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Film Theory

Scott Hancock

Wednesday -550

Spring 0

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Eisenstein/Bazin

SEVEN

directed by

David Fincher

David Finchers Seven, a psychological thriller in which a serial killer has been killing people based on which of the seven deadly sins they have committed. This dark and damp tale with it's realistic atmosphere and inventive title sequence would have pleased, and also to an extent, infuriated the likes of classic film critic Andr Bazin and montage master Serge Eisenstein. Considering the film was made in 15, years after both Bazin and Eisenstein theorized over film language, the film as a whole may not have been what each would have considered a perfect film, but there are elements of Seven which each would have appreciated.

As the film opens we are introduced to Detective Somerset (Moorage Freeman) standing at a sink in a static wide shot of a kitchen. There appears to be a door in the foreground, frame-left. This shot gives the viewer the sense that he/she are in the room with this guy kind of peering around the corner. Everything in the foreground is out of focus. Bazin would have disliked the foreground being out of focus as he prefers more depth of field, but would have been pleased with the width of the shot and the mise en scene. The shot does not hold too long but the amount of information you get from just that one shot is exactly what Bazin is looking for.

Bazin placed a great deal of emphasis on the shot and the duration of the shot. The film was shot by Cinematographer Darius Khondji. In a scene which follows the initial meeting of Somerset and David Mills (Brad Pitt) we are outside having just come out of a crime scene. Somerset and Mills are in a low angle medium two-shot. This shot follows the two men down the street as we are introduced to their relationship and we watch how it begins. Bazin would have liked this scene first for the duration, over two minutes, and second for the rawness and realism of the scene itself. Filmed on location the scene takes on a very harsh reality which is achieved through the mise en scene, which includes torn awnings overhead, extras passing by, storefronts, and rain. There is then the question however, would he had disliked this shot because the shot was low angle, not a very realistic representation of reality, and because of the moving camera, draws too much attention to the filmmaking process? Bazin seemed to embrace technology to some extent but still seemed to remain somewhat of a purist. Technology should be a tool a filmmaker can use to create art.

This film is full of photographs. In fact the film almost wholly revolves around crime scene photographs. The crime scenes Fincher gives us in the film are all as gritty and ominous as actual crime scene photos. The crime scenes seem as though they were taken from actual crime scene photos. These sets were darkly lit and often only illuminated only by the flashlights of the two detectives. The time and dedication put into these sets by Fincher and Production Designer Arthur Max paid off as they appeared to be frighteningly realistic, almost to the point that you can smell what these cramped spaces smell like. There were also many times that the ceiling in locations were shown. This to Bazin would have been nature recreated in a way in which attention to detail was an understatement.

The master shots of these scenes all could have been held and would have been just as effective, but Fincher decided to cut around to each of the characters and use cutaways which allowed the viewer to get in closer and get a sense of what these detectives were seeing and feeling. This is where Bazin would have disagreed with this structure of film. He would have preferred the master and allowing the scene to just play out. Fincher and editor Richard Francis-Bruce have the master but opts to cut into the characters and uses the faces of his actors as a tool to enhance and tell the story. Even if the actors do not say anything the fact that we are in a tighter shot on them allows the audience to get in and learn something from the face of the actor. This is heavy stuff they are looking at and we(the audience) want to see what they are looking at and what their reaction is when they see it. It appears the audience at least have changed a bit since the era of Bazin.

Another very realistic aspect of this film was the sound design. Again we can go back to the opening sequence of Somerset getting ready for work. The opening shot we hear traffic noise, tv in the background, neighbors, this really brings the viewer into the screen and makes us think we are in the room with this person. Bazin would have appreciated the realistic way the sound brought realism to the scene.

Although this film may not be a complete representation of reality in the eyes of Bazin, hopefully he would have seen the film as a piece of art in which the reality was made up by scriptwriter Andrew Kevin Walker so that David Fincher could tell a story which may scare us at times but at the same time remind us that all is not wine and roses. The important thing in the end is that this story elicits emotion from the viewer, whether it be good or bad.

Seven was edited by Richard Francis-Bruce who was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on this film. Sergei Eisenstein would have enjoyed this film for its social dynamics and conflict within the story. Two scenes of this film editorially were exactly the types of montage that Eisenstein employed. One scene is the beautifully and hauntingly done title sequence and the other is the "hitting the books" scene in which we crosscut with Somerset in the library studying up on Chaucer and Dante, and Mills at home studying the crime scene photos.

After a brief opening piece that slowly brings us in, the true beginning comes, a disturbing opening credits sequence that looks like a music video and for all intensive purposes, is. The credits shake as though we are watching an old Super 8 movie. This sequence is highlighted by the song "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails. This is an instrumental and allows for only one line. The images are razor blades, quick flashes of crime photos, notebooks, pages, needles, all of this culminating in the line, "you get me closer to God". As "God" is said we are on a close shot of tweezers removing the word god out of a dollar bill. As slow as the opening was it was all building up to this moment. Fincher purposefully made the opening slow paced so to bring us to this sequence of fast paced disturbing images and music. This collision of images and music created a sense of impending doom and is precisely what Eisenstein was going for with his theory of montage.

The next sequence in the library is a chance for the viewer to see how each of the detectives are trying to catch this killer. Somerset by reading the books he thinks the killer would be reading and Mills by studying the crime photos. This sequence is accompanied by Bach which gives the feeling of sadness which could also represent the character Somerset or the nameless city where all of this takes place. There is a slow movement both with camera movement and with movement within the shots themselves. The way in which the images are cut together is also of importance. The use of straight cuts and dissolves blended with the music lend to a sense of not only sadness but beauty. There seems to be beauty in what these men are studying and this is achieved through not only the method of cutting but the length of shots in the sequence. They seem to be longer in the beginning then slowly become shorter, then slowly begin to be longer again as scene ends with Mills giving up and watching a game on TV, and Somerset leaving a reading list on Mills desk. This scene again falls in line with Eisensteins theory of montage by using shot length, music, movement, and transitions to create an emotional response.

Anytime a director creates a film it is his/her artistic ability that will either engage the audience or not. What they choose to utilize to make this happen, whether it be a crane, fast paced editing, wide angle, stedicam, it is their decision. It is obvious a different era than that of Bazin or Eisenstein but hopefully each would have embraced this eras filmmaking. Bazin would have possibly been attracted to the video camera as he could shoot as much of one shot as he wanted and not had to worry about cost of film. Eisenstein may have embraced the world of nonlinear editing, stedicams, or music videos. Each mans own definition of film language may be different however they were both leaders in the world of film and filmmakers even today employ their theories and will continue to do for as long as film is still an artform.

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Sometimes you wonder why people do stupid things. Well consider a community a place where you can

ask these people why they behave so foolishly. Sometimes people will mix your clean laundry with

someone elses laundry and steal half of your clothes or sometimes people will start a war for no apparent

reason. Some people like myself feel compelled to start up a forum, a community or just a mode or

communication so that a link can be established between these people and their idiotic behaviors. When

something doesn't makes no sense like started a war for no reason does, then people wanna know why

and if the reason you gave wasn't good enough they speculate or better yet, they go out and try to look for

the truth themselves.With a new truth comes an alternate story and a conscious decision of which story to

believe. My community is a community on the web that is focused on discussing America, and all the

wars it has sworn to fight. This community was setup to provide a place where people from all over the

world can come together and discuss Americas involvement in the war in Afghanistan, Iraq, the war against

terrorism and potential war between North Korea. However, its not only a discussion that is going on her, it

is totally different game story altogether which leads me to asking this question, What are the missing

links that exist between these stories? Journalism has been known to be a pretty ambiguous business but

throughout the war in Iraq and its aftermath, the truths that has been proposed about the real agenda behind

attacking Iraq cannot be ignored. Now its not a matter of who is lying and who is telling the truth, it's a

matter of how purified can we get the stories to find the percentage of truth in each story. What this

community tries to do is communicate its truth as pure as possible using unbiased channels of information

which brings us back to the link between different stories in a situation like this. Al-Jazeera. A prominent

news station of Abu Dhabi, Al- Jazeera has remained an independent and unbiased voice in the Arab world

bringing news to the Middle East concerning all sorts of political, diplomatic and confrontational issues

going on in the Middle East. Al-Jazeera shows scenes CNN and ABC wont show and it tell the people what

is really going on with no sugar coating, so to speak. This is the basis for my analysis with this electronic

community. How this source of information, feeding people around the world with an "uncoated" version of

the news in the middle east, can cause people to start to question ulterior motives, hidden agendas and

deception.People wanna know the truth about why Iraq was attacked the way it was, why America thinks it

has control over the rest of the world and thinks it can do whatever it wants.

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Titanium

The element titanium is a metal. It is found in stars and there is some in the sun, it has also been found in meteor rocks. It is as strong as metal but 45% lighter. It is also 60% heavier aluminum but twice as strong. Titanium also has excellent corrosion resistance. Titanium is also great in fireworks. Titanium classification is metallic. It does not have a group name. Its color when pure is lustrous white metal when not all pure it's a silvery metallic. Titanium phase temperature is a solid 8 K; titanium shell structure is two, eight, ten, and two. Titanium symbol is Ti, and its atomic number is . Titanium atomic weight is 47.867 and its group number is 4 it is located in the d-block. Titanium also makes up some of the earths crust it is the ninth most abundant element in the earths crust. Titanium was first discovered in 171 by Reverend William Gregory, a British pastor. The first person to create pure titanium was a man named Matthew A. Hunter. That is all my knowledge on the element of titanium.Nuclear Engineers make sure that the reactor core is configured and assembled correctlyaccording to the laws of reactor physics and heat transfer fluid dynamicsto use the nuclear fuel most efficiently and safely while producing electricity. They specify the fuel to be ordered, conduct a reload analysis of new fuel according to safety codes, and supervise its receipt and inspection. They also design the reactor shielding and conduct periodic surveillance tests to ensure that fuel limits are not exceeded and specify and monitor tests on potential new fuel. Finally, they support the plant's staff in general troubleshooting and assessing operating abnormalities. They are also known as fuel engineers.

Mechanical Engineers monitor and supervise areas involving heat transfer and fluid flow removing the heat generated by the reactor core,; directing the energy to spin the turbine to generate electricity,; providing emergency heat removal in case of an accident.,; and circulating the water used to cool the reactor and regulate its temperature. Mechanical engineers will also supervise machinery designmatching the right component to the desired function,; procuring the appropriate replacement parts,; and innovating designs to improve plant performance. Piping, valves, pumps, turbines, and diesel machines are the responsibility of mechanical engineers, as well as the organization, layout, and structural integrity of switch gear, cables, and other instrumentation.

Electrical Engineers oversee the routing of electric power in the plant to all of its components, which may vary in their power requirements anywhere from 1 volts DC to 765,000 volts AC. Electrical engineers also supervise the conversion of energy by the turbines to electric power that will be transmitted to customers. Finally, electrical engineers monitor the integration of all plant functions through process controls and protection circuitry. More recently, computer/software expertise has become increasingly important for the design and function of new digital instrumentation and control systems. These engineers may replace analogue circuitry with more efficient, automated microprocessor-based systems.

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Chemical Engineers/Chemists are responsible for the plant chemistry of the primary systemwater flowing through the reactor (BWR and PWR plants)and the secondary systemwater on the power generation side (of pressurized waterPWR plants)as well as other cooling and heat removal systems. They minimize the corrosion of plant piping and the degradation of other equipment by monitoring the different environmental conditions for the reactor coolant's temperature, pressure, and radiationand by regulating the use of protective chemical additives. This helps keep theprocess of filtration and ion exchange also reduces the amount of material wearing off of plant components from beingthat may be carried water-borne into the reactor to become radioactive.

Materials Engineers analyze the properties of the materials out of which the plant and its equipment are constructed to ensure their integrity duringunder the dynamic loads produced by the plant in operation. Materials engineers conduct nondestructive examination, part failure analysis, and testing to ensure that the plant equipment will withstand the temperatures, pressures, and neutron flux of the operating plant. They also assist other engineering groups with materials specifications. by conducting periodic nondestructive examination and testing.

Civil/Structural Engineers ensure the physical integrity of the plant structures, including the containment building and radiation shielding for the nuclear reactor. They ascertain that the structure will safely handle the loads produced by the ordinary operation of the plant, that in an accident the reactor core remains intact and safely cooled, and that the structures will safely withstand extreme-magnitude natural events, such as a hurricanes or earthquakes. Civil/structural engineers will make sure plant equipment is installed properly so that the plant will generates electricity under normal conditions. They will also review any addition of plant equipment loads and drilling in walls to ensure that an adequate design margin of safety remains.

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Principal-agent problem in family-owned businesses

Sam Choon Yin

September 00

Understanding individuals¡¯ behaviour is not easy. Some economists make it the easy way out by making assumptions about human behaviour that are difficult to apply in reality. Some have gone beyond the orthodox way and attempt to predict human behaviour through making more realistic assumptions. Jack Knetsch, Bruno Frey, Ng Yew Kwang, Robert Frank, Tibor Scitovsky, Richard A. Easterlin, Vernon Smith, Gary Becker, William Vickery, James Mirrless, Herbert Simon, George Akerlof, Michael Spencer and Joseph Stiglitz are some of the better-known economists who have gone beyond orthodox economics.

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Vernon Smith, Gary Becker, Herbert Simon, William Vickery, James Mirrless, George Akerlof, Michael Spencer and Joseph Stiglitz have won the prestigious Nobel Prize thus giving a welcome recognition to ¡®provide some support those who are willing to extend orthodox economics and to explore areas beyond or even consistent with existing orthodox economics¡¯ (Ng, 00, p. 81) . Professor Ng Yew Kwang defines orthodox economics as ¡®the rigorous (often mathematical) analysis focusing on resource allocation by analysing rational maximization (under constraints) of consumers and producers and the equilibrium of their interaction¡¯ (ibid, p. 8).

One of the more recognized issues in relation to studying human behaviour is the principal-agent problem. The problem is usually applied to the labour market.

Before looking at the principal-agent problem itself, it may be useful to describe the labour market. The labour market concerns the interaction between demanders of labour and suppliers of labour. The endogenous variable affecting the demand and supply of labour is the price of labour, which is represented by the wage rate. The labour market is linked to product market in two ways. First, the main players involved in both markets are essentially the same albeit in a ¡®different form¡¯. The households are the suppliers of labour in the labour market. In the product market, the households are demanders of goods and services. How about the firms? In the labour market, they represent the demanders for labour while they supply goods and services in the product market. Households and firms are thus involved in both the labour and product markets.

Second, the equilibrium (and disequilibria) situations in the product market affect the demand for labour. Since labour is used as a form of input in production, how many labour is required depends to some extent on market forces in the product market. Other things remaining unchanged, an increase in the demand for goods and services is likely to stimulate more demand for labour. The converse is true. This essentially makes labour a derived demand. This also explains why unemployment rate is often touted as a lagging macroeconomic factor.

The labour market encompasses both the firms and households. They are perhaps more commonly labelled as employers and employees respectively. However, in the latter description, it is more appropriate to state clearly what we mean by the term employees. I would include managers and directors as employees as long as they are not owners of the firms. The firm owners in other words do not constitute as employees. What about those individuals who are owners cum workers of the firms? Such a scenario is common among family-owned enterprises where the firm owners usually have a strong controlling interests and power over the firm¡¯s resources. They can take up the positions of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) or executive directors in their companies. This is a tricky issue. For the purpose of this study, I will not consider them as employees of the firm. The purpose is to make a clear distinction between an employee and owner. The former owns no shares in the affiliated organization. As long as a person owns the firm, he/she is not considered an employee even though he/she draws salaries from the organization.

The interests of firm¡¯s owners with employees can be different. While the owners are generally interested in maximizing the firm¡¯s profits, the employees may not possess the same drive. This problem is known as the principal-agent problem, an issues which I will discuss next.

The principals are the owners of the firm. In non-listed firms, the founders, their respective family members and co-owners represent the principals. In listed companies, the shareholders (including the founders and their respective family members) constitute the principals. Clearly, the principals are interested in making sure that their firms maximize profits. Sales must come in abundant while the excessive costs of production must be contained. The agents on the other hand represent the employees who have some control over the use of firms¡¯ resources. They are in-charged of the day-to day operations of the firms. The principal-agent problem exists when the principals and agents have conflicting interests. The agents may not share the same interest with the principals in maximizing the firm¡¯s profits. Let me give several examples.

Consider a listed company like the Development Bank of Singapore and Singapore Technologies. These are large listed company owned by many people through share ownership. Many people on the street buy the companies¡¯ shares. However, they usually do not have the control over the use of the companies¡¯ resources. They are not involved in their day-to-day operations. The companies¡¯ CEOs and their staff have the control of the resources. The problem arises when the CEOs and the staff are not doing their jobs properly. They may not introduce cost-savings devices. They may shirk in their jobs. The CEOs may use the excess cash to furnish their rooms and go on expensive business travels unnecessarily rather than distributing the excess cash back to the rightful owners in the form of dividends.

The agents may deliberately pay themselves excessively in remunerations and fringe benefits. Some of these expenses may be passed on to the consumers in the form of higher prices leading to losses in consumer surpluses and long-term decline in producer surplus. The agents may adopt practices that discriminate certain groups of people therefore creating negative impressions in the general public. This leads to lower companies¡¯ reputation and loss of business opportunities. The agents may employ more workers than necessary therefore jacking up the operating expenses. Again, some of the costs may be passed on consumers in the form of higher prices.

If the agents are poorly monitored, the above-mentioned problems can be resulted. The result? Lower shareholders value.

What are the reasons for the principal-agent problem to exist? Why are the agents non-profit maximizers? Let me address the second question first. What the question points out is that agents do behave in a manner that is in conflict with the principals. Why is this so? The rationality concept provides an answer. In may view, a person is said to be rationale if he/she, after accounting for all alternatives that he/she has in making a decision, chooses the option that yields the highest net benefit. In theory, a rational person must have all the relevant information therefore allowing him/her to make the rational choice. In practice, it is not realistic to assume that all information is available to a person. Some information may simply be non-available (for instance, information that is confidential) or that the information is too costly to obtain. Does this mean that the rational behaviour cannot be attained? Absolutely not. A person can still be considered rational if, in his mind, he/she has done all that he/she can to obtain the information, and has considered the cost implications of acquiring the information. Upon doing so, he/she then assess all the options and chooses the one that gives him/her the highest net benefit. Rationality, to me, is a concept that explains the thinking process of individuals, rather than a tool to predict the eventual choice or option undertaken. It is not possible in reality to predict choices made by individuals simply because their actions are hidden and personal. A person may choose differently even if everything else is controlled. The actual decision made depends on the person¡¯s personality. He/she can be utilitarian, egoistic or altruistic.

Given that individuals are rational, the agents would choose to shirk in their jobs (instead of the option ¡®not shirking¡¯) if the choice provides higher net benefits to them. Generally, the agents would not attempt to maximize the firm¡¯s net worth if the alternative(s) provide higher yields to them. There is an implication to this. To align the interests of agents with those of the principals, the principals need to raise the benefits of non-shirking and the costs of shirking. Being rational, the agents will factor in these benefits and costs into their decisions, thus leading to more desirable choices made at least from the principals¡¯ point of view.

Let us go back to the question of why the principal-agent problem exits. It is common that contracts are signed between the principals and agents when the firm engages the latter. The agents are responsible in managing the firm. They have direct access to the firm¡¯s resources. In an extreme case where there is a complete separation of ownership and control, the principals rely almost exclusively on the contracts (and possible more on the agents¡¯ personality) to protect their capital and interests by making sure that agents are doing their best to maximize the companies¡¯ profits. The extreme case is more common among listed companies. In the contracts, the duty and responsibility of the agents are listed down together with the remunerations and other benefits. Conditions of employment are noted down and signed. The contracts are usually law-abiding.

What is the problem then? The problem arises when the contracts signed are incomplete. They are often incomplete. It is technically infeasible for example for the principals to state exactly in the contract how their agents are to allocate their time during office-hours. It is not possible to state explicitly how the agents are to distribute the company¡¯s profits and in what proportion of the after-tax profits are to be retained. The costs associated in doing so are simply too huge. Because of the incompleteness in the contracts, agents can take advantage of the loopholes to maximize their personal benefits at the expense of the shareholders or principals. Agents possess knowledge that is hidden from the principals. They can also hide their actions, making them unknown to the principals. These two activities of hidden knowledge and action are known in the literature as adverse selection and moral hazard problems. They are both attributed to asymmetric information.

Because of imperfect information, it is said that individuals are bounded rational. It is not possible for individuals to decipher all information that is available to him/her due to limited cognitive ability a person possesses. In this case, individuals are contented with non-optimal choices. The person is said to be satisficing, a term coined by the late Herbert Simon.

In some firms, the notion of ¡®separation of ownership and control¡¯ is blur. As was mentioned before, the shareholders may work in the company as employees in addition to being the firms¡¯ owners. This makes them both having direct access to the use of company¡¯s resources and having a say in terms of how the company is to be managed. The magnitude of influence however differs. The founders and their respective families who own the shares and work in the company have perhaps more power in influencing than employees who obtain shares through share options plan.

The problem arises in this situation when there is a concentration of power. The problem is common among family-owned businesses. Incompetent owners may hold senior positions in the company not based on their abilities but because of their connections with other members of the family. They make poor decisions leading to worsening of the company¡¯s value. The minority shareholders suffer. No one in the company dares to voice out their concerns over the poor decisions. They fear of losing their jobs. It may be surprising to some as to why the managers would want to make the wrong decisions when they know that doing so would result in lowering shareholders¡¯ value. Being a shareholder himself/herself, wouldn¡¯t it be in his/her interest to do well? Absolutely! But the problem here is that the incompetent managers cum shareholders are making genuine mistakes that destroy the company¡¯s net worth over the longer term. They did not know that their decisions were not getting support from the ground. They did not know that the workers were talking behind their backs and criticising their work. They did not know that the employees were unhappy working in the organizations.

Consider an example. Holding a senior position gives an owner cum manager supreme power in making decisions. Perhaps because of the person¡¯s connection with the founders, it is difficult for others to comment on his/her decisions particular if the person has the ability of firing workers. This is not uncommon in Asian businesses where respect for superiors is deemed essential. Doing otherwise is socially undesirable and condemned. To maximize profits, the manager may make decisions which he/she thinks is good for the company but not so in the longer term.

I personally know of a manager who works for a listed family-owned company. She has a close relationship with the company¡¯s founder. Her approach in raising labour productivity is horrible. The approach essentially involves loading her staff with work without much support and care given to her staff. She expects her staff to work at home. She frequently stopped the supplies of cartridge for printing (possibly to save cost) therefore hindering works to be done at the operational level. The employee relations were poor. Electronic mails she sent were discouraging. They simply de-motivate staff. While her intention is correct, that is to maximize the company¡¯s profits, the approach hurts the company and therefore backfires. Minority shareholders are the big losers. They have neither the control nor strong ownership to rectify the situation. Neither was the manager replaceable because of her strong connection with the founder.

Will injection of external parties into the organization help to correct the situation? I will discuss some suggestions commonly raised in tackling the principal-agent problem.

There are several propositions to rectify the principal-agent problem. In listed companies, the most common method perhaps is the appointment of independent board of directors aimed to monitor the managers¡¯ performance. Traditionally, the main responsibility of the board lies in defining the corporate strategy and making sure that the chief executive officers (who are also in the board) and their staff implement the strategies diligently. Lesser direct roles were played in nominating the directors and determining their remunerations. This has since changed. The board¡¯s role has extended. Today, the board members are required to sit in sub-committees to better monitor the performance of managers. The remuneration committee for example tries to decide the directors¡¯ remuneration making sure that the remunerations commensurate their performance. The nomination committee examines the contributions of board of directors to see that only the most appropriate ones are retained. They are also constantly on the lookout for suitable candidates to sit in the board. The audit committee checks that the firm accounting policy is written in accordance to rules and regulations set by regulatory agencies. The committee also sees that financial information is made available to shareholders promptly and accurately.

The important thing to note is that a certain number of the board members must be independent in nature. Being independent means that they have no linkages in whatsoever manner with the company they represent which could interfere with the exercise of the member¡¯s independent judgment.

To what extent the board helps in aligning the principals and agents¡¯ interests really depends on the nature of the business and personalities of the people involved. In family-owned businesses, the board may be less effective if the founders and their family members are very powerful. In this case, the board members are merely ceremonial figures. The family in-charged is still making all the decisions with minimal constructive inputs coming from the rest of the members. This is done perhaps unintentionally. But the problem is that the family position is so dominant that it creates a sense of fear among the rests to voice out their concerns or provide any alternative views that may go directly against the controlling voters regardless of how good the alternative views are. Such a development is of course unhealthy to the organization.

It is possible for the family to resist interference from others. This kind of structure is very much alive in family-owned businesses today. It will take the second and third generation Asian business leaders to alter the present corporate governance system and change the way their organizations are currently managed. Some family members may form the perception that they, being the core family members and owners of the firm, should have the ultimate power in deciding the direction for the firm to take. Inputs from other are simply unwelcome. Even if they are someone who dares to provide alternative voices, their inputs can be easily outvoted during meetings by the majority shareholders.

Of course, some of the family-owned businesses are very well run. Likewise, we have the multinational corporations around the world which have grown more and more powerful over the years. Aren¡¯t they family-owned businesses when they first started? Possibly yes. The difference in management lies to some extent on the personalities of the founders. Independent thinking may be more welcomed by some of them than others. Some are more willing to accept outside ideas even though they might be different from theirs. In other words, these businesses take full advantage of diversity in views and ideas and less commanding in wanting their views to be heard at all times. They are more willing to change for the better rather than remaining rigid. A change in mindset is what is urgently required among individuals who are dominating policies in family-owned businesses if they want their organizations to advance further.

The other approach aimed to eradicate the principal-agent problem is through the issuance of stock options plan to agents. The options plan essentially provides the holders the right but not the obligation to buy the company¡¯s share at some stated price (known as the exercise price). The plan aims to align the interests of agents with that of the principals. It hopes to encourage the agents to work harder for the company and raise the company¡¯s share price. The agents themselves would gain in the process for they can then exercise their right to buy the share at a lower price and selling them at a higher price in the secondary market.

There are several problems with the approach. First, the incentive to work harder may be missing especially among lower positioned workers. They may have the perception that influencing the share price is beyond their control. Why would they want to work harder if it requires a collective effort to push up the company¡¯s share price? Free ridership problem may prevail. Share prices are also influenced by external forces like economic growth which cannot be controlled by any one individual or the corporation for that matter. Second, the options holders are allowed to exercise their options only after holding the options for a certain period of time. They are usually not allowed to exercise the options in the short term. The incentives to work harder would thus be missing if the employees were short sighted, and job-hopping was common. Third, the rewards associated with the stock options are in the form of capital gains, not dividends. The shorter-term reward thus is not forthcoming.

Given the above problems with board of directors and stock options plan in tackling the principal-agent problem, are they other alternatives available to supplement (note that I did not use the word ¡®replace¡¯) them?

Interestingly, one of the untapped resources in governing businesses is the ¡®employees¡¯. It is not wrong to say that some employees want the organizations they work in to succeed. Generally, workers who are associated with a successful company often feel proud. They would not hesitate to tell others about the organization. Why wouldn¡¯t they? They incur costs in searching for the jobs, making sacrifices like going through the necessary training and getting to know new people when coming to work for the organization, and they put in time and effort to complete the tasks given to them.

Therefore, given the opportunities, employees would want to make sure that the organization is well run and reap the highest returns possible. They know that they will be rewarded in the process. Given the above arguments, it is logical to suggest that granting the staff the ability to voice their concerns to the people at the top can help to lower the principal-agent problem. Make their demands and unhappiness known. It is better to let them sound their unhappiness internally rather than blowing the whistle and letting the general public knows about the problem. The employees should be given the opportunities to make suggestions in improving how things currently work. Establishing the staff suggestion scheme (with anonymity allowed) represents a right initial approach moving towards this direction. It is important for the senior management to ensure that the anonymity is protected.

Getting the staff involved to exert pressure on incompetent managers allows the companies to move forward. Let me explain why.

I have found that competition and pressure exerted on managers to be a useful stimulus. Powerful investors or shareholders in big corporations can exert great pressure on the CEOs and directors to perform well. Particularly significance are the institutional investors like pension funds, insurance companies, banks and holding companies. The role of institutional investors in monitoring the performance of managers in smaller organizations is unfortunately rather limited. In small family-owned businesses for example, the shareholders are mostly family-owned. The remaining shareholders are minorities who are less interested in monitoring the company¡¯s performance. Whenever unhappy, they can easily sell-off their shares in the secondary market. Moreover, any proposals they suggest can be easily outvoted by the controlling shareholders. There is a need to have other players to do the role of monitoring. One such group is the employees.

Besides the company¡¯s employees, institutions can exert some pressures on the managers to perform. What do I mean? To illustrate, let me consider the private education industry in Singapore. Many private schools are seeking the Singapore Quality Class (SQC) for private education organizations. Launched in February 00, the SQC award aims to stimulate private schools to excel, upgrade and compete better with other schools in the region to capture the world market share in the area of educational services. The Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board (SPRING), a Singapore statutory board established in April 00, administers the award. As in September 00, a total of 8 private educational institutions have achieved SQC status. The significance of this award lies in its tangible and intangible benefits including faster application processing time for students¡¯ passes (reduced from four weeks to two weeks) and longer validity period for students¡¯ passes. Attaining the status is not easy. Competition is much keener. The need to upgrade is much greater than ever to achieve the status, and then retaining it.

The SPRING represents an effective institution to monitor managers¡¯ performance in organizations, and motivate them to do better. Constant monitoring forces the managers to care for their stakeholders. They are also compelled to adopt the best practices. There is a greater pressure for managers to do better and greater likelihood for incompetent managers to upgrade themselves for fear of losing their positions. Other institutions can play the same role. In the area concerning foreign students, the Immigration Department must see that the foreign students are well behaved and do not violate rules and regulations set forth. The stakeholders can voice their concerns to the department if the executive directors are not performing up to par.

In the general sense, the SPRING and Immigration Department play the role similar to the stock exchange. The stock exchange checks that all listed companies comply with the listing requirements. Failure to do so, either from the exchange¡¯s own investigations or tip-offs, would render the organization liable to stiff penalties. The other institution to look out for is the Securities Investors Association (Singapore) or SIAS. Formed in June 1, SIAS is the largest organized investor lobby group in Asia, with almost 61,000 retail investors as members. The non-profit organization actively promotes Investor Education, Corporate Transparency and Corporate Governance and it is the watchdog for Investor rights (see http//www.sias.org.sg).

Perhaps more importantly, these institutions provide an avenue for the companies¡¯ stakeholders to voice out their concerns should the companies violate procedures that are not known to the administering institutions. They are avenues for whistle blowers to highlight their concerns. They exert pressures on managers to perform in certain ways therefore giving some hope to minority shareholders that their interests are protected. The institutional approach can supplement the other approaches mentioned earlier to raise the standards of corporate governance among private organizations particularly the family-owned businesses, which lack the external and independent monitoring mechanisms.

The shareholders can play a role too. It is unfortunate that many shareholders do not recognize their rights as shareholders. This should not be the case. The shareholders should know what they could do to protect their own interests in case the principals and agents¡¯ actions and interests diverge in a significant manner. Even minority shareholders have their rights. This is usually reflected in the company¡¯s Memorandum and Articles of Association (known as M&A), which represents a document setting out the objectives and the manner in which the company is to be managed. Generally, the M&A provides the shareholders the right to bring the company to court if the directors are in breach of the M&A. There is a limitation in terms of what executive directors can do to manipulate and take advantage of the M&A. This is because the Singapore law provides that any proposed amendments to the M&A requires no less than three-fourths of the shareholders to vote for them at the general meeting of the company.

Shareholders, including the minorities, have the right to information like registers of shareholders, directors, secretaries, managers, auditors, substantial shareholders and debenture holders. They are also entitled by law to have access to minutes of the general meeting and audited profit and loss accounts (to provide them at least two weeks before the general meeting). Such information could assist the shareholders to know more about what is going in the company in which they have invested.

Shareholders have the right to attend, vote and call for general meetings of the company. Under the Singapore law, the shareholders have the right to be treated fairly regardless of whether they are minority or majority shareholders. Section 16 of the Companies Act for example states that any visible unfair treatment to shareholders may render the company at fault. In this case, the court may intervene to provide a remedy to the situation. The remedy may include cancelling or prohibiting an act that is linked to the complaint. The court may also authorise civil proceedings to be brought to the person(s) in the company who have breached the law. For serious matters, the court remedy may involve winding up of the company.

The rules and regulations indeed provide useful avenues for shareholders exhibit and protect their rights. Provided that they care to manage the company, the above shows that the law does protect the shareholders including minorities.

The rules are perhaps more useful to shareholders of smaller companies like family-owned businesses. In smaller companies, there is a greater tendency for them to make informal and unwritten arrangements which may benefit the majority shareholders at the expense of the minority shareholders. The situation may be worse if the minority shareholders were not aware of the changes in the first place. Such an incident is less likely in larger companies. With larger shareholder base, these companies are more inclined to introduce activities in accordance to the M&A rather than in an informal and unwritten basis. However, this is not to say that the regulations are not useful to shareholders in larger companies. Any regulations that aimed to protect the shareholders and solve the principal-agent problem are most welcome in the effort to raise the country¡¯s standards of corporate governance.

References

Koh, Jamie (00) ¡¯8 Schools Achieve Singapore Quality Class for Private Education Organizations¡¯, Productivity Digest, September 00 issue, pp. 11-1.

Ng, Yew Kwang (00) ¡®Orthodox Economics and Economists Strengths and Weaknesses¡¯, The Singapore Economic Review, Vol. 48, No. 1 (00), pp. 81-4.

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Critical Analysis

According to the critical lens statement by Henry Miller, " The ordinary

man is involved in action. The hero acts. An immense difference." This means

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that when the every day man is involved in action, a true hero will act and

contribute a monumental difference. The popular novel, "Fahrenheit 451" by

Bradbury and Lawrence and Lee's famous play "Inherit The Wind" both prove

the validity of this quote.

In Bradbury's Novel "Fahrenheit 451", a perfect example of Miller's

statement is specified. In a town where people act as if though they have no

will of their own, and a zombie, would do nothing more than implement a

perfect describing metaphor, one man stood out. The lead character Montag

stood out of the people of his society in that he showed true heroics by

rebelling against the government. He enjoyed having a mind of his own, and

the pleasure that came with reading books. Montag was able to withstand the

forces of the government and after escaping, return to his home town to

reeducate its people of the rights that they originally had once held.

In Lawrence and Lee's famous play "Inherit The Wind", the validity of

Miller's statement is once again shown. William Bertram Cates implements an

immense difference by in the novel teaching the Darwinian theory even though

it is considered to be illegal. The town which is full of nothing more than a

bunch of mindless hicks play the role of the average Joe. The actions of Cates

caught widespread national attention. He made an immense difference due to

the fact that he thought, and chose to be different without fearing the

consequences.

Both Lawrence and Lee's play "Inherit The Wind" and Bradbury's novel

"Fahrenheit 451" proved the validity of Henry Miller's quote. They both feature

their own character which implements a monumental difference through the

actions that they have taken. They also have featured the average day ordinary

Joes who do nothing more than just agree with everything that everybody else

does. The leaders and those who set out to choose a different path are those

who should be admired, those who just agree, do nothing more than take up

space. People who just agree, may be admired, but those disagree will be

remembered.

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Plot Synopsis

"The Listeners" a novel by Christopher Pike

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The story begins in present day LA during the last few days of FBI agent David Conner's career. At age Conner A 15-year veteran of the FBI is retiring for good after the murder of his girlfriend and the accidental death of the young girl David was sent to rescue on his last assignment. David believes that he indirectly caused both of their deaths and because of this he has lost his faith in Truth, Justice and the American way, unlike his good friend and boss Ned Calendar who at the age of 70 is also about to retire. Ned gives David one last assignment which he insists only he can handle, and after a short briefing and much deliberation, David is on a plane to Boise Idaho to investigate a Channeling group headed by Anthropologist Dr. Spear, a strange man with a mysterious past. Channeling is a new age term, which is basically going into hypnosis and allowing entities to speak through you. David is curious as to why the FBI would be concerned with such matters and Ned reluctantly informs him that the FBI had come across some memoirs that spear wrote in which he talks about an entity that the group channeled. This entity which calls itself the Big Mind described certain classified information within the government and when the FBI checked it out they found that the Big Mind's information was correct. They are concerned about how much the Big Mind knows so they want to sent an agent undercover as a reporter to investigate the group on their retreat. When David arrives in Boise the first members he meet are identical twins, Vera and Lucy. Lucy had discovered her talent a year ago when she was working as a massage therapist during her senior year in Stanford. She often used Applied Kinesiology or locking of the muscles to learn things about her clients, eventually she realized she didn't need to use AK to learn things about people, that the answers just popped into her head. She also discovered that when Vera was present she was much more accurate. After attending one of Spears lectures she told him about her talent and he immediately recruited her and Vera into his group. Dr. Spear himself does not participate in the channeling. The next person David meets is Margaret Farrow. Margaret a paraplegic has no special talent and does not participate in the mutual hypnosis but has been with Spear since the beginning. There's Dr. henry Deering a nuerophysiologist who also has no special talents but he has been studying the group for the past year, next is Panda Gopal a young Indian man who had a dream about Spear and searched him out, Panda is the leader of the channeling group. There is Tom Forester who as a long distance truck driver and aspiring country singer used tape himself singing as he drove cross country only one time he went into a trance while driving and accidentally channeled a being. He heard himself speaking in a different language when he played the tape. The last member of the group is Jon Horst a Swedish Arnold Schwarzenegger wannabe who's ability to bend silver wear with his mind earned him a place in the channeling group. While talking with the group members David learns that Dr. Spear hasn't informed any of the group members about where he learned the technique of mutual hypnosis. Until 1 years ago Spear was a respected anthropologist. However he soon developed a fascination with the Dogon people of Mali descendants of the Egyptians. Spear, his wife, her sister, and a colleague went to Mali to study the ancient tribe. It was the Dogon's knowledge of astronomy that caught Spear's attention-apparently the Dogon knew things about The Sirius Star system to be specific that modern astronomers are only now discovering. The only thing that David and the FBI know about Spear's trip is that Mrs. Spear never returned home and her sister returned insane and now resides in a sanitarium. The remaining members of the group said that an animal killed Mrs. Spear. David does not tell the other group members about this. He soon earns the trust of the group with the exception of Spear and the affection of Lucy. While David continues his investigations Ned visits Carl Buckley- the colleague of Spear's that was with him in Africa. He doesn't get much out of Buckley but he does warn Ned to stay away from Frances Cumberly- Mrs. Spear's sister. Ned goes to see Frances, which is for lack of a good explanation an interesting experience. Ned normally a conservative thinker is now convinced that Francis Cumberly is a supernatural being. He returns to Buckley and confesses his thoughts about Frances, he convinces Buckley to tell him the truth about Africa. What really happened was Spear tricked a Dogon priestess to teach him the secrets of mutual hypnosis, he used his wife and her twin sister and experimented with a forbidden form of hypnosis. Something went wrong, penny was knocked unconscious but kept alive, and Frances was possessed by some entity. Spear apparently killed his own wife to break the strength of Frances. Ned instantly makes the connection of identical twins and calls David to warn him of the possible danger. David who has fallen in love with Lucy tells her that he needs to get her away from Spear. He does not tell her about Africa but in order to convince her to leave he does tell her a little about the identical twin hypnosis. While he is preparing to leave Lucy sneaks away with Vera to experiment with this new form of hypnosis. As in Africa one is knocked unconscious and the other is possessed. Ned has been trying to contact David but with no response. In fear for his friend he boards a plane to Boise. Vera kills Jon. The group finds Lucy with a brain hemorrhage and they all move into the church because there is no way off of the mountain and no one around for hundreds of miles. Vera enters the church with Ned. Spear tries to kill Lucy but Vera kills him. Vera locks the remaining group members in the basement except for Ned. David kills Lucy and Vera comes down to the basement to stop him but is too late and she dies. David discovers that Margaret is actually the Big Mind and she asks him what he wants. David says he wants Lucy and Margaret brings the sister who was possessed back to life we then find out that it was Lucy and not Vera who was possessed.

Protagonist vs. Antagonist

The Protagonist in this story is obviously FBI agent David Conner. A poor broken man who in the end regains his faith in life. The Antagonist in this story is more difficult to Identify. It could be Dr. Spear who lost his wife and sister in-law because of his reckless curiosity and was about to do the same with Lucy and Vera. Although he has bad qualities Spear did make sacrifices and did have redeeming qualities. The next antagonist would be the entities that possessed Lucy and Francis, it was actually an ancient race that millions of years ago was extinct, and Dr. Spears Genetic regression which is having a person regress through their genetic chain all the way back past humans and dinosaurs. The race can only re-enter the world through a genetic mirror or identical twins. I would say that the Antagonist is these entities.

Theme

The theme or general idea is that people can either move forward in time or backward. Spear concentrated on the past Margaret on the future, the author was trying to say not to dwell on the past as David Conner was-his girlfriend Sandy Quin and Angela Wilson were dead and in the past and Lucy was his future. The Big Mind had told David when they first talked that a wave was coming to take him to shore to bring him back, in the end that wave ended up being Lucy.

Personal Insights

I was actually very surprised by Pike's book. Usually I wouldn't recommend his work to anyone who wasn't well versed in eastern mythology, which has become a repetitious wall for Pike. This book which is deeply rooted in Egyptian, African, and to a lesser extent eastern mythology is well written, unique, and a refreshing change. This book like most of Christopher Pike's Novels seems to have an outrageous plot but it so well written I just don't care. One thing that really surprised me about this book was how accurate the information was. After reading it I researched some of the information and found it almost scary that the facts included in the book were true. The mixture of fact and fiction is very interesting and deeply effective and if you have an open mind the theme of the story sends a powerful message.

Pike, Christopher. The Listeners

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The Transformation of Nora

A Doll's House, by a Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen, traces the transformation of Nora Helmer-childlike, desperation, and her awakening- in which Ibsen effectively creates a dramatic argument of feminism. The play opens on Christmas Eve and Nora learns that her husband, Torvald, has been promoted in his job. Nora is thrilled because she thinks she will finally be able to pay back the loan. She took out a loan to save Torvald's life without his knowledge. Her happiness is marred when Krogstad, the loan shark, learns he will lose his position at the bank to Mrs. Linde, an old school friend of Nora's. Krogstad blackmail's Nora because he learns she forged her father's signature to get the loan. Nora panics and becomes desperate. Torvald learns of Nora's action when Krogstad sends him a letter. Torvald is very angry and tells Nora they can live in the same home but not share the same room. Nora finally sees the truth in her relationship and leaves her family. According to Bernard Shaw, (Torvald) "Helmer is brought to his senses, and that Nora's departure is no claptrap" (Shaw 5-541).

Nora is a delicate character that has been pampered, treated like a child all of her life, by her father, and especially Torvald. It is not her fault she is the way she is; it is mostly Torvald's for spoiling her. Nora relies on Torvald for everything, much like a child that is dependent on its parents for all of its necessities. Nora never leaves the house, mostly because her husband is afraid of the way people will talk. Her carefree spirit and childlike manners are shown throughout the play with statements from Torvald such as, "Is that my little lark twittering out there?" (1166). "Is it my little squirrel bustling about?" (1166). A lark is a happy, cheerful bird, and a squirrel is quite the opposite. If you are to squirrel away something, you are hiding or storing it, like Nora and her macaroons. It seems childish that Nora must hide things from her husband, especially macaroons, but if she did not and he found out, she would be deceiving him and going against his wishes. As stated by Otto Heller, Torvald's treatment towards Nora, "fairly represents the unspecified type of femininity for the purpose of marriage" (Heller 8).

As the play continues, Nora seems to transform from her delicate little character into something much more, she becomes desperate. In the early stages of their marriage Torvald becomes ill. To save Torvald's life, Nora takes it upon herself to borrow money from Krogstad, a money lender and co-worker of Torvald. She is now a desperate criminal. It was illegal because she forged her dead father's signature on the document. Nora keeps her actions from Torvald by telling him her father gave her the money. Krogstad learns Torvald plans to fire him and he will lose his job. He blackmails Nora over her husband's issues. Nora says to Krogstad, "You don't mean that you will tell my husband that I owe you money?" (1185). Panic begins to set in and she begins to feel helpless because she has no power to do anything about the situation. According to Carol Strongin Tufts, Nora "makes use of Kristine as a confidante", since Kristine has experienced suffrage and Nora has not (Tufts 00).

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Torvald's severe and selfish reaction after learning of Nora's deception and forgery serves as the catalyst for Nora's awakening. When Krogstad sends Torvald a letter telling him of the deception, Torvald treats Nora with no respect, calls her a liar and is ready to throw away their marriage just because his name might be hurt. Nora realizes that there is a problem when a second letter arrives clearing Torvald's name. Again Torvald is only interested in his own salvation, completely forgetting about his wife. Nora becomes wise and realizes; "You never loved me. You've thought it fun to be in love with me that's all" (16). Nora's final gesture to leave Torvald and her children declares her separation from the fixed role of a wife. Upon Nora's departure, she understands that she lived her life as only an unquestioning follower or as a doll in a dollhouse. Never being able to choose or express a hope, desire, thought, or wishes, without consideration of the dominant authority in her life. Nora's awakening has transformed her into a wise woman, believing that her self worth is more important.

The story A Doll's House is realistic. It stands for every marriage where equality never took place. Nora was one of the women who knew her place and acted accordingly until she saw her name had no real value. She was not looked at as an individual, but she was seen as her father's daughter or her husband's wife. According to M.C. Bradbrook, "Ibsen said…that his people must have a fate. Nora's fate is to embrace an unknown future" (Bradbrook 6). Nora knows that there is so much more to discover and understand in the world, and until she does she will not allow another man to control her life. In Nora's transformation- childlike, desperation, and her awakening- Ibsen managed to give strength to the feminist movement.

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Fables, indexed in table format, with morals listed. There are many more on the way. Most were translated into English by Rev. George Fyler Townsend (1814-100) and Ambrose Bierce (184-114) the rest are from Jean De La Fontaine in Frenchand translated to English by several good internet souls ... Included are Real Audio narrations, Classic Images, Random Images, Random Fables, Search Engine, Message Forum and much more on the way. Recently added are 17 Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen with 0 Grimms Fairy Tales coming soon along with much more mythology and stories for your reading pleasure.

The Age of Fable Or Beauties of Mythology

Bulfinchs Mythology

Thomas Bulfinch, 11 ed.

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Assyro-Babylonian Mythology

Belinus Press

We are an independent publisher, with a range of E-Books and Internet sites specialising in spiritually orientated, mythology, folklore and fairy tale texts, published on the Internet.

Bulfinchs Mythology

Includes Vol 1 - The Age of Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes ; Vol. - The Age of Chivalry or Legends of King Arthur ; Vol. - Legends of Charlemagne or Romance of the Middle Ages.

Maintained by Bob Fisher

The Camelot Project at the University of Rochester

...is designed to make available in electronic format a database of Arthurian texts, images, bibliographies, and basic information.

By Alan Lupack and Barbara Tepa Lupack

Chinese Myths and Fantasies

Below are some of the myths most known even to children. They are short but vivid. As you will see, most of the main characters in these mythical stories are gods, ghosts foxes and spirits with human qualities and human feelings.

Classical Myth

The Ancient Sources

This site is designed to draw together the ancient texts and images available on the Web concerning the major figures of Greek and Roman mythology. We were most interested in bringing together the ancient sources and illustrations, but have included some Renaissance images that were just too good to leave out.

By Laurel Bowman, Department of Greek and Roman Studies, University of Victoria

Classical Mythology by Geography

The purpose of these pages is to give those with an interest in classical mythology a way to associate the stories with the land. Click on the map or a name to see whats available on the area.

By Mark Woon, Princeton University

Classical Mythology Directory

Sections include Glossary ; Important Links ; The Olympian Gods An Overview ; Study Guides.

By Robin Mitchell-Boyask, Dept. of Greek, Hebrew and Roman Classics, Temple University

Classical Mythology Online

A companion to Morford and Lenardons best-selling Mythology, this site offers users of the book a large number of resources and information.

Character Glossary

Maps

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Mercury, a very familiar name, is the silvery-white metallic element used in thermometers, but deadly to humans and other living things at certain levels. Methylmercury is a combination of inorganic mercury with organic matter dissolved in water. A warm, damp climate creates a perfect environment for this particular kind of element. As for the Everglades, most mercury arrives through ocean breezes and is deposited by downpours. "Swampy conditions provide a perfect habitat for sulfate-reducing bacteria, which readily absorb rainwater mercury—and turn it into its hazardous methylated form" (Stephenson 1). The Everglades has one of the highest ranked concentrations of mercury in the world; a combination of Florida's wetlands, climate, and farming methods are all contributors to the increased level of methylmercury within the swamplands.

The food chain is a major key in the unleashing of mercury. Plankton organisms eat bacteria with methylmercury and of course, then they are eaten (Stephenson 1). Although used in many items such as, fluorescent lights, thermometers, or even paint, Mercury becomes dangerous when in the atmosphere or soil. Throughout its travel to earth via the rain, Mercury transforms to its dangerous counterpart, methylmercury. With the over abundance of wetlands, the transformation is naturally aided (Pierce 2).

"Everything it could possibly need for its wicked business is right here, and in spades. Year round great climate, beaucoup friendly molecules, an energetic food chain that feeds everything from bacteria to panthers—it's made-to-order factory for creating a phenomenon called biomagnification" (Stephenson 1).

Write your Mercury in The Everglades research paper

Mercury has been recognized also as an air pollutant, helping Florida to attain higher pollution levels than many industrial states (Pierce 3). Consequently, the environment and all of its components become vulnerable to the poison. Through biomagnification, mercury in its methylated form increases in potency at each level of the food chain. Of course, many fish have been labeled too dangerous for consumption; and the population of Wading birds has decreased significantly since the 1950's. The editor of Research in Review at Florida State University, Frank Stephenson, agrees that the Everglades create an overwhelmingly perfect environment for mercury:

Whatever the case, with its inexhaustible supply of organic material, mostly in the form of peat- the decayed remnants of millions of acres of sawgrass- the Everglades represent an enormous reservoir of energy perpetuating mercury's natural fondness for building up in the flesh of fish and other watery wildlife (1).

Concentrations of methylmercury within the South Florida Everglades are among the highest in the world ("Research Trace Mercury" 1). A powerful toxin, known as sulfur, may be being unleashed into the soil of the Everglades. Such an enormous amount of sulfur has been used in agriculture; and the implicated costs to soak up the phosphorus from the fertilizers would be a minimum of one billion dollars. Farmers, for many decades, have utilized sulfur as a base of fertilizers which draw manganese, zinc, iron, and a number of other nutrients from depleted soil ("Research Trace Mercury" 2). Scientists' theory is that "diluted sulfur is fueling bacteria that actually do the conversion work" (2). Microbes are thought to use sulfur in the same way that human beings use oxygen. With this agriculture process, the Everglades develop a level of sulfur that is perfect for methylation. Although the high level of sulfur in the Everglades is highly recognized, there is no specific evidence of farmers being at fault for the great increase in methylmercury.

Without a doubt, Florida's high concentration of Mercury in the Everglades is dangerous and threatens life at every level; indeed, it actually becomes more toxic at each level of the food chain, endangering those mostly at the top of the great food pyramid. Permanently a moist, sunny, semi-tropical setting, Florida's swamplands create a one of a kind environment for mercury to transform into methylmercury, it's much more dangerous form. In addition to needing agriculture for life, it has been an ongoing process of adding elements (such as sulfur) into the soil to enrich it in order to maximize growth and production; therefore, whether proven or not, sulfur is a definite suspect and one of many culprits playing a role in the ever increasing methylmercury levels. Considering all possibilities, it no longer seems unreasonable or unrealistic to recognize the high level of mercury and its threats to life.

Works Cite

Pierce, Kevin. "Toxic Mercury at Home in the Florida Everglades" Florida Environment Radio Programs 13 Mar. 2000 http://www.Floridaenvironment.com/programs/fe00313.htm

"Researchers Trace Mercury Outbreak in Everglades to Farm Methods" Naples Daily News: Associated Press 23 Aug. 1999 http://www.naplesnews.com/today/Florida/d102911a.htm

Stephenson, Frank. "Natural Match: Mercury & The Everglades" Florida State University Research in Review 8 June 1998 http://www.Natural%20Match.20Mercury/Everglades.issue.htm

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Approach

The unit is based on an approach to teaching and learning that requires the teacher to

Stimulate students interest and thought through an introductory activity designed to promote

discussion about truth and its various representations. This activity will lead students to consider

Write my Essay on I think not.

one of the key questions in the unit 'How does current affairs television construct a version of the

truth?

Provide students with the necessary knowledge and understanding of satire, journalism and current

affairs television to ensure a sound base from which they can explore the prescribed text and other

additional texts.

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Examine each episode of

Frontline

in relation to the syllabus requirements, key questions of the

unit, and how each episode relates to the Elective, Telling the truth .

Promote student reflection upon their own learning processes through utilisation of a learning

journal that will form part of the summative assessment task.

During the unit appropriate guest speakers will be invited to address the class. This could include a

journalist from the local newspaper and/or a producer from Radio National.

Topic sequence

1. Telling the truth

. Satire

. Journalism

4. Current affairs television

5. Manipulating the truth

6. Constructing the truth

7. Transforming myth to truth

8. Does the end ever justify the means?

. Whose interests are served?

10. Moral responsibility

11. Bringing it all together

Each topic in the unit contains an extensive range of responding and composing activities that teachers

will choose or adapt as required, to meet their own students learning needs. The topic notes provide

teachers with

outcomes addressed

an introduction to the topic

a number of suggestions for responding and composing activities, including key discussion

questions

activities and questions for the students learning journal

stimulus material

a list of additional texts for students to access.

Note re additional material

Most of the topics can be accessed through the Internet. We suggest using a search engine with advanced

search capabilities, such as ANZWERS, Looksmart, Google, and Ask Jeeves, which allow the user to

narrow down their scope of reference.

Scenario one of the video,

Stage 6 English Refining classroom practice

, shows how the English faculty

collaboratively planned the unit. It also features three lessons that are from the topics ' Telling the truth

(page 11), 'Manipulating the truth (page 5) and 'Constructing the truth (page 8).

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The learning journal

The concept of a reflective learning journal is an integral part of the unit. It is designed to assist students

to

reflect on their own learning

develop self assessment skills within a safe and guided learning environment

recognise and capitalise on personal strengths, while focusing on skills for improvement

become more aware of the experiential nature of learning

experience their writing from many different perspectives to expand ideas, impressions and feelings

perceive information in a variety of contexts and from different points of view

develop their own analogies and metaphors, so that what is learned can be transformed into new

ideas and knowledge.

Additionally, the learning journal assists the teacher to formatively assess students ability to

integrate new information with prior knowledge to form new knowledge

understand new concepts and to explain how the concepts may be applied

develop reflective thinking skills

articulate their ideas in a meaningful way

reflect upon their own learning and the process of learning in general.

Students will be required to use their journals as a resource to successfully complete the summative

assessment task.

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Topic one Telling the truth

Outcomes

A student

H1 demonstrates understanding of how relationships between composer, responder, text and context

shape meaning.

HA recognises different ways in which particular texts are valued.

H8 articulates and represents own ideas in critical, interpretive and imaginative texts from a range of

perspectives.

H10 analyses and synthesises information and ideas into sustained and logical argument for a range of

purposes, audiences and contexts.

Background

The teacher should issue the students with a copy of the outcomes being addressed and copies of the

relevant sections of the Syllabus and the Prescribed Texts documents. Class time should be allocated to

explain the outcomes and to discuss the expectations of this unit and the chosen elective.

This unit is about how the media constructs the truth, and how perceptions of events, personalities or

situations can be affected by different representations. The aim of this activity is to bring students to an

awareness of how the medias construction of the truth affects the individuals perspective and

interpretation of the text.

Students will complete a task designed to demonstrate how easy it is to construct a version of the truth

and how easy it is to manipulate a given truth.

Introductory activity

Explain that truth is a difficult concept to define and one which is dependent on the individuals context

at any given time. Before you begin this unit ask students to articulate and record their ideas on the

concept of truth. As they move through this unit their view of truth and what it is may very well change.

In the first activity students are divided into pairs and each pair is given an identical picture from a

magazine or newspaper. The students will then write a newspaper article based on this picture.

Students will then compare their articles and highlight the similarities and differences. Class discussion

will centre on how and why their articles were different.

Consider the following questions, noting how many different versions of the truth emerged in this

activity.

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Discussion questions

What is truth?

Is there such a thing as an absolute truth?

Who or what influences our understanding of truth?

How relative is truth and what is it relative to?

How do we discern the difference between fact and fiction?

How important is the truth?

How do we come to have different interpretations of truth?

How do context, audience and purpose influence different interpretations of the truth?

Group activity

Students will work on the following activities in small groups.

Sample student worksheet

According to the Macquarie Dictionary truth is

1. that which is true; the truth or actual facts of a case

. a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle or the like

This is one definition of truth. There may be many others.

In groups of three or four seek out as many definitions of truth that you can find, record the

definition and its source, identify the context from which that definition comes.

Your search may include legal, religious, historical and other sources such as a Dictionary of

quotations, as well as the Internet.

Place 1 or of these definitions on the board for the class to consider. Discuss with the class the

assumptions that may be behind these definitions. Then pose the following question to the groups.

1. What assumptions are there about 'truth in the definitions you have found?

. In your group come to an agreed idea of 'what truth is.

. In your group, consider the truth of the following statement from the perspective of the different

people listed.

Feminism has brought emancipation to women.

a. a 5 year old working mother

b. a 50 year old male managing director

c. a fifteen year old schoolgirl

Identify how you think each of these people would view the truth of the statement and explain why

they would come to that conclusion.

At the end of the group work each group will report briefly on the outcomes of the discussion.

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Learning journal

Throughout this unit students will be required to keep a learning journal to record their ideas of

truth and how and why they change.

Students will commence their journals at this point by considering the following questions.

1. What is your understanding of truth?

. Who or what has influenced your understanding of truth at this stage in your life? How have

these influenced you? What past experiences did you draw on?

. What issues has the class/group discussion raised for you about ' telling the truth ?

Homework activity Formative assessment task ­ Telling the truth

At this stage students will complete a homework activity which is aimed at determining exactly what

they know and what they need to learn in relation to this unit of study. Copies of the formative task and

sample student responses are at the end of this case study.

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Topic two Satire

Outcome addressed

H4

a student explains and analyses the ways in which language forms and features, and structures of

texts shape meaning and influence responses.

Background

The study of the television series,

Frontline

,

in the context ' Telling the truth will enable students to see

how texts can be changed in language, structure and meaning in order to influence responses.

What is Satire?

Satire is any text (speech, writing or visual), which sets out to hold up human foolishness and weakness

to ridicule. Satire seeks to expose aspects of human behaviour such as hypocrisy and folly (stupidity). By

adopting an attitude of scornful amusement towards the thing or person under examination, and by the

use of such tools as irony (saying one thing but meaning another), sarcasm (a biting remark), innuendo

(to hint around something), lampooning (to send something up) exaggeration (overstating) and scorn

(showing contempt), it seeks to induce responders to reconsider and (ideally) alter their behaviour in

regard to the particular thing or person being satirised.

In Australian idiom, satire could be described as 'having a go at someone or something in a humourous

way.

Satire is very much dependent, for its success, on the historical, social and cultural context of the thing

or person being satirised. For example, a satire written when your parents or grandparents were your age

may not have the same impact on you today values change with time, and what was important to one

group of people may not be so important to the next generation.

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Responding activities

Issue students with copies of the extracts from Jonathon Swift and George Orwell, and the cartoon by

Peter Nicholson.

The following extracts illustrate the style of two great British satirists ­ Jonathon Swift and George

Orwell. Read carefully through the extracts and then consider the questions, which follow.

Swift (1667-1745), writing in the early 18th century, is acknowledged to be, in many respects, the

'father of Western satire. Using ridicule, irony, sarcasm, invective, scorn, caricature and a variety of

such techniques, he satirised the people and events of his time. It is an irony that he probably would

not have enjoyed that his greatest satire,

Gullivers Travels

, is today all-too-often treated as just a

childrens story. When writing it, Swift intended the book to reflect upon the nature of man, in

particular exposing the folly of mans snobbishness and the stupidity of the rigid British class system.

In the extract that follows, Gulliver is in Lilliput, the land of tiny people. He is privileged to witness

one of the kingdoms great diversions, rope dancing...

This Diversion is only practised by those Persons, who are Candidates for great Employments, and high

Favour, at Court. They are trained in this Art from their Youth, and are not always of noble Birth, or liberal

Education. When a great Office is vacant, either by Death or Disgrace (which often happens) five or six

of those Candidates petition the Emperor to entertain his Majesty and Court with a Dance on the Rope;

and whoever jumps the highest without falling, succeeds in the Office. Very often the chief Ministers

themselves are commanded to shew their Skill, and to convince the Emperor that they have not lost their

Faculty. Flimnap, the Treasurer, is allowed to cut a Caper on the strait Rope, at least an Inch higher than

any other Lord in the Whole Empire. I have seen him do the Summerset several times together, upon a

Trencher fixed on the Rope, which is no thicker than a common Packthread in England. My Friend

Reldresal, principal Secretary for private Affairs, is, in my Opinion, if I am not partial, the second after the

Treasurer; the rest of the great Officers are much upon a Par.

These Diversions are often attended with fatal Accidents, whereof great Numbers are on Record. I my

self have seen two or three Candidates break a limb. But the Danger is much greater, when the

Ministers themselves are commanded to shew their Dexterity For, by contending to excel themselves and

their Fellows, they strain so far, that there is hardly one of them who hath not received a Fall; and some

of them two or three. I was assured, that a Year or two before my Arrival, Flimnap would have infallibly

broke his Neck, if one of the Kings Cushions, that accidentally lay on the Ground, had not weakened the

Force of his Fall.

George Orwell (10-150) is acknowledged as one of the greatest satirists of the 0th century. His

novels Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm are two of the worlds widest-selling political satires.

Animal Farm, from which the following extract is taken, was written in 145, and uses a fable

involving animals to satirise the emptiness of Mans hopes for Utopia (an ideal world) via the

proletarian revolution and Communism. Lofty ideals are lost in power struggles, corruption and lies.

This piece of satire is aimed at Russia and China, both of whom had Communist-led Revolutions in

the early years of the 0th century, and closed themselves off from the rest of the world.

continued...

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Several nights a week, after Mr. Jones was asleep, they held secret meetings in the barn and expounded

the principles of Animalism to the others. At the beginning they met with such stupidity and apathy. Some

of the animals talked of the duty of loyalty to Mr. Jones, whom they referred to as 'Master, or made

elementary remarks such as 'Mr. Jones feeds us. If he were gone, we should starve to death. Others

asked such questions as 'Why should we care what happens after we are dead? or 'If this rebellion is to

happen anyway, what difference does it make whether we work for it or not?,and the pigs had great

difficulty in making them see that this was contrary to the spirit of Animalism. The stupidest questions of

all were asked by Mollie, the white mare. The very first question she asked Snowball was 'Will there still

be sugar after the Rebellion?

'No, said Snowball firmly. 'We have no means of making sugar on this farm. Besides, you do not need

sugar. You will have all the oats and hay you want.

'And shall I still be allowed to wear ribbons in my mane? asked Mollie.

'Comrade, said Snowball, 'those ribbons that you are so devoted to are the badge of slavery. Can you not

understand that liberty is worth more than ribbons?

Mollie agreed, but she did not sound very convinced.

The pigs had an even harder struggle to counteract the lies put about by Moses, the tame raven. Moses,

who was Mr. Joness especial pet, was a spy and a tale-bearer, but he was also a clever talker. He claimed

to know of the existence of a mysterious country called Sugarcandy Mountain, to which all animals went

when they died. It was situated somewhere up in the sky, a little distance beyond the clouds, Moses said.

In Sugarcandy Mountain it was Sunday seven days a week, clover was in season all the year round, and

lump sugar and linseed cake grew on the hedges. The animals hated Moses because he told tales and

did not work, but some of them believed in Sugarcandy Mountain, and the pigs had to argue very hard

to persuade them that there was no such place.

Their most faithful disciples were the two cart-horses, Boxer and Clover. These two had great difficulty in

thinking anything out for themselves, but having once accepted the pigs as their teachers, they absorbed

everything that they were told, and passed it on to the other animals by simple arguments. They were

unfailing in their attendance at the secret meetings in the barn, and led the singing of 'Beasts of England,

with which the meetings always ended.

The following cartoon is by cartoonist Peter Nicholson, whose work appears each day on the

editorial page of The Australian

newspaper.

(Source

www.nicholson.cartoons.com)

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Class discussion

The teacher will lead the class in a discussion of the following activities.

In each item, identify the particular group of people and the particular aspect/s of human

behaviour being satirised.

Identify the purpose of the composer in each piece of satire.

How is meaning created in each item? Give examples of techniques used by each composer to

create meaning.

Which piece do you think is the most effective? Give reasons to support your answer.

Composing activities

Students are to select one of the following activities to complete for homework.

1. Choose some aspect of interest to society or to yourself which you have strong feelings about, and

write a satirical piece on it. Make sure you have a clear purpose ­ a particular reader-response that

you want to create. Aim at achieving this effect with your satire.

or

. Choose a cartoon which satirises current political or social activity and write a satirical piece

around your chosen cartoon stimulus.

or

. Design your own satirical cartoon relating to a current political or social event.

Learning journal

In your journal, record your understanding of the concept of satire before you began this topic, and

how your understanding of satire and the representation of 'truth has developed as a result of your

studies.

Suitable additional texts

As part of their studies, students are required to supplement their class work by reading and viewing a

variety of material of their own choosing. Below is a list, which may be of assistance to students when

choosing other related material .

The Marx Brothers,

Duck Soup

(one of several Marx Brothers films that poke fun at pretension

and affectation).

W. H. Auden,

The Age of Anxiety

(a poetic satire on life in America in the mid-twentieth

century).

The Simpsons

(a TV cartoon that offers a satirical view of life in contemporary America).

Phillip Roth,

Our Gang

(a satirical depiction of US President Richard Nixon and the Watergate

Scandal).

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Children of the Revolution

(an Australian film which traces the imaginary life of a child of Stalin).

Anonymous,

Primary Colours

(a thinly disguised version of the rise to power of Bill Clinton).

Joseph Heller,

Catch-

(a satirical look at the absurdity of war).

Evelyn Waugh,

The Loved One

(which pokes fun at societys attitudes about death).

MASH

(the Robert Altman film and the subsequent TV series which takes place in a medical base

during the Korean War, and is a satirical look at the absurdity of war).

The Odd Angry Shot

(an Australian film set during the Vietnam War).

Blackadder

(an innovative TV series, set in different historical periods and featuring Rowan

Atkinson).

Planet of the Apes

(film and subsequent TV series in which an astronaut discovers the fate of the

planet Earth).

Spaceballs

(Mel Brooks parody of the Star Wars series of films).

Red Dwarf

(British TV series set in space that has a variety of satirical targets).

Broadcast News

(a film about the behind-the-scenes manoeuvres at a television station).

The Player

(Robert Altmans satirical film about Hollywood greed and power).

Drop the Dead Donkey

(British TV series, broadcast on SBS Australia, about the reality behind the

façade of a media organisation).

News Radio

(a US TV series set in the offices of a radio station).

Backberner

(similar to

The Panel

, this series, through discussion and skits takes a cynical look at

current issues in the media).

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Topic three Journalism

Outcomes addressed

A student

H7 adapts and synthesises a range of textual features to explore and communicate information, ideas

and values for a variety of purposes, audiences and contexts.

H1 reflects on own processes of learning.

Background

In this lesson students will be exploring these key questions through teacher led discussion.

1. What is journalism ?

. What is the purpose and function of journalism?

. What is the role of the journalist?

Students will explore the idea of a 'Code of Ethics applicable to journalism and investigate what

governing bodies watch over the behaviour of the press.

Teachers will introduce students to the role of the Australian Press Council, the MEAA and the

Australian Journalists Association.

Responding activities

Hand out a copy of the document containing the AJA Code of Ethics and the revised MEAA Code of

Ethics. Read through this in class and discuss the following.

Why do you think there has been a review of the Code of Ethics?

Why is the role of the journalist described as a privileged role?

How do journalists 'animate democracy?

In what sense do journalists 'exercise power?

Why should journalists be accountable for the role entrusted to them?

At this point it would be very helpful to provide students with two differing versions of a single event

(perhaps students could reuse their introductory activity from lesson 1) and discuss with students the

concept of differing truths and realities.

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Composing activities

Write a newspaper article reporting on the indigenous peoples reaction to the culling of dingoes on

Fraser Island.

AND

As the owner of a large resort on Fraser Island write the reply to this article in the form of a letter to the

editor.

Learning journal

At this stage students should reflect upon the amount of faith they have in journalists reporting the

truth? They should also examine what has led them to this conclusion.

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Topic four Current affairs television

Outcomes addressed

A student

H7 adapts and synthesises a range of textual features to explore and communicate information, ideas

and values for a variety of purposes, audiences and contexts.

H1 reflects on own processes of learning.

Background

What is Current Affairs?

Current Affairs television programs are usually seen as a sub-genre of the documentary, but more directly

related to the news. Some analysts refer to them as expanded news stories, others as predigested 'news

McNuggets.

(Stewart C. and Kowaltzke A., 10,

Media New ways and meanings

, Jacaranda, Australia, p )

These programs generally follow a set format

Articles are short, lasting four to fifteen minutes on commercial TV; sometimes longer on public

TV.

The anchor/host introduces the article from behind the desk in the studio and throws to the

reporter. The viewer is given the impression that the program is presented in real time.

The articles are controversial, sensational and are said to be tackling 'real issues (such as corruption in

our society). The final article is normally a 'feel good one designed to leave the viewer on a happy note.

Provide students with a copy of the handout,

Technical Aspects of Current Affairs Shows

.

Responding activity

Students will view the television program

Littlemore ABC

, 1/05/01 and take notes on the worksheet

provided in the student handout section of this unit. After viewing the show the class will discuss the

following questions

1. What does Littlemore say about the introduction of the current affairs program?

. The 'lay out structure of the program is said to follow what order?

. Comment on the appearance of the host and the set. What meaning do the producers of the

program wish to convey?

4. Comment on the host and the set of

Littlemore

. What meaning do the producers of the program

wish to convey?

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5. According to Littlemore, why cant the producers of current affairs programs afford to be

different?

6. What does 'grocery buyers viewing mean?

7. Comment on what is 'news in the broadsheet newspapers and what is 'news on current affairs

programs.

8. How are interviews done in live time these days? Why?

. What impact does this type of interview have on the representation of the truth?

10. What does Littlemore say regarding Kerry OBriens presentation of political issues?

11. What role does humour play in current affairs?

1. What type of articles does commercial current affairs programs produce?

1. Littlemore discusses hidden video cameras used on the programs. What is his attitude towards

them and why?

14. What is Littlemores purpose? How would you describe his attitude?

Learning journal

Students will reflect upon their learning using the following focus question.

1. How do you now view Current Affairs programs and their representation of the truth?

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Student handout

Technical aspects of news and current affairs television

A news or current affairs program is made up of many elements that help to create meaning. They

are

music and graphics

These suggest the purpose and the tone of the program.

set

The anchor(s) sits behind the desk and has a backdrop close behind. The dcor of the furnishings

adds a stylish feel to the program.

anchors 'talking head

Our TV screen is filled by a close-up shot of the anchor/s of the program. They usually dress to

enhance their credibility.

structure of a program

The 'anchor introduces the program and the throws to one of the journalists. This is repeated

until the 'anchor closes the show.

balance

The programs often reflect a balance between dramatic events, events that reflect social interest

and lighthearted or humorous items. For example,

The 7.0 report

ends with a comedy spot on

Thursday evenings.

coverage

The time allocated to the coverage of each story will vary from broadcaster to broadcaster

depending on the audience.

objectivity

The anchor reporter presents the program in a seemingly factual way with little emotive language.

However, the language they use or an explicit emotional reaction can sometimes indicate a

subjective viewpoint. For example, '

Thousands

of people

spilled

into the streets. and 'XXXX was

unmoved by the huge protest. 'Thousands implies a huge number but is unspecific, 'spilled is

connotative of disorder and riot, and to be 'unmoved is unlikely in those circumstances and so

implies something about the character of XXXX.

use of journalists or correspondents

Journalists present their stories on location. Often this involves a reporter interviewing a subject

'on the run. Their opinion can be implicitly conveyed by their emotions and/or the modality of

their language. For example, 'What XXXX does not like, of course, is... ' or 'The real concern of

XXXX should have been to ...

expert witnesses or commentators

Experts in the field of the topic of the article may be called upon to establish the truth. They

express explicit opinions and are expected to be subjective. They may argue a particular point of

view, refute someone elses argument or evaluate or assess it. Generally they are filmed sitting in

front of a large bookcase or in a laboratory coat etc. to enhance their authority.

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vision

The articles presented rely on film footage (or vision) to enhance the appeal of a story. It gives

the article further credibility and interest.

satellite links

Satellite links are used to allow interviews to be done in 'real time from anywhere in the world.

This allows the viewing audience to have the most up-to-date information on the topic.

camera shots

Close-ups and long shots are used for effect. Close-ups are used to persuade the audience that

they are being spoken directly to. Long shots allow the audience to survey the whole scene,

which gives them the whole picture.

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Topic five Manipulation of the truth

Outcomes addressed

A student

H4 explains and analyses the ways in which language forms and features, and structures of texts shape

meaning and influence responses.

H8 articulates and represents own ideas in critical, interpretive and imaginative texts from a range of

perspectives.

H10 analyses and synthesises information and ideas into sustained and logical argument for a range of

purposes, audiences and contexts.

H11 draws upon the imagination to transform experience and ideas into texts demonstrating control of

language.

Students explore various representations of events, personalities or situations.

(

Stage 6 English Syllabus

, 1)

Background

In the episode of

Frontline

, 'Playing the Ego Card the truth is manipulated on several levels

international, national, corporate and personal. At each of these levels different truths are constructed

and presented. This text raises concerns about competition, manipulation, sexism, the transience of

fame, naivete, gullibility, respect and truth.

At the completion of the episode it can be seen that one truth embraced is that, in the world of current

affairs television the individual is at the mercy of the dollar and the integrity of those that surround him/

her.

Responding activities

Students will view the episode and take notes on the following points using the grid provided in the

student handout, 'Playing the Ego Card.

Discussion points

1. What truths are presented at each of the levels international, national, corporate and personal?

. Examine closely the truths presented at the corporate and personal level and explain how they

have been constructed and why.

. What tactics does Brooke use to ensure she achieves her goals?

4. Compare the reactions of the male and female characters towards Brooke as a journalist? Explain

why each group views her differently.

5. As a viewer of the satire,

Frontline

, how do you respond to Brooke?

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6. What comment does this episode make about the fleeting nature of fame and the fickleness of

television?

7. Respect, loyalty, trust and truth are values that are merely given lip service in this episode.

Where is this best shown? Identify specific instances where these values are presented and

manipulated in this episode.

8. The Walkely Award is an award for excellence in journalism. What is the irony of its inclusion

here? In this episode who demonstrates excellence in journalism?

. Explain the dramatic irony of the confusion between the banana and the award.

10. How does the medium of television enable the truth to be manipulated? (Refer to the 'Technical

aspects of news and current affairs television, student handout, page 6.)

After viewing the episode students will be asked to complete the following activity.

From your viewing of this episode what comment can you make about integrity in current affairs

journalism. What are the main factors influencing your impression.

At this point, students should consider whether or not it is reasonable to expect a higher level of

integrity in a current affairs program if the Government itself manipulates the truth.

Composing activities

Students are to complete one of the following composing activities for homework

Either

1. Write Brookes diary entry where she plans to achieve the role of 'anchor.

or

. Marty would naturally view Brookes techniques from a completely different perspective. Marty

decides to write a letter to Brian threatening to resign. As Marty, write this letter citing his reasons

why. (i.e. his version of the truth)

Learning journal

Students will continue to reflect upon their learning using these focus questions.

What new ideas were explored here?

Investigate at least one other piece of related material that explores similar ideas.

How have these ideas contributed to your current understanding of telling the truth ?

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Suitable additional texts

ABC,

The Final Days of Marilyn Monroe

(video). Shown on ABC TV during 000. Details the

final days of Marilyn Monroe leading up to her death, and postulates the theory of her relationship

with President John F. Kennedy and his role and that of the FBI in her death.

Current news media articles on nuclear testing at Maralinga some 50 years ago, the effects on

those at the site and the government cover-up of the 'experiments.

German World War II propaganda regarding the Jews. The manipulation and construction of the

'truth about the Jewish population. This information is to be readily found in many current

English and History textbooks.

Works by the British historian David Irving, whose theories postulate that the holocaust never

happened.

The Watergate scandal of 174 and the subsequent resignation of President Richard M. Nixon.

A Civil Action

(film). 1. directed by Steven Zaillian. Starring John Travolta and Robert Duvall.

Based on a true story. About a 'small fish lawyer who goes after a huge corporation for

contaminating the water supply of a small town, and the corporate cover-up to prevent the action.

Silkwood

(film). 18. directed by Mike Nicholls. Starring Cher, Meryl Streep and Kurt Russell.

Based on a true story about contamination at a nuclear power plant and the government and

corporate cover-up that ensued, including the killing of the whistleblower.

The China Syndrome

(film). 17. directed by James Bridges. Starring Jane Fonda, Michael Douglas

and Jack Lemmon. A film in which life imitated art. Concerns a leak at a nuclear power plant and

the potential disaster that could happen, the government cover-up of the incident and the efforts

of a news team to tell the truth. A matter of months after this film was released, a similar nuclear

accident happened at Three Mile Island.

Mr. Reliable

(film). 16. directed by Nadia Tass. Starring Colin Friels and Jacqueline McKenzie.

Based on a true story which took place in 168 involving a man named Wally Melish who took his

girlfriend and her baby hostage on his farm. The first 'live to air siege coverage by the media.

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Topic six Construction of the truth

Outcomes addressed

A student

HA recognises different ways in which particular texts are valued.

H4

explains and analyses the ways in which language forms and features, and structures of texts shape

meaning and influence responses.

H5

explains and evaluates the effects of textual forms, technologies and their media of production on

meaning.

H8

articulates and represents own ideas in critical, interpretive and imaginative texts from a range of

perspectives.

H10 analyses and synthesises information and ideas into sustained and logical argument for a range of

purposes, audiences and contexts.

H1 reflects on own processes of learning.

Students evaluate how medium of production, textual form,

perspective and choice of language influences meaning.

(

Stage 6 English Syllabus

, 1)

Background

This episode of

Frontline

, 'Add sex and stir, deals with selective representation, manipulation,

suppression and exploitation of truth. It highlights the power struggle between truth and economic truth.

It also reflects how social attitudes towards sexuality influence the representation of truth. Like 'Playing

the Ego card this episode highlights manipulation of the truth and the impact of gender bias and

prejudice on the construction of the truth. It is also clearly demonstrated here how the medium of

television allows certain constructions of the truth to be manufactured.

Responding activities

Students will view the episode,

Add sex and stir

, and consider the following focus questions

1. How are each of the characters positioned in terms of the truth?

. How does the medium itself communicate and manipulate the truth?

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