Review of Parrot in the Oven Essay

Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida is a coming of age novel written in 1996, by Victor Martinez. The story is set in California and is told from the point-of-view of a fourteen year old, Mexican American boy. Manuel Hernandez, like many young men, struggles with identity. Manny’s life is hard. He has two older siblings and a baby sister. His mother does not work. His father is unemployed and an alcoholic. The main provider and only person in his house that can keep a steady job is his older sister. His older brother cannot hold a job long. As would be expected, Manny’s family lives in the projects. Project life brings its own problems. The Garcia boys live in Manny’s neighborhood. They constantly terrorize and beat him. Manny does not fight back. He realizes that he is outnumbered and too afraid to do anything. This could be one of the reasons Manny joins a boxing club in school, and later joins a gang. Family life is not much better for Manny. Throughout the story Manny deals with an alcoholic father and a borderline obsessive compulsive mother that have both become bitter and resentful. Manny’s brother is rarely home, but when he is he is often drunk. His older sister is resentful that she must carry the family. At one point in the story she gets pregnant and soon loses the baby. Chapter nine shines light on a key aspect of Manny’s character. As the title implies, Manny is naive. He lives in a predominantly Latino community where racial discrimination is non-existent. In this section of the book, Manny’s boss urges his daughter to invite Manny to her birthday party. She reluctantly agrees. Manny tells his brother, Nardo, about the party. Nardo and their sister try to explain to Manny that white people do not usually interact with Mexicans socially; he is most likely being used. Manny does not listen. He is in lust. Needless to say, the party ends badly. A terrible home life, hormones and identity issues lead Manny to gangs. He takes the beating, as a form of initiation, so that he can kiss a girl. He is not entirely sold on the gang culture but feels that he should hang out with the members. On his first run with Eddie, a gang member, he witnesses Eddie assault a woman and steal her purse. At that moment he recognizes that Eddie is the guy that knocked up his sister. Frozen in place, Manny realizes that gang-life is not for him. He goes home and watches his sisters sleep, knowing that although life at home is rough there is nowhere else he would rather be. Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida exposes many aspects familiar to first- and second-generation Mexican American families. Many young minorities might be able to relate to Manny’s struggles. Even though the book deals with ugly issues like abuse, alcoholism, racism, teen pregnancy and gangs, the book also provides a space for discussion around identity, self-esteem and pride. I would definitely recommend this book to students.

Divergent Minds

Divergent character or Divergent personality Thesis Statement on Personality vs Character: Even though society may have an impact to change our character, our decision is the ultimate factor that changes as we accommodate in the environment we live in. While parents have a major influence in our life at young age, what they instill is what has been created by their parents and their surrounding. We grow up with certain types of personalities from our parents but our characters are challenged or molded within our lifetime and who we are behind closed doors have made us to be divergent with society.The book â€Å"Divergent† by Veronica Roth shows how society can have an impact on ones personality but a persons character may never change. While parents have a major influence in our life at young age, Should our characters be challenged or molded by our surrounding? because I believe that personality traits and character traits are misunderstood. while personality is the first thi ng we see in a person such like a mask that someone would wear, we downsize the fact that a persons character is really who they are under pressure or alone in there room from the unseen eye of society.Personality perceives personality but who we are is rooted in our hidden character which are uniquely shaped by the surroundings in life, society, and culture we live in and Ironically, research has shown that personality traits are determined largely by heredity and are mostly immutable. Character traits, as opposed to personality traits, are based on beliefs (e. g, that honesty and treating others well is important—or not), and though beliefs can be changed, it's far harder than most realize.

Controlling One's Environment in Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Controlling One's Environment in Learning - Essay Example It is impossible to gain knowledge without learning as learning provides people with skills and qualities which enable people to cope with the complications of life (Piaget, 1950). The environment includes conditions of living and learning. Environment is an important constituent of learning as it forms the backbone of learning. The environment can either affect learning positively or negatively. Controlling the environment will help in reducing the adverse negative effects on the learning which will affect the learners or students in this case (Wood, 1998). Controlling of the environment is most common in the Asian and African culture. Learning differs within the different backgrounds and cultures. Controlling one’s environment helps regulate the learner’s behavior. For example, an individual may engage in wrong and bad social groups and habits like drug taking, which will mar their learning. These behaviors will interfere with that person’s ability of the mind to process information and also interfere with the normal body functioning. Controlling the environment will thus help the learner in reducing the normal body functioning and brain’s ability interference (Conner, 2004). ... Some of the environments where the learners are brought up at may either help in encouraging learning or impair the learning. This can be shown through an individual brought up in a poor environment. Such an individual brought up in a poor environment with high crime rate will not be in a position to learn and will end up uneducated. Controlling such an environment will help the individual get access to learning and education and change his/her perception on education and learning. This is because the environment will have taught him that crime is the only thing that he can indulge into (wood, 1998). The process of learning is contingent on learner’s discipline. This is because monitoring the moves of the leaner helps in improving the learning process. Discipline is a vital precondition for learning and enhances an individual’s learning ability. This is shown by the disparity between the performance of distance learning students and learners in the traditional classroom setting. The traditional classroom setting acquires better performance than the distance learning simply because there is a proviso for supervising the moves of the learner. This then implies that the controlled environment for the learner will help in attainment of better performance by individuals as this provides for the monitoring of their actions and class work. Again, if someone has been in the military, he or she will uphold high discipline levels. Children who do not get a high time with their parents may lack the required discipline and may not attain the knowledge that their parents have acquired (Clark et al., 2006). Some environments promote the learning processes. The environments with a high number of knowledgeable individuals always encourage

Company critical analysis - AT&T Research Paper

Company critical analysis - AT&T - Research Paper Example Launched from New Haven, Connecticut in 1878, AT&T, working under the aegis of the American Bell Company gradually spread its business into all major towns of the country and acquired the assets in their totality from the Bell Company on December 30, 1899. Background of the company (AT&T) and its problem with competitors AT&T partnered with the Western Electric Company during its initial years in business and made innovative discoveries in the field of telecommunications which allowed it to spread the business to all parts of the American Continent. Its innovations and discoveries allowed it to make transcontinental telecommunication feasible. When the Bell Company’s patent expired in 1894, thousands of other operators’ jumped into the fray triggering intense competition and causing a spurt in the number of telephone connections in the US. AT&T has never looked back since then and after decades of monopolistic rule in the American telecommunications industry, it till re mains the market leader by foraying and diversifying into technologies which changed with signs of the times. AT&T spread out throughout the world and established offices and manufacturing facilities in major cities of the developed countries. The company has many inventions’ in telecommunication technology credited to its scientists, seven amongst them even winning the Nobel Prize in Physics (Web, AT&T). The invention of the transistor, the telephone dial, push-button telephony, the coaxial cable, mobile telephony, cellular telephone and demonstration of the first television are credited to the company, technologies that revolutionized the electronics industry. The company played pioneering role in the launch of the first telecommunications satellite in the world and the implementation of 911 as a direct emergency helpline within the United States. The first major issue which AT&T faced during its century long dominance in the United States was the settlement of its first fe deral anti-trust lawsuit in 1913, when it established itself as government sanctioned monopoly by signing a document called the Kingsbury Commitment, divesting itself of the control of the Western Union telegraph company, and paving the way for non-competing independent telephone companies to establish interconnectivity with AT&T services. The company was being directed during this period by its President, Theodore Vail, whose innovative strategies set the trend for the company’s operations for the next seventy years (Web, AT&T). Another anti-trust suit was filed against the company in 1974 when it had to divest itself from local telephone operations in favor of lifting of restrictions on the company as envisaged in the 1956 Consent decree (Web, AT&T). The parent Bell System ceased to exist in 1984 and the company acquired a new logo and renamed itself as AT&T. It forayed into computer business by acquiring NCR computers, which subsequently established itself as an independen t company after a decade long liaison. Competition in the telecommunications sector intensified in 1996 after President Bill Clinton signed the telecommunications Act into law which endeavored to eliminate legal and regulatory barriers prevalent in the industry. The company directors reduced subscription rates in populist endeavors to sustain itself,

A Revised Income Statement, The Contribution Margin Approach Research Paper

A Revised Income Statement, The Contribution Margin Approach - Research Paper Example The per unit fixed manufacturing overhead is computed by dividing the total fixed overhead cost with the budgeted units produced. In the mentioned question, the total fixed overhead cost was calculated by dividing $1.6 million with the production capacity of 400,000 units. Thus, every unit produced has fixed manufactured absorbed at $4 per unit. In the discussed scenario the units produced and budgeted units are assumed to be same thus, the question of over and under absorption of overhead does not arises. As apparent from the above analysis, under the marginal costing method, both the net profit and the contribution margin will increase by $229,000 if the company decides to sell additional 10,000 units. This represents an increase of 4.49% of the current profit. Whereas, in the income statement as per the absorption costing method, the net profit increases by $189,000 and the gross profit shows an increase of $201,000. The following table also highlights the revised net profit percentages. Absorption costing method is usually discouraged due to the fact that in this system of costing a portion of fixed cost is subsequently carried over to the next accounting period as part of the closing stock. This can distort the profitability presentation of the period by including fixed cost of the prior period in the current period. In addition, absorption costing also depends on the on the levels of output and if the output changes, its consequent impact is on the per unit cost of the product. From the managerial perspective, the marginal costing is the more relevant method for the analysis of cost and revenue information. This method of costing significantly assists the management in decision making process. In addition, the presentation of marginal costing is easily understandable by all the managers. Keeping all the above factors into consideration, it is more relevant for the CFO of

The Purchasing Cycle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Purchasing Cycle - Essay Example For a purchasing process to be effective, the department must ensure it understands the company’s goals and plans. The most successful industries that may have managed to provide a very efficient purchasing process in the US include Food and beverage industries and electronic and computers industries. To achieve this objective, the purchasing department must understand the business requirements. It is also required to buy products and services from the right source, at the right price, quantity, time, and the correct specifications as required by customers. The overall aim of this objective in manufacturing companies is to ensure that the raw materials needed in the production process are acquired, in the right quantity and quality and from viable sources. The implications this has is that if the wrong raw materials are bought, the entire production process is stalled and the company might end up making losses or producing poor quality products that do not meet the customers’ specifications(Matthews & Schneller, 2011). For the purchasing process to be efficient and effective, there must be keen following of the whole process and knowledge of the supplier markets. Opportunities must, therefore, be identified, internal operations managed and all focus directed towards achieving this objective. In identifying opportunities, suppliers with the highest quality and cost friendly products are selected. Ensuring diversity in suppliers selected could also be beneficial to the company. The purchasing department has the responsibility of choosing the best suppliers, using the most viable criterion to choose the most current suppliers as they are usually very competitive. Internal operations involve managing procurement staff effectively, formulating policies and strategies. Proper leadership in the purchasing department, collaboration and teamwork helps in achieving this objective (Matthews & Schneller, 2011). For the purchasing

Law assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Law assignment - Essay Example Ewing is expected to win the case being treated unfairly compared to the other students who also failed in the particular exams. 3. This case would lead to the limitation of the rights of students and the justification of inequalities in educational institutes – potentially in other organizational areas also. Journal Activity  2 1. Lee entered a liquor store for buying cognac. However, he thought he could have it without paying for it or, at least, not for all of it. He took two bottles of cognac from the self but concealed one of them in his pants. The employee saw him and approached him. Then, Lee left both bottles and started to run. However, he was caught by a near-by police officer and was prosecuted for shoplifting. 2. Shoplifting is the criminal offence discussed in this case. The specific crime can be generally characterized as theft; however, its level is different across states, in accordance with the limits set for the value of the goods stolen. Normally, shoplift ing is characterized as a misdemeanor; for goods over the $500, shoplifting is considered as a felony. Shoplifting laws are highly differentiated across states. 3. The effective enforcement of law related to shoplifting, as of other crimes also, could be a means for increasing the sense of safety of citizens in their daily activities. Journal Activity  3 1. Philip Smith brought with him in school a poisonous spider. He locked it in his locker thinking that it could not escape. However, two students opened Philip’s locker, the spider escaped and entered the locker room of Judy Norton. The girl was bitten by the spider and sued Smith for the injury she suffered. 2. Norton can use the personal injury law which entitles the person who suffered the injury the right to ask for compensation for the injury he suffered but also for damages of other types (damages for emotional pain, future medical expenses and so on). Norton is expected to win the case only if she proves that Smith had responsibility for the injury, i.e. that he could have foreseen the danger and that he did not take the necessary measures to avoid it. 3. This case could help to understand clearer the liability for not taking the necessary measures when owning a pet/ animal. Journal Activity  4 1. A divorce case has been brought before a federal district court because the parties involved, Shahnaz and Vasu Harinath, wanted to keep the problem secret – referring to their community. Would the federal district court hear the case? 2. The family law is applied to this case. However, in accordance with the laws on jurisdiction, the federal district courts do not have the power to hear such cases. It is expected that the case will be diverted to a state court. 3. The specific case would be important answering to the following question: are the parties of a law dispute free in choosing the court that will hear their case? Journal Activity  5 1. I agree with the auto dealership. Since there is a mistake in the advertising, which the auto dealership could not control, it would not be fair for his advertisement to be considered as an offer. Also, generally, the courts do not consider advertisements as ‘offer’, refusing the potential of an advertisement to bind the party that made the advertisement (for instance, Partridge v Crittenden 1968). More specifically, in the context of the

Health assessment of newborn paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health assessment of newborn paper - Essay Example In addition, a child that is not breastfed is 15times more likely to die than breastfed children (Jones 2013). In later life, it is perceived that adults who were effectively breast fed have a high IQ than adults who were provided with formula. The IQ is more advanced if the adult was breastfed for a long period. Jones (2013) is of the assumption that children who are breastfed for a long period have a less probability of obesity in adulthood. The information should be provided to the mother during the child’s clinical visits. In addition, the health practitioner should also highlight the benefits of breast feeding to the mother. To enhance the understanding of the mother, the practitioner should provide the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dietetic Association as recommendation sites. From the sites, the mother will effectively understand the benefits of breastfeeding. Ssemukasa, E. & Kearney, J. (2014). Six months of exclusive breastfeeding recommendation: how applicable is the universal exclusive breastfeeding recommendation policy? African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition & Development, 14 (4):

Applying Theory to Practice Essay Example for Free

Applying Theory to Practice Essay Theory offers procedure and arrangement to nursing knowledge and provides a methodical way of collecting data to define, clarify, and forecast nursing practice (McEwen Willis, 2011). Nurses use nursing theory to develop a certain outlook about patient care. Nursing theories serve as a shared groundwork for nursing practice across all settings to develop better patient care outcomes. This paper will explore childhood obesity and then apply to practice a mid-range and a borrowed nursing theory to the practice problem. Childhood obesity is a national problem that crosses all economic and social lines. Overweight children and adolescents are in jeopardy of having heart disease, such as hyperlipidemia or hypertension. In a varied group trial of 5- to 17-year-olds youths, 70% of overweight youth had at least one risk factor for heart disease (Freedman, Zuguo, Srinivasan, Berenson, Dietz, 2007). Overweight youth are at higher risk to develop Type II diabetes (Li, Ford, Zhao, Mokdad, 2009). Type II diabetes increases the risk of long term complications such as renal disease, visual impairment, cardiovascular disease, amputation, neuropathy, up to and including death. Youth that are overweight are also at higher risk for musculoskeletal issues, sleep disorders, socio-economic problems due to families inability to obtain medications and treatment. Overweight youth are also at risk of psychological problems such as being bullied in school, depression, suicide, and poor self-esteem (Dietz, 2004). Children and adolescents who are obese often carry this into adulthood and become obese adults. This sets them up for the likely hood of adult health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and osteoarthritis (Guo Chumlea, 1999). Some of the long term ramifications of childhood obesity include but are not limited to many types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma (Kushi et al., 2006). There are so many short term and long term emotional and physical ramifications associated with childhood obesity that it warrants research and study. Childhood obesity is preventable and treatable. As a society it is time that measures were put into place to reduce the ever increasing numbers of children dealing with childhood obesity on a daily basis. There also seems to be a tendency for obesity to be passed down from generation to generation not because of genetics alone, but because of the learned lifestyle of the family. To treat children and adolescents for obesity it is going to take educating and treating the entire family unit. References Dietz, W. H. (2004). Overweight in childhood and adolescents. New England Journal of Medicine, 350(), 855-857. Freedman, D. S., Zuguo, M., Srinivasan, S. R., Berenson, G. S., Dietz, W. H. (2007). Cardiovascular risk factors and excess adiposity among overweight children and adolescents: the Bogalusa heart study. Journal of Pediatrics, 150(1), 12-17. Guo, S. S., Chumlea, W. C. (1999). Tracking of body mass index in children in relation to overweight in adulthood. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 70(), 145-148. Kushi, L. H., Byers, T., Doyle, C., Bandera, E. V., McCullough, M., Gansler, T. (2006). American cancer society guidelines on nutrition and physical activity for cancer prevention: Reducing the risk of cancer with healthy food choices and physical activity. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 56(56), 254. Li, C., Ford, E. S., Zhao, G., Mokdad, A. H. (2009). Prevalence of prediabetes and its association with clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors and hyperinsuline mia among US adolescents. Diabetes Care, 32(). McEwen, M., Willis, E. M. (2011). Theoretical basis for nursing (3 ed.). Philidelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer .

HUM History and Methods of Science Essay Example for Free

HUM History and Methods of Science Essay Social views and culture denoted scientist, in general, as individuals who exist different from the common society. This idea is mainly because scientists live with a strong conviction to their field and their reasoning is widely based on the empirical side of the environment they lived in. Because of this, scientist’ cultures and lifestyles are significantly affected with their governing philosophies and scientific principles. The aspect of communication is also included in the human cultures and philosophies that are affected by the conviction in the scientific world. In this idea, scientists do tend to communicate with their colleagues in a manner, which is significant based on their scientific principles. There communication is widely empirical in nature that they tend to express themselves and reason out through proving the validity of their statement in an empirical nature. Scientist’s opinions and ideas are always supported with factual and scientific proofs whenever they share it with their colleagues. Through this manner, scientist can and are ready to defend the validity of their statements whenever they communicate with their fellow scientist as they are all governed by their scientific principles and philosophies. Another common trend in the communication aspects of the scientist is that they tend to relate each of their opinions and ideas to other scientific concepts or factual events and phenomenon. This is probably habitual in nature, as their profession requires them to be open-minded and critical in their field. Their communication aspect is often critical and analytic in nature whenever they state something or dispute an idea. Hus, from this concepts and ideas, one can actually see that profession indeed such as the field of science can affect the human culture and personal behavior of an individual as with the case of the society of scientist. In this concept, the behavior of scientist towards their profession becomes habitual in nature thus affecting their innate and personal communication aspect in general.