What Is Globalization?





Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world.

Globalization is not new, though. For thousands of years, people—and, later, corporations—have been buying from and selling to each other in lands at great distances, such as through the famed Silk Road across Central Asia that connected China and Europe during the Middle Ages. Likewise, for centuries, people and corporations have invested in enterprises in other countries. In fact, many of the features of the current wave of globalization are similar to those prevailing before the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.................

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Rosa Parks ( For my university students )

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Refugees ( For my university students )

Who are refugees?

A refugee is a person who, "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear is unwilling to, avail himself of the protection of that country..." (The United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951).
Imagine being so scared of being killed, tortured or victimised that you would leave your home, all your possessions and connections with your community, for an uncertain future. Fear drives people to leave with only a few belongings on a journey which is full of uncertainty. Will it be safe? Will they be able to return? In 2004 there were over 17 million refugees and 22 million internally displaced people who had taken that risk.

Who are 'people of concern'?

'People of concern' is a generic term used to describe all people for whom the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is internationally responsible. They include:

• Refugees - people who are recognised as fleeing from persecution and who have left their own country. They come under international protection
• Asylum seekers - people who have fled their own country, and are seeking recognition by another country as a refugee and acceptance for resettlement. They are dependent on the good will and generosity of the country to which they have fled.
• Returned refugees - the unstable situations which have caused people to flee take time to settle, so the UNHCR monitors their situation for 12 months after they return home.
• Internally Displaced People (IDP) - some people who flee their homes in fear, but do not cross over their country's international borders come under UNHCR protection after the invitation by the government of their own country.
The increasing numbers of IDPs and awareness for the need for international protection has led to the development of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.
• Stateless person - someone who is not considered a national by any country.

How are the rights of refugees protected?

The United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (1951) and its 1967 Protocol outline the rights and processes protecting the needs of those who are recognised as refugees. A total of 147countries have committed themselves to upholding the provisions of one or both of these documents.
Most people fleeing their country conflict and persecution seek asylum in their nearest neighbouring country. Often these countries need support to provide for the sudden arrival of large numbers of uprooted persons. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) co-ordinates contributions by government and non-government organisations to protect refugees, provides assistance such as financial grants, food, tools and shelter, schools and clinics, and attempts to find durable solutions to a given refugee crisis.

How are the rights of IDPs protected?

Concern for the increasing numbers of internally displaced people (IDPs) and questioning of the sovereignty of governments the UN Commission on Human Rights introduced the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement in 1998. The Guiding Principles recognise the rights of internally displaced people and the obligations of governments and the international community toward these people.
In general the protection of IDPs is limited as governments of people affected may be either unable or unwilling to assist them. Security or political concerns and limited financial resources restrict the ability of international agencies and NGOs to offer assistance and provide protection.

Life in flight

Leaving home hurriedly, people often have few resources and are vulnerable to further attack. Sometimes they have many days of travel, with little food and in fear of their lives. If they get to safety, they rely on the people living in the area to which they have fled, who often have few resources to share. International organisations take time to mobilise the support necessary to provide refugees with adequate food, water and sanitation, shelter, healthcare, schools, trauma counselling and income generating activities so that they can regain some independence quickly. International organisations work together to provide these basic necessities.

When people arrive at an area which is set up as a temporary refugee shelter, they are registered for their protection and to their determine needs. Defining who and where people are assists in the supply of sufficient resources, especially for those with special needs such as separated children, those needing medical attention and the elderly.

Each situation is different. The length of time taken to resolve the conflict, resources available to meet needs, and the international ability to find solutions all impact on the ability of refugees to rebuild their lives.

How are refugee issues resolved?

Return home
The majority of refugees are able to return home after conflicts have ended, but a great deal of support is necessary to rebuild lives and infrastructure, and to restore stability. People who have been displaced need counselling, and practical assistance such as shelter, food and other items to restart their lives. People who have been involved in conflicts need alternative work. Homes, schools, health clinics, water and sanitation systems, and roads often need to be rebuilt. Landmines may need to be cleared. Trust between people who have been fighting needs to be re-established.

Resettlement in a new country
Some refugees cannot go home or are unwilling to do so, usually because they fear they would face continued persecution. In such circumstances, UNHCR helps to find them new homes, either in the country of asylum, or in a third country. This may take a long time, as there are more people in need than places available. Many nations accept refugees on a temporary basis during the early phases of a crisis but, are unable to provide long term support. Some more developed nations resettle refugees through a quota or a demand basis. Resettling refugees who have suffered a great loss, for example those who have suffered the destruction of their homes, families and sense of identity, requires tremendous support, as they usually have to learn a new culture and language, establish a new social network and earn a living.

Learning Styles

Learning Styles

This video is about learning styles and the different ways people learn.
Because people learn best in different ways, it is important when studying to
take into account your preferred way of learning. There have been several
models developed by psychologists to help us understand how we learn.
The one we will take about today is called the “VAK” model and divides all
people into three categories: visual learners, auditory learners and
kinesthetic learners.
Visual learners learn by seeing things. You can explain something to them
over and over but until they actually see it with their own eyes, they may not
get it.
Other people are much more able to remember and understand what they
hear. They may not understand something shown to them in pictures until
someone explains it to them. These people are called auditory learners.
They learn by hearing.
Finally, there are those who like the hands-on approach to learning. They
never really understand something until they get a chance to use it somehow.
They are kinesthetic learners. They learn by doing.
It is very helpful to know what your own preferred learning style is so that
you can personally tailor your study strategies with your learning style in
mind. This makes it an important tool in getting the most out of your study
time.
When you figure out what your own preferred learning style is, you can
implement specific study strategies to make your study time more effective.
For a visual learner, effective study strategies could include:
- drawing diagrams
- mind-mapping
- flashcards
- create a mental picture of the material using visual imagery
- rewriting professors notes in your own words
An auditory learner would find completely different strategies helpful, which
might include:
- taping lectures for review later
- having discussions with other students
- reading things out load (softly, to yourself)
- tutoring other students to reinforce knowledge
- participating in classroom discussions
For a kinesthetic learner, it is important to be involved in every step of the
learning process, and to have a chance to use concepts in a practical
environment. This might include:
- underline or highlight text with different colors
- reteach the topic to your group
- repeat answers while you are walking or jogging
- create practice tests for yourself
I would encourage all of you to take some of the many online quizzes that
help you determine your learning style. They don’t take much time to
complete and they could result in changing for the better the very way you
approach your education.

Paragraph Writing

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by Graceman2008

Linking Words

Linking Words - Upload a Document to Scribd

GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

Ing- Inf Gerunds & Infinitives - Upload a Document to Scribd

Gerund or Infinitive - Upload a Document to Scribd

EXPOSITORY WRITING

Relative Clauses

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by selarom

Relative clauses

"The Lanyard" by Billy Collins

The other day as I was ricocheting slowly
Off the pale blue walls of this room,
Bouncing from typewriter to piano,
From bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
Where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
Could send one more suddenly into the past --
A past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
By a deep Adirondack lake
Learning how to braid thin plastic strips
Into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.



I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
Or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
But that did not keep me from crossing
Strand over strand again and again
Until I had made a boxy
Red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
And I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sickroom,
Lifted teaspoons of medicine to my lips,
Set cold face-cloths on my forehead,
And then led me out into the airy light

And taught me to walk and swim,
And I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
And here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
Which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
Strong legs, bones and teeth,
And two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
And here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
Is a smaller gift--not the archaic truth

That you can never repay your mother,
But the rueful admission that when she took
The two-tone lanyard from my hands,
I was as sure as a boy could be
That this useless, worthless thing I wove
Out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

American Idioms

Read this doc on Scribd: American Idioms

Citizenship in France

Present wishes

Present wishes indicate something that is contrary to fact. That is, wishes are something that is untrue but desired. For example,

I wish that I had a sports car.

I wish that I were a doctor.
(The truth is I don't have a sports car.)

(I'm really not a doctor.)

For present wishes, the past tense is used in the that clause, because it indicates a situation that is only imagined. Sometimes the word that is omitted.

She wishes (that) she had a diamond ring.

He wishes (that) he were rich.

To express possibility (can) and future intention (will), use the modals could and would respectively.

She wishes that she could sing.

They wish that she would stop.

When a be verb is required, the word were is used, regardless of the subject.

We wish you were here.

I wish (that) I were taller.

CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO

Hilarious video about traffic in India

Conditional Type 3

What Components are Inside My Computer?

Capital Letters

What is a Descriptive Essay?

The descriptive essay is a genre of essay that asks the student to describe an object, person, place, experience, emotion, situation, etc. This genre encourages the student’s ability to create a written account of a particular experience. What is more, this genre allows for a great deal of artistic freedom (the goal of which is to paint an image that is vivid and moving in the mind of the reader).

One might benefit from keeping in mind this simple maxim: If the reader is unable to clearly form an impression of the thing that you are describing, try, try again!

Here are some guidelines for writing a descriptive essay:

Take time to brainstorm

If your instructor asks you to describe your favorite food, make sure that you jot down some ideas before you begin describing it. For instance, if you choose pizza, you might start by writing down a few words: sauce, cheese, crust, pepperoni, sausage, spices, hot, melted, etc. Once you have written down some words, you can begin by compiling descriptive lists for each one.

Use clear and concise language.

This means that words are chosen carefully, particularly for their relevancy in relation to that which you are intending to describe.

Choose vivid language.

Why use ‘horse’ when you can choose ‘stallion’? Why not use ‘tempestuous’ instead of ‘violent’? Or why not ‘miserly’ in place of ‘cheap’? Such choices form a firmer image in the mind of the reader and often times offer nuanced meanings that serve better one’s purpose.

Use your senses!

Remember, if you are describing something, you need to be appealing to the senses of the reader. Explain how the thing smelled, felt, sounded, tasted, or looked. Embellish the moment with senses.

What were you thinking?!

If you can describe emotions or feelings related to your topic, you will connect with the reader on a deeper level. Many have felt crushing loss in their lives, or ecstatic joy, or mild complacency. Tap into this emotional reservoir in order to achieve your full descriptive potential.

Leave the reader with a clear impression.

One of your goals is to evoke a strong sense of familiarity and appreciation in the reader. If your reader can walk away from the essay craving the very pizza you just described, you are on your way to writing effective descriptive essays.

Be organized!

It is easy to fall into an incoherent rambling of emotions and senses when writing a descriptive essay. However, you must strive to present an organized and logical description if the reader is to come away from the essay with a cogent sense of what it is you are attempting to describe.

Writing

How to write an essay

Introduction Paragraph

What is an introduction paragraph? The introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of your essay.

What does it do? It introduces the main idea of your essay. A good opening paragraph captures the interest of your reader and tells why your topic is important.

How do I write one?

1. Write the thesis statement. The main idea of the essay is stated in a single sentence called the thesis statement. You must limit your entire essay to the topic you have introduced in your thesis statement.
2. Provide some background information about your topic. You can use interesting facts, quotations, or definitions of important terms you will use later in the essay.

Example: Hockey has been a part of life in Canada for over 120 years. It has evolved into an extremely popular sport watched and played by millions of Canadians. The game has gone through several changes since hockey was first played in Canada.

Supporting Paragraphs

What are supporting paragraphs? Supporting paragraphs make up the main body of your essay.

What do they do? They develop the main idea of your essay.

How do I write them?

1. List the points that develop the main idea of your essay.
2. Place each supporting point in its own paragraph.
3. Develop each supporting point with facts, details, and examples.

To connect your supporting paragraphs, you should use special transition words. Transition words link your paragraphs together and make your essay easier to read. Use them at the beginning and end of your paragraphs.

Examples of transition words that can help you to link your paragraphs together:

For listing different points : First - Second - Third

For additional ideas : Another In addition to- Related to- Furthermore - Also

For counter examples: However - Even though - On the other hand -Nevertheless

To show cause and effect : Therefore - Thus- As a result of- Consequently

Like all good paragraphs, each supporting paragraph should have a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a summary sentence.

Summary Paragraph

What is a summary paragraph? The summary paragraph comes at the end of your essay after you have finished developing your ideas. The summary paragraph is often called a "conclusion."

What does it do? It summarizes or restates the main idea of the essay. You want to leave the reader with a sense that your essay is complete.

How do I write one?
1. Restate the strongest points of your essay that support your main idea.
2. Conclude your essay by restating the main idea in different words.
3. Give your personal opinion or suggest a plan for action.

Example: Overall, the changes that occurred in hockey have helped to improve the game. Hockey is faster and more exciting as a result of changes in the past 120 years. For these reasons, modern hockey is a better game than hockey in the 1890s.

Writing Stage

What is the writing stage? The writing stage is when you turn your ideas into sentences.

Five Writing Steps:

1. For the introduction, write the thesis statement and give some background information.
2. Develop each supporting paragraph and make sure to follow the correct paragraph format.
3. Write clear and simple sentences to express your meaning.
4. Focus on the main idea of your essay.
5. Use a dictionary to help you find additional words to express your meaning.

Editing Essays

What is the editing stage? The editing stage is when you check your essay for mistakes and correct them.

Grammar and Spelling
1. Check your spelling.
2. Check your grammar.
3. Read your essay again.
4. Make sure each sentence has a subject.
5. Make sure your subjects and verbs agree with each other.
6. Check the verb tenses of each sentence.
7. Make sure that each sentence makes sense.

Style and Organization
1. Make sure your essay has an introduction, supporting paragraphs, and a summary paragraph.
2. Check that you have a thesis statement that identifies the main idea of the essay.
3. Check that all your paragraphs follow the proper paragraph format.
4. See if your essay is interesting.

Review of Tenses

Click here to see the powerpoint presentation

Idioms

Idioms

Idioms

American slang 1

American slang 2

American slang 3

American slang 4

American slang 5

American slang 6

Smart Board (Interactive White Board)

The Passive I

The Passive II

The Passive III

PAST PERFECT TENSE

Past perfect tense is used to indicate that one action occurred before another action in the past. In other words, past perfect tense indicates the first of the two actions.*

For example,

When I woke up this morning, my roommate had already left.

After I had eaten my dinner, I went to see a movie.

Before I arrived at the theater, the movie had already begun.

Sometimes, when the meaning is clear from context, the simple past tense can be used.

After I had gone shopping, I stopped at the health spa.

After I went shopping, I stopped at the health spa.

The most common error with the past perfect is using it where it does not belong.

When I was young, I had been a cowboy. When I was young, I was a cowboy.

(Incorrect: no reference to other events) (Correct)

Yesterday the Johnsons had opened their new business. Yesterday the Johnsons opened their new business.

(Incorrect) (Correct)

Click here for audio

Making a request

AA: I'm Avi Arditti with Rosanne Skirble, and this week on Wordmaster -- how to make a request, as in, "Could you help us out?"

RS: That's what we asked our friend Lida Baker. She teaches in the American Language Center at the University of California at Los Angeles, and she writes textbooks for English learners.

AA: We'll start with the simplest form of request, the imperative form: "Close the door." "Sit down." "Read this." Beware, though: Unless you're saying this in a friendly way to someone you feel comfortable with, you could offend people. That's because it sounds more like an order than a request.

BAKER: "Most Americans, I think, would agree that the imperative form is a little bit too direct."

RS: "It doesn't give you a sense of security or politeness."

BAKER: "Right. So what we do is that we can take that imperative form and we can add words and phrases that we call softeners. So 'close the door doesn't sound very polite, but as soon as we say 'please close the door' it becomes a lot more acceptable."

RS: Now if that's not polite enough, Lida Baker says, you can take it a step further.

BAKER: "Would you mind closing the door' or 'would you mind telling me where the cafeteria is?' So we also use the form 'would you mind' followed by the -ing form if we're trying to be very polite.

"Now an interesting thing about requests is if we think that we're asking for something that's an imposition on the other person, or if the other person has a lot more authority than we have, then we might tend to make the request longer and we would add these softeners at the beginning that are kind of a combination of the things that we have already talked about.

"So we start with 'close the door.' We add 'please close the door,' and to make it softer, we could say, 'Could you please close the door,' and to make it even softer, we could say, 'Could I ask you to please close the door?'"

AA: Lida Baker says you'll never offend anybody if you begin a request with a phrase like "could you" or "would you," as in, "Would you mind closing the door?"

BAKER: "By the way there's something interesting about the form 'would you mind closing the door.' How do you answer that?"

AA: "Yes, I mind. (laughter)"

RS: "You don't answer that. You just say yes."

AA: "It's rhetorical."

BAKER: "OK, if I say to you, 'would you mind lending me your English book?'"

RS: "I might say 'no problem.'"

BAKER: "That's right. You don't say 'yes' or ‘no.’ You say 'no problem' or you say 'sure.' But what does it mean if you say 'no'?"

RS: "No, I wouldn't mind lending you (the) book' -- which means yes! (laughter)"

BAKER: "That's right. It's funny with this expression 'would you mind,' that 'no' means 'yes.' 'No, I wouldn't mind' means 'yes, I'm going to lend you my book.'"

RS: "You know, the problem here is the question is not a yes or a no question, so you can't answer it with a yes or a no."

BAKER: "That's exactly right. If they agree to do what you want, they'll say 'sure' or no problem and if they're not able to do the thing that you're asking them to do, they'll say something like 'sorry' and then they'll give you an excuse. So if you say 'would you mind lending me your English book tonight,' they'll say, sorry, I can't. I need it.'

"Here's another one that we haven't mentioned before, if you REALLY want to be polite, you could say to somebody: 'I hope I'm not imposing, but could you please lend me your English book."

AA: "But you would reserve that for a situation where you're really asking for an imposition."

BAKER: "You suspect that what you're asking for is asking the person to go out of their way for you."

AA: Lida Baker -- whose books are available through the McGraw-Hill Publishing Company -- cannot reply to messages personally. But she does go out of her way to answer questions on the air, so keep sending them in!

RS: Our postal address is VOA Wordmaster, Washington DC 20237 USA. E-mail is word@voanews.com. And our Web site is voanews.com/wordmaster. With Avi Arditti, I'm Rosanne Skirble.

MUSIC: "Could You Use Me" [from George and Ira Gershwin's Great Depression-era Broadway show "Girl Crazy"]

Click here FOR AUDIO

What Is Globalization?





Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world.

Globalization is not new, though. For thousands of years, people—and, later, corporations—have been buying from and selling to each other in lands at great distances, such as through the famed Silk Road across Central Asia that connected China and Europe during the Middle Ages. Likewise, for centuries, people and corporations have invested in enterprises in other countries. In fact, many of the features of the current wave of globalization are similar to those prevailing before the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.................

click here to read more

What do Americans know about Arabs and Muslims?