Bilingualism - Definition and Examples

Bilingualism s Bilingualism is the ability of an individual or the members of a community to use two languages effectively. Adjective: bilingual. Monolingualism refers to the ability to use a single language. The ability to use multiple languages is known as multilingualism. More than half of the  worlds population is bilingual or  multilingual: 56% of Europeans are bilingual, while 38% of the population in Great Britain, 35% in Canada, and 17% in the United States are bilingual (Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia, 2013). Etymology From the Latin, two tongue Examples and Observations Bilingualism as the NormBilingualismmore generally, multilingualismis a major fact of life in the world today. To begin with, the worlds estimated 5,000 languages are spoken in the worlds 200 sovereign states (or 25 languages per state), so that communication among the citizens of many of the worlds countries clearly requires extensive bi- (if not multi-)lingualism. In fact, David Crystal (1997) estimates that two-thirds of the worlds children grow up in a bilingual environment. Considering only bilingualism involving English, the statistics that Crystal has gathered indicate that, of the approximately 570 million people world-wide who speak English, over 41 percent or 235 million are bilingual in English and some other language. . . . One must conclude that, far from being exceptional, as many lay people believe, bilingualism/multilingualismwhich, of course, goes hand in hand with multiculturalism in many casesis currently the rule throughout the world and will become increasingly s o in the future.(Tej K. Bhatia and William C. Ritchie, Introduction. The Handbook of Bilingualism. Blackwell, 2006) Global MultilingualismThe political history of the 19th and 20th centuries and the ideology of one stateone nationone language have given rise to the idea that monolingualism has always been the default or normal case in Europe and more or less a precondition for political loyalty. Facing this situation, it has been overlooked that the vast majority of the worlds populationin whatever form or conditionsis multilingual. This is quite obvious when we look at the linguistic maps of Africa, Asia or Southern America at any given time.(Kurt Braunmà ¼ller and Gisella Ferraresi, Introduction. Aspects of Multilingualism in European Language History. John Benjamins, 2003)Individual and Societal BilingualismBilingualism exists as a possession of an individual. It is also possible to talk about bilingualism as a characteristic of a group or community of people [societal bilingualism]. Bilinguals and multilinguals are most often located in groups, communities or in a particular region (e.g. Cata lans in Spain). . . . [C]o-existing languages may be in a process of rapid change, living in harmony or one rapidly advancing at the cost of the other, or sometimes in conflict. Where many language minorities exist, there is often language shift . . ..(Colin Baker and Sylvia Prys Jones, Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education. Multilingual Matters, 1998) Foreign Language Instruction in the U.S.For decades, U.S. policymakers, business leaders, educators, and research organizations have decried our students’ lack of foreign language skills and called for better language instruction. Yet, despite these calls for action, we have fallen further behind the rest of the world in preparing our students to communicate effectively in languages other than English.I believe the main reason for this disparity is that foreign languages are treated by our public education system as less important than math, science and English. In contrast, E.U. governments expect their citizens to become fluent in at least two languages plus their native tongue. . . .[F]oreign language instruction in the U.S. is frequently considered a luxury, a subject taught to college-bound students, more frequently in affluent than poor school districts, and readily cut when math or reading test scores drop or budget cuts loom.(Ingrid Pufahl, How Europe Does It. The New York Times, February. 7, 2010)

Converse Terms

Converse Terms Converse Terms Converse Terms By Sharon Ive been reading a book on linguistics recently. During the process I have discovered some new terminology, such as converse terms. This phrase describes pairs of words where one word reverses the relationship that is denoted by the first. As someone else put it, theres a relationship of equivalence. In other words, if you are my mother, then I have to be your daughter. If I am standing over a bridge, then the bridge is under my feet. Here are some more examples: ancestor and descendant before and after bequeath and inherit buy and sell doctor and patient employer and employee father and son give and receive guest and host husband and wife infer and imply lend and borrow parents and children predator and prey sister and brother teach and learn teacher and student trainer and trainee Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Spelling Test 1How to Pronounce MobilePreposition Mistakes #1: Accused and Excited

Company Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Company Law - Essay Example AoA) or Memorandum of Association (MoA) (Tomasic, Bottomley and McQueen, 2002). The key legal issue identified is in the case scenario concentrates on whether the actions of Anna and Susanna were focused on yielding personal benefits or the company’s interest. Step 2: The Relevant Law A company’s management is generally administered by the provisions of Corporations Law under Section 134 which applies to companies as ‘replaceable laws’ by constitution. However, it is the sole discretion of the company’s management to decide on the number of replaceable laws to be applied which are mentioned in the Corporations Act 2001. Furthermore, Section 140(1)(b) of the Corporations Act 2001 states that replaceable and constitution laws are obliged to a contract engaging the company and its directors under which every director agrees to adhere to the rules and constitutions mentioned as per the organisational interests (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2011). In relation to Section 198 of Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) the directors of the companies possess the authority to exercise all the discretionary powers except for those which require additional approvals in accordance to the constitution. With reference to Section 198C, the directors of a company may assign a managing director and bestow the personnel with responsibilities according to their convenience and requirements. Furthermore, the management also enjoys the authority to cancel or reassign powers of the managing director, who have been assigned with the discretion of all the directors (Tomasic, Bottomley and McQueen, 2002). Under the act, if a company or its entitled directors aim to appoint a managing director it must ensure that the formalities comply with the Corporations Act 2001 as mentioned under Section 198C. The law specifies that the directors of the company should adhere to certain rules that have been decided and assigned to the managing director, irrespective of their discreti onary powers. Breaching of contracts or agreements within the directors or shareholders of a company may lead to violation of the law as stated in Section 180(1) by the Corporate Law Reform Act 1992. A similar situation have been identified in the case of Vines v ASIC (2007) 73 NSWLR 451, where the director breached the common law or contract, and consequentially, the court agreed that the judgement could amount to sue the director for the damages caused by negligence of law (Pitt and Luxton, 2011). However, statutory defences are available under Sections 180(3) of the Business Judgement Rule which states that breach of contract can be defended if the director can prove that the decision and action taken was in relevant to the business operations of the corporation (Nadeau, 2006). Step 3: Apply the Law to the Problem Leaping Lizard Coffee Emporium Pty Ltd specialises in coffee and other coffee-related accessories. It operates as a private company formed by Joan, Anna, Prafula and Su sanna who were further designated as the directors of the company with equal share capital. In addition, the company consists of three members each owning 1000 ordinary class shares. The company has been registered under the Corporations Act 2001 in the year 2012 and adopted replaceable rules under Sections 6, 33A to 39, 198A and 198C. Besides, the company has appointed a managing direct

A World Transformation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A World Transformation - Essay Example For example, if a person desires to make the world a better place to live in by safeguarding the environment, he should make a conscious effort of choosing the things that he uses, support the manufacturers and retailers which are more environmentally responsible, utilize renewable fuel, segregate waste, and volunteer in environment rehabilitation projects like tree planting. A person cannot start asking the government to institute these changes if he himself is not able and even willing to abide by these practices. It is impossible to influence others without really having the passion and commitment to institute these changes. Secondly, I believe that a worldwide transformation will be a matter of achieving individual moral excellence and discipline. It is irrefutable that the problems we are experiencing now are the results of our past actions and decisions. Thus, this can only be minimized and even eliminated if we choose to abide by what is morally right and restrain ourselves fr om doing wrong. Crimes are hugely a result of moral degradation and it can only be eliminated if each of us commits to a life of moral excellence. Moral excellence, on the other hand, is largely a factor of how we discipline ourselves and stick to what we perceive as right. Changing the world is a huge task which requires serious actions. Transformation is a complicated process which takes time and serious commitment to take place. Changing the world will only be possible if each of us will have the commitment to change ourselves.

Critical Analysis of Malcolm X Learning to Read Essay

Critical Analysis of Malcolm X Learning to Read - Essay Example Malcolm X’s â€Å"Learning to Read† has several important points. In addition to his narrative of how he got his education, Malcolm X’s essay also revealed how he came to be a leader of the black separatist movement that urged black Americans to cut their political, social and economic ties with the white community. The essay â€Å"Learning to Read† emphasized more what it intended to say when it expressed the experience of incredulity of the author’s first attempt to write sensibly. Malcolm X’s first sentence â€Å"It was because of my letters that I happened to stumble upon starting to acquire some kind of a homemade education† beautifully expressed the mindset when the author began his self-education.   Also, the comparison that he â€Å"had been the most articulate hustler out there† yet he â€Å"wasn’t even functional† to write a simple English provided the reader a â€Å"feel† of the difficulty of hi s experience of trying to write. Malcolm X was already an educated man when wrote his essay â€Å"Learning to Read† but he chose to use the analogy â€Å"nearly all the words that might as well have been in Chinese† to depict the colloquial perspective of an uneducated man who was having a hard time understanding the text of the books. We may think that assigning the word â€Å"Chinese† to a written text that is not understood to be wrong but the context of the essay made it appropriate and emphatic.... The usage of a street language â€Å"some kind of homemade education† also emphasized without explaining further what his state of mind was. Also, the comparison that he â€Å"had been the most articulate hustler out there† yet he â€Å"wasn’t even functional† to write a simple English provided the reader a â€Å"feel† of the difficulty of his experience of trying to write. Malcolm X was already an educated man when wrote his essay â€Å"Learning to Read† but he chose to use the analogy â€Å"nearly all the words that might as well have been in Chinese† to depict the colloquial perspective of an uneducated man who was having a hard time understanding the text of the books. We may think that assigning the word â€Å"Chinese† to a written text that is not understood to be wrong but the context of the essay made it appropriate and emphatic. In between his understanding how the white man had oppressed the non-whites, Malcolm X craft ily narrated his journey towards his learning that is engaging to the reader. The narration about how he would sneak past the guard to read during â€Å"lights out† time in prison made the essay more personal and engaging. The emphasis on his painstaking effort to copy the whole library to his tablet and reading it aloud to himself tells that he literally started as ignorant about the written text. Then slowly, his word based broadened and begun to understand the books that he wanted to read. From then on, there was no stopping for him to read and to search further for knowledge. It will be inappropriate to describe that Malcolm X was able to educate himself despite him being in prison. In his words, he was even grateful of his circumstances because it lead him towards erudition, â€Å"prison enabled

Japanese Animation And Its Globalization

Japanese Animation And Its Globalization Japanese anime traces its roots to the early 1900s but not many of the early works have survived for varied reasons. One of the reasons that led to the loss of these works was the sale of reels to smaller cinemas once the clips had run. These were then disassembles and sold as single frames, but even with the loss of the early anime works, Japanese anime made major popularity growth in the 1970s when filmmakers in Japan experimented with animation techniques used in the western world (West (2008). The reason for this success was that in as much as the filmmakers explored the western techniques, they totally distanced themselves with the western roots and instead developed different genres among the mecha. With this, anime went main stream in Japan in the 80s and what followed was an explosion in production. Real Robot, Space Opera, Macross and Gundam were among some of 80s most successful anime. Today, as other sectors in the Japanese economy are struggling, revenue from anime related products has risen to over $100 billion, up from a tenth of this figure ten years ago (Brienza 2009). Anime is undoubtedly a savior to the Japanese culture. It is of a lot of interest to be able to understand how what was initially targeted at Japanese children has today become such a global sensation. This is what we seek to find out. Growth and Globalization of Japanese Animation Growth of anime a midst issues of language barrier and distinct world cultures is one thing that has never ceased to amaze anime lovers and critics alike. The world is today a global village and anime has been embraced in all the corners of the globe, with fans linking and discussing new and old productions in blogs and fan sites (Leonard, 2004). One of the things that fueled growth of anime to the corners of the world was fan distribution. Fan Distribution Anime was distributed among fans in the 70s through to the 90s via various non conventional methods. Fans made copies which were circulated to other fans and this created anime fan networks especially in America which imported and distributed videos to a large number of underground enthusiasts (Leonard, 2004).All this happened during the pre internet age and with the growth of fan networks, so did many players within those circles make fortunes. Knowledge and love for Japanese animation spread via these underground networks and in the process widespread commercial exploitation of anime was witnessed. Popularity of Anime in the American market It should be very well understood that the American cultural Imperialism was not a factor in pulling anime and other Japanese products to America and instead people voluntarily accepted anime for reasons that some experts say were because they provided an alternative to Hollywood (Davis, 2008). As technology improved, so did the fan networks make use of the available technologies to spread the anime message and more enthusiasts came on board. Language barrier was overcome when the fans added sub titles to the videos and as a matter of fact, fan subtitles is an exclusive feature of anime. The subtitles were facilitated at the end of the 80s in America following a wide availability of computers that were mainly Commodore Amiga and Macintosh brands (Auzenne, 1994). The availability of generator locking device, a hardware that enabled television sets to accept two simultaneous signals of video signal and computer output made it possible to have subtitles that were recorded on cassettes and distributed to the large network of fans. With sub titles, fans could not only appreciate the graphics but also understand the content of anime and how they depicted the various aspects of the Japanese culture. One of the most successful anime was Astra Boy, a production that realized huge commercial success and is still loved today. (Auzenne, 1994). When Walt Disney released Spirited Away directed by Hayao Miyazaki which did very well both in America and Japan at some point out selling Titanic in Japan, the film industry took notice and currently, American film companies making investments in this segment (Davis, 2008). They are mainly attracted to anime for their costs, producing anime is way cheaper than the block busters and they do make huge successes in theatres and DVD sales, coupled with the movie industry being very high risk and big budget productions failing miserably, anime has presented a wonderful opportunity to film makers in America to break even with their productions Anime has since evolved from an underground fortune maker in the 70s to a mainstream commercially viable industry. In America, anime has won the hearts of many and the winning of an Oscar by Miyazaki Hayaos anime, Spirited Away, in 2002 for best animated feature film was a clear show of just how much anime has been embraced in the American way of life (Davis, 2008). Today, America is animes biggest market with anime TV programs in the US jumping from13 at the start of the 90s to 37 in the first quarter of 2006 (Davis, 2008). In 2004, the revenues from character licensing, home videos and cinema screenings topped $2.94 billion which was much more than what the value of steel imported by US from Japan, additionally Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! made it to Americas top five prime time animated programs, anime is clearly Japans biggest export to the states today. Technology has since been a catalyst to the spread of anime as fans could with the internet, link and deliberate on topics and new releases (Auzenne, 1994). Subtitlers also known as fansubbers have also not been left behind, today, they can easily find each other online and work together to translate the latest anime. The translation process for Manga entails a fan scanning the pages and e mailing them to a translator who would then translate to a language of choice, usually English, a proofreader would then check the translation after which some other person known as the cleaner would replace the Japanese with English into the speech bubbles. The final product is then available for free down loads online. The internet has presently given room for publishing and distribution of anime at an unforeseen scale and is one of its biggest growth ingredients. Japanese anime has managed to stand up to American cartoon productions for reasons that it is much un-Disney and therefore offers an alternative to animation lovers in other parts of the world like Europe where several people are quite uncomfortable with American productions for their materialism and vulgarism which is likely to influence their rich cultural heritage that has been kept for many generations, a risk they cannot afford. Some critics argue that the world is moving towards homogeneity with the American culture being the world culture but the acceptance of anime and Manga in Europe for fear of being Americanized is a clear show that people around the world are yet to put their cultural heritage aside for the American way of life. Anime clearly differentiates gender with market niches properly divided for girls, boys, young men and women. Manga separates gender roles and this makes the dramatic anime story line in gender inclining tales when characters bridge the wide gap between the sexes. A typical example is the anime Ranma 1/2 based on a Manga by Rumiko Takahashi in which a boy who because of a previous dip in a Chinese magic pool turns into a girl when splashed with cold water. The extremes of the two genders are clearly depicted in this piece (Levi, McHarry Pagliassotti 2008). Americans have clearly gone beyond acceptance and taken the business opportunities presented by the popularity of manga and anime. Hollywood has not been left out of the boom and Walt Disney has today made enormous investments in the art, which apart from being popular, is also lucrative, coming at a time when most box office movies are not breaking even, anime is not just a rescue to the Japanese culture but a shot in the arm to Hollywood . Anime and manga in Europe and other parts of the world Other than America, Miyazakis Spirited Away also won a Golden Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2002. As at the start of 2006 there were 18 Japanese anime airing on a German TV channel. China is one place that Japanese anime is not expected to be very popular given the seriousness with which foreign content is restricted by the government. The debut of the animated feature film Gin-iro-no Kami no Agito at 1000 theatres in the spring of 2006 in China was a show of how just much Japanese anime has taken over the world. The reason for anime success outside Japan, Kubo Masakavu, the chief producer of Pokeman said, was the quality that is very different from western animation with the difference being its characters that he said capture the heart of viewers and brings out their emotions (West, M. I. 2008). The United Kingdom is one of the most consecutive countries. The British have for generations been skeptical about other cultures and today, they broadcast very distinct TV programs from their American brothers. A look at programming on Cebebees, a children channel of the BBC, depicts a culture that has kept its morals intact for generations. It is with these conservative ideologies that the acceptance of Manga and anime in the British culture has never ceased to amaze many critics. When anime by the name, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles debuted in the UK, the audience felt that the word Ninja was an inappropriate connotation that was unfit for the animes young audience and the title was changed to Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. (Laird Eastman, 2009). Several articles were written about anime in major newspapers especially in The Independent during the early 90s when Island World and the horror story Urotsukidoji were released with the later being poorly rated by its audience who claimed to have had nightmares. (Laird Eastman, 2009). Even with many articles in the UK papers, there was never an anti-anime wave in the country and there was a belief of anime explosion like in other European countries, something that never happened, the British did accept anime and manga but on their own terms, choosing to edit what they see as inappropriate and embracing what suits their way of life. The same is not however the case in Spain, France, Sweden and Italy where anime has had an explosion with an active fan base who have web sites at all levelsb to keep the enthusiasts in touch with each other and new releases. The love for anime in China China has for the past 30 years been a market that the Japanese anime have quite some grip and currently, millions of anime and manga consumers live in China giving rise to a market of $14.6 billion a year (Brienza, 2009). Anime debuted China in 1979 with Astro Boy which is one of Japans most known anime characters, which was aired on China Central Television (CCTV) in black and white in 1980 after translation to Chinese. Astro boy was at that time used as an image to promote Casio calculator products which have since been very popular in China and so has Japanese anime with comic books being major components of stock at most magazine kiosks in Shanghai (Chen, 2006). The Chinese government has today banned Japanese anime like Death Note from TV broadcast but that action hasnt stopped the millions of fans who have sought the anime on pirated television shows and DVDs alongside fan sites. Young Chinese today, do not really care about the historical differences between the two nations in their consumption of cartoon products, which they do indiscriminately by going for what appeals to them (Brienza,2009) People tend to embrace exotic cultures when certain aspects of these cultures share into their local values. Japanese anime have themes of perseverance, friendship, striving towards certain goals and fighting a good fight which appeals to the global audience and this has made it very acceptable to many (Bouissou J. 2006). Anime however, got language gateways through English, Chinese and French via which the cartoon art extended globally. With the help of amateur subtitlers, in the 80s and 90s, the anime gospel was taken to English speaking nations and this breakthrough is one of the reasons the art is where it is presently. With chinas population at worlds highest today, manga and anime can only get bigger in this part of the world, presenting a wonderful opportunity to industry players to show their creative prowess by continually releasing to the market, productions that will live through generations. Techniques in Japanese anime Some of the techniques used in creating these globally acceptable productions include character design, coloring and eye size (Brienza, 2009). Characters are designed to human body proportions to separate them from western cartoons, this sometimes vary when if emphasis is needed on certain body parts. The eyes in anime are usually large to show distinct emotions. The technique is believed to have been first used by Osamu Tezuka who borrowed it from American cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop. Coloring that is usually added to the cornea is intended to give depth to the eyes, it should however be noted that not all anime have large eyes and some works especially by Toshiro Kawamoto and Hayao Miyazaki have been known for proportional eyes with realistic colors which is very close to Japanese art. Music in Japanese anime Music in used in productions is very close to Japanese pop, as an industry, anime has developed its own genre known as anison. Anime today has its own songs and the release of an animation video is usually accompanied by a soundtrack album. Behind the United States is Japan in terms of the of the music market with most of the music consumed in Japan being Japanese. The music combines kanji (on sound) and the gaku (fun and comfort) to produce what the Japanese call ongaku, a genre of music which is well incorporated in anime (Brienza, 2009). Anime in South America Latin America has not been left out with manga and anime enthusiasts found in Venezuela, Chile, Mexico and throughout the entire region. Several websites have been set up in this part of the world to help connect fans and provide a platform for sharing and discussing anime related issues. Anime News Network (ANN) Latin America is one such site that has enabled fans to make contributions and share their anime experiences (Bouissou, 2006). The site has created chapters in most if not all of the South American countries to help fans connect and share issues at country level. The emergence of such sites have been a major tool in facilitating non English and French speaking nations appreciate anime. Fans get the Espanola and Portuguese translations very fast and can as well collaborate in sub titling which in most cases end up in enthusiasts setting businesses from the collaborations and making fortunes from these ventures. Anime News Network Latin America also runs a weekly podcast where hosts give opinions on the days news, review of some of the latest titles on offer; interview some major players in the anime and manga industry. Listeners can at the same time call in and make contributions to the topics being discussed as well as pose questions to guests. The site has a section where fans can find certain features of Japan including guided tour of interesting historic sites and for such, it has been a good way of fans connecting to the characters beyond the videos by understanding how they are regarded in the Japanese culture (Schodt 1996). Similar sites have been set up in South Africa, India, Australia and many other regions of the world to serve enthusiasts in the same way. It worth noting that Japanese anime is not only meant for entertainment but is also used in education sector especially in Japan and is working very well with kids who find it as a very friendly illustration tool. Conclusion Manga and anime have clearly gone global and is today appreciated by people of diverse cultural beliefs and walks of life. There is unanimity that people went for manga and the fan networks in the 70s flourished because of the content of anime which has since stayed the same. There is a general feeling that the whole world is converging at the American culture a view which we have seen as not true with many nations accepting manga just because it is an opposite alternative to American cartoons. The globalization of anime started at a time when sharing information was very difficult with tapes being delivered physically from one fan to the next, which is very different from today where fans can with internet, at the click of a button link to share ideas and even go further and cooperate on anime projects without any physical contacts. The genre of anime can today get access into more cultures with these technological advancements. There is however a general consensus on the strength and morality in the Japanese culture, which has appealed to many, who interact with anime and manga. Anime today, from the figures released by Japanese and American authorities is not only a major revenue earner to the worlds third largest economy but also a leading cultural ambassador, which has done quite a good job in letting the world know and appreciate the uniqueness of the Japanese way of life (Chen Teng 2006), Producers of anime should continue giving the world wonderful entertainment, something they have for close to 100 years done with great perfection and sense of responsibility. Having kept their content above the expected minimum for close to a century, todays anime enthusiasts have no doubt that more generations from all over the world will be entertained by anime.

Killing is Easy, Living is Hard :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

Killing is Easy, Living is Hard I did my best to kill Bobby Ackerman late one April night when we were both seventeen. We were speeding down a two-lane highway, a narrow trail of asphalt that sailed off a ridge and down into a long, sweeping right-hand turn and then rushed past a white stucco house with a tile roof, a house that crowned the hill beyond a quaint covered bridge over a dry creek bed running parallel to the road. We were descending toward a little town named Crane, and we were flying. "Geez, man," Bobby said. I looked toward the passenger seat as the Plymouth dug into the arc of the curve. Bobby’s eyes were wide. "Slow down, slow down." Bobby grasped the armrest with one hand and braced his left leg against the hump in the floorboard. I could smell the beer on his breath as he fought to stay in the seat. The old sedan wallowed back toward the right lane. It was the first time I'd driven his car. But it wasn't Bobby's car, really. It was his dad's. His dad was a railroad engineer, complete with the traditional bib overalls and cloth cap. Bobby was my friend, trapped like me in the last year of high school. But he was different. I was secretive, sullen, and sarcastic, but Bobby was outgoing, with an ever-present desire to please sometimes amplified by a brittle manic energy. I liked beer, the drug of choice for our generation, but Bobby liked beer too much. That night he needed someone to drive him home. Now I had the old car racing down the road and off the ridge at something close to 80 mph simply because that was all the speed I could wring out of it. I'd made one turn, but there was one more ahead before we entered the valley and the town that lay astraddle a creek. The next turn was a sharp, banking left-hander, edged by a dozen or so white posts laced together by steel cables, and oncoming traffic was obscured by a little hill. I caught a glimpse of a yellow sign ahead, one marked with a black arrow curving around the words 35 mph, but I didn't lift my foot from the accelerator. My hands chased the steering wheel, persuading, begging the car to stay off the limestone bluff to the right, and the old sedan was reluctant, never steady, demanding one correction after another.