WRITING A REPORT

COMPOSITION WRITING    : REPORT 33rd  ANNIVERSARY When writing a report, what you are doing is  describing a situation and explaining  the reasons for the present state of things. You will also make suggestions  or changes to  improve  the existing  problems
MOTIVATING STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE A HIGH LEVEL OF ENGLISH Introduction: Nowadays more and more students finish school with an unsatisfactory level of English. The main aim of this report is to explain why this is happening and what we could do to change the present state of things. Reasons for lack of success: There are obviously lots of reasons why our students fail to reach a good level of spoken English. As a matter of fact, researchers have found out that only 10% of students can speak English fluently. The other 90% has lots of difficulties  coping with sentence formation and vocabulary. Therefore, we can come to the conclusion that teachers aren't placing  as much significance on speaking and listening, as they do on grammar. The fact is that students are really good at  grammar, but can't use it while speaking. Another aspect we should take into account is that students are complaining about  a  very old-fashioned approach to some exercises since teachers are asking for too many details, which are not so important for improving the general knowledge of English. Ideas for improvement: First of all, there should be an interactive way of learning. This includes using computers, listening to songs and watching films without subtitles According to some countries which have interactive classes, students are more interested in using the language  and, therefore, there are much better results.. Conclusion: Clearly, changes should be made in order to motivate students. The solutions to all problems is training teachers to use interactive learning in everyday classes.
USEFUL PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONS: 1) The aim of this report is to describe... 2) In this report, I will present... 3) This report provides a evaluation... 4) I spoke to several members of our sales staff... 5) I conducted a survey among college graduates... 6) According to... 7) The following reasons were given for... 8) I would recommend, therefore, ...

Taking flight: How to cope with fear of flying

Taking flight: How to cope with fear of flying

An estimated millions of Americans are afraid to fly, and the September 11 terrorist attacks, followed by the recent crash of American Airlines Flight 587, may make them even more jittery.

"Whenever there's a plane crash, it's hard for people to cope," said Dr. Page Anderson, whose Virtually Better clinic in Atlanta, Georgia, helps people overcome their fear of flying and other phobias through virtual-reality therapy. "Now, of course, it is more complicated in the wake of the terrorist attacks."

Fear of flying can begin in several ways, Anderson explained.

Having a traumatic experience on an airplane -- say an especially rough flight -- or sitting next to someone who is afraid can intensify people's own fears.

"A third way to develop fear is to actually hear information that's consistent with the fear," he added. "There's always intense media coverage of airplane crashes and that can really play into people's fears and skew their perceptions of how safe it is to fly."

But these fears can be conquered.

"In order to overcome a fear, you have to face a fear," Anderson said.

He recommends the following for coping with a fear of flying:

-- Develop a realistic perception about the fear. For instance, flying remains statistically safer than driving. According to the National Safety Council, in 1998, the odds of dying in an air accident were 1 in 390,532, but the odds of dying in a traffic accident were 1 in 6,212.

-- Challenge negative thinking or scary thoughts about flying.

-- Manage anxiety with breathing techniques or meditation.

-- Avoid alcohol on flights. While it may seem to be calming initially, it will prevent facing up to fears in the long run, Anderson said. Other experts advise that alcohol can heighten anxiety.

-- Get back on the plane. Avoiding flying may intensify the fear.

-- If you are still nervous and anxious long after others have come to terms with their fears, consider treatment.

"Treatment tends to be very brief and focused and effective," Anderson said. "Therapeutic exposure involves facing the fear in a controlled and gradual way so that you feel like you're mastering and can cope with your anxiety as you face it."

FEAR

From my understanding, there are 2 types of fears: psychological and instinctive. Psychological fear is the type that is borne out of our mental processes. Instinctive fears are those reactive emotions that are inherently linked to our physical survival.

When a psychological fear arises, should we fear it?

When we fear Fear, will we be still in fear? When we fear Fear are we avoiding something?

Here's my opinion on this matter: To me, fearing of Psychological Fear is still a fear.

Fear, to me, is the feeling of the unknown...and a strong desire of anticipation. It is an emotion of something (that is deep within us) that wishes to be 'discovered' and made conscious. So, perhaps, by relaxing deeper into the fear, we may eventually feel/remember its cause or a deeper feeling. The problem is that we hate feeling fear and will usually avoid it. There is nothing wrong with this. It is just that instead of finding the source; we tend to quickly brush it away from our conscious awareness. By doing so, we have reburied the feelings and potential causes back into the subconscious mind.

Psychological Fear in its various degrees, to me, is the potential for further understanding of something yet unknown. It is that when the something has not been discovered yet and the anticipation causes fear. So fear can be considered an indicator emotion. It indicates to us what we need to know about a situation or ourselves.

OK, here's the metaphysical part about the underlying dynamics of our consciousness (as I understand it).

Our consciousness includes 2 aspects: The personality and the subconscious mind. The personality is the conscious portion of us. It has active participation with the world. The subconscious mind is the aspect that we are not consciously aware of. It is the unknown aspect of us hidden from our active awareness.

The personality and the subconscious mind work in partnership. The personality is the conscious expressed aspect which receives impressions/thoughts from the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind becomes aware of the outcome (which is the personality) and throws back feedback (intuition/answers) into the personality/conscious mind. There is this constant 'back and forth' activity between personality and subconscious mind.

Applying this above-mentioned theory; we can see that psychological fears perhaps have their roots in our subconscious mind. And if we try to understand them and give them time to make themselves be understood, fears can actually tell us more about ourselves.

FACEBOOK and TWITTER FRIENDS OR FOES ?

How To Ruin Your Career Using Twitter And Facebook

 

In today's technologically savvy age, much of our affairs are handled online. Social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter have taken the Internet by storm. These sites make it easier to connect with friends, family and colleagues, but there is a dark side to social networking that needs to be taken into consideration. Facebook and Twitter can act as a mouthpiece and, depending on how long your friend list is or how many followers you have, you could be speaking to a very large audience. While many people use social networking casually, it is important to take care with what you post on Facebook and other social networking websites, as it can adversely affect your employment status. Here is a look at some social media practices that can get you into hot water at work.

SEE: 4 Companies Behind The Social Media Curtain

Inappropriate PhotographsYou may want to scrutinize any photographs you post to a social networking site before presenting them to the public. Racy or inappropriate photographs could cost you the job that you are applying for if the hiring manager views your social networking activity. The practice of employers checking potential employee's Facebook page for inappropriate photographs has come under major scrutiny. Employers scrutinize photographs on social networking websites because it can give them a glimpse into potential job candidates that they wouldn't see otherwise. A candidate with an unsavory social networking presence is considered a major turn-off to hiring managers.

Sharing Protected InformationOne of the easiest ways to get into trouble at work due to your social networking activity is to share protected employer information with your list of friends or followers. Many people use social networking sites to vent, which often includes spouting off frustrations about their jobs. Unfortunately, if your complaint exposes protected company information, you can easily lose your job.

Inflammatory Social Networking PostsInflammatory posts on social networking sites that target your company, co-workers or your boss can be highly detrimental to your employment status. Slate.com recently released an article that highlights cases where employees were fired for criticizing a co-worker on a social networking website. In some cases, employers discovered the information on their own. In other cases, fellow co-workers brought the issue to the attention of a supervisor. This practice is called infringement against employee harassment regulations, and it can most certainly cost you your job.

The First Amendment Won't Save YouWhile the first amendment of the United States Bill of Rights prevents government officials and agencies from stripping you of your right to free speech, it does not apply to private employers. Unfortunately, the things you say on social networking websites can actually be detrimental to your job if you speak of your employer in an bad light, break privacy rules or even if you offend another co-worker with a derogatory post.

SEE: Job Applicant Privacy And Social Media

The Bottom LineAlthough social networking is supposed to be fun, we live in an age where we have to be conscientious of what we say at all times. This is especially true if you are friends with work colleagues on social networking websites. Although you are cordial or friendly with these individuals at work, it doesn't mean that he or she wouldn't report you to a member of upper management should one of your posts offend him or her. When it comes to job security, it is wise to consider keeping complaints about your job, company or co-workers offline and out of a public forum.

ADRIANA   C.P.E  Morning group
Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0712/Social-Media-Practices-That-Can-Get-You-In-Trouble-At-Work.aspx?utm_source=investopedia-professionals&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=PITM-7/31/2012#ixzz23AuwntqR

CURRENT FESTIVALS IN THE UK

FOR OUR PET SWEETIES  UNIT 10  

Best Rock and Pop Festivals in the UK

List of Favorite Music Festivals Around Britain

By Ferne Arfin, About.com Guide

See More About:

• music festivals
• uk festivals
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You're never far from a rock and pop music festival during the UK summer and fall. Hundreds of rock and pop festivals take place across Great Britain from May through early September. Dance music, singalongs, ambient sounds, new age, family friendly; established bands, the latest indie groups and iconic artists all come out to play, rain or shine, in the British summer. Here's a list of music festivals we like around the UK, plus a handy resource to find even more.

Glastonbury Festival

Jim Dyson/Getty Images

This 30-year old festival is a bit like an English Woodstock with cherries on top. There's a famous Pyramid Stage, smaller venues, camping, food, a kids Glastonbury and every kind of music imaginable. Musicians are the top acts at the top of their games as well as great blasts from the past. There are at least seven main stages, circus tent and theatre and loads of Greenfield activities. The weather usually turns it into a huge mud bath. And if you don't have the stamina for three solid days of partying, don't come. Who's there? Every kind of music imaginable. In 2009 - Bruce Springsteen, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Neil Young, Lily Allen, Blur, Nick Cave, Regina Spektor, Kasabian, Status Quo, Franz Ferdinand, Jarvis Cocker, even Tom Jones!

How Should Prisons Treat Inmates?

Imprisonment as punishment for crimes was first used during the sixteenth century in Europe. Prior to that, criminal correction usually consisted of enslavement or swift physical punishment such as whipping or execution. Prison was conceived as a more humane response to criminal behavior. When Europeans established colonies in America in the seventeenth century they continued the practice of imprisoning those convicted of crimes.

During the colonial era, the number of Americans in prison made up a small, barely noticeable segment of the population. That situation has changed dramatically, however. According to statistics from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice, if incarceration rates continue unchanged, 1 out of every 20 Americans alive today will be imprisoned at some time in their lives.

This rate of incarceration has increased quite recently. In 1980, 139 of every 100,000 Americans were incarcerated; in 1996, that number had nearly quadrupled to 427 per 100,000, according to Bureau of Justice statistics. This is due in part to new crime laws such as “three strikes and you’re out” and tougher sentencing for drug-related offenses.

More focus on punishment
The “get tough on crime” stance that many politicians have adopted is finding its way into America’s corrections system as the prison population continues to grow. The people are tired of crime, and some politicians note this and respond by advocating harsher treatment of convicted criminals. Some political leaders contend that inmates forfeit most or all of their rights the moment they enter prison and therefore are subject to measures designed to punish rather than rehabilitate. As Michigan state senator Phil Hoffman (R.) says, “We’re a baby-sitting service for adults who have raped us, robbed us and murdered us.”

In an atmosphere in which the focus is increasingly on punishment, legislators and the public are becoming fed up with prisoners living in what some characterize as resort-like facilities with privileges such as cable TV, weightlifting rooms, free education, and libraries. Many Americans would like to reduce or eliminate such prison amenities to cut down on prison spending and redirect that money toward fighting and preventing crime.

In addition to generally reducing inmates’ privileges, many states have also developed “super-max” prisons, designed to house the most troublesome prisoners. In these facilities, prisoners spend 23 hours a day locked alone in their cells. They are allowed no contact with other prisoners and minimal contact with guards. They are offered no educational or vocational training and usually no television or reading material. Supporters of “super-max” prisons say they are necessary tools to punish otherwise incorrigible prisoners. In that same vein, officials in many prisons where violence is prevalent have acquired shock devices for control of violent or uncooperative prisoners.

Another popular idea among tough-on-crime policymakers has been putting able-bodied prisoners to work for private contractors. The money earned by the correctional institutions under such arrangements can be used to offset prison costs. A fringe benefit is that prisoners also learn skills they can use after being released. But not every prison-work program imparts such skills to inmates. In some states, chain gangs have been reinstated to provide a source of laborers, as well as to drive home the point that prison life is not pleasant.

FEAR

Would you like to read  about FEAR ?

Are you afraid ?


FEAR 
All boaters have tasted fear.  It comes with the territory, sort of like getting wet- it's a common ground that we all share and often joke about, but don't always discuss seriously.  We kind of have a tradition of 'bucking up' and 'persisting through it' as a way to deal with fear in order to get past it, but in my experience it's rare to actually discuss why we're afraid of things.   Overcoming your negative reactions to fear- panic, guilt, anger, shame, powerlessness, and all that accompany it is an important part of becoming a better person, of discovering your true purpose- a theory of mine is that I like paddlers in general because they have all dealt with fear and to some extent or another, succeeded.  Fear is inevitable, but the way you understand it and react to it is not.
Fear is a conditioned response, related to physiological mechanisms present in all animals, the mechanics of which which are only now being discovered- we know that certain regions of the brain are in charge of managing different classic 'fear' responses, for example- there's one region that prompts a vocal wailing, the call that reunites a lost child with it's mother, another region that governs a 'freeze' instinct, and yet another that prompts a violent aggressive posturing, and still another that fundamentally changes your physiology to increase your heart rate, speed up your breathing, etc.  We know that certain brain chemistry affects the way this system is regulated and that genetics are involved, but we also know through psychological studies and experience that simply thinking differently and relating differently with the object of your fear can influence whether or not these primitive brain systems are triggered.   In other words, these studies suggest that while the mechanics of your physiology are natural and instinctive, the act of engaging (or overriding) these systems is a learned, conditioned response.
Fear is a lot of things- it is the sensation of 'expectation with alarm', according to Webster's.  We associate it with an emotional and physical sensation, we relate to it perhaps less consciously than we could, but what is it, really?  Is it merely an artifact of our neurochemistry?  A survival trait?  A spiritual challenge?  Does it make us focus, or is it possible to focus without fear?  Does it make us stronger, perform better?  Does it possess an intelligence we otherwise lack?  Is it just our own conditioned self-programming?  Is it something we can do without?  Is it a good thing?
In this article I'm going to suggest that a couple of ways to think about fear that may sound rational... but the difficult thing about discussing fear rationally is that fear is not a rational thing- it's mechanisms operate in different areas of your brain than your conscious self does, and very often our larger, subconscious self has an agenda counter to that of our consciousness- small wonder, then, that we're conflicted about fear, it's nature, and what we should do about it.  In this article I'll suggest loudly and often that you should question your fear, question it's value and validity, and I'll even suggest that you don't ideally need to relate to any part of your world through fear- please, don't take this to be macho posturing.  I offer this essay in the humblest terms possible, as one who has known much fear.
Stimulus, response
Understanding fear and functioning appropriately in spite of it are two entirely different things, probably because fear is irrational and it affects you not just logically, but emotionally and physically as well- and not in that order.  We respond to most all stimuli in a specific order- physically, emotionally, and then rationally- it's built into the way we're wired.  For example, when a paper bag is popped behind you, your first response would be to jump- and as your system gears up to deal with an unexpected threat, you respond emotionally as your physical state changes.  By the time you rationally figure out that you were the subject of a harmless paper-bag prank, you've already processed it physically and are emotionally involved as a result of your physical reaction.  In a broader sense, everything you experience follows this pattern, whether the stimulus is a surprise like that of the paper bag, or it's a slow creeping realization that maybe you're in over your head on the river.
Perhaps more insidiously, your emotional response to a stimulus can itself become reactive and self-propagating- the fact that you're scared can create a short-circuit where you're afraid because you're afraid.
At the same time, it's important that you accept your feelings and acknowledge them- after all, they're absolutely real- the thing is that although they're real, the way you relate to the object of your fear usually doesn't serve you very well- and of course, there's always the possibility that your fear is rooted in perception, rather than in reality.
Good Fear, Bad Fear
People talk about 'good fear' and 'bad fear' a lot, but really they're the same thing- fear is the worrier in your head that interprets an otherwise ambiguous situation (standing on the bank of a river, looking at a challenging rapid) to mean that the worst will happen if we try it.  Fear is the devil's advocate in your head that says, "...on the other hand, that portage route doesn't look half bad".  Maybe this feeling of fear is your vast subconscious genius which has evaluated a zillion variables and advises you not to go for it.  ...or maybe not.  Remember, in any story, there's your perception of it, and then there's reality.  What you conclude and what is real are not the same thing, because your conclusions are the product of the way you view the world, they exist only in your mind.  Of course, the way you view the world, through the filters of your conditioning and perceptions, is neither right nor wrong, it's just your view.  Does it serve you, or do you serve it?
It might be simple to conclude that fear is a survival trait- but this is probably an oversimplification.  Animal behavior studies point out that there's a phenomenon called 'the handicap principle' observable in many species, whereby individuals who live dangerously but survive are favored when it comes time for mating- hence, perhaps, our urge to seek thrills and our admiration of strong, fit, or dynamic individuals.  The urge to seek a little danger, to live gracefully under stress, lives in your genes.  In this sense, acceding to your fear response might be a survival trait, but managing your fear and functioning gracefully with it is a different, equally valid one, and it's up to you to determine which one serves you.
In any case, often we rationalize the urge to avoid risk as 'good fear'- but remember, just because you're afraid of it doesn't mean it's dangerous, and for that matter, your 'natural response' to it is not guaranteed to be the best one.  After all, some people are deathly afraid of speaking in public- the thought of doing so can lead to a fear response that will actually incapacitate them.  In this case it is the reaction to fear itself that is the only undesirable thing, and let us not forget that the reaction can be very injurious indeed.  We talk about this as 'bad fear'- but in the end it's really the same thing.  The difference between the two is whether we think our reaction to it is appropriate or not- but often, why we think the way we do about our reaction, or it's appropriateness, is left unexplored.  Often, we accept our response as 'natural' and we don't question it at all- but remember, our response is not natural- we programmed it ourselves, we made our response a habit, somewhere in our past.
...so we describe our fears, more or less, by whether we think our response to them is useful to us- and because they get to us before we can really think about them rationally, often we accept our reactions to them as phenomena beyond our control, and I'd like to suggest that this is not true.  Fear is a conditioned response we have- but it does not logically follow that the way in which we react to it is appropriate.  Fear is a universal thing- everybody experiences it, entire regions of the brain appear to be in charge of this system of response- and because we identify with it through our negative personal experiences, we're prone to examining it in a reactive, judgmental, un-empowered way. It's difficult at first, but very profitable, to find ways to experience your relation to fear with openness and empowerment, rather than with panic, guilt, recrimination, anger, or aversion- if for no other reason than the fact that an inappropriate response to fear can make you unhappy in all aspects of your life. After all, aversion will strengthen your fear, despite the temporary relief it may bring you- you can run away from the thing that scares you, or you can empower yourself in your relation to the object of your fear, but not both.
One key to overcoming your negative reaction to fear is in realizing that in a very important sense it's all in your imagination.  One definition of fear is 'expectation with alarm'- that is, what you dread exists in the not now- the process of experiencing fear is largely based in pondering a possible future or the what-ifs of the past.  By putting yourself into this frame of mind you separate yourself from the present- and the present is the only thing you can control. The past is gone, and the future hasn't happened yet, right?  You can influence the future only by shaping the present.  In other words, most of what we experience as fear is not an empowering choice- it's an artifact of our self-programming designed to make us feel helpless, and to run away.
So in order to choose an empowered response to <whatever you're afraid of>, you need to understand the nature of the part of you that thinks you should be afraid.  Remember, you created your fear- you programmed yourself at one point to relate to <whatever it is> through fear- you concluded (again, a conclusion is a function of your perception, rather than of reality) that <whatever it is> is something to relate to in an un-empowered way, which at the time may have served you, but does it serve you now?  Remember, it wasn't right, it wasn't wrong, it was just your choice at the time.  Is it the right choice for you now?  Does fear serve you?  ...or do you serve it?
Put another way, in order to choose an empowered response to <whatever it is>, you need to stop relying on your old self-programming to protect you and start relying on your present self to keep you safe- after all, the only context in which you have power to make change is in the present.  At the same time, it should be stressed that your trust must not be misplaced- after all, there's a difference between courage and foolishness.  You need a plan to solve the problem <whatever it is you're afraid of> presents that's within your capabilities, a plan that addresses the contingencies that may rise in your situation, so that if things go wrong you've got something to actively work towards in lieu of dwelling on the fact that you're afraid.  This is a markedly different thing from simply avoiding your fear- instead of avoiding what frightens you, your task is to train yourself to focus on something neutral or positive, rather than negatively on the subject of your fear.
Often, when dealing with a crisis, people experience intense focus, no sensation of being or otherness, merely the experience of doing what must be done- so as your car slides on an icy road, you countersteer, take your feet off the accelerator or brake, and deal with the requirements of the situation.  Only afterwards, once you've had a chance to ponder what might have gone wrong, do the real heebie-jeebies set in. "What if there wasn't a shoulder on this part of the road?"  "What if there had been another car there?"  "I might have died."  In this sense, we might call fear the process of negatively pondering what might have happened, what could happen- and note that these are what is not happening to you right now- it's the thought process that takes us to the part of our brain that knows how to cry for help, or freeze in panic, or run away.  If you need to function, the key is in finding that place of focus, that experience of what is happening right now, in this moment.  When you relate to your context in terms of how you are right now, rather than how you are not, you assume an empowered, present context, able to deal with what is happening right now.  ...and when you're able to do this all of the time, you'll be a Zen master.