The Conclusions Drawn By The National Reading Panels Study On Effective Reading :: essays papers

The Conclusions Drawn By The National Reading Panel's Study On Effective Reading Ever since the signing of the Declaration of Independence the United Sates has strived for the betterment of its society on a whole. This effort can be seen through not only the push for higher education, but also in the standards set in the curriculum for all students. Even though there is such a push for educating the students in America, it becomes surprising that certain simple aspects of education can be almost shaded by or lost under the bigger picture. One such aspect is trying to maintain reading levels, and keeping them up to speed with the corresponding grade levels. With reading levels seemingly on a steady descending scale, it has become necessary for certain actions to take place in hopes of finding ways to bring the levels back up to par. One course of action is conducting research on the manner resulting in the suggestions of possible solutions to the reading problem. Of multiple studies conducted on the matter, one that stands out to be both direct and promising is th e study conducted by the National Reading Panel. â€Å"The main goal of more formal educational research is to test theory and to advance scientific knowledge† (Samuels & Farstrup, 1992, p 5). As a result of the noticeable failing reading levels, Congress took it into their own hands to help solve the matter. â€Å"Congress directed the creation of the National Reading Panel to reevaluate educational research and give teachers and schools a roadmap to address this problem† (National Reading Panel, 2000 (NRP)). The panel was appointed in 1997, and used numerous studies and research that, once analyzed, was focused into certain areas that need to be incorporated in reading instruction. The areas that were highlighted in the resulting study were phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension (Manzo, 2000, p 1). These areas can be examined more closely in order to gain insight and information into their beneficial effects on effective reading instruction. Phonemic awareness is first on the study’s list of things that need to be taught in order for students to become better readers. This aspect of the report is based on the idea that students need the ability to manipulate the sounds that make up the spoken language. â€Å"If the children cannot perceive these sound segments they will encounter difficulty when trying to sound words out in both reading and writing† (Samuels & Farstrup, 1992, p 108).

Love Is Not Enough Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing

Love Is Not Enough Parents sometimes do not understand the severity of things they say or do to children. However, many times things that are said or done effect the child for the rest of their life. Although the parent may not realize that he or she is hurting the child, they sometimes do. I have one such experience. It started out as one of my happier days. The kitchen smelled of oatmeal cookies baking as my stepsister Jennifer and I attempted to clean up our flour and egg mess. She was daddy’s little girl. My dad had always favored her, but who could blame him? She had his nose, chin and do not forget the blonde hair and blue eyes. Jennifer was the spitting image of my father. I had always looked too much like my mother to be his favorite. I had brown hair, brown eyes, and freckles. About the only thing I had of my dad was his height and chin. But none of that mattered today, as I said before it was one of my better days. I was having too much fun hosing down the kitchen to worry about things like that. Jen and I had just finished cleaning up as my dad pulled into the driveway. He was an air traffic controller, and sometimes his job required him to be gone at late hours. At times we would go to bed late and he still would not be home. Today though, he was home early. He came in, gave us kisses, changed into comfy clothes and we all sat down for dinner. I am not positive what we ate, but it was probably something instant considering that my dad was the chef. He could kind of cook. He was really good with those box meals; The ones where you just add water and fry. His other gourmet cooking consisted of the can foods; you know the ones were you plop and heat. After dinner we curled ... ... and quietly asked, â€Å"Where’s my box?† He turned around and I felt like for the first time since the topic had come up he acknowledged my presence. He had a look on his face like I had caught him completely off guard and explained that my mom and him never actually got married. He tried to convince me that of all the things he regrets most in his life that was the biggest one. He said if he could have changed one thing he would have married my mother. The whole situation really hurt. I was not naà ¯ve. I knew that my parents never got married. I guess I had just hoped that if my dad â€Å"loved† her enough to have a kid with her, he would love her enough to have a box of memories. His carelessness with the situation effecting me and will my entire life. Your parents are supposed to be your hero and when they emotionally let you down, you do not forget it.

The Controversial Issue of Affirmative Action :: Affirmative Action Racism Racist Essays

The Controversial Issue of Affirmative Action Considering the subject of affirmative action the following questions frequently are raised: Is there a clear understanding of affirmative action roles/goals? What are the pros/cons of these programs? What are the "loop holes" in the system? Does seniority play a role in affirmative action? Addressing these key questions may help us all in our daily routine, as administrators and/or potential administrator in the public/private sector. Affirmative action programs throughout the United States have long been a controversial issue particularly concerning employment practices (public/private) and university student and/or staff recruitment. Most public agencies have some type of instituted affirmative action program. According to Cheryl Perry-League, Director of Equal Opportunity of the Port of Oakland, every business operating on Port of Oakland owned land must have a standing affirmative action program on record and businesses bidding to do work for the Port of Oakland must have an acc eptably diverse workforce. BACKGROUND To understand the role and/or goals of affirmative actions programs we should define what the broad definition of what affirmative action is and what caused its development. The phase "affirmative action" was used in a racial discrimination context. Executive Order No. 10,925 issued by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. The order indicated that federal contractors should take affirmative action to ensure job applicants and employees are treated "without regard to their race, creed, or national origin." A person could define this statement as an order to imply equal access and nothing else. Subsequently, Executive Order 11246 issued by President Johnson in September 1965, "mandated affirmative action goals for all federally funded programs and moved monitoring and enforcement of affirmative action programs out of the White House and into the Labor Department." Affirmative action "refers to various efforts to deliberately take race, sex, and natio nal origins into account to remedy past and current effects of discrimination. Its primary goal is to ensure that women and minorities are widely represented in all occupations and at all organizational levels" (Tompkins, 1995, p.161). Another definition of affirmative action according to Barbara Bergmann is "planning and acting to end the absence of certain kinds of people-those who belong to groups that have been subordinated or left out-from certain jobs and schools" (1997 p.7). Tracing the history of affirmative action, laws against racial discrimination have proved inadequate for workplace integration because they often provide remedies only after the fact.

Human Services Issue Memorandum Essay

I am presenting this letter of memorandum, as I would like to solicit the attention of the upper management department in our organization regarding a certain issue that I believe is important for the effectiveness of our purpose and visionary goal. I sincerely believe that each and every personnel associated in this social service organization are very much concerned with the significant effects of our activities for the society’s benefits and thus we want to do everything to our abilities and resources to improve the results towards our goals. Considering the previous statistical results gathered through our client’s feedbacks, we could say that our organization indeed has functioned effectively in our servitude with the societies that we have determined to be in need of our expertise and service. However, I have uncovered a certain issue that is significant to our field of childcare that I believe can significantly promote the success and effectiveness of our organization and thus, I am presenting this now through this memorandum. Our field of childcare has primarily focused on the aspects of nurturing the children, addressing their needs and developing a suitable environment that can foster a healthy lifestyle for these young individuals. Because of which, as related to this field of childcare, I believe that the issue presented in a recent study regarding the influences and effects of media particularly television programs to the children must be incorporated to our organization’s concerns and approaches. As gathered through the research study, too much television access for the children can have an adverse effect to their young bodies and minds. Some of which, as determined by this study is the psychological irritability of the child, sleeplessness, early exposure to violence and mature scenario leading to the exploitation of the imagination of the child and other adverse health conditions. Because of which, I believe that our organization must incorporate this issue in our campaigns and programs through launching an information awareness drive to educate the parents and other concerned adults regarding the adverse effects of early television access. As our primary concern is childcare, I sincerely believe that we must also be concerned with this issue and some parents and guardians are still not yet aware or fully convinced with this fact. As I have observed in some of our campaign drives and programs, children watching television programs at an early age is a common practice in our society. Parents, due to their busy schedules and hectic lifestyles are neglecting the fact that their young children are already fully focus on varieties of television programs manifesting some of the previously mentioned symptoms. On the long run particularly if yet unattended, this can cause a tragic condition for these young children and thus organization must react upon this issue. As our organization has already established a reliable name in the aspect of childcare social services, I believe that this group and its activities can be a very effective medium in spreading the facts about the said issue. Indeed, through incorporating the said issue regarding the negative effects of television programs to the young minds of the children, we can convince the parents and concerned adults to react upon this matter thus, protecting the children against the adverse effect of this issue as similar to the primary purpose and goals of this child care social service organization, Human Service Personnel Institute of Child Care Social Services http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_48893. html. TV Use Pervasive Among Tiniest Tots Almost two-thirds of kids under 2 watch TV daily, study finds HealthDay Monday, May 7, 2007 MONDAY, May 7 (HealthDay News) — Parents don’t seem to be heeding expert pediatrician guidelines that urge a ban on TV watching for their very youngest children. The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends that children 2 and under watch no TV at all. However, a new study finds that on a typical day, only 37 percent of children between zero and 2 years old watch no television, and as many as one in five youngsters under 2 even have a television placed in their bedrooms. More than half (54 percent) of these tiny tots could turn on the TV themselves. â€Å"I understand the AAP’s stance, because we don’t yet know the neurological implications of screen time in young children,† said the study’s author, Elizabeth Vandewater, associate director of the population research center and an associate professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas in Austin. On the other hand, she said, â€Å"I don’t think the guidelines are realistic. † The study’s findings weren’t all bad. Vandewater found that just over half of 3- to 4-year-olds and 70 percent of 5- and 6-year-olds watched no more than the recommended limit of two hours daily. In the 3 to 6 age group, TV in the bedroom became more common, with about one-third having a set in the bedroom. The findings were published in the May issue of Pediatrics. To learn more about actual viewing habits in young children, Vandewater and her colleagues surveyed 1,051 parents of young children during 2005. They asked about media use, whether or not there was a TV in the bedroom, and also about other activities, such as reading and playing outdoors, to see if TV use was supplanting other pursuits. On an average day, three-quarters of children watched at least some television, and about one-third watched videos or DVDs, the study found. The average viewing time was one hour and 20 minutes, which falls within the AAP guideline of no more than one to two hours for children over 3. The researchers didn’t find that TV typically displaced other activities, such as reading or outdoor play. However, Vandewater said that in previous research she’s conducted, she has found that TV may replace time spent interacting with parents. â€Å"It’s important to remember that if you turn off the TV, the assumption is that the family will spend time together, but that’s not always true. They might find other things to do separately,† she said. â€Å"It’s also important that we don’t assume all time spent with parents is good, quality time. If parents are under stress, that’s not necessarily a good time to be together, and it might not be so bad to pop in a video for a half an hour,† Vandewater said. She also commiserated with parents who might find the â€Å"no TV† rule tough to adhere to. â€Å"Media and technology are not going away,† Vandewater said. â€Å"They’re part of the backdrop of our everyday lives — TV stands are now standard living room furniture. So, we need to figure out how to give advice that’s workable. † Dr. Christopher Lucas, director of the early childhood service at the New York University Child Study Center in New York City, agreed that it’s difficult to keep children under 2 from watching any TV, because TV has become so ubiquitous in American life. â€Å"The guidelines seem out of sync with what the reality is,† said Lucas. Neither Vandewater or Lucas is specifically advocating TV watching for young children. Instead, they’re just acknowledging that it does occur and that there’s currently no evidence to prove that it’s harmful. Lucas said to be helpful, TV needs to be put into context for children. â€Å"Unsupervised, passive watching probably isn’t helpful, but educational media — when watched with parents or another caregiver — could be helpful,† he said. Both Vandewater and Lucas were concerned about the growing trend of TVs in children’s bedrooms. Most often, parents interviewed in the study said they put a TV set in their kid’s room because it freed up other TVs in the house for parental use. â€Å"There is a growing body of literature showing that TV in the bedroom is related to a host of negative outcomes. I would strongly urge parents not to put TV in a child’s bedroom,† said Vandewater. â€Å"There’s this belief that TV is helpful to children and may soothe them, but TV activates the brain and actually makes it more difficult to sleep,† explained Lucas. Vandewater’s final advice? â€Å"Media is a treat. Like any other treat, it’s best in moderation. † HealthDay Copyright (c) 2007 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

Economic Migration: A Threat or a Blessing to Developed Countries?

INTRODUCTION TO GLOBALISTION Individual Report To what extent is economic migration a threat or a blessing to developed countries? In general, the primary human right is life and to lead this life wherever desirable, where it is possible to live the most freely, easily and in complete security. In order to do this, people move across the world, voluntarily or forcibly, in the search for this new place. Migration is the movement of people from one place in the world to another, due to vital reasons for a better quality of life: political reasons and economic reasons. We know certainly two basic trends that are the base for migration. The first is Global Population growth and the second is the global shift in employment. The first one is referring to the global population, which has deep roots in the past and is concern with the problem of birth and death occurring each day. It is estimate that the world population is continuing to increase starting from the year 1950, when it was just 3 billion people in the world and nowadays, in 2007, when it is 6 billion citizenry- according with the statistics realised by the Census Bureau. The second trend is related to the economic reasons and we will focus on them, being the principal theme for this report. Economic migration results from economic activities that result in the movement of persons from one country to another for entrepreneurial, industrial, professional, labour market or commercial motives. In an era of globalization, economic or labour migration is on the rise. Due to lack of employment opportunities in developing countries and increased demands for low-wage workers in developed countries, youth, women and men are pursuing work in other countries in order to support themselves and their families back home. Recent statistics demonstrate that there are around 200 million persons per year who migrate throughout the world. The International Organization for Migration estimates that there are 80 million economic migrants worldwide. These migrations are most often from poor countries to rich countries rather than the reverse. The principal places attracting migrants are the petroleum producing Persian Gulf countries, the United States and the European Union. It is not confined to poor countries – inhabitants of rich countries also migrate for economic reasons to other countries. Traditionally and historically, the USA has been hotspot of economic migrants since it is seen as the ‘land of opportunity’. Thousands of people from all across the world, including Britain, try to move to the USA for a better life. For example a lecturer at an Ivy League University still earns more than someone at a top university in the UK. Many economic migrants to the USA come from Latin America and the Caribbean. About 150,000 Mexicans enter illegally each year, resulting in 3 to 4 million illegal Mexicans in the USA. They arrive in dangerous conditions such as hidden in the backs of lorries under legal produce. The chart below shows the projected U. S. population growth if immigration and fertility remain similar to today’s rates. [pic] But is economic migration a threat or a blessing to developed countries? A threat is any activity whose appearance is likely to break the social equilibrium and peace in a part of the world. Growing immigration into the rich countries whether voluntary, forced, regular or clandestine tends to be built up into a bubbling volcano that can become active at the least pressure from the lava. It can give rise to three types of threats. On the security level, the influx of migrants can be a source of recruits for a possible terrorist network, on the one hand. On the other hand, neglected immigrants, without means of subsistence, can form networks of criminals; can be contributors to urban insecurity and creators of communities favorable to possible terrorist recruitment efforts. On the economic level, immigrants can be a significant reservoir for the recruitment of cheap labour to the detriment of citizens. That can result in an increase in the unemployment rate for the latter, which becomes a concern for governments. Providing assistance for the immigrants can have an influence on public budgets and contribute to the erosion of the purchasing power of citizens. That could, in the long run, create frustrations among citizens and result in acts of violent discrimination with regrettable consequences. On the socio-cultural level, the struggle for reciprocal influence between immigrant cultures and local cultures could give rise to a national identity conflict through several mechanisms. Immigrants who are victims of discrimination, social injustices and other tension-creating acts, could use violence to demand their rights. Various illicit forms of trafficking, particularly the trafficking of human beings through migration, are also threats arising from migration. ECONOMIC MIGRATION DAMAGES the IMMIGRANT'S HOME COUNTRY To argue that Britain needs economic migrants because of their alleged energy, talent and skills, is to ignore the flip side of that coin which is that the country they came from is going to be deprived of their energy, talent and skills. Every economic migrant who comes here is depriving his or her country of their ability, and is prolonging their own country's agony. It is irresponsible and immoral to deprive countries in this way. Economic migration on these terms is a form of piracy, which should be outlawed! Morally speaking, developed countries should not encourage a brain drain from the developing world, especially not of those who have been described as hard working, educated and entrepreneurial. Immigration’s needed to explain why they advocate the economic piracy and brain draining of the developing world. They need to explain why they advocate a policy guaranteed to keep the developing world in poverty. The people who promote open borders and migration, either as an imagined â€Å"solution† to global economic injustice, or population pressure, or because they want to effect demographic change in the Western world, are in the wrong. Here are some of their frequently heard myths: â€Å"We need economic migrants to keep the Health Service going† The only reason nurses from Asia are being imported is because we do not, and won't, pay a living wage to nurses from this country. This is a new form of 21st century slavery. Britain abolished the Atlantic slave trade. Let's not start a new version. Why are we importing teachers when we have teachers on the dole? It is not because we have a shortage of labour. It is because we have a shortage of people willing to do these jobs at the low wages offered. â€Å"Many companies could not survive without immigrants† So what? If the companies are only employing immigrants then what goods are they doing for anyone other than immigrants? â€Å"Immigrants do the work we would not do† This is not necessarily true. Are we to believe that without any immigrants we would have no cafes, no waiters, and no cleaners? Off course not. The only reason immigrants are doing these jobs is because they don't pay well enough for indigenous people to accept them. Relying on immigrants to do this work is a form of slavery. Instituting a modern form of slavery is immoral. It is not a sign of a progressive society. It is certainly not something of which we should be proud. Instead, it is morally right to do our own drudgery work. â€Å"Many economic migrants are highly skilled and have a lot to offer† Again, this demonstrates the extent to which their home countries are missing out on their talent and skills. If a talented person flees his or her homeland then they become part of their home country's problem, not part of the solution. â€Å"Immigrants create jobs. Look at Marks and Spencer, for example† Simply because a tiny handful of past immigrants went on to found high street chain stores, does not mean that all immigrants are potentially able to do this, will do this, or that it is something only immigrants can do. If there is a genuine need for more shops and businesses then that need will be met, without the help of immigrants. Secondly, because something happened in the past does not mean it will happen again. And thirdly, in the past, levels of immigration were much lower and there were periods of almost zero immigration, where new immigrants had the time to settle and assimilate into society. â€Å"When economic migrants are forced to enter illegally, they become prey to criminal traffickers, and so the answer is to make it easier for them to apply for entry legally† Are we to believe that all illegal immigrants, many of whom do not even speak English, would be granted admission if they applied legally? So long as there are any kinds of border controls whatsoever, then there will always be people attempting to enter Britain illegally. That is because such people simply have no skills to offer legally. If we really wanted to cut out criminal traffickers then we would simply open the doors wide so everybody could enter in ease, and that is the inevitable logic of this kind of thinking. That would be the irresponsible and immoral act of a government, which had abdicated any concern for the political, social, cultural, environmental and quality of life consequences of its policies. There is a lot of disadvantages of economic migration to developed countries but is there any benefits of this? Yes is the simple answer and the benefits are many. Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said it was important to â€Å"strike a new balance† in immigration policy. â€Å"That means looking at the wider benefits to the developed countries economy on the one hand, but it means we have to take into account the wider impact on these countries public services and life as well. We need to weigh both things up before we take big decisions on immigration. † â€Å"It is clear that migration brings huge economic benefits to the developed countries such as United Kingdom or United States of America. † for BBC news said Dr Sriskandarajah. Low jobless rates in Ireland, Sweden, Britain, America and other developed countries with high migration suggest that, so far, foreigners are not squeezing out natives. Migrants also help to create jobs, because a good supply of labour encourages those with capital to invest more. Also, foreign workers are often more flexible than native ones, too. Having already moved from Mexico to New York, lets say, they are probably willing to take a job in Washington. Migrant labour helps to keep economies on an even keel. And they are consumers, too, renting accommodation and buying goods and services. His Polish customers, who are fond of Smirnoff vodka and east European lager, delight the owner of the off-licence for example in Holloway road. Holloway supermarkets, fast-food restaurants and other shops are flourishing too. Business benefits- price/wage growth is likely to slow or fall back, protected by the minimum wage, as a new supply of working age migrants boost the Scottish economy. This provides clear business benefits and helps explain the CBI's support for managed immigration to support business growth. A shortage of workers can stifle growth and lead to wage inflation reducing the competitiveness of Scottish made goods. There is a popular myth is that economic migrants come here and steal ‘our jobs'. There is no fixed supply of jobs, indeed more workers in the economy fuel more jobs. So attracting new labour into work will actually create jobs rather than reduce them. Indeed many sectors struggle to fill vacancies leading to skill shortages both within essential public services and in the private sector. To conclude, like in every phenomenon there are blessings and threats to others. But the 21st century phenomenon of economic migration is a reality that openly threatens peace in the world. States and the international community together should integrate this question into their political strategies in order to find ways and means likely to give rise to a better socioeconomic and security balance among people. Word count (excluding bibliography)- 1996 words BIBLIOGRAPHY Newspapers: ? The Economist print edition- ‘Migration’, May 10th 2001 ? The Economist print edition- ‘of bed sheets and bison grass vodka’, Jan 3rd, 2008 Web pages and TV: ? http://issues. takingitglobal. org ? http://www. globalfootprints. org/issues ? www. migrationwatchuk. org ? http://www. northlan. ov. uk/business+and+employment/local+economy/economic+inf ormation/ ? Colonel Kaumbu Yankole Army / Democratic Republic of the Congo- ‘is migration a threat? ’ ? Bbc news- Migration 'causes pressure in UK'. Wednesday, 17 October 2007 ? http://www. economist. com/finance/displaystory. cfm? story_id=E1_NGDRDTJ Books: ? Suman Gupta and Tope Omoniyi- The cultures of econ omic migration: international perspectives, 2007 ? Bjorn Lomborg- Solutions for the world's biggest problems: costs and benefits ? Stephen Glover- Migration: an economic and social analysis, c2001

Bohol, in the Eyes of a First-Time Beholder Essay

Perched on a very young palm tree, the tarsier fidgeted as I aimed my camera on its direction. It was only a few centimeters away, so easy to touch and yet I reminded myself to avoid the temptation. I read in an article how traumatizing it can be for these velvety creatures to be held, that they would hurt themselves to death after being â€Å"violated† by curious tourists who are never content with taking pictures. So imagine my surprise when it landed very near me to catch the cricket hiding behind the leaves. Without even thinking, I brushed my fingers on its brown fur in what seemed to be a second or two; it didn’t flinch, but the click of the camera (there was no flash since it was daytime) alerted it, and it darted back to its highest hiding place in the palm tree. Like that unlikely encounter with the tarsier, my trip to Bohol was something worthy to remember. Thanks to the invitation of a friend, poet and journalist Michael Ortega Ligalig, my memory of Bohol was not limited to beaches, Chocolate Hills, and yes, tarsiers. But there is no denying that Bohol is teeming with natural and man-made assets. If you are artsy and into culture, Bohol can offer you a lot with its cultural and historical riches. If you are into nature and adventure, there are surprises that the island can offer. Churches and Heritage Houses For somebody like me who is fascinated with old things and history, Bohol is like a gold mine with its old churches and heritage houses. Almost all of the 47 towns have old, massive, stone churches that have survived natural ravages, wars and even climate change. I asked to be brought to some of the most fascinating ones, like the Baclayon and Loboc churches. The Church of the Immaculate Conception or the Baclayon Church is one of the country’s oldest churches. First built in 1595, the Jesuit frailes built the Neoclassic structure piece by piece using adobe and coral that were joined together by adhesive made from egg whites (imagine all the chicken eggs used to build such a magnificent structure!). From the front door, one could see the marble tombstones that were embedded on the walls and pylons, the names of the dead intricately written in Spanish. The retablo or the church altar was also an imposing piece of art, though we were unable to see the church’s pipe organ. It also has a museum similar to that of San Agustin in Intramuros. The fee is not very expensive, but cameras are not allowed. Still, one can take pictures of the saints on the ground floor joining the museum and the church, where they kept a coterie of human-size religious images or statues. St. Peter Parish Church or Loboc Church is the second oldest church in Bohol. Originally built in 1602, a stronger one was built in 1638. Located near the famous Loboc River cruise, it has survived a number of floods. Inside the church, murals depicting religious events can be found on the dome right on top of the main altar. A Spanish coat-of-arms can be found near the entrance of the convent which today houses the Museo de Loboc. This museum houses a few religious images and artifacts, like registry books from the 1800s and choir books. There is also a magnificent bell tower adjacent the church. One can also find a bridge that was never completed; it would have joined the two parts of the town separated by the river, but it would mean demolishing part of the church. It is also the home of the famous Loboc Children’s Choir. There are also plenty of heritage houses all over Bohol, particularly in Baclayon and Dauis. Owned mostly by merchant families and old political clans, its interiors are characterized by wide and thick wooden floor planks and wide stairways with wooden balusters. The interiors often feature wooden sala and table sets, cabinets and dressers and rocking chairs, while the walls often hold portraits of its departed residents. Some of the houses include the ancestral houses of the Clarin, Villamor, Malon, Luza, Sofia and Abueva, and some of them actually accommodate tourists for a bed-and-breakfast experience. Beaches and Diving Bohol is getting its fair share of tourism fame with its pristine white sand beaches, the most famous of which is Panglao Island and Dauis, although there are plenty of other beaches minus the flock of tourists and expensive. The most famous is Alona Beach, an 800-meter stretch of white powdery sand located south of Panglao Island. Many full-service beach and dive resorts reside there. The sea around Pamilacan Island is frequented by whales and dolphins, as it is also a favored breeding and feeding site of tuna, snappers, groupers, mackerel and surgeonfish, making it a perfect spot for those who want to see the teeming natural fish population at work. There are a number of diving spots that offer priceless views of the sea beneath. Balicasag is known for its rare, beautiful seashells and its beds of corals are considered one of the best dive spots in the country. On the other hand, Danajon Bank is the only double barrier reef in the Philippines and is one of only three such sites in the Asia-Pacific region, spread across almost 130 kilometers of seabed and consist of three large reefs. Flora and Fauna Because of its geographical features, Bohol’s endemic flora and fauna makes it a hot spot for nature lovers. The Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella town is a 134-hectare land that has been set aside as a protected area for its most celebrated creature considered the world’s smallest primate. However, there are many mini-â€Å"tarsier zoos† that are maintained by resorts. These resorts or mini-zoos often put these tarsiers in small cages and crowded, considering the wild nature of these animals. While my friend assured me that these resorts have â€Å"adoption certificates† from the local environmental offices, I still find it disturbing to find these magnificent creatures caged like birds. In the town of Albuquerque, there is a mini-zoo that claims to hold the biggest python in captivity ever known. Its name is Prony, approximately almost 30 feet and an estimated weight of about 300 kilograms. They also have a variety of birds species like parakeets, pigeons and other avians. However, a star attraction would be the entertainer which we humorously call â€Å"Kakambal ni Prony.† Clad in shiny gaudy costumes, she would dance near the snake’s spectators. We were also fortunate to visit the Mahogany Man-Made Forest in the town of Bilar, a two-kilometer stretch of densely planted mahogany trees located in the border of Loboc and Bilar. River Cruises The ultimate part of our trip would be the scenic Loboc River Cruise. We took the nighttime cruise as my friend advised because of the lamps that would light up as our boat would pass by. The boat fee includes a buffet meal that included seafood, meat and desserts. As the boat commenced its trip, a man with his electric guitar started to sing, his repertoire including American hits from the seventies. My companions and I found the lineup rather distracting as he started with Don McLean’s Vincent then to assorted songs from Bread and Air Supply. However, as the colored lamp posts began glowing from the sides, we were already transfixed and astonished. We briefly stopped on a floating raft that has a big group of singers belting their original songs. We all got off and started clapping. I interviewed some of the children and the adults who actually make a living from the song and dance number, and it ended with them selling their very own musical CD to the tourists. The visit to Bohol was short and partly fulfilling. I am decided to pursue this island more and look forward to seeing more of its assets very, very soon.

A comparison of American and Japanese Animation

The origin of the modern day term ‘Animation’ derives from the Latin word   ‘Animatus’, meaning simply ‘ to give life’ yet perhaps the earliest known form of animation, the phenakistoscope, derives it name not from Latin but from a Greek term meaning â€Å"deceiving viewer†.The phenakistoscope, invented in 1833 by the Belgian Joseph Plateau was the forerunner of the more famous (and more commercially available) Zoetrope (Greek: Zoe – life / trope – wheel) invented in 1834 by George Horner,The earliest fully animated cartoon (as they were then more widely known) was produced by a French strip cartoonist Emile Courtet, who, working under the name Emile Cohl used individually drawn images to create the 1908 two – minute long cartoon named Fantasmagorie which subsequently received release in Britain under the title Black and White.The world’s first ‘Cartoon Star’ Felix the Cat â€Å"walked† in to the picture and onto the screen in 1919, the creation of already successful comic strip artist Pat Sullivan, Felix was to both revolutionise cartoon making and introduce manyclichà ©s that are still in effect today. Sullivan utilized all the aspects of the comicstrip such as speech bubbles, ‘idea’ light bulbs and the quite literal use of items such as the humble question mark, in order to bring Felix to life. As Denis Gifford explains:†¦[I]f a question mark could be drawn popping out of Felix’s head, then it could just as easily be plucked physically from the sky and used as a handy hook, especially if a milk bottle stood just out of reach. (The Great Cartoon Stars, a Who’s Who!)While the first cartoon hero may have been a cat, arguably the most famous of all animated stars however, is Mickey Mouse. Featured in â€Å"Steamboat Willie† (1928) the first commercial cartoon film to ever include sound, Mickey Mouse, looks quite different from th e incarnation familiar to the children of todayIndeed, the ever-changing appearance of animated characters, due mainly to increased improvements in technology has undoubtedly led a much more demanding audience.picture from IMDb  Where we were once charmed by the grainy black and white image of a happily whistling mouse, more sophisticated techniques and the introduction of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) has opened the door to such astonishing animated films as the Disney-Pixar release â€Å"Shrek†, the visually stunning â€Å"FinalFantasy- The Spirits Within† (the first animated feature to ever attempt toproduce photo-realistic CGI humans) and the deservedly Oscarâ„ ¢ winning Miyazaki Hayao creation â€Å"The Spiriting Away of Sen and Chihiro†.Today, animation is everywhere, from televised adverts, children’s shows, video games and cinema, animation is no longer simply an art form, but a cultural icon embraced by almost all and guaranteed to instil a childish air of wonder even in the most jaded and cynical of adult hearts.The application of animation in feature films is by no means a new occurrence – yet the scope of creativity and imagination shown by today’s innovators is undeniably impressive and has also been shown to influence more ‘mainstream’ movie directors such as Quentin Tarantino choosing to add an entire â€Å"Animà ©Ã¢â‚¬  sequence to his movie â€Å"Kill Bill†, to Richard Linklater’s decision to make his version of Philip K Dick’s â€Å"A Scanner Darkly† a wholly animated affair.The kings however of the art could only be considered American Disney Studio and Studio Ghibli of Japan.   The purpose in essence of this essay is to conduct a comparison between these two very different innovators of animatic design.