Gated Communities and Segregation in The Tortilla Curtain by T.C.Boyle Essay

Gated Communities and Segregation in The Tortilla Curtain by T.C.Boyle - Essay Example Though segregation based on race, ethnicity, religion, etc., is now illegal, there are still some practices among the citizens like the existence of gated communities that cause segregation and racism. Although, one section of people views gated communities as a feasible and practical way of living, other sections view it as ‘islands’ which promote segregation. This issue of gated communities forms a subtle but a key part of the novel, The Tortilla Curtain written by T.C. Boyle and published by Viking Press in 1995. Boyle is a ‘Distinguished Professor’ of English at the University of Southern California and lives in the Santa Barbara. He has written over 12 novels as well as more than 100 short stories winning, with many of his works reflecting the issues and lifestyle of people living in California including The Tortilla Curtain. â€Å"The Southern California writer T. C. Boyle captures the separation that marks daily life in Los Angeles.† (Fuller, B ridges and Pai 145). Boyle sets his novel in the Topanga Canyon where the lives of two couples, who live an entirely different lifestyles, cross each other with tragic and at the same thought-provoking results. The main protagonist couple, Delaney, a sensitive writer about nature and Kyra Mossbacher, an obsessive real estate agent, move in to a newly gated community nestled among the natural surroundings called Arroyo Blanco. The other couple is the Mexican illegal immigrants, Candido and his pregnant wife America Rincon, who enter the American borders illegally wanting to achieve the American Dream of a prosperous life, but live in an awful condition in a makeshift camp deep in the Topanga Canyon. When a freak car accident involving Delaney and Candido happens, it leads to further interactions between the couples with their opposing worlds intersecting in a problematic and tragic manner. The interactions between the couples mainly arise due the setting of the gated community. Boyle paints the picture of a strictly conforming gated community, where all the houses were white with orange roofs. â€Å"†¦lay the massed orange tile rooftops of Arroyo Blanco† (Boyle 74). The private community gives a sense of exclusivity. The concept of a gated community, with a homeowners association, is to provide a safe neighborhood with all the facilities. However, when viewed from another perspective, by facilitating families of similar races and class to live closer together, while ‘ignoring’ other sections of the people, it is leading to segregation. Part 2: Gated community is the term given to the residential neighborhoods which have a surrounding wall and a main gate for entry. This form of residential living has become a key part of the new housing market, particularly in the urban areas. It is viewed as a new form of urbanism, under which public spaces in various geographical territories are being privatized. They have thus become a â€Å"symbol of metropolitan fragmentation and social segregation†, with segregation happening mainly along economic and racial lines (Le Goix 76a). Le Goix (9) further states that â€Å"gated communities are located within every kind of middle class and upper-class neighborhoods, with half of them are located within the rich, upper-scale and mostly white neighborhoods, and one third are located within

Comparison of Little Red Riding Hood from Different Countries Essay Example for Free

Comparison of Little Red Riding Hood from Different Countries Essay Every so often, there comes a story so popular that it survives many decades and is common in many cultures. Growing up here in America, I was always told the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Because of the way American structure is set up, the story in this culture teaches the people told the story a lesson as well as has a happy ending. The American story of â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† isn’t the only version of this story. As previously mentioned, there are stories that survive many decades and last through many cultures; this is one of them. However, they all have different names. There are also: Little Red Cap, Little Red Hood, The Grandmother, The True History of Little Golden Hood, Grandmother’s Nose, and Little Red Hat. These stories come from many different areas such as Germany, Poland, Italy, Austria, and France, and they have many different authors. There are two things that do stay the same throughout every retelling of this story, the characters and idea. There is always a little girl, her grandmother, her mother, and the wolf. Additionally, in every retelling, it involves the little girl having to go to her grandmother’s house to deliver something to her. However, the actions taken by the characters and their personalities change in every telling of the story. Although every version of Little Red Riding Hood has a similar idea, the characterization and moral of the story alters based upon what time period and location it was written in because of the influences of the country of origin’s stereotypes, ideals, and events.

Why People Should Connect More With Nature Theology Religion Essay

Why People Should Connect More With Nature Theology Religion Essay In the twenty-first century, people have practically forgotten how important it is to connect with nature. Despite all the technological advances and scientific inventions that make us believe we have nothing in common with the rest of the animal world, we are still part of the planets fauna, whether we realize it or not. Needless to say, back when humanitys main achievements were the invention of a round wheel, or specific tools for farming agriculture, people were very dependent on nature and paid a lot of attention to the changes of its course. Now, with the technological revolutions and discoveries that made our past history, we seem to pay extremely little attention to nature, getting more and more disconnected from it every day. However, the links that were initially there, couldnt just disappear and there is a number of important reasons in favor of the statement that people should try to get back to basics and connect with nature more than they do today. First of all, nature has historically been the home for human beings, just like it remains a home for animals and plants (of course, with the exception of those that are kept in zoos and greenhouses). Nature is able to show us true beauty, without modifications, exaggerations and falseness. After all, isnt is a little ironic that people go to galleries and exhibitions to look at paintings of colorful flowers, mighty woods, green hills and fast clear streams; those simple things that they can easily observe in real life if they just get outside their urban environment that looms around them? Or the fact that people purchase recordings of calming sounds of nature, like what youd hear at night in the woods damped quavering of an owl, ringing flare of crickets and susurrus rustle of bushes. What we are in fact doing is trying to deceive our minds and make ourselves believe that we ARE in the wood, next to those owls, crickets and bushes, while we are instead trapped inside our tiny, wel l-furnished and packed-with-technology apartment. Secondly, in the era of absolute informational chaos and noise, it becomes more important than ever to be able to pause from the crazy pace of life and relax. Finding silence and peace in the global vacuum of competitiveness, haste and strain, is very challenging. We go to doctors to treat us for depression, insomnia and anxiety. We ask for prescriptions and pills, while what we should be doing instead is turning to nature for help. What can be more relaxing and stress-free, than a cup of warm herbal tea with fresh honey, on the porch of a cozy wooden country house with a view of a small natural lake, or little green forest, or beautiful mountains? Its the cheapest, simplest and most accessible treatment one can think of. We laugh at those freaks hugging trees in the park, or walking barefoot on the grass. However, these people remember something very important; something, most others have forgotten somewhere along the race to progress and prosperity: the key to being healthy, emotio nally sustained and resistant to everyday stress, is staying connected to nature and allowing ourselves to put all business on hold and take a break. Nature is about balance and harmony things we lack most living inside the swirling pit of urbanized cities. Sometimes, we escape, but so rarely and so abruptly, that such escapes can hardly help us re-establish our links with nature. People should seriously consider changing their routine and getting out into nature more regularly. When was the last time you took a walk to the nearby pond, or spent a weekend outdoors doing active sports? When was the last time you went hiking, or fishing, or took your family or friends for a picnic in the nearby park? We should try to move our weekly entertainment, as well as our holiday celebrations, parties and friendly gatherings, from homes, pubs and restaurants to lake shores, mountains, parks, forests, ponds, rivers and groves. The beautiful landscapes of America are incredibly rich and diverse and this is our true natural wealth that we unfortunately often forget about. Many parents and teachers today can remember hours spent in the great outdoors, called in only for dinner or when the last ray of summer light disappeared. Bookworm that I was, I can personally remember being told many days, Its a much too beautiful day to be inside. Go read that book in a tree! Today, childrens lives seem to be structured much differently, a world where the phrase Go play outside has been replaced by television programs, computer time, and Wii Fit. Modern humans lived in nature for most of their long history. Even once colonization into cities occurred, people were surrounded by nature in the fields and farms where they lived. And until thirty or so years ago, children still spent the bulk majority of their free time in contact with nature. Urbanization brought about parks and playgrounds to play in; fields, forests, and empty lots to explore; and even in nearby backyards. Children freely played, explored, and interacted with nature without restriction. Todays world is much different. Children no longer freely explore the world around them, and many have extremely limited contact with nature at all. Fear for safety, structured lessons and activities, and electronics are some of the main inhibitors to natural discovery that involve children today. Spontaneous interaction with nature is most often limited, at best. Free play in nature encourages children to create games with their own invented rules, conduct experiments with nature, and learn lessons that arent taught by anyone. These types of no rules situations promote inventive play and give children a deeper understanding of nature. While playground equipment is a perk of modern urbanization, its uses are more finite than those nature provides. Although equipment can be open-ended, imagined as a castle one day and a boat the next, nature is ever changing. Crossing a stream one day might become searching for treasures under river stones another day as the stream dries up. Tactile outdoor experiences teach children differently than a lesson or even reading about a subject can. Besides the educational benefits, connecting with nature has more benefits than might be obvious. Research shows that children who are allowed to explore outdoors are socially and emotionally happier and healthier. Unstructured outdoor play is also touted as one of the most direct ways to combat childhood obesity, a very real and prominent problem for children. Vitamin D exposure from the sun is known to help prevent a host of diseases, as well as treat and prevent depression. Richard Louv, author of  Last Child in the Woods, has coined a phrase to sum up the current state of the modern child: nature deficit disorder. He believes that contact with nature can aid in preventing and treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and that children need regular contact with nature to stay physically and emotionally healthy. I highly recommend his book if you are interested in learning more about these ideas. Outdoor play gives children the opportunity to value nature, and see it as an important part of of our world. This is a tangible way to ensure that we help them developing environmental stewards who will be both appreciative and respectful of nature as they grow. Here are a few ideas for incorporating natural play into childrens everyday lives: * Find a nature trail (or any place in nature, really) and encourage children to play, rather than just hike. Help children make up a game or collect bugs or leaves * Allow children a small patch of land as their own. This can be in a backyard or a school yard. One school where I worked had a childrens garden in the strip of land that ran right next to the side of the school building. Let them use their imagination to dig, garden, build, etc. * Invest in a few inexpensive outdoor exploration tools: bug box, magnifying glass, butterfly net, shovel, spade, and compass * Rather than working indoors, take lessons outdoors. Learn about water cycles from the true source, use nature to teach about categorization, or compose a symphony of nature sounds. Even a language or math lesson is more fun when done outside on a beautiful day Outdoor play gives children the opportunity to value nature, and see it as an important part of of our world. This is a tangible way to ensure that we help them developing environmental stewards who will be both appreciative and respectful of nature as they grow. Images used during study Stopping to experience our natural surroundings can have social as well as personal benefits, says Richard Ryan, coauthor and professor of psychology, psychiatry and education at theUniversity of Rochester. While the salubrious effects of nature are well documented, from increasing happiness and physical health to lowering stress, this study shows that the benefits extend to a persons values and actions. Exposure to natural as opposed to man-made environments leads people to value community and close relationships and to be more generous with money, find Ryan and his team of researchers at the University of Rochester. The paper includes four experiments in which 370 participants were exposed to either natural or man-made settings. Participants were encouraged to attend to their environments by noticing colors and textures and imagining sounds and smells. In three of the studies, participants were shown a selection of four images on a 19 inch computer screen for two minutes each. Half of the subject viewed buildings, roads, and other cityscapes; the other half observed landscapes, lakes, and deserts. The urban and nature images were matched for color, complexity, layout, and lighting. In a fourth study, participants were simply assigned at random to work in a lab with or without plants. Participants then answered a questionnaire assessing the importance of four life aspirations: wealth and fame (to be financially successful and to be admired by many people) and connectedness and community (to have deep enduring relationships and to work toward the betterment of society). Across all four studies, people exposed to natural elements rated close relationships and community higher than they had previously. The questionnaire also measured how immersed viewers were in their environments and found that the more deeply engaged subjects were with natural settings, the more they valued community and closeness. By contrast, the more intensely participants focused on artificial elements, the higher they rated wealth and fame. To test generosity, two of the studies gave participants a $5 prize with the instructions that the money could be kept or given to a second anonymous participant, who would then be given an additional $5. The second participant could choose to return the prize money or keep it. Thus, subjects had nothing to gain if they chose to trust the other participant, and risked losing their money. The result? People who were in contact with nature were more willing to open their wallets and share. As with aspirations, the higher the immersion in nature, the more likely subjects were to be generous with their winnings. Why should nature make us more charitable and concerned about others? One answer, says coauthor Andrew Przybylski, is that nature helps to connect people to their authentic selves. For example, study participants who focused on landscapes and plants reported a greater sense of personal autonomy (Right now, I feel like I can be myself). For humans, says Przybylski, our authentic selves are inherently communal because humans evolved in hunter and gatherer societies that depended on mutuality for survival. In addition, write the authors, the richness and complexity of natural environments may encourage introspection and the lack of man-made structures provide a safe haven from the man-made pressures of society. Nature in a way strips away the artifices of society that alienate us from one another, says Przybylski. Lead author Netta Weinstein says that the findings highlight the importance of creating green spaces in cities and have implication for planners and architects. Incorporating parks and other representations of nature into urban environments may help build a stronger sense of community among residents, she explains. By contrast, to the extent that our links with nature are disrupted, we may also lose some connection with each other, the authors warn. This alienation may help explain other research showing that urban as compared to rural dwellers show more reservation, indifference, and estrangement from others. On a personal level, Weinstein says the take home message from the research is clear: We are influenced by our environment in ways that we are not aware of, she says. Because of the hidden benefits of connecting with nature, people should take advantage of opportunities to get away from built environments and, when inside, they should surround themselves with plants, natural objects, and images of the natural world. The more you appreciate nature, the more you can benefit, she says.

To Fast or Not to Fast? Essay -- Weight Loss Dieting Diet Papers

To Fast or Not to Fast? Introduction "Rapid weight loss", "quick and easy weight loss", "preventative", "therapeutic" and "low cost"; with these guarantees, who would not want to attempt a seemingly unchallenging fasting diet!? According to a report on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) web site, as of 1995, tens of millions of Americans are dieting at any given time, in the process spending more than $33 billion annually on weight-reduction products. Are you playing the weight loss game? Here I will identify weight-loss programs advertised on the internet, discuss their claims to success, highlight specific fallacious claims, and report on findings of both the FDA and various medical studies. What’s on the Web? A collection of "easy" fasting or very low-calorie weight loss plans advertised on the world wide web includes the following: California Dreaming, The Wellness Center of Alaska’s "weight loss on-the-web", Medifast, Optifast, 4 Season Weight Control Center’s "medically supervised weight loss program", Liquid Fasting Diet, All-natural Aspen Spa diet program, and various methods compiled by Fasting Center International. As an example of programs guaranteeing a quick fix to weight problems, I will focus on both the Medifast and Fasting Center International (FCI) methods and claims concerning weight loss. Medifast According to the Shape Up America web site, a supporter of the Medifast product, it is a "physician-supervised very low-calorie diet program of fortified meal replacements providing 450-500 calories per day". (http://www.shapeup.org/sua/publications/hwhl/partax9c.html) The purpose of Medifast is to promote quick and healthy weight loss to its customers by creating a great defic... ... Dulloo, A. G. Human pattern of food intake and fuel-partitioning during weight recovery after starvation: a theory of autoregulation of body composition. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 56: 25-40, 1997. Macdonald, I. A. and J. Webber. Feeding, fasting and starvation: factors affecting fuel utilization. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 54: 267-274, 1995. Masoro, Edward J. McCay’s hypothesis: undernutrition and longevity. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 54: 657-664, 1995. Schwartz, Michael W. and Randy J. Seeley. Neuroendocrine responses to starvation and weight loss. The New England Journal of Medicine. 336(25): 1802-1811, 1997. Schwartz, Michael W., Dallman, Mary F., and Stephen C. Woods. Hypothalamic response to starvation: implications for the study of wasting disorders. American Journal of Physiology. 269: R949-57, 1995.

Free Color Purple Essays: Shug and Celie :: Color Purple Essays

Shug and Celie in The Color Purple  Ã‚   The relationship between Shug and Celie cuts very deep. Both of them help each other become what they really need to be. Both Celie and Shug were very oppressed people. Celie was oppressed by her lack of caring, and by her lack of self esteem. Shug is caught in other people's image of her. She is not free to become what she really wants to be, which is a loving member of a loving family, which she never really had. This is shown by the quote on page 125-6. "(Mama) never love to do nothing had to do with touching nobody, she say. I try to kiss her, she turn her mouth away. Say, Cut that out, Lillie." Celie freed Shug from the role that everybody wanted her to fit into, and Shug freed Celie from the psychological bonds that were keeping her from making of her life what she wanted it to be, by being a mixture of friend, idol, lover, and teacher. Both Celie and Shug became what they were told they would. Celie was always told that she was ugly, that she was useless, that she was worthless. Alphonso and Mr.----- never lost an opportunity to tell her so. And so Celie became and believed she was ugly, useless, and worthless. Even Shug, when she first met her, exclaimed "You sure is ugly" (pg.48). Shug was told, first by her mother and then in the "respectable people's" opinion, that she was a whore, that she was wicked, and so she became a Temptress of sorts. "Even the preacher got his mouth on Shug Avery, now she down. He take her condition for his text. He don't call no name, but he don't have to. Everybody know who he mean. He talk about a strumpet in short skirts, smoking cigarettes, drinking gin. Singing for money and taking other women mens. Talk about slut, hussy, heifer, and streetcleaner." (Pg 46). She was the woman that all the men wanted and all the women hated, because there was so much she dared to do and so little anyone could do to stop her. However, neither of them necessarily wanted to take part in those roles, and both of them felt confined in them. Shug has a certain "Venus Image" in the novel. She fits the role of the seductive woman, the temptress, the devil.

Wet Seal :: essays research papers fc

Wet Seal started as a bikini shack in Newport Beach, CA in 1962. By the mid 1980’s they were known for offering trendy clothes to the most fashionable customers in Orange County. Wet Seal sold the right merchandise at the right time, and by 1995 they had enough capitol to buy 237 Contempo Casual stores from the Neiman Marcus Group.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Wet Seal went public in 1996 they realized they needed a marketplace for 20-35 year old females with a more contemporary look. With that thought, then CEO, Kathy Bronstein, created Arden B. The venue was named after her daughter. Also in 2001, Wet Seal Inc., felt the need for a venue just for the â€Å"tween market,† girls five to 12 years old. They bought out 18 Zutopia store units from Gymboree, Inc. The store also expanded in 2001 by buying a majority of the Contempo Casual stores, and later merged web sites with Contempo Casuals that created one of the largest junior driven sites in the country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As like every retail organization, Wet Seal Inc., has seen the best and worst during their years in business. With the 9/11 tragedy and other natural disasters, the nation’s economy had seen better days. Wet Seal Inc. stuck it out with Kathy Bronstein behind the wheel, and in late 2001 sales increased into the double digits, and stock was up 61% for the year. A vendor partner stated, â€Å" She’s one of the greatest merchants I know in the industry...she lives, eats, and breathes this junior business.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After two years of plummeting sales, and comments that they’ve â€Å"lost touch with the thrifty, fashion obsessed teens,† Wet Seal Inc. hired a new chief executive, Peter Whitford.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Peter Whitford was the former president of Walt Disney’s Disney Store operations. He also brought a talented team with him that included fashion designer, Victor Alfaro, and a teen-marketing expert, Anne Kallin Zehren. To get good output for their new line, Zehren came up with an idea to hire 11 stylizers to speak freely about Wet Seal fashions. â€Å"We’re having fashionable teens help us out,† Zehren states, and also adding that she hoped to recruit 50 stylizers by the end of the year. The stylizers are supposed to appear in ads, and add more appeal to the new clothing line.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marketing experts agreed with the idea of hiring every day girls as fashion muses, but they also stated that Wet Seal has to be really committed to this new idea.

Tractors in Asian Pacific Countries

* Imported Tractors: Australia, Japan, New Zealand * GDP per capita: Hong Kong, Australia, japan * Population: China, India, Indonesia * Number tractors in country: Japan, India, china * Agricultural Growth: China, South Korea, India Australia: 2/5 Japan: 3/5 New Zealand: 1/5 Hong Kong: 1/5 China:3/5 India: 3/5 Indonesia: 1/5 South Korea: 1/5 All of them. All 6 tables You need to calculate the initial score, weighting and the final score * Hard Copy 20% of total grade. * 20% attendance, 20% group project Characteristic: Big, High performance, and expensive ( very important to have some rational thinking why you would like to select it to be shipped to your specific country) * Recession started in 1947 to 2010 * Demand is lower, so they need to excess capacity and sell to the world * The target market in all Asian pacific * China and japan are the biggest industries in the world * India has the large population * Common wealth nations –Australia and New Zealand * Malaysia and I ndonesia are a pair, both tropical * China and japan are a pair New Zealand and Australia are a pair * 5 factors: opportunity, type of the demand, trade, market sustainability, political (government, recession etc. ) and economic environment. Internal and external supply. Market consideration: * Tell about the population of the ten countries. Type of the demand, the tractor use (because some don’t even use tractors), Imported tractor ( some countries never import the tractors but use their own tractors)IMPORTANT, do they portray desire? Do they have money? , agricultural growth( some countries never grow on agriculture such as Hong Kong), GDP.If they import tractor then they have a potential market. GDP, do you have money GDP per person. Consistent Growing or are they shrinking? Imported tractor is more imp than GDP, GDP is more important than agricultural growth then more important than tractor use. The least important is the population because they may not have to grow thei r own food but buy/import their foods. IMPORTED TRACTOR AND GDP MOST IMPORTANT! * 3 very important, 2 important, 1 is fairly important, . 5 less important, * Need to measure the weighted average mean *