Are all Americans that Attend Sunday Church Christians Essay

Are all Americans that Attend Sunday Church Christians - Essay Example Christian critics have debated the role of the Sabbath day and what Christians should do during the day. However, the major area of contention is the activities that man is supposed to be engaged during the day in accordance with the Christian teachings. The creation process according to Alister (1999, p53) occurred at the beginning, where there ‘was a word and the word was God’. This process is described in Genesis, a book contained in the Old Testament written many centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, from whom Christians follow His teachings. The birth of Jesus Christ whom Christians regard as the son of God and as God himself exemplified the Sabbath day from which modern Christians follow in churches. The idea of Sabbath from the period that God created the world to the time of Jesus ministry has virtually remained unchanged and current Christians emulate the work and teachings of Jesus Christ on the Sabbath day. Many theologians have researched on the relatio nship between work and Sabbath in the Christian teachings. Karl Barth (1979, p40) a seasoned theologian argues that on the Sabbath day, God rested to celebrate his creation. In this regard, all Christians should leave behind their daily activities and join others in fellowship to celebrate God’s creations. ... The New Testament documents many incidents where Jesus observed the Sabbath day in accordance with God’s commandment. In Luke4:16, Jesus is recorded to have gone in the synagogue on the Sabbath day where he taught and read sermons to the congregation. Luke 6: 6 documents an incident when Jesus taught the congregation about a man whose hand was withered. These incidents demonstrate that Jesus celebrated the Sabbath day by engaging in God’s work. He worshipped, taught, and prayed with other believers in addition to performing miracles (Bruce, 2000, p34). Jesus Christ’s actions on the Sabbath day and are compliant with God’s commandment, which requires all believers to observe the day and keep it holy. Many critics have questioned why Jesus Christ performed miracles on the Sabbath day whereas God had forbidden work on that day. However, Jesus work was dedicated to God’s ministry, a practice that modern Christians follow to date. Attending Sunday church services is the continuation of God’s work and the mere action of attending the services qualifies all worshippers to be Christians. However, not all Americans attending the Sunday church service are Christian unless they follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. According to Alister (1999, p63), Christianity is a calling where believers are supposed to accept their failings and dedicate themselves to learn God commands. Accepting their weaknesses involves acknowledging that they are sinners and then seeking for forgiveness. Repentance according to Alister (1999, p 58) brings ‘change’ to a person by adopting a lifestyle that is compliant with God’s teachings. In addition, the repentant Christian should undergo baptism.

Speech Structures Essay Example for Free

Speech Structures Essay As I listened, what I saw as essential in the understanding of the cases was knowing the name of the case and the state or court that was involved, the procedural history, the facts, the legal issue or issues raised in the case by the defendant and prosecutor, the courts holding, the courts reasoning and the disposition. If one of these items was left out you do not get the whole picture and the dilemma at hand. With out some of these parts it would be hard to follow where one part ends and the other part begins. One person that I listened to that I believe had a good speech structure was her case was on Pennhurst State School v Halderman (1981) which dealt with the Mental Institution and Patients rights. She began by telling us what her speech was about and the things that were found within the speech. She then began by telling us an interesting bit of the history of Pennhurst leading to the case. She had all her information set up according to the directions and also did a good job in transitioning from one topic to another providing the correct information. Out of all the speeches I heard I feel like my own speech could have been better. My speech was on Lawrence v. Texas (2003) which dealt with sex and privacy. I feel like I rushed my speech a bit and did not notice some of my mistakes. I believe my speech needed a tighter organizational structure which would have helped me during my presentation because some of my topics were placed in places they should not have been. During all of the presentations I personally do not think that any one of the students failed to follow directions. I believe that everyone did a great job in writing and presenting their speeches. Some were put better then others and some just like myself lacked a bit of structure. But other then that I believe everyone followed the directions as best as they could. Civil liberties and Constitutional rights After listening to the presentations I learned a bit about our country. I learned that even in our recent times there are still some states that had or still have laws that go against individuals constitutional rights. As well as I learned how each and everyone of these important cases changed the aws and the visions of many people till this very day. What impressed me was the courage that many of these individuals had to stand up to segregation, racism, discrimination, and other horrible things. What also impressed me was in the case of Plessy vs Ferguson and how a guy that was almost completely white put him self out there as black to put a point across since in his community he was considered black because of his one ancestor. He was labeled as â€Å"Creole of Color† and arrested for sitting in the â€Å"white car†. One thing that still sticks in my mind is the case of Thompson V Ok. It is unbelievable how a 15 year old child could commit such a brutal murder with no remorse what so ever and not be sent to death because of his age even though he committed such a heinous crime. After everything the discussions at the end of our speeches were very helpful. They helped in further explaining the situations as well as they helped put current issues into perspective with the cases that we wrote about. It was quite interesting in seeing how these cases formed what we are now and where this country is headed. And for the most part I feel like they are headed in the right direction.

Guilt, Suffering, Confession and Redemption in Crime and Punishment Ess

Guilt, Suffering, Confession and Redemption in Crime and Punishment  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   "You keep lying!" screamed Raskolnikov, no longer able to restrain himself. "You're lying, you damned clown!" And he flung himself on Porfiry, who retired to the doorway, but without a trace of panic. "I understand everything, everything!" He approached Porfiry. "You're lying and taunting me so Ill give myself away-" "You can't give yourself away any more than you have already, Rodion Romanovich, old man. Why, you've gone into a state. Don't shout, I'll call my men, sir!" (Dostoyevsky, 34) No humane person with any values is able to commit a heinous crime without some feeling of guilt or remorse afterwards. Slowly, this guilt festers and eats away at one's conscience until the point of escape, reached by confession, thus leading to salvation. Throughout Dostoyevsky's Crime and. Punishment the main character, Raskolnikov is stricken with guilt and suffering that eventually lead to his confession and redemption motivated by many forces. Crime and Punishment is the story of a young "intellect", Raskolnikov, who develops a superman theory. In his hypothesis, he felt that certain men were extraordinary and could commit unethical acts without punishment or a guilty conscience. In his case, he wanted to rid the earth of a parasite through the vicious slaying of an old pawnbroker, Alyona, and her sister, Lizaveta, in order to gain money so that he could continue his studies and to see if he was truly extraordinary. Was he truly the Napoleon that he thought he was? Could he walk over people with no regard for their feelings or sufferings as Napoleon had? (Literary Criticism, 68) "He is obviously no superman or Napoleon, but didn't get enough fre... ...ut its overwhelming power and the fact that it made such a painful impression on readers that those with strong nerves fell ill and those with weak nerves had to give up reading it. (Kjetsaa, 183) Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Interpretations. New York, New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. New York, New York: New American Library, Inc., 1968. Gale Research Co. Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism. Detroit, MI 1984, Vol. 7. Kjetsaa, Geir. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, A Writer's Life. New York, New York: Viking Penguin Inc., 1987, Magill, Frank. Masterplots. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1976. Terras, Victor. Handbook of Russian Literature. New Haven, CT; Yale University Press, 1985. Timoney, John. Speech on Crime and Punishment. Mt. Holyoke College, November 10, 1994.

International Business Economics Essay

Globalization and international forms of conducting business has been the overriding factor for most economies of the world in the last two decades. According to economists, the political and economic amalgamation of nations will continue to grow as linkages to migration of products, money and people beyond their national boundaries become evident. This has led to the apprehension that, there is need for regional integration in terms of collective, political and economic reorganizations. The main reasons for this are; to make the business environment friendlier, economic power shift and regional balancing. This essay will therefore argue out the pros and cons of regional integration with specific reference to the EU. It will discuss the general benefits that have so far been gained and the downbeat impacts experienced as a result of the same. More emphasis will be placed on the impacts on the member states themselves. Regional integration aims to promote economic welfare gains among countries that have come together to meet some specific economic objectives. The EU is both a functional entity and territorial in that its main duty is to transfer sovereignty and handle regional projects that include trading activities. In an economic perspective, it is responsible for the movement of goods which in most cases becomes free within the member states. It also handles issues of labour and capital amo0ng countries that want to boost their economic growth in other places not only among the integrated community but also in other parts of the world. The EU has however grown to become an economic logic drive that is driven by the political desire to counter Asian and American competitive nature of businesses. (Hilbert, 2004) Whenever the term free trade in mentioned, many things come into the mind of the listener. The first thing is apparently conducting of trade without barriers. That is precisely what happens in free trade areas/associations. In the past developed free trade associations, all barriers to the trade of goods and services among the countries that are party to the agreement are completely done away with and a conducive environment, for carrying out business is upheld. In theory, free trade area will have things like; subsidies, custom duties, tariffs, administrative encumbrance or even quotas removed. In most cases, the countries are given the freedom to retain individual policies when talking about non-members. The most common types of free trade associations are the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) which was established in 1960 and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (P. de Vries, 2002) Previous research has shown that there are many theoretical and empirical effects of free trade. This is according to the economists who have been able to study free trade in relation to regional integration and its economic, social and political implications on the countries. One aspect is that there is creation of losers and winners. In a survey that was carried out in the year 2006, it shows that 87. 5 percent of economists concurred that United States as a nation has to eliminate any barriers of trade that are still existing including tariffs and other factors in order to have other nations within the Latin America regional to support their economic quest for businesses. (Temple, 1999) Advantages of regional integration Collective bargaining power in the trade fora is the major benefit for regional integration. The European Union since its inception has been able to have a stronger bargaining power on most of the trading agreements and foreign direct investments. There have been instances where the U. S dominated the trade talks and trade policies in Europe especially when it dealt with only one country such as France. This makes it very difficult for that country to handle the economic problems that might arise. When the region comes together, even countries such as the UK need to think twice while drafting laws whether against or for the whole region. Some products that are made in the U. S. ave been denied access into the European Union markets because of some logistical issues affecting the two trading partners. (Levine, 1992) There is improved geopolitics among the participating countries. Like-minded countries can come together and assist other countries with fragile democracies, narrow global markets and limited opportunities to come t a level playing filed in the world economy. This will probably encourage development in addition to better and safe networks in the area. Political disbarment, conflict resolution and peace brokering is a key benefit of regional cooperation. Taking into contemplation the fact that there is free movement of people and goods, the poor will tend to benefit enormously from better services and products i. e. a wide variety to choose from. A non-economic gain such as security is also a major factor that regional integration is able to bring forth to the partner states. It has been possible for the European Union to talk in one voice against many issues such as the fight against terrorism. (Lain, 2006) Larger markets are developed as a result of regional integration. Trade has become increasingly global in some scope today and there are reasons for this. One is the advancement in technology including communication efficiency and modernization where people are migrating to live in areas where they feel they are comfortable. Increasingly, rapid technology lifecycles has increased competition among countries as to who can produce the best in the market hence the need to employ competitive marketing and business strategies which includes economic and monetary integration. When two or more nations come together to trade, first, the market potential increases and there is huge customer base that will allow for the expansion of businesses. The EU for example is a huge market for African and American products that may not have been possible if they traded individually and not as a block. (P. de Vries, 2002) Strategic competitive advantage for most companies will be widened by the European Union. Taking for example the larger western European countries such as France and Germany will be able to absorb cheap raw products from Belgium and those who will benefit further will be the farmers. Sometimes countries such as the UK can provide better and sophisticated communication systems that will boost business expansion in less economic countries of the EU. In some cases, regional integration gives the countries that are involved get better gains through the free flow of trade in terms of investments especially beyond the jurisdictions of organizations such as the World Trade Organizations. (P. de Vries, 2002) Disadvantages It is difficult to coordinate activities of the member countries because of the fact that there are huge disparities within the member states within the EU. Macroeconomic instability occurs as a result of unbalanced nature of the countries with regard to natural resources and infrastructure. This is reflected on the one ‘nation’ intervention decisions on market factors such as custom duties, taxes and internal matters. This also manipulates itself in the form of governance. (Hilbert, 2004) Every nation has its own governance issues to deal with; party politics, corruption, security, economic crimes, among others. This will make it impossible for the regional integrating body to look into the desires of affiliate states. To some extent, some government have authoritarian styles of leadership that prevent free flow of goods, people, community integration, and other development issues. This is most cases results in scepticism among the associate countries. The US, after the cold war was very pessimistic about the way Latin America was planning to form a regional body that encompasses the south and northern countries. All these political problems catapults regional disintegration and promote conflicts which are not favourite business catalysts. (Abeman, 2006) Some countries might lose out on the actual benefits of the integration because of the way the policies and structures may be drafted. Some countries which are more developed than others would benefit more. Taking an example of the industries such as textiles where majority of the employees here are low cost workers who may end up losing their jobs because of a shift in business locations. It is a fact that companies move to locations where the labour is cheap and investment opportunities are higher. The European Union for example has integrated the European countries in one or another. But the problem comes in when the countries such as France and the U. K invest in countries such as Spain which are still believed to have a lower economic growth than themselves. (Donovan & Marlette, 2005) It is very difficult to synchronize all rules and constitutional necessities that every country is structurally required to have. With huge disparities concerning the way Germany and UK conduct their international business, there will be looming problem in future when the countries wanted to have bring their heads together. When the EU constitution was brought into a referendum, France literally rejected it. This shows that there EU union will not come to an agreement in almost all things. Every business is affected by economic factors. Fiscal policy rates, interest rate policy, currency exchange rates, consumer factors, etc. It is possible that the U. S locale of the economy dictates how the consumer behaves in the society. If an economy is booming, recessing or recovering, the confidence of the consumer will automatically change. In all these factors, the member countries will push for their own rates to be accepted by the others. (Lain, 2006) Vocational training for national protection especially on local industries that may not effectively compete with other multinationals. It is therefore a setback for the European Union to adequately address equity and fair trade issues among countries in a bid to harmonize the member states. s a matter of theory, the thing that vestiges to be an issue of concern is the fact that every country would want to have the lion’s share when it comes to sharing same currencies, trade rules and business partnerships. This will cause poor relationships among competing nations and it might result to break-ups. (Donovan & Marlette, 2005) When there is free trade countries are normally subjected to stiff competition. This means that a country’s prosperity can be affected which is quite risky. This makes many countries to strive to protect themselves against effects of free trade. This can be implemented by ensuring that there is imposition of taxes on foreign goods hence increasing their prices. When this is done, it means that the countries own producers are protected. Research shows that free trade exits in theory and not in practical. This is because many nations strive to protect their own industries. There are several ways through which many nations protect themselves from effects of free trade. There are some countries that limit the quantity of imported products (Lain, 2006)

EFFECTIVE BALANCED LITERACY PROGRAMS FOR ELLS

Balanced literacy is a model designed to assist all pupils learn to read and compose efficaciously. Teachers no longer hold to utilize either whole – linguistic communication programming instructional schemes based preponderantly on phonics. Alternatively, balanced literacy involves non merely whole – linguistic communication and phonics, but several different positions and attacks ( Tompkins, 2003 p.15 ) . The plan stands steadfastly on the premiss that all pupils can larn to read and compose. This balance between reading and composing allows pupils to have the instruction needed in order to make grade degree position, while leting pupils to work at an instructional degree that is non thwarting for them. Balanced Literacy is a theoretical account for learning kids in a child-centered schoolroom, supplying many chances for existent life reading and composing experiences. It is originally based on the New Zealand Model for Literacy and Reading Recovery literacy theoretical accounts authored Marie Clay ( 1885 ) , studied and broadened by Irene Fountas, and Gay Su Pennell ( 1999 ) . Children read and write each twenty-four hours independently and in group scenes ( both big and little ) . Balanced Literacy schoolrooms focus on four different types of reading experiences: a ) reading aloud, B ) shared reading – whole category, degree Celsius ) guided reading – little group, and vitamin D ) independent reading. Students besides participate in day-to-day authorship activities that coincide with their reading experiences. The four types of authorship experiences are: a ) shared composing – whole category, B ) interactive composing – whole category or little group, degree Celsius ) composing workshop – little or single, and vitamin D ) independent composing. Additionally, during many day-to-day reading and composing experiences, kids are taught about letters, sounds, words and how they work. Listening and talking are besides emphasized in this incorporate linguistic communication attack. All literacy direction and assignments are prepared utilizing appropriate methodological analysiss that allow instructors to guarantee fidelity of academic content criterions every bit good as linguistic communication aims for Language Arts Instruction. Surveies agree that balanced literacy should besides embrace phonics, including complete phonemic consciousness, along with vocabulary acquisition, reading eloquence and comprehension. Harmonizing to Froehlich ( 2009 ) , instructors implementing Balanced Literacy use an incorporate attack to learning linguistic communication humanistic disciplines. Balanced Literacy consists of a figure of elements that provide an copiousness of reading and composing on a day-to-day footing and are frequently implemented utilizing cross-curricular methodological analysis. These reliable chances for reading and composing are arranged on a continuum based on more or less teacher support. Some reading and authorship undertakings are modeled by the instructors and others are accomplished with the support of the instructor, taking to a few that are done independently by the kid. Not merely does balanced literacy encourage and increase kids ‘s reading and composing accomplishments, nevertheless, the primary aim is that pupils will larn to bask reading and authorship, therefore cultivating a deeper sense of the value of literacy. Harmonizing to Pressley ( 2001 ) , and was commissioned by the National Reading Conference, most reading plans in simple schools countrywide use a balanced attack to literacy, although due to be limitations, some instructors in smaller communities may hold small or no entree to published literacy scheduling. Reading Recovery/ Descubriendo La Lectura Harmonizing to Clay ( 1993 ) , Reading Recovery is an early intercession plan for first twelvemonth reading direction that focuses on tutoring the lowest 20 per centum of fighting readers. Reading Recovery is comprised of phonemic consciousness, phonics, vocabulary, eloquence, comprehension, composing, unwritten linguistic communication, motive, and independency instructional constituents. Phonicss, phonemic consciousness, vocabulary, eloquence, comprehension, authorship, and unwritten linguistic communication are indispensable for favourable literacy results. The Reading Recovery plan consists of day-to-day 30 minute lessons by a instructor trained in the technique. The plan includes reading known narratives, reading a narrative that was read the twenty-four hours before, composing a narrative, reading with sentence strips, reading new narratives, and appraisal. Assessment is an of import characteristic of this plan. Ashdown and Simic ( 2007 ) found assorted consequences when analyzing limited English proficient pupils utilizing Reading Recovery plan as a intercession. Ashdown and Simic ( 2007 ) found that pupils with limited English proficiency that used Rea ding Recovery for over six months did score higher on achievement appraisals. Descubriendo La Lectura ( DLL ) is merely the Spanish version of Reading Recovery and consists of the same instructional constituents and day-to-day lessons ( Chueng and Slavin, 2005 ) . Merely one survey Descubriendo la Lectura of was conclusive for effectual literacy patterns. Other surveies reviewed by Chueng and Slavin ( 2005 ) did non ensue in positive literacy consequences for pupils whose L1 was Spanish. Overall, as a consequence of these surveies, one can infer that Reading Recovery and Descubriendo la Lectura ( DLL ) may non be effectual balanced literacy plans for English linguistic communication scholars if merely implemented over a short sum of clip. Those pupils that used Reading Recovery and Descubriendo la Lectura ( DLL ) as an intercession for over several months had positive discernible results. Success for All Slavin and Madden ( 1999 ) studied the comprehensive reading plan Success for All and found it to be a structured and effectual course of study theoretical account for Kindergarten and First grade pupils. Success for All provides early literacy using direct reading comprehension direction, methodical phonics direction, concerted acquisition schemes every bit good as full support for instructors including considerable professional development. Success for All besides incorporates one-to-one tutoring for fighting pupils every bit good frequent pupil appraisals and grouping and regrouping by ability degree. Reading is specifically taught in one 90 minute block ( Slavin and Madden, 1999 ; Chueng and Slavin 2005 ) . For English linguistic communication scholars ( ELLs ) , Success or All has two instructional plans. Exito Para Todas is the Spanish bilingual theoretical account. This plan teaches reading to pupils in Spanish for classs one and two and in 3rd grade passages pupils to English-only direction ( Chueng and Slavin, 2005 ) . The other plan is an English linguistic communication development ( ELD ) method, which teaches pupils in English with a focal point on linked vocabulary from reading texts and extra supports ( Chueng and Slavin, 2005 ) . Harmonizing to Chueng and Slavin, ( 2005 ) surveies in California and Texas utilizing Exito Para Todas demonstrated important trial mark differences on the Spanish Woodcock Assessments for Word Attack, Word Identification, and Passage Reading Comprehension for indiscriminately selected pupils utilizing the bilingual plan compared to pupils from schools that used other reading instructional methods. The overall average reading degree addition was.41 of one class degree for those kids utilizing Exito Para Todas. the Success for All plans were positive. Arizona, California, Pennsylvania, and Texas conducted similar surveies with Success for All ELD reading plan and harmonizing to Livingston and Flaherty ( 1997 ) the average reading degree increased by 0.37 of a grade degree. Cheung and Slavin ( 2005 ) further province that other researcher findings did non show pupil accomplishment as systematically for English linguistic communication scholars, nevertheless, most of the reappraisals rated both reading plans as effectual and positive. Educators are aware of the fact non every literacy plan will be successful for every pupil. Therefore, it is indispensable that instructors entree balanced literacy plans that engage pupil acquisition by implementing diverse methods that address larning manner penchants ( Thompkins, 2003 ) . Direct Direction Cheung and Slaving ( 2005 ) every bit good as Dahl and Freppon ( 1998 ) evaluated Direct Instruction ( DI ) with respect to effectual literacy direction for English linguistic communication scholars. Direct Instruction ( DI ) has been around for many old ages and is by and large implemented by the instructor for all pupils in the schoolroom and non purely limited specifically to English linguistic communication scholars. Direct Instruction ( DI ) provides extended phonics, paced reading direction, and frequent pupil appraisal. It was originally designed for fighting readers. Direct Instruction ( DI ) is a systematic attack and as with a comprehensive plan provides teacher support and preparation. It often used with pupils whose primary linguistic communication ( L1 ) is non English and is frequently incorporated into reading plans by big companies such as Harcort School Publishers. Studies show that it is non a balanced literacy plan as DI overemphasizes phonics direction and frequen tly this can be hard English linguistic communication scholars. However, Direct Direction can be a successful attack when several other reading methods and schemes are used in concurrence with it and it is used for over a two twelvemonth period ( Abott, Greenwood, and Kamps, 2007 ; Chueng and Slavin, 2005 ; Slavin and Madden, 1999 ) . Phonicss Plans Reasonably Phonics uses phonics as its cardinal reading foundation. Reasonably Phonics intercession dressed ores on pupils larning missive formation, missive sounds, blending, placing sounds in words, and spelling words. This plan did non show effectual and balanced literacy for English linguistic communication scholars and it is non extremely recommended for pupils with limited English proficiency. Libros is another literacy intercession plan developed for usage kindergarten categories. Teachers would direct place narratives in Spanish after they previewed and discussed the narrative exhaustively with their category. Parents were besides shown a picture of to promote parents to read with their kids every bit good as discuss the narrative with them. Students would have books in Spanish to take place and read with their parents. Results for pupils utilizing Libros for the full school twelvemonth, scored higher on missive and word idenfication, nevertheless, reading comprehension tonss were non as positive ( Chueng and Slavin ; 2005 ; Slavin and Madden, 1999 ) . One can reason that Libros focuses on phonics direction because the reading comprehension tonss did non demo a pronounced addition among English linguistic communication scholars. Besides, this plan appears to be slightly limited, because the cardinal thought is the books the pupils take place to read and pattern. This seems like a slightly auxiliary reading plan, alternatively of complete balanced literacy for English linguistic communication scholars. Decision After analyzing all of the research about the aforesaid reading plans for English linguistic communication scholars, I conclude that balanced literacy plans are reading intercession plans that resulted in more positive information among several different research workers. Obviously, Clay, Fountas, Pennell, and Slavin are some of most good known literacy research workers in the field. Besides, Slavin has updated his original reappraisal of effectual literacy plans from his first in 1999 to the most recent and comprehensive reappraisal of literacy plans in 2005. One concluding idea about balanced literacy plans, is teacher entree. I think it is It is critical that instructors have every bit much information about effectual balanced literacy plans for English linguistic communication scholars. Previously, I had entree to the literacy plan Success for All and I truly saw mensurable betterment among the pupils who were English linguistic communication scholars. Unfortunately, we do non utilize Success for All at the school where I presently teach. I do believe it is indispensable for instructors and decision makers to retrieve that while one plan may work for a specific pupil, it will non needfully increase literacy accomplishments for another. Educators need to be aware to integrate as many reading schemes as possible in their direction. I besides believe that concerted acquisition schemes will heighten any literacy plan and by utilizing concerted acquisition with reading plans, balance and success will better and bring forth favourable litera cy accomplishments. Another indispensable scheme for learning English linguistic communication scholars is seeking on Internet web sites such as Frohlich ‘s ( updated 2009 ) that has so many different balanced literacy learning AIDSs that can be downloaded and printed for instructors to use.

Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights

Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights The aurora borealis, also called the Northern Lights, is a multi-colored brilliant light show in the Earths atmosphere that is caused by the collision of gas particles in the Earths atmosphere with charged electrons from the suns atmosphere. The aurora borealis is most often viewed at high latitudes close to the magnetic north pole but during times of maximum activity, they can be viewed very far south of the Arctic Circle. Maximum auroral activity is rare however and the aurora borealis is normally only seen in or near the Arctic Circle in places like Alaska, Canada, and Norway. In addition to the aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere there is also the aurora australis, sometimes called the Southern Lights, in the southern hemisphere. The aurora australis is created the same way as the aurora borealis and it has the same appearance of dancing, colored lights in the sky. The best time to view the aurora australis is from March to September because the Antarctic Circle experiences the most darkness during this period. The aurora australis is not seen as often as the aurora borealis because they are more concentrated around Antarctica and the southern Indian Ocean. How the Aurora Borealis Works The aurora borealis is a beautiful and fascinating occurrence in the Earths atmosphere but its colorful patterns begin with the sun. It occurs when highly charged particles from the suns atmosphere move into the Earths atmosphere via the solar wind. For reference, the solar wind is a stream of electrons and protons made of plasma that flow away from the sun and into the solar system at around 560 miles per second (900 kilometers per second) (Qualitative Reasoning Group). As the solar wind and its charged particles enter the Earths atmosphere they are pulled toward the Earths poles by its magnetic force. While moving through the atmosphere the suns charged particles collide with the oxygen and nitrogen atoms found in the Earths atmosphere and the reaction of this collision forms the aurora borealis. The collisions between the atoms and charged particles occur around 20 to 200 miles (32 to 322 km) above the Earths surface and it is the altitude and type of atom involved in the collision that determines the color of the aurora (How Stuff Works). The following is a list of what causes the different auroral colors and it was obtained from How Stuff Works: Red - oxygen, over 150 miles (241 km) above the Earths surfaceGreen - oxygen, up to 150 miles (241 km) above the Earths surfacePurple/violet - nitrogen, over 60 miles (96 km) above the Earths surfaceBlue - nitrogen, up to 60 miles (96 km) above the Earths surface According to the Northern Lights Centre, green is the most common color for the aurora borealis, while red is the least common. In addition to the lights being these various colors, they also appear to flow, form various shapes and dance in the sky. This is because the collisions between the atoms and the charged particles are constantly shifting along the magnetic currents of the Earths atmosphere and the reactions of these collisions follow the currents. Predicting the Aurora Borealis Today modern technology allows scientists to predict the strength of the aurora borealis because they can monitor the strength of the solar wind. If the solar wind is strong auroral activity will be high because more charged particles from the suns atmosphere will move into the Earths atmosphere and react with the nitrogen and oxygen atoms. Higher auroral activity means that the aurora borealis can be seen over larger areas of the Earths surface. Predictions for the aurora borealis are shown as daily forecasts similar to weather. An interesting forecasting center is provided by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. These forecasts predict the most active locations for the aurora borealis for a specific time and give a range showing the strength of auroral activity. The range begins at 0 which is minimal auroral activity that is only viewed at latitudes above the Arctic Circle. This range ends at 9 which is maximum auroral activity and during these rare times, the aurora borealis can be seen at latitudes much lower than the Arctic Circle. The peak of auroral activity typically follows an eleven-year sunspot cycle. During times of sunspots, the sun has very intense magnetic activity and the solar wind is very strong. As a result, the aurora borealis is also normally very strong at these times. According to this cycle, the peaks for auroral activity should occur in 2013 and 2024. Winter is usually the best time to view the aurora borealis because there are long periods of darkness above the Arctic Circle as well as many clear nights. For those interested in viewing the aurora borealis there are some places that are best for viewing them frequently because they offer long periods of darkness during the winter, clear skies and low light pollution. These locations include places like Denali National Park in Alaska, Yellowknife in Canadas Northwest Territories and Tromsà ¸, Norway. Importance of the Aurora Borealis The aurora borealis has been written about and studied for as long as people have been living in and exploring the polar regions and as such, they have been important to people since ancient times and possibly earlier. For example, many ancient myths talk about the mysterious lights in the sky and some medieval civilizations feared them as they believed that lights were a sign of impending war and/or famine. Other civilizations believed the aurora borealis was the spirit of their people, great hunters and animals like salmon, deer, seals, and whales (Northern Lights Centre). Today the aurora borealis is recognized as an important natural phenomenon and every winter people venture into northern latitudes to watch it and some scientists devote much of their time to studying it. The aurora borealis is also considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

The History and Archaeology of Chauvet Cave

The History and Archaeology of Chauvet Cave Chauvet Cave (also known as  Chauvet-Pont dArc) is currently the oldest known rock art site in the world, apparently dating to the Aurignacian period in France, about 30,000-32,000 years ago. The cave is located in the Pont-dArc Valley of Ardà ¨che, France, at the entrance of the Ardà ¨che gorges between the Cevennes and Rhone valleys. It extends horizontally for nearly 500 meters (~1,650 feet) into the earth and consists of two main rooms separated by a narrow hallway. Paintings at Chauvet Cave Over 420 paintings have been documented in the cave, including numerous realistic animals (reindeer, horses, aurochs, rhinoceros, bison, lions, cave bears among others), human handprints, and abstract dot paintings. The paintings in the front hall are primarily red, created with the liberal applications of red ochre, while the ones in the back hall are mainly black designs, drawn with charcoal. The paintings at Chauvet are highly realistic, which is unusual for this period in Paleolithic rock art. In one famous panel (a little bit is shown above) an entire pride of lions is illustrated, and the feeling of movement and power of the animals is tangible even in photographs of the cave taken in poor light and at low resolution. Archaeological Investigation The preservation in the cave is remarkable. Archaeological material in Chauvet caves deposits include thousands of animal bones, including the bones of at least 190 cave bears (Ursus spelaeus). The remains of hearths, an ivory spearhead, and a human footprint have all been identified within the caves deposits. Chauvet Cave was discovered in 1994 by Jean-Marie Chauvet; the relatively recent discovery of this remarkably intact cave painting site has allowed researchers to closely control the excavations using modern methods. In addition, the researchers have worked to protect the site and its contents. Since 1996, the site has been under investigation by an international team led by Jean Clottes, combining geology, hydrology, paleontology, and conservation studies; and, since that time, it has been closed to the public, to preserve its fragile beauty. Dating Chauvet The dating of Chauvet cave is based on 46 AMS radiocarbon dates taken on tiny pieces of paint from the walls, conventional radiocarbon dates on human and animal bone, and Uranium/Thorium dates on speleotherms (stalagmites). The deep age of the paintings and their realism has led in some circles to a scholarly revision of the notion of paleolithic cave art styles: since radiocarbon dates are a more recent technology than the bulk of cave art studies, codified cave art styles are based on stylistic changes. Using this measure, Chauvets art is closer to Solutrean or Magdalenian in age, at least 10,000 years later than the dates suggest. Paul Pettitt has questioned the dates, arguing that the radiocarbon dates within the cave are earlier than the paintings themselves, which he believes are Gravettian in style and date to no earlier than about 27,000 years ago. Additional radiocarbon dating of the cave bear population continues to support the original date of the cave: the bone dates all fall between 37,000 and 29,000 years old. Further, samples from a nearby cave support the idea that cave bears may have been extinct in the region by 29,000 years ago. That would mean that the paintings, which include cave bears, must be at least 29,000 years old. One possible explanation for the stylistic sophistication of Chauvets paintings is that perhaps there was another entrance to the cave, that allowed later artists access to the cave walls. A study of the geomorphology of the cave vicinity published in 2012 (Sadier and colleagues 2012), argues that the cliff overhanging the cave collapsed repeatedly beginning 29,000 years ago, and sealed the only entrance at least 21,000 years ago. No other cave access point has ever been identified, and given the morphology of the cave, none is likely to be found. These findings do not resolve the Aurignacian/Gravettian debate, although even at 21,000 years of age, Chauvet cave remains the oldest known cave painting site. Werner Herzog and Chauvet Cave In late 2010, film director Werner Herzog presented a documentary film of Chauvet Cave, shot in three-dimensions, at the Toronto film festival. The film, Cave of the Forgotten Dreams, premiered in limited movie houses in the United States on April 29, 2011. 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