Effectiveness of Dibels

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Validity and its Relationship with Reading Comprehension Introduction to Research Reading fluency is considered an integral component of the reading process and it has a big presence in the classroom. Its importance became evident since the National Reading Panel (2000) pronounced fluency instruction and assessment an essential and was thus incorporated into the reading First guidelines of No Child Left Behind in 2002 (Shelton, Altwerger, &Jordan, 2009).Reading fluency has been defined in many ways; an outcome of decoding and comprehension, a contributor to both decoding and comprehension, the ability to recognize words rapidly and accurately, the connections readers make between the natural phrasing when speaking and the phrasal segmentation when orally reading, among others (Abadiano &Turner, 2005).Nevertheless, Roehrig, Petscher, Nettles, Hudson and Torgesen (2008) state that perhaps fluency is best defined as having three main components, word recognition accuracy, automaticity, and prosody. Reading with accuracy is the student’s ability to read with few or no errors. Reading with automaticity is the students’ ability to recognize words quickly with little effort; quantifying the students’ reading rate. Prosody is the students’ ability to read with expression such as suing intonation, stress patterns, and phrasing.Due to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Reading First program, which requires that validated standardized reading fluency assessments be used to progress monitor and identify any readers that might not be making sufficient progress to be at grade level, the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) is one of the few empirically validated assessments to progress monitor fluency (Roehring et al, 2008). The purpose of this literature review is to explore the validity of DIBELS and its relationship with reading comprehension.Students who demonstrate prer eading skill deficits often fall even further behind in later elementary years. Alternately, students who master essential reading skills in primary grades are able to maintain progress in later educational years. According to Goffreda, James, and Pedersen (2009) this is known as the Matthew Effect, in which the â€Å"rich get richer, while the poor get poorer†. They furthermore state that not only does illiteracy imit school success throughout the life span but that it is also associated with social problems such as school dropout, incarceration, and homelessness (Gofreda, James, & Pederson, 2009). It is this realization, along with the National Reading Panel’s recommendations, that led to the focus on early identification and precursors, such as DIBELS, in order to identify early literacy interventions. The National Institute for Literacy recommended DIBELS as a scientifically researched based assessment and thus DIBELS was adopted in many states (Shelton, Altwerger, & Jordan, 2009).Furthermore, early literacy individual growth and development indicators (EL-IGDIs) are also being put in place for pre-kindergarten children in some states (McCormick & Haack, 2011). Geofrada, James, and Pederson (2009) state that first grade has been identified as a particular critical period since the probability (88 percent) of poor readers remain so until fourth grade or higher grades. They found DIBELS indicators scores were predictive of district and state standardized exams.Gonzales, Vannest, and Reid (2008) conducted a study to discriminate the usefulness of first grade DIBELS to populations other than the general population, more specifically to students identified or at risk for emotional and behavior disorders. The researchers in this study found that DIBELS are efficient and effective for identification of at-risk students for populations other than general education students. In concurrence with these studies, Scheffel, Lefly, and Houser (2012) found t hat DIBELS is an effective tool in identifying English Language Learners (ELLs) who may be at risk for underachieving in reading.Combined, these studies affirm the validity of DIBELS for all students, including ELLs and students identified as having emotional and behavior disorders. However, In a more complex study, Yesil-Dagli (2009) found that on average, ELL students who are eligible for free or reduced price lunch compared to those not eligible for free or reduced lunch, Hispanic ELL students compared to White ELL students, and male ELL students compared to female ELL students, read fewer words at the beginning of first grade and demonstrate a slower growth rate.This directly impacts their fluency rate in DIBELS. Paleologos and Brabham (2011) found that DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency (DORF) is effective for predicting the performance of high-income students in overall reading standardized tests but not low-income students. According to their research, high-income students demonstra te higher abilities in reading fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension in comparison to low-income students although both groups had achieved â€Å"benchmark† proficient scores in DIBELS.Furthermore, Shelton, Altwerger, and Jardon (2009) analyzed the relationship between DIBELS (DORF) and authentic reading and found that students employ different reading approaches when reading for a DIBELS test and when reading for authentic literature. That is, when students read a passage in a DIBELS test, they do so in a quick manner to achieve a high rate, but when reading authentic literature the reader slows down to read for comprehension.They found that readers in their study read almost half as many words when reading literature than they did as they read for fluency assessments (Shelton, Altwerger, & Jardon, 2009). This in turn does not reflect the true reading rate when testing for DIBELS. To conclude their study, the authors of this study state that their data showed no con nection between DORF scores and student’s comprehension when reading authentic literature. There have been both strong positive and strong negative research studies regarding the validity of DIBELS and its relationship with reading comprehension.Furthermore, a study conducted by Martin and Shapiro (2011) found that teacher’s judgments, although having strong correlations to student performance, was consistently and significantly overestimated when compared to students actual DIBELS performance. Not only that, but another study conducted by Hoffman, Jenkins, and Dunlap (2009) found that educators were not clear about how DIBELS data should inform and guide their instruction or were not even sure that DIBELS aligned with state-mandated testing.Future research is needed in this area. Nevertheless, in states that have DIBELS in place as an assessment to comply with the No Child Left Behind stipulations, DIBELS is present for teachers and their students. It is important the n, that teachers recognize the vast variables in research regarding the validity and relationship to reading comprehension, and as with any assessment, not use DIBELS as the sole criterion when determining student achievement.It should be kept in mind that fluency is only a part of the reading process. However, due to the fact that DIBELS is in place in many states, perhaps an area of concern that arises in the literature is how DIBELS data-drives instruction. That is, how do schools use DIBELS data to drive instruction? This is especially important since this literature review discussed the study by Hoffman, Jenkins, and Dunlap (2009) who found that teachers are not clear as to how DIBELS data should guide their instruction.If this writer were to draft a tentative research design pertaining to this literature review, the research question would be: In terms of qualitative data, how do teachers in Crane School District#13 and Yuma District #1 use their DIBELS data to drive teacher i nstruction? The purpose of the research would be to find effective ways schools use DIBELS data to drive teacher instruction. The data would be collected through interviews, questionnaires and observations methods.This type of analysis in known as qualitative study however, quantitative data will also be used when analyzing and reporting information from the surveys and questionnaires. This is also known as a multiple or mixed method. According to the learning in introduction to research, the best studies include both qualitative and quantitative data. The participants in the study would be administrators, coaches, and teachers. The responses they give will provide triangulation to the study, that is, validate that all participants know exactly how the data is driving the instruction taking place in the classroom.The exact amount of participants is not known since the study is not being conducted yet and forms have not been signed. However, it would be random sampling at each school to ensure that survey results can be statistically representative of the schools. The instrumentation that would be used for the study would be DIBELS data, surveys, and questionnaires. Observations would also be used to triangulate the information from the surveys and questionnaires. The research time line would be approximately two to three months.One month to gather participants and administer the questionnaires and surveys, another month to observe the actual data driven instruction in the classroom, and another month to analyze the data. The survey would include the following tentative questions: 1. What steps are taken to analyze DIBELS data? 2. Once the data is analyzed, how are the results used to drive teacher’s instruction for students classified as â€Å"at-risk†? 3. Once the data is analyzed, how are the results used to drive teacher’s instruction for students classified as â€Å"some-risk†? 4.Once the data is analyzed, how are the results us ed to drive teacher’s instruction for students classified as â€Å"low risk†? References Abadiano, H. R. (2005). Reading fluency: The road to developing efficient and effective readers. The New England Reading Association Journal, 41(1), 50-56. Goffreda C. T, Diperna J. C. , & Pedersen, J. A. (2009). Preventive screening of early readers: Predictive validity of the dynamic indicators of basic early literacy skills (DIBELS). Psychology in the Schools, 46(6), 539-552. doi: 10. 1002/pits. 20396 Gonzales, J.E. , Vannest K. J. , & Reid, R. (2008). Early classification of reading performance in children identified or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders: A discriminant analysis using the dynamic indicators of basic early literacy skills (DIBELS). Journal of At-Risk Issues, 14(1), 33-40. Hoffman A. R. , Jenkins J. E. , & Dunlap S. K. (2009). Using DIBELS: A survey of purposes and practices. Reading Psychology, 30, 1-16. Martin S. D. , & Shapiro E. S. (2011). Examini ng the accuracy of teachers’ judgments of DIBELS performance.Psychology in the Schools, 48(4), 343-356. McCormick, C. E. , & Haack R. (2011). Early literacy individual growth and development indicators (EL-IGDIS) as predictors of reading skills in kindergarten through second grade. International Journal of Psychology: A Biopsychosocial Approach / Tarptautinis psichologijos zurnalas: Biopsichosocialinis poziuris, 7, 29-40. National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read, an evidence-based assessmnet of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction.Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Paleologos T. M. , & Brabham E. G. (2011). The effectiveness of DIBELS oral reading fluency for predicting reading comprehension of high-and-low income students. Reading Psychology, 32, 54-74. Roehrig A. D. , Petscher, Y. , Nettles S. M. , Hudson, R. , & Torgesen J. K. (2008). Accuracy of the DIBELS oral re ading fluency measure for predicting third grade reading comprehension outcomes. Journal of School Psychology, 46, 343-366. Scheffel, D. , Lefly D. , & Houser, J. (2012).The predictive utility of DIBELS reading assessment of reading comprehension among third grade English language learners and English speaking children. Reading Improvement, 49(3), 75-95. Shelton, N. R. , Altwerger, B. , & Jordan, N. (2009). Does DIBELS put reading first? Literacy Research and Instruction, 49(2), 137-148. Yesil-Dagli, U. (2009). Predicting ELL students’ beginning first grade English oral reading fluency from initial kindergarten vocabulary, letter naming, and phonological awareness skills. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26, 15-29.

Explore the similarities and differences between the three examples of speech Essay

Explore the similarities and differences between the three examples of speech, including a consideration of the different contexts in which the texts were produced and how the speakers convey attitudes and values. Text A was both published and delivered by David Lloyd George as a speech in 1914. ‘The great pinnacle of sacrifice’ is a text of persuasion in support of the war. It does not have the benefit of hindsight that we have today, which allows us to establish a context an audience of 1914 would not have been able to do. Lloyd George opens with the concrete noun â€Å"The people†, this puts everyone into a metaphorical firing line, underlining the purpose that everyone will benefit from going to war. â€Å"Great menace† and â€Å"Freedom† are superlative noun phrases that are juxtaposed to reinforce the opinion that by going to war all unpleasant necessities will be avoided. Lloyd George uses the declarative â€Å"That is not all†; this emphatic, simple sentence shows he doesn’t allow room for interpretation, which is typical of political speech. He uses the collocation â€Å"new† and â€Å"old† in an attempt to rank all members of society together as an act of capturing this equal status. He continues with the comparative adjectives â€Å"richer/nobler† suggesting how life could be as a result, making the future seem rosy. Lloyd George refers to imagery taken from the Bible â€Å"Great food of luxury†. He uses this metaphor to explain something complicated. By evoking this biblical imagery of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ he is making use of intertextuality to reach the audience on a higher emotional level that his expression alone could never master. David Lloyd George continues to raise hopes and ideas of the future by using the inclusive modal verb â€Å"we can see†; this is clearly an indication of him trying to heighten hope in the situation with talk of new possibilities. Again he uses a modal verb â€Å"May†, this politeness marker allows him to gain encouragement through civility. This passive form of verbs makes the audience realise it’s their responsibility. He reinforces this action with the repetition of â€Å"too†, how far Britain has let things slip, not concentrating on wider things. He also continues with the religious lexis by incorporating a parable into his speech. This gives a higher prominence to the speech by creating a gentle atmosphere. Lloyd George successfully reinforces his discourse with this illustrated spiritual truth, allowing him to justify his words, as if it’s ‘God’s Will’. He then renders a personal feel to the piece by using concrete nouns â€Å"mountain† â€Å"sea† for the audience to crate a visual atmosphere; â€Å"beautiful valley† he is referring to Britain metaphorically, underpinning the fact that we should not turn a blind eye. â€Å"Hand†, they will be cleansed of all bad things at the time. The images following this is vital to David Lloyd George’s speech, his use of informal words, sentences, convergence results in bringing them closer together makes him, his speech and ultimately the war seem less intimidating. The audience is a variety of social classes, certainly adults and David Lloyd George’s use of the polysyllabic lexis towards the end creates his intended aim. The use of pre-modifiers and superlatives create a sense of euphoria, he is using them to rouse people up. He does not hide the fact that people are going to die, but he covers it up by calling it a sacrifice, this is one of many euphemisms he uses to create passion and intensity in his speech. Towards the end his innotation and stressed syllables becomes more frequent and his passion increases. His speech is obviously non-spontaneous, there are no non-fluency features, which is typical of political speech. He needs to achieve maximum effect through his language, therefore there is no room for mistakes. There are stages that his language goes through. Abstract nouns start the speech with a form of negativity, which progresses to end on a positive note. From â€Å"struggle† to â€Å"honour† and â€Å"glory†. It therefore succeeds in its purpose to inspire. Text B is from the final episode of the comedy series ‘Blackadder Goes Forth’. Scene two: The Dug-Out contains the three main characters of the series; Blackadder, George and Baldrick, whose status is in the same order. They each successfully create black humour towards the satire of the piece, reinforcing it’s main purpose to entertain. The audience would have been expected to have prior knowledge to the screening of Blackadder in 1992. Their familiarity with the Thatcher situation of the 1982 Falklands War allows them hindsight to the broadcasting of the programme; Giving the audience the opportunity to enjoy the black comedy. The extract opens with spoken language and the manner is both formal and informal. The informality is marked by the co-ordianting conjunctions in Baldrick’s speech; â€Å"So†, â€Å"And†, he is topic linking. Plus his repetition of â€Å"Right?† creates a sense of understanding. His phatic /child-like language is a satirical point that Baldrick doesn’t understand what is happening (the war). The formality of the text is indicated through the military lexis, Baldrick’s utterance; â€Å"Permission to ask a question, sir† The vocative again consolidates the fact that Baldrick is the inferior character. The field specific lexis allows us an insight to the visual aspect of the situation; â€Å"war started†, â€Å"shot† â€Å"history† â€Å"prevent†. There is a great deal of uncertainty in their speech; â€Å"isn’t it?† â€Å"right?† â€Å"well† these interrogatives again mirror how peo ple in their position would have felt: confused. The context is juxtaposed for the affect of the audience. The comedy value is played against the military content of the scene. Status plays a big part in this as Blackadder’s superiority enables him to act sarcastically and be exceedingly patronising towards George: â€Å"George, I hardly think we can be entirely absolved from blame on the imperialistic front.† His relaxed innotaion is highly demeaning, he wants to deflate George to reinforce his position of superiority. His inferior/ sarcastic humour is used best with George through the hyperbole â€Å"(small) sausage†, the emphasis placed on the alliteration also adds to the comedy. When speaking to Baldrick his patronising attitude is less abrupt, he somewhat creates a father/son relationship; â€Å"Well possibly† the convergence shows that Blackadder is making the distance smaller between them by letting Baldrick down gently, this also creates a teacher/pupil relationship, Blackadder sees himself as an educator, maybe this is an easier option. Blackadder’s paralinguistic features show how he treats Baldrick with contempt: â€Å"As long as it isn’t the one about where babies come from.† This is humorous, but also making a veiled connotation to Baldrick’s intelligence (maturity-childlike). Blackadder is de-meaning him for his audience. Whichever way Blackadder places his patronising attitude whether it is tentative or demeaning he his only after his official goal; to obtain and prove his superior rank to the audience. Baldrick’s total lack of understanding and through his connective declarative; â€Å"So, the poor old ostrich died for nothing† proves he has learned nothing and produces a more comical affect as his statement is not connected at all to George’s last utterance. George uses fairly racist, harsh language; pre-modifier â€Å"vile†, which British soldiers would have used at the time and the fact that he is totally un-shocked by Blackadder’s expletive language â€Å"It was bollocks† (which would have shocked audiences at the time) allows us to feel a slight pity towards his passion in his order in rank. George’s patrism makes a slight insight to his idiotism; â€Å"Henry VIII and his Six Knives†. The fact that these three characters with their different status in society have been stuck together for a long time creates the humorous content needed to steer clear of the harsh reality of a War, I feel it’s main purpose is therefore to entertain. Text C is an extract of spoken language and the manner is formal as it is three educators discussing the affects of both WWI and II. The formality is marked through the subject specific lexis; â€Å"†Second world war† â€Å"first world war† â€Å"German† â€Å"Hitler†. On the contrary the extract does not contain a title or specific names this suggests a familiarity between the speakers, highlighting an informal manner on the conversation. The conversation revolves around turn taking and object of male and female roles is then looked at in greater depth. MP initiates the conversation; â€Å"it seems to me† the use of the first person pronoun suggests his need to express his opinion first. JD corrects MP throughout the conversation and dominates him with his knowledge and understanding of the subject. This is expected as JD majors in History. MP’s use of fillers; â€Å"um† and one-second pauses prove his speech to be less detailed than JD, due to his lack in subject knowledge. MP’s repetition; â€Å"imponderables (.) Um (.) vague imponderables† is very characteristic of a spontaneous conversation and this is reinforced by his nature to interrupt. LT, being the only female turn taker, is slightly mistreated as her turns are rather like interruptions or comments. However she does disrupt the male on male battle by responding and supporting her opinion, ultimately for the affect to assert her inferiority. â€Å"Opposed to you know†, nevertheless her informal utterance indicates her lack of confidence suggesting she does need reassurance, which may be true of ‘typical women in conversation’. The extract is very much Fact versus Opinion. JD is the biggest turn-taker as he is the more confident speaker in subject knowledge. Unlike MP his long utterance clearly has strong opinions, but he uses fact. Emphasis in JD’s long utterance is always words that explain ideas, suggesting he is used to explaining concepts, reinforcing his ability as a teacher. This is true for all three speakers, as the piece does not contain many informal remarks, suggesting their ability to talk passionately about a topic. â€Å"Was about 1911, 1912 when they had some crises with the British and French to 1918†, JD’s complex use of figures stress the fact that his points are substantial however MP overlaps his turn, signifying him as the principal speaker. MP’s overlap occurs due to a male on male debate, they are both competing for talk-time, in spite of this JD’s complex and detailed utterances indicate his own passionate attitude reinforcing his position as the dominant speaker. Thomas completes JD’s sentence, again suggesting a familiarity; â€Å"it just provided them with the opportunity didn’t it†. The topic loop forms closeness between them rather than a form of ignorance that can be shown between both male speakers. LT’s inferior position is again obtained through her use of a rhetorical interrogative. It is a tag question, not only proving her lack of confidence but also accentuating a stereotype of war and men. From this extract it is shown to be true that men speak more in groups then women, although all speakers have the ability of hindsight. The purpose I feel is highly informational, and the ideas raised prove it is a conversation of opinions, thus status. Both Blackadder and Teacher Speech create a formal and informal manner. Their informality is marked through the familiarity between characters; Baldrick and Blackadder (father/son relationship) and teachers; LT and JD (use of topic loops). Baldrick’s informal manner may be related to the audience of David Lloyd George’s speech; the uncertainty in his speech â€Å"isn’t it?† â€Å"right?† mirror how his audience would have felt: confused. Lloyd George uses biblical imagery to his own effect, by the use of a parable he is able to reach his audience on an emotional level, Blackadder and Teacher’s Speech differs, as their field specific lexis is both resting on the military aspect. However, there is a similarity between Lloyd George and Blackadder as they both try to cover up the actual harsh reality or the War; Blackadder – through black humour and Lloyd George – through biblical language. Teacher’s Speech is very much Fact versus Opinion, this may be said for all three texts. Lloyd George has an â€Å"opinion† and through his use of concrete nouns â€Å"the people† and religious imagery â€Å"food of luxury† he is able to persuade his audience in support of the war. On the contrary, Balckadder uses â€Å"fact† his speech to obtain superiority over the two characters, making his utterances more believable. However George speaks of his â€Å"opinions† and his harsh, racial attitude makes seem appear displeasing to an audience of today. However an audience of Lloyd George’s time would have related to his anger. Blackadder uses his knowledge to form a patronising attitude, to ultimately obtain his rightful status, JD in the same way uses his knowledge and understanding of the field specific lexis to obtain his superior status; utterances does not contain many informal remarks suggesting his ability to talk passionately about a topic and finally Lloyd George uses no non-fluency features, typical of political speech in order to raise his status over his audience. The main difference between all three texts is their purpose. I feel this may be because of the dates in which each text was created. David Lloyd George is the earliest of the three and this is not only clear through his strong use of biblical imagery, but his main aim to uplift and ignite positivity in his audience, who do not have the benefit of hindsight. Therefore its purpose is to inspire. Blackadder is next on the time-scale and the audience of 1992 are able to have hindsight and are therefore able to understand the black humour towards the satire of the piece. Hence it’s main purpose to entertain. And finally Teacher’s Speech has an informational purpose, containing ideas and opinions that only the benefit of hindsight would allow us to summon and understand. It is acknowledgeable that through the passing of time, a subject from long ago may still be discussed and has the same ability to cause confusion and passion in the lives of people everywhere. The people of 1914, Lloyd George’s Speech, may have had different views or opinions to an audience of 1992, Blackadder and present day, Teacher’s speech, but the topic of the effects of the War is still as easily roused now as it was then. The people of today are able to obtain the same passion as the people of 1914, seeing that their lives would not be the same if the older generations of their family hadn’t fought so bravely and created that passion to begin with. Time is not an excuse to lose acknowledgement and enthusiasm.

The Effectiveness and Use of Sustainable Tourism in the World Dissertation

The Effectiveness and Use of Sustainable Tourism in the World - Dissertation Example Sustainable tourism is a form of tourism that has grown from concern for the damage that traditional methods are causing to the environment. The concept was originally developed from sustainable development (Hunter, 1997).  Sustainable development is a contested field which has a wide range of definitions depending on the people that are advancing it. For example, a multinational corporation has a significantly different view of sustainable development than a group of environmental activists. One classic definition is growth that meets the requirements of the present generation without compromising the needs of the future generations (Giddings et al., 2002 ). Sustainable tourism develops on this concept, with the aim of modifying current tourism and any new tourism so that it does not have a negative effect on the environment or any negative effect that it does have is significantly reduced (Bramwell and Lane, 1993).  Degrading the environment that plays host to the tourism event ually results in the decrease of the activity itself and as a consequence the associated profits. For tourism to continue in an area, it is important that the environment remains able to support the activities that are occurring (Butler, 2004). Sustainable tourism is a form of tourism that has grown from concern for the damage that traditional methods are causing to the environment. The concept was originally developed from sustainable development (Hunter, 1997). Sustainable development is a contested field which has a wide range of definitions depending on the people that are advancing it. For example, a multinational corporation has a significantly different view of sustainable development than a group of environmental activists. One classic definition is growth that meets the requirements of the present generation without compromising the needs of the future generations (Giddings et al., 2002). Sustainable tourism develops on this concept, with the aim of modifying current touris m and any new tourism so that it does not have a negative effect on the environment or any negative effect that it does have is significantly reduced (Bramwell and Lane, 1993). There is no unified definition of sustainable tourism, and some applications take into account purely ecological factors, will others also include economic, cultural or social factors. Sustainable tourism is important in both planning and management of areas where tourism is prevalent, especially where the environment plays a large role (Eagles et al., 2002). The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a specialized agency that is part of the United Nations has undertaken significant

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Point of Sale System - Research Paper Example The United States and other countries which have a lot of international activities thus receive many visitors from the world over have the highest number of sale transactions. As a result of the increased usage of point of sale system in almost every retail store, fraudsters have come up with technologies to skim customer cards, produce replica cards and defraud users of their money. This has forced major car producing and regulating companies Visa and MasterCard to move from magnetic strip cards to EM which is more secure as it requires the use of a pin code and has a chip. Compared to other countries such as the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, the UK and other parts of the world card fraud in USA has been significantly low. But as this other markets migrate to EMV their fraud rates have seen tremendous reduction while the United States’ have been going upwards due delays in migration from magnetic strip. The American card market heavily relies on the magnetic strip cards and this could behind the rising fraud rates; fraud has risen by 70% since the year 2004 with 2010 representing the first year in time when fraud rates on cards issued in the United States was higher compared to cards issued in the UK (King, 2012). In conclusion therefore the use of point of sale systems has become popular the America and the whole world. Fraud has evolved and targeted plastic money necessitating the change of technology to EMV. The United States has been slow in moving to EMV due to high presence of signature verification cards and mag strips. Migrating from magnetic strip cards will therefore be a huge milestone in curbing card counterfeiting in

Pragmatic War Mod 5 Disc 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pragmatic War Mod 5 Disc 2 - Essay Example The election was followed the immediate secession of South Carolina on December 20, 1860. Other states that had the same perception of Carolina followed suit and these included Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas (James M. McPherson, 2009). The American’s perceptions at the time of the civil war were different as compared to what they think today. This is because the effects of the civil war made them change their minds about what is democracy and what is not. As much as the north wanted to free the slaves and end slavery, Lincoln had to go against democracy in order to succeed in his mission. The rights and freedoms of individuals and the press were suspended in order win the civil war. Democracy at that time was seen as an impediment to the success of this mission. The impact of suppressing democracy was both positive and negative as it led to the end of the slave trade which was positive but the rights and freedoms of individuals were neglected. After the war people began to advocate for democracy as lack of it had led to the suffering of many people (James M. McPherson, 2009). The impact was lasting as is evident today. There are many things that changed in the American way of life and have continued to promote democracy. America has been on the fore front advocating for the abolition of all forms of slave trade and campaigning for the respect of all humans. It has also gone way ahead by trying to advocate for democracy in foreign nations and this has been part of its foreign policies. There are established systems in the United States that promote citizen participation, the constitution recognizes the importance of freedom and therefore it has been extended from the human freedom to other areas including the press. Democracy at times is not also seen as good because some institutions till discriminate people, there is no equity and

Principles & Strategies of Translation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Principles & Strategies of Translation - Essay Example Guy Cook has the view that, â€Å"Advertising in the era of color magazines, television and internet is a new phenomenon, both in nature, quality and effect† (Cook 2001). However, the advertising that is known as the contemporary is not too old. The literary discourse is sometimes referred as the study which deals with the reading and its effects with respect to the tradition. The discourse is part of society that can be hugely impacted by the cultural regards. Persons split the discourse in element. In this way, the different elements can be distinguished. It is purely unfavorable for the advertisement to consider an advertisement just a piece of text; it is more than a piece of text, an intersemiotic angle to view an advertisement is better way to understand an advertisement rather than just employing the semiotic angle. Semiotics deal with the development, utilization and drawing meanings for the signs (Stecconi in Encyclopaedia of Translation Studies, 2008:260), which has a great influence on the linguistics and it a subgroup of linguistics. If a person has a view of an advertisement, he views the signs that could be a text, a picture, a rhyme, a gesture or a color or colors, he make the symbolizes of the act to be in a sense that his mind can understand. The sign may convert to another sign that could be related to another piece of novel, picture, painting, etc. In this way, the advertisements are the multimodal texts, while, the other genres of texts have a lower level of multimodality as compared to the advertisements. The intellectuals begin taking interest in studying the advertisements and view the study as the translational study, as the linguistics is dominated by previously by strong writing styles, the advertisements changed the way scholars think about that (Torresi 2008). However, ‘Snell and Crampton† have the view that, â€Å"translation has little to do with this fascinating

The increasing relevance of appearance in society Essay

The increasing relevance of appearance in society - Essay Example It was mainly injured soldiers who went under the knife for reconstruction surgery (American Society of Plastic Surgeons 2011). However, since the late 1980s, the number of patients who desired cosmetic surgery began to spike; today, cosmetic surgery patients make up most plastic surgery patients. Dr. David Hargraves stated that the majority of his work now centers on aesthetic or cosmetic surgery, whereas before the 1980s he mainly performed surgeries for burns victims (Elliott 16). So, why has there been an increase in the number of patients looking for aesthetic surgery? The answer is that society has become more appearance-oriented, and many factors have contributed to this shift of thought. We can clearly see that society has moved towards a focus appearances when we consider how beauty standards have affected our lives. These days, there is a certain beauty standard that people are likely to pursue. To start with, people try to meet this standard for social reasons. Henderson-K ing and Brooks (134) state that a motivation for enhancing one’s attractiveness through cosmetic surgery is to develop one’s social status. It is a basic human desire to want to look more attractive to others, including one’s partner; this results in feeling a need to undergo cosmetic surgery (Henderson-King and Brooks 134). ... This pressure drives a person to feel dissatisfied with their body. As a result, having a negative image about their body contributes to their thinking about reshaping their bodies through surgery (Park, DiRaddo, and Calogero 110). Also, Henderson-King and Brooks (135) argue that â€Å"one mechanism through which the internalization of standards of attractiveness is likely to happen is through the influence of close others, such as mothers, fathers, and friends.† A person’s concern about being attractive is formed by their close acquaintances, as their family and friends keep transmitting messages to them through appearance-focused behavior and attitudes (Henderson-King and Brooks 135). Basically, this behavior is likely to lead to someone to feeling insecure and less confident, and this intrapersonal reason, as well as the social reason, promotes someone to change their appearance through cosmetic surgery. Among several beauty standards, the most widespread one is know n as ‘white beauty’. Across the globe, many people believe that white equals beauty. In addition, many people have a perception that white skin will result in a better economic and social status (Hunter 153). Due to these beliefs, many immigrants to the United States, such as Asians, Europeans, and African-American women, are now turning to cosmetic surgery to meet this recognized standard of beauty. This has come to be known as ‘ethnic plastic surgery’. The fact that the number of cosmetic surgeries performed from 2000 to 2008 in the United States for African-Americans increased by 145 percent and for Asians by 290 percent proves that ethnic plastic surgery has become

3a ICT edexcel Essay Example for Free

3a ICT edexcel Essay I have a mobile phone which I use to communicate. I use it for texting and calling people. My phone has Wi-Fi, Quad-band, infra-red and Bluetooth. I use my phone nearly everyday. It has messaging, games, the internet, a camera, a video recorder, music organiser, alarm diary, calendar, a contact diary, so that I don not have to remember peoples number and some safety features such as a pin so that if it gets stolen it is not useable. I think that my phone is good but it is difficult to use because I does not have the internet which is a disadvantage but the advantage is it does what I need it to do. It meets these needs by allowing me to communicate and it but other things such as walkie-talkies and laptops would be able to do exactly the same thing and they have no tariffs and lower radiation. Disadvantages A phone can give you brain and head damages because of the radiation, bad eyesight; bad hearing and they are quite expensive. There are also high tariffs and while you are using one makes it harder to concentrate on other important things. Internet We use the internet for many things such as research, playing online games and downloading music. There are millions of sites and search providers that give you easy access to any information that I might need. I can also download files from the internet using a sharing system. Disadvantages The major disadvantages of the internet are the decline in the number of people that go to the library and also the amount of unwanted information that is on the internet. Another thing is that it might get overloaded with information Email / MSN E-mail is the most widely used service from the Internet today. It allows people to send and receive Emails from anywhere in the world. It is much faster than normal post and it is also cheaper. To use it you need an internet connection. This is the same with MSN but on MSN you use instant messaging which means you know that people will receive your email straight away if they are online too. Disadvantages The disadvantages of email are that you can always have a better version, and also if you are just emailing then it may take some time for the recipitant to reply. The disadvantage with MSN is that it gets annoying when people constantly IM you when you are trying to do other things and it also uses up a lot of space to the memory. Personal Ipod Video Uses I use my Ipod every day to listen to songs, play games and watch videos. I also have a contact list on there so if I forget my phone I will still have people numbers. My ipod holds up to 30GB of songs or videos or games. Disadvantages The earphone can give you a perforated eardrum and the quality of the screen is not as good as a TV and the battery life does not last long. Computers Uses I use computers for loads of things, including emailing, listening to music, watching videos, working and communicating using the internet which lets me get any information that I need. I use my computer every day. Disadvantages My computer takes time to load up and it has to stay stationary unlike a laptop. It does not have much memory which makes it slow to download and upload files. However it meets my needs as I am able to do the things I bought it for. Other major disadvantages are that: its expensive, you need to learn how to use it, it is often slow, it uses a lot of electricity and there is always a better and cheaper version of your computer that comes out after you have bought yours. Psp The Psp is a games system which plays games and videos using UMDs (united media disks). It also can store music and pictures so it doubles as a memory stick. It meets my needs by allowing me to access the internet and email people like a laptop does and it lets me play games portably. However the Nintendo Ds does the same thing just as well and it has the advantage of being able to move while using the internet. Disadvantages The disadvantages of the Psp are that you cannot move while using the internet, you cannot play ps2 games or normal movies on them and you and the games are very flimsy. Also to be able to save things you need a memory card and these cost quite a lot of money especially for a 1GB card. School Microsoft Word Microsoft word is a powerful word processor made by Microsoft used for creating documents such as letters, brochures, learning activities, tests, quizzes and homework assignments. There are many powerful features available in Microsoft Word to make it easier to learn for students with disabilities. I use words mainly for homework as it is easy to use and it can check any spelling mistakes that I make. It meets my needs by allowing me to input information and edit it to make it more presentable. It also lets me create posters and has a drawing toolbar which lets you draw lines and AutoShapes. It also recovers documents if your computer crashes which I find very useful. Disadvantages The disadvantages of Microsoft word are that you have to learn how to use the software before you start because it is quite complex and many of the highlight colours just don not stand out; you are restricted to a single row of custom buttons. Projectors We use projectors in school to be able to show the whole class the work that we are doing or PowerPoints and basically anything that is on the computer. I do not use projectors that much, but it meets the needs of a teacher by making it easier to display the work on the board instead of having to write it. Other things that can be used to do the same job are overhead projectors and Smartboards Disadvantages The disadvantages of a projector are that it is very high up and hard to turn on and use without a remote and the remote is small and very easy to lose. There are also a lot of wires that have to be installed properly and if they are not then the wires are a health and safety hazard and they also look untidy. Smart Boards Uses Smart board are like whiteboards which are connected to the computer by a number of wires. The smart Board interactive whiteboard is a product of SMART Technologies. It is a large, touch-controlled screen that works with a projector and a computer. The projector shows the computers screen onto the Smartboard, which acts as both a monitor and an input device. Users can write on the interactive whiteboard in digital ink or use a finger to control computer applications by pointing, clicking and dragging, just as with a desktop mouse. Buttons launch a popup keyboard and a right-mouse-click menu for more input options. The Smartboard interactive whiteboard in our classroom is on a wall. It meets the need of the teacher like and other whiteboard does but is allows the teacher to control what is written via 2 different inputting devices Disadvantages The disadvantages of a Smartboard are that at first they are difficult to use and can often get frustrating and the board can not be used with any other pen, which means that if you lose one then you cannot use any other coloured as the computer can tell that the pen is gone and will not allow you to change colours. Or if the rubber is out of the pen tray then it will only rub out.

Water Conservation Essay Example for Free

Water Conservation Essay How Important is Water?As we all know, water is essential for mankinds survival. However, people seem to believe that our water supply is endless since there is more water than land on this Earth. Water regenerates and is redistributed through evaporation, making it seem endlessly renewable. So why worry?Actually, only one percent of the worlds water has the capability of being used by us. About ninety-seven percent is salty seawater, and two percent is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. That only leaves one percent of the precious water that is to be used by not only people, but used by animals, plants, and food. Dehydration, which is the lack of water, will kill us faster than starvation, which is the lack of food. Since the plants and animals we eat also depend on water, lack of it could cause both dehydration and starvation. Water that looks drinkable can contain harmful elements, which could cause illness and death if ingested (Kreger, 2004). To further deplete our water scarce supply, natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, and tornadoes, pose a great peril. However, one natural disaster stands above the rest. This natural disaster is called a drought. Drought, in my opinion, is the worst natural disaster of all. It not only affects us with a dry weather and uncomfortable heat waves, it also affects agriculture, and even drastically change the way we live about (Kreger, 2004). That is why I, as a concerned Californian and fellow inhabitant of Earth, urge people today to conserve water to combat the evils of drought. We, as people, must think of not only how this will affect us. But how it will affect our children- and even grandchildren. I would not like to merely ask people to conserve water; I would like to enforce them to do so. Without water conservation, our limited water supply will diminish over time. What is a Drought?Drought, like a destructing earthquake or flood, is a natural disaster. Drought is an insidious hazard to nature. It results from a deficiency of precipitation over a long period of time over an area. Precipitation is any kind of moisture like rain, snow, and sleet. One can determine how malicious a drought can be by the amount of precipitation, and how long it is (Rupert, 2006). What Are the Causes of Drought?Although the main reason a drought occurs is the lack of precipitation, it is also caused by other factors. High pressure is one of the main contributors of drought. Although a high-pressure system brings clear, cool weather, if the high-pressure system continues for a long period of time, this will eventually lead to a drought (Wikipedia, 2007). Another factor that contributes to the causes of drought is the lack of oceanic air mass. Most dry land is given a nice breeze of water by oceanic winds. However, if these winds are not strong enough to get the evaporated water to the dry lands, these lands will lack the moisture they desperately need (Wikipedia, 2007). Deforestation is known to be the destruction of forests and woodlands. It is also one of the causes that lead up to drought. Deforestation increases the risk of drought by taking all of the groundwater from soil, which they heavily depend on to stay healthy (Collins, 2001). What Are the Effects of a Drought?Most people believe that a drought is not as bad as a hurricane or a tsunami. That is correct. A drought is much more worst than any of those! A drought not only affects the specific regions ecosystem, it impacts the individuals living in the area of and the people living across the country just the same. Drought produces a large number of impacts that affects the social, environmental, and economical way we live our lives. Its affects spread far beyond the effects of the drought alone. Water is essential to produce goods and provide certain services. Some direct impacts of drought are: reduced crop, rangeland, and forest productivity, reduced water levees, increased fire hazard, increased livestock and wildlife deaths, and damage to wildlife and fish habitat. These impacts produce a domino effect. For example, a reduction in crop productivity usually results in less income for farmers, increased prices for food, unemployment, and migration (Think Quest, 2004). Farmers are not the only ones who suffer from droughts. Businessmen who  provide goods and services to farmers must deal with reduced business. This later leads to unemployment and loss of money for the government. The recreational and tourism industries are also affected because tourists do not want to travel to a country that is suffering from a severe water shortage. The shortage of water may lead to the shortage of certain goods results in the costly importation of necessary goods from outside the affected area (Think Quest, 2004). Environmental losses are caused by damages to plant and animal species. Wildlife habitat, and air and water quality are usually damaged due to a lack of water and an increase in forest and range fires. For example, wildlife habitat may be ruined through the loss of wetlands, lakes, and vegetation. Some species of animals may be wiped out from the area as well (Think Quest, 2004). Another way drought can affect people is socially. When a precious commodity like water is in short supply due to drought, and the lack of water creates a lack of food, people will compete to secure enough water to survive. Faced with the other impacts of drought, many people will flee a drought-stricken area in search of a new home with a better supply of water, enough food, and without the disease and conflict that were present in the place they are leaving (West, 2007). Droughts: Three Stages of DangerThere are three different stages of drought in which they are ordered. The first of the stages is meteorological drought. This is brought when there is lack of precipitation. The second stage is the agricultural drought, which are droughts that may affect crop production and farms. This stage is also brought on by the lack of precipitation. The final stage of drought is the hydrological drought. This drought is the most critical because it begins to affect our water reservoirs. The final stage is not only dangerous for the impact on our water reservoirs, but because it may lead so social and economic unrest (Wikipedia, 2007). A meteorological drought is usually known on the degree of dryness and the  duration of the dry period. Definitions of meteorological drought are varied since precipitation levels vary from place to place. The definition of a meteorological drought in Brazil is different from a meteorological drought in Los Angeles because it hardly ever rains in Los Angeles. A meteorological drought also depends on the regions climate pattern. Other climatic regimes are characterized by a seasonal rainfall pattern, such as the central United States, northern Australia, and West Africa (National Drought Mitigation Center, 2006). The second stage of drought, agricultural drought, links various characteristics of meteorological drought to agricultural impacts. These impacts include: lack of precipitation, and reduced ground water. Plants depend water from specific weather conditions. The water these plants and crops all lack would lead to soil inadequacy. If this occurs, malnutrition, and famine would thrive because crop production would decrease. This not only affects the consumers- us- but it also affects our economy (National Drought Mitigation Center, 2006). If a drought continues long enough, it might become a hydrological drought. This is caused by the lack of precipitation in water supplies. During a hydrological drought, the scarcity of water may lead to potential feuds over what little water is left and restrictions might be put on peoples water usage. It takes longer for lack precipitation to show up in components stream flow, ground water, and reservoir levels. Changes in land, like deforestation, and construction of dams, change the hydrological characteristics of a river basin (National Drought Mitigation Center, 2006). The Dust BowlDuring the 1930s, a series of droughts plagued the Great Plains. However, the Dust Bowl was not named after a drought. It was named for what it did. Poor agricultural practices and years of sustained drought caused the Dust Bowl. Plains grasslands had been deeply plowed and planted to wheat. During the years when there was adequate rainfall, the land produced bountiful crops. But as the droughts of the early 1930s deepened, the farmers kept plowing and planting and nothing would grow. The ground cover that held the soil in place was gone. The Plains winds whipped across  the fields raising billowing clouds of dust to the skies. The skies could darken for days, and even the most well sealed homes could have a thick layer of dust on furniture. In some places the dust would drift like snow, covering farms. With the farmers lands destroyed and homes seized in foreclosure, many farm families were forced to leave (Rutherford, 1998). Dust storms carried millions of tons of dirt from one location to the next. Those caught in the middle of dust storms were left with either damaged lungs or death due to inhalation of dust in the air they were breathing and polluted water they were drinking. High-speed winds pushed grains of dust into things such as farm equipment, barns, and homes. Cars were damaged beyond repair because of sand and dust clogging up vital parts of the engine. The largest migration of American history was during this period. Over 2.5 million people left the Dust Bowl area headed west for California (Rutherford, 1998). The Dust Bowl not only affect agriculture, it also had an impact on the economy. The economy in the 1930s was only hindered, if not worsened, by the Dust Bowl. Farmers were already in deep trouble for overproduction, but the Dust Bowl made it even harder too sell their crops because they were underground. They could not sell their crops, hence, they could not pay their banks to keep their homes or even make profit (Rutherford, 1998). Responding to a Cry for HelpThe Dust Bowl was basically an ultimate example of what could happen to an area when the climate was misunderstood, and poor farming practices were used. However, people became more aware out of this experience. Many preventative measures were taken to ensure that something of this magnitude would not occur again. These measures have consisted of everything from finding new water sources to taking better care of the soil to controlling the amount of topsoil blown away by the wind (Thompson, 1998, 297-299). After it was discovered that the certain areas of the Great Plains did not receive as much rain as first thought, the farmers looked somewhere else for a source of water. Irrigation soon became an important means of providing  water for the crops. The main source of irrigation for the Great Plains is the Ogallala Aquifer. The Ogallala Aquifer had been there all the time, but before the Twentieth Century the farmers lacked the technology to make use of it. Eventually they were able to dig wells deep enough. The first well was dug in 1911, and was less than 50 feet deep. However, the pump was invented which allowed for deeper wells, and greater flows of water. Eventually a form of irrigation called center pivot irrigation was developed. The idea was that the water was pumped out of the ground at one point in the middle of the field, and distributed by a sprinkler system that pivoted around the center point (Thompson, 1998, 297-299). Shortly after the Dust Bowl had an impact on the nation as a whole, the government, under President Roosevelt, began to initiate a serious of measures aimed to cure the damages caused by the Dust Bowl. These programs also became part of his New Deal initiative. One of the most famous projects started as a response to the Dust Bowl was the Tennessee Valley Authority, or the TVA. Like the most areas surrounding the Dust Bowl affected areas, the Tennessee Valley was hard hit by the sudden drought. The Tennessee Valley Authority was viewed as an opportunity to take natural resources to promote social and agricultural change. The TVA hired workers to construct multi-purpose dams, improve channels, teach soil conservation, and take on watershed reforestation project. The dams constructed by the TVA provided poor farmers and civilians with cheap electricity, flood control, and improved navigation of channels and rivers (Thompson, 1998, 297-299). The Dust Bowl taught farmers new farming methods and techniques. The 1930s fostered a new era of soil conservation. Perhaps the most valuable lesson learned form the Dust Bowl take care of the land. Droughts and winds still cause many problems, but most are averted and minimized with proper soil conservation. But one must ask themselves one question, will history repeat itself?Drought: TodayLos Angeles is currently in a dilemma. It is experiencing its very own drought. Since July 2006, downtown Los Angeles has received less than four inches of rain. This summer is expected to be hotter  than last summer, which killed about one- hundred people last year from intense heat waves. This years drought is the driest in over 130 yeas in bookkeeping, which is worst than the drought that occurred in the 1970s (Becerra, 2007). However, we have learned, from the past, absolutely nothing. People who live actually use even more water than they did before they were told to try not use as much. The Department of Water and Power does not enforce its regulations that forbid watering of lawns during the day and no running car- washing hoses. Now, instead of a fine, the DWP send a violator a letter asking them politely to consider conserving water in the future. Recently, the mayor has asked us- Angelinians- to conserve water. That should help the problem (Morrison, 2007). That is why it is up to us to save our planet from the depletion of our remaining water sources- not the states. Ways to Conserve WaterThe most important step in water conservation is that people must realize that they are in a crisis that demands the conservation of water. Without this, people will not have any incentive to conserve water because they would believe that it is trivial to do so. There are many ways to conserve water today because of our technological advances. Desalination of ocean water is one of the most common ways to conserve water. This method uses machines to purify and filter out any excess of salt and minerals to the point in which it is safe to drink. Like recycled water, this too can e used to feed livestock and used in irrigation techniques. This technique can also be used to produce a common household item- table salt (Wikipedia, 2007). One easy way water is conserved is by harvesting rain. Even though it hardly rains in California, whatever little rain we capture may serve to feed livestock, irrigation, and provide for portable water supplies. Harvesting rainfall also prevents high water bills, and may render the building of reservoirs useless, which take up a lot of land (Wikipedia, 2007). Some methods used to conserve water can sometimes be deemed controversial. A  controversial way of water conservation is recycling water. Recycling water refers to the process of purifying wastewater from sewage places. Recycled water has many uses, which include the drinking of purified wastewater if it is clean enough. If it is not used for drinking, then it is used for irrigation, which promotes better plant fertilization, watering lawns, and even filling fountains with it. The recycled water is sometimes dumped into lakes, and ponds to replenish them with their loss water. With the increase in demands for more water, some places use purified water to drink and use for their everyday necessities (Wikipedia, 2007). What Should WE Do to Conserve WaterMany people have a common misconception about water conservation. They believe that conserving water will actually COST them money. In reality, conserving water may SAVE them money. People can actually conserve water without actually knowing it. For example, shade trees can store gallons of water, which reduces the amount of water needed to use on them. They also hold water in their roots, which serve to distribute water throughout the lawn. The shade provided by these trees not only protects people from the sun, but the lawn it is on. This reduces the amount of water that is used to water it because the lawn does not get heated; hence, there is no need for watering of the lawn (University of Nebraska, 2003). Other ways we can conserve water without going out of our everyday lives is from our homes. By fixing leaking pipes one can save up about twenty gallons of water a day and save one a hassle in water utility bills. Installing low- flow showerheads save up to 500 gallons a month, which is also helped by taking shorter showers. Using a broom instead of a hose to clean ones driveway is another way of conserving water. When watering their lawn, people can avoid doing it when it is hot, like the afternoon, and water them during the morning. Washing a car on top of a lawn is a smart way to wash a car because run-on water is used to water the lawn while washing the car at the same time. During the summer, it can get hot. When filling a pool with water, place a cover over the pool once one is done using it to avoid evaporation of the water in it (University of Nebraska, 2003). As one can tell, water conservation does save more money. The environment is not the only thing that benefits from conserving water, if anything; we are the ones who will thrive from it. Benjamin Franklin once said, When the well is dry, we know the worth of water (University of Nebraska, 2003). If we do not start to conserve water know, we will learn to appreciate water- the hard way. Conclusion Many people take abundance of water for granted and only in its absence do we realize just how important it is to every living thing on the planet. During a drought, it is very important that everyone does his or her best to conserve water. Of course, it shouldnt take a drought to make people conserve water. Water is such an important resource and water conservation should be practiced every day of our lives. Water conservation consists of eliminating wasteful practices of water use, such as allowing a faucet to drip, toilets to leak, or taking baths instead of showers. Without water conservation, chaos and even war may erupt from feuds over water use and rights (Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 2003, 10-11). Work Cited Becerra, Hector. L.A. urges conserving water in dry spell. Los Angeles Times. June 7,2007. Collins, Jocelyn. Deforestation. Enviro Facts. February 1, 2001. June 8, 2007. . Developing Principles for an International Water Treaty. Water Politics. 2003. Pages10-11. Drought. Think Quest. September 23, 2004. June 6, 2007. . Drought. Wikipedia. June 4, 2007. June 7, 2007. . Kreger, Chris. Importance of Water. Exploring the Environment. 2004. June 10, 2007. . Make Every Drop Count. University of Nebraska. 2005. June 12, 2007. . Morrison, Patt. Drought, the sequel, is here. Los Angeles Times. May 17, 2007. Rutherford, Chad. The Dust Bowl. Lake Hamilton. 2004. June 5, 2007. . Rupert, Clarke. What is Drought. State of New Jersey. June 28, 2006. June 11, 2007. . Thomson, Stephen. Water Use, Management, and Planning in the United States.Elsevier. 1998. Pages 297-299. Water Conservation. Wikipedia. June 11, 2007. June 12, 2007. . What is Drought. National Drought Mitigation Center. 2006. June 10, 2007. . West, Larry. What are the Effects of Drought. About, Inc.. 2007. June 4 2007. .

Case Study: Developmental Reading

Case Study: Developmental Reading The article attempted to explain how creative activities for third year high school students affect their critical thinking skills. Comparing two groups, the Instruction with Creative Activities (ICA) and the Instruction with No Creative Activities (INCA), the study expected the ICA group to have higher mean scores and mean gains in their Chemistry Test for Higher Order Thinking Skills (ChemTHOTS) and in their pretest to posttest respectively. Although, findings suggest that there are no significant differences between both groups mean test scores, it made a distinguishing suggestion that activities given to each group should have been more varied. Creative Thinking Critical Thinking There have been studies that tried to link creativity with critical thinking, however most findings do not show direct evidence to support this theory. Recommendations range from conducting more investigations on the subject as well as lengthening study period for which the research will be conducted. On the other hand, studies also show that use of varied creative techniques do help students train their imagination. Imagination being a clear use of mental processes way beyond the usual stretching of the brain. Imagination here can then be linked to perspective taking and reflective thinking which are considered high order thinking skills. As children put themselves in different scenarios, find ways to solve problems and visualize certain concepts, they do tap on this very rich brain activity that actually provides basis for better understanding and critical thinking. We can say that as creative thinking explores various evaluative actions, critical thinking, in turn, plays with taking different scenarios. The blending of these processes (as shown from the image I shared on the earlier page) are manifested when we try to see a problem and come up with several ways to solve it or when we try to understand a person, a story or a situation, and put ourselves in different perspectives. This is most evident during play when children try to explore limitless boundaries and when children come up with a creation that they are proud to call their own. In a classroom setting, an important goal is to achieve literacy, a solid understanding of concepts, as well as to sustain learning, its different forms and levels. However, this is a very delicate and complicated feat that entails an interactive approach from the teacher and a response from the learner. Thus making the learning process, a responsibility of all the key players. And aside from the traditional rigid methods, there are various ways to achieve these goals. For the purpose of this study, methods that promote creative thinking like art, play and games are proposed. Concretely, a lesson on Shakespearean plays can be made more colorful if instead of asking students to memorize and discuss lines, they would come up with their own rendition of a particular scene. A lesson on the Solar System can be made more meaningful if instead of just asking students to memorize the different planets and come up with a model, they could pretend to be traveling from one planet to another and from each planet they are to send a postcard describing about their location and their stay there. And a lesson on the different countries of Africa can be made more indelible if instead of just being able to locate them on the map, they would learn a particular dance move and associate that with a country, and then probably come up with their own Countries of Africa dance. The study is most relevant as it is the era when learners want to be more involved with the learning process. They want hands-on, application and practice. It is also the time when it is highly encouraged for the educators to tailor-fit their lessons to varied learners with equally diverse learning styles. It is now a call to educators to sustain their learning and to respond with methods that are perfect match to their learning needs. And in the search for these methods, we find ways to tap on higher levels of thinking skills, providing our students with immeasurable education. As educators, we ourselves are front liners in pursuing this path for our learners. We must engage them in the learning process by providing them with instructional strategies and methods that let them actually grasp what they are trying to understand. We should not limit their minds but rather let them explore the world. And as they go about this exploration, we ourselves should be with them and continuously open our minds and make our world even richer, paving the way for our students. We can never be the architects of the workings of our students minds. I learned this the hard way while insisting to my then two-year old boy that he should learn about and articulate back the life cycle of a butterfly. The only things I got out of that episode were painful tears and disappointment with myself. I should have waited for him to be ready and it would have been best had I tried to look for ways to pique his interest and imaginative skills first. All we can do really is not to design their minds but design lessons they can gradually assimilate with much enthusiasm and through various experiences. As a parent and a future pre-school educator, I should also keep in mind that my children will be growing up pretty fast. Each day is a learning day and there really is no turning back. I should make the most out of the time I am given with them. I should always be able to come up with a great lesson, always enticing their interest and always making sure that they leave the class feeling proud of themselves for creating something. I should help them use their minds in many different ways, always with the goal for them to learn something new. And that, they arrive at such learning not only through reason, but more importantly, with a great deal of sentiment and imagination. Roger Chillingworth | Character Analysis Roger Chillingworth | Character Analysis The Scarlet Letter is a story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is based on the Puritans lifestyle during the 17th century in Boston and Massachusetts. It is written in twenty four chapters starting with The Prison Door and ends with the conclusion. Main characters in the story are Hester Prynne, Pearl, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, Mistress Hibbins, Governor Bellingham, and Rev John Wilson. These characters played different interesting parts, some good and some bad. Nevertheless the story is about a woman named Hester Prynne whom the puritans at that time, believed she was a symbolism of adultery, because she was made pregnant by an unknown man, whom hes identity remains a secret until the end of the story. Her long lost forgotten old husband Roger Chillingworth who was assume death, appears in one of the scenes where Hester is been disgraced in public for carrying an unknown mans baby. As a consequence of her adulterous act, she has to carry a letter A on her bosom for t he rest of her life. The A means adultery, and wherever she goes to, she is recognized as the sinful, impure woman. Hester proves shes tough and decides to take all the blames and guilt to protect her lover in a time when women were subordinate to their male partners. Arthur Dimmesdale was a minister, man of God, preacher who the puritans look up to him for spiritual advices. He appears to play a huge role in Hesters shameful atrocities. Moreover, Authors identity as Hesters lover and babys father is kept only by him and Hester, but still she takes all the blames. He valued his appearance more than being a father to the baby and this makes him a hypocrate in the story. His hypocrisy leads him to be sick and finally to his grave after confessing he was the Hesters babys father. A lesson is learning in this for people should not value the nurture appearances than who they really are as a person. This essay will explain the evil role played by Roger Chillingworth in the story. Just by calling his name, a sense of evil can be felt, and a dangerous old man with a scary face can be painted in the mind of the readers. Roger who appeared in one of the scenes when Hester was being punished and disgraced in public, asked an Indian native who appeared to be watching Hester what was going, as he was told what happen, He changed his identity to a physician.( the American literature, pg 1384). No one could recognize him except Hester who spotted him in the crowd. Roger not wanting to expose his identity places a finger on his lip as a gestation for Hester who knew who he was to keep it as a secret. Rogers intention was to go deep in search for the man responsible for Hesters public humiliation; second Roger feels he would be laugh at by the people of Boston if he had been with Hester as a husband after she carried the scarlet letter A. She was young and beautiful carrying someones baby, while he thinks he was too old. He blames himself for marrying her in the first place, because he loved her with all his heart and knew she was always going to make him happy. Things changed unexpected when he takes the responsibility to change his identity so he could be a free man in the city. Roger Chillingworth becomes jealous, and brings out the evil in him. He becomes the main character to play the most interesting and scariest role. Roger Chillingworths character is dynamic, from a regular lost husband, to an unrecognized person in the crowd, to a physician. Roger Chillingworth decision to disguise himself is only known by Hester, but hes main mission was to uncover Hesters secret lover who is suppose to be part of the humiliations. He quickly grabs an opportunity to be close to the minister after he fell sick and forced to receive medical attention from Roger Chillingworth. The minister and Roger Chillingworth quickly became friends as they get to spend most of their free time together. While being a good help to the minister, Roger also goes deep in the ministers mind to bring out the truth about Hester and her hidden lover. Roger Chillingworth suddenly discovers Dimmesdales role in the secret relationship with Hester. Moreover, Arthur also senses something wrong about Roger Chillingworth not knowing he was Hesters husband whom they assume death. David Herbert litrary analysis of the scarlet letter describes Hester instead of Roger Chillingworth as the symbol of evil in the story. Oh, Hester, you are a demon. A man must be pure, just so that you can seduce him to a fall (DHL chapter 7). David Herbert blames Hester for being the cause of destruction in the life of Roger Chillingworth and the minister Arthur Dimmesdale. Roger Chillingworths character could be described as someone, whose act could make the audience think he believed in satanic worships, never the less he simple believe in the Puritans principles and doctrines. As a dynamic character, Roger Chillingworth also brings out a good side from his dark self when he visits Hester in jail, gives her medication for her baby and herself. Being cunning as he has been he confesses to Hester Prynne for putting her in that situation. I, a man of thought, the bookworm of great libraries, a man already in decay, having given my best years to feed the hungry dream of knowledge-what had I to do with youth and beauty like yours? Misshapen from the time I was born, how could I delude myself with the idea that intellectual gifts might veil physical deformity in a young girls fantasy! From the moment when we came down the old church steps together as a married pair I should have foreseen the bale-fire of that scarlet letter blazing at the end of our path.(1391) This act is great and touching, but very disappointing to know he was simply carrying out his evil research to expose the truth. Never the less the both acknowledge the fact that the hurt each other. Hester and the minister feel guilty and to seek redemption, walking away from their sin and disgrace. Hester finds a community service while the ministers consequences for his sin put him into great distress and physical and mentally breakdown. Roger Chillingworth becomes the middle person to understand what Hester and Dimmesdale are going through. He transforms into more evil than he had been. He finds means to destroy Hesters reputation which was already in bondage. As years goes by, Roger Chillingworths transformation makes him the real symbolism of evil in the story. Hester describes Roger Chillingworths past as someone who was a misshapen scholar who was slightly deformed, with his left shoulder a trifle higher than the right (hawthorn 2003, p.50). So hes evil and scary description is not a new thing, but something the author had describes in the beginning, differentiating him from other characters in the story. Over the course of the story, sin becomes part of the main characters life. Arthur is guilty for sinning with a married woman, Hester commits adultery, never the less Roger Chillingworths sin is the biggest of all because all he does is sick revenge to hurt and destroy others. Secondly hes been blame for hes lost that put Dimmesdal and Hester in the mess in which they are in. The puritans believed that every sinner should be punishing, and Hester was just a victim in this case. Hester finds herself in an internal conflict with Roger Chillingworth. She fears the minister being around the fake physician, and fears not tell him that Roger was her husband. She knows how dangerous Roger was. The audience does not understand why she hides the truth from the minister. Hester gets into an external conflict with the environment in which she lived in. she became uncomfortable with every person around her including Roger Chillingworth. The only person she could look up to was the minister, and they only place for them to meet was in the forest. Never the less its not secured because evil Chillingworth would watch from every corner. Men, women, young and old, made fun of her, She had no support and no food for her and the baby Pearl. Living in real life with no family or friend to look up is frustrating. She is frustrated even in her own home because of Roger Chillingworths presence. Conflicts were not only Hesters, but Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth did face conflicts. Dimmesdale cause for his illness and breakdown was as a result of conflicting with his inner self. Hester was the only character to conflict a group of people. This is seen when her child was taken from her, she fights. Hester makes the scarlet letter more fun and wear it in a more fashion way that an ordinary person thought the A stands for an angel from heaven. She decides to keep the letter even when she had the chances of taking it out. The scarlet letter became a symbolism of love to Hesters daughter. She admires it and could identify her mom quick when she had the letter on her bosom. The author presents revenge as an unnatural act that twists a persons soul into something evil. In the puritan world, revenge belongs to God alone, nonetheless, roger takes upon himself to play Gods role and becomes the real Satan that Christian churches preach against. His ability to manipulate over people helps brings out some of the hidden truth thats been kept between Hester and Dimmesdale for a very long time. Rogers cunning conversations, finally puts him in a position to expose and destroy the hidden lovers reputation. Nevertheless Pearl is the symbol of sin committed between the minister and Hester Prynne. Roger Chillingworth is also described as an intellingent man, who intelligence turn to evil and he was so smart to do whatever he did. Arthur Dimmesdale believed he also carried a Scarlet letter deep in his heart even though it wasnt visible. Because of this, he carried most of the pain and sufferings. Roger Chillingworths intention was real evil when he confessed not to kill Hester Prynne or the baby Pearl, but to make Hester suffer for the rest of her life. He wants the truth to be known only by him so he will have the power to carry more evil actions. This thought also tells the audience what an evil person he was. Roger Chilling now not only became a physician but someone to determine evil and good babies. This is seen when he examines Pearl and said she was clean and ok. His intention was not to make Pearl been taken away, instead to keep her with her mother so he would have the opportunity to torment her the more until he became satisfied which he never did. He says complains of Pearl belonging to Hester only and not him, and she would never recognize his voice Live, therefore and hear about thy doom with thee, in the eyes of men and women, in the eyes of him whom thou did call your husband.(Nathaniel Hawthorne, chapter 4) Roger Chillingworth might have been doing the right thing since he himself was the puritan, and anyone in his position would have done the same thing. He tries to make himself a good man throughout the story, none the less, Hester confirms him by saying thy act are like mercy, but they words interpret thee as a terror (pg .1426). Roger Chillingworth and Minister Dimmesdalel never get to be friends after they knew who was who. Dimmesdales revelation puts Roger chillingworth in a difficult position. He became frustrated and doesnt know who to blame and toment anymore.

Spike Lee Analysis Essay -- essays research papers

The thread of African American history is spun from two sources: the struggle to define a place in the wider American life and the effort to maintain an authentic black presence in the larger American culture. This duality has meaning in the realm of filmmaking because the tools of cinema, film and cameras, cost more than the paper and pencil tools of writers. It is the cost of doing business that affects, indeed, threatens the black presence on the screen. The costly collaborative nature of filmmaking has blurred the definition of a "black" movie. Is it black if it is merely angled toward blacks, or must it be made by blacks, or both? Spike Lee has established himself as one of Hollywood's most important and influential filmmakers in the past decade. In the critically acclaimed...

Essay --

Michael McClain Mrs. Baringer Honors World Lit 16 December 2013 Gender Roles For Hamlet Act 1 King Claudius- "'Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, To give these mourning duties to your father: [†¦] but to persever In obstinate condolement is a course Of impious stubbornness; 'tis unmanly grief; It shows a will most incorrect to heaven, A heart unfortified, a mind impatient, An understanding simple and unschool'd." (1.2.290-300) Plot Context: King Claudius is talking about Hamlet mourning the death of his father still. His mother Gertrude says she also still misses her husband but you have to move on. Analysis: In this quote, Claudius is saying that Hamlet needs to stop complaining about his father's death. That mourning for this long is very unmanly. He is basically saying that everyone else is happy why can't you be happy. Act 1 Hamlet-" That it should come to this! But two months dead: nay, not so much, not two: So excellent a king; that was, to this, Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother That he might not beteem the winds of heaven Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth! Must I remember? why, she would hang on him, As if increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on: and yet, within a month— Let me not think on't—Frailty, thy name is woman!—"(1.2.341-350) Plot Context: In this part of the story Hamlet is very upset with his mother. His mom has just gotten married to his uncle 2 months after his father's death. In the speech he is talking about losing faith in woman especially his mother. Analysis: In this he is talking about all his mother wanted was to have a man in her life. She is so weak that she couldn’t go 2 months without a man. He says that her "appetite" has grown and she needs to feed on so... ...easty collection, which carries them through and through the most fond and winnowed opinions; and do but blow them to their trial, the bubbles are out. (181-188) Plot Context: Hamlet it talking to Horatio about the duel that will happen. He also makes about Laertes is not ready for the duel. Analysis: In the quote Hamlet is talking about praised and he isn’t ready. Men have cockiness and don’t know what’s really going to happen. He is going to lose because he isn’t prepared. Act 5 GERTRUDE: He’s fat, and scant of breath.— Here, Hamlet, take my napkin, rub thy brows. The queen carouses to thy fortune, Hamlet. (5.2.281-283) Plot Context: Hamlet is dueling Laertes and is winning. He strikes Laertes again and Gertrude comes out with wine and a rag. Analysis: Gertrude is playing the common role of a caring mother. She wants her boy to win and do well so she comes out

The 20s And Sinclair Lewis Essay -- essays research papers

The theme in books by Sinclair Lewis1 relates to the time in which they were written. In both Babbit (1922) and Main Street (1920) Lewis shows us the American culture of the 1920's. He writes about the growing cities, the small towns, the common American man, the strong American need to conform, cultural integration, morals (or lack of in some cases), and he touches upon the women lib movement. All of these and more successfully describe the 1920's. "The parties were bigger... the pace was faster, the shows were bigger, the buildings were higher, the morals were looser..."2 - F. Scott Fitzgerald Lewis attacks the American middle class business man in Babbit. As Sheldon Grebstein once put it: "They ( Lewis's characters ) become puppets rather than performers." ( S. Lewis, Amer. Author Series 68 ) He uses the ideas and attitudes already in existence and gives them a plot. He uses sarcasm to show the readers the error of their ways and then makes the main character suffer some how to show the consequences of being the way George F. Babbit is. Americans felt a need to rise in social status in the 1920's. Things like art and religion did not even make it in the maybe pile. Money and social acceptance was number one in every household. "His ( Americans ) only way to assume protective coloration, to loose himself in the crowd, and then to be approved by one of its members." ( S. Lewis, Amer. Author Series 78 ) George F. Babbit. A forty-six, middle class, overweight, suburban real estate dealer. To add to the mix he is a father and a husband. Babbit is Lewis's picture of the middle class businessman. H.L. Menekan states: " The fellow simply dri... ... a forced teacher's resignation and eventually to Fern's departure. Later Fern writes to Carol and informs her of even Ferns' own families' shame upon her and also of the refusal of another job by other teaching agencies. At last, Carol became utterly discouraged with her dozens of failed endeavors and left town. Even the most ambitious and educated are helpless in a town where tradition reigns over common sense. Through out the story of Carol Kennicott and her painstaking efforts, Main Street demonstrates conformity in small towns as well as the significance of conformity historically. It didn't matter wheather or not the people liked her ideas or if they were good for the comunity, her plans to change Golpher Prarie were denined and she was shunned for even thinking them. Change was not welcome in a small town. In Babbit and Main Street Sinclair Lewis repeataly shows his reactions to the new feeling of the 1920's. These times fueled him into writing his two most well known books in which he shows his fustration of selfish, Capitalistic, mid-western America.

Sime Darby

Page 1 of 6 Fundamental Analysis for SIME DARBY BHD Company Name: Stock Code (Bursa): Bloomberg: Industry: Sub-Sector: Company Description: Date of Analysis: Financial Year: SIME DARBY BHD Board: Main Board SIME FBMKLCI: TRUE SIME:MK Reuters: SIME. KL TRADING SERVICES OIL PALM/RUBBER AND OTH CROP PRODUCTION PLANTATION; PROP; MOTORS; INDUSTRIAL; ENERGY & UTILITIES. 19-Sep-12 2011 30/6/2011 Price: 9. 79 Stock Grade: Emerging Investment Grade Profitability Profitability 10 ROI 8 ROI Liquidity 6 Efficiency 4 Risks 2 0 Potential Growth Buy & Hold Returns Potential Growth 65 75 90 50 105 105 Buy & Hold Returns 25 Liquidity 1. 80759 40. 02273 62. 4099 36. 10128 85. 8969 57. 48956 18. 75 7. 97 5. 34 6. 93 7. 22 8. 18 5. 48 7. 5 Risks Efficiency Future growth drivers and Risks: http://announcements. bursamalaysia. com/edms/edmswebh. nsf/all/FF95B42CEC4045D948257A7A0062 DF67/$File/Press%20release. pdf Due-Diligence All figures in millions of Ringgit Malaysia except per share values and ratio M easures 2002 @ 2002/6/30 2003 @ 2003/6/30 2004 @ 2004/6/30 2005 @ 2005/6/30 2006 @ 2006/6/30 2007 @ 2007/6/30 2008 @ 2008/6/30 2009 @ 2009/6/30 2010 @ 2010/6/30 2011 @ 2011/6/30 Importane Rate CommentsProfitability Increasing Sales Revenue Increasing Net Income After Tax Increasing Gross Profit Margin (Preferably ? 40%) ROI Increasing high ROE (Preferably ? 15%) Increasing ROIC (Preferably ? 15%) Increasing CROIC (Preferably ? 15%) Liquidity Increasing Net Cash from Operations Increasing Free Cash Flow / Sales (Preferably ? 5%) Increasing Quick Ratio (Preferably ? 1) Short & declining Cash Conversion Cycle Efficiency Increasing Net Profit Margin (Preferably ? 10%) Increasing OCF/TA (Preferably ? 8%) 12,053 928 29. 9% 13,718 945 30. 4% 14,904 1,015 26. % 18,646 933 24. 4% 20,162 1,203 23. 6% 20,735 1,597 23. 3% 34,045 3,753 26. 2% 31,014 2,341 23. 0% 32,845 855 26. 8% 41,859 3,847 25. 7% 10. 7% 8. 0% 4. 5% 10. 2% 8. 0% 5. 2% 10. 9% 8. 0% 3. 3% 10. 0% 9. 0% 3. 6% 12. 7% 7. 0% 5. 2% 15 . 8% 8. 0% 7. 1% 16. 2% 12. 0% 9. 1% 10. 7% 9. 0% -1. 1% 3. 6% 5. 0% 6. 8% 15. 2% 13. 0% 6. 5% 647 3. 5% 1. 09 62 930 4. 3% 1. 41 66 652 2. 6% 1. 39 65 737 2. 3% 1. 12 62 1,154 3. 4% 1. 23 67 1,644 4. 8% 1. 27 65 3,936 7. 2% 1. 38 63 937 -1. 0% 1. 00 91 3,570 5. 9% 1. 00 65 3,393 4. 9% 1. 05 65 10. 0% 5. 2% 9. 0% 6. 3% . 0% 4. 2% 7. 0% 4. 5% 8. 0% 6. 6% 10. 0% 8. 4% 15. 0% 10. 9% 10. 0% 2. 6% 5. 0% 9. 5% 13. 0% 7. 9% Risks Declining Debt/Equity Ratio (Preferably <1) Operating Income Variability Sales Variability Increasing Altman Z Score (Preferably ? 2. 6) Declining Beneish Score (Preferably < -2. 22) Potential Growth Increasing Sustainable Growth Rate (Preferably ? 8%) Increasing Expected EBIT Growth N/A (Preferably ? 8%) Quality of Sales Revenue Growth (Preferably ? 80%) N/A 0. 15 1,081 12,053 5. 73 0. 27 1,225 13,718 5. 50 -2. 83 0. 28 1,389 14,904 6. 5 -2. 90 0. 34 1,406 18,646 5. 13 -2. 95 0. 38 1,206 20,162 5. 42 -2. 86 0. 29 1,569 20,735 7. 13 -3. 00 0. 22 4,339 34,045 5. 83 -1. 99 0. 26 3,151 31,014 7. 02 -2. 89 0. 37 2,081 32,845 5. 80 -2. 84 0. 29 5,483 41,859 6. 38 -2. 86 3. 5% 2. 9% 16. 4% 93. 5% 85. 8% 28. 7% 53. 4% 59. 1% 56. 9% 3. 7% 4. 1% 2008: 2002-2011: 2008: 2002-2011: 2008: 2002-2011: 2. 3% 3. 1% 77. 2% 2009: 91. 1% 52. 4% 2009: 58. 2% 76. 6% 2009: 45. 6% 6. 4% 5-Y: 4. 4% 9. 9% 7. 9% 14. 9% 74. 6% 2010: 59. 2% 2010: 14. 9% 2010: 2. 9% 19. 4% 5. 0% -5. 0% 69. 4% 2011: 17. % 2011: 21. 6% 2011: 0. 6% 6. 6% 7. 7% 13. 6% 73. 3% 30. 0% 14. 0% 2007: 2005-2011: Quality of EBIT Growth (Preferably 2007: ? 80%) 2005-2011: Quality of Operating Cash Flow 2007: Growth (Preferably ? 80%) 2005-2011: Buy & Hold Returns Shareholder Wealth Creation Full: (Preferably ? 8%) 5. 7% 10-Y: -1. 0% 3-Y: 11. 5% Investment Strategy Position Strategy Position Lump Sum + Top Up Strategy: Buy Criteria Averaging Down Method: Dollar Cost/Value Averaging Criteria 1. The current quarter's EPS is up more than 15% from the same quarter the year before. . Price is below I ntrinsic Value 3. Current EY% or Rolling 4Q EY% ;gt; 6% 4. Current DY% or Rolling 4Q DY% ;gt; 6% 5. Stock price breaks out of consolidation/dip on an uptrend. 6. Comparison of P/B ratio (for Financial stocks only) 7. Company owner, EPF, Khazanah and PNB heavily buying Sell Criteria I Remarks Criteria 1. Current EY% or Rolling 4Q EY% ;lt; 6% for more than 2 years 2. Current DY% or Rolling 4Q DY% ;lt; 6% for more than 2 years 3. Quarterly EPS drop for 5 consecutive months 4. Fundamental of business turns unattractive or bad 5.Found a better opportunity to replace this stock 6. The stock drops near to my average cost or hit my stop loss 7. Long term trend changed from bullish to bearish 8. Company owner, EPF, Khazanah and PNB heavily selling. 9. Did I make a mistake? 10. Has the stock risen too far from its intrinsic value? VI Remarks Discounted Cash Flows Valuation Shares Out. M. O. S. 13 Default Value Custom Value 6009. 46 11 Sustainable Growth % (for Average risk Average Discount % Terminal % 2011 FCF Excess Cash Intangibles Intangibles% Decay Rate Extra Decay Growth (for DCF Calc. premium Risk free Assets add to DCF (Yr4E-Yr7E) (Yr8E-Yr10E) reference) rate 20% 5% 8% 5. 50% 3. 68% 9. 2% 2% 2068. 66 4593. 30 86. 00 0% 8% 15% 4% 11. 50% 15% 20% Projection of Future Free Cash Flow 2012 Yearly Growth Future Value Discounted Perpetuity Value Present Value 2,151. 41 2013 2,237. 46 2014 2,326. 96 18,023. 58 28,024. 79 3-Y Shares Outstanding Fair Value Desired M. O. S. Buy Under Current Price Actual M. O. S. 4. 66 3. 73 9. 79 -110% 5-Y 6009. 46 4. 69 20% 3. 75 9. 79 -109% 2015 2,364. 67 2016 2,445. 07 15,233. 30 28,183. 22 10-Y 4. 70 3. 76 9. 79 -108% 2017 2,528. 1 2018 2,614. 16 2019 2,564. 07 2020 2,633. 81 2021 2,705. 45 9,780. 64 28,239. 49 Market Timing Analysis Discounted Cash Flow Valuation Fair Value Actual M. O. S. Buy Under Selection 3-Y 4. 66 -110% 3. 73 5-Y 4. 69 -109% 3. 75 10-Y 4. 70 -108% 3. 76 ? 3-Y: Fast-growing company; operates in highly competitive , low margin industry 5-Y: Solid company; operates with advantage such as strong marketing channels, recognizable brand name, or regulatory advantage 10-Y: Outstanding growth company; operates with very high barriers to entry, dominant market position or prospectsPrice-to-book Ratio Valuation by Price-to-book Ratio: Current EY% or Rolling 4Q EY% ;gt; 6% CU EY%: 6. 23 R-4Q EY%: 7. 05 4. 26 60 Current DY% or Rolling 4Q DY% ;gt; 6% CU DY%: 3. 06 R-4Q DY%: 3. 58 Current Cash Return% or MRQ Cash Return% ;gt; 6% 62 CU CR%: 4% Quarterly Financial Performance MRQ CR%: 2% Increasing revenue Increasing net profit Increasing EPS Jun-12's EPS ? 15% from Jun-11 Jun-11 Sep-11 Dec-11 Mar-12 Jun-12 13,059 11,064 11,389 11,027 14,122 1,313 0. 22 1,074 0. 18 1,101 0. 18 876 0. 15 1,099 0. 18 -16% Sime Darby COMPANY BACKGROUND Sime Darby Berhad is a multinational company which was established in 1910; a British businessman William Sime and Henry Darby established Sime, Darby & Co. and is based in Malaysia. Sime Darby is also involved in key growth sector of the national economy, plantations, property, motors, energy & utilities and healthcare. Business activities include oil palm and the company's original business, the manufacture of rubber tires, heavy equipment and motor vehicle distribution, property development, power generation, and engineering services.Other operations include the manufacture of paints, cooling tourism product manufacturing, and tourism services, hospitals, and golf courses. Sime Darby is listed on Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad on the main board. The company is the largest in Southeast Asia and the largest multinational companies in Malaysia. They operate in more than 20 countries and have around 100,000 employees worldwide. William Middleton Sime, a traveler f rom Scotland. In his efforts to be successful, he has to face two times a failure in the import-export business and other coffee farm when he left his job as a mercantile assistant in Singapore.Henry Darby was a wealthy 50-year-old English banker who owned property in Northern Malaya. The organization is well known in the field of global business and is also experienced in the field of business. They have a wide range of industries such as Kumpulan Guthrie Berhad and Golden Hope Plantations Berhad for combined and created as a new organization with the mission and vision and new goals. VISION To be a leading multinational corporation delivering sustainable value to all stakeholders. MISSION 1. We are committed to developing a winning portfolio of sustainable businesses; 2.We subscribe to good corporate governance and high ethical values; 3. We continuously strive to deliver superior financial returns through operational excellence and high performance standards; and 4. We provide an environment for our people to realize their full potential. CORE AND RELATED BUSINESS Sime Darby is a key player in the Malaysian economy as well as a diversified multinational involved in key growth sectors, namely, plantations, property, motors, industrial equipment, energy ; utilities and healthcare with operations in more than 20 countries. . Sime Darby Plantation Sime Darby Plantation is the largest oil palm plantation in the world to produce about 2. 4 million tons or 6% of the production of crude palm oil (CPO) is the world every year, making the Sime Darby Plantation as sustainable producers of edible oils in the world. Sime Darby has two operations, namely: I. Upstream operations Sime Darby Plantation has an area of 682. 616 hectares in Malaysia and Indonesia, with the rest of the oil palm planted area of 519. 620 hectares. It has a total of 200 fields and 64 oil mills in the two countries.Outside Asia, starting from January 2010 has expanded its upstream operations to Lib eria in Africa. Overall, Sime Darby Plantation has 200,000 hectares in Liberia, where 1. 190 hectares have been planted with oil palm until 31 January 2012. As a key player in keeping the industry, Sime Darby plantation division using best practices. 329. 225 of this part have been planting trees for rare and endangered in the next three years, as part of its commitment towards ensuring a more reserved nature. Trees are grown mainly in the area of the holding company, while partially buried along with other companies.II. Downstream Operations Sime Darby Plantation downstream operations operate in 15 countries, covering the production and distribution of oil and fat products for biodiesels, oleochemicals, and nutraceuticals. It is divided into two segments namely based food and non-food segments carried by eight refineries located in : * Malaysia (Sime Darby Jomalina Sdn Bhd, Sime Darby Kempas Sdn Bhd and Sime Darby Austral Co. , Ltd. ) * Singapore (Sime Darby Edible Products Limited ) * Thailand (Morakot Industries Public Company Ltd) Vietnam (Golden Hope – Nha Be Oils Sdn Bhd) * Netherlands (Sime Darby Unimills B. V. ) * South Africa (Sime Darby Hudson ; Knight (M) Sdn Bhd) III. Food Sime Darby Plantation also produces and markets a variety of consumer goods such as cooking oil, fruit juice and cooks the sauce for the Malaysian market. Sime Darby Jomalina which is a subsidiary of Sime Darby Berhad produce refined palm oil and palm kernel oil products which include shortening, industrial margarine, frying palm oil, milk fat replacement, vegetable ghee and cooking oil.Also produce oil for frying, application in dairy products, dyes and as a food for the domestic market and for export to Japan, Hong Kong, Europe and the United States. Sime Darby also niche product the following: * Special Animal Fat Substitute (Safar) – A substitute vegetable fats for animal fats in food products, * Jomalina Quality Assurance (JGQ) products – products made fr om palm oil with a low content of saturated fatty acids, * Golden Joma Red Olein – Red Palm Oil with beta carotene content is very high. IV. Research ; DevelopmentSime Darby Plantation is a leader in the research ; development of oil palm, and was the first company in the world to successfully compile, assemble and annotate the oil palm genome. Breakthroughs will allow scientists and our research staff to identify markers for the valuable features such as features yield, disease resistance and drought tolerance, and use these markers to breed a new generation of oil palm. The Division now has more than 200 scientists and researchers, who conducted various studies on the efficacy results, best practices, quality, best agricultural practices and food ingredients.Division also has a fully operational along the palm oil value chain – from farm to food on the table, He took himself one of the cheapest foods in the form of oil-estate estate, processing of this material in it s own farm and later in its own filter factories, and finally, it is also processed cooking oil for domestic market. As a fully integrated player, this means that it can control the quality at every stage by using best practices in all layers of palm oil value chain.This process is done by thinking of the environment and quality, ensuring that while providing a valuable material for the needs of the world, our earth is also protected through best practices. 2. Sime Darby Property Sime Darby Plantation is a leader in research ; development of oil palm, and was the first company in the world to successfully compile, assemble and annotate the genome of oil palm. The Division has been fully operational along the palm oil value chain – from farm to food on the table.It released a self cheapest food in the form of coconut plantation estate, the processing of these materials in their own farm and then at refineries themselves, and finally, it is also processed cooking oil for the lo cal market. As a fully integrated player, this means that it can control the quality at every stage by using best practices in all walks of palm oil value chain. This process is done by thinking of the environment and quality, to ensure that when providing valuable material for the needs of the world, our earth is also protected through best practices.Sime Darby Property is one of the leading property developers in Malaysia. It is also the largest developers in the country in terms of land area savings. It now has 19. 000 acres of land and has identified savings of 18. 800 acres of land for future development. Sime Darby Property's core businesses are property development, property investment, hospitality & leisure and operations in China. Apart from Malaysia, it has a wide range of projects in five countries, namely, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Australia and the United Kingdom.Over the past few years, Sime Darby Property has built 10 townships that house a total of 80,000 families a nd 400,000 people throughout the Klang Valley and Penang, the Ara Damansara, Subang Jaya, USJ Heights, Putra Heights, Bukit Jelutong, Bandar Bukit Raja, Nature Trail, Melawati, The Dream and Planter's Haven. Sime Darby Property also rates limit investment property in Malaysia such as Sime Darby Pavilion is a 3-storey office building in Shah Alam, Sime Darby Complex is a 4 – ? torey office building, Wisma Guthrie is a six storey purpose built office building in Damansara Heights, Wisma Sime Darby is a 22 storey office building in Jalan Raja Laut, Wisma UEP is a 11-storey office building in Subang Jaya. Sime Darby Property has built a variety of hospitality in Malaysia such as Sime Darby Convention Centre (SDCC) which was officially launched on December 6, 2007 by the Prime Minister of Malaysia and Resumes Operations since February 2006 at the Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.Hospitaliti such as PNB Darby Park Executive Suites Start operations in June 2000 at the Kuala Lumpur. Harvard atmosphere Hotels in Bedong, Kedah. Genting View Resort in Genting Highlands, Pahang. Subang Avenue Service Suites in Subang Jaya and Hotel Equatorial Melaka in the Lower Town, Melaka. 3. Sime Darby Industrial Sime Darby Industrial is a leading distributor of premium heavy equipment in Malaysia and the Asia Pacific region.It offered a comprehensive range of products and support services equipment in key markets such as plantations, property, mining, marine construction, forestry, ports and power systems sectors. Sime Darby Industrial is also the fifth largest Caterpillar dealer in the world and operates the largest Caterpillar dealership network in the Asia Pacific region, with more than 100 branches covering more than 20 countries. Heavy equipment business spans across Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Christmas Island, the Maldives, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.To market in Malaysia, Sime Darby Industrial Sdn Bhd offers a compre hensive list of heavy equipment and services, from the sale of machinery, new engines and equipment rental services through a network until CAT Rental Stores outlets nationwide. Other brands represented include: * Premium Terberg Terminal Tractor * Kubota Tractor and Agricultural Transplanters * Transport tractor New Holland * Perkins engines * GE Pipeline Inspection * Atlas Copco (in Vietnam) * Jacobsen Turf Care Equipment * Former operator of Omega 4. Sime Darby MotorsSime Darby Motors is one of the leading players of the automotive industry and automotive luxury in Malaysia, Singapore, China, Australia and New Zealand, with business activities that vary from country to country, including import, assembly, distribution and sale of the vehicle. This represents the various brands and luxury brands such as BMW, Mini, Rolls-Royce, Porsche, Jaguar and Lamborghini, Hyundai, Land Rover, Alfa Romeo, Ford, Peugeot, Mitsubishi, Ssang Yong, Jeep, Dodge, McLaren, Suzuki, Chrysler, Audi, Ferra ri, Maserati, Volkswagen, Nissan, Mazda and Chevrolet.Sime Darby Motors is also the third largest BMW dealer in the world, while Rolls Roycenya representation in East China is one of the largest in the world in 2011. This section is a dealer for McLaren to Hong Kong, the franchise up for grabs. It also has a distribution business for Huanghai Bus, Mitsubishi Fuso trucks and buses in Hong Kong and Macau, as well as electric vehicles Smith, apart from organizing Sime Darby Fleet Servicing Australia 4WD, 2WD, bus rental and mechanical services for industry leading market experts and government regional tourism market in Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales.In terms of installation, Sime Darby Motors to install a variety of Hyundai passenger cars and commercial vehicles, other than passenger vehicles Land Rover and BMW through its subsidiaries, the Corporation Inokom in Kulim, Kedah. It also has the Hertz car rental business in Malaysia and Singapore. With a good distributi on network in the Asia Pacific region, the Automotive Division Sime Darby ready for a bright future. 5. Sime Darby Energy ; Utilities Sime Darby Energy ; Utilities has core businesses in the Engineering Services, Ports ; Logistics, Power and Water Management.It is supported by a staff of more than 1,000 people in all of our operations in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and China. I. Power With plants in Malaysia and Thailand, we have a combined gross capacity of 590MW. Operations in Malaysia which is located in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan have a capacity of 440MW of electricity while operating in Thailand at Laem Chabang has two power plants with an installed capacity of 100MW and 50MW respectively. II. Engineering Services Led by Mecomb Group, a unit of engineering services division is supported by a variety of reputable products that provide solutions and value-added engineering services.Mecomb Group is headquartered in Singapore and has operations in Malaysia and Thailand. III. P orts ; Logistics Port operations and logistics division is based in Shangdong province, China. There are three ports that operate at this time – a sea port handles general cargo and bulk in Bohai Bay, Weifang and two river ports handling coal and general cargo along the Grand Canal in Jining. A new coal handling terminal being planned in Jining. Port's current capacity to reach about 30 million tones per year with plans to expand further into the target handling capacity of 60 million tones per ear. We hope to become a major player in the arena harbor and logistics in China in the next five years. IV. Water Management Water management unit is headquartered in Shandong province of China, comprising Weifang Sime Darby Water Management Co. Ltd and Zibo Chemical Co. Ltd Sime Darby. Established in 2005, Weifang Sime Darby Water Management Co Ltd has a capacity of 140. 0003 per day, supplying clean water to the Hua Hai and surrounding industrial areas. Sime Darby Zibo Chemical Co. Ltd. Zibo) was incorporated in March 2007 to produce polyaluminium chloride at a capacity of four tones per year for use in water treatment plants Weifang Sime Darby Water. 6. Sime Darby Healthcare Sime Darby Healthcare is a leader in the private healthcare industry, and aspires to be the gold standard of health care providers in the Asia Pacific region. This section consists of five private entities, namely: – * Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya (SDMC SJ) – our flagship tertiary care 393-bed hospital * Sime Darby Specialist Centre Megah (SDSC Megah) – our outpatient and daycare * Sime Darby Nursing & Health Sciences College Sime Darby Medical Centre Ara Damansara (SDMC AD) – Centres of Excellence for Brain, Heart and Spine & Joint * Sime Darby Medical Centre Parkcity (SDMC Parkcity) – will open in 2013 This division was established on 21 October 2008 when the first three entities were rebranded under the brand name of Sime Darby. Sime Darby He althcare offers a range of special services for health care related to Customers, from emergency care, disease; management to screening services and more terrorism as follows: * Dietetics Services Dr Golf * Health Screening Centre * Imaging and Diagnostics * Breast Care Centre * Subang Fertility Centre * Obesity Clinic * Menstrual Clinic * Nuclear Medicine & PET / CT Centre * Vascular & Interventional Radiology Centre * Stone Centre * Digestive and Liver Health Clinic * Blood Disease Centre In addition to health care for Patients, Sime Darby Healthcare Patient Services Banjarmasin also rates offers for hire offer Home Care Nursing Services, International Patient Services, Medical Reports and Accommodation ServicesIt institutions, SDMC SJ, is one of the leading private hospitals in Malaysia. Internationally recognized, private hospitals with advanced facilities, this is the only private hospital that has won the Prime Minister's Quality Award twice. Today, SDMC SJ has 393 beds, 93 su ites and 14 theaters clinic, keep up to 1,800 patients and 300 patients per day. The hospital also offers the latest state of the art equipment such as scanners 64-slice PET / CT, 3-Tesla MRI, High Dose 3D brachytherapy system, dual-source CT scanner and TomoTherapy Hi-Art System for the treatment of cancer.SDMC AD had the first private Brain Centre of Excellence in Malaysia, with a comprehensive epilepsy management system as well as full and advanced facilities for treatment. Sime Darby Healthcare is planning to open another medical center renamed Sime Darby Medical Centre ParkCity in 2013. Sime Darby Medical Centre ParkCity will operate as a comprehensive center of excellence dedicated to women and children with a focus on breast oncology, child development and treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes. 7. Other BusinessesI. Tesco Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Ltd Tesco Stores (Malaysia) Sdn. Ltd. is a joint venture between Sime Darby Berhad and Tesco plc. Its inception in the year 2 001, show that the Sime Darby owns 30% interest in the joint venture. Tesco currently operates 40 hypermarkets in the country. II. Insurance Broking and Agency Sime Darby Lockton Insurance Brokers Sdn Bhd (Sime Darby Lockton) is one of the leading professional risk services in Malaysia, which specialized in the specialty risk insurance and takaful solutions.The company is the result of a union between Sime Darby Berhad and Lockton, the risk of a service company to the 9 largest in the world. With active involvement in insurance services since early 1930 in Asia, particularly in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, Sime Darby Lockton has more than 80 dedicated professionals, highly trained and knowledgeable in their respective fields. Sime Darby Lockton is licensed and regulated by Bank Negara Malaysia. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Almost 200 years ago, Britons growers have established rubber plantations in Malaya and mostly planted with oil palm.Among the pioneers-pioneers is Alexander Guthr ie, Daniel and Smith Harrison, Joseph Crosfield, William Sime and Henry d'Esterre and Herbert Mitford Darby who is the founder of three large companies today are Sime Darby Berhad. Alexander Guthrie Guthrie & Co established. in Singapore in 1821 as the first British trading company in Southeast Asia. Guthrie introduced rubber and palm oil in Malaysia in 1896 and 1924. Daniel and Smith Harrison and Joseph Crosfield also formed a trading partnership tea and coffees are known as Harrisons & Crosfield in England in 1844. Harrisons & Crosfield bought several small farms in Malaysia of ? 0,000 and they came together to form Golden Hope Rubber Estate. In 1982, Harrison and Crossfield have sold three large plantation groups, Golden Hope, Pataling, and London Asiatic to Malaysian concerns for ? 146 million. Business name was changed to Golden Hope Plantations Berhad in 1990 after taking majority Nasional Berhad capitalization equity. In January 2007, three giant Malaysia (Sime Darby, Guthrie and Golden Hope) incorporated into the entity named Synergy Drive vehicle and on 27 November 2007, Synergy Drive renamed Sime Darby Berhad. Entity that combines three different companies in Malaysia are multinational workforce of 104. 00 Malaysian workers. Its core businesses are plantations, property, motor, heavy equipment and energy & utilities that are expected to benefit from continued population growth and economic development in the Asia Pacific region and the global economy. Non-core business unit of Sime Darby as health care, insurance, and home products grouped under Allied Products and Services division (APS). Subsidiary under the APS including Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya (formerly known as Subang Jaya Medical Centre) (health care), Sime Alexander Forbes (insurance), and Dunlopillo Malaysia Sdn Bhd (home products).It also has a controlling stake in the supermarket chain Tesco in Malaysia. Sime Darby is a multinational company, with more than 60 percent of the g roup's revenue comes from overseas. As a result of the merger, Sime Darby became one of the leading companies listed on the world's palm oil plantations. Sime Darby Berhad also has a significant presence in downstream palm oil. The merger also made Sime Darby a leading developer of residential and commercial community. Additionally, it holds the rights Caterpillar in 12 countries worldwide and distribution and distributor brands like BMW motor.Current President and Chief Executive Officer of the Group is Dato ‘Mohd Bakke Saleh. Sime Darby brand now more than 100 years old even though it does not explain how these companies are just starting with a small shop in Malacca memoirs starting in 1910. It is the legacy of the three companies that create Sime Darby today. PROBLEM Although Sime darby a giant plantation company in the world, they still have problems such as the company's internal operations and management models that lack of transparency, poor governance, red tape, and m isconduct (moral hazard) that may affect the business.This is a result of the merger of three companies Golden Hope Limited. , Guthrie Bhd. and Sime Darby Bhd. through Synergy Drive to form a giant company where five times of its original size. With the merger of these companies have the inherent problems of bureaucracy and management. In May 2010, the Energy and Utilities Division has reported large losses where four projects the Energy and Utilities Division, including Qatar Petroleum, Maersk Oil Qatar, Marine and Bakun Dam, delayed because of bad management, leading to increased costs exceeded estimates and lead to a loss of RM1. 31 billion. As a result of these losses, Sime Darby has experienced the loss of market value of RM6. 37 billion in the period of one month from the RM52. 94 billion to RM46. 57 billion. Sime Darby has experienced a net loss of RM308. 63 million in the third quarter. Sime Darby yet to recover from past losses continued to be constrained problems associate d with neighboring countries, namely Indonesia.Kumpulan Guthrie Berhad was ordered to pay the civil claim to the Indonesian company PT Adhiyasa Saranamas more than USD25 million. Kumpulan Guthrie Berhad plans to capture asset PT Holdico power was taken over by the National Banking Penyehatan Agency (IBRA) owned by the Indonesian government. PT Adhiyasa Saranamas was appointed by Kumpulan Guthrie Berhad as an intermediary for the acquisition of PT Holdico Power, including its subsidiaries and assets of the company including oil palm plantations in several cities.Problems began to arise when the Guthrie Berhad has agreed to pay 7% of the transaction value results for Adhiyasa been breached by the Guthrie Berhad resulting in a Malaysian government-owned companies have been accused of breach of contract because of delayed payments promised to Adhiyasa. Sime Darby has also suffered huge losses during the financial crisis era asia 1997 when the stock market plummeted, which recorded a los s of Rs 1. 6 billion, of which the largest level in the history of banking in Malaysia. 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