Influence Of Cultural Identity On Learning English English Language Essay

Influence Of Cultural Identity On Learning English English Language Essay 1-Background of the study: The disadvantages faced by migrant Muslim women in Australia in trying to acquire proficiency in English may result from their diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds as well as the ethnic, religious and cultural barriers based on gender discrimination. Due to their religious and cultural beliefs the needs of the Muslim women are different from other NESB (non English speaking background) communities in Australia. Not being able to access their English language entitlements isolates these women and limits them from participating in the general Australian community. Muslims from Asia first migrated to Australia from the 1860s as divers from Malay and as Afghan cameleers to work for the European settlers. Describe English language as a global language and why interested for people for example: (Non-native speakers of English study the English language for different reasons. For migrant non native speakers of English, bilingualism may be matter of importance to them as their the mother tongue is usually reserved for the domestic and social domains while English speaking skills are acquired for use in the public domain. For Muslims, the issue of bilingualism is much more complex as language for them is not only tied to culture and tradition but also has strong links with religion and religious practices. These religious practices impact both the domestic as also the public realm. For Muslims who do not speak Arabic as mother tongue, the language of religion is different from that of the private space where the mother tongue may be retained. This is further complicated by the impact Islam with its strict doctrines on the roles of men and women in domestic and social life has on the publi c and private domains. The three main languages spoken by Australian Muslims are Arabic, Turkish and English. Add in text from Lambert Gardner and Lambert (1959, as cited in Jahan and Roger, p.3) have summed the orientation of English learners into two: integrative and interpretative. The term integrative entails institutionalizing the English language and this is more common in countries where English native speakers occupied as colonizers (Gardner and Lambert, 1959, as cited in Jahan and Roger, p.3). Meanwhile the term interpretative entails a more personal level of learning wherein the objective is use the language for business purposes and other functional and utilitarian purposes; this may also be characterized as having a higher degree of learner?s interest (Crookes and Schmidt, 1991, as cited in Jahan and Roger, p.3). 1-1-Teaching English as a global language: English has long become the lingua franca for most countries. As English grows in importance as a global language, so does the dependence of people on it from across the world. This is perhaps because the language of science is English and most of the scientific development has been recorded using English as the medium of interactive communication. The inter-dependence of nations in the world is growing as businesses and multi-national corporations across the globe develop and grow. That is the reason why English will perhaps remain the most active and dynamic language for global communication. This ubiquitous presence of English in almost all streams of life and human activities may be attributed to the colonization of most parts of the world, by the Europeans. England had covered vast areas in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia during colonization and it only reflects as the language most in use in these areas. Implicitly, this distinction may be a clue to how English is viewed in a particular country- for instance, either as a foreign language (true for interpretative orientation) or as a second language (true for integrative orientation). On a very practical level, globalization reinforced the status of English as the world?s lingua franca. Historically, the spread of English results from colonialism (Le Ha, 2008, p.73) and imperialism. Now, at present context, as Tollefson Tsui (2007, p.1) affirm, there are two tools of globalization- technology and English. Indeed, the study of English by individuals with a non-English speaking background (NESB) is now recogniz ed to be of an utmost importance for practical and useful purposes- English is used for the promotion of global economy, trade and even in humanitarian functions (see Garcia Otheguy, 1989, p.3, as cited in Le Ha, 2008, p.72). The trend of acknowledging and promoting this importance is easy to see. For instance, there is the ever-increasing statistics of NESB individuals studying English anywhere in the world (Jahan Roger, 2006, p.1). For instance, in East Asia, Japan and Korea (Tsui Toleffson, 2007, p.4) considered the study and use of English as political and economic strategy to assert presence in the global village (Albrow, 1990, 1996; Giddens, 1990, 2000, as cited in Tollefson Tsui, 2007, p.1). Then try to connect this paragraph to the next paragraph. For example according to important of english to people in the world in general, english is very important for migrants in Australia especially for muslim in particular, in the next subtitle I will explain why english matters for immigrants in Australia. Always make connect with the next subtitle. Status of Muslims in Australia 1-2-Why learning English language matters to Muslim immigrants in Australia :-I want you first to explain the status of immigrants ( in general) in Australia , for example why they leave their home countries and came to Australia( you have to focus on forced immigrants, for example you have to say that they leave their home country because they looking for safe and because the bad security situation in their home countries and the reasons in details then talk about forced Muslim immigrants ,why they leave their home countries and come to Australia, and mention that they leave some members of their families behind them, explain in details(you have to focus on forced immigrants because they will help you in the literature review in next chapter when you talk about longing, belonging and Diaspora because they are forced immigrants and leave part of their family members like fathers or mother or sisters) then talk about Iraqi Muslim immigrants( for example; in the case of Iraqi Muslim im migrants women ,many Iraqi Muslim families leave the Iraq, they left Iraq because their husbands were working as interpreters with the coalition forces(Australian army) , the terrorists in Iraq consider or identify any body working with the coalition forces as a spy, therefore they left Iraq. According to the Islamic/Arabic culture, the husbands consider as a guardian for their wives. Therefore their wives left Iraq with their husbands and left their parents and Islamic community and lived in Australia so the Iraqi Muslim women were forced to leave Iraq and came to Australia. Explain in details by using your own writing.( use citations in the paragraph to support you writing), it is important to make connect with the next subtitle. Why immigrants need to learn English- Then you have to mention why the immigrants must learn English in Australia, for example to integrate with the Australia society, for successful settlement, and to get a job?explain in details, Problems of language learning for adults Then you have to mention that some immigrants facing difficulties in learning English for many problems. In the case of Iraqi Muslim women, they facing many challenges related to their Islamic/Arabic/Iraqi cultural identity. That what want to investigate in this research, the influence of their cultural identity on their learning English as ESL at language centre in Australia. 1-3- Example from my real life as a migrant and ESL learner in Australia:( rewrite this example by your own words , it is very important) Problem of Muslim identity in Australia I and my wife were came to Australia as forced Immigrants, as I mentioned above, I was one of the interpreters who were worked with the Australian Army in Iraq. Therefore, I left Iraq with my family looking for safe in Australia. When arrived in Australia, my wife started learning English at AMES language centre. After three weeks study English at AMES, my wife was much complain and uncomfortable in learning English at AMES language centre. She explained to me that these challenges related to her identity as a Muslim. For example she said that (her Veil/Hijjab represent her identity, so it is important for me to respect the values and traditions in my cultural identity when I learning English language at AMES in Australia. She said that some students in my classroom were aware when I wearing my Veil/Hijjab.in addition to the English teaching materials in Australia reflect the real life in Australia. These values are opposite to my values as a Muslim. Also she explained to me that she is not interest in interact with the Australian Society, because there are many factors in Australia prevent me related to my cultural identity. So learning English is not important for me because one day I will return back to my home country, Iraq). Because the system in the AMES Language centre allow to students to study at Home by sending Tutor to them to their home, My wife selected this choice and started study English at Home. From my wife experience learning English at AMES, I was confused because I thought these factors are not real challenges affect my wifes learning English. And I thought that my wife will back to AMES one day. But later on I realized these challenges that faced my wife when I got a job in Australia. In the first day of my job, my Boss, he was Russian, was angry because he saw me at lunch time praying, he told me it is not good to pray here, I explain to him that I am Muslim and I have 30 minute lunch time and it is the time of pray. The boss told me, you are not in Iraq, you are in Australia. Therefore, I left this job. At this time, I got directly to my wifes challenge in learning English, She tried to maintain her identity by wear her veil and avoiding different and strange values when she learning English. And I tried to maintain my identity as a Muslim by praying. 1-4-The rationale for the study: -To be able to communicate with the Australian community, most immigrants learn English as a second language at AMES language centre in Melbourne, Australia. As I, my wife and many Iraqi Muslim families immigrated to Australia in 2008, most of them of started learning English language at AMES language centre at the same year. My wife explained to me that there are many issues related to her identity as Muslim women has affected her English learning at AMES language centre. At that time I was interest to investigate the same issues with the other Muslim women from Iraq who immigrated to Australia. 1-5-The aims of the study: -Because Iraqi Muslim women are a part of other NESB women, this research focuses on the problems Iraqi women face when pursuing their studies at an English language centre in Australia. In particular, Does maintaining the Islamic cultural identity when learning English in western society is the main challenge facing women with Islamic cultural background? Therefore I will conduct qualitative in which Muslim womens experiences and perceptions are tapped by using in-depth interviews. 1-6-Research Questions: 1- What perspectives of Iraqi cultural identity do Iraqi Muslim women bring to English learning at AMES language centre in Australia? 2-To what extent does Iraqi Muslim identity impact on Iraqi womens learning in western society (Australia)? 3-Why do Iraqi women in Australia prefer learning English at home instead of AMES language centre? 4-To maintain their cultural values, do Iraqi women prefer learning English away from English culture? 5- What are some implications for Adult ESL providers? 1-7-Organization of the thesis: This study consist of five chapters, following this introductory chapter, chapter two is the argument on identity, according to some western scholars identity is always changing according to the place and time because also they thinks religion is a part of culture while the Islamic identity in the Islamic concept is divided in to essentials qualities and non- essential qualities, the essential factors in the Islamic identity will never change. Therefore Muslim women must maintain these essential factors in her identity. So when Muslim women maintain these factors as her identity, there will be many factors in western society (Australia) will affect their learning English in Australia. Also, I will discuss the implications of acculturation in Second language learning to investigate the challenges of Iraqi Muslim women in learning English when they maintain their essential factors in their identity. Chapter two: Literature review: (5000 words) *overview 2-1-1-Definition of identity: 2-1-2- Concept of identity in Western view (it is very important to use many citations in each subtitle with mention Author name,year,page number) Here you have to talk about identity, because Western Scholars affirm that identity is always changeable and not stable according to time and place. How the identity construct. Also they affirm that religion is a part of culture. Depend on Hall, Norton and others. Also some of them asserted that there are multiple identities. Use many citations. (Be careful that you will discuss the concept of identity from Islamic view later on in other subtitle, so prepare for that subtitle here) 2-1-3- language: Use many citations when you talk about language learning. 2-1-4- The relationship between identity and Language learning: (use many citations) use in-text referencing with author name, page number ,year 2-1-5- The Application of Acculturation Theoriesand models in Second Language Acquisition: (use many citations) use in-text referencing with author name, page number ,year. When explain here take in your consideration the immigrants, explain in details about acculturation strategies for immigrants in second language learning and how immigrants deal with strategies? be aware that you will based on because later on in the findinigs chapter 4 ,i wiil investigate why iraqi women separated, because they want to maintain their identity tnen that influenced their learning english 2-1-6- Consideration of identity in Acculturation: Explain the role of identity in acculturation and how it affects. (use many citations) use in-text referencing with author name, page number ,year 2-3-Concept of identity in Islamic view: Explain that identity according to Islamic scholar is not always changeable because there some essential factors in identity will never change such as pillars of Islam and articles of faith. Also they consider culture is a part of religion. How the identity construct. Explain in details and then talk about viel/Hijjab as a part of articles of faith to prepare for the next subtitle. (Use many citations) use in-text referencing with author name, page number ,year 2-3-1- Veil or Hijjab as a Muslim women identity: Explain what veil means in Islam for example as identity of Muslim women. Why the veil is important, what veil means for other Muslims, why veil important in Islam, which values that veil refer to. (use many citations) use in-text referencing with author name, page number ,year 2-3-2- The role of Iraqi culture in English teaching materials:( use citations to support these writing and rewrite this paragraph according to your own writing) In the case of Iraq, it has a closed-culture society where tradition and the impact of culture and religion are strong even in education. The obstacles that may impede hitting the teaching and learning target goals include: (1) the teachers? attitude and (2) the learners? attitude (Doukas, 1996. pp.187-188). Iraq is a country with 28, 506, 000 population). It is a country in the Middle East that is rich with its Islamic and Arabic traditions. These traditions are the strongest factor that exerts a very solid influence on the conduct of everyday life of its citizens, as well as, quite reflected by country?s social structures. These traditions also established a shared set of ideologies among its people. Iraqi culture is a non-western way of life that forms the key foundation in the locals? education. For Iraqis who stayed mainly in Iraq most of their lives, influence is strongest. Iraqis have very strong beliefs in their own system of beliefs, tradition and culture and they readily re ject anything which they recognize as foreign, especially if they are confined in Iraq. This strong affinity with what they own locally is readily apparent in their well-preserved ways of life. As an Iraqi myself, I say that Iraqis tend to respect cultural differences but when it comes to cultural conflict, they reject anything considered as foreign. To utilize the communicative language teaching (CLT) approach to teach English in Iraq using western resources can then be a very challenging position. Iraqi educational culture is essentially teacher-centered. It is readily observed anywhere in Iraq that the mentor posses the concentration of power and authority. The mentor takes the role of knowledge communicator. It is expected that teachers are the ones to give ideas and information. In other words, student- teacher interactions are less frequent and restricted. These interactions always base from respect and so, it is rarely that students would challenge the point of view of their teachers. Indeed, while this may be viewed as characterizing ?a limited, narrow-minded people, whose inert intellects lay fallow in incurious resignation? (Porter, 1994, p.155; cited in Penycook, 1998; as cited in Le Ha, 2004, p.51), it is more of attitude of respect for teachers dictated by the local culture. On the surface, it may seem that Iraqi students would simply take in whatever is fed to them but there is more to it than simply accepting and eventually echoing the information received. In my view, it is never possible to echo what is just received because in the end, students will always process information and take the meaning from the whole, and not in fragments. Additionally, interactions among students are also less frequent and discouraged. In Iraqi culture, interactions like this are considered more as noise or unnecessary disturbance and are thus, prohibited. Lastly, educational resources used are essentially based on the local culture. This comes rather obvious considering how mono-cultural the society is, and where exposure to non-Iraqi local practices is quite less 2-4- Factors that affect Muslim womens English learning at AMES Language centre: 2-4-1-Negative stereotype held by the host society against Islam and womens veil: explain how negative stereotype against Islam and veil affect Muslim learning Englishin general do not mention iraqi women talk about muslim in general in Australia. Please make connection between negative stereotype and its affect on learning English. How the events after 11 September?.. how media affect on in image of Islam?.then talk in details about veil. (Use many citations) use in-text referencing with author name, page number ,year 2-4-2-longing and belonging: explain longing and belonging affect women learning English. They forced immigrants?..(use many citations) use in-text referencing with author name, page number ,year 2-4-3-Diapora: explain how Diaspora affects women learning English, (use many citations) use in-text referencing with author name, page number ,year 2-4-4- A clash of learning culture: explain how when people learning new culture especially muslim affect their learning.(use many citations) use in-text referencing with author name, page number , year The Application of Acculturation Theories in Second Language Acquisition Second language acquisition (SLA) is the process by which individuals learn a language other than their native language (mother-tongue) leading to bilingualism (Norton, 198, 4). The easiness, ability and success with which the second language- in linguistic terms referred to as the target language (TL) is acquired depends on various socio-cultural and psychological factors, which can either encourage or hinder the learnerà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s motivation. Various theories of SLA have been formulated to explain how learners acquire a second language, and the factors that influence the outcome. The acculturation theory explains that social and psychological factors determine the extent to which a second language can be learnt. It is the gradual process by which immigrants or second language learners (2LL) get immersed into the culture of the target language, and as a result learns about that language, à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"through social and psychological integrationà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚  (Schumann, 1986, 379). Intercultural differences, however, sometimes make it difficult for immigrants to earn a second language in a new culture. This is especially the case for adolescents and emerging adults (Schwartz, et al, 2006, 2), who are still in the process of identity development. Among Muslim immigrants in the US, for instance, factors such as culture shock and dominance may hinder SLA. Culture shock occurs when immigrants are introduced to a new culture, with a lifestyle different from their ethnic background, such as dressing and socialization patterns. In terms of p sychological factors, the immigrantsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ attitudes about the TL and level of motivation to learn determine the success rate. It affects the level of contact between people of different cultures, and the degree of language learning that takes place as a result (Berry, 2001, 16). For instance, a negative attitude towards the Western culture and way of life will discourage social interaction and hence learning. Nonetheless, second language learners employ a number of acculturation strategies in response to the challenges encountered in the new culture (Bhatia Ram, 2001, 4). They can range from racism to ethnocentrism, both of which can significantly discourage acculturation and in effect, the rate of second language acquisition (Norton, 1986, 13). By assimilation, the 2LL loses their home culture and instead acquires the host culture, such as language and lifestyle. Integration takes place when the 2LL are able to retain their home culture in a culturally plural society (Berry, 1998, 12), while learning and accepting the culture of the TL. On the other hand, separation occurs when the individual refuses to get assimilated or integrated into the new culture. Finally, marginalization takes place if the immigrant suffers rejection, depression and anxiety, and as a consequent gets distanced from both their home and host cultures. In conclusion, second language acquisition is a product of interacting socio-cultural and psychological factors. The acculturation theories identify these factors as responsible for the rate at which immigrants acquire a new language when they are exposed to a different culture. Professor Abdullah Saeed (2004). Muslim Australians. Melbourne: National Capital Printing. [Accessed 30 August 2010]. Available from: http://www.abdullahsaeed.org/book/muslim-australians-their-beliefs-practices-and-institutions.

The Internet And The Future Of Tv Essay -- Television TV

Imagine a day when you would be in total control of creating your own TV channel lineup. Instead of subscribing to a service from a cable, satellite or phone company that might offer you hundreds of channels you'll never watch, you would be able to select what you want and watch it on your own schedule. That day might not be so far away. Slowly but surely, content that's broadcast over cable networks and through satellite providers is being distributed through the public Internet. News.context What's new: A lot of the technology is in place to deliver TV content via the Internet, where content providers could bypass cable and satellite services and deliver programming directly to viewers. Bottom line: While content providers have no intention of giving up on traditional TV service, they are watching Internet TV developments carefully. Most are moving gingerly into the market, making sure digital rights issues are properly addressed, that they can maintain control over content once it's on the Web, and that there is adequate demand for the service. More stories on this topic In terms of the technology, all the elements are falling into place to deliver high-quality video from the Net directly to viewers in their living rooms. Software has been developed to ensure the quality of video distributed over the Net. And companies such as Microsoft and Cisco Systems' Linksys home division are developing products that enable Internet video to be viewed on TV sets instead of only on PC screens. Apple Computer, which has changed the music industry with its iPod music players and iTunes music store, is trying to do the same thing in the video market. Earlier this month it introduced an iPod that plays videos, and launch... ... Previous Next Comcast, the largest cable company in the United States, already provides an extensive library of on-demand movies. On Wednesday it announced it would provide an additional 250 movies every month to its digital cable customers at no extra charge. In total, Comcast customers will be able to select from about 800 movies each month. Comcast says that its video-on-demand programming is extremely popular. The company has already surpassed one billion total on-demand program views for the year, eclipsing last year's total of 567 million views. "The traditional TV market is not dead," said Kontiki's Sahadi. "Multiple models will evolve. Broadband penetration and improvements in digital rights management are helping push content providers to look toward the Web. But there will always be people who want to subscribe to a traditional television service."

Changes In The Earths Environment Essay -- essays research papers

Changes in the Earth's Environment The 20th century, especially in the second half, has been one of rapid change in the Earth's environment. The impact of humans on the physical form and functioning of the Earth have reached levels that are global in character, and have done so at an increasingly mounting speed. 20 years ago the environment was seen as posing a threat to the future of humanity as death rates from natural hazards had increased dramatically since the turn of the century. The Earth though has always been plagued by natural disasters. Now, with the world population growing at a rapid rate more people are living in hazard prone areas. Events which may have gone unnoticed previously, only become hazards when there is intervention with humans and their lifestyle. With the discovery of the ozone hole in the 1980's attention was now more focused on the threat humans were posing to the environment. With scientific evidence to back up pessimistic predictions of our future, most people, through media coverage, political pressures and general concern now see the environment as being truly threatened by human progress and in desperate need of help. Natural hazards have been defined as â€Å"...extreme geophysical events greatly exceeding normal human expectations in terms of their magnitude or frequency and causing significant damage to man and his works with possible loss of life.† (Heathcote,1979,p.3.). A natural hazard occurs when there is an interaction between a system of human resource management and extreme or rare natural phenomena (Chapman,1994). As McCall, Laming and Scott (1991) argue, strictly speaking there is no hazard unless humans are affected in some way. Yet the line between natural and human-made hazards is a finely drawn one and usually overlapping. Doornkamp ( cited in McCall et al, 1992) argues that many hazards are human induced or at least made worse by the intervention of humans. In the 1970's, natural hazards were an important subject of topical study, as the nature of their impact on human populations and what they valued was increasing in frequency at quite a rapid rate (Burton, Kates, White, 1978). During the 75 years after 1900 the population of the earth increased by a staggering 2.25 billion people. People who needed land on which to live and work. As the population rose people were dispersed in more places and in larger numb... ...cote and B.G. Thom (eds): Natural Hazards in Australia. 3-12, Australian Academy of Science, Canberra. Kevies, D.J. (1992). Some Like it Hot. New York Review of Books. 39:31-39. McCall, G.J.H. (1992). Natural and Man Made Hazards: Their Increasing Importance in the End 20th Century World in G.J.H.McCall, D.J.C.Laming and S.C.Scott (eds): Geohazards: Natural and Man Made. 1-4, Chapman and Hall, London. McKibben,B. (1990). The End of Nature. Penguin, Middlesex. Meyer, W.R. and Turner, B.L. (1995). The Earth Transformed: Trends, Trajectories and Patterns in R.J. Johnson, P.J. Taylor and M.J.Watts (eds): Geographies of Global Change. 302-317, Blackwell, Oxford. Pearce, D. (1995). Blueprint 4: Capturing Environmental Value. Oxford Uni. Press, New York. Perry,A.H. (1981). Environmental Hazards in the British Isles. Allen and Unwin. London. Schnieder, S.H. (1989). Global Warming: Are We Entering The Greenhouse Century ?. Sierra Club Books, New York. Stow, D.A.V. (1992). Preface in G.J.H.McCall, D.J.C.Laming and S.C.Scott (eds): Geohazards: Natural and Man Made. i-ii, Chapman and Hall, London. Suzuki,D. and Gordon, A. (1990). It's a Matter of Survival. Harvard Uni Press, Harvard.

Physical Fitness

Physical education (often abbreviated Phys. Ed. or P. E. ) or gymnastics(gym or gym class) is a course taken during primary and secondary educationthat encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting. Physical education trends have developed recently to incorporate a greater variety of activities. Introducing students to activities like bowling, walking/hiking, or Frisbee at an early age can help students develop good activity habits that will carry over into adulthood. Some teachers have even begun to incorporate stress-reduction techniques such as yoga and deep-breathing.Teaching non-traditional sports to students may also provide the necessary motivation for students to increase their activity, and can help students learn about different cultures. For example, while teaching a unit about lacrosse (in, say, Arizona, USA), students can also learn a little bit about the Native American cultures of the Northeast and Eastern Canada, where lacrosse originated. Teaching non-traditional (or non-native) sports provides a great opportunity to integrate academic concepts from other subjects as well (social studies from the example above), which may now be required of many P.E. teachers. The four aspects of P. E. are physical, mental, social, and emotional. Another trend is the incorporation of Health and Nutrition to the physical education curriculum. The Child Nutrition and WIC Re-authorization Act of 2004 required that all school districts with a federally funded school meal program develop wellness policies that address nutrition and physical activity. While teaching students sports and movement skills, P. E. teachers are now incorporating short health and nutrition lessons into the curriculum.This is more prevalent at the elementary school level, where students do not have a specific Health class. Recently most elementary schools have specific health classes for students as well as physical education class. With the recent outbreaks of dis eases such as swine flu, school districts are making it mandatory for students to learn about practicing good hygiene along with other health topics. Today many states require Physical Education teachers to be certified to teach Health courses. Many colleges and Universities offer both Physical Education and Health as one certification.This push towards health education is beginning in the intermediate level, including lessons on bullying, self-esteem and stress and anger management. In the USA, the physical education curriculum is designed to allow school pupils a full range of modern opportunities, dozens of sports and hundreds of carefully reviewed drills and exercises, including exposure to the education with the use of pedometer, GPS, and heart rate monitors, as well as state-of-the-art exercise machines in the upper grades.Some martial arts classes, like wrestling in the United States, and Pencak Silat in France, Indonesia and Malaysia, are taught to teach children self-defens e and to feel good about themselves. The physical education curriculum is designed to allow students to experience at least a minimum exposure to the following categories of activities: aquatics, conditioning activities, gymnastics, individual/dual sports, team sports, rhythms, and dance. Students are encouraged to continue to explore those activities in which they have a primary interest by effectively managing their community resources.In these areas, a planned sequence of learning experiences is designed to support a progression of student development. This allows kids through 6th grade to be introduced to sports, fitness, and teamwork in order to be better prepared for the middle and high school age. In 1975, the United States House of Representatives voted to require school physical education classes include both genders. Some high school and some middle school PE classes are single-sex.Requiring individuals to participate in physical education activities, such as dodge ball, f lag football, and other competitive sports remains a controversial subject because of the social impact these have on young children. It is, however, important to note that many school budgets have seen cutbacks and in some cases physical education programs have been cut. Technology use in physical education New technology in Physical education is playing a big role in classes. One of the most affordable and effective would be a simple tape recorder.With the use of a tape recorder students can see the mistakes they're making in things such as a throwing motion or swinging form[4]. Studies show that students do find this more effective than having someone just telling them what they are doing wrong and trying to correct it. Educators also found the use of other technologies such as pedometers and heart rate monitors very successful, using them to make step and heart rate goals for students. Other technologies that can be used in a Physical Education setting would include projectors, GPS and even gaming systems such as Kinect for XBOX360, Wii Fit and Dance Dance Revolution.Projectors can be used to show students things such as proper form or how to play certain games. GPS systems can be used to get students active in an outdoor setting and active exergames can be used by teachers to show students a good way to stay fit in and out of the classroom setting[7] Another type of technology that is commonly used in Physical Education is the use of pedometers. Pedemeters do not necessarily track how far a person is going, but it lets them know the number of steps they are making. It will let them know how many steps on average they are making and want to strive to get more the next class. 1] There are many lessons that you can use for many grade levels when you are teaching students to use a pedometer it is important to make it a game, especially for younger students. [2] [edit]Worldwide In South Korea, it is mandatory for pupils to take 3 hours of PE through primary an d secondary schools. In Portugal, pupils from primary school could optionally join PE as an extra-curricular activity. From middle school to secondary school pupils must participate in PE classes 2 hours per week. In Singapore, pupils from primary school through junior colleges are required to have 2 hours of PE every week, except during examination seasons.Pupils are able to play games like football, badminton, captain's ball, and basketball during most sessions. Unorthodox sports such as touchball, fencing, and skateboarding are occasionally played. In more prestigious secondary schools and in junior colleges, sports such as golf, tennis, shooting, and squash are played. A compulsory fitness exam, NAPFA, is conducted in every school once every year to assess the physical fitness of the pupils. Pupils are given a series of fitness tests (Pull-ups/Inclined pull-ups for girls, standing broad jump, sit-ups, sit-and-reach and 1. km for primary [10-12 year-olds]/2. 4 km for secondary an d junior college levels [13-18 year-olds]). Students are graded by gold, silver, bronze or fail. NAPFA for pre-enlistees serves as an indicator for an additional 2 months in the country's compulsory national service if they attain bronze or fail. In Malaysia, pupils from primary schools to secondary schools are expected to do 2 periods or 1 hour of PE throughout the year except a week before examination. In most secondary schools, games like badminton, sepak takraw, football, basketball and tennis are available.Pupils are allowed to bring their own sports equipment to the school with the authorization of the teacher. In most secondary schools, physical exams are rarely done, schools record pupils' heights, weights and how many push-ups they can do. In Scotland, pupils are expected to do at least two periods of PE in first, second, third and fourth year. In fifth and sixth year, PE is voluntary. [citation needed] Indonesian high school students are playing traditional game â€Å"Ben teng† In Indonesia, students ranging from Kindergarten to High School have PE integrated with their curriculum.Kindergarten until Grade 3 of Elementary students have gymnastics, starting from Grade 4 of Elementary School, students will be introduced into traditional martial arts Pencak Silat and some team games such as badminton, tennis, soccer, futsal, rounders, basketball, etc. Starting from Junior High School, Both gender are separated during PE class. PE find its place in extracurricular forms, where students can specialize themself in one kind of sports they choose. Sport Festival can be held during vacuum period, usually after examination.At this time students can compete each other by bringing own class' flag. Some universities such as ITB include PE in curriculum for freshmen Some countries include Martial Artstraining in school as part of Physical Education class. These Filipino children are doing karate. In the Philippines, some schools have integrated martial arts t raining into their Physical Education curriculum. [8][9][10][11][12] In England, pupils are expected to do two hours of PE a week in Year 7, 8 and 9 and at least 1 in year 10 and 11. [13] In Wales, pupils are expected to do only one hour of PE per fortnight. 14] In Poland, pupils are expected to do at least three hours of PE a week during primary and secondary education. [15] Universities must also organise at least 60 hours of physical education classes at undergraduate courses. [16] In India, Physical Education is an important subject in schools. Many students chose Physical Education as a subject against Language Subject Like English, French, some time official language Hindi and some time local languages like Punjabi, because it is very scoring subject and very interesting. Assignments on Physical education increase the interest in Sports.Educational Bodies in India like Central Board of Secondary Education and Punjab School Education Board are in those which conduct examination on Physical Education in affiliated schools and collages. [edit]Adapted physical education Main article: Adapted Physical Education Adapted Physical Education or APE, is a sub-discipline and self-control of physical education, focusing on inclusion and students with special needs. Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness (a state of health and well-being), and specific fitness (a task-oriented definition based on the ability to perform specific aspects ofsports or occupations).Physical fitness is generally achieved through correct nutrition, exercise, and enough rest. Contents [hide] 1 Definitions 2 Fitness 3 Training 4 Menopause and Physical Fitness 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links [edit]Definitions Physical fitness has been defined as a set of attributes or characteristics that people have or achieve that relates to the ability to perform physical activity. The above definition from Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Su rgeon General is the most common currently used definition of physical fitness.It was originally used by Caspersen and has been used extensively. An alternative definition by Howley and Frank that provides additional descriptive information is: Physical fitness is a state of well-being with low risk of premature health problems and energy to participate in a variety of physical activities. While either is a good definition, most experts agree that physical fitness is both multidimensional and hierarchical. In previous years[when? ], fitness was commonly defined as the capacity to carry out the day’s activities without undue fatigue.However, as automation increased leisure time, changes in lifestyles following the industrial revolution rendered this definition insufficient. In current contexts, physical fitness is considered a measure of the body’s ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities, to be healthy, to resist hypokinetic diseas es, and to meet emergency situations. [1] [edit]Fitness A US marine performing fitness exercises. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports — a study group sponsored by thegovernment of the United States—declines to offer a simple definition of physical fitness.Instead, it developed the following chart: Health relatedSkill relatedSports Metabolic Morphological Bone integrity OtherBody composition Cardiovascular fitness Flexibility Muscular endurance Muscle strength Agility Balance Coordination Power Speed Reaction time OtherTeam sport Individual sport Lifetime Other A comprehensive fitness program tailored to an individual will probably focus on one or more specific skills,[2] and on age-[3] or health-related needs such as bone health. [4] Many sources[citation needed]also cite mental, social and emotional health as an important part of overall fitness.This is often presented in textbooks as a triangle made up of three points, which represent physical, emo tional, and mental fitness. Physical fitness can also prevent or treat many chronic health conditions brought on by unhealthy lifestyle or aging. [5] Working out can also help people sleep better. To stay healthy it is important to engage in physical activity. [6] [edit]Training Specific or task-oriented fitness is a person's ability to perform in a specific activity with a reasonable efficiency: for example, sports ormilitary service. Specific training prepares athletes to perform well in their sports.Examples are: 100 m sprint: in a sprint the athlete must be trained to work anaerobically throughout the race. Marathon: in this case the athlete must be trained to work aerobically and their endurance must be built-up to a maximum. Many fire fighters and police officers undergo regular fitness testing to determine if they are capable of the physically demanding tasks required of the job. [7] Soldiers of the United States Army must be able to pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) . [8] Hill sprints, this training requires a level of fitness to begin with, the exercise is particularly good for the leg muscles.The army often trains doing mountain climbing and races. [edit]Menopause and Physical Fitness The menopausal period in women is frequently associated with many subjective complaints including vasomotor symptoms, sleep disturbance, alteration in mood, lowered libido, and musculoskeletal pain. All of these symptoms could lead to a lower quality of life. Physical Fitness has the ability to alleviate or even eliminate the effect of most of these. Women experiencing their menopausal period should engage in regular exercise in order to achieve better physical fitness. [9]Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). Each country has its own national governin g body affiliated to FIG. Competitive artistic gymnastics is the best known of the gymnastic sports. It typically involves the women's events of uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise, and vault. Men's events are floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars, and high bar.Gymnastics evolved from exercises used by the ancient Greeks, that included skills for mounting and dismounting a horse, and from circus performance skills. Other gymnastic disciplines include: trampolining, tumbling, rhythmic gymnastics,aerobic gymnastics and acrobatic gymnastics. Participants can include children as young as four years old doing kindergym and children's gymnastics, recreational gymnasts of ages 5 and up, competitive gymnasts at varying levels of skill, and world class athletes. Contents [hide] 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Forms 4 Artistic gymnastics 4. 1 Events for women . 2 Events for men 4. 3 Rhythmic gymnastics 4. 4 Trampolining and tumbling 4. 5 Acrobatic gymnastics 4. 6 Aerob ic gymnastics 4. 7 TeamGym 4. 8 Display gymnastics 5 Former apparatus and events 5. 1 Rope (rhythmic gymnastics) 5. 2 Rope climb 5. 3 Flying rings 6 Popular culture 6. 1 Film 7 See also 8 References 9 External links [edit]Etymology The word gymnastics derives from the common Greek adjective (gymnos) meaning â€Å"naked†,[1] by way of the related verb (gymnazo), whose meaning is â€Å"to train naked†, â€Å"train in gymnastic exercise†, generally â€Å"to train, to exercise†. 2] The verb had this meaning, because athletes exercised and competed without clothing [edit]History 1908 Summer Olympics in London: Display of the British women's gymnastics team Exercises of the ancient Greeks began with athletic feats performed by each individual according to his own notion. The youth were encouraged to combine amusement with exercise. In time, this kind of exercise was incorporated into a system that figured prominently in the state regulations for education. In fact, the period for exercise or gymnastics was equal to the time spent on art and music combined. 3] All Greek cities had a gymnasium, a courtyard for jumping, running, and wrestling. The term included stretching exercises and warm-up preparations for athletes (from the Greek athlete athlos, which means â€Å"struggle†, â€Å"fight†). These tests were based on military exercises. As the Roman Empire ascended, the Greek gymnastics gave way to gymnastics whose purpose was military training. The Romans, for example, introduced the wooden horse. In AD 393 the Emperor Theodosius abolished the Olympic Games, which by then had become corrupt, and gymnastics, along with other sports, declined. For centuries, gymnastics was all but forgotten. 4] In the year 1569, Girolamo Mercuriale from Forli (Italy) wrote Le Arte Gymnastica, that brought together his study of the attitudes of the ancients toward diet, exercise and hygiene, and the use of natural methods for the cure of dis ease. De Arte Gymnastica also explained the principles of physical therapy and is considered the first book on sports medicine. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Germany, three pioneer physical educators – Johann Friedrich GutsMuths (1759–1839) and Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (1778–1852) – created exercises for boys and young men on apparatus they had esigned that ultimately led to what is considered modern gymnastics. Don Francisco Amoros y Ondeano, marquis de Sotelo, was born on February 19, 1770 in Valence and died on August 8, 1848 in Paris. He was a Spanish colonel, and the first person to introduce educative gymnastic in France. In particular, Jahn crafted early models of the horizontal bar, the parallel bars (from a horizontal ladder with the rungs removed), and the vaulting horse. [4] The Federation of International Gymnastics (FIG) was founded in Liege in 1881. 5] By the end of the nineteenth century, men's gymnastics competition was popular enough to be included in the first â€Å"modern† Olympic Games in 1896. From then on until the early 1950s, both national and international competitions involved a changing variety of exercises gathered under the rubric, gymnastics, that would seem strange to today's audiences and that included for example, synchronized team floor calisthenics, rope climbing, high jumping, running, and horizontal ladder. During the 1920s, women organized and participated in gymnastics events.The first women's Olympic competition was primitive, for it involved only synchronized calisthenics, was held at the 1928 Games, in Amsterdam. By 1954, Olympic Games apparatus and events for both men and women had been standardized in modern format, and uniform grading structures (including a point system from 1 to 15) had been agreed upon. At this time, Soviet gymnasts astounded the world with highly disciplined and difficult performances, setting a precedent that continues. The new medium of tel evision helped publicize and initiate a modern age of gymnastics.Both men's and women's gymnastics now attract considerable international interest, and excellent gymnasts can be found on every continent. Nadia Comaneci received the first perfect score, at the 1976 Summer Olympics held inMontreal, Canada. She was coached in Romania by the Romanian coach, (Hungarian ethnicity), Bela Karolyi. Comaneci scored four of her perfect tens on the uneven bars, two on the balance beam and one in the floor exercise. [6] Even with Nadia's perfect scores, the Romanians lost the gold medal to the Soviet Union.Nevertheless, Comaneci became an Olympic icon. In 2006, a new points system for Artistic gymnastics was put into play. With an A Score (or D score) being the difficulty score, which as of 2009 is based on the top 8 high scoring elements in a routine (excluding Vault). The B Score (or E Score), is the score for execution, and is given for how well the skills are performed. [7] [edit]Forms Aerob ic exercise (also known as cardio) is physical exercise of relatively low intensity that depends primarily on the aerobic energy-generating process. 1] Aerobic literally means â€Å"living in air†,[2] and refers to the use of oxygen to adequately meet energy demands during exercise via aerobic metabolism. [3] Generally, light-to-moderate intensity activities that are sufficiently supported by aerobicmetabolism can be performed for extended periods of time. [1] Contents [hide] 1 Aerobic versus anaerobic exercise 2 Aerobic capacity 3 Criticisms 4 Commercial success 5 Varieties of aerobic (cardiovascular) exercise 5. 1 Indoor 5. 2 Outdoor . 3 Indoor or outdoor 6 See also 7 Footnotes 8 References 9 External links [edit]Aerobic versus anaerobic exercise This section needs additional citations for verification. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (October 2011) Fox and Haskell formula showing the split between aerobic (light orange) and anaerobic (dark orange) exercise and heart rate.Aerobic exercise and fitness can be contrasted with anaerobic exercise, of which strength training and short-distance running are the most salient examples. The two types of exercise differ by the duration and intensity of muscular contractions involved, as well as by how energy is generated within the muscle. In most conditions, anaerobic exercise occurs simultaneously with aerobic exercises because the less efficient anaerobic metabolism must supplement the aerobic system due to energy demands that exceed the aerobic system's capacity.What is generally called aerobic exercise might be better termed â€Å"solely aerobic†, because it is designed to be low-intensity enough not to generate lactate via pyruvate fermentation, so that all carbohydrate is aerobically turned into energy. Initially during increased exertion, muscle glycogen is broken down to produce glucose, which undergoes glycolysis producing pyruvate which then reacts with oxygen (Krebs cycle) to produce carbon dioxide and water and releasing energy.If there is a shortage of oxygen (anaerobic exercise, explosive movements), carbohydrate is consumed more rapidly because the pyruvate ferments into lactate. If the intensity of the exercise exceeds the rate with which the cardiovascular system can supply muscles with oxygen, it results in buildup of lactate and quickly makes it impossible to continue the exercise. Unpleasant effects of lactate buildup initially include the burning sensation in the muscles, and may eventually include nausea and even vomiting if the exercise is continued without allowing lactate to clear from the bloodstream.As glycogen levels in the muscle begin to fall, glucose is released into the bloodstream by the liver, and fat metabolism is increased so that it can fuel the aerobic pathways. Aerobic exercise may be fueled by glycogen reserves, fat reserves, or a combination of both, depending on the intensity. Prolonged moderate-level aerobic exercise at 65% VO2 max (the heart rate of 150 bpm for a 30-year-old human) results in the maximum absolute contribution of fat to the total energy expenditure. At this level, fat may contribute 40% to 60% of total, depending on the duration of the exercise.Vigorous exercise above 75% VO2max (160 bpm) primarily burns glycogen. [4][5] Major muscles in a rested, untrained human typically contain enough energy for about 2 hours of vigorous exercise. Exhaustion of glycogen is a major cause of what marathon runners call â€Å"hitting the wall†. Training, lower intensity levels, and carbohydrate loading may allow to postpone the onset exhaustion beyond 4 hours. [5] Aerobic exercise comprises innumerable forms. In general, it is performed at a moderate level of intensity over a relatively long period of time. For example, running a long distance at a oderate pace is an aero bic exercise, but sprinting is not. Playing singles tennis, with near-continuous motion, is generally considered aerobic activity, while golf or two person team tennis, with brief bursts of activity punctuated by more frequent breaks, may not be predominantly aerobic. Some sports are thus inherently â€Å"aerobic†, while other aerobic exercises, such as fartlek training or aerobic dance classes, are designed specifically to improve aerobic capacity and fitness. It is most common for aerobic exercises to involve the leg muscles, primarily or exclusively. There are some exceptions.For example,rowing to distances of 2,000 m or more is an aerobic sport that exercises several major muscle groups, including those of the legs, abdominals, chest, and arms. Common kettlebell exercises combine aerobic and anaerobic aspects. Among the recognized benefits of doing regular aerobic exercise are: Strengthening the muscles involved in respiration, to facilitate the flow of air in and out of the lungs Strengthening and enlarging the heart muscle, to improve its pumping efficiency and reduce the resting heart rate, known as aerobic conditioning Strengthening muscles throughout the bodyImproving circulation efficiency and reducing blood pressure Increasing the total number of red blood cells in the body, facilitating transport of oxygen Improved mental health, including reducing stress and lowering the incidence of depression Reducing the risk for diabetes. Burns body fat, while building leaner muscle. As a result, aerobic exercise can reduce the risk of death due to cardiovascular problems. In addition, high-impact aerobic activities (such as jogging or using a skipping rope) can stimulate bone growth, as well as reduce the risk of osteoporosis for both men and women.In addition to the health benefits of aerobic exercise, there are numerous performance benefits: Increased storage of energy molecules such as fats and carbohydrates within the muscles, allowing for increase d endurance Neovascularization of the muscle sarcomeres to increase blood flow through the muscles Increasing speed at which aerobic metabolism is activated within muscles, allowing a greater portion of energy for intense exercise to be generated aerobically Improving the ability of muscles to use fats during xercise, preserving intramuscular glycogen Enhancing the speed at which muscles recover from high intensity exercise Both the health benefits and the performance benefits, or â€Å"training effect†, require a minimum duration and frequency of exercise. Most authorities suggest at least twenty minutes performed at least three times per week. [6] [edit]Aerobic capacity Main article: VO2 max Aerobic capacity describes the functional capacity of the cardiorespiratory system, (the heart, lungs and blood vessels).Aerobic capacity is defined as the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use during a specified period, usually during intense exercise. [7] It is a function both of cardiorespiratory performance and the maximum ability to remove and utilize oxygen from circulating blood. To measure maximal aerobic capacity, an exercise physiologist or physician will perform a VO2 max test, in which a subject will undergo progressively more strenuous exercise on a treadmill, from an easy walk through to exhaustion.The individual is typically connected to a respirometer to measure oxygen consumption, and the speed is increased incrementally over a fixed duration of time. The higher the measured cardiorespiratory endurance level, the more oxygen has been transported to and used by exercising muscles, and the higher the level of intensity at which the individual can exercise. More simply stated, the higher the aerobic capacity, the higher the level of aerobic fitness. The Cooper and multi-stage fitness tests can also be used to assess functional aerobic capacity for particular jobs or activities.The degree to which aerobic capacity can be improved by exercise varie s very widely in the human population: while the average response to training is an approximately 17% increase in VO2max, in any population there are â€Å"high responders† who may as much as double their capacity, and â€Å"low responders† who will see little or no benefit from training. [8] Studies indicate that approximately 10% of otherwise healthy individuals cannot improve their aerobic capacity with exercise at all. [9] The degree of an individual's responsiveness is highly heritable, suggesting that this trait is genetically determined. 8] An aerobics class. This article is about the type of exercise. For the exercise physiology topic, see Aerobic exercise. Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretchingand strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness (flexibility,muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness). It is usually performed to music and may be practiced in a group setti ng led by an instructor (fitness professional), although it can be done solo and without musical accompaniment.With the goal of preventing illness and promotingphysical fitness, practitioners perform various routines comprising a number of different dance-like exercises. Formal aerobics classes are divided into different levels of intensity and complexity. Aerobics classes may allow participants to select their level of participation according to their fitness level. Many gyms offer a variety of aerobic classes. Each class is designed for a certain level of experience and taught by a certified instructor with a specialty area related to their particular class. Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Aerobic gymnastics 3 See also 4 References edit]History Both the term and the specific exercise method were developed by Dr. Kenneth Cooper, M. D. , an exercise physiologist, and Col. Pauline Potts, a physical therapist, both of the United States Air Force. Dr. Cooper, an avowed exercise enthusiast, was personally and professionally puzzled about why some people with excellent muscular strength were still prone to poor performance at tasks such as long-distance running, swimming, and bicycling. He began measuring systematic human performance using a bicycle ergometer, and began measuring sustained performance in terms of a person's ability to use oxygen.His groundbreaking book, Aerobics, was published in 1968, and included scientific exercise programs using running, walking, swimming and bicycling. The book came at a fortuitous historical moment, when increasing weakness and inactivity in the general population was causing a perceived need for increased exercise. [edit]Aerobic gymnastics Aerobic gymnastics, also known as sport aerobics and competitive aerobics, is a type of competitive aerobics involving complicatedchoreography, rhythmic and acrobatic gymnastics with elements of aerobics. 1] Performance is divided into categories by age, sex and groups (individual, mixed pairs and trios) and are judged on the following elements: dynamic and static strength, jumps and leaps, kicks, balance and flexibility. Ten exercises are mandatory: four consecutive high leg kicks, patterns. A maximum of ten elements from following families are allowed: push-ups, supports and balances, kicks and splits, jumps and leaps. Elements of tumbling such ashandsprings, handstands, back flips, and aerial somersaults are prohibited. Scoring is by judging of artistic quality, creativity, execution, and difficulty of routines.Sport aerobics has state, national, and international competitions, but is not an Olympic sport. [edit]Artistic gymnastics Main article: Artistic gymnastics Artistic gymnastics is usually divided into Men's and Women's Gymnastics. Typically men compete on six events: Floor Exercise, Pommel Horse, Still Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars, and High Bar, while women compete on four: Vault, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, and Floor Exercise. In some countries, women at one tim e competed on the rings, high bar, and parallel bars (for example, in the 1950s in the USSR).Though routines performed on each event may be short, they are physically exhausting and push the gymnast's strength, flexibility, endurance and awareness to the limit. In 2006, FIG introduced a new points system for Artistic gymnastics in which scores are no longer limited to 10 points. The system is used in the US for elite level competition. [7] Unlike the old code of points, there are two separate scores. An execution score and a difficulty score. In the previous system, the â€Å"execution score† was the only score. It was and still is out of 10. 00.During the gymnast's performance, the judges deduct from this score only. A fall, on or off the event, is a 1. 00 deduction, in elite level gymnastics. The introduction of the difficulty score is a significant change. The gymnast's difficulty score is based on what elements they perform and is subject to change if they do not perform or complete all the skills, or they do not connect a skill meant to be connected to another. Connection bonuses are the most common deduction from a difficulty score, as it can be difficult to connect multiple flight elements.It is very hard to connect skills if the first skill is not performed correctly. The new code of points allows the gymnasts to gain higher scores based on the difficulty of the skills they perform as well as their execution. [edit]Events for women Piked Tsukahara vault. Vault In the vaulting events gymnasts sprint down a 25 metres (82 ft) runway, jump onto or perform a roundoff entry onto a springboard (run/ take-off segment), land momentarily, inverted on the hands on the vaulting horse or vaulting table (pre flight segment), then spring off of this platform to a two footed landing (post flight segment).Every gymnast starts at a different point on the vault runway depending on their height and strength. The post flight segment may include one or more multiple saltos or somersaults, and/or twisting movements. Round-off entry vaults are the most common vaults in elite level gymnastics. In vaults with roundoff entries, gymnasts â€Å"round-off† so hands are on the runway while the feet land on the springboard (beatboard). From the roundoff position the gymnast travels backwards as in a backhandspring so that the hands land on the vaulting platform (horse).She then blocks off the vaulting platform into various twisting and/or somersaulting combinations. The post flight segment brings the gymnast to her feet. In 2001, the traditional vaulting horse was replaced with a new apparatus, sometimes known as a tongue or table. The new apparatus is more stable, wider, and longer than the older vaulting horse—approximately 1m in length and 1m in width—giving gymnasts a larger blocking surface, and is therefore considered safer than the old vaulting horse. With the addition of this new, safer vaulting table, gymnasts are attempting more difficult and dangerous vaults. 8] Gymnast on uneven bars. Uneven Bars On the uneven bars (also known as asymmetric bars, UK), the gymnast performs a routine on two horizontal bars set at different heights. These bars are made of fiberglass covered in wood laminate, to prevent them from breaking. In the past, bars were made of wood, but the bars were prone to breaking, providing an incentive to switch to newer technologies. The width of the bars may be adjusted. Gymnasts perform swinging, circling, transitional, and release moves, that may pass over, under, and between the two bars.Movements may pass through the handstand. Gymnasts often mount the Uneven Bars using a springboard. Balance Beam The gymnast performs a choreographed routine up to 90 seconds in length consisting of leaps, acrobatic skills, somersaults, turns and dance elements on a padded beam. The beam is 125 centimetres (4 ft 1 in) from the ground, 500 centimetres (16 ft 5 in) long, and 10 centimetres (3. 9 in) w ide. [9] The event requires, in particular, balance, flexibility, poise and strength. Gymnast doing a stag leap on floor exercise. FloorIn the past, the Floor Exercise event was executed on the bare floor or mats such as wrestling mats. Today, the floor event occurs on a carpeted 12m ? 12m square, usually consisting of hard foam over a layer of plywood, which is supported by springs or foam blocks generally called a â€Å"spring† floor. This provides a firm surface that provides extra bounce or spring when compressed, allowing gymnasts to achieve extra height and a softer landing than would be possible on a standard floor. Gymnasts perform a choreographed routine up to 90 seconds in the Floor Exercise event.They must choose an accompanying music piece. In some gymnastic associations such as United States Association of Gymnastic Clubs (USAIGC), gymnasts are allowed to have vocals in their music[10] but USA Gymnastics competitions a large deduction is taken from the score for having vocals in the music. ,[11] The routine should consist of tumbling lines, series of jumps, dance elements, acrobatic skills, and turns, or piviots, on one foot. A gymnast can perform up to four tumbling lines that usually includes at least one flight element without hand support.Each level of gymnastics requires the athlete to perform a different number of tumbling passes. In level 7 in the United states, a gymnast is required to do 2–3, and in levels 8–10, at least 3–4 tumbling passes are required. [12] Scoring: A gymnast's score comes from deductions taken from their start value. The start value of a routine is calculated based on the difficulty of the elements the gymnast attempts and whether or not the gymnast meets composition requirements. The composition requirements are different for each apparatus.This score is called the D score. [13] Deductions in execution and artistry are taken from 10. 0. This score is called the E score. [14] The final score is calculated by taking deductions from the E score, and adding the result to the D score. [15] And since 2007, the scoring system has changed by adding bonus plus the execution and then adding those two together to get the final score. [edit]Events for men Floor Male gymnasts also perform on a 12m. by 12m. spring floor. A series of tumbling passes are performed to demonstrate flexibility, strength, and balance.The gymnast must also show strength skills, including circles, scales, and press handstands. Men's floor routines usually have four passes that will total between 60–70 seconds and are performed without music, unlike the women's event. Rules require that male gymnasts touch each corner of the floor at least once during their routine. A boy on the pommel horse Pommel Horse A typical pommel horse exercise involves both single leg and double leg work. Single leg skills are generally found in the form of scissors, an element often done on the pommels. Double leg work howe ver, is the main staple of this event.The gymnast swings both legs in a circular motion (clockwise or counterclockwise depending on preference) and performs such skills on all parts of the apparatus. To make the exercise more challenging, gymnasts will often include variations on a typical circling skill by turning (moores and spindles) or by straddling their legs (Flares). Routines end when the gymnast performs a dismount, either by swinging his body over the horse, or landing after a handstand. Still Rings The rings are suspended on wire cable from a point 5. 75 meters from the floor, and adjusted in height so the gymnast has room to hang freely and swing.He must perform a routine demonstrating balance, strength, power, and dynamic motion while preventing the rings themselves from swinging. At least one static strength move is required, but some gymnasts may include two or three. A routine should have a dismount equal in difficulty to the difficulty of the routine as a whole. Vaul t Gymnasts sprint down a runway, which is a maximum of 25 meters in length, before hurdling onto a spring board. The body position is maintained while â€Å"punching† (blocking using only a shoulder movement) the vaulting platform. The gymnast then rotates to a standing position.In advanced gymnastics, multiple twists and somersaults may be added before landing. Successful vaults depend on the speed of the run, the length of the hurdle, the power the gymnast generates from the legs and shoulder girdle, the kinesthetic awareness in the air, and the speed of rotation in the case of more difficult and complex vaults. Parallel Bars Men perform on two bars slightly further than a shoulder's width apart and usually 1. 75m high while executing a series of swings, balances, and releases that require great strength and coordination. High Bar A 2. 8 cm thick steel or fiberglass bar raised 2. m above the landing area is all the gymnast has to hold onto as he performs giants(revolutions around the bar), release skills, twists, and changes of direction. By using all of the momentum from giants and then releasing at the proper point, enough height can be achieved for spectacular dismounts, such as a triple-back salto. Leather gripsare usually used to help maintain a grip on the bar. As with the women, male gymnasts are also judged on all of their events, for their execution, degree of difficulty, and overall presentation skills. [edit]Rhythmic gymnastics Irina Tchachina, Russian rhythmic gymnastMain article: Rhythmic gymnastics Only women compete in rhythmic gymnastics although there is a new version of this discipline for men being pioneered in Japan (see Men's rhythmic gymnastics). This is a sport that combines elements of ballet, gymnastics, dance, and apparatus manipulation. The sport involves the performance of five separate routines with the use of five apparatus—ball, ribbon, hoop, clubs, rope—on a floor area, with a much greater emphasis on the aesthetic rather than the acrobatic. There are also group routines consisting of 5 gymnasts and 5 apparatuses of their choice.Rhythmic routines are scored out of a possible 30 points; the score for artistry (choreography and music) is averaged with the score for difficulty of the moves and then added to the score for execution. [16] International competitions are split between Juniors, under sixteen by their year of birth; and Seniors, for women sixteen and over again by their year of birth. Gymnasts in Russia and Europe typically start training at a very young age and those at their peak are typically in their late teens (15–19) or early twenties. The largest events in the sport are the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup and Grand-Prix Tournaments. edit]Trampolining and tumbling Double mini-trampoline competitor Main articles: Trampolining and Tumbling (gymnastics) Trampolining and tumbling consists of four events, individual and synchronized trampoline, double mi ni trampoline, and tumbling (also known as power tumbling or rod floor[citation needed]). Since 2000, individual trampoline has been included in the Olympic Games. Individual routines in trampolining involve a build-up phase during which the gymnast jumps repeatedly to achieve height, followed by a sequence of ten leaps without pauses during which the gymnast performs a sequence of aerial skills.Routines are marked out of a maximum score of 10 points. Additional points (with no maximum at the highest levels of competition) can be earned depending on the difficulty of the moves and the length of time taken to complete the ten skills which is an indication of the average height of the jumps. In high level competitions, there are two preliminary routines, one which has only two moves scored for difficulty and one where the athlete is free to perform any routine. This is followed by a final routine which is optional. Some competitions restart the score from zero for the finals, other ad d the final score to the preliminary results.Synchronized trampoline is similar except that both competitors must perform the routine together and marks are awarded for synchronization as well as the form and difficulty of the moves. Double mini trampoline involves a smaller trampoline with a run-up, two moves are performed per routine. Moves cannot be repeated in the same place on the double-mini during a competition. Skills can be repeated if a skill is thrown as a mounter in one routine and a dismount in another. The scores are marked in a similar manner to individual trampoline.In tumbling, athletes perform an explosive series of flips and twists down a sprung tumbling track. Scoring is similar to trampolining. [edit]Acrobatic gymnastics Acrobatic Women's Pair performing a skill. Main article: Acrobatic gymnastics Acrobatic gymnastics (formerly Sport Acrobatics), often referred to as â€Å"Acro† if involved with the sport, acrobatic sports or simply sports acro, is a grou p gymnastic discipline for both men and women. Acrobats in groups of two, three and four perform routines with the heads, hands and feet of their partners. They may, subject to regulations (e. g. no lyrics), pick their own music.Throughout the world, there at three FIG levels: Age group (Age 11-16), Junior(12-19) and Senior (15+), which are used in the World Championships and many other events around the world, including European Championships and World Games. All levels require a balance and dynamic routine, Junior and Seniors are also required to perform a final (combined) routine. Currently acrobatic gymnastics is marked out of 30. 00 (can be higher at Senior FIG level based on difficulty): 10. 00 for routine difficulty, (valued from the tables of difficulties) 10. 00 For technical performance, (how well the skills are executed) 10. 0 For Artistry, (the overall performance of the routine, namely choreography) [edit]Aerobic gymnastics Main article: Aerobic gymnastics Aerobic gymna stics (formally Sport Aerobics) involves the performance of routines by individuals, pairs, trios or groups up to 6 people, emphasizing strength, flexibility, and aerobic fitness rather than acrobatic or balance skills. Routines are performed for all individuals on a 7x7m floor and also for 12–14 and 15–17 trios and mixed pairs. From 2009, all senior trios and mixed pairs were required to be on the larger floor (10x10m), all groups also perform on this floor.Routines generally last 60–90 seconds depending on age of participant and routine category. [edit]TeamGym TeamGym (also known as â€Å"Gymnastics for All†) has it origins in earliest times. These days, although teams can compete the sport itself was developed to enhance fitness and health in the participants and is accessible to anyone of any age. In 1984 Gymnastics for All was officially recognized first as a Sport Program by the FIG (International Gymnastic Federation), and subsequently by national gymnastic federations world wide with participants that now number 30 million. [17] Floor ProgrammeAll members of the Team take part in the floor program, composed of a mixture of dance, flexibility and skill. The routine has to be skillfully choreographed and the judges look out for changes in shape. There needs to be at least two spins, two balances and two section elements. These section elememts are bodywaves for women's teams, power elements for men's teams and lifts for mixed teams. Floor routines are performed to music. Trampette Here a trampette is used. There are two components of this; Vault and the Trampette on its own. There has to be three runs in total. At least one of these runs has to be a vault run.Another run has to include all the gymnasts doing the same move. This is generally the first run. This is also performed to music. Tumbling Again, here there are three runs (rounds) involved. One of which has to include all six gymnasts doing a forwards series. Another ru n also has to include the gymnasts completing the same move. Each series must have at least three different acrobatic elements. [18] [edit]Display gymnastics General gymnastics enables people of all ages and abilities to participate in performance groups of 6 to more than 150 athletes. They perform synchronized, choreographed routines. Troupes may be all one gender or mixed.There are no age divisions in general gymnastics. The largest general gymnastics exhibition is the quadrennial World Gymnaestrada which was first held in 1939. [edit]Former apparatus and events [edit]Rope (rhythmic gymnastics) Starting in 2011, the rhythmic apparatus rope will be removed from all FIG events and clubs will be returned to the competition. FIG has a policy of only using four of the five pieces of apparatus and changes them for different Olympic cycles. This will affect World Cups, World Championships, and Olympics. [edit]Rope climb Main article: Rope climbing Generally, competitors climbed either a 6m (6. m = 20 ft in USA) or an 8m (7. 6m = 25 ft in USA), 38mm (1. 5†³) diameter natural fiber rope for speed, starting from a seated position on the floor and using only the hands and arms. Kicking the legs in a kind of â€Å"stride† was normally permitted. Many gymnasts can do this in the straddle or pike position, which eliminates the help generated from the legs. [edit]Flying rings Main article: Flying rings Flying rings was an event similar to still rings, but with the performer executing a series of stunts while swinging. It was a gymnastic event sanctioned by both the NCAA and the AAU until the early 1960s.

A Prryhic Victory Analysis

ENGL 2, MWF 12:10 Jordan Morgan November 9, 2012 â€Å"A Pyrrhic Victory† Analysis For years there has been the never-ending controversial issue regarding condom being distributed within the United States high schools. January 8, 1994, Anna Quindlen publishes her article, â€Å"A Pyrrhic Victory,† in the New York Times, where she states that not allowing condoms to be distributed in high schools is self-defeating, harmful to students, and inconvenient for parents.Quindlen attempts to persuade readers, but is not completely successful. Quindlen provides a rhetorical example that is intended to demonstrate a need for condom distribution within the schools. She, then, introduces Dr. Cohall as an authority figure and explains that the opt-out idea, from the previous example, is likely to be used. Quindlen provides raw numbers about sexually transmitted diseases and gives specific examples that are intended to demonstrate that parents are not adequately teaching their childr en.Furthermore, she claims that many of her opponents live in Fantasyland and then provides a specific example that is intended to demonstrate this. Finally, Quindlen claims that condoms are not the real issue, but deeper parent-child difficulties are. Quindlen was aiming for a specific reaction from the reader. Her main goal is to persuade the reader enough that they will end up viewing her opinion on condom distribution as if it were their own. Because her article reaches out to readers of all ages, she is hoping that it would move her readers into taking action upon this issue.She wants students in high school to starting demanding that their schools provide them with condoms, and she hopes that those who are faculty at schools stand up and start distributing them. As a result of her article, Quindlen is hoping to make a difference just by publishing her article. In the very first sentence of Quindlen’s article she says, â€Å"Pop quiz. † By using his statement she is identifying roles. In school, the teacher is the person who would give a pop quiz after teaching something. So by saying this she creates a subject position that makes her the teacher, and the readers are the students.By stating this phase she is assigning the responsibilities of the teacher and student. Quindlen, as the teacher, has the right to teach that condom distribution is the right thing to do, while the readers are expected to just intake this information as if there are no other options. She provides a scenario of a high school boy who was denied a condom from the school nurse and in result, he got a sexually transmitted disease. After this scenario, she provides a multiple choice question that implies that there is only one correct answer, hers.Although Quindlen has identified who the student and teacher are, her tool fails because students, quite frequently, despise their teachers. By immediately springing a pop quiz on the reader, she has irritated the readers by mak ing them emotionally inferior to her. This tool is inefficient because Quindlen blindsides her readers with unexpected emotion. Quindlen introduces Dr. Cohall, a pediatrician into her article where she refers to him as a â€Å"champion of condom distribution. † Just because Dr. Cohall is a pediatrician does not make him a champion of condom distribution, let alone a champion at all.Pediatricians work with young children who are not sexually active, therefore sexually transmitted diseases would not be present and there would be no reason to be distributing condoms in that profession. Dr. Cohall later states that there were one hundred and fifty cases of sexually transmitted diseases within the three high school clinics that he put on in 1992. Quindlen rephrases Cohall’s statement and writes it as â€Å"150 cases† to purposely catch the readers’ attention and to make them react as if that is a large number of cases. Also, these cases could possibly be a rep eated case for the same person.For example, one student can have five cases, another could have three, and so forth. This number misrepresents how many students are reporting sexually transmitted diseases. Also, Dr. Cohall does not state the total number of students at each of the three schools. There could be two hundred students and one hundred and fifty cases could have a sexually transmitted disease, or there could be one hundred and fifty cases out of two thousand students. The total number is not explained which weakens her argument. She also represents the number of cases combined within three schools, which means that each school has approximately fifty cases.That does not sound nearly as outstanding as what she stated. Dr. Cohall is simply providing raw numbers, which leaves a lot of uncertainty. If Dr. Coholl had reported his numbers as a general population he would have a much higher authority. Therefore, Dr. Coholl has little creditability and is not much of a resource f or Quindlen. Quindlen refers to Dr. Cohall, again, and tells the story of what happened to a girl whose mother found out that she is sexually active. According to the teenage girl, her mother found her birth control pills, seized her by the throat and said, â€Å"I brought you into this world; I can take you out of it. After this threat, the girl squeezed out of her mother’s grip and jumped out her window to escape her mother and in result, broke her leg. Quindlen uses this story as an example of her idea of parent-child sex talks. This example is not logical. The reason the girl was trying to escape her mother in the first place is because she feared for her life, so it would make no sense for her to turn around and risk her life by jumping out of the window. Again, this source is not credible. The typical parent approaches this subject in a very sensitive matter and avoids attacking their child.Due to the fact that her source in not credible and her example is too extreme, Quindlen’s argument is flawed and ineffective. Quindlen explains the problems she has with ABC Network because they have removed the commercials about condoms during primetime television. ABC complained that condoms were too inappropriate for family-oriented television, when in fact, the condom commercials were mild and informative. Quindlen provides an analogy between condom commercials and the primetime television show Roseanne. She states that the show is much more candid about sexual activity than the condom commercials.Roseanne shows the indiscrete sexual relationship between her and her husband. Roseanne’s sister, Jackie, is known on the show for having one night stands and being openly lesbian. Quindlen claims that ABC is being hypocritical in the sense that they are showing Roseanne on the, so-called, family-oriented network during primetime, but refuses to show mild condom commercials. Quindlen makes an efficient argument by stating that children are left mor e curious about sex after watching Roseanne than they would be after seeing a condom commercial.This analogy does support and strengthen her argument in her article. In her article, Quindlen shows a persona of superiority and sarcasm. She clearly proves in the first paragraph that she feels the reader is ignorant and that she, being superior, must teach the reader the correct way to think. Quindlen is only weakening her argument by implying that her readers need to be taught what to think. Quindlen is showing her sarcasm by say things, such as â€Å"Don’t you just love those mother-daughter sex talks? † not only to entertain readers, but to also entertain herself.Her persona comes across as arrogant when she uses sarcasm in certain situations. For example, a girl throwing herself out of a window should be a tragic event, but Quindlen is sarcastic about it which makes it seem as though she is not taking it seriously. Sarcasm, used correctly, can be effective, but in thi s case, it was facetious. When talking about serious matters such as sexually transmitted diseases and condoms, readers are stuck questioning Quindlen’s egocentric persona instead of focusing on the matter at hand.In her New York Times article, â€Å"A Pyrrhic Victory,† Anna Quindlen takes her stand on condom distribution in high schools throughout the United States. She claims that we are harming students by not distributing condoms in schools, and that it shouldn’t be the parents’ responsibility because they are too ignorant to handle the situation. Her attempt to persuade the reader of her beliefs is flawed and ineffective. She starts the article by providing a subject position that creates emotions within the reader against Quindlen personally. Her statistics from Dr.Cohall are incomplete and her reference to the girl in the story involves a source that is not credible. On the other hand, she does provide a strong analogy about Roseanne and condom com mercials, but it is not strong enough to compensate for the rest of the weaknesses throughout the article. Finally, Quindlen’s persona of sarcasm and superiority harms her argument by creating questions and doubt within the reader. Quindlen fails to convince readers that condom distribution is essential, and irritates the reader by pointing out their incompetence.

Research Paper Puerto Rico

Juan David Vivas Professor Holt ENC – 1102 Honors English Final Research Paper La ficcion y la realidad en Seva â€Å"Seva: History of the first U. S. invasion of the island of Puerto Rico that took place in May 1898,† is a story written by Dr. Luis Lopez Nieves that defies the boundaries of truth and fiction. This story was published on December 23, 1983 in the supplement of the newspaper â€Å"Red Clarity†. A story that was able to leave a legacy behind. This legacy created an atmosphere of questions and answers among the people in the island.The devastation that puertorricans felt over the words they were reading were caused by a simple proofreading error, arose much confusion where people were desperate for answers, and the perfection of how Seva was written made it impossible to be questioned. Before I continue on informing about this dreadful story, it is important that I state several historical facts in order to accept the authors full credentials and obt ain a better grasp of the story. Luis Lopez Nieves was born on January 17, 1950 in Washington, DC, from Puerto Rican parents.As early as seven years old he moved to the capital of Puerto Rico and at fifteen years of age began his studies at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus. The most luxurious university to study at that time. During his second year he was in Greenwich Village, an artistic and bohemian neighborhood of New York (Ciudsv. com/Datos). At twenty years of age he returned to the University of Puerto Rico and in 1973 graduated with a degree in general studies with concentrations in Comparative Literature and Hispanic Studies.Then he moved to the University of New York at Stony Brook, where he began his Master's degree in Hispanic Studies with a grant from the Ford Foundation. In 1980 he received a doctorate in Philosophy specializing in Comparative Literature and sets a precedent by being the first student to deliver a novel as a doctoral thesis: The Prince Alexander excessive happiness. Lopez Nieves is the author of the novels The Silence of Galileo, published in June 2009 and The heart of Voltaire, published in December 2005 (Ciudsv. om/Datos). This writer is also known for his excellent work as a storyteller with his books of short stories entitled The real death of Juan Ponce de Leon, published in April 2000, Writing for Rafa, published in 1987 and Seva. The week this story was published, the people of Puerto Rico were shocked to learn that the first U. S. invasion of Puerto Rico did not occur July 25, 1898 by the town of Guanica but that it happened on May 5th on the coast of the village that no longer exists called Seva (Ciudsv. com/Datos).That day, the 2,000 troops of General Nelson Miles was ambushed by 721 patriotic â€Å"savaenos† that resisted the American attack on the island and finally defeated the troops of General Miles. Actually it was not a historic victory but a great literary epic written by Luis Lopez Nieves (Ciudsv. com/Libros). A clarification that seemed to be absent on the published story of Seva in the newspaper Clarity caused much controversy in Puerto Rico since people were misled to believe the events occurred were true. The reaction was strong but confused. A harrowing mixture of joy, anger and pain.Joy because finally the old hated myth was destroyed of the alleged docility of puertorricans, their supine alleged delivery to the conquerors. At last, after many years of historical ignorance, puertorricans began to learn a few episodes of their true and heroic epic. Anger because such a vile act as the slaughter of Seva, and the total eradication of the people by the invaders, with good reason (Ciudsv. com/Libros). Pain because the people more courageous than ever, heroic even Lares, lay murdered, buried and forgotten under the planes, buildings and nuclear missiles of the naval base at Roosevelt Roads.After the Seva news, reports were confirmed that in Naguabo, Ceiba, Guayanill a, Rio Piedras, San Sebastian and several committees were organized within hours. The first committee was intended to find Don Ignacio Martinez, the only survivor of the slaughter of Seva: â€Å"My life has changed forever because last January 17 after 14 months of searching disheartened, I finally found the child-without-ear-left: Don Ignacio Martinez. When the Slaughter of Seva was 9 years old (and not 7 as I had estimated) and now has 92, but looks much younger. (Seva, 45)   Another committee was organized to dig in the Roosevelt Roads naval base at any cost until they found the remains of Seva, â€Å"The People Martyr†. In addition to the committees, a prominent psychologist met with the governor of Puerto Rico, Carlos Romero Barcelo, and demanded an investigation to give the whereabouts of Dr. Victor Cabanas. The Governor, given the facts, he was obliged to study the events. This reaction from readers and patriots is admirable, but there was a problem: Seva is a story , the result of a deep dissatisfaction with Luis Lopez Nieves history of Puerto Rico (Ciudsv. om/Datos). The newspaper Clarity, stunned by the events caused by the story he was obliged to publish an apology: â€Å"The text Seva: History of the first U. S. invasion of the island of Puerto Rico took place in May 1898, published in the last edition of In Red, is a story. The same has caused shock and alarm in parts of the country because it suggests a major historical discovery. While some read the text as a story, it seems that most of our readers thought it was a sensational historical article, the product of a thorough investigation and risky.But this is a story and nothing else but a story that became the product of imagination and the combination of literary resources of its author, Luis Lopez Nieves. † The immense controversy that caused Seva took the complete simplicity of just â€Å"another† column in the newspaper to have immediate government intervention to find answers. It rose over the whole story that threatens to take folkloric proportions. In sectors of intellectual, artistic, and academic independence of the country there was another issue this week. At parties, businesses, libraries and homes continually arose gatherings and discussions on the Slaughter of Seva.Attitudes towards the story begin in the euphoria (â€Å"Seva is a rallying cry,† says Ferdinand Quintana, Guayanilla musician). Several crosses appeared in front of the Roosevelt Roads naval base with the inscription: â€Å"Seva Lives! â€Å"(Seviv. com/criticas). The â€Å"Capitolio News Agency† (The white house of Puerto Rico) assigned the reporter Jennifer Wolfe to travel immediately to Washington with the intention of interviewing Peggy Ann Miles, the granddaughter of General Nelson Miles that received Dr. Victor Cabins with â€Å"biscuits, tea and very polite words†, a person that does not exist (Ciudsv. om/Datos). The poet Jose Manuel Torres Sant iago confirmed that following the clarification of the magazine Clarity to the effect that Seva was a story, many in Guayanilla and San Sebastian protested and refused to believe it was said then that Seva Editorial reality and fiction. Many refused to believe that Seva was a story and chose to stay with the version of Luis Lopez Nieves. A prominent nationalist claims to know a veterinarian who, in turn, had an uncle who spoke of Seva. â€Å"Its Ceiba,† the vet told his uncle. â€Å"No,† he replied, â€Å"I do not speak of Ceiba but of Seva†.This nationalist seemed very concerned and said that Seva is a reality. He resists, moreover, to believe that Don Ignacio Martinez is a fictitious entity created by Luis Lopez Nieves (Seva, p. 58). Fortunately, in the same way that people were wrong or did not understand the satire of Lopez Nieves, there were people who understood. A famous guayanillense wrote the following note with the real meaning of the story: â€Å"Sev a is for me a reality of all Puerto Ricans, regardless of political positions, that could happen or has happened in our town that is still suffering the same symptoms of the past.But as long as men determined as Seva, Puerto Rico will have a firm hope, of all Puerto Ricans who believe in the values that the country means for everyone. Although they do not deserve to have benefits and come to mourn for what they have not earned or deserved. But we are all too ‘Ay Bendito’ that we forgive him. † (January 9, 1984, Jose Eugenio Rivera Castagnet) The elaborate and well detailed of the context in Seva presented the story so well that it was extremely difficult to determine fact from fiction.For the first time an author was able to take a story that was not true but because of historical events, it seemed as if it had happened exactly as stated (Seviv. com/critocas). This work is extraordinary. This paper published by Luis Lopez Nieves is a hit. It is an invitation to de lve into the history of Puerto Rico, for Seva is not far from the truth. Among the readers of Clarity are probably the most sophisticated, better informed and more critical of the island: professors and university students, boxes on the left, lawyers, labor leaders, and professionals (Ciudsv. om/Libros). The author wanted to share with the people the truth that good fiction reveals: the truth about puertorricans. That is, it looks like people get an immediate sense of patriotism to see how a town was erased from history. Puerto Rican’s know the abuses that the American people rushed against Puerto Rico, the problem is that they forget or are given a blind eye when they give their coupons, housing and entertainment, among other things. They think that to swim against the current is comprehensive and to swim along is demeaning and insulting for the soul and freedom.So they are undecided and have a lifestyle like if nothing is happening around them (Ciudsv. com/Datos). We find r eality hard to believe and accept. The fiction on the other hand can easily be taken as true. How else can one explain that a publicity stunt by the author of Seva: The True Story of the American invasion in 1898 has caused such a stir, mostly clarifications and explanations from the area called the country's intelligence? Works Cited Lopez Nieves, Luis. Seva: Historia de la primera invasion norteamericana de la isla de Puerto Rico ocurrida en mayo de 1898. ra ed. Bogota, Colombia: Editorial Norma 2006 â€Å"Puerto Rico: Cementerio de la acrobacia†, revista Borinquen Grafico â€Å"? Seva Vive? â€Å". Site Oficial De Seva Vive. N. p. , n. d. Web. 25 June 2012. â€Å"Datos Personales Y BiogrA? ficos – Luis Lopez Nieves – Ciudad Seva. † Datos Personales Y BiogrA? ficos. N. p. , n. d. Web. 25 June 2012. . Seva – Luis Lopez Nieves. † Seva. N. p. , n. d. Web. 25 June 2012. ;http://ciudadseva. com/libros/seva. htm;.