Reporting: Summary.

As part of an essay, you need to include a section of about 100 words on the advantages and disadvantages of progress from the Samoans' point of view.

Progress in Samoa

Samoa is changing. Globalisation's influence is skimming over that back-country. Samoans are self-governmented, they have their parlament. Their main incomes come from banana's plantations, forefather's custom. However, moderity's infuence is strong and the population feels it. 'Most Samoans want the modern amenities, but they don't want to throw away our culture to get them' as a local journalist says. The concrete is that Samoa's economy cannot survive a long time without its emigrant money. A right compromise between past and future can undoudtedly bring the Samoa's economy up again. (89 WORDS)

Full text can be found HERE.

Reflective wwriting on the Pre-sessional course and university study

So far so good! The Pre-sessional english course is almost finished and I am quite satisfied with me. School atmosphere make me feel blissfully happy, everywhere. I have learnt from it lots of useful things which undoubtedly will return helpful for my Master. With this course I have refreshed basic knowledges, seen how write an academic essay in the proper way, connect ideas each other, paraphrasing in my own words and much more. The interactive way used by teachers, as well as seminars and lectures, is quite stimulating, rather different from the italian one where method is more static.
The person who planned the Pre-sessional course is a GENIUS! The last month has oriented our attention on our subject area, laying the foundations for our further studies. Frankly, I have spent barely more than one year neglecting my chemical-physical-polimeric concerns. Therefore, it is time to BONE UP ON everything that is related closely with polymers. The sooner I start, the better!

Essay Conclusion

In conclusion, material science is synonymous with innovation and new opportunities from which everyone can obtain benefit and capitalize on. The globalisation of polymeric commodities and consumer goods accessible to all has unified many aspects of people’s everyday life worldwide, for better or for worse. Plastic pollution is just one among the hints that have make grow an environmental awareness in the people, which must lead to a more efficient and widespread use of renewable sources and recyclable materials. Health hazards are also concerns that clearly have to be analysed first than all the others because every single person’s life is priceless, as well as planet conservation. Things are changing with fast pace within polymer science today. The run towards new enhancements presupposes nanopolymers everywhere. Notwithstanding, there is need to view where it goes in order to not plasticize more tastes and scents of our world.

I reckon my introduction has and focused with different words the main ideas previously mentioned within the essay. There are some general overview I personally share, aims and predictions for the future. A little provocation can be get from the last phrase...

Topping off, I am rather satisfy for the global result.

Library resources for globalisation research

I have borrowed three books from the University Library:

* Scott G.: Polymers and The Environment. RSC 1999

* Khemani K. and Scholz C.: Degradable Polymers and Materials - Principles and Practice. ACS,Washington DC, 2005

* Bower D.I. : An Introduction to Polymer Physics. CUP, Cambridge, 2002.

All of them are high-specific for polymers, they show mechanism of reactions, formulae, the inner chemical matter, very very little about globalisation. However, I have taken some good quote from them about my essay issue and its concerns related with chemistry, material science and polymers. The last one is also one of the books I will have to use for my Master, even if I pass this month!!!

Diagnostic Language Test and follow-up

In order to have nice feeling and appeal with university courses, it is important understand and be confident with all the situation we match with. Juggling with the right vocabulary needed to follow lession, write works with the appropriate style and structures are the most important skills to play with. I will try to do the science task, the third one, from http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=302454 .
All my answers have been right, after a check, in the task n°1 about Pollution. Reorganising my ideas re-paraphrsing has been a bit more difficult without the vocabulary. Synonyms and acronyms need to strenghten. In the second task, note n°3 is the most effective among the others. I have rewrite in my own word the Essay about Whose health it is anyway. I cannot judge it...sorry! I will write it. The mean of the sixth part has been clear, even if I have make some mistakes. The assessment n°7 has been very tricky: it has took me long time to do it with lots of errors.
Summarising:
1) Can I read and understand academic couse books and materials? A
2) Can I identify (and make notes on) the main points from written and spoken material? A
3) Can I express concepts and ideas in my own words? B
4) Can I organise my writing so that the meaning of my argument is clear? B
5) Can I use correct grammar, punctuation and spelling? A

This tutorial has been massively useful because it has make me think about lots of other things to brush up all over again!!!
Hence, bye.

Reith Lecture - Anthony Giddens

Anthony Giddens, in his lecture on BBC Radio 4, gives an overview about the revolution that globalisation has been producing throughout the world.
Globalisation means international trades, wide range of goods and services, and moreover, hight level of finance and capital flows. However, it includes not only economical concerns, but also technological, political and cultural ones.
The input of this revolution has been given by the birth of the electronic way of communication. He says: " When the image Nelson Mandela maybe is more familiar to us then the face of our neighbour, something has changed in the nature of our everyday experience".
Owing to improvements in the speed of sharing news, travelling, and communicating, globalisation has modified people's attidudes and behaviours in "the little" as well as the Earth: family speaks about today's happenings and facts. On the other hand, globalisation is the reason for the revival of cultural identities. Local nationalism spring up as a response to these cosmopolitan tendencies.
However, this is not all flowers! There are so many drawbacks deriving from globalisation. The share of the poorest fifth of the world's population is dropping, whereas the portion taken by the richest fifth is rising. Economy must be found on stabil criteria. Nowadays, it is possible destabilize the world just with couple of mouse clicks.
Prof. Giddens finds on protectionism a point for a new growth for some under-developed countries. There is the need of a reform within powerful nations in order to carry out tasks they are called to perform. We need equity.

ABOUT WIKIPEDIA

I agree with his thought, especially for some scientific topics.
Can anyone leave a comment, please?

[...]"In the online version of this essay, I make frequent use of Wikipedia articles as references for two reasons: first, I am fond of Wikipedia as one of the best examples of Open Source development; and second, Wikipedia articles are as good as, and often better than, equivalent articles in expensive encyclopedias. I can rest assured that all Wikipedia references that I use in this article will be maintained under the spontaneous quality assurance and control processes that are emerging within the Wikipedia community, and will be further improved by countless users and experts. So, linking to Wikipedia is much safer than linking to a commercial website that may disappear if the owner goes out of business". [...]

Giulio Prisco serves on the Board of Directors of the IEET. Giulio is a former physicist and computer scientist, and former senior manager in the European space administration. Based in Madrid, Spain, Giulio runs the consulting company metafuturing and contributes to the science and technology online magazineTendencias 21. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Humanuty Plus, of which he is Executive Director.

Overview of your subject area

Chemistry is the science concerned with the study of the matter, its composition and its properties. Everything is made by atoms which join together forming molecules. Properties and interactions among atoms are matter of Material Science. It studies the relation between the structure of materials in atomic scale and the macroscopic properties. Among the countless branches of material science, polymeric materials are deeply and thoroughly studied. Even if we don't realize it, we are surrounded by polymers from shoes' sole to hat, from carpets to cars' dashboard, for example. Modifying the polymerisation process, it may obtain different polymeric material properties, making the request and wish ones.
Recent technologies have allowed scientists to work with atoms. Yes, with 'almost' single atoms! Nowadays, it is possible make thin layers depth one single atom. It is hard to immagine, is not it? The picture on the side shows exactly this. Atoms are represented by spheres. A number of physical and chemical properties of nanometric systems changes compared to macroscopic ones. This implies the great chanche to discovery and improve materials' characteristics.
Polymers look towards nanoscience and its applications useful in our life. For instance, nanofibers well orientated show reinforcement when subject to stress, they have higher conductivity and capacitance. Many nanopolymers find applications in medicine, electronic, devices; carbon nanotubes are used in aerospace and nanomechanical system. The development's possibilities are enormous in all sectors.
However, there are some drawbacks related to nanostructures. Nanoparticles produced during the reactions are very dangerous whether inhaled leading breathing problems. Moreover, they penetre into the skin destroying cellular apparatus. Also environment may be negatively affected by water and air polluter.
Researches throughout all the chemical branches have been doing well. Material science is a sector that clearly will bring some new useful technologies and improvements to all the world.

Useful websites:
http://hi-ce.org/PDFs/Big_Ideas_of_Nanoscience-20feb07.pdf
http://biocfarm.unibo.it/samori/nanobio/Intro08.pdf
http://www.nanocompositech.com/nanotechnology/nanotechnology-overview.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology

'Internet detective' Tutorial

The internet is a very wide world as the acronym related "www" implies. In it there is everything that it wants to find. Everybody can write on a webpage any thing or think, post all the informations wished. For this reason, it should discern among the sources because it might be possible getting stuck in hoaxes, pitfalls or even something worse. Moreover, it may get lose into the vastness of the field searched, stumble on bad or out-of-date news.
However, using the internet appropriately and critically, it can reach good results. Evaluating the quality of the informations found is one of the first steps to do. Also the reliability and credibility of the source is a key point that must not be underestimate. Academic websites are the best sources where get informations from. Peer reviewed articles are guaranteed and sure but, however, there is need to have a critical eye.
After all, the best sources ever are the books. Most reliable articles and news are written on paper. However researches need longer times than the online ones. Notwithstanding, the final work could worth it.
A very important thing to remember everytime is cite the sources quoted properly. Whether this is either not done or improperly done, it runs the risk of plagiarism that can bring also penal sanctions.
From Internet detective tutorial I have understood the way how get the informations needed, how pick up only the trustworthy ones and reject bogus news. Indeed, this tutorial has been very helpful for me!

HAPPY NEW YEAR
HAPPY NEW YEAR
HAPPY NEW YEAR