Materialism in Todays Society Essay -- Consumerism America Capitalism

Materialism in Today's Society Have you ever sat down and really thought about how much you value your possessions? Do you value your belongings more than you value friends, family, love, or yourself? The truth is that obsession with possessions has become a way of life in today's society. Materialism has been defined as the theory or doctrine that physical well-being and worldly possessions constitute the greatest good and highest value in life. (Heritage Dictionary, 3rd ed.) This means that we look to possessions to bring us happiness. We then use these possessions to make things and people behave or respond the way we desire. We have become so successful at fabricating and manipulating the world that we have come to believe that altering our surroundings is the way to solve all of our problems. We go through life contemplating that inner well-being depends on what we have or do. Due to these assumptions, materialism now carries the status that people?s religion, occupations, and bloodlines used to carry (Twitchell 1999). We identify ourselves and others by what we wear, what we have, and what brands we sport. Our unrestrained consumption ascends the unlimited number of goods and merchandise available (Twitchell 1999). As the quantity and variety of products grow Materialism in Today?s Society 3 larger, so does the demand for these products, thus resulting in mass branding. A brand is a product name or logo, that when consumers become familiar with, immediately brings to mind a specific product or service (Pavitt 5).We, as humans, want to fit in so we wear and use certain brand names because of the status we gain from them. Everywhere we look, there are dozens of newspapers, magazines, billboards, and televis... ...e. Materialism has been found to help us deal with life and problems and help us escape from all the issues of the real world? Just like a drug, material objects, luxury, and all the finer things bring us happiness and fulfillment. This is why I have come to believe that materialism has become more of a way of life for people in today?s society. References Boston, Gabriella (2003). Designed to Fit In; Teen Fashion Defined by Peer Pressure. (The Washington Times, D01). Bothelo, Greg (2002). The Brand Name Game. (CNN New York, Dec. 05, 2005). Pavitt, Jane. Brand. New. (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2000). Russel, Peter (2000). Waking Up in Time, Materialism- An Addictive Meme. Kulman, Linda (2000) Our Consuming Interest. (U.S. News and World Report, 2000). Plasticsurgeryresearch.info. Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Research. (2002-2003).

Asthma or a Chronic Inflammatory Disorder of the Airways

No longer is asthma considered a condition with isolated, acute episodes of bronchospasm. Rather, asthma is now understood to be a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways—that is, inflammation makes the airways chronically sensitive. When these hyper-responsive airways are irritated, airflow is limited, and attacks of coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and breathing difficulty occur. Asthma involves complex interactions among inflammatory cells, mediators, and the cells and tissues in the airways. The interactions result in airflow limitation from acute broncho-constriction, swelling of the airway wall, increased mucus secretion, and airway remodeling. The inflammation also causes an increase in airway responsiveness.During an asthma attack, the patient attempts to compensate by breathing at a higher lung volume in order to keep the air flowing through the constricted airways, and the greater the airway limitation, the higher the lung volume must be to keep airways open . The morphologic changes that occur in asthma include bronchial infiltration by inflammatory cells. Key effector cells in the inflammatory response are the mast cells, T lymphocytes, and eosinophils.Mast cells and eosinophils are also significant participants in allergic responses, hence the similarities between allergic reactions and asthma attacks. Other changes include mucus plugging of the airways, interstitial edema, and microvascular leakage. Destruction of bronchial epithelium and thickening of the subbasement membrane is also characteristic. In addition, there may be hypertrophy and hyperplasia of airway smooth muscle, increase in goblet cell number, and enlargement of sub-mucous glands. Although causes of the initial tendency toward inflammation in the airways of patients with asthma are not yet certain, to date the strongest identified risk factor is atopy.This inherited familial tendency to have allergic reactions includes increased sensitivity to allergens that are risk factors for developing asthma. Some of these allergens include domestic dust mites, animals with fur, cockroaches, pollens, and molds. Additionally, asthma may be triggered by viral respiratory infections, especially in children. By avoiding these allergens and triggers, a person with asthma lowers his or her risk of irritating sensitive airways. A few avoidance techniques include: keeping the home clean and well ventilated, using an air conditioner in the summer months  when pollen and mold counts are high, and getting an annual influenza vaccination.Of course, asthma sufferers should avoid tobacco smoke altogether. Cigar, cigarette, or pipe smoke is a trigger whether the patient smokes or inhales the smoke from others. Smoke increases the risk of allergic sensitization in children, increases the severity of symptoms, and may be fatal in children who already have asthma. Many of the risk factors for developing asthma may also provoke asthma attacks, and people with asthma may ha ve one or more triggers, which vary from individual to individual. The risk can be further reduced by taking medications that decrease airway inflammation. Most exacerbations can be prevented by the combination of avoiding triggers and taking anti-inflammatory medications.An exception is physical activity, which is a common trigger of exacerbations in asthma patients. However, asthma patients should not necessarily avoid all physical exertion, because some types of activity have been proven to reduce symptoms. Rather, they should work in conjunction with a doctor to design a proper training regimen, which includes the use of medication. In order to diagnose asthma, a healthcare professional must appreciate the underlying disorder that leads to asthma symptoms and understand how to recognize the condition through information gathered from the patient's history, physical examination, measurements of lung function, and allergic status.Because asthma symptoms vary throughout the day, th e respiratory system may appear normal during physical examination. Clinical signs are more likely to be present when a patient is experiencing symptoms; however, the absence of symptoms upon examination does not exclude the diagnosis of asthma.

Interpersonal communications improvement plan Essay

Problem: I have developed a bad habit of not having confidence in myself at college, in my study habits, and expressing myself. Goal: To improve my self-confidence, I will keep a good self-image. I will imagine myself as a strong, confident and decisive person. I will think and act positively. I plan to learn new study habits. I will be able to speak with my teachers and advisors about my problems. Procedure: First, I will have the confidence to ask for help. Next, I will not waste time, energy and effort by worrying about my weakness and deficits. I will seek help and ask more questions to better myself. I will be more open about my problems. Finally, I will stop worrying about problems and work through them. Test of Achieving Goal: I will know I have achieved this goal, when I become more comfortable asking for help to develop better study habits. The proof will be seen in my test scores and research papers, which will show me that I can improve my grades in college through perseverance. Journal Entry 1 Date: Oct. 4, 2006 Results: I talked to my English teacher about my research paper that is due next week. She helped me with my mistakes. She said it was a good paper overall. Journal Entry 2 Date: Oct. 4, 2006 Results: I talked to my baseball coach and explained my problems with my grades. He wants to help me in any way possible. Journal Entry 3 Date: Oct. 5, 2006 Results: I talked with my advisor. I opened up to him by explaining that I can’t believe my tests scores, after doing so much studying. He led me in directions that should increase the effectiveness of my study habits. He knows that I can do it. Journal Entry 4 Date: Oct. 6, 2006 Results: I emailed all of my teachers. I asked them how to improve my grades. I also requested study tips from them. Journal Entry 5 Date: Oct 7, 2006 Results: I put to use the study tips from Dr. Bommarito. I didn’t get frustrated with all of the information that I needed to learn for my history test. I had to do it, so I did. Journal Entry 6 Date Oct. 8, 2006 Results: I asked my parents to see how my studying was coming along. They asked me questions from flash cards that I made. They were very supportive. They were very happy to see the new methods I have been using. They could see how I was not getting as frustrated while studying and writing research papers. Interpersonal Communications Improvement Summary My original intention was to use confident behavior to improve my study skills, so that I may get better grades. I feel that I accomplished this, even in such a short time. Emailing my teachers was a small step, but I believe it will pay off in the long run. Each time I talked to one of my teachers and coaches, it gave me more confidence to try again. They were all receptive to my needs, and gave me good advice to help improve my grades and my study habits. I would have to say that my biggest concern was asking for help from my parents. However, by the time I talked to my parents, my confidence level was up from my interactions with my teachers and coaches. I do not get as frustrated as I have in the past. I also felt concern over how my coach would view me after I opened up to him. His reaction was very supportive, as were my parents. I now feel a lot of encouragement from the people who are most important to me. It means so much to me that they were all willing to sit down and go over assignments with me and give me many good study tips. I am now more comfortable talking to them because I know they believe in me. I was surprised about how much easier studying has become since applying the tips I have received, especially from Dr. Bommarito. I am anxious to see the results in my improved test scores and research papers. My self-concept has greatly improved. I feel confident that I can get the help I need by just asking for it. I feel confident in my new study skills. I feel confident that I can continue to learn more study skills, and that I can improve my grades by applying what I have learned. This has been a good experience for me overall.