English paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

English paper - Essay Example My quest for knowledge and learning ability leads me to write efficiently and learn more in the field of writng. I have the ability to express my feelings about different subjects, like life, nature, politics, history and so on. This course helped me in understanding writing from a different perspective which further helped me in polishing my existing skills. My attitude towards writing changed after the course as I learnt to give my own opinion when it came to discussion about different topics. I no longer depend on other’s opinion and have developed the potential to write on any subject using my own researching skills. I have learnt not to plagiarize and try to research and provide original content with my personal views and knowledge. The originality of the work is what I have learnt through the course. The course has helped me to learn about different topics and study them clearly. I have been able to critically assess different works and pin point the views put down by ot hers. By amalgamating different views and assessing them I have been able to grab the skills of a critical analyst. With time I have also been able to put forward arguments to my own opinions. Arguments to my own opinions help me greatly when it comes to deriving conclusions. In my view a good piece of writing has to have no weakness or so. In my view a good piece of writing is when person is able to express his opinions about a topic with the ground facts about it. The writing should not be bias and should analyze different perspectives. I analyze a good writing based on the opinions given by the writer. The perspectives analyzed are the foremost part which should be noticed. The arguments given by the writer are the second most important part which is to be seen so that one can analyze a good piece of writing. Finally the flow of the writing should be seen and the conclusion given by the writer about the specific topic which is being talked

Domestic Terrorism Essay Example for Free

Domestic Terrorism Essay According to Section 802 of the Patriot Act, the definition of domestic terrorism is one that encompasses acts committed within the borders of the United States, and is one where a person or organization commits an act that is: â€Å"dangerous to human life that is a violation of the criminal laws of a state or the United States, if the act appears to be intended to: (i) intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping† (ACLU, 2002). It is safe to say that the face of terrorism has always been changing, and domestic terrorism is not something new in the wake of 9/11; rather it is now run by smarter operations, elaborate infrastructures, and with perhaps strong connections to international terrorism groups and organizations. Domestic and internationally based groups have come to realize they can help one another in achieving their goals, or aiming at specific targets. Their common enemy is US Policy – be it domestic or foreign – and both types of organizations have made attacks at government agencies and bodies. The most notable of recent domestic terrorism attacks, is perhaps that of McVeigh and Nichols and the Oklahoma City Bombing. Their target was the FBI headquarters, and there has been circulated discourse on the foreign connections Nichols had prior to the bombing. It has been also cited that he had domestic militant group connections, in particular Posse Comitatus: â€Å"He attended meetings in Michigan of the Posse Comitatus, a militant, right-wing organization founded by Col. William Potter Gale and headed by James Wickstrom. Members of Posse Comitatus, according to legal documents released prior to McVeighs trial, have for years been in contact with Iraq and other rogue Arab nations that share a hatred of Israel† (O’Meara, 2001). Another such example of domestic terrorism is â€Å"They Army of God† and their crusade against gay night clubs, anti-abortion clincs, and doctors. They have been known to bomb clinics and nightclubs, having taken claim for 1997 bombings of a clinic and a nightclub in Atlanta, Georgia. It was also suggested, that the 2001 anthrax letters could have been connected to the group: â€Å"That letter spoke of the ungodly communist regime in New York and called for death to the New World Order and bore the nom de guerre signature of accused abortion-clinic bomber Eric Rudolph. In addition to the letters sent to Daschle and Brokaw, more than 100 abortion clinics also received letters containing white powder, of which a handful made reference to the Army of God, an extremist antiabortion group† (2001). There is a connection of Rudolph with the Aryan Nation, another organization who has been referenced to have foreign connections. What is significant in these examples is the opportunist attitudes of the domestic militant groups, and arguably, vice versa. The chief element is fear when it comes to how both domestic and international terrorism groups work, and in this way they certainly help each other. Domestic terrorism, however, is not just based on right-wing militants with political agendas. Left-wing and environmental groups aimed at ‘protecting’ society are often overshadowed by their right-wing counterparts. â€Å"Notable early participants in left-wing terrorism were various socialist and anarchist groups from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Leon Czolgocz, who shot President William McKinley in 1901, embraced anarchist beliefs, though no anarchist group would accept him for membership† (Knight, 2004). However, it is perhaps religious- and social- militant groups labeled under â€Å"right-wing† that have been of more concern in recent times, despite heavy protest often seen by environmental and anti-globalization groups. With the changes in the Patriot Act, and the steady advancement of technology, it is little wonder that the Internet be considered such a powerful tool in the fight against terrorism; as well as the fight for terrorism. Many militant and terrorist groups freely use the Internet to advertise, broadcast and relay messages to one another. It is no surprise, then that monitoring Internet usage should spark such a controversy. FBI and law enforcement should monitor activity of known militant groups, but it is such a hazy area in regards to First Amendment rights. Were monitoring to become a daily occurrence on the Internet, no doubt there would be another means of communication and way to incite violence – as there was in the decades prior to the Internet. â€Å"In August, 2004, the Electronic Frontier Foundation compiled a best-practices list for online service providers (OSPs) wherein it recommended that OSPs set policies to minimize data retention to limit their liability risks, avoid the high cost of having to search through all their data upon the receipt of a subpoena, and protect the privacy of their users† (Gardella, 2006). The Internet is the embodiment of First Amendment rights, with the exchange of ideas and the ability to converse freely at the heart of its ongoing success. Should legislation make Internet monitoring an acceptable practice, it could undermine the fabric of society and only force groups to work more underground than they already are. The innocent civilian would still be the victim. The grant-funded Hamm Report evaluated and compared the methods undertaken by domestic and international terrorism groups. Predominantly, it highlighted the different means favored by each organization and uncovered that: â€Å"International jihad groups are statistically more likely than domestic right-wing groups to commit aircraft and motor vehicle-related crimes; violations of explosive materials; and firearms violations. Right-wing domestic groups are more likely to commit mail fraud; racketeering; robbery/burglary; and violations involving machine guns and destructive devices† (Hamm, 2005). What this largely suggests is that, not only are domestic groups more ready and able to work within the infrastructure of the country, but are prepared to commit small-scale â€Å"warfare† on national targets. International groups, given distances and so forth, were more liable to commit terrorism acts of a larger scale, though not any less devastating than their domestic counterparts. What was also significant in the report was the â€Å"type† of person which domestic groups would recruit: â€Å"Unlike the jihadists, domestic right-wing groups recruit individuals specifically for their criminal skills. Typically headed by charismatic leaders, domestic groups are most successful at acquiring false identity documents, manufacturing illegal firearms, armored truck and bank robbery, and murder. They are surveillance experts, often spending weeks taking into account every moment in the taken-for-granted order of daily routines in and around their targets† (Hamm) It is logical to consider, if not also alarming that many right-wing groups have branches and feelers within the penal system and arguably do a lot of recruiting from the inside. International groups, as noted in the Hamm Report, do not rely heavily on specialists for mundane tasks, however there is prestige considered in both groups – it is an honor to be chosen. The concept of terrorism is two-fold: the act itself, and the fear of an act occurring. It is in this sense that domestic and international terrorism wave the same banner and are equally responsible for devastating lives – be it from bombing a nightclub, to an underground network behind car bombings. It is the threat that it could happen that has become imprinted in people’s minds. Arguably though, perhaps the more concern should be placed on domestic terrorism and the measures used to not only prevent it but to track the groups involved. They are using the system – from the postal system, to recruitment through the penal system – and this is as dangerous if not more so as an international group â€Å"training† overseas. The threat, as they say, is in our own backyard and we can not combat other threats if we are unable to contain the ones running rife within our own borders. References _. â€Å"How the USA PATRIOT Act redefines Domestic Terrorism† ACLU, 2002 (http://www. aclu. org/natsec/emergpowers/14444leg20021206. html ) Gardella, T. M Beyond Terrorism: The Potential Chilling Effect on the Internet of Broad Law Enforcement Legislation. † St. Johns Law Review. Spring 2006. (http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_qa3735/is_200604/ai_n17173795 ) Hamm, M. â€Å"Crimes Committed by Terrorist Groups: Theory, Research, and Prevention† Department of Justice, NCJRS, September 2005 (http://www. ncjrs. gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/211203. pdf ) Knight, J. Terrorism, Domestic (United States). Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security. (2004). (http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_gx5211/is_2004/ai_n19126728 ) OMeara, K. P. Iraq connections to U. S. extremists Nation: Domestic Terrorism Cover Story. Insight on the News. Nov 19, 2001. (http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_43_17/ai_80309410 )

Essay --

James Mercer Langston Hughes was a poet and a novelist from the mid -1900s who began writing poems throughout his high school career. His poems are mainly affiliated with the tough life he had been through as racism reached its peak. In his poems, Langston Hughes discusses his hardships dealing with all the racist people in his schools and the ones around him. And how the experience of life was for someone who was black. He was known as the most versatile writer of the Harlem Renaissance, a time in American history when African Americans became part of the mainstream in both politics and music. In Langston Hughes’s poem, â€Å"Dreams† Langston Hughes illustrates the value of dreams. He believes that dreams serve as the purpose of life and if there are no dreams to achieve then that life is not worth living. The rhyme scheme of the poem is A-B-C-B-D-F-E-F. In line 1 and 2 Langston Hughes uses personification describing how dreams die, giving dreams characteristics of living things. By this he means that if people do not follow their goals/dreams they can never taste freedom and they become incapable of doing anything with their life. From lines 3-4, a metaphor is used to compare life to a broken-winged bird that cannot fly if dreams die. This is the same concept where if there aren’t dreams to pursue in life, there is nothing to be done in life. From lines 6-8, Langston Hughes uses personification again saying, if dreams go, or in other words fade away, life becomes a barren field with frozen snow. This is a metaphor. With this being said, a barren field is used to describe an empty life, still, and alone where there is nothing to be done and where nothing can be done, everything is stable. This barren field being frozen with snow sh... ...n’t being treated like the white kids are treated. From lines 3 to 6, Langston Hughes explains how the injustice in his life doesn’t matter to white kids. To white kids, injustice is like unnoticeable, yet it does exist. Throughout the rest of the poem, Hughes questions the promises made by the Pledge of Allegiance. The promise made was, Liberty and Justice for all! This was only for the white kids where when it came to African Americans, they were ignored. Langston Hughes points out the part in the Pledge where it is said, â€Å"for all†, and that really only stands for white people. He says the Pledge of Allegiance has lies written in it. Like a children’s nursery rhyme, treated insignificantly. Langston Hughes discusses how the promises made in the Pledge are only promised, but are not given to all. The rhyme scheme for this poem is A-B-C-D-C-E-F-G-H-G-I-J-K-L-K.

Tablets vs. Textbooks

During the 21st century, humans have developed the scientific technologies more rapidly than ever before. And the way of their lives is also changing according to the change of new technologies. Nowadays, we can easily see the people who are holding tablets with their hands around our place. A tablet is simply a mobile computer that is small, portable, and easy to use with just two fingers. Since it has been recognized for its usefulness and utility, many students study and do their homework with tablets. As tablets have become more prevalent, a new debate has formed over whether schools should replace print textbooks by tablets.In fact, many schools and states have begun transitioning from the paper textbooks to digital learning environments, â€Å"California launched a free digital textbooks initiative in 2009, and West Virginia replaced social studies print textbook purchases with digital textbooks† (FCC). However, there are some people who disagree with the idea of using t ablets in school. The opponent of tablets’ argument is that tablets can have a bad influence on student’s education in a way that it can distract student’s attention and contribute to an eye strain. I would argue that the positive aspects of using tablets in school outweigh the negative.The recent research has shown that tablets help students learn more materials faster, â€Å"Technology-based instruction can reduce the time students take to reach a learning objective by 30-80%, according to the US Department of Education and studies by the National Training† (FCC 9). Actually, tablets can provide various methods of studying which are very distinguishable from paper textbooks. It is possible for tablets to explain the concepts with such as sound and video clips. Not only do these functions make studying interesting, but it would really help students improve their learning abilities.In my experience, I also had more fun when I was studying with a tablet. R ather than just reading printed texts, variety of contents a tablet provides helped me understand the concepts more easily and interestingly. Also, tablets can hold thousands of books on one device. Usually, when we are using the paper textbooks, the books actually take up much space of our place. However, if we are using tablets, we can eliminate the need for physical storage of textbooks and classroom materials. It is known that â€Å"The average tablet contains anywhere from 8 to 64 gigabytes (GB)of storage space. On the Amazon Kindle Fire, for instance, 1,000 books take up one GB of space† (Price), which implies that people don’t need to go to the library every time when they need a book to borrow. Since they can find and read almost every book they need on one device, it can reduce the waste of time finding the books and help students concentrate on their studies. Furthermore, there is one another important aspect of the fact that tablets can hold thousands of boo ks, which is that it can eliminate the need for carrying heavy print textbooks.Up until now, students carry lots of heavy textbooks in their backpacks when they go to school. Not only does it make them feel tired, but it could actually cause injuries. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, it was recorded that â€Å"during the 2011-12 school year more than 13,700 kids, aged 5 to 18, were treated for backpack-related injuries† (Dallas). In contrast, a tablet only weighs 1-2 pounds, while the average weight of a student’s backpack is 15. 4 pounds (Dallas). When I was in high school, there were some students who didn’t want to carry the textbooks in their backpacks just because of its heavy weight.But, if they are told to carry a tablet instead of textbooks, I am pretty sure all of them wouldn’t resist doing it. Using tablets can also save some of the money purchasing from the print textbooks. For the print textbooks, there are printing, tra nsportation and warehouse costs. However, if we are using E-textbooks on tablets, we can yield tangible savings in these costs. In fact, it is reported that â€Å"E-textbooks can save schools between $250- $1,000 per student per year† (Electronista). With that amount of money saving per student, we can see that it would exceed the amount of expenditure on providing a tablet for each student.Similarly, using E-textbooks can also save our environment. Since all the print textbooks are made of paper, we have to cut down the trees to make a paper and ultimately print a textbook. Some statistical data has shown that A school with 100 teachers uses on average 250,000 pieces of paper annually. A school of 1,000 students on average spends between $3,000-4,000 a month on paper, ink, and toner, not counting printer wear and tear or technical support costs. (Williams) Indeed, we can see that we are using huge amount of papers in school and losing a lot of trees accordingly.But, if we ar e using tablets, it will lower the amount of papers teachers have to print out for the assignments and handouts, which will consequently help to save the environment. Furthermore, tablets help students better prepare for a world immersed in technology. Students will be able to develop their technology skills with tablets by simply doing homework, customizing the apps or making out presentation materials. In the present and near future, more jobs would require the worker’s high technology skill, since the tools that workers use is also rapidly developing and changing.According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, it reports that â€Å"Employment in computer and information systems is expected to grow by 18% between 2010 and 2020†. Therefore, students that learn technology skills early in their lives will be better prepared to pursue relevant careers later in life. However, there are some arguments that tablets can have a bad influence on student’s education. The argument that tablets have too many distractions for classroom uses has been considered to be one of the most important concerns we shouldn’t neglect.Indeed, there is a high possibility that students may pay attention more to the apps, games and websites instead of their teachers. But, if there’s the app for teachers that allow them to control all the devices in classroom, there will be no need to worry about students being distracted. Likewise, when I was in high school, students were not able to call with their phones within a school area. That was because the system in school blocked the student’s communication network, so we needed to go outside of school to make a call.Thus, in the similar way, schools may be able to block the distracting games and websites within the classroom. Another argument is that tablets are more susceptible to theft than print textbooks. It is reported that â€Å"In San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles, robberies related to in ternet –enabled handheld devices have accounted for 50, 40, and 25 percent respectively of all robberies in 2012† (Associated Press). Since the electronic devices such as tablets are likely to be more expensive than print textbooks, there will be a high possibility for the danger of theft.Therefore, it will be very important to have a system that protects against the danger of tablet theft, if schools replace print textbooks by tablets. For the solution, schools may limit the use of tablets outside of school and let students keep their own tablets in their lockers. And in fact, there is already the app that can track down the location of its device, so it would help prevent theft from others. Through researching the both advantages and disadvantages of using tablets in schools, I could have found that there are  more advantages than disadvantages.Even though tablets have some distractions and are more susceptible to theft than print textbooks, those problems can be re solved with the appropriate school’s policy. Rather, we should focus on the positive influence that tablets can bring up on the students’ education. In fact, many students easily fall asleep in class while reading the textbooks, because the print textbooks are boring to read and the reading level of some of the textbooks is too difficult so that students sometimes cannot understand the important concepts.But, tablets can help reduce this kind of problems, because it can make learning fun and easy in a way of explaining the concepts. In print textbooks, it explains the concepts usually with bunch of written words, sometimes with pictures. Every page looks almost same if we don’t look carefully on the content of writing. In contrast, the way of tablets can explain some particular concept is countless. Unlike the print textbooks, tablets allow us customize its software in several ways.In that way, teachers can make their lectures more interesting and attractive for the students. Then, students will less likely to fall asleep during the class and learn more materials. In addition, students no longer have to carry bunch of heavy textbooks, if they can use tablets. Also, not only using tablets instead of textbooks can save money from the printing, transportation and warehouse costs, but it can also save our environment by reducing the amount of trees cutting down to make a paper.Consequently, I could have noticed from researching the topic that the positive effect of tablets on student’s education outweighs the negative. Tablets can effectively help students improve their learning abilities and creativities. Besides, it positively influences on the environment and students’ health problem. But still, many people tend to stick to traditional education system. As we are living in an era of rapid technological change, it is also important for the education system to change and evolve correspondingly.

The Wise Fools of Shakespeare

â€Å"Infirmity that decays the wise doth ever make a better fool† – though uttered by one of his own characters Shakespeare does not seem to conform to this ideal. The fools carved by Shakespeare in his plays showed no resemblance to the mentally and physically challenged people who were treated as pets and used for amusement during the medieval period. Rather Shakespeare’s fools appear to be in the best of their wits when they are in possession of the wisest minds. Fools whether in their rustic vigour displaying grotesque humour or in the forms of the sophisticated court jesters with their polished puns occupied a substantial position in his plays. Not only they added the element of humour but often alluded a deeper context under their apparent comic facade. Shakespeare’s plays embodied a varied range of comic characters whose treatment obviously differs in those produced by the mature playwright to those depicted in his earlier works. In which we find certain nonsensical clowns appearing just to create ludicrous entertainment. In ‘Love’s Labour Lost’ we find three such characters Costard, Dull and Adrian de Armado who are of very little importance to the plot but as we move on to the ‘Mid Summer Night’s Dream’, Bottom the daft artisan though intended to project humour for his supreme vanity, we see this same attribute of his being exploited by Oberon the king of the fairies to teach his queen a lesson. In this way we notice in Shakespeare’s comic characters a gradual pattern of upgradation from those included just for the sake of insipid humour to the ones actually taking part in the plot. As Shakespeare proceeds to incorporate his oeuvres with further comic elements he chooses humorists over clowns. His comic characters reveal more contemplative and methodical homour which actually camouflages underneath the unsavoury truths. These personas were not only part of his comedies but also his tragedies. In ‘Hamlet’ the two Grave-diggers despite of being represented as clown figures hides beneath their playful conversations the graver insights of the playwright himself. By questioning the justness of Ophelia’s receiving a ‘Christian burial’ they asses the legitimacy of suicide in terms of religious beliefs. Moreover their nonchalant attitude towards death marks its inevitability contrasting it to Hamlet’s vacillating views of ‘to be or not to be’. A similar prudence can observed in the reckless speeches of the Porter in ‘Macbeth’. The Porter in his drunken frenzy claims to be the â€Å"Porter of the Hell Gate† indicating that the horrid incident of Duncan’s murder has equated Macbeth’s castle to the infernal dungeon. Though these characters makes their appearance for a brief period on stage and it is generally apprehended that their foremost purpose is to provide a moment of respite to the audience from the dark and tense moments of the play, their significance in these dramas are no less. A character that cannot remain unmentioned while talking of Shakespeare’s comic characters is that of Sir John Falstaff. Usually acclaimed to be Shakespeare’s greatest comic character Falstaff first makes his appearance in ‘Henry IV Part 1’ and reappears in ‘Henry IV Part 2’ as well as ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’. Recognized for his easy ways and buffoon like appearance Falstaff is actually a knight though his conduct speaks contrarily when he marks honour as valueless – â€Å"Can honour set-to a leg? No. Or an arm? No. Or take away the grief of a wound? No. . . . What is honour? A word†. It is the fact that we find a cunning, fraudulent, corrupt in bulk under the banner of knighthood that is suppose to represent chivalry and honesty is what primarily projects the humour. But yet again arousing laughter is not the only purpose served by this character, along with remaining the unfailing companion to prince Hal until he grows up only to leave him behind as a sign of stepping towards a path of integrity, Falstaff also acts as a foil to the character of Hotspur. A lively person who has abandoned morality and yet displays unconditional affection for the Prince, Falstaff is indeed one of Shakespeare’s typically twisted comic figures who earned himself a place in the audiences’ heart large enough to make him reappear more than once. However the most mesmerizing of Shakespeare’s fools touches his pieces in the form of the court jesters with their precise and caustic wit fabricated by their well bred minds. These fools it is often presumed were sketched from the models of the contemporary court jesters particularly influenced by Tarlton and Armin the royal fools who were not only popular to the audience but also favorites of the Queen herself. One of the foremost reasons of introduction of these jesters in his plays was to impart them with the role of social-critics in the guise of their iridescent costumes. The royal fools in spite of their acerbic tongue that blurted out many a comment against royalty were forgiven for the obvious reasons of those statements being wrapped under their fooleries. Thus the jesters in his plays acted as the representatives of Shakespeare, through whom he can show a glimpse of the real face of the contemporary society to his audience. The first professional fool who made his way into Shakespeare’s plays is Touchstone in ‘As you Like it’ who is probably the most buoyant of his jesters. From his pert speeches it can be assumed that he is serving his namesake, a touchstone giving a peek of the real world in mid of all the dreamy romanticism. In the play upon their arriving in Arden when Rosalind complains â€Å"O Jupiter, how weary are my spirits! † Touchstone is quick to add â€Å"I care not for my spirits, if my legs were not weary†. His decision to marry the country lass Audrey seems more rational than romantic. Again his effortless feat in the brief battle of wits with William in order to win his lady love contrasts his uncomplicated affection from that of the central characters. Touchstone can be best described by the compliment the Senior Duke adorns him with – â€Å"swift and sententious†. After Touchstone the Royal Jesters made their appearances in many of Shakespeare’s following plays but the two most prominent characters identified for their exuberance are Feste of ‘Twelfth Night’ and the Fool in ‘King Lear’. Feste though walking in the shoes of his literary hierarchy Touchstone in his mannerisms, his wits seems to be more targeted at the characters than the generalized views of the former. He appears to be the most mature character in ‘Twelfth Night’ analyzing and realizing the practical mode of the world. In his easy humour he expresses his experienced views when he taunts Olivia – â€Å"The more fool, Madonna, to mourn for your brother’s soul, being in heaven. Take away the fool, gentlemen†, trying to make her understand that death is a course of nature and the fleeing time is equally mortal and thus valuable. Like his own statement â€Å"Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun – it shines everywhere† Feste’s genial humour spreads a glimmer of intellect all over the play. Feste with his acerbic wit and reflective wisdom not only outshines the insignificant characters of the lewd Sir Andrew and the puritanical Malvolio but also the brooding Duke Orsino, surmising his own point or rather â€Å"Quinapalas’† – â€Å"Better a witty fool than a foolish wit†. The third in the contingent, the Fool in ‘King Lear’ is in fact the most outstanding. Unlike Touchstone and Feste he lacks the comfortable ambiance and yet he balances his foresight, wisdom and shrewdness underneath his playful conduct. The Fool here lacks any specific identity and even his age and background remains unknown because of which it is supposed that his purpose is not just to lighten up the sardonic atmosphere of the play but also to serve as a foil to Lear. Despite of being a fool he identifies Lear’s impetuous decision and thus when Goneril talks of ceasing Lear from having any attendants the Fool sings – â€Å"The hedge-sparrow fed the cuckoo so long/ That it had its head bit by its young†, while the prejudiced king is still encircled by his misconstrues. The Fool remains by the side of Lear throughout the play until he mysteriously disappears at the end of Act III, scene vi. This is why it is believed that the Fool acts as Lear’s conscientious alter ego as once he enters the world of lunacy his conscience parts from him altogether. But even after his sudden exit from the stage in the middle of the play, the Fool remains the most significant comic character of Shakespeare’s tragedies. There are other professional fools who only makes shadowy appearances in some other plays, like Lavancha in ‘All is Well that Ends Well’, the Clown in ‘Othello’, Trinculo in ‘The Tempest’ who along with Stephano and Caliban imparts a slapstick humour to the play and at the same time introduces the theme or usurpation by plotting against Prospero. There are numerous such personalities that keep emerging throughout Shakespearean plays who despite of not being elevated characters somehow manages to leave their touch in the play. As Shakespeare’s clowns whether they do or do not occupy much of the stage space have always exhibited through their pert observations a superior intellect and rational understanding of the worldly life. The most noticeable factor is that these characters, be it the rustics, the Grave-diggers, the Porter, the jesters or a spoilt knight were basically modeled on a class of people who were placed in a social rank lower than that of the prime characters. This is perhaps because the most esteemed playwright himself held this ideal, that the practical knowledge of life gained by the commoners from the hazards of their ordinary lives imparts them with a feasible outlook towards it. Unlike those from the superior classes whose shielded lives behind the walls of their enormous castles embodied them with fragile minds. Thus the matters that appears to be of graver importance to the main characters, especially those of romanticism and idealism are treated as a recurring part of life by the wise fools. These individuals to some extent serve as the representatives of Shakespeare himself, what he cannot make his gaudy characters say is exactly what these commoners enacts on his behalf. Their social status which could make the contemporary audience belonging to the ordinary stratum identify with the same and their easy flamboyancy of wit was the exact combination the author required to reach out to his audience and alert them about the social conditions. But whatever purpose these characters might serve or whoever they might have been inspired by, they were transformed into soulful personalities by the dramatist. It was the ingenuity of Shakespeare that turned them into literary figures that were capable of leaving their impression not only in the mind of the contemporary audience but are continuing to do so until the present date.

Should Professional Sports Allow the Use Of Performance Enhancing Drugs

Should Professional Sports Allow the Use Of Performance Enhancing Drugs Introduction Humans have always shown an extraordinary creativity in trying to get a physical edge on other humans. Each innovation has had side effects, both positive and negative. The innovations in techniques that current athletes seek and use to garner a competitive advantage are a natural continuation of this longstanding pattern of behavior.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Should Professional Sports Allow the Use Of Performance Enhancing Drugs? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In recent decades, there has been increasingly comprehensive legislative and regulatory activity at various levels regarding the use of such performance enhancing substances and techniques. There are strongly propounded arguments both for and against these legal and regulatory prohibitions. For sports commissions, in particular, the responsibility of enforcing current laws and rules raises a number of ethical issues. In this pape r, the arguments both for and against the legalization of performance enhancing drugs will be reviewed, and the perspective and ethical considerations relevant to a hypothetical sports commissioner will be examined. For regulatory and legislative bodies, and for the physicians and allied medical personnel involved in the care of athletes, research into the science of performance, and consumer education, it is critical to understand what techniques and substances are currently available and what their impacts are. There are manifold medical arguments against the use of many substances and technologies. However, there are equally strongly held beliefs on the other hand that the use of performance enhancing techniques are safer if permitted, regulated, and seen, than when prohibited, illegal, and uncontrolled. Individual commissioners, who have a direct impact on how the issue of performance enhancements is handled, may have strong feelings, and experience powerful pressures, one way o r another, about these issues, based on their personal experience. The ethical frameworks that such prominent and responsible individuals adhere to, far from inhabiting the wispy realms of philosophy, affect their decision-making directly. The choices that such officials make can shape the way athletes compete throughout a sport and how fans support and appreciate the sport.Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Performance enhancement in historical context The human species is characterized by a persistent urge to modify itself or enhance its abilities in order to achieve an advantage, whether against prey animals or other people. From the first spear thrower that offered a Cro-Magnon hunter a fighting chance against a large mammal, to the (presumably) mythical breast removal that the Amazon women were reputed to have performed to ensure unfettered archery, to the chewing of coca leaves by Andean populations to inure the body to pain, cold, and fatigue, to the most modern gene therapy, humans try to become better physically. Every action along these lines has an impact above and beyond the obvious ones. The glorification of the athlete is not new either. The ill-fated Athenian soldier, Feidipides, who ran 150 miles in 2 days to report victory against Sparta, was an early exemplar of the ‘superhuman†, â€Å"ideal† athlete that we still honor today. This event was so striking that it inspired the event of the marathon in the first modern Olympiad. Even today, the image of the long distance runner achieving the apparently impossible inspires literally thousands to emulate Feidipides in cities such as Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, sometimes even to the point of dying in the attempt, just as he did . There is attestation that even the 7th century Greeks tried to enhance performance of their athlete heroes with psychoactiv e mushrooms, brandy, sesame seeds, and other similar traditional herbal and food remedies . We know that a participant in the third modern Olympiad, in 1896, used a strychnine injection during a foot race. By 1928, there was a written policy on drugs at the Olympics . Clearly, little is new under the sun. As the number and effectiveness of potential performance enhancers has expanded, and use has expanded , the interest of sports bodies, the medical and allied professions, and regulatory and legislative entities has increased as well. The result has been an increasing specificity of laws, regulations, and rules, accompanied by increasing sanctions.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Should Professional Sports Allow the Use Of Performance Enhancing Drugs? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The interest of legislators focused on the use of steroids, a category first understood in the1950s as used in baseball, in p articular, in the 1980s. The US Congress held hearings from 1988 to 1990, and in spite of the opposition of government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as well as the American Medical Association, the legislature passed the Anabolic Steroid Control Act in 1990. The concern of Congress seemed, according to Collins, to be primarily focuses on the control of cheating in sport through legislation. The American Medical Association testified, at the time, that steroids were not physiologically or psychologically addictive in the same way that, for example, barbiturates are . The 1990 Act placed steroids on Schedule 3 of the pre-existing Controlled Substances Act . This was the same category as controlled substances such as narcotics, LSD or its precursor chemicals, ketamine, and barbiturates. All of these are defined by the law as follows: â€Å"(A) The drug or other substance has a potential for abuse less than the drugs or other substances in schedules I and II. (B) The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. (C) Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence.† In 1993, the International Olympic Committee took action to forestall the tide of performance enhancing drugs. They published a rather broad definition of inappropriate practices as follows: â€Å"the administration of or use by a competing athlete of any substance foreign to the body or any physiological substance taken in abnormal quantity or by an abnormal route of entry into the body with sole intention of increasing in an artificial and unfair manner his/her performance in competition.Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More When necessity demands medical treatment with any substance which because of its nature, dosage, or application is able to boost the athlete’s performance in competition in an artificial and unfair manner, this too is regarded by the IOC as doping.† The continuing issue of athletic drug use has spawned other regulatory and monitoring entities. In 2000, an organization was established to coordinate US efforts regarding Olympic competitors. â€Å"The stated mission of the United States Association of Drug Agencies (USADA), the official anti-doping agency for America’s Olympic athletes, is to preserve ‘the wellbeing of Olympic sport, the integrity of competition, and the ensuring health of athletes.’ † Before January 2005, steroid precursors could be purchased in health food stores, legally. Doctors could prescribe anabolic steroids, legally. 2004 testimony before Congress by the DEA asserted that not only steroids, but also the precursor substan ces, which were being marketed as dietary supplements, needed to be controlled. The DEA also contended that the previous requirement that substances be demonstrated in laboratory studies to increase muscle growth constituted a major loophole for the introduction of new â€Å"designer† chemicals. The passage of the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004 made prescription and possession of all these substances for other than medical reasons a criminal act punishable with jail time. This spawned a black market. As one fitness industry businessperson put it, â€Å"Where once you could take them [steroids] under a doctors supervision, now, you had to turn to the black market to find them. The irony here is that almost no doctor was ever going to prescribe steroids to teenage guys, but the black market dealer has no problem doing so† Partially as a result of the 2008 police raids and discoveries of various performance enhancing substances during the Tour de France, the World A nti-Doping Agency was founded â€Å"to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against doping in sport in all its forms† . The list of possible enhancements is long and getting longer. To avert exactly this problem of the public creating and using new substances that were not explicitly mentioned on the list, the 2004 legislation included the following four qualifying questions: â€Å"Is the steroid chemically related to testosterone? Is the steroid pharmacologically related to testosterone? Is the steroid an estrogen, progestin, or corticosteroid? Does the steroid promote muscle growth?† Arguments against legalizing performance-enhancing agents Many of those who oppose legalizing performing enhancing agents, including all those substances implied above, are concerned with the health of the athletes, as well as the spirit of sport. They point to evidence that substances used to enhance performance carry some sort of potential risk associated with them. The opponen ts of legalization also object to the perceived inequity between athletes that these substances impose. By substituting substances for effort or supplementing effort, the use of drugs changes the competition from one that occurs between people to one that occurs between dueling prescriptions. Medical risks over the long term include potential damage to the liver, the heart, and other organ systems. Studies by Baggish, et alia suggest an association with left ventricular dysfunction, for example . Ritesh, et alia, list cardio-toxicities, including those causing sudden death, associated especially with ephedra but also with anabolic steroids. Wingert, et alia, records the case of hepatitis and personality changes associated with the use of hormone precursors, and their subsequent complete disappearance when the steroid use was discontinued. Schwingel, et alia, suggest that anabolic steroids play a role in toxicant-associated fatty liver disease in individuals with no other risk factor s, such as excessive body fat. All these scholarly investigations demonstrate the kind of harm that performance enhancing agents can cause . The effect of legalization on the nature of sporting competition disturbs some observers nearly as much as the potential health impacts. Opponents are dismayed at the prospect of the transformation of sport into a chemical arms race. The uneven distribution of athletic talent has been described as a ‘natural lottery’, in which those lucky enough to have helpful characteristics are accorded an advantage relative to their peers. Some opponents of legalization assert that doping would not entirely eliminate such unevenness, but add to it the additional differences between individuals in their response to various drugs. The skill of the prescribing physician, in the view of opponents to permitting PEDs, could become as important a determinant of success as the effort and commitment of the athlete . The implications of this change are w ell expressed by Weising. † There would be no gain in justice (i.e. fairer results that reflected efforts made) for athletes as a result of legalizing doping† . Weising does not, thus, trust that the addition of legalized drugs, across the board, to athletes, would ‘level the playing field’. Weising goes on to assert that, â€Å"Legalization would not reduce restrictions on athletes freedom; the control effort would remain the same, if not increased†. To be otherwise than an invitation for disaster, legalized performance enhancing drugs would need close monitoring, and thus a great deal of additional testing. Weising thus envisions even more frequent and stringently administered tests, limiting the mobility and autonomy of athletes. Weising’s vision of a world of legalized drugs includes â€Å"Extremely complicated international regulations†. He also foresees a continued attempt on the part of athletes and their backers to come up with p ractices which are either undetectable or not yet prohibited in any way. The relationship with fans is another potential casualty of legalization, in Weising’s view. He suggests that,â€Å"Audience mistrust, particularly toward athletes who achieved outstanding feats, would remain because it would still be possible that these athletes were reliant on illegal doping practices. Doping entails exposing the athletes to avoidable risks that do not need to be taken to increase the appeal of a sport. Most importantly, the function of sport as a role model would definitely be damaged. It is not necessary to clarify the question of what constitutes the spirit of sport and whether this may be changed† There are many additional concerns associated with legalization of PEDS. For example, the cost of drugs is an extra expense above and beyond the normal demands of training and good nutrition. This could constitute a burden on athletes from disadvantaged families or poorer countries . As long as athletes are prohibited from using such substances, they can honorably and proudly avoid using them and train â€Å"clean†. However, if these substances were legalized, there is a chance that all athletes would feel the pressure to use such aids. Although sports among youth are outside the scope of this paper, it is also hard to avoid the conclusion that prospective athletes, even at a very early point in their lives, would see performance enhancements as a necessary part of their future development. Some scholars suggest that the lure of performance enhancing drugs can and should be offset through emphasizing less potentially harmful alternatives. These alternatives might include protein supplements, administered at crucial moments before or after a workout or competition. Another avenue to increased performance without drugs is the ingestion of, or carbohydrate supplements during endurance events . Oxygen breathed in before and/or after exercise has a continuin g appeal, and seems to occupy a space between drug and not-drug, although its effectiveness is still unclear Arguments for the legalization of performance enhancing agents Although the evidence of potential harm to the athletes seems ubiquitous, and fears for the corruption of the purity of sport are manifold on the anti-legalization side, the proponents of allowing performance enhancing drugs have equally strongly held opinions. The arguments in favor of allowing performance enhancements address the issues of fairness to all athletes and greater safety and control of drugs already de facto in use, among other concerns. Those who favor legalization point out that the non-drug methods for increasing performance, such as high altitude training, constitute an economic barrier to less financially well-supported athletes, whereas drugs are far less expensive. Savalescu, et alia, even suggest that the money spent on current drug tests could be better allocated to the subsidy of drugs for financially strapped athletes . There is also an objection that testing is not 100% accurate. This detracts from the fairness of the testing system . There are apparently many points at which the test can be undermined. Perhaps the most dramatic and risible is the use of a prosthetic penis filled with warmed drug-free urine to generate an apparently clean sample . Savalescu points out that some individuals are blessed with genes that give them a greater advantage. For example, some people’s packed cell volume is naturally high. Savalescu proposes that safe values be determined on the amount of a particular substance in the blood, for example, the concentration of red blood cells, or the level of testosterone in circulation. He suggests testing that the athlete’s blood not exceed that safe level, whether it arises from a natural genetic peculiarity of the individual, or was achieved via injections . Currently, many athletes risk a criminal record in order to do what the y feel they need to do in order to achieve their goals. This situation would largely disappear with legalization. Physicians also face a difficult decision to make regarding the risk they take now in providing drugs to athletes. Legalization would immediately remove this threat of being labeled a criminal. The perspective from the office of a Sports Commissioner: Ethical considerations The ethical considerations applicable to this problem are vigorously argued. The position in which a Sports Commissioner finds him or herself visvis performance enhancements is subject to a number of competing pressures. His/her views might well depend on the relative weight the Commissioner places on the job’s responsibilities for maintaining safety, maintaining fairness, or selling tickets. As an example of how these goals are described and ordered officially, consider the definition of the aims of the position in a recent job listing for Commissioner of a ten-college conference: â€Å"Promo ting the general well-being and growth of the GNAC by guiding and enforcing policies regarding student-athlete welfare, equal opportunity, affirmative action and equity of participation consistent with the GNAC Constitution, and principles set forth by the NCAA, 2) serving as the principal enforcement officer of NCAA and GNAC legislation, policies and regulations,†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The ethical systems that could apply to the Commissioner’s situation are varied. It should be noted that the ethical stance of the Commissioner qua Commissioner may be different from the ethical stance of the Commissioner as a private individual. This is congruent with the distinction between duty-based, or deontic moral theories on the one hand, and personal virtue-based, or aretaic moral theories. In other words, what the Commissioner’s duty is might be at odds with his personal ethics. (This sort of incongruity is not unheard of in public life, as witnessed by the personal/official disconnect regarding the death penalty discussed in a recent radio interview with the former head of a state correctional system. ) The ethical pressures on the Commissioner will depend on the specific goal in his job description on which he/she places greatest emphasis. Deontology, the science of duty, calls on the individual to do, or refrain from doing, certain categories of action, no matter what the obstacles, no matter what the potential for could be thought of as collateral damage. This requires that the duty of the Commissioner be defined or â€Å"identified† . If the Commissioner accords greatest importance to the duty of protecting the health of the athletes, then he/she must protect athlete health no matter the costs. However, what constitutes protecting athlete health? In an ideal world, a Commissioner might wish that all athletes could train and compete with no substances in their bodies except organically grown foods, unpolluted water, and air free of toxic chemicals and particulates. The Commissioner might wish, personally, that no athlete were forced to take any drug except for healing. This is not an ideal world, however, and the reality is that all athletes are exposed to less than optimal substances, whether involuntarily, through all the toxins in their environment, and or voluntarily through ingesting various drugs and substances. Thus, the Commissioner must, from a deontological perspective, fulfill the duty to protect athlete health in a setting where drugs are being used despite prohibitions and sanctions, both within sports, and according to national legislation. In this imperfect environment, fulfilling the duty to protect health is obstructed by circumstances. If drug use cannot be prevented by injunction or sanction, in practical terms, then the Commissioner may choose to protect health by making the drug use the least damaging possible. Given that resources are limited, the Commissioner may find that his/her duty lies in reducing the potential harm of use and promoting any possible beneficial use, rather than expending resources to prevent use, when it is so endemic in the sports world. Reducing harm may, in practical terms, mean lobbying for legalization. This course of action would need to be accompanied by an associated push for assiduous monitoring of blood levels, quality controls on the manufacture of the drugs to ensure purity and sterility, and intensive education to avert the worst potential ill effects of misuse. This distinction between â€Å"harm elimination† and â€Å"harm management† is the subject of lively debate . Legalization would offer the Commissioner the option to focus disciplinary action and attention on the most dangerous drugs or techniques and impose sanctions differentially on users of such maximally risky substances. This is not currently possible because of the broad nature of the legislation. This would facilitate the Commissioner’s ability to follow the duty t o protect athlete health in the environment of widespread use. Alternatively, the most important duty that the Commissioner confronts may be the preservation of â€Å"equity in sport†, or an equivalent concept . Again, in an ideal world, all talented persons would have an equal chance to obtain the training and support that they need to be their best. The real world, however, has massive inequities that affect athletes as surely as they affect the rest of the population. If the main duty of the Commissioner is to protect the rights of all athletes, then this might also lead to adopting a stance of support for allowing performance-enhancing drugs. Such drugs can be more conveniently distributed evenly and equitably than, for example, the more cumbersome access to high altitude training to increase endurance. Additionally, the Commissioner could accomplish the duty of preserving equity better under legalization, because the most egregious substances and practices could be openl y and directly disciplined. Less dangerous or objectionable substances could be treated with situationally appropriate measures. Thus, the Commissioner might support legalization in order to fulfill his/her duty better to protect the fairness of sport. Still a third possible duty of the Commissioner is the promotion of the sport. In this regard, drugs increase the level of achievement, and potentially contribute to terrific spectacles. On the other hand, such a course could make viewers cynical, and lead to fan abandonment of the sport. Alternatively, the legalized use of drugs could create an insatiable demand for ever-rising drama on the field and court. The Commissioner, operating under a deontological system, would need to evaluate these alternatives and pursue the one that seemed to protect the sport best, thereby fulfilling that duty. A different ethical system is the teleological approach. This system focuses on the results of actions rather than the duty of the individual. U nder this moral theory, the Commissioner would be free to select from all the above alternatives without necessarily worrying about what his/her duty directed. The Commissioner would need to evaluate which one of these courses of action would result in the â€Å"best likely consequence†. This moral system would require the Commissioner to design a response to the problems of, on the one hand, drugs being currently routinely used unsafely because of a lack of supervision and quality controls, and on the other hand, athletes being discredited because of the existing laws, regulations, rules and sanctions. Faced with these issues, a Commissioner could choose to support legalization and intense monitoring, and hope to achieve the best of outcomes in a teleologically sound fashion. The teleological system is congruent with a utilitarian perspective on individual acts, which asks which choice leads to the best result for the most people . If the Commissioner can identify, and imple ment, which course of action helps the largest number of athletes and fans, then that is the most utilitarian choice. The choice to push for legalization and implement a concerted program of controls could be the one that pleases the most people, and might therefore constitute the most utilitarian act. The existential perspective would lead the Commissioner to push for legalization because each individual is, in this view, responsible to follow his or her own conscience. Legalization would allow each athlete to make this decision personally and freely without pressure from the legal system. The issue of who (in the medical insurance system) takes care of the person after they have made decisions that turn out badly appears not to be resolved under this ethical system. Conclusion The issue of performance enhancing drugs, substances, and techniques, is complex and the ethics associated with it are thorny, as well. Although the long term health consequences of any such practice are an ongoing concern, and the long term impact of such practices on the relationship of sport and its fans is still not fully tested by experience, a sports Commissioner can find ethical support from several moral systems for his/her advocacy for legalization. Such legalization would need to be combined with careful and consistent monitoring, controls on manufacturing, and in-depth education of everyone involved in the process. Bibliography Alexander, L., Moore, M. (Fall, 2008, November 21). Deontological Ethics. (E. N. Zalta, Ed.) 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Performance-Enhancing Drugs: Where Should the Line be Drawn and by Whom? Retrieved from NCBI: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2695732/?tool=pubmed Machado, M., Cortez-Pinto, H. (2011, October). The dark side of sports: using steroids may harm your liver. Retrieved from Liver Int. 2011 Mar;31(3):280-1.: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21281427 O, M., M., M. (2010, Dec). Philosophy on steroids: a reply. Retrieved from Theoretical Medical Bioethics, 31(6):401-10.: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20706791 Pathology Education. (2011, April 11). Spotting the cheats – Is There Really Such a Thing as Syntheti c Urine? Retrieved from Pathology Education: iaop2010.org/spotting-the-cheats-is-there-really-such-a-thing-as-synthetic-urine.htm Petrà ³czi, A., Uvacsek, M., Nepusz, T., Deshmukh, N., Shah, I. (2011, April 26). Incongruence in Doping Related Attitudes, Beliefs and Opinions in the Context of Discordant Behavioural Data: In Which Measure Do We Trust? 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Cheaper By The Dozen essays

Cheaper By The Dozen essays Cheaper by the Dozen, based on a real-life story of the Gilbreth family, is a fantastic book. This hilarious comedy about a family with a dozen children kept me in stitches until the end! This family, run like a well oiled machine, took me on Sunday rides through the country, battles in the family court, summers at the sea, Fathers theories on motion study, and the economic removal of the whole families tonsils. I loved it! I find it truly amazing. Not only did the family boast twelve children, but they all learned to speak foreign languages, touch typing, mental arithmetic, and even Morse Code- all because their father worked out dozens of ingenious ways to motivate them- although often it was quite reluctantly on their part. I had many laugh out loud moments, and at times would have enjoyed being a part of this large and loving family, or perhaps raising one of my own in the same manner...imagine that! It probably could never happen. I cant imagine living with twelve brothers and sisters and getting along! Actually, I would not call it getting along; I would call it survival, by jimgo! The Gilbreth family of twelve red-haired, freckle-faced children parented by efficiency experts and pioneers in the field of motion study, Lillian and Frank, were a bit eccentric and extremely funny. I can still remember one of the lines a child blurted out at the dinner table Please, we are NOT in the mood for an organ recital. This was the standard reprimand for belching in the family and never intended for public airing. I also enjoyed the part when one of the children said to a dinner guest, Is this of general interest? Although these twelve children were highly disciplined by their father, (mother, for the most part, would just agree with father) in a couple instances they were able to catch father off guard, like when the children would continually ask him &quo...

All 25 Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems

All 25 Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems I highly recommend all of the Elephant and Piggie books. They are fun, easy to navigate, and have no superfluous words or details in the illustrations, making it easy for new readers to focus on whats important and to enjoy the reading experience. They also stress the value of friendship and getting along with others. Introduce your children to the Elephant and Piggie books and youll find they  will delight both beginning readers and younger children. The Elephant and Piggie books are fun to read aloud to younger children who love the funny stories about the two friends. I recommend the books for ages 4-8 and especially beginning readers from 6-8 years old. Summary of Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems The 25 Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems, which are each 64 pages long, revolve around the friendship of Elephant and Piggie. Elephant, whose name is Gerald, tends to be cautious and pessimistic while his best friend, Piggie, is quite different. She is optimistic, outgoing, and impulsive. Gerald worries a lot; Piggie doesnt. Despite being very different, the two are best friends. The humorous stories by Mo Willems focus on how Elephant and Piggie get along despite their differences. While the stories are funny, they stress important elements of friendship, such as kindness, sharing, and working together to solve problems. Kids love the Elephant and Piggie stories. Unlike some books in a series featuring the same characters, the Elephant and Piggie books do not have to be read in a particular order. The distinctive and spare artwork in the books is easily recognizable and wont confuse the beginning reader. In many of the books, Elephant and Piggie are the only characters. Simply drawn and set against a white background, Elephant and Piggies expressive faces and body language are irresistible. All of the words in each story are dialogue, with Elephants words appearing in a gray voice bubble above his head and Piggies words in a pink voice bubble above her head, like you see in comic books. According to Mo Willems, he intentionally drew simple drawings with an emphasis on what was most important: the words of the story and the body language of Elephant and Piggie.  (Source: The World of Elephant and Piggie) Awards and Honors for Elephant and Piggie Books Among the many awards and honors Elephant and Piggie have won are the following, which recognize excellence in books for beginning readers: 2009 Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal: Are You Ready to Play Outside?2008 Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal: There is a Bird on Your HeadTheodor Seuss Geisel Honor Books - 2015: Waiting Is Not Easy!, 2014: A Big Guy Took My Ball!, 2013: Lets Go for a Drive, 2012: I Broke My Trunk, and 2011: We Are in a Book! List of All the Elephant and Piggie Books Note: Books are listed in descending order by publication date. The Thank You Book (5/3/2016. ISBN: 97814231I Really Like Slop! (2015, ISBN: 978484722626)I Will Take a Nap! (2015, ISBN: 9781484716304)Waiting is not Easy (11/2014, ISBN: 9781423199571)My New Friend is so Fun (2014, ISBN: 9781423179580)Im a Frog! (2013, ISBN: 9781423183051)A Big Guy Took My Ball! (2013, ISBN: 9781423174912)Lets Go for a Drive! (2012, ISBN: 9781423164821)Listen to My Trumpet! (2012, ISBN: 9781423154044)Happy Pig Day! (2011, ISBN: 9781423143420)Should I Share My Ice Cream? (2011, ISBN: 9781423143437)I Broke My Trunk (2011, ISBN: 9781423133094)We Are in a Book! (2010, ISBN: 9781423133087)Can I Play Too? (2010, ISBN: 9781423119913)I Am Going! (2010, ISBN: 9781423119906)Pigs Make Me Sneeze! (2009, ISBN: 9781423114116)Elephants Cannot Dance! (2009, ISBN: 9781423114109)Watch Me Throw the Ball! (2009, ISBN: 9781423113485)Are You Ready to Play Outside? (2008, ISBN: 9781423113478)I Will Surprise My Friend! (2008, ISBN: 9781423109624)I Love My New Toy! (2008, ISBN: 97814231096 17) There Is a Bird on Your Head! (2007, ISBN: 9781423106869)I Am Invited to a Party! (2007, ISBN: 9781423106876)My Friend Is Sad (2007, ISBN: 9781423102977)Today I Will Fly! (2007, ISBN: 9781423102953)

Capitol Budgeting Long Term Financing Assignment

Capitol Budgeting Long Term Financing - Assignment Example Capital assets receive attention because they commit a firm for long term. These capital assets are commitment of over a year and sometimes for decades for instance, real estate. Economically, the resources being scarce and competitive in nature, there would be wrong allocation of such resources at the wrong time or on a non rewording asset. Assets acquisition analysis According to (Baker, & Powell, 2005) any company will invest finance for the sake of gaining a return which is useful for four focal reasons: 1. To recompense the shareholders or owners of the enterprise for staking their money and by sacrificing their current purchasing power for the sake of current and future cash flow 2. To reward lenders by paying them regular return on their money borrowed in the form of interest and principal repayment as and when it falls due. 3. To be able to plough back retain part of their earnings for the purpose which facilitates not only the companies’ short term growth and long ter m growth but also has the implication of increasing the size of the company in terms of sales, in assets as well as shareholders wealth. 4. To increase the share prices and thus the credibility and goodwill of the company and its capability to raise further finance. Such return is necessary to keep the company’s operations moving straightforwardly and efficiently thus allowing the above objective to be accomplished. A financial manager and decision makers must present investment policies which will be concerned with how efficiently the company’s funds are invested because it is from such investment that the company will survive. The investments are important because: They influence company’s size, Influence growth Influence company’s risks In addition, to this investment decision making process which is also known as capital budgeting, involves the decision to invest the company’s current funds in viable ventures whose returns will be realized for long term periods in future. Capital budgeting as financial planning is characterized by the following: a. Decisions of this nature are long term i.e. extending beyond one year in which case they are also expected to generate returns of long term in nature. b. Investment is usually heavy (heavy capital injection) and as such has to be properly planned. c. These decisions are irreversible and any mistake may cause the company heavy losses. Importance of Investment Decisions 1) Such decisions are importance because they will influence the company’s size (fixed assets, sales, and retained earnings). 2) They increase the value of the company’s shares and thus its credibility. 3) The fact that they are irreversible means that they have to be made carefully to avoid any mistake which can lead to the failure of such investment. 4) Due to heavy capital outlay, more attention is required to avoid loss of huge sums of money which in the extreme may lead to the closure of such a company. However, these decisions are influenced by: I. Political factors – Under conditions of political uncertainty, such decisions cannot be made as it will entail an element of risk of failure of such investment. Thus political certainty has to be analyzed before such decisions are made, such factors must be taken into account such that the company forecasts the inflows and outflows within given. Limitations such as the

Social Intervention Planning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Social Intervention Planning - Assignment Example According to Howe (1997), a clear theoretical perspective guides and influences practice in five key areas: (1) observation, which tells us what to see, and what to look out for; (2) description, which provides a conceptual vocabulary and framework within which observations can be arranged and organized; (3) explanation, which suggests how different observations might be linked and connected, it offers possible casual relationships between one event and another; (4) prediction, which indicates what might happen next and (5) intervention, which suggests things to do to bring about change. Of course, different theories lead to different observations and explanations. Social Work practice theories provide explanations and/or guidance for practice. Social Work practice theory does not seek to explain, the world, individuals, communities or group dynamics. Social Work theories are concerned with understanding the individual in their context and promoting change with the individual and/or their context. What do we mean by crisis? †crisis is not stress, often these words are used interchangeably. Crisis contains a growth- promoting possibility – it can be a catalyst. Crisis disturbs old established patterns of responding†(Wright 1991). Crisis can be seen in at least three different forms; a hazardous event, a decision making event, or a danger and opportunity. Thus, crisis is a time for decision making in a situation presenting either danger or opportunity.... said that the family is not providing adequate child care, and is planning to remove one or more children, or (2) problems between parents and children have grown so severe that a parent is refusing to allow the child to remain in the home, or the child is running away. When parents feel unable to control children who are routinely disobedient, they sometimes turn to the government for help. Nationally, these juveniles are known as status offenders. Unlike juvenile delinquents, whose actions would be considered criminal if they were adults, a status offenders disobedient behavior is only an offence because of a person's age"(Weingartner, et al 2002) Most states offer these children and their parents a through needs assessment and referrals to agencies that can help them stay together and work through their problems. Not all families, however, are willing to engage in such a process. Parents at the breaking point may want the attention of a family court and may ask the judge to place their son or daughter outside the home. At least temporarily, expecting foster care to solve their problems"(Ibid) Professionals who are familiar with the needs of status offenders and their parents tend to agree that foster care is an inappropriate response because it does not respond to the needs which prompted parents to seek help. Traditionally, foster care is designed to keep children and parents apart, not to engage the family as a whole through services such as family counseling and mediation"(Russell et al) 3 "Around the country, parents grievances with their

The global security structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The global security structure - Essay Example Whereas the previous era was defined by hard targets and the means through which terrorists could affect physical damage upon a given state via the use of explosives and/or other traditional forms of violence, policy makers and governmental entities have come to place cyber-terrorism as equally important as WMDs and the use of other conventional weapons, due to the disastrous impacts that it can have on a nation’s economy. Threats to cyber-security, from the perspective of the United States, primarily originate from Russia, China, and aspects of organized crime throughout the world up to and including terrorist groups. Classical realism and an approach to security: †¢ The survival of the state is dependent upon its ability to organize and control its military as a means of defending its territory. Even though national interests can be compared, no two states can have the same national interest. As a direct function of the rationale and understanding of why conflict merges can clearly be seen. Security is the fundamental concern that any state has – more important than political ideology or other power motives As a means of preserving this security, military means are employed as the most powerful deterrents. Implications of neorealism: For neorealists weapons and weapons systems are the most relevant indicators of the way in which power can be exerted and used to influence a situation. Implications of classical realists: Classical realists would likely point to two key shortcomings that neorealists have, namely the fact that it glosses over the role of choice for the individual actors, and the fact that it does not question the constraints or longevity of security structures. Changes to the global structure: The first major shift can be seen with regard to the way in which Pres. Jimmy Carter tried to move United States foreign-policy from a realist perspective towards more of an idealist perspective. In such a way, the Helsinki Agreement alon g with other factors helped to promote a level of idealism and hope for the way in which the United States, and indeed the rest of the world, could integrate with. Another noted shift came with the Clinton administration. Due to the fact that the collapse of the Soviet Union had presented the United States with a drastically redefined world, Clinton and his entire staff were of the opinion that instead of acting in a unipolar way, or understanding the world in something of a bipolar matter, the United States would be much better served to engage with multilateral forces to include the WTO, the World Bank, the IMF, NAFTA, and NATO, not to mention the UN, as a means of effecting United States interests upon the rest of the world. It almost goes without saying that the United States faces a definitive shift with regard to the Bush administration and specifically the events after September 11, 2001. As a result of the terrorist attack, President Bush shifted the United States policy bac k towards a unipolar interpretation of the world, and an idea that the United States should craft its own future based upon the inherent needs that the nation experiences, regardless of the ramifications or repercussions to other states/actors. As further means of comparison, Pres. Obama has served as something of a mixture of three of his predecessors. Ultimately, Obama combines the unilateralism of Bush’

Self reflection evaluation of standardized patient exams Essay

Self reflection evaluation of standardized patient exams - Essay Example Yes, I am pleased with the way I communicated during the interview. This is because I was able to maintain an eye contact and give the time for the interviewee to answer the questions. This is very critical in retrieving the information. However, if it happens again, I would start with simple questions in order to gain the trust of interviewee. In the video, two things that I did well are active listening and displaying appropriate empathy. These are skills that I learned during training. They were important in enabling me to get in-depth information from the interviewee. After watching video, I realize that if I was given another opportunity, I would train more and ask more questions with the SP. This is through reading more books and watching videos of effective interviews. This would enable me to learn more skills from other professionals. My main goal is to gain experience in the nursing career. I also intend to learn the bigger picture of the FNP role. This would be significant in enabling me to understand ways of serving the patients

Produced Water Treatment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Produced Water Treatment - Term Paper Example This water must be treated prior to discharge or re-injection. Produced water has a complex composition, but its constituents can be widely grouped into inorganic and organic compounds, including dissolved and dispersed oils, grease, heavy metals, and radionuclide’s, treating chemicals, formation solids, salts, dissolved gases, scale products, waxes, and microorganisms and dissolved oxygen. More than 40% of the 250 million barrels of water produced in a daily basis from both gas and oil are emancipated into the environment. This clearly shows its effects in the environment and globally making it to be considered instead of clearing it as waste. Environmental concerns have driven research into the treatment of produced water. Current conventional treatment technologies are targeted at removal of heavy metals, oil and grease, and desalination, which often lead to the generation of large volumes of secondary waste. Produced water treatment also represents challenges for major oil-producing projects, especially in India, where special treatment requirements to meet the discharge norms for disposal or injection into spent oil wells have not yet been met. This affects the environment to which it can be reversed by being treated and become useful to the people. From recent researches, The USA and China have been quoted the leading disposers of produced water worldwide as seen in the previous years. This is a result of increased demand in oil and petroleum products worldwide in many non-oil producing countries. In 1995 the American Petroleum Institute, (API), made its recommendation on the Best Available Technology for Produced Water Management on Offshore Gas and Oil Installations. The following were identified by the report as the water toxicity contributing factors. The discharge of untreated water into fresh water bodies such as streams presents a toxic level that is highly lethal to aquatic life. In addition,

Self reflection evaluation of standardized patient exams Essay

Self reflection evaluation of standardized patient exams - Essay Example Yes, I am pleased with the way I communicated during the interview. This is because I was able to maintain an eye contact and give the time for the interviewee to answer the questions. This is very critical in retrieving the information. However, if it happens again, I would start with simple questions in order to gain the trust of interviewee. In the video, two things that I did well are active listening and displaying appropriate empathy. These are skills that I learned during training. They were important in enabling me to get in-depth information from the interviewee. After watching video, I realize that if I was given another opportunity, I would train more and ask more questions with the SP. This is through reading more books and watching videos of effective interviews. This would enable me to learn more skills from other professionals. My main goal is to gain experience in the nursing career. I also intend to learn the bigger picture of the FNP role. This would be significant in enabling me to understand ways of serving the patients

MySpace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MySpace - Essay Example It truly represents a new generation in interpersonal communication and establishes a model for how the power of the internet can be leveraged to bring social networking to a whole new level. People are able to learn about others in a way they never before would have imagined. They can choose to engage with others based on a heightened level of knowledge and information that was rarely available prior to the advent of MySpace.com. Interpersonal communication has accomplished no less than enabling civilization as we know it to exist. It has evolved and advanced over millennia in order to adapt to ever changing socialization needs. Today's society is driven by technology. The ultimate destination for interpersonal communication is arguably a kind of networked culture in which the thoughts and ideas of each person are readily available to every other person. The power of the internet is essential to that end. MySpace.com is one of the pioneers in leveraging internet technology to make a giant leap toward the kind of networked social circle that is likely to be the most prevalent form of interpersonal interaction in the future. MySpace.com enables users to create their own web page containing blogs that describe their interests. It facilitates meeting friends with similar interests by allowing them to send e-mails through the site, join interest groups, and rate one another. Users can customize pages by adding photos, colors, designs and personal information. They can connect with others who share similar interests by joining groups based on preferences. For example, there are groups relating to religion, sports, food, nightlife and many other interests. MySpace's music interest groups have been the site of song premiers by such artists as Madonna, Coldplay, Neil Diamond and Depeche Mode. The site has become so popular that it receives more hits than eBay and Google. The traffic generated by the site has made it sought after by advertisers, with mass-marketers such as Target placing ads on the site, and new motion pictures being promoted there. Its tremendous popularity is a testament to the extent to which the site has filled a void in modern interpersonal communication in the technological age. This type of online networked social interaction solution has become an important outlet for communication. The anonymity of the internet has caused some problems when it comes to usage and application of services like MySpace. Teens often post photographs of themselves, as well as detailed personal information that could put them in danger. There have been reports of sexual predators trolling the site for potential victims; and investigations into sexual assaults that have occurred where teens have met the alleged perpetrators on MySpace. The site has caused great concern among parents who have observed indiscrete postings by their own and other children that contain provocative photos and personal details that could put their children at risk. MySpace has cats a spotlight on the risks of interpersonal communication in the age of the internet. How can it be observed Observation of MySpace.com has become a major concern for many parents, who have seen first hand the dangers the site may pose to unwitting children. While MySpace does have

Uncontrollable Jealousy Essay Example for Free

Uncontrollable Jealousy Essay Jealousy is a lethal weapon if used in the wrong hands. Jealousy is the feeling of resentment against someone’s success or advantages. In the texts, â€Å"Othello† and â€Å"How to Get into Medical School, Part l and Part ll†, the authors William Shakespeare and Vincent Lam decide to use the theme of jealousy to develop an appealing plot for the reader. The story of Fitzgerald in â€Å"How to Get into Medical School, Part l and Part ll† has the theme of jealousy written all over. The first glimpse of Fitzgerald’s envious thoughts occurs when Ming tells Fitzgerald that she gets accepted to medical school while Fitzgerald replies with a mocking â€Å"Well, congratulations, Doctor Ming† (page 16). Later on, Fitzgerald’s jealous mind turns towards Karl. â€Å"he hated knowing that his marks were soaring as a result of Karl’s study methods.† (page 60). Fitzgerald’s jealous thoughts only appear to slip out at tense moments. The jealousy throughout Fitzgerald’s role in the story creates a more interesting plot line for the reader. While the text â€Å"How to Get into Medical School, Part l and Part ll† demonstrates the theme of jealousy very well; Othello, being one of the classic Shakespearean plays, has gained its reputation for the theme of jealousy. In the novel â€Å"Othello† Iago is a victim of jealousy and causes him to act out of the ordinary. At the beginning of the plot Iago is blindsided by Othello because Othello chooses Cassio over Iago for the job of lieutenant. Jealousy takes control of Iago and causes him to plot revenge against Othello. â€Å"Till I am even’d with him, wife for wife, or failing so, yet that I put the Moor at least into a jealousy so strong that judgment cannot cure† (II, i, 299-302). Although jealousy is strongest between Iago and the Moor, the theme can also be found between Emilia and Desdemona, and Roderigo and Othello, and Desdemona and Othello. Very similar to the love triangle in â€Å"Twelfth Night† by William Shakespeare, this triangle can be found in this novel as well but replaced with jealousy. Shakespeare successfully implied the theme of jealousy into his novel â€Å"Othello†. Although used in different ways, jealousy was efficiently portrayed in both â€Å"Othello† and â€Å"How to Get into Medical School, Part l and Part ll†. The authors decided to use jealousy as the main theme because it is an interesting topic to read about and it catches the reader’s attention. Many  of the readers have had real life situations of jealousy which allows them to relate to the text more often. This will hook them onto the text much more. That is why the theme of jealousy is such a successful theme to write about. Jealousy can be used in so many different ways and can still be as effective. Jealousy is a strong theme and is capable of creating an effective plot if used correctly. The use of jealousy is very evident in both novels by Shakespeare and Vincent Lam. Both authors created a near-perfect atmosphere of jealousy for the reader. Work Cited Shakespeare, William. Othello. Vol. 1. Toronto: Harcourt Canada Ltd., 2000. Print. Lam, Vincent. Bloodletting Miraculous Cures. Toronto: Random House of Canada Ltd., 2005. Print.

Oral Reading And Reading Comprehension Performance English Language Essay

Oral Reading And Reading Comprehension Performance English Language Essay Reading ability has always been considered as a critical measurement in language education. It involves both reading behaviours and reading comprehension. Among all the different reading behaviours, there are many debates around whether oral reading has any influence on the reading comprehension performance or not. Hence, this study has been focused on the relationship between oral reading and the comprehension performance of second year students in Shandong Normal University, China. The grades of participants who participated in two reading comprehension tests, before and after a 6-week oral reading practice experiment had been measured and compared. Results had revealed a significant correlation between everyday oral reading practice and reading comprehension performance in late-teen and early-twenty EFL/ESL university students. The practice of oral reading showed significant influence on reading comprehension performance in the test. Most of groups showed that oral reading practic e had positive influence on the reading comprehension performance. Feedback suggested that oral reading experiment was successful because it helps in improving the scores of the reading comprehension test. It is recommended that English as foreign language or second language (EFL/ESL) teachers and students use oral reading as a practicing method and reading method during English learning. And also employ it as a reading method in reading comprehension outside examination. Beside the benefits of the oral reading method on reading comprehension performance, a clear bottleneck was also observed in this method during the investigation. As a consequence, to improve reading comprehension performance in EFL/ESL study, more factors such as vocabulary capacity, analysis ability of sentences and the understanding of the background culture would need to be taken into consideration, apart from the oral reading practice. 1. Introduction 1.1 Background Reading methodologies take an important part in both first language and second/foreign language learning (Alshumaimeri, 2005; Grabe, 1991; Jackson Coltheart, 2001; McCallum, Sharp, Bell, George, 2004; Prior Welling, 2001). In general, there are three reading methods used in language learning and teaching, oral reading, silent reading and subvocalization. Oral reading usually refers to the act of reading aloud, either to oneself or to audience. Silent reading, as stated in the phrase itself, it is the act of reading to oneself without pronouncing words out aloud. Subvocalization, which is similar to silent reading, however, is defined as the internal speech made when reading word, thus allowing the reader to imagine the sound of the word while reading (Carver, 1990). The term refers to the movement of muscles associated with speaking originally. But most subvocalization is undetectable even by the person using it (Carver, 1990; Rayner, et al, 1994). Reading comprehension refers to the ability of understanding of a written text or message (Keith, et al, 2001). This understanding of the writing comes from the words themselves, and the knowledge outside the written text can be triggered (Keith, et al, 2001). Reading comprehension performance is one of the essential criteria in language education (Bernhardt, 1991). There are many different methodologies of teaching reading comprehension throughout the centuries (Adams, 1994; Keith, et al, 2001). Modern methodologies usually stressed on using model strategies to analyse or interpret the passages (Pressley, 2006). There is no definitive set of strategies, but general ones include summarizing what you have read, monitoring your reading paragraphs, and analysing the structure of the text (Pressley, 2006). Some programmes teach students how to self monitor whether they are understanding and provide students with tools for fixing comprehension problems. These kinds of methods have also be en highly used in English education in China, in order for students to target high reading comprehension scores in the examination. This study was focused on the influence of reading behaviour on reading comprehension performance; hence, these technical strategies and their effects on the reading comprehension performance of EFL/ESL students would not be discussed further in this dissertation. 1.2 Previous literatures and researches on Oral Reading Previous studies on the effects of reading methods on the comprehension performance had shown significant differences between the different reading methodologies. Oral reading had the best effect on comprehension performance among the three reading methods (Alshumaimeri, 2011). In Alshumaimeris research, all groups stated that oral reading was the most preferred reading method with the most of students reporting it was the best method to support reading comprehension. Feedback suggested that this method was preferred because it helps in memorizing words and texts, concentration, and practicing and pronouncing words for real world encounters (Alshumaimeri, 2011). For decades, investigators have stressed the importance of oral reading to children in first language teaching situations in many cultures, not only as a method of encouraging children to read, but also of developing their reading comprehension ability (Alshumaimeri, 2005; Grabe, 1991; Jackson Coltheart, 2001; Juel Holmes, 1981; McCallum, Sharp, Bell, George, 2004; Prior Welling, 2001; Rowell, 1976, Yang, 2008). Oral reading has been considered as an essential approach in teaching pronunciation, vocabulary recognition and memorisation, during the early stages of foreign or second language (EFL/ESL) learning. There are many debated around the topic for decades. With the fast-developing technologies involved in the teaching activities, traditional teaching and learning strategies like oral reading, had been considered as an out-dated methodology, and discouraged by some EFL/ESL teachers (Amer,1 997). Hill and Dobbyn pointed out in their research that oral reading could be a waste of class time in 1979 (Hill Dobbyn, 1979). This situation is especially is especially critical in Chinas education system, since the focus is generally on improving the examination grades, rather than using a language practically. Another reason for oral reading has been overlooked by many teachers is because of lacking scientific instructions; consequently, students could not use oral reading as an efficient method to practice a foreign language after class in a non-native speaking environment (Yang, 2008). On contrary, researches had demonstrated that oral reading with scientific techniques could be beneficial in proof-reading, pronunciation practice, and fluency of conversations (Cho Choi, 2008; Gibson, 2008; Rennie, 2000; Reutzel, Hollingsworth, Eldredge, 1994; White, 1982). A survey conducted by BBC on the influences of oral reading on EFL/ESL at the EFL/ESL forum (Gao Xia, 2006), in which 98% of the 314 EFL teachers thought that oral reading had essential functions on English learning (Gao Xia, 2006) The majority of EFL/ESL teachers suggested oral reading as an essential English learning method based on teaching experiences (Gao Xia, 2006; Yang, 2008) 1.2.1 Oral reading in English Learning In China, or other countries where students learn English as a foreign language, the input of the target language is very low in daily life. The output of a language requires the understanding of large amount of the input first (Krashen, 2009). Oral reading is generally considered as an essential and effective way of the foreign language input. In China, the purpose of learning English as a second language has moved from understanding and using the language, to target high scores in various examinations in order to gain high grades, or get into and graduate from universities. As a consequence, the most of English teachers in China, especially the ones in secondary schools, colleges and universities, focus the English teaching and learning on the grammar, writing skills and reading comprehension test skills. Few teachers are actually taken oral reading or reading aloud as a regular teaching strategy during classes or as a regular practicing method for students. The lack of oral readin g practice in long term could result in a lack of the language input in a non-native speaking environment. Therefore, many students in China who have learnt English for many years have a good amount of vocabulary and well understanding of the grammar, and had passed many examinations including CET-4 and CET-6, still have troubles to use English fluently when needed. The lack of the language input during foreign language learning would result in lack of the scenes of the target language. Therefore, as suggested by many educators, oral reading is an effective, concentrated, and enhanced input route for language information. It could help EFL/ESL students to enrich their information pool of the target language and also provide the base of imitating and expressing the language for students language output. From imitating the reading material, the information in the texts would be converted into their natural and fluent expression and communication. Educators suggested that there are several reasons why oral reading takes an important part in English teaching and learning. Firstly, oral reading is a method to improve pronunciation and speaking ability. With the correct direction from English teachers, students could be benefit from oral reading practice for their pronunciation, voice tone. Additionally, during the oral reading behaviour, students eyes, mouths, and ears can all be involved. It can enhance the corresponding area in the brain to process the sound. So effective reading aloud practice is also a good foundation for listening. Thirdly, oral reading can improve the sense of phrase during foreign language learning in a non-native speaking environment. The process can also help student to concentrate on the text and memorise vocabulary (Alshumaimeri, 2011). With all the advantages of oral reading practice above, as suggested by Halliday in his An introduction to Functional Grammar, reading texts aloud would help the reade r to understand complicated contents (Halliday, 1994). Moreover, it has also been suggested that oral reading to help foreign language learners to improve their written communication skills. By imitating the language during oral reading, students could overcome the effect of their first language on the writing skills. Correct guidance of oral reading is essential in English learning. Reading aloud without wise strategies would not have any positive input in the learning process, which is a great waste of time and energy. As suggested by researchers, ESL/EFL teachers should pay attention to oral reading during the class to inspire students interests in oral reading. Teachers should also provide clear demonstration of the correct pronunciation and tone. And also explain the differences between the first language and foreign language. In addition, students are encouraged to practice oral reading regularly outside the class spontaneously. Furthermore, the reading materials should be well-selected. Articles, passages or books written by the native speakers of the target language with approximately 5% of new vocabulary are suggested to be suitable reading materials. To sum up, oral reading is an essential methodology that can improve many skills in English learning, including pronunciation, vocabulary, intonation, voice tone, and the sense of the language. Many researchers and educator believe that oral reading can improve the reading comprehension performance. Therefore, this study would like to investigate the relationship between oral reading practice and the reading comprehension performance of Chinese university students, through a series of designed oral reading practicing experiment. 1.3 Previous literatures and researches Reading Comprehension The research of reading comprehension has begun to increase rapidly in 1970s (Thorndike, 1973). It has then increasingly become the main standard in language understanding. As mentioned above, reading comprehension is described as the level of understanding of a content or text. In this thesis, the word text is used to refer to the written materials, which have specific meanings in semantics, informative in pragmatics, coherent in logic and cohesive in linguistics; it carries out the communication functions and conveys the interactive purposes between the writer and the reader; it depends on context, linguistic or non-linguistic, in which the textural meaning can be perceived by the reader. 1.3.1 Reading Comprehension of Text Reading comprehension is generally a fundamental mean for people to get information. Readers integrate and comprehend the text information on the basis of al parts of information. They complete their comprehension according to part and whole understanding of the text. Therefore, reading comprehension relies on the interaction of meaning between local and whole information. Text theory has become central to contemporary linguistic sciences. Text is considered as central to the construction of reality as entities are brought into existence, given meaning and significance. The purpose of reading is to uncover the meaning underlying in texts, and to examine the pattern of text and to link them to social backgrounds. Through the past few decades, the research on reading comprehension of text has been made more progress through the efforts of many text linguists (Gao, 2010). Reading comprehension of the text requires perceiving auditory and visual inputs, process these inputs in their highly complex cognitive systems (Anderson and Pearson, 1984). Reading comprehension began with the studies on memory and representation. The current researches of reading comprehension involve in the study on the retrieval of central concepts, different dimensions of situational models and different processing of text information. English reading comprehension theories developed from the earliest Grammar-Translation theory to current situational model theory. Through the empirical researches and English reading teaching theories, the above two research fields tend to draw together. Both fields had developed from linguistic micro aspect to semantic macro aspect. In the field of psycholinguistics, reading comprehension of text refers to the capacity to construct new knowledge from the written text (Anderson and Pearson, 1984) and apply the acquired information to new situations (Kinstch, 1998). The Propositional Theory, the Schema Theory and the Mental Models are considered as the three most influential psycholinguistic theories of reading comprehension of text (Gunning, 1996). 1.3.2 Brief Comparison between Reading Comprehension Theories The three main reading comprehension theories identified by Gunning in 1996 will be described and compared briefly in this section. Propositional Theory: According to Gunning, the Propositional Theory engages the reader constructing a central idea as they process the text. These central ideas are organised in a hierarchical pattern with the most important factors given the highest priority to be memorised (Gunning, 1996). Schema Theory: Schema, came from Greek which means shape or plan. The term has been introduced into education by Bartlett in 1932 (Bartlett, 1932). According to Bartlett, a schema was defined as a complex knowledge structure which groups all the information an individual knows about or associates with a particular concept. The term was linked with reconstructive memory by a series of experiments demonstrated in Bartletts work (Bartlett,1932). By presenting participants with information that was unfamiliar to their cultural backgrounds and expectations and then monitoring how they recalled these different items of information (stories, etc.), Bartlett was able to establish that individuals existing schemata and stereotypes influence not only how they interpret schema-foreign new information but also how they recall the information over time.(Wikipedia) The Schema Theory in had been studied and developed by many researcher ever since. In 1980, Rumelhart had taken an important breakthrough of the sche ma theory in reading comprehension, by portraying individuals understanding of tales and stories (Rumelhart, 1980). Later, the schema in text theory refers to content schema, where the the readers understanding of the text might depend on having a clearly established context for the text. Gunning (1996) defines a schema as the organized knowledge that one already has about people, places, things, and events. Kitao (1990) says the schema theory involves an interaction between the readers own knowledge and the text, which results in comprehension. This schema, as Gunning defined, can be very broad, such a schema for natural disasters, or more narrow, such as a schema for a hurricane. Each schema is filed in an individual compartment and stored there. In attempting to comprehend reading materials, students can relate this new information to the existing information they have compartmentalized in their minds, adding it to these files for future use. Based on the Schema Theory, depending on how extensive their files become, their degree of reading comprehension may vary. (website) For instance, the researches of reading comprehension sometimes term as formal schemata, which reveal previous experience of a certain text type. For instance, readers usually expect to see an abstract, a background review, a methodology and analysis and discussion of data in a scientific paper. This kind of schema provides the expectation about the style of the text. Schema could also be used to represent the meaning representation built up by a reader during processing a particular piece of text. People begin to read texts with expectations about the content, which can be derived from the title or from the purpose of the texts. These enable people to develop a text-specific schema even before reading. More information might be added to the original schema, or the initial schema might be revised during the reading. (Sample Paper) Schema is different between languages. There are three possible changes of schemata. The change is involved when small adjustment is made temporarily in order to confront immediate needs. Accretion modifies a schema gradually but when new information is acquired or repeated examples of contrary evidence are accumulated, the schema may be changed. Restructuring occurs when a sudden insight or new piece of knowledge leads to radical reorganisation of existing knowledge structures. (Sample Paper) To sum up, the schema theory, as the mental representations of typical situations, are used in text processing to predict the contents of the particular situation which the text describes. The idea is that the mind which is stimulated by key words or phrases in the text, or by the context, activates a schema of knowledge, and uses this schema to understand the text. Mental Model Theory (Dominican.edu website) Another major theory we would like to discuss is the Mental Model. This model can be thought of as a mind movie created in ones head, based on the reading content. Gunning gives a detailed description of this process, stating that a mental model is constructed most often when a student is reading fiction. The reader focuses in on the main character and creates a mental model of the circumstances in which the character finds him or herself. The mental model is re-constructed or updated to reflect the new circumstances as the situation changes, but the items important to the main character are kept in the foreground according to Gunning, (1996). Perkins (1991) identifies that sometimes misconceptions about important concepts reflect misleading mental models of the topic itself or the subject matter within which it sits. There are, however, interventions the teacher can do to help the reader to stay on track and create a more accurate picture. One suggestion is for the teachers to ask the students to disclose their mental models of the topics in question, through analogy, discussion, picturing, and other ways. This information gives the teacher insight on the students knowledge gaps and misconceptions, therefore allowing them to help students reconstruct a more accurate picture. 1.3.3 Reading Comprehension in Foreign Language Study Reading comprehension is one of the critical teaching objectives in all foreign languages education. The ability of reading comprehension is also an important factor to evaluate the learners language competence. Studies on first language learning showed that the comprehension performance is better when reading silently (Bernhardt, 1983; Leinhardt, Zigmond, Cooley, 1981; Wilkinson Anderson, 1995). Nevertheless, recently study from Teng suggested that reading comprehension results had no significant difference between oran and silent reading (Teng, 2009). In EFL/ESL learning, Al-Qurashi et al had proposed that oral reading was only beneficial in acquisition; for reading comprehension, silent reading is better strengthened (Al-Qurashi, Watson, Hafseth, Hickman, Pond, 1995). While researchers continue to explore the effectiveness of oral reading on both language acquisition and comprehension, many questions remain unanswered. Further research on the relationship between oral reading s and reading comprehension is needed in order to enhance EFL teaching methodologies and to improve learning outcomes. This research furthers understanding of the relationship between oral reading and comprehensio n performance at later stage of EFL/ESL learning. As such, findings would assist colleges or universities, the EFL/ESL researchers, educators and students. 1.3.4 The Previous Research on the Correlation between Oral Reading and Reading Comprehension Oral reading and reading comprehension are different reading activities that are related and interact to each other. Research had been done on the two aspects from various perspectives, including psychological linguistics, neurological linguistics, cognition and the functions in foreign language education. Oral reading is a reading activity that expresses the emotions using reading skills, such as stress, rhythm or tone, in the linguistic materials. It involves reading out aloud the words, sentences or passages, with eye sight focusing on the texts. It is different from a mechanical word-to-word articulating process. Oral reading is a more complex and cognitive process which engages not only pronouncing, reading, and listening, also language perception, comprehension and production of the reader. Previous research suggested that oral reading represented a complicated and dynamic performance that indicate the individuals sensorial skill at automatically recognising orthographical representations, unitising those components into recognisable wholes and automatically accessing lexical representations, processing meaningful connections within and between sentences, relating text meaning to prior information, making inferences to supply missing information, and his production skill the form ulation and execution of speech plan, the performance on which characterises the readers overall language proficiency (Gao, 2006). The psychological process of oral reading had also been investigated. During the activity of oral reading, the reader could formulate the phonetic plan and convert it into vocal sound after comprehending the text (Gao, 2007). Then the input of information could activate the lemma in the mental lexicon  ¼Ã‹â€ Yang, 2008 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. Text is a language phenomenon based on psychological activites and also a product of psychological process. Reading comprehension of the text involves how people recognise auditory and visual inputs, process and understand the input information in the highly complex cognitive systems. In the field of psycholinguistics, reading comprehension of the text refers to the capacity to construct new knowledge from the written text (Anderson and Pearson, 1984) and apply the acquired information to new situations (Kinstch, 1998).] Furthermore, the performance of reading comprehension is an indicator of the foreign language students competence. If one has difficulty in the comprehension of reading, his or her execution of phonetic plan, mechanisms of articulation and monitor cannot work together simultaneously and effectively. His or her oral reading performance could be stumbled and mistaken as well. Thus, the process of both oral reading and reading comprehension are relevant to cognition and psychology of human. 1.4 Significance and Aims of the Study The main aim of this study is to analyse the relationship between oral reading and comprehension performance. Previous literatures suggested that the oral reading method is correlated to the comprehension performance during language studies among young children and teenagers (Alshumaimeri, 2005; Rowell, E.H. (1976).). Alshumaimeri s research on the effects of different reading methods on the comprehension performance in 10th grade Saudi male students indicated that, reading comprehension performance could be benefited from oral reading method because it could help students to concentrate on the passages and memorise new vocabulary (Alshumaimeri, 2011). The research from Alshumaimeri was conducted among teenagers. Additionally, the experiment was designed to investigate the reading comprehension performance after oral reading the passages (Alshumaimeri, 2011), i.e. the immediate effect of oral reading on comprehension performance. However, the experiment was designed differently in th is study to investigate the long-term effect of oral reading on reading comprehension performance. Therefore, this study has been carried out among second year students in Shandong Normal University in China, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. This study has aimed to investigate the influence of oral reading practice on reading comprehension performance, in ESL/EFL students with relatively long English learning history and who already have relatively higher ability in English. Because with the development of English teaching and learning strategies, and the ability of self-learning and gaining resources by students, oral reading is more neglected with the age increasing as well, especially for college and university students, who despise oral reading as a leaning method because it is time consuming, childish and shows no immediate improvements in examination grades. Therefore, the ability of reading comprehension would be measured by two designed multiple-choice tests, before and after a 6-week oral reading practice experiment. The scores from both tests would be ana lysed to investigate the relationship between oral reading practice and the reading comprehension performance. Besides the quantitative data comparison from the reading comprehension tests, the opinions from both students and English teachers participated in this research on oral reading and reading comprehension would be collected by questionnaires. This aimed to investigate the attitude of oral reading and reading comprehension from both learners and teachers point of views during EFL/ESL education. These results would be valuable for future English as a foreign language education. Theoretical exploration and quantitative analysis would be illustrated in the thesis; experimental data would be processed with SPSS to support the theory as well. 2. Methodology The study mainly focused on discovering whether the students performance of oral reading would have any positive influence on students reading comprehension performance. Additionally, the work of EFL/ESL teacher in China put in teaching correct oral reading techniques to improve their ability in reading comprehension performance. In order to get reliability and validity data and results, both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used in this research. In the foreign language education field, quantitative research is objective, noticeable, and outcome-oriented, which can be generalised. On contrary, qualitative research is more subjective, contextual and process-oriented, during which the process is based on systematic methods. In this section, the key questions involved in this study would be discussed, followed by research subjects (university teachers and students), research procedures (experimental design, implement process and data collection), and measurements (pre-test, post-test, questionnaires and teaching experiments). 2.1 Research Questions The study was designed to investigate the influence of oral reading practice on reading comprehension performance, and the relationship between the two. The key questions in this study are as follows: How to use oral reading as an effective teaching method in English classes regularly? How often do students use oral reading as an exercise technique in their self-study time? What is the relationship between oral reading and reading comprehension performance? Would the oral reading experiment have positive influence on the reading habit of students? The research of these questions would be illustrated in the Results section, and the answers to these key questions would be discussed further in the Discussion section. 2.2 Research Subjects The experiment around the topic was carried out in second year student in Shangdong Normal University, China. A full-time university could be used to represent the majority of universities in China. A group of 120 non-English department students were chosen as the research subject in this study. They could represent most of the English learning students in China. As second year university students, they usually have a good understanding in English by passing the National Entrance Examination of China, and had leant English for approximately 9 years since the fourth grade in primary schools. The average age of the chosen students was around 19 to 21; and participants were selected from both genders. More importantly, they have similar education background and English level in the reading comprehension. The non-English-specialised College English Test Band 4 (CET-4), which is a national English as a Foreign Language test in China, could be used as a standard to measure the ability of t he participants in the reading comprehension study. The purpose of the CET is to examine the English proficiency of undergraduate students in China and ensure that Chinese undergraduates reach the required English levels specified in the National College English Teaching Syllabuses (NCETS). The level of CET-4 could be considered as around 5.5 to 6 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The 120 participants were selected from 300 non-English-specialised students from different departments who join the research on their own will. Their scores were fall between 25% and 40% in the pre-experimental reading comprehension test (details in the next section). This score range represents a group of students who have certain understanding in English but with lower level in the reading comprehension. As a consequence, there is a big gap to see the improvements in this study. After the selection, there were 79 female students and 41 male students were chosen for the next step experiment. The reason for the difference in genders was due to that the female student proportion was naturally higher in this University. However, since the purpose of this study was not focus on the effect of oral reading on reading comprehension performance between genders, this big difference could be accepted in this research. The gender proportion information is illustrated in Tabe.1 below. Gender Number Percent