I was on the news last night

I just have received this email for one friend.. and I'm really proud
=) Thank you guys!

Hi Juliana

I couldn't believe it when I spotted you on the news last night. Well done - it was a great story.

In case you didn't catch it you'll be pleased to know I recorded it. You can view it here:
http://www.themessagegroup.com.au/last-nights-news.php?title=20090125-Juliana-Maddalena_create.html

Congratulations again.

Grammar Review / Hedging in Academic Writing

‘Vague language and hedging’

To ‘hedge’:

· To use an intentionally noncommittal or ambiguous statement
· To use evasive or deliberately vague language
· To avoid fulfilling or answering a question completely
· To be confidently uncertain
· To use verbal and adverbial expressions such as can, perhaps, may, suggest, which deal with degrees of probability

In order to distinguish between facts and claims, writers often use tentative language such as it seems likely that... or arguably.... This technique is called hedging or vague language. Hedging is crucial in academic discourse, and hedge words account for approximately 1 word in every 100 in scientific articles.

Example: “Our results seem to suggest that in less industrialised countries the extensive use of land to grow exportation products tends to impoverish these countries' populations even more”.

It is often believed that academic writing, particularly scientific writing, is factual. However an important feature of academic writing is the concept of cautious language, or "hedging". It is necessary to make decisions about your stance on a particular subject, or the strength of the claims you are making. The appropriate use of hedging strategies for academic argumentation is a significant resource for student writers and plays an important part in demonstrating competence in a specialist register.

Four reasons to hedge

1- By hedging, authors tone down their statements in order to reduce the risk of opposition. This position associates hedges with scientific imprecision and defines them as linguistic cues of bias which avoid personal accountability for statements.

2- Writers want their readers to know that they do not claim to have the final word on the subject.
Expressing a lack of certainty does not necessarily show confusion or vagueness. One could consider hedges as ways of being more precise in reporting results. Hedging may present the true state of the writers' understanding and may be used to negotiate an accurate representation of the state of the knowledge under discussion. In fact, academic writers may well wish to reduce the strength of claims simply because stronger statements would not be justified by the data or evidence presented.

3- Hedges may be understood as positive or negative politeness strategies in which the writer tries to appear humble rather than arrogant or all-knowing. Hedging is a rational interpersonal strategy which supports the writer's position, builds writer-reader (speaker/listener) relationships and guarantees a certain level of acceptability in a community. Once a claim becomes widely accepted, it is then possible to present it without a hedge.

4- A certain degree of hedging has become conventionalized; hedging now functions to conform to an established writing style in English.


Modal auxiliary verbs: may, might, can, could, would, should

‘Such a measure might be more sensitive to changes in health after specialist treatment.’

Modal lexical verbs doubting and evaluating rather than merely describing
to seem, to appear (epistemic verbs), to believe, to assume, to suggest, to estimate, to tend, to think, to argue, to indicate, to propose, to speculate

‘

In spite of its limitations, the study appears to have a number of important strengths.’

Probability adjectives: possible, probable, un/likely

‘It is likely to result in failure.’

Nouns
assumption, claim, possibility, estimate, suggestion

‘We estimate that one in five marriages end in divorce.’

Adverbs
perhaps, possibly, probably, practically, likely, presumably, virtually, apparently

‘There is, perhaps, a good reason why she chose to write in the first person.’

Approximators of degree, quantity, frequency and time
approximately, roughly, about, often, occasionally, generally, usually, somewhat, somehow, a lot of

‘Fever is present in about a third of cases.’

Introductory phrases
believe, to our knowledge, it is our view that, we feel that

‘We believe that there is no simple explanation.’

“If” clauses: if true, if anything

‘If true, our study contradicts the myth that men make better managers than women.’

Compound hedges: seems reasonable, looks probable

Such compound hedges can be double hedges (it may suggest that; it seems likely that; it would indicate that; this probably indicates); treble hedges (it seems reasonable to assume that); quadruple hedges (it would seem somewhat unlikely that, it may appear somewhat speculative that) and so on.

Ecology of food and nutrition : an international journal

Library and resources for food industry

Metranet and Library Services are very usefull. I have read a good article from the journal Ecology of Food and Nutrition, which I found at Library Catalogues from LondonMet, it is about Globalisation and Cow's Milk production and consumption: Biocultural perspectives

Author: Wiley, Andrea S.¹ Source: Ecology of Food and Nutrition, Volume 46, Numbers 3-4, May 2007 , pp. 281-312(32) Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

**If you want to read any article related with your subject area, link to:
http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/services/sas/library-services/subject-help/subjects/foodsci/journals.cfm

**My notes about this article:

Milk is increasingly becoming a globalized food, consumed by populations that have not traditionally included it in the diet. It is being widely promoted, especially for children, and is included in most food-based dietary guidelines. Justifications for increasing cow’s milk consumption usually focus on its “healthiness” and its ability to enhance the growth of children. It appears that populations are receptive to such messages about milk, and along with perceptions of milk as a “modern” or “western” food, these contribute to increasing milk consumption.

The globalization of milk also must be understood as a function of declining consumption in countries that have traditionally consumed large quantities of milk. This has caused dairy industries to search for new markets abroad, and they are especially interested in marketing in Asian countries where incomes are rising and populations are large or growing. But what is curious about this process is that while milk is broadly considered a “traditional” food in European and European-derived societies, it is seen as “modern,” “scientific,” or “cool” in countries such as China. It is hard to imagine American teenagers or adults drinking milk because it is a “cool” drink, or drinking it on festive occasions.

One of the most important and odd aspects of this process is the fact that many Asian populations, among whom growth in dairy consumption is greatest, also have high rates of lactase resistance. Large numbers of individuals are therefore vulnerable to the symptoms of lactose intolerance when they consume milk. Given this, it seems strange that fluid milk should be widely perceived as a particularly healthy food. It is salient that the greatest success that dairy producers may have in Asian countries will be with yoghurt, or other fermented milk beverages.

Fermentation results in diminished lactose concentrations and thereby circumvents potential problems with lactose intolerance. As Japan’s experience demonstrates, milk consumption may level out at relatively low per capita amounts, but the market for yoghurt-based drinks may have more potential for growth in populations with high rates of lactase resistance.

Yoghurt’s growth potential may also be facilitated by familiarity with other fermented white drinks (i.e., soy milk) among Asian populations. Although milk is similar to other foods such as corn or cassava that can generate health problems (pellagra [niacin deficiency] or cyanide poisoning, respectively) without proper processing techniques (and which had rather checkered histories of acceptance), milk’s rapid ascendancy may be due to a universal familiarity with milk consumption by infants, and milk’s intrinsic health- and growth-promoting characteristics. That populations of economically powerful and culturally dominant countries have long traditions of milk consumption, and these attributes can be correlated with larger body sizes (especially height), further contributes to positive evaluations of milk among populations with no tradition of milk drinking.

How these ideas articulate with experiences of lactose intolerance as more people have more experience with milk will be an important topic for investigation. And of course, whether increased milk drinking will have the widely anticipated (but scientifically unfounded) positive effects on height also remains to be seen.

Attend a live lecture / talk or seminar in London

Hello, friends
January almost finish, this month was really good for me, 18 days ran, I have learned, wrote and talk about globalisation and issues about sustainability, environment, agriculture, and poverty.. I have read several books about this topic, actually 4 and those books helped me. Also, I've listened two lectuares and good videos about poverty and food production.. yeah! I made a hard work, and probably I will continue for my master course.. I would like to suggest for all students to attend a live lecture in London. It will help develop our listening skills for understanding lectures and talks. One of the places to attend is at UCL, and I will try to attend in special: 27 January: President Obama and America in the world: from inauguration to action, 26 February: Children and the environment - independence or obesity?, 5 March: The future of Brazil

After those events I 'll post a brief notes and write a summary of the main points afterwards.

LUNCH HOUR LECTURES

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lhl/

• Feed your mind at lunchtime
• Free and open to everyone, with places allocated on a first-come, first-served basis
• Watch the lectures online (each lecture is available to watch online from 7 days after the event)

Time and location: 1.15–1.55pm, Darwin Lecture Theatre, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT. Please click here for a map to the Darwin Lecture Theatre. Please note the entrance to the Darwin Building is via Malet Place.

Admission: Free and open to everyone with no need to book. Please arrive early as places are limited. Admittance is on a first-come first-served basis.

Watch online: If you are unable to attend, all Lunch Hour Lectures will be available to watch online from 7 days after the event

My Essay Conclusion / Sustainable World

This is a sum up of each part of my conclusion [in brackets]

Overall globalisation favour only small economic elite, leaving behind the economically weak and fostering a negative impact income distribution. Also, agriculture and food system are symbols of economic imperialism.

[This sentence provide a link to the previous paragraph and refers to the main subject that was discussed in the body in the essay]

There are explicit problems with the economic conditions for local communities, especially when applied at the global level. As well, the processes of trade liberalisation-globalisation are not uniform and in fact there is a disproportion between the rich and poor countries for agricultural industries, sustainability and environment as well as income and poverty.

[These sentences refer back to the particular problem areasforeshadowes in the introduction and identufy solutions.]

Despite the fact that the planet has some considerable extra capacity in food production, the problem is that many citizens in poor countries just can’t afford the prices.

[This sentence refers back to the thesis statement in the introduction and identifies a key finding of the study]

Above all, in other to minimise environment problems and to maintain our wildlife, rich countries could spend money directly on helping poor rural areas, just as it should be on declining industrial regions. Also, people are willing to pay a large premium for organic produce; and some farmers will be able to make a living more sustainable.

[The final sentence suggests future trends and makes a final recommendation for further study]

FIRST DRAFT _ Checklist

• YES! there is a brief overview relating to globalisation


• YES! you would be able to guess by reading the introduction


• YES! It's relation to my own subject area and narrow down the focus of the essay.


• YES! there's a Thesis Statement


• Well about the correct length.. it's around 200, so maybe I have to change this..

My Global Ideas.. and Sustainable Food System

We live in a luxury world for ones but we also live in a world with poverty, famines and overpopulation. What's this global phenomenon represent for our real life, in special for food production? Integration of world economy? So one of the factors to grown the economy in the world is when food system has burgeoned in face of globalisation. Moreover, the chemical products like fertilizes and pesticides were used for modern agriculture solving the problem of overpopulation. However, terrible disasters for our environment and unsustainable agriculture reflect this time our real world.

Globalisation lecture

Globalisation
Credit crunch, first time after great depression
Banks are lending money 5times more than people's income.
Since the house prices are decreased, people have to sell their houses to the lower prices than they used to.

*Lecture notes:
sub-prime mortgages => credit/$ <= Bank => CDOs/$ <= asset-backed securities sold globally -Mortgages defaults increase -Flow of money stops -Banks concerns over asset-backed securities interbank lending stops *Global effect : usa (CDOs) => uk(CDOs) => europe (CDOs) => china(CDOs) =>india (CDOs)financial markets are global effects
If something happens in one country it will be spread to entirely different country because of the global markets.

Liquidity crises => not enough money for us and also for businesses and because of the liquidity crises everyone started to suffer. businesses go to bankruptcy , they cannot expand, people lose their jobs, living costs are getting higher etc.banks in turmoilin UK, northern rock and in USA, bear stearns are collapsedstock market roller coaster ( failing month by month)

Philosophy of globalisation-liberalization : whatever you do is OK as long as you re making money liberalization: trade, finance, production-all the laws specified for globalization, trade agreements etc. everything is free up the movement of goods and services they removed the rules and regulations but it had side effects of course like air pollution , cheap labour.

Free trade becomes rid of restrictions and brings no obligationsnot for everyone though, somebody had to payonly big multinational companies like coca cola , Gap , Zara can use the advantages

How to organize cause and effect essays

Cause and Effect Essay

Today, in the first part of the class, Helen (my excellent teacher) explained us about the diferences of CAUSE x EFFECT and how we should use this in a student essay..

Definition:

• In this kind of essay, the aim is to explain the causes (reasons) or the effects (results) of an event or situation.

e.g. Causes of air pollution (multiple factors leading to air pollution).
e.g. Effects of watching too much TV (many effects of a situation).

• Sometimes an event causes something to happen, and that situation leads to another event, and it causes another event to happen. This is called the causal chain or domino effect.

e.g. Use of deodorants will bring the end of the world.

• There may be several causes or effects of a situation. However, in a student essay, it is advisable to keep the number of major points to 2 or 3, which form separate developmental paragraphs.

Organization:
Depending on the topic, there may be three patterns of organization:
1. Multiple causes-->effect
In this pattern, the organization is as follows:

• Thesis statement: Air pollution is caused by the following factors: exhaust gases from cars, uncontrolled factory releases, and burning of low-quality coal for heating.

I. exhaust gases from cars A. government does not have enough control B. citizens are not conscientious
II. uncontrolled factory gases A. no regular checks on gases released B. factories are inside the borders of residential areas
III. burning of low-quality coal for heating A. no governmental control B. other forms of energy too expensive Each developmental paragraph is devoted to one of the causes of air pollution. Each cause is supported by two minor supports. While writing, these major and minor ideas should be adequately explained and exemplified as well.

2. Cause-->Multiple effects In this pattern, the effects of a certain situation are explained in separate paragraphs, with the following organization:

• Thesis statement: Watching too much TV is one of the major sociological issues of this century, which has many effects on the physiology and psychology of people.

I. eating disorders
A. TV meals
B. obesity
II. communication problems
A. more violence
B. no interpersonal talk

• Again, we have grouped related effects under two main points: physiological and psychological. Then, we have supported each effect with two minor supports (A and B). While writing, we should explain these major and minor supports by giving examples and/or defining what we mean, as well.

3. Causal chain / Domino
In this pattern, the events lead to one another, as in the following organization:

• Thesis statement: Using deodorants with chlorofluorocarbon gas will bring th end of world.

I. Chlorofluorocarbon gases are contained in most deodorants and released by some factories into the air.
II. This gas causes the ozone layer to become thinner and finally disappear in patches.
III. The unfiltered ultraviolet rays of the sun cause overheating in the poles of the earth, where the icebergs start to melt. IV. The huge amount of water released from the poles leads to a rise in the sea-level.
V. The sea will cover the land and this will be the end of the world.

• Again, each major point should be supported with examples, statistics that show that there are some factories and deodorants that release chlorofluorocarbons, that there is a rise in the sea-level, etc.

Language:

• To explain reasons and results, we use:
• As a result,
• As a consequence,
• Consequently,
• So,
• Since
• As,
• Because
• One reason why ...
• One of the most important reasons why ...
• The main reasons why ...
• There are other reasons, too, ...

Do not forget that using transitions enables the piece of writing to be coherent; it is easier for the reader to follow our ideas when transitions are used to link them together. However, overuse of transitions causes a traffic jam and should be avoided. We should be using transitions sparingly (only when necessary).

Essay checklist: 10 things to consider

Hello, I found this website very interesting from Jim's favourite list websites..
“Essay Check list”
http://www.essex.ac.uk/myskills/skills/default.asp

One
Have you understood and responded to the question?

Two
Does your introduction state your response and outline how you will present it: your strategy, argument, evidence?

Three
Have you discussed and properly referenced the most important literature? Have you assessed, critiqued, compared and/or contrasted this literature?

Four
Have you discussed the strongest, most significant arguments/theories relevant to your topic?

Five
Have you set out your argument and supporting evidence in a logical, persuasive sequence? Does your essay have a structure?

Six
Have you linked it all up and signposted to tell the reader what you are doing at every step and how it relates to the overall argument?

Seven
Have you connected the empirical evidence and specific arguments to a broader theoretical or conceptual framework?

Eight
Have you considered the underlying principles of your argument?

Nine
Have you shown any independent judgement, imaginative response, reflection?

Ten
Have you recapped your argument in the conclusion? Restated your answer to the question? Suggested the implications?

Authored by: Dr Theresa Crowley, Department of Government

Am I ready to study in English?

Self-assessment exercises: reading and understanding
The homework that Jim passed in his class last monday.. and I didn't forget.. see my result:

Task 3: Science: Keeping our water clean
1- A (correct)
2-A (correct)
3-B (correct)
4-A (incorrect)
5-A (correct)
6-B (correct)

Self-assessment
It was not a problem at all. I understood the tasks and got most of them right.

Happy 2009!

Hello, happy new year!

2009 already start and my course too.. so, it's time to write a little bit!

This month 3 my written assignment and presentation are about Globalisation.. what on earth is it about?

- global communication

- global revolution

- global migration

- global econony

...??? Globalisation is a reality that for better or worse, touches our lives in ways most us never stop to think about..

No one doubts that some very significant global processes—economic, social, cultural, political and environmental—are underway and that they affect (nearly)everyone and (nearly) everything. Yet, there is no agreement onexactly how to define this thing we call “globalization,” nor onexactly which parts of it are good or bad, and for whom.

- Globalization defines our era.

- While it has created a great deal of debate in economic, policy, and grassroots circles, many aspects of the phenomenon remain virtual terra incognita.

- How globalization and large-scale immigration are affecting food and environment? Taking into consideration broad historical, cultural, technological, and demographic changes, who benefits and who does not with these global transformations; how the benefits and the costs of these processes can be shared fairly; how the opportunities can be maximized by all; and how the risks can be minimized.

I will continue with my 'brainstorm' until start my first draft.. =) have a good night!