns on asking boys to think like girls. The lack of women's experiences, thoughts, and feelings enables men to find them unimportant, illogical, or insignificant. If we ignore women in the overt curriculum, the hidden curriculum teaches they are unimportant, insignificant, and invisible.

The books we do read that have women in them usually portray the woman as a weakling, a nag, or a temptress. Huck Finn, for example, contains two main woman characters, Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. The book portrays them as old nags, forcing Huck to behave. They constantly infringe on the freedom and individuality of Huck. Daisy is one female character in another frequently read book, The Great Gatsby. She causes poor Gatsby to go insane in love, and ruins his life by making him incredibly unhappy. Nick's girlfriend, Jordan, cheats at golf so she can be successful. She would not be at the top of her profession if she did not cheat. Nick says about her, "She was incurably dishonest" (Fitzgerald 52). Tom's mistress, Myrtle, cheats on her loving and loyal husband, George, whose love and devotion goes unappreciated by her. She instead loves the rich and extremely handsome Tom. Hester is the main female character in The Scarlett Letter. She does not blame the Reverend Dimmsdale at all for her illegitimate child, only herself for tempting the poor Reverend Dimmsdale. Hester feels bad because she could ruin his career if the town found out about their affair; she does not care that the constant presence of the "A" on her chest ruins her own life. Tess in Tess of the d'Urbervilles is another weak woman. She allows her true love to banish her from his presence because she slept with Alec, though he admitted to sleeping with an "unrespectable" woman in France. Tess does not even think to judge him; she feels only guilt and shame about her own sin. This is only a small sample of frequently taught books in high school, yet we can already see a definite pattern developing. Literature fails to see women as desirable in their personality; they posses only a physical desirability.

If a girl in an English class only reads books about how weak and evil women are, isn't it logical for her to assume all women are weak and evil? Why do we not teach Little Women more often with its five strong women characters? Joe is obviously the most strong, refusing to fall for the romantic boy from her hometown. He cannot offer her the life she wants. She wants to be a writer, not the social housewife his status in society demands. Joe holds out and waits for the man who can truly love her--career and all. Beth fights death as long as she can. While she fights, she maintains an upbeat and positive attitude. Amy travels to Europe, away from her family, and pursues a painting career before settling down. Meg, the oldest, marries for love instead of waiting for a rich man to care for her family. The mother raises the girls practically by herself while her husband is away at war. The girls are taught independence is all right for women. Marmee (the mother) does not try to force marriage or dependance on men on her girls. They all develop into independent and confidant women. If we taught a more balanced overt curriculum of texts, we would not have this problem of hidden curriculum. We might not have as many girls viewing themselves as weak and evil.

English is not the only class where this type of hidden curriculum in the overt curriculum is found. In history books, we ignore the contributions women made to society. We learn only about the traditional heros (Betsy Ross) or about famous men's wives. Until the suffrage movement, women rarely get mentioned without a man's name going along with. Even the suffrage movement fails to name very many women; Susan B. Anthony is one of few. Anne Bradstreet and Anne Hutchinson both contributed to colonial America, yet only their writing is studied. Women were primary fighters for abolition; the woman's movement for suffrage grew out of their frustration at not being able to fully support their cause. Women also helped start the labor movements in America with their strikes and protests toward the garment industry. Perhaps the biggest secret in our history is that Martin Luther King, Jr. did not organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Months before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white person, the Women's Political Movement had begun to organize the boycott. Martin Luther King, Jr. used their plans, otherwise it never would have been able to occur so quickly and smoothly so soon after the Rosa Parks incident. In math, word problems use boys in them. Word problems frequently read, "Tom left at noon from DeKalb and drove for two hours, at 30 miles per hour, north. Tim left at eleven from Chicago and drove for four hours, at 25 miles per hour, south. What time did the two boys meet?" In science, experiments use pronouns associated with men. These pronouns, although universally accepted, can have negative effects when used frequently.

The way teachers conduct the classroom can also have affects on girls. Sometimes the type of language a teacher uses can be harmful to a girl's image of herself (Sandler 115). For example, if a teacher refers to the males in a class as "men," but the females in a class as "girls," it may seem as though they are saying the women are not as intelligent as a grown up. Sometimes a teacher will cut off girl students to comment on their appearance, even if what the girl is saying deals with an assignment question or another important comment. Often, math or science teachers will say to girls who are asking questions or who got an answer wrong,"Do not worry, girls are not supposed to be able to understand this." Teachers in all classes tend to "rescue" girl students when they come with a question and make a boy go "try again" (Palar 41).

In the classroom, teachers make more eye contact with males. They also acknowledge males' comments more, with a nod or a gesture. Teachers lean forward and pay attention to males, and they look around the room and shuffle papers when women talk. When a male student asks a question, the teacher gives him instructions on how to answer it, when a female asks a question, the teacher often just does the problem for her (Sandler 117-118).

In younger classrooms, teachers frequently allow boys to call out answers, but if a girl tries to answer without raising her hand, the teacher reprimands her. The hidden curriculum teaches girls to be quiet and polite, and boys to be loud and rambunctious. Even when males do not yell out an answer to a question, teachers tend to call on them more, whether they have their hand raised or not. Teachers also wait longer for boys to answer questions than they do for girls. The reasons for these behaviors differ between teachers. Some may want to spare the girl the embarrassment of answering wrong. Others believe that women do not like to speak out.

Many teachers call male students by name (Sandler 119). In college classrooms it is more common to hear a professor call a male student Mr. So-and-so, while calling a girl by her first name. Often teachers use the generic "he" when addressing a group of students. They also say "he" when referring to doctors or scientists and "she" when referring to secretaries (Sandler 119). However, in science classes, "he" can mean the universal "he" or the specific sex "he," both in the same class period.

These behaviors may seem like trivial things that no one ever notices. However trivial it may seem, it could explain why girls have such low self-esteems. It has been proven that girls are first told that they are no good at math, and then their scores and interest in math declines. Also, on average, boys participate more willingly than girls.

Many school districts are trying to correct the gender-bias problem by separating classes by gender, although federal law technically forbids separation of the sexes. But, is this really helpful to either sex? Experts say that boys need girls to help them learn (Palar 41). Girls ask more questions, which slows the learning process down and allows the boys to take the time to think about the information. Usually boys move through the lessons at such a quick pace they leave themselves little time to reflect on the lesson. Also, the timid behavior of the girls may help to calm down the boys' rowdy behavior.

While boys tend to suffer in single-gender classrooms, it is true that girls tend to thrive in them (Palar 41). They get the attention they need from the teachers. They get the reassurance that they are doing well. Also, single-gender classrooms do not address the hidden curriculum in the books we teach--text or trade.

Since girls thrive in single-gender classrooms, we may conclude that they are a good thing, and should be supported. This conclusion would be wrong, though. Girls thrive academically in these kinds of classrooms, but what are we really teaching our children when we separate them by sex? We are telling them that together the two sexes cannot work well. We tell them they must be separated from the other sex to reach their true potential. On the surface, single-gender classrooms may seem to be a good thing, however, we must not ignore the hidden curriculum that may be found in the separation itself.

Each sex possess differences in their style of learning. Ms. Zobel, a teacher at Westridge Elementary in West Des Moines, Iowa, who participated in a single-gender classroom experience, says she is taking what she learned last year and applying it to her mixed classes. She'll teach her math classes in two different ways--quiet for the girls, and noisy for the boys. "Quiet math will involve reading, talking about concepts, and problem-solving. Noisy math will include playing games and doing math-related activities" (Palar 42).

There is no such thing as a perfect classroom. We cannot separate the sexes; we cannot use biased language; we cannot pay more attention to one sex; and we cannot teach them the same way. So, what can we do? We can try helping both sexes by teaching in more than one style. Teachers need not always stick to the same format every day. One day, do a quiet activity, the next, do a noisy one. Teachers could video tape or just audio tape their lectures. After reviewing the tapes, they can probably recognize their discrimination, making it easier to correct. We can have teachers tell the girls about other women who have succeeded and contributed to society. We can let girls read about fiction that deals with their experiences and problems. Above all, we can be fair. We can be fair to all sexes, all races, all religions, and all backgrounds. If we teach a well-rounded overt curriculum, we will destroy the typical type of hidden curriculum.

Works Cited

The American Association of University Women Educational Foundation. The AAUW Report: How Schools Shortchange Girls. Washington, D.C.: The AAUW Educational Foundation and National Education Association, 1992.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1953.

Lasser, Carol, ed. Educating Men and Women Together. Urbana: U of Illinois P, 1987.

Palar, Barbara Hall. "A Study in Contrasts." Better Homes and Gardens. Pp 38-43. Oct. 1986.

Sandler, Bernice Resnick. "The Classroom Climate: Still a Chilly One for Women." in Lasser 113-123,1994.

Michelle Svee

In today's society, necessary punishments fill the classroom. To a lot of people, punishing someone means simply removing an enjoyable activity from someone who has misbehaved. Punishment is actually a penalty imposed on someone for a crime or wrongdoing. Correctly punishing someone includes this and more. There can be problems if punishments are not carefully chosen for each and every situation on an individual basis, problems could arise. Many forms of punishment should be considered by a disciplinarian when looking for the proper way to discipline an unruly child. School professionals recognize seven forms of punishment; detentions, time-outs, corporal punishment, suspensions, alternative placements, withholding credits, or expulsion. (Gordon, p. 18). Each of these forms has its advantages and disadvantages.

Detention involves keeping the child after class hours to show them that their freedom is taken away. This punishment is effective if the child showed minor misbehavior, such as being wild or loud during a discussion. It is an inappropriate punishment when the child did something extremely mild, such as turning around in her seat. The child may then develop a fear of people in authority for being punished when he did hardly anything wrong. Unearned detentions may even cause them to do worse things since they have already seen what a detention is like, and how they need to act to deserve it.

Time-outs are a fairly new way to punish a child. Time-outs involve students being "sent to a stimulation-free area or time-out room for 2, 5 or perhaps 10 to 15 minutes." (Davis, p. 292) Teachers use methods similar to this when a child does something which disrupts the classroom slightly. Time-outs are usually effective with minor misbehaviors in younger children because they are being removed from the other children who cause them to misbehave.

Corporal punishment, which is illegal in many states, still has some followers who feel beating a child is the only way to get them to listen. Yet, in cases where children are hit or beat in front of the class, they become fearful of the teacher, not the misbehavior. Corporal punishment is a means by which "the target behavior is not eliminated, but merely suppressed, and that it may reappear in situations in which (corporal) punishment is not a threat. Many psychologists believe that the use of (corporal) punishment may increase aggression, especially in children." (Baron, p. 173). Corporal punishment can turn into physical abuse, also. In a case called "Ingram vs. Wright" in 1977, "the paddling .was so severe the young man suffered a hematoma requiring medical attention" (Gordon, p. 19). This form of punishment can be very detrimental for a child, not to mention scary. The child may be constantly bombarded with the fear of being hit and will not be able to concentrate on school work, for fear of unknowingly misbehaving. No reason is a good reason for a child to be subjected to this type of punishment.

A suspension is a temporary barring from the usual place of work or learning. Suspensions can work in a positive way if the child's parents cooperate with the school and teacher and make the child have days filled with school work. "The parents need to know that they should not punish the child when he comes home, that they should not play up the classroom misbehavior. They should see that the child begins work in an objective fashion, completes his unfinished business, and has no recourse to such forms of recreation as television." (Phillips, p. 204) If the parent does not cooperate, the child just feels the suspension is a vacation. A child can really learn their mistakes under this type of punishment if the parents give the child chores and extra homework to do at home. In a current case, "Senator Scott Howell wants students who utter foul, profane, or abusive language to be suspended from public schools." (Cortez, p. 1) Suspension might be a little drastic for this type of behavior since teachers feel that "removing children from the classroom never solves anything. If anything, it causes more tension in theclassroom." (Cortez, p. 1)

Alternative placements are terribly drastic punishments for bad misbehaviors. "This type of reassignment of a child to another facility within the district, where the child is to receive the same basic instruction, has been deemed an administrative move. However, if the underlying purpose is for disciplinary reasons, a due process hearing is required." (Gordon, p. 19) Some parents would not agree with this method simply because of the fact that they as parents did not have the choice of which alternative placement school the child should be put in. Alternative schools may also take a severe psychological toll on the child. The traumatic relocation of their classroom environment might make them confused or even cause them to experience depression because of their inability to make new friends or to adapt.

Withholding credits is an illegal punishment in most cases, but can be used in some specific cases. In all cases, the credits a child receives are their own property and can not be taken away. "Withholding credit for a course where credit has already been earned or denying a diploma, as a means of disciplining a child is not permissible." (Gordon, p.20) But in some severe cases involving "cheating or some other type of dishonesty undertaken by the student in acquiring the credit is an entirely different issue and could be the subject of disciplinary action." (Gordon, p.20) Especially for high school students, removed credits could make their life quite difficult. It may involve making up credits in summer school, or even delayed graduation. The law says that the credits a student receives are their own but in certain cases this is acceptable.

Expulsion is probably the most serious of all legal punishments. Expulsion may involve taking the student out of class for a semester or even years. A student might be expelled for many reasons, but mostly ethical and moral violations, such as sexual harassment or other forms of disrespect directed toward other students or even teachers. "Some public school districts have mandatory expulsion for certain serious offenses. These mandatory rules have generally been upheld as reasonable in light of the obligation of a school district to provide a safe environment for children to learn." (Gordon, p. 20)

A multitude of punishment options are available for each individual situation, and each must be weighed and discussed before issuing a punishment. If a child is wrongly punished, it can have traumatic or detrimental effects on them, which will change their attitude toward learning, and may even give them a fear of the classroom. If a child is properly punished, they will learn their lesson for life and will thank the teacher that helped them break the bad habit .

Sources:

Baron, R. (1996). Essentials of Psychology. Needham Heights, MA: Simon & Schuster Custom Publishing.

Churchward, B. (1996, February). The honor level system: Techniques that backfire. The Honor Level System[online].Availables:.aol.com/churchward /his/backfire.html

Cortez, M. (1996, January). Legislator would suspend foul- mouthed school children. Deseret News Web Edition[online].Available:http://www.desnews.com /legis /swearbil.htm

Davis, G. (1983). Educational Psychology. New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc.

Fuhr, D. (1993). Effective classroom discipline: Advice for educators. NAASP Bulletin, 76, 82-86.

Gordon, W. (1995). The search for reasonableness. School Business Affairs. 18-21.

Harmin, M. (1995). Inspiring Discipline. NEA Professional Library Publication.

Harrison, S. (1995). A mentoring for new teachers: Ensuring success. NASSP Bulletin, 79, 98-103.

Hymes, J. (1955). Behavior and Misbehavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc.

Johnson L., & Bany, M. (1970). Classroom Management. London: The Macmillian Company.

Kounin, J. (1970). Discipline and Group Management in Classrooms. NewYork: Holt Rinehart and Winston.

Phillips, E., & Wiener, D. (1972). Discipline, Achievement, and Mental Health. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: PrenticeHall, Inc.

Reissman, R. (1993). Creative solutions to discipline dilemmas. Learning, 22, 48-50.

Rousmaniere, K. (1994). Losing patience and staying professional: women teachers and the problem of classroom discipline in New York City in the 1920's. History of Education Quarterly, 34, 49-68.

Tulley, M. (1995). Student teachers and classroom discipline. Journal of Educational Resource, 88, 161- 174.

Kevin Sweeney

One of the most debated topics in the business world today is that of electronic communication. While all aspects of electronic communication are important, two in particular have become necessary to many businesses. E-mail and the Internet are becoming a necessary part of day-to-day business operation in many industries. ( This document will be concerned solely with the Internet-type e-mail, and primarily with the conventions used in the United States regarding various aspects of e-mail. ) As with all other communication devices, businesses must use these media effectively in order to make them viable forms of business communication. While the average home user or "tech" might be able to justify the use of e-mail and the Internet simply because it's the "in" thing to do, a business must justify the use of these media in terms of their productivity. Simply put, a communications device is no good to a business unless it helps employees get more work done. Consideration of the use of e-mail and the Internet as business communication forms gives rise to two important topics of discussion. In order to appropriately discuss the viability of e-mail and the Internet as forms of communication, one must discuss the function and implementation of these media.

Almost everyone is aware of the functionality of e-mail in its simplest form. E-mail is a text messaging system that allows one to send a message to any other e-mail address on the Internet. The common format for such as address is user@myhost.ext where user is a user name, myhost is the domain name ( the "name" that distinguishes the server or group of servers), and ext is one of may extensions, but usually com, edu, or gov. Although many other address types are possible, this is the standard in use on the Internet today. With this standard in place, it is then possible to send an e-mail message to any other address on the Internet by simply addressing the mail to the desired recipient. A recipient can be either a person, distribution list, general mailbox, or program (along with many other possibilities). A distribution list is simply an address that then forwards a copy of a received message to a given list of people. One example of a program might be an automated response system that replies t o a given message with a "receipt" that is returned to the sender to acknowledge the transmittal of the message. Even in this form, e-mail is enormously useful to businesses. E-mail in this text base form: "is quicker and less formal than paper and easier to scan and edit than recorded voice messages. Since it avoids the need for a recipient's presence at the other end of the transmission path, many busy people prefer it to playing telephone tag" (Penzias, p. 80).

However, e-mail has many more possibilities than this simple text-based format. It is now possible to send many kinds of data via an e-mail system quickly and easily. "E-mail messages can contain anything, from formatted reports, spreadsheets, faxes, pictures, sounds and video clips" to almost any imaginable form of communication, with some obvious limits (Is E-mail an option to consider?). This capability is what makes e-mail so valuable to businesses. Employees at the main office can transmit up-to-the-minute information to their colleagues in the field with ease. This is an obvious advantage. If a business is able to present current information to its clients within minutes of requesting it, the clients are sure to be happy. Employees can keep each other informed of developments rapidly and easily, and this capability is sure to increase productivity. The Internet comes into this discussion because it is like the road that e-mail must travel on to get from one destination to another. With the overwhelming amount of possibilities that e-mail and the Internet have to offer, it is clear that they can function well as business communication forms.

Another important aspect of the use of e-mail and the Internet as business communication is the implementation of these media. It is undoubtedly difficult to put into use a completely new communications system. However, some employees will already know how to use e-mail, and this will help with the project. When implementing an e-mail system, it is important to recognize that: "[t]he utility of an electronic mail system depends heavily on who has access.If only a few people have access to the system, it won't serve an appreciable fraction of anyone's communication needs and may become an unused curiosity" (Sproull, p. 177).

So, the effectiveness of an e-mail system directly relates to the percentage of people in a business who have access to it. If everyone in a business has access to e-mail, then paper interoffice memos can be eliminated. However, if only upper-level management have access to the system, it is bound to be less effective. Possibly the most important aspect of the installation of any new system is the formulation of rules and regulations that users must obey, as well as the dissemination of these guidelines to all system users. Problems that arise with the use of e-mail systems tend to stem from lack of user knowledge of appropriate practices. It is also important to note that these rules and regulations vary greatly from one organization to the next, and that no "norms" are apparent across businesses (Sproull, p 51). In some organizations, electronic messaging systems are already in place, and so interfacing these systems with those of others could create problems with compatibility.

However, "the Internet is becoming a vehicle for linking multiple messaging systems," and many products exist that allow different mail systems to interface smoothly (Schwartz). The question arises: how can employees be trained to use the new systems at minimal cost to the organization? The answer is simply: Go out and find a good book. "Instead of developing your own training material, purchase commercial training packages and books" (Devers). In many small businesses, designing a training program is impractical, but there are already many books on the market that will help train employees, and will cut costs of implementation. Calls for help will be drastically reduced if a "quick-help sheet" is distributed to all users of a system. On this sheet, list important commands and support information, and point users towards the on-line help system that is accessible in most e-mail packages. Users will be able to use this handy reference card to solve most of their problems with the system. Another important component of an e-mail system is its accessibility to users outside the confines of the office. Employees need to access email from outside the office, and the installation of one or many modem access lines will solve this problem. Employees who are sick will still be able to answer their mail, and workers in the field will be able to get the information they need quickly. While implementation of an e-mail system can be a harrowing experience, following these simple tactics will help to reduce the burden.

E-mail is the best solution to message handling within an organization. It is quicker and less expensive (in the long run) that existing paper distribution systems, and fosters interactive communication among employees. E-mail is good for business, and it doesn't have to be difficult to use or control. Remember, "[t]he Internet is making E-mail ubiquitous. In this process, E-mail is becoming as essential to business as the telephone" (Schwartz). The age of the e-mail had arrived, and shows no signs of fading. E-mail is not a fad. Investments in business e-mail communication will pay off, within the business and outside the business by providing easier access to information.

Bibliography

Is e-mail an option to consider? [Online]. Available; http://www.gsia.cmu.edu/bb26/70-456/projects /e-mail/business.html

Penzias, A. (1995). Harmony: Business, technology & life after paperwork. New York: HarperBusiness.

Schwartz, J. (1996, February 26). E-mail via the Internet Changing the way business communicates. [Online].Available:http://www.gsia.cmu.edu/bb26 /70-456/ projects/e-mail/link_a.html

Sproull, L., & Kiesler, S. (1991). Connections: New ways of working in the networked organization. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Michael Tam

With the turn of the century nearing, technology is becoming a very important part of the world. The race for power and for efficiency will continue with each new computer chip. An industry that will use technology a lot is the business field. Corporations invest a lot of money every year to keep up with the latest programs and technology. A problem that needs to be solved is when corporations sometimes finally get around to getting the technology, it could already be outdated. Then they might feel as if they have wasted their money. Among the many different fields that use computers a great deal, Accounting Information Systems is one that integrates computers and business.

To learn what Accounting Information Systems is people must first know what accounting is. Accounting is defined as the principles or practice of systematically recording, presenting, and interpreting financial accounts, although from its definition some people might still not understand what an accountant does. An accountant basically takes care of the money matters in corporations. Different financial statements help keep track of money that flows in and out of a business. An accountant goes through the accounting cycle a couple of times throughout the year. The accounting year can be made up of four fiscal periods. In each period an accountant goes through the accounting cycle which means they prepare many financial statements such as balance sheets, journals, and ledgers. When completing the financial statements a corporation can find out if they are making money before and after expenses, after paying! They can find how much they are paying, and how much they are receiving.

The number of accountants can almost equal the number of financial statements. For each aspect of accounting, a person specializes in each aspect and has studied many years of how the system works. A Managerial Accountant is one who oversees the operations of the accounting scheme in a corporation. Another type of accountant would be Cost Accountant who keeps track of how much a business is paying to get a job done and produce a product. An Auditor is one who goes to corporations and checks their financial statements for accuracy. The accountant who people are most familiar with is the Tax Accountant, which is someone who works on taxes for a corporation or an individual. These accountants are very busy during the early spring season when people struggle to finish their taxes before the April 13 deadline. Last is Accounting Information Systems which is a relatively a new field to accounting.

What is Accounting Information Systems? Accounting Information Systems analyzes how events affecting an organization are recorded, summarized, and reported. Basically, the way that a corporation is doing their accounting. "Management and accounting information systems staff must implement controls to guard against events like data loss, virus infestation, and unauthorized use of data"(Weatherholt, Gilbert, and Cornell 34). When computers are intertwined with accounting, it makes the work a lot easier. Then accountants can do their work more efficiently. They may be able to finish financial statements in days rather than weeks. Instead of writing related entries in two journals, when you enter an entry in one journal, the computer automatically enters it in another. "Accounting information systems includes a performance measure for each activity, and each activity manager is assumed to act to maximize measured performance"(Jordan 66). It also makes it more convenient. Instead of using the old paper and pencil method, they can now do all their work on the computer. File cabinets will be as outdated as card catalogs in libraries and locating files will be very easy. An accountant has to keep track of many financial statements, different journals, worksheet, ledgers, and balance sheets, at all times. If they were doing it the old way, they would need to set up on a very large wide table so they will be able to see each document. Even if they have a large enough table, they always run the risk of losing one of the documents while they are processing clientís financial statements. "60 percent of the work performed by accounting staff was clerical"(Andros, Cherrington, and Denna 31). Corrections made on a computer are easier to make than on paper. When one tries to correct a mistake on paper it sometimes can tear or get really messy.

"Most companies did not have adequate accounting information systems to provide valuable information on how well they are doing with respect to quality"(Cable and Healy 144). When this happens "avoidable wastes and defects will be tolerated, profitability and even survival will be threatened"(Cable and Healy 144). Accounting Information Systems get data for managers about the quality of the products, services, and processes. This is a very intricate part of the corporation. If money information does not get from the desk to the head of a company, then the corporation is in danger of losing money.

A study shows a correlation of the relationships between influence factors and performance of Accounting Information Systems. Some "significant positive correlation between the performance of AIS and the influence factors such as user involvement, capability of IS personnel and organization size"(Choe 215). Accounting Information therefore greatly depends on the evolution of Information Systems. Accounting Information Systems are also "affected by the classes of organization; discussing the human resources management implications of the model; and presenting an organizational perspective on leadership"(Tosi 267).

Businesses need to keep up with technology because they are always trying to improve on efficiency. The more efficient a corporation is the more work their workers are able to do. Now corporations can get more out of each employee. Before workers were not expected to accomplish a lot because they had to check and re-check each and every statement. Accountants have to double-check all their work to make sure everything is in balance. If one financial statement is wrong then it can have a devastating effect on all other financial statements. Programs are now made to check each entry the accountant enters into the computer. Once the statements are out of balance, the computer will warn the accountant. People might think that technology in the workplace is bad because now the workers have to do more than they used to. This presumption is wrong; it is easier to do their job now so they just increase how much they get done. Employees will probably like doing easier work than doing less work that takes more time. Now employees can feel like they have accomplished a lot after each day at work.

Something that holds big corporations back from investing large sums of money into technology is that sometimes they really cannot keep up. First the corporation has to find where they must purchase the technology from so they can stay in their budget. When they finally finish finding the technology that best suits them; they must then install it throughout the company. After installation, they must put their employees through a training program. By the time that the corporations finish installing the programs and training employees for the newer computers in the entire company the technology may already be outdated. The one thing that corporations should look at is that they are ahead of where they used to be. They should also consider technology that can be updated frequently so they will not have to keep on purchasing new products. There should also be ongoing training for the up to date programs. Corporations will also need to have a department that keeps the computer running efficiently and up to date as possible. This is a form of Accounting Information Systems where a department keeps the computer running efficiently.

A method that can help reduce the cost of spending large sums of money on computer is called "Invoice splitting." The method "allows departments to replace old microcomputers by splitting the purchase over more than one purchase order and charging the purchases to another surplus budget line"(Becker 30). Now many companies set apart money to make large purchases of computers and printers. With "Invoice splitting" companies can replace old computers with new ones. The one problem with this is that Managerial Information Systems is removed from the budget process. The Managerial Information Systems watches over the processes to see which are effective and are not effective.

"Businesses need to improve the way they make decisions to become more efficient and effective"(Andros, Cherrington, and Denna 28). This statement in a recent Financial Executive magazine is what most corporations believe. The article by David P. Andros, J. Owen Cherrington, and Eric L. Denna talk about how IBM is reengineering their accounting systems. "IBM discovered it used 315 separate systems world wide to support six basic accounting functions" (Andros, Cherrington, and Denna 28). Some problems that were discovered was that the systems could not respond quick enough for the company's changing information requirements, was not able to consolidate financial information efficiently, and developing and maintaining was expensive. A step in the process of reengineering was to create a common set of accounting systems. This would take the many different systems and set it to a small set of techniques for each accounting function. Something that IBM required is "to be able to use the systems to reengineer enterprise processes so they could continually improve the way IBM delivers goods and services and to implement enterprisewide decision-making, essential to competing in today's business environment" (Andros, Cherrington, and Denna 29).

To fulfill these requirements, IBM developed a "Five-Pronged Solution." The first step was "Reengineering Business and Information Processes." This includes eliminating unnecessary processes, doing necessary processes more efficiently and effectively, or creating new business and information processes that increase an organizations worth. Another step is "Developing Event-Driven Solutions." In this part of the process, IBM finds important events both economic and noneconomic that move the business along. "Integrating Processes" is the third step of the solution, this involves "dovetailing"three essential processes: recording, maintaining, and reporting business information. The next step would be "Integrating Data." Combining all important data whether it is financial or nonfinancial is what happens in this phase of the solution. "Realigning Information Systems Ownership" is the final step. In the completion of the solution, IBM "must redefine the responsibility or and ownership of key elements of the information solution."

The department where IBM improved the most was in Fund Disbursement. They used the concept of National Employees Disbursement Strategy, NEDS. IBM also felt that changes in information structure and in measurement systems could now be done in half the time with only about one-third the resources that was used before. A problem that might be encountered is overcoming tradition. Sometimes people just do not like change. IBM recommend that they should seize the "opportunity to increase their value to the company" (Andros, Cherrington, and Denna 31).

Not only do big time corporations need to keep accurate records of transactions; small businesses need to keep a budget too. Small businesses make up a great portion of the American economy. Small businesses do not need such large firms to do their accounting work. They can purchase software to do their accounting work. MacUser recommends "Best!Ware's $140 M.Y.O.B. 6.0.1 and Big Software's $200-$1000 Big Business 2.0.1. Small business accounting software application are rated best buys in the single user and multi-user segment of the market"(Wachter 109). The products require large amounts of space for use. Some other products are adequate but might not be flexible or adequate to use.

In conclusion, corporations need to have technology in the workplace. It makes work more efficient and convenient for the employees. To keep the computers up to date while trying to keep cost down have some certain necessary steps. The money they save from using computers instead of using people can be used in the department of technology. It may seem that the employees are doing more work for no reason, but they are really accomplishing more. As the twenty -first century nears time will become more important, so then we will need to use computers to save as much as possible. "In the 21st century, there will be fewer accountants on the controller's staff, but they will perform in totally new and exciting ways. The drudgery of shuffling paper and doing routine manipulations of data soon will be gone" (Andros, Cherrington, and Denna 31).

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