Saturday, August 31, 2019

Brief Summary

In Bernhard analysis, she starts off her essay strong by stating how important Frederick Douglass speech was. In her first paragraph, Bernhard shows readers that Frederick Douglass was credible by stating how he himself was part of the slave trade. Bernhard thesis in her first paragraph that drives the rest of her essay is how she states that, â€Å"Frederick was a huge part of the abolitionist movement,† and that, â€Å"Frederick wanted to show his aversion to slavery and his passionate dedication to see it end. As Bernhard continues with her analysis, she states how Frederick not only talks o abolitionist alike, but to proud Americans. As she continues with her analysis, Bernhard always refers back to her thesis in her first paragraph. She states facts on how Frederick became such a huge part of the abolitionist movement. She shows readers how Frederick had the skill to gain the audiences sympathy and how he made his speeches more important to listeners.In Bernhard fourth p aragraph, she refers back to her thesis on how Frederick wanted to show his aversion to slavery and his passion to see it end. In this paragraph, she continues to show how Frederick appealed to his audience's sense and ride by comparing Americans history of revolt against repression and wrongdoing to slavery.In conclusion, Bernhard whole analysis was to show how Frederick was Important to abolitionist movement; and to show how Frederick wanted to show his aversion to slavery and his passionate dedication to see It end. She backed up her thesis many times In her body paragraphs by showing how Frederick, showed his readers how corrupt American culture really Is. Then Bernhard ends her analysis by showing readers how Fredrick's effort Is now slowly Impacting the movement and caused many to reconsider the state and direction

Friday, August 30, 2019

The Study of English Reading Strategies for English Majors in Ielts

The Study of English reading strategies for English majors in IELTS English Education Department of College of Foreign Languages Capital Normal University June 2012 Contents I. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 II. Literature Review†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦. 4 2. 1 The definition of reading †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 2. 2 The definition of English reading strategy †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5 2. 3 The reading test items in IELTS †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 2. 4 The English reading strategies in IELTS †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 III. Research Methodology†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 3. 1 Instruments †¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3. 2 Research Setting and sampling †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 3. 3 Design†¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 3. 4 Analyzing Procedures†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 IV. Results and Discussion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 10 4. 1 Results †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 4. 2 Discussion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦12 V. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 13 5. 1 Major findings†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦13 5. 2 Implications†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 5. 3 Limitations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 15 5. 4 Future studies†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦15 VI. References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. â⠂¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦15 Appendix †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 I. Introduction 1. Background of the research Nowadays, more and more Chinese students choose to study or travel abroad, so English becomes more and more important. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is an international standardized test of English language proficiency (Wikipedia, 2011). It becomes one of the most popular exams for those who want to go abroad. In IELTS, reading is the most difficult part for many candidates, because in one hour candidates should finish 3 passages and 40 test items. And most candidates have problems either understanding the subject matter or completing all the sections. Keller, 2010) Even English majors, can not do well in the reading test. They usually lose many scores in readi ng test. Almost every examinee wants to improve their standard of reading. Although they try to use some strategies which were taught by their teachers or trainers, they can’t use these strategies effectively. Many scholars (Li, 2010;Luo, 2010;Shen, 2011;Yao, 2011;Tierney, Robert J. 2000; Readence, John E. , Hosenfeld, Carol, 2003) from home and abroad have noticed that the use of English reading strategies are very important and useful for candidates to do the English reading texts in IELTS.They also find that how to use various strategies effectively. For example, skimming is one of the most frequently used strategies in IELTS. â€Å"Skimming refers to reading a paragraph quickly to get an idea of what it is about, without trying to understand its details. † said by Dr Vivek(2009). 2. Significance of the research Although teachers and trainers have introduced many strategies of English reading, most of the students, even English majors who take the exam of IELTS, alw ays make many mistakes in the reading tests. In fact, many scholars (Li, 2010;Luo, 2010;Shen, 2011;Yao, 2011;Tierney, Robert J. 2000; Readence, John E. Hosenfeld, Carol, 2003) or teachers have already concluded various strategies for English reading test. For example, students or examinees should use the strategy â€Å"skimming† to reading a paragraph or a passage quickly to get an idea of what it is about, without trying to understand its details. However, many students, even English majors, just know the meaning of â€Å"skimming†, but cannot apply this strategy correctly and effectively to their reading test. In addition, because the time is limited, examiners do not have time to use the reading strategies he has learnt. Or maybe they haven’t developed the reading skills in his former study.Therefore, research in this area will be of great significance. This research aims to find out English Majors’ condition and the existing problem in using the readi ng strategies in IELTS. For students and examinees, it will help them to understand the basic meaning of each strategy, to form their own reading skills, and to use various strategies effectively in different kinds of reading test items IELTS and to make less mistakes in the test. 3. Hypothesis This study aims at investigating what the reading strategies are, when they should be used and how to use various strategies effectively.It can provide some suggestions of using reading strategies for English majors to take the exam of IELTS. 4. Research questions †¢ What are the English reading strategies in IELTS for English majors? †¢ When various strategies can be used in different reading test items in IELTS? †¢ How to use various strategies in IELTS reading test effectively? II. Literature Review 2. The definition of reading Far from being a â€Å"passive† skill, reading, is in fact, an active process in which readers relate information in the text to what they alr eady known. Knowledge of language allows readers to identify the printed words and sentences.The purposes of good readers are meaningful that they do not decode each letter or each word. Instead, they take in chunks of the text and relate it to what they know. Traditionally, many psychologists and teachers have insisted that reading is nothing more than decoding writing symbols to sounds. (i. e. figuring out what the printed word says). Others traditionally have insisted that reading involves not only decoding from print to sound, but also comprehending the written material. Forrest-Pressley and Waller (1984) felt that reading is not merely a decoding process nor it is solely a comprehension.Reading process is not just a â€Å"decoding plus comprehension† but reading involves even more. It involves at least three types of skills: decoding, comprehension and nature reading strategies (Forrest-Pressley & Brown, 1984; Brown, 1980). Besides, reading traditionally has been conside red as cognitive task. An unfortunate consequence of such a view of reading is that there has been no room for concern for the â€Å"executive control† that is done by a skilled reader. Only recently have several authors (e. g. Baker Brown, 1984; Brown, 1980; Myers & Pairs, 1928) suggested that reading might involve metacognition as well as cognition.Johnson (1983) has attempted to approach the issue of accessing comprehension from a rational point of view. He first considers what reading comprehension is, and then considers what factors influence it and its assessment— including reader and text characteristics. He comes to a definition of reading comprehension: That is reading comprehension is considered to be a complex behavior, which involves conscious and unconscious uses of various strategies, including problem— solving strategies, to build a model of the meaning, which is assumed to have intended.The model is constructed using schematic knowledge structure s and the various systems, which the writer has given (e. g. words, syntax, macrostructure, social information) to generate hypotheses, which are tested using carious logical and pragmatic strategies. Most of this model must be inferred, since text can never be fully explicit and, in general, very little of it is explicit because even the appropriate intentional and extensional meanings of words must be inferred from their context. (1983). 2. The definition of English reading strategyIt would be helpful to review a concise definition of reading strategies, but unfortunately, there is no consensus among researchers. At least, three problems persist. First, it is not clear how to differentiate reading strategies from other processes that might be called thinking, reasoning, perceptual study or motivational strategies. Weinstein and Mayer (1986) defined cognitive strategies as a broad array of actions that help to control behavior, emotions, motivation, communication, attention, and co mprehension.Although each kind of strategies might influence reading, not all researchers would classify them as reading strategies. A second problem concerns the scope strategies— are they global or specific? Levin (1986) argued that strategies include multiple components that must be carefully analyzed, whereas Derry and Murphy (1986) distinguished strategies as general learning plans that are difficult to demarcate when they are embed in complex sequences of behavior or hierarchies of decision. The third problem involves internationality and consciousness, considering these opposing viewpoints. To be a strategy, the means must be employed deliberately, with some awareness, in order to produce or influence the goal. † (Wellman, 1988) â€Å"Also, it is now recognized that strategies function at its best occurs without deliberation. It is more reflexive than voluntary† (Pressley, Forrest-Pressley & Elliot-Faust, 1988) Since the 1970s there has been no shortage of L2 (Second Language Learning) theorists advocating teaching students to use a variety of reading strategies in order to read better.There strategies run argument form the traditionally recognized reading skills of skimming and scanning, contextual guessing or skipping unknown words, tolerating ambiguity, reading for meaning, critical reading and make inferences, to more recently recognized strategies text structure (Block). Researchers in the L1 (First Language Learning) and L2 fields have demonstrated that strategy used is different in proficient readers. More proficient readers use them in different ways. 2. The reading test items in IELTS †¢ TURE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN †¢ SUMMARY †¢ HEADING MUTILPCHIOCE †¢ COMPLETION †¢ SHORT ANSWER †¢ TABLE †¢ MATCHING In our research, we will focus on the two kinds of reading test items in IELTS: TURE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN and MUTILPCHIOCE. In IELTS, these two kinds of test items are used with high frequency. Many of the examinees in IELTS often make mistakes in these two kinds of test items. Therefore, we will carry out research of reading strategies on these two parts and figure out whether English majors use reading strategies to do these two kinds of test items in IELTS. 2. The English reading strategies in IELTSSearch reading is the strategy likely to be used by candidates to help them find specific information and answer as quickly and accurately as possible in reading examinations. Search reading is defined by Urqhuart and Weir (1998) as the strategy used to locate and comprehend discrete pieces of information on predetermined topics in order to answer a set of questions or provide data. According to the authors, the readers do not necessarily have to start by reading the whole text to get the gist. Moreover, search reading seems to be compatible at different points with scanning, skimming and ‘careful global reading’ (i. . comprehension of the main ideas in the text). That is, t he first step in search reading involves the process of locating (scanning) the words that are noted in a question and matching them to the same or related information in the text. Skimming is then used to select the specific text that seems important to answer the question. Consequently, the text selected will be read more carefully to find out if it definitely answers the question, which means careful global reading will then take place (by reference to the parts of the text selected and not to the whole text, as discussed above).Search reading is also addressed by other authors such as Dreher (1992), Guthrie and Kirsch (1987), Symons and Specht (1994), as well as Enright et al. (2000) specifically in relation to English language reading examinations. III. Research Methodology 1. Instruments In this research, we will use â€Å"individual interview† and â€Å"think aloud† as our research methods. The main advantage of face-to-face or direct interviews is that the rese archer can adapt the questions as necessary, clarify doubt and ensure that the responses are properly understood, by repeating or rephrasing the questions. Peter,2010) The researcher can also pick up nonverbal cues from the respondent. Any discomfort, stress and problems that the respondent experiences can be detected through frowns, nervous taping and other body language, unconsciously exhibited by any person. We will design several questions related to our topic. A notable advantage of think aloud protocols over individual interviews as a data collection method with respect to information behavior is that they are at least able to elicit data at the time of the experience in question and the accuracy of the material contributed will therefore not be affected by lapses in memory. Manguel, 2008) To investigate whether a search reading strategy is used in reading examinations, a questionnaire asked 40 international postgraduate students who had done IELTS which strategies they used w hen reading text and answering questions in the academic reading task. The questionnaire was composed of a single question, which asked participants to choose the steps they followed and to put them in order (as illustrated in Appendix A). These steps were based on the steps recommended for the IELTS reading module (Jakeman & McDowell, 2001), but three steps were added to extend the scope of the questionnaire.Participants reported that they underlined the key words in the questions (23 participants), scanned the passage to find the key words (23 participants) and read the text around the key word carefully after finding it (30 participants). These results, therefore, suggest that the most common strategy used when reading under time pressure in examinations is compatible with search reading (as described at the beginning of this section). Furthermore, it seems that two distinct aspects of selective processing are involved in search reading: perceptual and conceptual processing of te xt.This distinction is based on Masson's (1982, 1985) characterization of cognitive processes in skimming stories. Applying Masson's theory to English language reading examinations, candidates may look for visual features, i. e. key words, in the text relevant to the question, which is a perceptual process. Having located the pertinent information, they then more carefully read the phrases containing the key words so that the answer can be found, accurately comprehended and extracted to answer the question, which is a conceptual process. 2.Research Setting and Sampling We did our research in Capital Normal University. In this research, we chose three English majors to be the interviewees. First, the three interviewees attended the interview one by one. They were asked some questions about English reading strategies. These might help us researchers know more about the interviewees and their knowledge, opinion and recognition of reading strategies. Then, the three interviewees attende d the think-aloud one by one. We researchers chose one piece of IELTS reading passage for the interviewees to finish.During the test, they were asked some questions about the test items and their feelings about reading test while they were doing the test. The whole passage: Search begins for ‘Earth' beyond solar system (shown in the appendix) 3. Design During the interview, we will ask interviewees to answer some questions about reading strategies, such as their recognition of English reading strategies, the usage of reading strategies, the effect of using reading strategies, etc. During the think-aloud, we will give each of them a piece of IELTS reading passage, and ask them to finish all the exercises after the passage.When they are doing the exercise, we will ask them one or two questions of each test item about English reading strategies. 4. Analyzing Procedures Step 1: Select three English majors from the CNU in different levels. Step 2: The three interviewees will be int erviewed individually. Several questions about reading strategies will be asked. Their answer will be record in a excel file. Step 3: The three students will attend the think-aloud interview one by one. During they do the reading test, several designed questions will be asked. Step 4: Collect their answers and compare with each other. | |When did you begin |Will you use reading |Reading strategies can help|Would you like to |How about your | | |Do you know what is reading|to know reading |strategies during reading |you improve your English in|know more about |reading scores? | | |strategies? |strategies? |texts? Please lay out these|which aspects? |reading strategies? | | | | | |by using frequency. | | | | | |Candidate A | |The first question: replace the original words by using the four choices. | |Question 2 – 5: rereading the text, and then finding out the key sentences and translating. | |The first question: using exclusive method to leave out C and D, and then using sca nning. | |Question 2 – 5: using skimming strategy firstly to find out these statements, and then using scanning strategy to get the right | |answers. From the above table, we can find out exclusive method, skimming and scanning are three reading strategies most frequently used by candidates. Usually, when candidates finish multiple choice questions, they would like to use exclusive method to ignore one or two interferential choices. And then they can choose possible answer from rest two choices, so they have 50% opportunity to get right answer. Question 2 to question 5 are true or false questions. Candidates used skimming to find out where are these sentences in the original text.When they focused on one sentence, they will use scanning to search for certain words to figure out whether the statement is true or false or not given. 4. Discussion The purpose of the study was to investigate the condition of English reading strategies for English majors in IELTS. The findings clea rly suggest that most students have learnt and used the strategies in their reading. For the multiple choice items in the IELTS exam, scanning is the most useful strategy. We can find out the relational part of the key words in the item.The students who have learnt the reading strategies outperformed those who didn’t know the reading strategies in every aspect as shown by their performance during the think-aloud part. (The first student and third student have learnt English reading strategies before, while the second student did not know reading strategies before. So he used longer time finishing the same number items but failed in the exam. ) They showed particular strengths in the IELTS reading section, suggesting that the reading strategies they have been taught really help the students to understand and focus on the test of their reading.It also seems to be the case that skimming should become a natural first step to any kind of reading readers do —- articles, book s, newspapers, and even advertisements or bus schedules( , 1999). In the short answer questions part, skimming is becoming more helpful for examinees. Skimming the text means reading very quickly. Just look at the headings, subheadings and the first lines of each section or paragraph. The examinees need to catch the key points of the test in limited time, so skimming can save up much time than reading the test one word after another.Another reason for the benefits of reading strategies may be that scanning is a search for information which is often some specific information ( , 1997). This supports and adds to the findings of Wang Li (2011), who showed similar results for English reading strategies. In the true/false/not given items, scanning can not be more proper than any other strategies. Scanning a text means looking for a specific piece of information or specific words. Ignore the information that is not relevant to your purpose.Scanning is a useful strategy to apply when the q uestions ask for factual information. This study has taken a step in the direction of justifying the effect of English reading strategies for English majors in the IELTS. These reading strategies can not only promote students’ understanding when they do reading exercises, but also improve students’ reading ability. It may be the case that students who do not familiar with the reading strategies may be easily fail the IELTS compared to those who have already learnt and use reading strategies before.It is also not clear whether skimming and scanning are the most useful reading strategies for IELTS, such as note-taking and summary would succeed to the same extent. The approach outlined in this study should be replicated with other students in other classes, as well as at other levels in order to be able to recommend the effect of English reading strategies for IELTS for English majors. V. Conclusion 5. Major findings 1. English reading strategies in IELTS From the whole r esearch, we find that although there are so many reading strategies in reading text, informants use skimming and scanning most frequently.In IELTS reading test, there are 8 types questions — true or false questions, summary, heading, multiple choice, completion, short answer, table and matching, while, scanning and skimming can be used in most kinds of questions. In other words, scanning and skimming are the basic reading strategies in IELTS reading test. 2. The proper way to use various reading strategies in IELTS It is generally believed the first passage is easier than the second and third. Sometimes, however, this doesn't hold true. So, before attempting the passages, informants do an overview to get an idea about the subject matter.Different strategies can be adopted to attempt different passages. These may be skimming and scanning, reading intensively and a hit-and-trial method. In this research, we will just focus on two kinds of reading strategies—-skimming and scanning. The formats of the questions in the IELTS are: multiple choice, gap-fills, short answer questions, matching and true/false/not given. Skimming the text means reading very quickly. Just look at the headings, subheadings and first lines of each section or paragraph. Also notice the key words repeated throughout the text.The main purpose is to understand the gist — the general idea of the text. When you need to give a title of the test, skimming can help you. Also, matching part acquire you to skim the test in a short time. Scanning a text means looking for a specific piece of information or specific words. Ignore the information that is not relevant to your purpose. Scanning is a useful strategy to apply when the questions ask for specific factual information. For example, in the multiple choices, gap-fills, true/false/not given items, scanning can not be more helpful than any other strategies. . Implications As it can be seen in the findings and discussion, English majors do know some English reading strategies while they are doing reading tests. In IELTS, the reading strategies for different kinds of reading test items are various. So this research may help English majors understand more about the English reading strategies for different reading test items in IELTS. They may get higher scores in IELTS after knowing and making full use of the various reading strategies. 5. Limitations In all, the research findings are limited by the very nature of the method used.For example, the interviews are finished only in one university and the interviewees are only three. The data may not be accurately. The study of the English reading strategies and the reading test items in IELTS are limited. We just conduct the research on some of the strategies and two kinds of test items. However, due to the physical condition, time limitation, etc, the limitations cannot be overcome. 5. Further studies In the future, we may focus on the study of the rest kinds of English reading strategies and reading test items.It is believed that reading strategies come to help for students or examinees to take exams. The further studies may be helpful for English majors to do reading tests better in IELTS. VI. References 1. Camboune, B. (2001). Why do some students fail to learn to read? Ockham’s razar and the conditions of learning. The Reading Teacher, 54, (8), 784-786 2. Csaba Csikos and Janos Steklacs, Metacognition-Based Reading Intervention Programs Among Fourth-Grade Hungarian Students, 2010 3. Davis, M. , & Lyons, S. (2001). Improving reading †¦Reading: ideas from two teachers. Voices from the Middle 8, (4), 51-57. . Dr Vivek. (2009) Tips for Reading, IELTS Section AIPPG, Retrieved from http://www. aippg. com/ielts/reading-tips-ielts. html 5. Dr Vivek. (2009) Tips for the Reading Test, IELTS Section AIPPG, Retrieved from http://www. aippg. com/ielts/strategies%20for%20reading. htm 6. Dreher, M. J. (1992). Searching for information in t extbooks. Journal of Reading, 35 (5), 364–371. Web of Science ® Times Cited: 14 7. Enright, M. K. , Grabe, W. , Koda, K. , Mosenthal, P. , Mulcahy-Ernt, P. & Schedl, M. (2000). TOEFL 2000 reading framework: A working paper. TOEFL Monograph Series Report No. 17.Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service. 8. Forrest-Presley and Waller (1984) Metacognition About Reading Is Related to Reading Performance: A comment About Jacobs and Paris Educational Psychologist Volume 24, Issue 2, 1989 9. Guthrie, J. T. & Kirsch, I. S. (1987). Distinctions between reading comprehension and locating information in text. Journal of Educational Psychology, 79 (3), 220–227. CrossRef,Web of Science ® 10. Hosenfeld, Carol A Preliminary Investigation of the Reading Strategies of Successful and No successful Second Language Learners http://eric. ed. gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini. sp? _nfpb=true=EJ162478=no=EJ162478 11. Hurst,C. O. (2000). Guided reading can strengthen comprehension skil ls. Teaching Pre k-8 31, (2) 70-71 12. Jakeman, V. & McDowell, C. (2001). IELTS practice tests plus: Teaching not just testing. Harlow, Essex: Longman. 13. Johnson, P. (2002). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension to enhance understanding. Instructor, 111 (8), 30-43 14. Keller, J. M. (2010). IELTS Reading Strategies. Tcyonline. Retrieved from http://www. tcyonline. com/betterthink/ielts-reading-test-strategies 15. Macmilland Dictionary ttp://www. macmillandictionary. com/dictionary/british/IELTS 16. Masson, M. E. J. (1982). Cognitive processes in skimming stories. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 8 (5), 400–417. CrossRef,Web of Science ® 17. Masson, M. E. J. (1985). Rapid reading processes and skills. In G. E. MacKinnon & T. G. Waller (Eds. ), Reading research: Advances in theory and practice, Vol. 4. (pp. 183–230). New York: Academic Press. 18. Symons, S. & Specht, J. A. (1994). Including both time and accuracy in defining text search efficiency. Journal of Reading Behavior, 26 (3), 267–276.Web of Science ® Times Cited: 5 19. Tierney, Robert J. ; Readence, John E. Reading Strategies and Practices: A Compendium. Fifth Edition. http://eric. ed. gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini. jsp? _nfpb=true=ED448405=no=ED448405 20. Urqhuart, S. & Weir, C. (1998). Reading in a second language: Process, product and practice. London: Longman. 21. Wikipedia http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/IELTS 22. . (2011) , ,Retrieved from http://bj. xdf. cn/publish/portal24/tab16996/info647081. htm 23. [J]. . 010. 10 24. [J]. ( )2010. 9 25. [J]. ( ). 2011. 7 26. [J]. . 2011. 12 †¢ Appendix 1. Individual Interview Questions: 1. Do you what is reading strategies? 2. When do you begin to learn about reading strategies? 3. , , Do you usually use the reading strategies in doing reading tests? What kind of strategies did you use? Please put them in order according to frequency. 4. Do you think reading strategi es do help in your reading test? And how? 5. , What’s your reading score in the extensive reading? 2. The whole passage: Search begins for ‘Earth' beyond solar system Staff and agencies Wednesday December 27, 2006 Guardian Unlimited 1. A European spacecraft took off today to spearhead the search for another â€Å"Earth† among the stars. 2. The Corot space telescope blasted off aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan shortly after 2. 20pm. 3. Corot, short for convection rotation and planetary transits, is the first instrument capable of finding small rocky planets beyond the solar system.Any such planet situated in the right orbit stands a good chance of having liquid water on its surface, and quite possibly life, although a leading scientist involved in the project said it was unlikely to find â€Å"any little green men†. 4. Developed by the French space agency, CNES, and partnered by the European Space Agency (ESA), Austr ia, Belgium, Germany, Brazil and Spain, Corot will monitor around 120,000 stars with its 27cm telescope from a polar orbit 514 miles above the Earth. Over two and a half years, it will focus on five to six different areas of the sky, measuring the brightness of about 10,000 stars every 512 seconds. . â€Å"At the present moment we are hoping to find out more about the nature of planets around stars which are potential habitats. We are looking at habitable planets, not inhabited planets. We are not going to find any little green men,† Professor Ian Roxburgh, an ESA scientist who has been involved with Corot since its inception, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. 6. Prof Roxburgh said it was hoped Corot would find â€Å"rocky planets that could develop an atmosphere and, if they are the right distance from their parent star, they could have water†. 7.To search for planets, the telescope will look for the dimming of starlight caused when an object passes in front of a star, known as a â€Å"transit†. Although it will take more sophisticated space telescopes planned in the next 10 years to confirm the presence of an Earth-like planet with oxygen and liquid water, Corot will let scientists know where to point their lenses. 8. Measurements of minute changes in brightness will enable scientists to detect giant Jupiter-like gas planets as well as small rocky ones. It is the rocky planets – that could be no bigger than about twice the size of the Earth – which will cause the most

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Dangers of Body Art Essay

â€Å"Grandma, what does that thing on your right wrist say? † asked Maya. â€Å"It says Justin Bieber! Who is Justin Bieber? Was that your boyfriend back in the day? † Maya’s grandma simply responded, â€Å"No, this is what you call a big mistake! † Grandma did not tell Maya about her life-threatening encounter with Hepatitis B, how she was judged for tattooing a Canadian singer’s name on her, and how she was not able to keep a steady job. Grandma regrets getting that tattoo. She daydreamed many days how her life could have been better. Can you really blame Grandma? She did this when she was a teenager. The trend in this century has increased. Tattoos are a major fashion statement among teenagers today, but the majority of the young adults fail to consider the medical, social, and professional consequences tattoos can inflict on one’s life which may result in regret. Adolescents have several reasons for having tattoos are numerous but some are senseless. A survey was given to students about the motive for their tattoos: â€Å"Fifty-three percent of the students replied for self expression. Thirty-five percent just wanted one. Twenty-one percent got the art to remember an event. Seventeen wanted to feel unique. Eleven got it to express independence,† (Winkler 18). The reasons are endless. A rebellious tattoo gives one a tougher look, so that one appears disobedient to rules. The indifferent appearance verses the bland look that has been acquired by society for centuries. Well-known actress, Pamela Anderson, feels â€Å"tattoos are symbolic of the most important moments of your life† (Mason 16). Moments of life are similar to rites of passage. On Dictionary. com, a rite of passage is â€Å"Ceremonies that mark important transitional periods in a person’s life . . . † (Keloid). It is common for one to get a tattoo(s) displaying marriage or in memory of another’s death. Anderson also stated about getting a tattoo, â€Å"my sons’ first girlfriend come over and I’m all wrinkled up in a chair with tattoos all sagging down to my ankles† (Mason 16) Everyone sets goals but in cases people have tattooed the goals or something symbolic to the goals on their body. â€Å"Several athletes, for example, have had the Olympic rings tattooed on their bodies to show how much they wanted to compete in the Olympic Games. † (Mason 16). Love is a beautiful thing but would you risk showing it on your skin? It is common for people to tattoo love-one’s name on them. Many say that having a relative’s name is better than having a boyfriend or girlfriend’s name tattooed on one. One’s lover can change constantly but your family is yours officially. For instance, â€Å"Actress Angelina Jolie had actor Billy Bob Thornton’s name tattooed on her arm soon after she married him. By the summer of 2002, the two had split up† (Mason 17). Some professional tattoo artist can remember a story about someone who came in to cover up someone’s name that was tattooed on them. Mr. Barham’s second period class took a survey on having their girlfriend/boyfriend’s name on them. Fifty percent said it was ignorant, twenty-five percent said it was ill-advised, and twenty-five percent said to wait till marriage. (Concluding Sentence? ) Hardship enters in and out of everyone’s life. Hardship can send one into sadness. Sadness is another reason one may have a desire for a tattoo; most likely to remember the event. Actress Alyssa Milano said about getting tattoos out of misery, â€Å"I’ve always gotten them [tattoos] at times when I was sad about something [†¦] relationship problems or the fact that it had rained every day for a month† (Mason 17). It is not advised to get a tattoo during the time of grief. Why do you have that tattoo again? † said Ashley. â€Å"Well, I don’t know† said Jason. Jason received a tattoo no for no particular reason? As said before, thirty-five percent of teens got the tattoo because they just wanted it (Winkler 18). Some say it looked cool or felted good and encouraged them to get more. One can result in a deadly ending if having numerous tattoos or even if you get one for the first time. The risks of having tattoos are endless but the most deadliness one is Hepatitis B or C. Problems, such as infections, tattoo removal, keloid formation, and allergic reaction. There have been many people who have contracted diseases through tattoos, but when society thinks of tattoos, the risks are not recognized. Infections are prone to happen if one does not use sterile equipment to perform the tattooing procedure such as re-using ink or used needles. Infection affects the blood stream and later causes problems if one was to become a blood donor. Tattoos removal may involve scaring of the dermis and numerous treatments. The cost of treatments varies by size and what treatment is being done but either way the treatments are expensive. One consequence tattoo removal results in is keloid development. According to Dictionary. com, a keloid is â€Å"an abnormal proliferation of scar tissue†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Keloid). If one already develops a keloid(s), getting a tattoo(s) increases the formation. Having an allergic reaction is possible to happen while getting a tattoo and is difficult to control. It is extremely rare for one to be allergic to the products used. Removing the tattoo pigments is the procedure that aids one during an allergic reaction. Neither teenagers nor adults would have thought these risks could infect someone. Usually when people have tattoos, they are judged on spot. In some cases, society does not accept the act of having tattooing due to personal preference which starts social altercations. Views on tattoos can be taken in a negative manner. Doing research, â€Å". . . the average person described the body art as dirty and gross† (Ottawa Expert in French & English Language Training; Free Online French & English Lessons). Compare the average person to someone fund of tattoos and they could prove them wrong. To others, tattoos are seen as their way to express through art. Pricing for tattoos are outrageous, also. Generally, tattoo parlors range pricing upon a flat fee, hourly fee, or both. A flat fee is the cost based on the artist having to sketch the design, provide colors to the art, and time it took. An hourly fee is a charge based upon the length of time it took to complete the tattoos; common hourly fees range for 50-250 per hour. Prices tend to be extremely high which causes many to go to an unprofessional artist. When getting tattoos, others do not consider society’s opinion or just do not care. There have been cases where parents have kicked out their child because of having tattoos resulting to be homeless. Also, parents have disowned children due to tattoos. Facts stated, â€Å"Over half of the families in Canada would not let their children get tattoos. † (Ottawa Expert in French & English Language Training; Free Online French & English Lessons). It has been restaurants or stores that do not allow tattooed people to enter the facility. Religious reasons are, also, why people are not able to get tattoos. Roleff reproduced about religions and tattoos, â€Å"Getting a tattoo may give some youths a feeling of power and control over their lives, but the Old Testament forbade tattoos. While today’s Christians are not bound by Old Testament law, tattoos-even temporary ones-suggest paganism and idol worship. Many people react negatively to those with tattoos, which could lead to problems when it is time to find a job or pursue personal relationships. Many people come to regret having a tattoo. It is best not to get one in the first place† (Roleff 68). Generally, views of tattoos by society have been negative. From awful adjectives to religious views, tattoos are frowned upon constantly. Tattoos in the work area have, also, been a problem for years. Today in society some find it acceptable but others still find it hard to get over. Having tattoos while maintaining certain professions, such as a government job, give the society the perspective of how tattoos are viewed. There have been times when a firefighter has been insulted, harassed, or discriminated against for having a tattoo. People in the community find it unprofessional for them to even have the littlest of tattoos. I know it is impossible to believe but teachers have and had lives, also. In the past, there have been problems where a teacher has got a tattoo. Districts have addressed the dress code for teachers, and enforcing them to hide all body art. Teachers chose to comply with the new rules. Some meet the terms to support their family and some wanted to be role models to the students. Schools are not the only place where they have placed a dress code. The official policy is to sport tattoos in certain places, such as a certain spot on the neck. Also, it has to be an appropriate tattoo. According to a section article, â€Å"In 1900 an estimated 90 percent of sailors in the United States Navy were tattooed† (Roleff 82). That was until another policy had been set to prohibit tattoos that were in plain sight. The policies are in place for the professional look from society. According to Dictionary. com, a tattoo is the act or practice of marking the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, legends, etc. , by making punctures in it and inserting pigments (Tattoo). The motivations for having tattoos were endless but true. Teenagers, today, have made tattoos seem acceptable to have, especially having many of them but lack understanding consequences. The medical outcomes to having tattoos are numerous diseases and difficulties. Majority of society’s view tattoos as impure. The prices of tattoos are insane but for a tattooist, them expressing themselves is way more valuable. There have been public places that do not allow people who have tattoos. Religions find it unruly to have tattoos. Then, there is the professional view. Society would not want a tattooed firefighter to represent them because of the unruly look that tattoos are viewed as. Teenagers may love the form of expression but do not take the time to understand. Tattoos can cause death or can hurt one, physical or mentally.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Acquisition Reform Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Acquisition Reform - Research Paper Example The military’s economic dependency is depicted in the budget allocation and on other aspects like military logistical acquisition. Based on these facts, the US government has seen the need to blend these two sectors together to harmonize their dependency on each other. This led to the formulation of the acquisition reform program (Hanks, 2005, p.234). Acquisition reform is an exercise meant to integrate the United States military with the civil business practices. The US department of defense acknowledged the need to integrate the civil industrial sector with the military. The economical production of the US had direct relations with the military in terms of logistics production and supply. From the late 1980’s through 1990’s to the present times, the US department of defense has undertaken numerous exercises meant to develop an optimal program to integrate these two sectors. The goals of the reform exercise are aimed at streamlining the performance of the US military by initiating close relationship between the civil logistics producers and the defense department. This exercise has presented numerous challenges to the main corridors of US power, especially the Pentagon, on how to carry out the optimal reform actions effectively. This led to the enactment of the Acquisition reform Act in 2009 by the US congress. The need to integrate the Defense department with the business sector arose after a consideration of how to respond effectively to the US military requirements. This underlying principle led to the initiation of objective research meant to formulate the projects deliverables. These deliverables were to provide an insight into the objective purpose of the acquisition reform process. The main objective of the reform exercise is for the civil economic sector to respond efficiently to the military needs. Based on this goal, the project designers saw the need of

Talent Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Talent Management - Essay Example This can only be realized by talented individuals who are use their skills to improve organizational processes. Moreover, even talented individuals can underperform if they are not fully engaged with the organizations. The only way that organizations can encourage their employees to be fully engaged is to actively engage them, develop their raw talents, encourage their progress, and support the workers in the performance of their various responsibilities. Lastly, HR Cloud systems are important because they support the development of positive corporate culture. The IBM talent management approach makes use of all these facilities (Scullion & Collings, 2011). Organizational change functions as the core aspect of all of this corporation’s solutions. This is what contributes to the organization’s meeting its objectives, while preserving its business impact in the industry and the world at large. In regards to talent analytics, IBM’s solutions make use of leading analytics with expertise that offers a holistic interpretation of the company’s present position in the market, where it needs to be, and how to the organization can shape existing talent in order to realize this goal. IBM also facilitates corporate cultural change on the basis of collaboration and employee engagement, for the purpose of enhancing employee retention and productivity by means of technology, behavioral sciences, and organizational consulting. IBM also has a functioning operation that provides vendor selection and strategy support for HR Cloud systems. More than a decade ago, skilled workforces were viewed as being a necessity for any competitive IT organization. At this time, IBM was focused on managing talent in such a way that there was no wastage of corporate resources. In 2004, the corporation came up with a software to deal with ‘Human Capital Management

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

The Business of tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Business of tourism - Essay Example Obviously, the unaffordable travel cost in developed countries and all other impacts of economic recession on them have compelled people to choose India especially Kerala as one of the best tourist destinations. In addition to the unforgettable travel experience in this state of rich and dynamic culture, Kerala offers comparatively low-cost travel, cheap rate hotel pay and a variety of tour packages. It has become a choice for many western people to stay for the whole vacation in order to escape from the unbearable living expenses of their own home land. Besides the above mentioned features, as an emerging trend, medical tourism industry has become a fastest growing segment of the Kerala tourism. As the recent global financial crisis hit largely on European Countries, Asian countries have been highly benefited from medical tourism industry. The high cost of treatment in home countries has been pushing people to this region as alternative cost-effective destinations; and the trend has remarkably increased during recession. Majority of the patients in this category come from the countries like the United States and UK. Kerala enjoys its own remarkable share in medical tourism by providing its ancient system of medicine Aurveda. This herbal medication and technique of body massage known as ‘Panchakarma’ gained international admiration especially during the last decade. Traveling or staying in Kerala during recession would be an excellent idea to gain money and materials. As compared to other regions, living cost in Kerala is rather affordable. Moreover, recently there has been a notable fall in room rent and hotel bills since the economic downturn. (Iyengar P., 2008 p.59). Mumbai terror attack (2008) also affected Kerala tourism/hotel industry as there is only 1000 km distance between these two regions. (PRlog). Suppose in the United States, a room rent cost $10 for a day, it must

Monday, August 26, 2019

The swine flu clean up Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The swine flu clean up - Essay Example It is noteworthy that the earlier SARS outbreak as well as the Hurricane Katrina were at threat level three and four respectively. Though the current administration has not been found wanting in its response, there are nonetheless several steps that could have been taken to counter the threat of transmission. Swine Flu is a virus that spreads from pigs to humans and then from humans to humans as well. The typical symptoms are coughing, fever and headache with muscular atrophy as well. The greatest risk is not from eating pork but from the spread of the virus from person to person. There has been a widespread belief that the current hype over the swine flu outbreak has largely been media driven and in reality, the outbreak is not as severe as it seems. As the ABC news website puts it, â€Å"As the swirling national media coverage of swine flu nears the end of its first full week, signs are emerging that a certain degree of panic may be gripping the public† (ABC News, 2009). Further, the website adds that, â€Å"While the official case tally in the United States hovers at 64, according to data presented by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today, even suspected cases are edging their way into the public eye†. Thus it is apparent that people by and large are worried over the pandemic and are taking preventive steps to protect themselves and their families against the outbreak. The WHO or the World Health Organization responded immediately to the new threat by convening an emergency meeting where the threat level was raised to 5. According to a prominent news website, â€Å"The World Health Organization called a third emergency meeting in response to a spike in swine flu cases and said the expert panel will discuss Wednesday whether to raise the worldwide flu alert level. After the panels first meeting Saturday, WHO declared the outbreak an international public health emergency and on Monday it raised the pandemic alert level from

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Poverty Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Poverty - Assignment Example The outcome will be the increase in the per capita income and improving the living standards of the people. This is also attributed to the fact that people will take resources and rearrange them in a manner that is more valuable to them. When a country invests in the new technology, the potential output of the services and goods will increase. This is because the technology will make the production process to be more efficient. For instance, the widespread mechanization that happened in 18th and in 19th century enabled the United Kingdom to produce more output from very few resources. This enabled them to become one of the fully industrialized economies. Recently, the Chinese government experienced a rapid rate of growth due to application of the new technology in their process of manufacturing (Romer, 5). Therefore, an economy can never grow if few resources are allocated to the capital good. Some of the causes of poverty in third world countries include the third world debt, lower exportation race, poor agricultural practices, lack of food, lack of technology, overpopulation and some of the individual behaviors are some of the causes of poverty. The causes of poverty has becomes complex in the global economy. Additionally, the increase in income inequality leads to poverty, this is because the inequality lowers the living standards of people due to income differences (Romer, 6). For instance, the income gap has been on the rising trends in the US since 1970s, the income gap reflects the changes in the international trade, technological change, and a reduction in the unionization of all reason within the rising income gap. I do agree with Christine Svellinger, because it is true that the poverty issue has grown to be a pervasive and massive issue. Countries have tried developing the economies with technology and industry with varying success level. Most of the third world countries lack the necessary raw materials and skills from the

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Analyse the steps towards cost leadership within the production Essay

Analyse the steps towards cost leadership within the production relationship of a modern firm. Be specific and offer some examples - Essay Example For other industries, it is possible to attain economies of scale when the increased volume enables the assignment of resources more efficiently. This is particularly true of costs associated with manpower specialisation, where an increase in volume allows for individuals to be assigned specialised tasks, thus streamlining production methods. This results in improving rate of production without increasing the number of workers. Thus, increasing economies of scale occurs when the marginal increase in a factor of production is less than the marginal increase in the corresponding quantity of products produced. Economies of scope is similar to economies of scale because it aims to increase production faster than the attendant increase in costs. The difference lies in the number of products by which to attain this. Economies of scope seeks to reduce per unit total cost by diversifying the products a firm makes and sells. By increasing the number of product lines and extending the use of inputs (manpower and machinery) over the alternative products, the overall cost per unit of each product line is reduced because of the sharing of fixed costs among the product lines. For instance, Dunkin Donuts’ main product line is its number of variously flavoured donuts; somewhere along the line the firm decided to produce Munchkins, the bite-sized versions of the same flavours as the donuts, they tapped a new type of market demand which preferred the smaller versions. From the production aspect, the same machines and manpower were used to make the new product, thus spreading fixed costs over two product lines. Thus, increasing economies of scope occurs when the sum of the marginal increases in the cost of producing one additional unit in all the product lines is less than the increase in the marginal cost of each product line taken

Friday, August 23, 2019

Descriptive statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Descriptive statistics - Essay Example Differences in the mean pretest and posttest scores were computed to find out the extent in the change of confidence level brought about by the CRRP course. A higher mean difference value would indicate a higher degree of change in confidence level brought about by the CRRP course. Range and standard deviation measured the variability of the computed values in the study (Agresti & Finlay, 2009). A nurse leader may use descriptive statistics in cases when the â€Å"average† result is helpful in determining a course of action. In such cases, descriptive statistics are persuasive enough because it is able to give an overall picture of the data set in discussion. However, descriptive statistics, as the name implies simply provides a description of the data set and does not allow the nurse leader, to make inferences regarding the data (Malone, 2001). Based on my personal experience, we use descriptive statistics (particularly mean values) to find the prevalent cases in the nursing unit. Our department also routinely conducts a nurses’ evaluation assessment and our mean performance scores are usually given to us. Usefulness of Confidence Intervals in Determining Clinical Significance Confidence intervals indicate how variable the study data are, that is, the average distance of the data set values from the mean (Lee & Zelen, 2000). It should be noted that the true condition of a given population would be almost impossible to determine. Thus, researchers rely on the condition of a sample to provide a picture of the population. Confidence intervals aid researchers, analysts and practitioners in making decisions with regards to the clinical relevance of the data at hand. For example, if a study indicates a confidence interval of 95%, then the reader is able to determine that the values or the assessment given in the study is true for the population 95% of the time. The shorter the confidence interval, the more accurate is the assessment (Maki, 2006). For e xample, suppose a trial was conducted on the effectiveness of a weight loss pill against a placebo. Results of the study indicate that at a 95% confidence level, the weight loss was given to be 9 lbs. This means that the weight loss range would be between 4 to 14 lbs. Another interpretation of this information would be that it is highly likely for the pill to reduce one’s weight by at least 4 lbs, but highly unlikely for it to reduce one’s weight by more than 12 lbs. In this case, although the 9 lb weight loss arrived at was essentially just an estimate, the confidence interval that was set for the trial was able to quantify the uncertainty that was associated with that estimate (Malone, 2001). Clinical Significance vs. Statistical Significance Statistical significance measures the likelihood that the differences in the results of a particular test is due to the intervention applied on the treatment group and not simply due to chance (Malone, 2001). The most common mea sures of statistical significance, or hypothesis testing, are confidence intervals and p-values. On the other hand, clinical significance measures the magnitude of the differences created by the intervention on the daily lives of the participants (Agresti & Finlay, 2009). One controversy surrounding the issue between clinical and statistical significance is that statistical significance does not provide a clear picture of how large is the

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The factors that influence the well being of children and young people Essay Example for Free

The factors that influence the well being of children and young people Essay The well being of children can depend on many things. Having a good positive mental attitude to life is very important and there are many factors that can determine how we feel and how we think. Building good relationships with family members and friends can have a good outcome on how children feel and can help build a good self esteem and a good sense of who they are. Having emotional security is beneficial to a child so that they know they are loved , wanted and needed. We need to promote a well balanced diet so that children are well nourished with plenty of exercise. Make sure we teach children about good hygiene like everyday things such as washing and brushing teeth regularly. Making sure dentist and doctor appointments are made and kept so that their general health is kept up to date and promote a good sleep pattern so that they have plenty of rest. Explain the importance of resilience for children and young people Read more: Explain how children and young peoples development is influenced by a range of personal factors essay A resilient child is often a child who is strong and unaffected by changes around them unless they choose to be. They will become unaffected by different or new situations and will be able to handle them better. A child who has come from a loving family with strong emotional attachments are given a good sense of security. They will have good knowledge of their culture and will tend to know who they are and where they have come from. They will be more resilient toward negativity and winning or being good at everything will not be a priority to them but a bonus if achieved. If a child feels insecure about things they will find it difficult and may not experience everything they need to experience to get on in life. The well being of a child can be affected by resilience so a good sense of well being is needed and should include their physical and emotional health.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

GraduateWriters.net Mission to Help Students Achieve Academic Excellence Essay Example for Free

GraduateWriters.net Mission to Help Students Achieve Academic Excellence Essay PHOENIX, AZ, JUNE 24, 2014 /PRESSRELEASEPING/ ACADEMIC WRITING IS AN IMPORTANT ACTIVITY done by every student, at all level of education in order to satisfy course work requirement. Students are required to undertake a variety of academic writing task that could range from short essays, assignments, SAT, IELTS or lengthy term papers, dissertations and thesis. This type of writing could be done either under time demanding pressure or syllabus requirement. As a result students are expected to output a number of papers at the end of each day, week, semester or term. But such time demanding output doesn’t always guarantee quality of resultant paper, says Peter Wartson consultant at GraduateWriters. net. In fact a research by National Academic Council for Academic Excellence found that many students resort to borrowing or stealing the work of others in order to beat deadlines and as result the rate of plagiarism has become so common place, that if every student who plagiarized was to be flunked, the rate of dropout will be worse than that massive open online learning courses (MOOC). â€Å"With this in mind many students sort the services of freelance  academic writers, who are seen as the first level examiners. They guide students on how to structure their research papers, perform proof reading and help students to avoiding mistakes related to grammar, spelling, phrasing and plagiarism. states Peter, â€Å"Freelance academic writers, should not be confused with people who helps students achieve shortcut by doing their assignments, no they are honest writers who guide students the way a teacher will do†. While this may help students reduce stress related to academic demand, some concerns has  been raised concerning the qualification of writers who handle students’ academic work. Mary White an academic consultant at GraduateWriters. net, stated that â€Å"Students should look at the pool of writers a freelance company has, example GraduateWriter. net, is comprised of only graduate writers who have various qualification in their field of interest that range from MSc, MBA, MRes, EM, LLM, MEng, MA, Phd, and DS. At that company, writers undergo series of test approved by our senior writers to ascertain academic prowess and professional skills in writing and research. The advantage of this pool of workforce is that clients are always guaranteed the best quality writing and editing service, which cannot be found elsewhere on the Internet. Writers are specialist, with background in Education, Medicine, Nursing, Finance, Communication, Media, Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Engineering, IT, Law etc. Other qualities that prospective student should look at before selecting an academic writing company include privacy and security, originality, timeliness, quality, revision policy, orders tracking, support and response to queries. A lot of emphasis should be placed on privacy as it is not only a right but a demand that every users online should be guaranteed of. If an online company published a student paper online, without their formal approval, it could lead to plagiarism and dismissal from school. Therefore students should look for companies that adhere with privacy policies and not let third party have access to their client papers. articulates Peter. ABOUT GRADUATEWRITERS. NET Graduate Writers is an academic editing and writing company that help student in carrying out  research work, gives advice on writing, referencing and proof reading. The company is composed of Graduate writers with specialties in field which can be advantageous to students. PO Box 89670 Phoenix, AZ Peter Wartson Graduate Writers LLC +1-480-409-1822 [emailprotected] net http://graduatewriters. net Source URL: http://pressreleaseping. com/graduatewritersnet-mission-help-students-achieve-academic- excellence.

Conflicts In The Nile Basin History Essay

Conflicts In The Nile Basin History Essay The Nile is the longest river in the world, it is 6860 km long, it is supplied by two great river systems, the 1st one is the White Nile (in the Lake Plateau) which is surrounded by Kenya, Uganda, Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, an Burundi; and the other one is the Blue Nile (in Eritrea and the Ethiopian highlands); while in the north there are Egypt and Sudan that receive their water from the previously mentioned sources. The Nile River had a great role in making history on its banks, a lot of civilizations and nations were made on them; The Nile Basin consists of 10 nations which are: Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi with a total population of three hundred millions and it is expected to be doubled in the next twenty five years, the basin itself is 3,000,000 Km square that covers about 10% of the African continent area; There is no doubt that with the increasing of population, the water requirement is also increased in addition to the water that is needed for agriculture and energy production. It is may also be important to know that all the basin nations are really poor maybe the poorest in the world (except for Kenya and Egypt) and that poverty increases rates of disease and starvation. According to the terms of the agreement that was made in 1929 between Britain (the colonial power of Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, Egypt and Sudan have the absolute right to use 100% of the Niles water, while in 1959 there was another one between Sudan and Egypt. Since 1992 a lot of efforts were exerted to push the basin nations towards development and cooperation, and finally in 1999 there was the establishment of the NBI (Nile Basin Initiative), it was developed by the World Bank, Canadian International Development Agency and the United Nations Development Programme, it was established to decrease the tension between those nations and to help them to develop and gain regional stability by controlling and planning the water resources all together. Any management of any river basin in the world is complex, while the Nile Basin may be considered to be the most complex one because of its history of poverty, sacrifices, wars and insecurity, and on the other hand, the rapid and non-stoppable population growth on its banks that surely increases water and energy requirements, and that is why the NBI must have a great role in managing all those challenges and ensure the cooperation between all the nations. Recently the conflicts became even more aggressive between the Nile basin nations when 4 Nile nations which are Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda have together signed an agreement that allows them to use more amounts of Nile waters in development projects and irrigation, meanwhile Egypt and Sudan didnt agree and they convinced Burundi, Eritrea, Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya of not signing on that agreement. Discussion: The Challenge: The Nile Basin consists of 10 nations which are: Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi with a total population of three hundred millions and it is expected to be doubled in the next twenty five years, the basin itself is 3,000,000 Km square that covers about 10% of the African continent area; There is no doubt that with the increasing of population, the water requirement is also increased in addition to the water that is needed for agriculture and energy production. The River Nile is 6672 km long and it is the second longest river in the whole world, and it is supplied by 2 main sources, the first one comes from Lake Victoria and forms the White Nile that passes through Uganda and ends in Sudan while the second source is in the Ethiopian highlands and forms the Blue Nile that meets the White Nile at Khartoum then it continues northward to pass through Egypt and ends into the Mediterranean Sea. The River Nile for Egypt is everything; People in Egypt has always been connected to the Nile from the day of their birth till the moment of their death; Historically, in the fifth century B.C. Herodotus described Egypt as the gift of the Nile, and after Nasser built the dam at Aswan, the connection was reinforced more and more, Egypt depends mainly on the River Nile as a water supply and with the rapid increase in population, the water demands become more. In 1929 an agreement was held between Britain and Egypt and another one in1959 that was held between Egypt and Sudan, both have given the downstream nations their natural right of the Niles waters, construction of dams was approved and the water was divided as follows: Egypt has forty eight billions cubic meters, Sudan has four billions, and thirty two million will end into the Mediterranean Sea; now that was acceptable then because the rest of the upstream countries were not developed, and their population was relatively low, today those countries need to develop and they need to develop new projects and construct dams and that would be a high threat to the downstream nations as the downstream nations want to renegotiate about the old treaty, on the other hand, Egypt has refused to renegotiate and considers its share of water a natural right and became prepared for any military action as Egypt is known as the most powerful military power in Africa. Egypt receives 97.5% of the Niles water and Sudan receives 77%, however, it is very important to make clear that the water distribution between the Nile Nations is fair because of the following: The 7 upstream nations are located in humid areas they have rainfall average range from 1250 to 1500mm annually, on the other hand it is 500mm in Sudan and Eritrea while it is not more than 15mm in Egypt annually. Egypts climate is hyper arid with high temperature that will cause rapid evaporation and will definitely cause marked losses of water resources in Egypt. The upstream nations receive about 1500 billion cubic meters every year while on the other hand Egypt receives only 85 cubic billion meters every year and that equals 5-7% of the total water resources. The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) In 1999 the Nile Basin Initiative was established and developed by the World Bank, CIDA, and the UNDP, it was established in order to decrease the conflicts and the tensions between the Nile basin nations and help them to cooperate and develop the water resources of the Nile. It was supported by a lot of donors including Denmark, Canada, Germany, Japan, Finland, Italy, Norway, the UK, the Netherlands, the US, Swede, the African Development Bank, GEF, FAO, the World Bank and UNDP. The NBI has stated that they can make successful 100% development that will definitely lead to more food and energy production, development of industry, development of transportation, and other regional activities development. The projects of the NBI include fishing projects, management of water, management of the floods, reduction of the pollution, and finally controlling the waterborne diseases. Management of water resources is considered to be a very complex process in any river basin, and if you realized that the Nile basin has always been characterized by poverty, water scarcity, huge population, and long history of wars and insecurity then you will understand how complex and difficult it can be. NBI knew that cooperative development is the only way for the greatest results and maximum benefits to all of the Niles basin nations, the NBI provides the shared vision and a base for cooperative development, and its primary objectives are: Developing the water resources of the Nile Basin in an equitable way in order to ensure: Security Prosperity Peace Ensure the optimal use of the Nile Basin water resources Ensure joint action and cooperation between all the Nile Basin nations Eliminate poverty and enhance economic renaissance Transforming the plan into action and the dream to a fact Conflict in the Nile Basin In Entebbe, Uganda, 14-2-2010, 4 upriver nations which are Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda have started and signed an agreement that allows them to have more management of the Nile waters to use them in development projects and irrigation. That agreement was made while the negotiations with the downstream nations were standstill; on the other hand the reaction of the downstream nations was not sending any delegations but they have used diplomacy in convincing Burundi, Kenya, Eritrea, and Congo not to sign on that agreement. The 7 upstream nations now consider the old treaties unfair and demand more water to be used for irrigation and development projects. Egypt cleared that cooperation between the Nile Basin nations is the only way to achieve maximum benefits and that the upstream nations can make better use of the water resources they already have (rainfall), however, the upstream nations are threatening that they would sign another agreement that will exclude Sudan and Egypt and distribute the Nile waters in a new way; that agreement is considered to be a death sentence to all the Egyptians, and that was what made Egypt announce that it will take whichever action may be found necessary to secure its share in the River Nile. Another important fact to be mentioned is that Israel is participating in building dams in Uganda on the Nile waters and that increases the worries and the tension of the Egyptians. It is matter of time for Sudan and Egypt to specify their reaction against that new agreement, and they have to make a serious act to protect their rights of the Niles water; every country has to pay everything to protect its national security. Solutions and recommendations: Basin nations are depending on each other, they are all linked to the River Nile, if Nile nations have cooperated and managed Nile waters all together, synergy will be created between them and conflicts between them will be resolved, and regional stability and development will be achieved; That could only happen if all the Nile nations have reached a legal agreement between all of them based on trust, shared interest, and common bond. Collaborative management will help in reaching peace between all the Nile nations, because if we managed to share water, the struggle for life will disappear, and battles between tribes, clans, families, neighbors and nations will also disappear. The Basin Nations must know that natural resources (water) can bring peace and cooperation instead of fighting each other, they can use that water to build new culture and new developments. Another useful solution is to take into consideration the opinions of the public including farmers, women, different organizations, and fishers. Finally there must be management schemes that determine the rightful share of water for each country according to its needs and in order to help all the Nile nations to use the Niles water today and in the future with easy accessibility and based on the shared interests and the broad participation. Conclusion:

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

SYMPTOMS Signs and Symbolism in Medical Discourse :: Essays Papers

SYMPTOMS Signs and Symbolism in Medical Discourse Whether it is regarded as disease or illness, whether it occurs in a society practicing biomedicine or a culture practicing indigenous medicine, sickness is universal. Diseases and illnesses of all types plague each and every society throughout the world. Central to the idea of sickness is the diagnostic element of the symptom. Although many cultures have unique ideologies regarding sickness, healing, and efficacy, these cultures use the symptom as the primary instrument to maintain their culturally constructed idea of health. Regardless of the healing system or society, globally, people tend to use the symptom as a tool to communicate illness to the appropriate medical practitioner. In seeking the healing action of practitioners and the advice of friends and family, the sick communicate their symptoms as a way of receiving social legitimization for their illness. Thus, symptoms are also used by the sick to gain legitimization of the sick role from society. Just as culture is integrated in the beliefs and behaviors of every society, symptoms are deeply embedded in the concept of sickness and healing. Symptoms add clarity to the complex ideas of sickness and healing in such a way that it is difficult to discuss either process without touching on these symbols. The symptom is regarded as a vital part of the illness experience because it offers insight into the physiological and psychological aspects of the patient’s body. In this way, the symptom symbolizes the roots of a tree, anchoring a societal understanding of medical knowledge and healing etiologies. Therefore, it is the purpose of this paper to explore the significance of symptoms and determine their centrality to a culture’s ideas of sickness and healing. Related topics such as the symptom’s significance in the process of social legitimization of illness and its symbolic nature will serve to supplement and support the argument that symptoms ar e, in fact, central in the process of healing. Definition and Importance of the Symptom Due to the intricacy of the symptom, it is difficult to construct a simple definition. Illness symptoms are â€Å"differently labeled by individuals in dissimilar social situations† (Browner 1983: 494).

Monday, August 19, 2019

Kings :: essays research papers

Sex Education Messages In The Media   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The media should not be blamed for the sexuality of american youth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First concern in sexual activity is too much media. Television is something that kids watch all the time. Television shows that show sexual activity and children pick up on those events quickly. Teenagers dream about marrying someone who is good looking and has money and then starting a family with them. A lot of teens watch soap operas and romantic shows. Teens see kids, their age, having sex and getting pregnant and they think they can do it, too. Parents should watch what types of TV shows and movies that their children are watching. TV commercials are explicit when it comes to showing sex. Teens can pick up ideas about sex from commercials. Such as, the Trojan Man and the Durex commercials shown frequently on MTV and other stations. The media could be more discrete about that sort of material on the airwaves. In light of these statistics, it would appear that the nonjudgemental/safe-sex approach can add up to a dangerous combination. Dr. Theresa Crenshaw, a past president of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists, in testimony before a House subcommittee in February 1987, said, â€Å"To say that the use of condoms is ‘safe sex’ is in fact playing Russian roulette. A lot of people will die in this dangerous game.† Yet despite warnings like this, schoolteachers routinely present homosexuality to their students as just another option about which they must decide for themselves (Kilpatrick 598). On the other hand, with the popular television show, Ellen, the main character and the actress who played her, Ellen Degenerous, was an open lesbian. This views homosexuals as nice, fun loving people and not the hated figures that some community activists portray them as. In turn, the media can be a blessing to the gay community because they show the lighter side of their sexual preference. Then again, some parents view this as a wrong statement and refuse to let their children watch this display. Another show is Will and Grace, Will is a gay man living with his friend Grace. This show was aired after the Ellen show was cancelled because of it’s bad ratings after she came out into the limelight with her â€Å"secret†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Second concern in the media. All sorts of teen’s and women’s magazines that are in stores today are filled with sex and what types of protection to use. Parents should watch what their kids are reading.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

prejudice in to kill a mockingbird :: essays research papers

Prejudice is arguably the most prominent theme of the novel. It is directed towards groups and individuals in the Maycomb community. Prejudice is linked with ideas of fear superstition and injustice. Racial prejudice consumed the mob (pg 166), which wished to prevent Tom even gaining a court hearing, the most basic form of justice. This is probably the fiercest form of prejudice in the novel. The abolition of slavery after the civil war gave blacks the same legal position as many whites in America. This initially made Blacks ´ lives harder because now the Whites saw them as competitors for jobs during the 30s depression. Fear and paranoid led to the Whites believing that the Blacks desired all the whites had, including their women. Aunt Alexandra ´s attitude to Calpurnia The Missionary tea ladies ´ comments about the Blacks Segregation of White and Black in Maycomb Dolphus Raymond - White man living with Black woman Class & Family Group is recognised by Jem on page 249 â€Å"There are four kinds of folks in the world†¦Ã¢â‚¬  -  · Finches & neighbours: White middle-class  · Cunninghams: Badly hit farming community  · Ewells: Lowest class of whites ‘White Trash ´  · Blacks: Seen as bottom of social strata Due to the abolition of slavery there was no longer a clear-cut line between the Ewells and the Blacks; skin colour did not make them any better. When Tom said in the trial that he felt sorry for Mayella (a crime worse than rape in the jury ´s eyes) - the lowest class showing superiority for a class above themselves. The white community was frightened for their own position in society; the only reason Tom was found guilty was to maintain the traditional hierarchies. Alexandra is obsessed with heredity and educating Scout and Jem of their superior family background - she will not allow Scout to bring home a Cunningham to play, nor will she allow her to visit Calpurnia at her home. Everyone in Maycomb has a particular â€Å"streak† (pg 143), mean streak, drinking streak etc. There is a lot of pigeon holing families (pg 145). Gender - At the time the novel is set, women were still regarded as unequal to men. Scout learns this from:  · Miss Maudie in terms of religion (pg 50)  · Atticus in terms of the law - no women on juries  · Alexandra in expected terms of dress and behaviour However, there was an idealised view of women held at the time - the Southern Gentleman was excepted to be chivalrous to Southern Belles and that these women were to be protected and almost worshiped.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Restoration of Rauza Sharif, Sirhind, Punjab

RESTORATION OF RAUZA SHARIF, SIRHIND, PUNJAB Abstraction:Sacred memorials such as Mausoleums, Shrines, and Dargahs of Sufis represent the traditional grave architecture. Among the major such Mausoleumsâ€Å"The Rauza Sharif of Mujaddid Alfisani†at Sirhind, Punjab is like one of these memorials holding great historical, spiritual and cultural significance. Hence our purpose is to document the present conditions of the impact zone, in footings of Architecture, planning, stuffs and engineering and place the lack on assorted foreparts, based on this analysis of the impact zone, place the potency of architectural intercessions and consequently propose appropriate design solution to turn to the concerns of today and tomorrow. Keywords:Sacred memorials, Dargahs, congestion, climatic impact, climatic control, invasions, atmosphere, holiness, repose. Introduction: Brief history: The sacred â€Å"RAUZA SHARIF† at Sirhind, Punjab is the topographic point of historical significance and besides spiritual and cultural significance.RauzaSharifor Dargah ofShaikh Ahmad FaruqiSirhindi( popularly known as Mujaddid, Alf-Isfani )is situated on theSirhind–Bassi PathanaRoad at a little distance to the North ofGurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib. Sheikh Ahmed Farooqi lived at this topographic point during the times ofAkbarandJahangirfrom 1563 to 1624. TheUrsjubilation ( decease day of remembrance ) of the Mujadid are held here for more than 300 old ages and are mostly attended byMoslemsfromIndia,Pakistan,Afghanistan,Dutch east indies,Bangladeshand other Muslim states. There are a figure of other graves in the compound largely of the members of Shaikh Ahmad ‘s house. The mausoleum is a all right edifice made of bricks partially overlaid with rock and marble. Near to it there is the mausoleum of Rati-ud-Din, an ascendant of the Mujadid. Not far here are the rauzas of Mujaddid’s boies Khawaja Muhammad Sadiq and Khwaja Muhammad Masum. The rauza of latter is sometimes called rauzachini on history of its first-class mosaic work. In its premises are many other Gravess of the members of the house of the said reformist and some members of the governing household ofKabul. There is a expansive mosque with a cellar and a little armored combat vehicle for executing ablution before the supplications. The shrine has since been taken over by Government of India as a historic memorial and regular employees have been kept here for its care, up maintain and care. The point of position of every person with regard to the sacredness of a holy topographic point varies. most of the trusters follow the lone imprints of their ascendants and give no importance to the atmosphere and holiness of the topographic point which if non given consideration will eventually ensue in a topographic point holding merely crowd of trusters sitting in a topographic point of heavy via medias in footings of infinite quality and kernel of the sacred feel. For illustration. KALIYAR SHARIF. One gets a cheerless feeling if he/she visits the topographic point for the first clip. Though the program is really much celebrated and one becomes eager to see it when he hears its name. In the same manner â€Å"The Rauza Sharif† at Sirhind, should be given the attending so that in the class of clip the increase in the figure of multitudes sing this topographic point do non present any sort of menace to its atmosphere. PRESENT AREA OF STUDY The present country of site of Rauza Sharif covers an country of approximately 12 Estates, embracing 7 shrines with the chief shrine of AL MUJADID as per our first visit we found following factors which should be thought of and their solutions should be incorporated in the design proposal for the development and preservation of this heritage site.The ancient constructions of the site such as the guestrooms, ablution pool etc. should be maintained and given due importance the guestrooms doors open towards the chief entryway ambulatory plaza disturb the privateness of its invitees, apart from this there is excessively much congestion in these suites. The solution of this will be that the burden of these suites must be reduced and some more guest suites should be made away i.e. out of the direct sight of the visitants come ining the chief entryway gate.There is invasion in the composite by the staff houses which spoil the atmosphere of the Rauza Sharif, and should be screened off wholly from the chief shrine by relocating them someplace else on the site and by making landscape gardening.In summers noon clip one thinks of rapidly running off after sing the topographic point due to heat and tiredness, hence the countries bring forthing the plentifulness of heat such as cardinal plaza without any verdure or any shading shelter should be thought off.The shrine composite has got a plentifulness of agricultural land which can be utilized for seting fly-by-night trees apart from using them for the intent of agribusiness besides. Another thing is that there is no proper connectivity between the chief shrine and the shrines of the predecessors of Al Mujaddid as a consequence of which one leaves them unvisited, by and large during their first visit, therefore there should be a proper ocular and prosaic connectivity. Their care will besides so be given importance.The paths in the composite should be planned such that the Sub shrines should besides be visited by the visitants . These complecting tracts shall hold street furniture and besides the rock pieces holding engraved on them the history of the topographic point, thereby doing the visit more enlightening and synergistic.The pool which is unmaintained soon should besides be maintained and reopened as it will assist in cut downing the heat of the premises and will besides function the intent for which it was ab initio built i.e. ablution.Cosmic Coherence: The cosmic coherency of the premises should besides be analyzed and a layout program which coincides and lucifers with the coherent forces should be implemented in the new proposal of the shrine composite so that an environment of holiness and repose is maintained, which should decidedly be the property of the sacred infinite, as the sacred edifice is a topographic point that contains certain qualities similar to those arising from nature in harmoniousness with its milieus. Methodology:Limit of all the shrines within the country of survey of the site, placing other heritage constructions which fulfill the supportive maps for illustration the invitee house, pools etc, which are to be retained and restored.Identify the constructions presenting hinderance to the position of the heritage construction, deteriorating its atmosphere and magnificence and pulverizing them for illustration houses and quarters of the workers.The constructions which can’t be demolished should be subdued by taking one upper narrative and adding the elements which compliment the original heritage construction.Taking clime into consideration implement/provide some shading devices for illustration canopies, arbors along the paseos which will assist in cut downing heat for the visitants every bit good as staff.The prominence of the sellers selling tea, java, bites and juice should be reduced by cut downing or curtailing the size of the stall. It could be done by doing a standard faculty of the peddling stables.Planing the proper path for the prosaic traffic coming to the shrine composite such that no visitant accidentally leaves the other shrines unvisited. All the shrines within the composite should be decently maintained by carefully analyzing these constructions and taking the multiple beds of white wash applied over their surface one over the other in due class of clip thereby uncovering the original masonry construction and eventually cleansing and using the transparent varnish over its surface to protect it against the gnawing conditions.Peoples populating in the premises besides rear cowss. They should be besides given due consideration and should be planned carefully.Decision: The heritage site under survey should be restored in such a manner that it is free from ugly invasions or instead free from the invasions of peripheral importance to supply positions and views in the site, taking to and from the heritage edifices to the public topographic points ( remainder houses, Parkss, sitting countries etc. ) . the street flower stalks should be provided such as street furniture and canopies etc. to cut down the heat generated during the hot conditions and all the heritage edifice within the composite should be readily seeable with regard to each other and the peripheral or the supportive services such as, guest house, ablution country, staff quarters and lavatories etc. should be visually segregated and physically accessible with easiness to its users. Mentions:Heritage site visit of RAUZA SHARIF, Sirhind.Internet, Wikipedia.Creative infinite diary ( January 2014 publication ) .Meeting with Prof. Kiran Joshi, Prof. S.S. Bais on 4ThursdayJune 2014

Friday, August 16, 2019

Competency Goal Essay

I promote physical activities in my classroom daily. We do music and movement different songs like Pirate Ship, Bear Hunt and the Dancing Machine. All provide a wide range of movement to promote physical health. During outdoor play children are given opportunities , to play with balls, climbing up and down the stairs to the slide, hopping, skipping, jumping and balancing on a rail. Children need opportunities to develop their body strength. Pulling themselves up and down, rolling balls, swinging, throwing things such as bean bags, can strengthen their upper bodies. Running, jumping, balancing, can help strengthen their lower bodies. As they process and these activities they are working on their gross motor skills. Painting, coloring, drawing, encourage fine motor development. Functional Area 5: Cognitive I help children develop cognitive skills by encouraging them to hypothesis and try things out. In my classroom I allow the children to explore toys and objects on their own. I ask open-ended questions to allow them to think critically and imaginatively. Singing, One-to-One Correspondence, Classifying, creating things, and identify items objects gives the child opportunity to discover the purpose for the require skills. Science and media interrelate with visual stimulation and measurement skills. Functional Area 6: Communication In my classroom I help children learn, understand, and use words to communicate. This is done by encouraging conversations throughout the classroom. I ask children about what they are doing and prompt them to explain in detail. Children are reminded to use their words to express themselves when they are having a difficult time communicating.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

The Social Reality of Violence and Violent Crime

The book â€Å"The Social Reality of Violence and Violent Crime† by Henry H. Brownstein concerns a very critical and disturbing aspect of life of our modern society. Indeed, some of the most hotly debated topics today are in one way or another connected to violence, be they issues of adolescent crime, the high percentage of violent behavior at the workplace, in families, violence by drug addicts, etc.To put it simply – it must be acknowledged that the anxiety about violence as such within our society has become one of the most prominent elements of our world view. In this regard, the mentioned book by Henry H. Brownstein aims to accomplish a truly important task of uncovering the role that violence and violent crime play within our perception of the social reality that surrounds us.In accordance with this task and considering the complexity of the field of his study, the author of this work decided to maintain a live connection with his audience by means of collecting s tories from real life, which helps to characterize violence and violent crime in the United States from points of view of both individuals and social groups.This approach of the author is really important as in this way he manages to convincingly show how violence may be perceived differently by different people, and how those differences in perception of violence have developed in our society during the last century.Thus, the author`s views on the perception of violence are to a large degree based on the principles of social constructivism which state that our knowledge is not completely objective, but rather is to a certain degree subjectivity constructed by existing social influences (Brownstein 1999, p.3).I think that the useful tool that helped the author to achieve his aim was his ability to meld together his personal narratives and experiences of other people related to violence with excerpts from reports of media, official statistics, and research.As the author opens each ch apter with some story that helps readers properly understand what forms violence may take, where it exists, and what are probable reasons of its existence, readers can begin to see how all those complex and often seemingly separated from real life sociological concepts in fact stem from concrete historical and cultural conditions of our society.Indeed, even though it might sound quite sad, it seems that for many of us who were lucky to avoid personal encounters with violence it takes only shocking stories of real victims of violence and violent offenders to be able to see violence not as a merely dry statistics but as a terrible reality.At the same time, I think that one of the merits of Brownstein is that along with his personalized approach to interpretation of place of violence in our lives he nevertheless does not forget about more general social considerations and at the end of every chapter also discusses relevant social policies.This allusion to the realm of political decisio n-making is valuable as such because of the competence of the author, and at the same time it helps complete the picture of how violence is socially constructed, because policies towards violence too often impose upon us some fixed and almost compulsory perception of it.Finally, I feel that aside from his academic talent, Brownstein managed to convey to readers some fine nuances of his personal, even intimate, perception of violence. This is done in a very subtle way through his writing style and his ability to depict moods of people and his personal experiences. For example, he begins his book with a very impressive description of his visit to the infamous Sing Sing prison, and as he described his slow advance thought a series of security points and bars, I felt as if coming closer and closer to something truly terrible. However, the story of the man whom Brownstein interviewed in Sing Sing left me somewhat baffled due to its ambiguity.On one hand, the author described the case of a dangerous murderer, but on the other hand left me wondering whether the circumstantial evidence against him based on his cocaine usage was sufficient to be sure in his guilt. This story vividly illustrates the power of stereotypes that shape our perception of violence, and serves as a good start for the author`s endeavor to shed light on this complex phenomenon.SourcesBrownstein, H., H. (1999). The Social Reality of Violence and Violent Crime. Allyn & Bacon.