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The Future on Your Wrist (Step 2)

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By Tek SmithReadOasis Step 2 The world was waiting with excitement. Three years earlier, Steve Jobs had died. Jobs was the head of Apple Computer. Under his leadership, Apple released many original products. These products included the iPod, the iPhone, iTunes, and the iPad. These Apple products caused great... Read more

The Fastest Growing Religion

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ReadOasis Step 2 The religion of Islam teaches that there is only one God. In Islam, God is called Allah. Followers of Islam are called Muslims. Their holy book is the Koran. Muslims believe God gave the Koran to a man named Muhammad in the year 610. And Muhammad... Read more

This Old Man

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A Traditional Children's Song ReadOasis Step 1 This old man, he played one, He played knick knack with his thumb, With a *knick, knack, paddy whack, Give the dog a bone; This old man came rolling home. This old man, he played two, He played knick knack with my... Read more

Freedom of Speech

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ReadOasis Step 3 "I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Ford will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office." These words were spoken by President Richard Nixon on August 8, 1974 on national television. They came after many months of scandal... Read more

The Best Things — Steve Jobs

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The following is a summary of a famous quote from Steve Jobs. Usually, people remember the part “Great artists steal.” But this is really about how to make “the best things.” It also shows how Steve Jobs blended the arts and sciences. Simple Version ReadOasis Step 1 It comes... Read more

A Big Idea: Critique of Pure Reason

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ReadOasis Step 3 By Will Durant (Re-presented in Basic and Essential English) Kant’s Critique is not a criticism, but a critical analysis. Kant is not attacking "Pure Reason." He hopes to show its potential. He wants to praise it above knowledge that is not pure and that comes through... Read more

Karl Marx and the Communist World

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ReadOasis Step 4 Karl Marx (1818-1883) was a German philosopher, economist, and historian. He wrote mainly about economics and politics, and he is credited as the founder of communism. For Marx, the history of society has been the history of class struggles. Marx attacked capitalism, the economic system where... Read more

Playing Global Business on a Level Field

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ReadOasis Step 3 A Review of The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century By Thomas L. Friedman. We are entering a new era where the world is one massive marketplace. Old powers had the advantage, but the playing field is leveling now. New powers are... Read more

Great Waves of Art

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ReadOasis Step 3 Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) was a Japanese artist, painter, and maker of prints, called UKIYO-E. During his life, he was the leading expert on Chinese painting in Japan. His most famous work is The Great Wave off Kanagawa, created in the 1820s. The Great Wave comes from... Read more

Six Culture Conflicts (Part 1)

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ReadOasis Step 2 Joel held the warm, brown cup in both his hands. With his eyes, he smiled at Matt and drank his hot chocolate. "Ready to go?" asked Matt. "Yeah," said Joel. "Let’s go home." They stood up at the same time, put on their coats, and headed... Read more

Six Culture Conflicts (Part 2)

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ReadOasis Step 2 Opinions differ about social problems. But here we will not focus on changing opinions. Instead, we want to ask a basic question. What do social problems teach us about cultural values and conflicts? To answer this question, we will look to the culture expert Geert Hofstede.... Read more

Six Culture Conflicts (Part 3)

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ReadOasis Step 2 Question 4: What Is True? Here a culture faces its fears of the unknown. We may feel unsure about many things: money, health, the future, success, failure, danger, or risk. We lack certainty about many things in life. People worry and feel anxiety. How do we... Read more

A Musical Money-Making Machine

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ReadOasis Step 3 Carrie Underwood by Eva Rinaldi (Creative Commons) Carrie was a country girl from Checotah, Oklahoma. She lived on a farm, and in the mornings, she would help her father feed the cows. Carrie loved to sing. She started singing at church when she was 3 years... Read more

Bill Gates: A Model for Business?

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By Tek Smith ReadOasis Step 2 As a young man, Bill Gates had the idea to make a company. In 1975, he left Harvard University, and he started Microsoft with his friend Paul Allen. By 2007, Microsoft employed 78,000 people in 105 countries. Today about 90% of the world’s... Read more

Victor Frankenstein: A Mad Scientist

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ReadOasis Step 4 Man, how ignorant you are in your pride of wisdom! - Victor Frankenstein As a young man, Victor Frankenstein was obsessed with the mixture of science and magic, and he desired to discover and make medicine that would give eternal life to the drinker. And he became... Read more

Is Extensive Reading Good for You?

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Here is a short interview with Dr. Richard Day. Dr. Day is a Professor at the University of Hawaii in the Department of Second Language Studies. He is a well-known and highly regarded linguist. In this interview on ReadOasis TV, Professor Day answers this question. Is extensive reading good... Read more

Picasso and the Beatles

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ReadOasis Step 4 The Spanish painter Picasso demonstrated remarkable artistic aptitude at a very young age. According to his mother, his first words were "piz, piz." "Piz" is short for "lápiz," which means "pencil" in Spanish. Picasso's father was an art professor who raised his son in a world... Read more

A Sentimental Imagination

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ReadOasis Step 3 I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. Charles Dickens (1786-1851) Most people know Charles Dickens for his famous ghost story: A Christmas Carol. But many people don’t realize that Dickens was the most notable English author of the Victorian period... Read more

I See You — Avatar

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ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Your name is Jake. You are a soldier. Since you lost the feeling in your legs, life has been awkward. But you got used to it. And when your brother died, your heart stopped feeling some, too. "Get used to it," you think. But... Read more

Clever Maria

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By Andrew Lang ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) There was once a trader who lived close to the royal palace. His wife had died, but he had three daughters. Maria, the youngest daughter, was the prettiest of the three. One day the king sent a message to the trader.... Read more