An Investigation into a Culturally Sensitive Manner of Teaching English as a Foreign Language

How to teach English globally has continued to be a relevant topic of discussion in the field of TESL, especially how to teach in a manner that is sensitive to the various sociocultural and historical factors surrounding the English language, as well as other languages and cultures. Through an examination of the current global status of English, its historical significance, the dilemmas attached to its’ worldwide spread and dominance, and an examination of culture in language teaching, an attempt is made to codify some basic principles of culture-sensitive English teaching, as well as address the Christian position on this matter, considering biblical truth

Around “Przepióreczka”. Discussions and polemics

The author of the article has recalled Stefan Żeromski’s comedy, its premiere at Juliusz Osterwa and Mieczysław Limanowski’s Reduta and, above all, the discussion which began in the Warsaw press in 1925 and has been continued to this day. The author has identified and discussed some basic threads: the genology of the work, and its theatricality and ideology. Almost all critics of the interwar period got involved in the beginnings of the discussion, regardless of their experience and political orientation. Readers and theatre critics (incidentally, the play Uciekła mi przepióreczka came in literary and theatrical circulation almost at the same time) perceived a call for a new patriotism in the work, which Przełęcki was supposed to spread in the liberated Homeland. The formal shape of the work, too, contributed to calling it a masterpiece, while the quick death of the author transformed the comedy almost in a literary testament.The author of the article has recalled Stefan Żeromski’s comedy, its premiere at Juliusz Osterwa and Mieczysław Limanowski’s Reduta and, above all, the discussion which began in the Warsaw press in 1925 and has been continued to this day. The author has identified and discussed some basic threads: the genology of the work, and its theatricality and ideology. Almost all critics of the interwar period got involved in the beginnings of the discussion, regardless of their experience and political orientation. Readers and theatre critics (incidentally, the play Uciekła mi przepióreczka came in literary and theatrical circulation almost at the same time) perceived a call for a new patriotism in the work, which Przełęcki was supposed to spread in the liberated Homeland. The formal shape of the work, too, contributed to calling it a masterpiece, while the quick death of the author transformed the comedy almost in a literary testament

NSW Government: Urban Transport Statement: Some Comments

This paper, a sequel to Stone (2006), comments on recent New South Wales Premiers Department’s papers on transport policy matters in New South Wales. It focuses on the Urban Transport Statement, which is set in the context of State Plan: A New Direction for NSW, State Infrastructure Strategy, and Sydney Metropolitan Strategy March 2006 – City of Cities, which were all published in 2006. The comments highlight the continuing use of a number of distortions in language and concepts plus some notable absences such as the discussion of congestion pricing and planning for freight that limit the State’s prospects for optimizing Sydney’s transport service. Among the distortions are the continued separate discussion of demand for road and rail as if they are not related, and also the lack of appreciation of how demand expresses itself as firstly a demand for accessibility and secondly as trips. The continued use of demand forecasts without explicit recognition of the constraints on land availability, especially in the CBD is noted. The shift from project orientation to products and corridors is applauded. However this paper makes a plea to move the discussion to the supply of network service that meets the demand for accessibility. But the absence of explicit discussion of both congestion pricing and the urban freight challenge is a major omission given the ambition to set the scene for urban transport with the Statement. The discussions about a Metro draw comment for what is not said about the existing rail system, and the governance arrangements for coordination planning and operations draws comment for the continuation of an apparent ambition to spread responsibility as broadly as possible

Edwards on the Will: A Century of American Theological Debate

Jonathan Edwards towered over his contemporaries--a man over six feet tall and a figure of theological stature--but the reasons for his power have been a matter of dispute. Edwards on the Will offers a persuasive explanation. In 1753, after seven years of personal trials, which included dismissal from his Northampton church, Edwards submitted a treatise, Freedom of the Will, to Boston publishers. Its impact on Puritan society was profound. He had refused to be trapped either by a new Arminian scheme that seemed to make God impotent or by a Hobbesian natural determinism that made morality an illusion. He both reasserted the primacy of God\u27s will and sought to reconcile freedom with necessity. In the process he shifted the focus from the community of duty to the freedom of the individual. Edwards died of smallpox in 1758 soon after becoming president of Princeton; as one obituary said, he was a most rational . . . and exemplary Christian. Thereafter, for a century or more, all discussion of free will and on the church as an enclave of the pure in an impure society had to begin with Edwards. His disciples, the New Divinity men--principally Samuel Hopkins of Great Barrington and Joseph Bellamy of Bethlehem, Connecticut--set out to defend his thought. Ezra Stiles, president of Yale, tried to keep his influence off the Yale Corporation, but Edwards\u27s ideas spread beyond New Haven and sparked the religious revivals of the next decades. In the end, old Calvinism returned to Yale in the form of Nathaniel William Taylor, the Boston Unitarians captured Harvard, and Edwards\u27s troublesome ghost was laid to rest. The debate on human freedom versus necessity continued, but theologians no longer controlled it. In Edwards on the Will, Guelzo presents with clarity and force the story of these fascinating maneuverings for the soul of New England and of the emerging nation. [From the publisher]https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/books/1074/thumbnail.jp

A Battle Lost? Report on Two Centuries of Invasion and Management of Lantana camara L. in Australia, India and South Africa

Recent discussion on invasive species has invigorated the debate on strategies to manage these species. Lantana camara L., a shrub native to the American tropics, has become one of the worst weeds in recorded history. In Australia, India and South Africa, Lantana has become very widespread occupying millions of hectares of land. Here, we examine historical records to reconstruct invasion and management of Lantana over two centuries and ask: Can we fight the spread of invasive species or do we need to develop strategies for their adaptive management? We carried out extensive research of historical records constituting over 75% of records on invasion and management of this species in the three countries. The records indicate that governments in Australia, India and South Africa have taken aggressive measures to eradicate Lantana over the last two centuries, but these efforts have been largely unsuccessful. We found that despite control measures, the invasion trajectory of Lantana has continued upwards and that post-war land-use change might have been a possible trigger for this spread. A large majority of studies on invasive species address timescales of less than one year; and even fewer address timescales of >10 years. An understanding of species invasions over long time-scales is of paramount importance. While archival records may give only a partial picture of the spread and management of invasive species, in the absence of any other long-term dataset on the ecology of Lantana, our study provides an important insight into its invasion, spread and management over two centuries and across three continents. While the established paradigm is to expend available resources on attempting to eradicate invasive species, our findings suggest that in the future, conservationists will need to develop strategies for their adaptive management rather than fighting a losing battle

Implications of Twitter during its use in public health practice involving the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine

Introduction – There were 4.89 projected billion social media users in 2023. Social media platforms such as Twitter have allowed public health organizations to spread information regarding COVID-19 vaccines to the public. Twitter permits government organizations and public health agencies to release accurate information as a primary level of rapid communication. Purpose – The purpose of this research was to explore the impact of the social media platform, Twitter, on public health information throughout the COVID-19 pandemic regarding the spread of information involving COVID-19 vaccine distribution to the public. Methodology – This study utilized a literature review with a semi-structured survey with an industry expert. There were five databases used to collect resources. The references were reviewed and thirty-two were in the research with eleven sources used in the results section. Results – The results overviewed Twitter as a public health tool, barriers to vaccine safety and vaccine hesitancy, and publicly offering thoughts on the COVID-19 vaccination and distribution numbers. Positive and negative dissemination of views on Twitter regarding the vaccine was evident. Discussion/Conclusion – In conclusion, there was not enough evidence to show the number of vaccinated persons with the COVID-19 vaccine increasing due to the use of Twitter; however, Twitter would have continued to be utilized as a healthcare tool for reliable, credible sources for the public in regards to vaccine resources

Global health security and islands as seen through COVID-19 and vaccination

Since the declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic in March 2020, significant research and attention has focused on countries’ abilities and interests in enacting response measures to the spread of the coronavirus including lockdowns, travel restrictions, and vaccination programmes to contain infections, hospitalisations, and deaths. As the pandemic has continued, much discussion has also centred on the ability of islands to control borders, enact public health measures, and keep the virus out or controlled, owing in part to presumed islandness characteristics of isolation and remoteness. Drawing from ongoing empirical examples of island experiences in the context of COVID-19, this article examines to what extent islandness impacts health concerns and health responses within aspects of global health security and health systems. In considering how islands around the world have been implementing health security measures regarding COVID-19, linkages or suggested linkages among islands, global health security, and pandemics indicate the lack of exceptionality of islands and archipelagos. That is, how islandness or lack thereof is managed ends up being far more important for global health security outcomes than islandness itself

A THOUSAND FACE SHIELDS FOR MEDICAL PERSONNEL IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY: AN EXPERIENCE REPORT

Over the past half year, the disease caused by the new strain of coronavirus has spread to all countries and territories of the world. In the fight against this global epidemic, the first of its magnitude since the Spanish flu in 1918, health systems around the world were under enormous burden, and medical personnel, who are on the front line of defense, needed continued assistance in protective equipment, to minimize their risk of infection in daily contact with patients. This paper presents an experience report in community engagement to make and distribute a thousand face shields for medical personnel, originally planned to support local needs but reacted to numerous requests and grew to answer the immanent needs of health and social care professionals all over Croatia. The face shield design was based on open source blueprints and adopted to fit the requirements for fast and high quality production of these equipment necessary to fight COVID-19 pandemic. This work provides an insight to campaign planning and execution, as well as analysis of delivered results and media coverage. Discussion provides guidance for similar actions to be taken in the future by local community activators to contribute to social good