In writing ads, advertisers should consider the different styles of cultures. In some cultures, advertisements usually describe the product and explain why it is better than others. But in other cultures, the message depends more on situations and feelings than it does on words. In this case, the commercial will not say that a product is better than others. Instead, its goal will be to create a positive mood or feeling about the product.

If you long for a place where eagles soar and whales regularly appear on the ocean's surface, look to Alaska. This is the United States' northernmost state, and has abundant forests, salmon-rich rivers, and incredible beauty in a land mass that is twice the size of Texas. Among Alaska's many attractions is the Saxman Native Village, home of the world's greatest collection of totem poles; if the weather permits, a helicopter ride to the Mendenhall Glacier is an experience that you will never forget. In Prince William Sound, you'll be amazed at the sight of so many whales, dolphins, and seals that are attracted there by the plankton. It won't take long before you agree that nowhere else on earth has the diversity of beauty that you have witnessed in Alaska.

Peasants were people who farmed land that was owned by someone else. In return for the use of the land, the peasant farmers had to pay rent or give the owner half of what they grew. Peasants arose at sunrise to begin working, and they worked in the fields until sunset. Their homes were small, wet, cold, and with little furniture. At night, peasants would sit near the fire for warmth and do housework by candlelight. The food they ate was poor. Their main foods were thin soup and bread. Meat was served only on special days, often not more than once a month.

When it comes to behavior, we are natural copycats. One person in a group yawns or frowns, and everyone else is soon doing the same. Some people on the sidewalk stand staring upward, and passersby pause to do likewise. Laughter spreads quickly, even when pre-recorded for a comedy show. Street musicians always put money in their own hats before performing, because people see it and put more in. But our tendency to copy other people can have tragic results. It's well known that suicides increase following news of a famous suicide. After Marilyn Monroe's suicide on August 6, 1961, the number of suicides in the United States in that month exceeded the yearly August average by two hundred. Also, a sudden rise in suicide rates tends to follow fictional suicides in TV dramas. When many teenage suicides occur in a short space of time, copycat behavior is the likeliest cause.

Professional athletes do not agree on what their roles should be. Some star players believe that their role is to be a great player, not a role model for young people. They insist, We're not paid to be role models. They strongly believe that what they do in their private lives is their own business. On the contrary, other star players disagree. They maintain that sports stars are role models for people even though they may not want to be. They say, We do not choose to be role models. We are chosen. Our choice is whether to be good role models or bad ones.

Globalization is the exchange of cultural, political, economic, and technological information between all countries of the world. It is a word that describes how our lives are becoming linked together in all of these areas. Indeed, it seems that we are moving towards becoming just one global society. This single society is starting to form through multiculturalism ─ a policy stressing mutual respect and tolerance for cultural differences. Due to policies of multiculturalism, cultural diversity (the variety of different cultures in one area) is increasing.

As for your use of language, remember that two great masters, William Shakespeare and James Joyce, wrote sentences which seemed childlike when their subjects were serious. "To be or not to be?" asks Shakespeare's Hamlet. The longest word is three letters long. Joyce could put together a sentence as complicated and glittering as a necklace for Cleopatra, but my favorite sentence in his story Eveline is this: "She was tired." No other words could break the heart of a reader as those three words do. Simplicity of language is not only powerful, but perhaps even respectable.

Although it isn't hard to get sick during the flu season, it's not always easy to tell if what you have is a cold or the flu. The two illnesses may seem alike. However, there are some distinct differences between cold and flu symptoms. First of all, a cold isn't usually accompanied by a fever, but the flu causes a high fever that lasts three to four days. Second, although a cold can sometimes give you a mild headache, strong headaches are far more likely with the flu. Third, a person who catches a cold will experience at most a few slight aches and pains. But aches and pains are an unavoidable effect of the flu and can often be quite severe. Finally, a cold doesn't usually cause tiredness, but people with the flu may feel so exhausted they can barely move.