Downtown Beirut, Response on Mohsens Article Essay Example for Free

Downtown Beirut, Response on Mohsens Article Essay Downtown Beirut: a spot pour les bourgeois In his article Downtown Beirut: A City of Ghosts? , published in the Alakhbar English journal on Saturday, January 7 2012, Ahmed Mohsen describes the heart of Beirut as an empty, fake, artificial hanging spot for the elite, so distant and alienated from the culture and the civilization of the good old Beirut known for its diversity among different social classes. Mohsen considers rebuilding the capital after the traumatizing war have indeed its true identity and covered its alleys with fake architecture that destroyed the historical beauty of what once was known as the Paris of the Middle East. For many, whats known today as Solidere , projects the new post war era, the era of a flourishing economy and an original society. In fact, the new buildings are indeed nothing more than an overpriced imitation of other countries architecture leaving the old Beirut and its rich Middle Eastern history nothing more than a memory along with its social traditions. Mohsen pointed out in his article that after rebuilding the center of the capital, the original citizens in Wadi Abu Jamil and its surroundings are no longer there. According to the authors article Wadi Abu Jamils original residents and owners have vanished. (Page #120) I personally believe that the old Beirut with its old, wrecked buildings and crowded dirty alleys is a unique haven of coexistence between the various religious sects and the different social classes unlike the new Down Town or DT with its new original buildings inhabited by only one social class. The High class. The reconstruction of Beirut put money and artificial beauty over the unity of the classes and the unity of the different peoples that lived for centuries in Lebanon and their reunification after the devastating war. In his article, the author criticized the fact that only rich people can shop or hang out in the DT saying For those who can afford it, the place to shop in downtown is Beirut souks. (Page # 119). In fact, all the shops present in downtown are indeed expensive for the average citizen. But the problem is that even the most basic things in a small shop are much more expensive than any other place in the country. Buying a simple cone of ice cream will cost you something around 2000 L. L in Lebanon, but buying it from downtown will cost you about 7000 L. L. All the artificial beauty that is supposed to encourage the Lebanese around the world to go back to their country is in fact, a repulsive, ugly place reserved for the elite and rich tourists from neighboring Arabic countries.

Essay --

In the world of pop culture, people look up to a myriad of interesting, talented, and inspiring peoples who influence the world. Singers, actors, athletes, celebrities, they all are relevant contributors to pop culture. People look up to them, discuss them, and read articles about them. The media showers these peoples with questions, compliments, and criticism. No other story is as inspiring as the story of a shy girl, born under the name of Diana Spencer, who became a symbol of generosity, wisdom, peace, and love for the world. Princess Diana, who married into the Royal Family, was one of the most influential and popular people in this world. Born on July 1, 1961, in Sandringham England, a small village in the county of Norfolk known only for the Sandringham House, â€Å"a favorite holiday home to Queen Elizabeth II and several of her predecessors†,(Sandringham, p.1) Diana went to an all girls’ school, and then later transferred to a public school. She failed her O- levels twice and was not considered academically strong. However, Diana was considered close to royalty, for she and her family had interacted frequently with them. Diana grew up playing with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, the younger siblings of Prince Charles. Interested in music and dancing, and a girl with a dream â€Å"to become a professional ballerina†(Diana, Princess of Whales p.1) Diana was extremely sorrowed when her parents separated. Placed in the custody of her father, who earned the acclaimed title of â€Å"Earl Spencer† in 1975, Diana earned a new title as he did, and became known as â€Å"Lady Diana Spencerâ⠂¬  in her youth. Lady Diana Spencer attended Riddlesworth Hall before boarding at West Health School, and went to the Swiss finishing school, the Institute Aplin ... ...ring came to Diana, who kept her title â€Å"Princess†, even after the divorce, on the night of August 30th, 1997. She died in a tragic car crash with current boyfriend Dodi Al- Fayed. The driver of the car was under the influence of alcohol, and was being pursued by photographers that night. Al Fayed and the driver died upon impact. Diana died a few hours later. Even after her death, her generosity and works were continued. A tribute to Diana’s contributions was paid through the Landmine bill of 1998 and the Ottawa Treaty in 1997. Both of these documents were about landmines and followed Diana’s views on them. After her death, Diana’s legacy was continued by the Diana, Princess of Whales Memorial Fund which â€Å"supports the sick in Africa, helps refugees, and stops landmines.† (Biography Online, p.2) Diana, the People’s Princess, will live on in people’s hearts forever.

Planning and Preparing for Teaching and Learning Essay

At present my role is of a hairdressing teacher in a further education college. I currently teach hairdressing on the NVQ level 1, 2 and 3 programs. Gravel’s, A (2006, p5) suggests that it is all about helping someone to reach their full potential, whether this is for personal or professional reasons, and for me, helping to make a difference to someone’s life can be very rewarding. Within this assignment I am aiming to discuss the learning outcomes as outlined in Unit 1 – Planning and preparing for teaching and learning to define the roles and responsibilities of a teacher. Reece and Walker (2003, P4) describe a modern teacher as being a facilitator and when comparing a modern teaching role to more traditional teaching methods, I agree that this is true. As the modern role requires the teacher to be able to communicate with the learners in such a way as to inspire and encourage all learners to engage within their chosen subject. To be able to do this is vital when teaching within further education as groups consist of not just different age ranges but also learners from different learning backgrounds, with individual needs and abilities. Due to this diversity, it becomes more important for teachers to explore new and inventive ways when approaching schemes of work and session plans, whilst ensuring it covers all the aims and outcomes of the syllabus set out by the awarding body (VTCT) and follows an internal strategy which is monitored by an external verifier to ensure that standards are being adhered to. By doing this it will ensure that the aims and o bjectives planned in a session are meaningful and relevant to all learners. One of the roles of a teacher is to identify learners’ needs thus ensuring the learners are not only on the correct course but also on the correct level for their ability. It is my responsibility to facilitate initial assessments, assessing and monitoring the various learning styles for each individual learner, taking into consideration the learners prior experiences, knowledge and motivation both academically and within their home life in order for individuals to achieve their full potential. During this initial assessment the learner is encouraged to disclose any disabilities and/or learning difficulties so that any need for additional support may be identified and the appropriate measures can be put into place to support them. This could be in class support, adapted or specialised equipment or resources or referring them to a specialised department for support or guidance. It is also the responsibility of the teacher to know what will need to be disclosed and what is to be kept confidential. Due to government requirements, to improve basic core skills further assessments (BKSB) are carried out which identify learners’ levels in numeracy, literacy and ICT. The completion of these tests allow for any additional learning needs to be identified thus ensuring that support is put into place to assist the learner. This allows for more effective learning to take place and will allow the teacher a deeper insight into the learners’ level of learning therefore allowing the teacher to challenge the more capable learner whilst allowing the less able learner to be encouraged. Another role of the teacher would be to plan for the academic year. This would include producing a scheme of work for each unit covered. The scheme of work is a working document and is frequently evaluated and reflected throughout the year and adapted as I gain a deeper knowledge of each learner’s requirements. This knowledge is gained through the initial assessments which would include a learning style questionnaire, observations carried out during sessions and from each learner’s ILP (individual learning plan) which is a document produced by each individual learner that takes into consideration the learner’s strengths and weaknesses. While more traditional teaching methods are based on the principle that all learners should get equal attention, follow the same curriculum and are assessed at the same level (‘One size fits all’), an ILP presumes that the needs of each individual learner are different, and therefore should be addressed on an individual basis. Research has shown that putting emphasis on the individual learner’s role is vital to a productive learning experience. It is important to take this into consideration when producing resources and session plans to ensure that all sessions are inclusive to all learners. Regularly updating and assessing the individual learner’s ILP enables me to review a learner’s progress, negotiate priorities with the learner and agree with them an individual learning plan. By doing this it will allow the learner to take responsibility for their own education whist ensuring that they are following the same curriculum design. I would then input the individual goals set onto an assessment tracking system (Pro-monitor) this information is available to all teachers in that curriculum area so that they are aware of individual goals set ensuring continuity and in turn creating an assessment cycle action plan for the academic year. This process allows for the learner’s progress to be continually reviewed against the goals that have been set and allows for them to be amended in order to extend. It is the responsibility of the teacher to have a detailed profile of the learners, to allow for differentiation in session plans. The responsibility is to plan lessons that will incorporate varying learning styles to ensure that learners have equal rights to learn. The completion of attendance records, carrying out one to one interviews and clear differentiation sheets for all learners should be completed and regularly updated and records kept. It is the teacher’s responsibility to recognise the limitations and boundaries within their role, therefore referring learners to the relevant departments for support that falls outside of their expertise for example, the ESOL, Learner Support, and Counselling departments. As Dow and Truman said, â€Å"Teachers do not – and certainly should not – act alone, nor should they imagine that there are no limits or boundaries to their responsibilities† (Dow & Truman, 1995). The teacher needs to remember the aim of ’Every Child Matters’ (ECM, 2003) and that every child has the right to learn in a safe learning environment that promotes openness and trust. Ensuring the layout of the classroom is suitable, gives all learners an equal opportunity to engage in activities. However in my specific role as a hairdressing teacher this is not always possible when working in the salon where all learners have individual stations to work at. Whilst this is beneficial for independent learning I always ensure that there is an open space to gather learners for demonstrations and group work.

A Definition Of Strategic Leadership - 1868 Words

A Definition of Strategic Leadership â€Å"The key to strategic planning is competent strategic leadership.† Strategic leadership requires personal outlook of the church which will increase the involvement and ministry outreach of the congregants. Strategic leadership in the twenty-first century has increased as the rising Millennial generation places new aspects of leadership which require higher standards more relevance from the church; becoming transparent. Malphurs stresses the concern of the church, stating, â€Å"I have compared the typical church in North America to a ship without a compass, drifting aimlessly on the ocean. It doesn’t know where it is or where it is going. And if that is not bad enough, the winds of change and the current of postmodernism are relentlessly blowing and pulling the church even farther off course.† Postmodernism has become the venom the church has struggled to keep the church alive by biblically attacking the theory â€Å"t here is no absolute truth,† which contradictory to the biblical context. Strategic leadership has increased amazingly in most areas of the church, but in the majority, the church has declined because of the lack thereof. Competent strategic Christian leadership is having the ability to lead spiritually, gifted with the ability to lead, and to communicate your plan, vision, and mission effectively which directs your members in the same path. 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