Like So Many Feathers In An Eagles Wings :: Personal Narrative Immigration America Papers

Like So Many Feathers In An Eagle's Wings My life as an American didn't really begin until I was five years old, had caught a fever, and almost died. About a week before, my parents had decided to clean out our small cottage home in Thatcham, England, and put our few lovely possessions into boxes stamped for America. My father had accepted a job in Indianapolis, which meant that my parents, sister, and I would be the first and only of our family to become American immigrants. Our relatives simply couldn't understand it, and to be quite honest, at the time neither could I. They thought my parents irresponsible for wanting to take my sister and me away from all we knew and all that could ever love us. "All for what?" They would protest. "To chase some silly dream? To call yourselves American?" I was young. I was confused and couldn't understand. I even thought my parents were selfish. Then began a time of heart wrenched good-byes, which in my case occurred while clasped between my nanny's large pale hands and soft chest. I didn't really know that I was about to be torn from her and that the rest of my life would be spent wanting to belong. I only knew that something horrible was about to happen, and I didn't want to face it alone. She said, "You be a good lad. Be brave, my sunshine. Don't you go forgetting your old Nan." My mother walked my sister and me out of her bungalow. As we climbed into the car, I could hear Nan let the tears flow. " Goodbye, my darlings," and as though Granddad had not died last spring, "Don't let them take my grandbabies, George." It was then that I realized I might never see my nanny again. I did what I promised my mother I would not. I cried. I had no previous knowledge of America, only what I had heard from Blaine Sutton. He lived next door, and said his armies of toy soldiers were blue because they were American Yanks.

Welfare: Who Does It Benefit

What happens if someone was to lose their job? What happens if there is not enough money at the end of the month? What happens if someone does not have enough money to feed their children? Luckily, there is a program that can help these people that fit in these categories. The name of this program is called The Welfare Reform. Being on welfare is nothing to be ashamed of. Many people feel that welfare benefits the poor, but that is not true at all. Welfare benefits those who are in need of it. In today’s economy, millions of former CEOs, presidents of companies, and business owners are now suffering severe pay cuts.Now, they may not be able support their families financially like they use to. They might have to turn to being on welfare to help their families. This example shows that welfare not only helps the less fortunate, but it helps everyone in need. My primary focus of this paper is to illustrate how welfare helps everyone, and it is nothing to be embarrassed about. Welf are Reform: The Untold Story was a very informative article about the use of the welfare reform. This article discussed the problems with the welfare legislation.It talks about how some people are abusing the welfare system. Also, it talks about how the welfare system has helped other major programs. A program that has been helped by the Welfare Reform is the funding of child care. It talks about what prompted the need of the Welfare Reform. It provides data on how long people are usually on welfare. The article talks about how minimum wage, child support, and a rise in income tax credit have benefited the people on welfare. The article also explains why numerous people on welfare got off the program.It talks about how welfare has affected teen pregnancy. Finally, it gives the reader the advantages and disadvantages brought by the Welfare Reform. Robert Cherry stated that, â€Å"But the strong economy and funding provisions of welfare legislation led almost all states to enhance ch ild care funding, provide tax subsidies to supplement wages, and to fund educational initiatives† (Cherry 79). In this statement alone can answer my soul purpose of the paper. That purpose was does the Welfare Reform benefit the poor? This statement gives the answer as yes, but while doing so; the WelfareReform has helped millions of people who are not poor. Another great point Robert Cherry made was, â€Å"During the economic expansion, the vast majority of welfare leavers found paid employment† (Cherry 81). This explains, while the economy is doing great; there are numerous people that are on welfare who are getting off. To go a little further, if the economy is not doing well, this is what caused people to turn towards welfare. Once again, this has supported the idea that welfare does not just benefit the less fortunate. Has the Welfare Reform benefited the poor?Yes, but while the reform was geared toward the people who fit the poor profile, however, it has benefited the very people who look down on welfare. Single working mothers are a group that does not fit the poor profile, but the Welfare Reform has helped them tremendously. Robert Cherry supported my claim by saying, â€Å"Today, if a single mother with two children earns $13,000, she qualifies for an earned income tax credit (EITC) of $4,000 at the federal level, and $900 at the state level in a number of states†(Cherry 81). With the tax credit, which is a part of the Welfare Reform; their yearly income has risen to over $ 17,000.The book Evaluating Food Assistance Programs in an Era of Welfare Reform: Summary of a Workshop gives information that many Americans do not know about. The book talks about the different programs that are within the Welfare Reform. It also talks about the work requirements that come with being on welfare. It also discusses the funds that are set aside for welfare. To elaborate on the different programs, the book not only gives us the names of the program , but the book goes in detail pertaining to the programs. The book talks about the research that was needed, so that there could be improvements for welfare.The editors discussed a program called the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. â€Å"PRWORA emphasizes welfare to work concept, including time limits for assistance, strong work requirements, a performance bonus to reward states for moving welfare recipients into jobs, and increased funding for child care† (Evaluating vii). This shows that welfare does not mean taking care of lazy people. It is also saying that the states would benefit from those on welfare. This program gears to help people work, and to take care of themselves, so that is why there is a limit for assistance.The Food and Nutrition Service serves an enormous part to the Welfare Reform. The editors stated, â€Å"Today, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers 15 food assista nce programs. These programs feed one in six Americans, serving as a natural nutrition safety net for millions of children, working families, and elderly† (Evaluating 1). This material proves that people, who work still, need some assistance. It shows that this program feeds not only the less fortune, but it feeds working Americans also.It also shows that welfare knows no upper, middle, or lower class, but it helps Americans as a whole. I know there has been a previous attempt to help people in need, but that did not work because how the money was distributed to the families. The editors supported my claim by saying, â€Å"The previous program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), provided cash assistance directly to children and their families based on need, income, resources, family size, and family structure† (Evaluating 1). The problem with this program was because the cash was given directly to the families.This maybe the reason why many Americans starte d to believe welfare was a waste of money, and the money was not used for the right reasons. This also caused them to use stricter requirements, and caused PRWORA to come up with something else to replace the flaws. â€Å"PRWORA replaced AFDC with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which provides assistance and work opportunities to needy families by granting states the federal funds and wide flexibility to develop and implement their own welfare program† (Evaluating 1).The article Welfare Reform and Family Expenditures: How Are Single Mothers Adapting to the New Welfare and Work Regime provided information that I did not know. The article talks about the public welfare. It also put a light on single parents, but mainly the focus is on single mothers. The article gives graphs that illustrate single mother families, which the mother only has, a high school diploma. The graph also showed what kind of income was expected, depending on the other levels of education. The article also displays the xpenses of the needs needed in everyday life. The article also gives the reader a descriptive and multivariate analysis about expenditures. The authors stated that, â€Å"According to the U. S. Census Bureau (nd), the poverty rate among children in single-mother families declined from 54 percent in 1993 to 43 percent in 2005. This decline is due part to the economic boom of the 1900s and in part to such other factors as changes in tax and transfers programs† (Welfare Reform 371). This shows that while the economy is doing well, the poverty rate drops.This also shows that just because someone is living in a single parent home; it does not mean that they will be living inn poverty. I truly believe that the Welfare Reform does not encourage the welfare recipients to be on welfare. The authors supported my belief by saying, â€Å"A spate of policy changes in the 1990s shifted the focus of U. S. welfare policy from providing cash benefits for low-income single mothers to providing work incentives, and a range of supports for the working poor† (Welfare Reform 371).The government knows that life can be hard, and that is why the government created the Welfare Reform. The government encourages people to work, and to look for jobs. That is why government is making the attempt to provide help for those who need it. However, there is another side to the story. Receivers of welfare as a child has a negative outcome on the money earned as adults. People believe that the more welfare a young male receives as a child, the lower the same boy income will be as an adult.Living in a single-parent household while on welfare, the more likely a person is to have a criminal record. Also, many believe that children in households with higher income will do better in life. Some Americans believe that welfare encourages illegitimacy, and reducing illegitimacy is a more important goal in the Welfare Reform, than attempting to make si ngle mothers self-sufficient. It has been said that modern welfare is deeply flawed and misleading, and has become a recipe for a disastrous system of aid which harms rather than helps.Many believe that welfare reduces the work effort, promotes illegitimacy, and poverty prone single parent families. There are advantages and disadvantages about the Welfare Reform, but I truly believe that the good outweigh the bad. Millions have moved from welfare to work, and this absolute proof that welfare works for the better. But some critics does not believe that because they say a lot less people are receiving cash benefits, but a lot more have signed up for other programs, including food stamps, Medicaid, and disability benefits.Being on welfare does not determine what you will become in life. The Welfare Reform provides too many benefits for everyone; however, it is looked down by many of critics. Being realistic, everyone does not graduate from high school and college, for many different re asons; however, they do not need to suffer for that. Welfare is essential for providing aid for children. The true beneficiary of the Welfare reform is not the poor, but it is the children of America.

A Certain Night Essay

Knowledge and Understanding 1. As it is quite obvious in the story, the narrator does not think that these men and women deserve to die. This is abundant when in the very last line of the story the narrator states, â€Å"when will it be light?† 2. Throughout the story, the narrator describes the communists as young, brave and handsome, although they are powerless martyrs. The narrator makes the nationalist seem â€Å"murderous looking,† and â€Å"cunning, malicious and smug.† The chief executioner has a â€Å"revolting moustache,† and an â€Å"evil voice†, as well as an â€Å"ugly and vicious face, which seemed to symbolize the cruelty of all the rulers to the oppressed.† This made it easy enough to distinguish between the communists and the nationalists. 3. The nationalists regard to the commended prisoners with no respect at all. It was because they didn’t care for them, because they were communists, and the nationalist police were just there to execute them. They were very rough towards them as they â€Å"pushed them clumsily and hard, hitting them with rifle butts and putting ropes round their chest to tie them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  As well, they would refer to them as â€Å"criminals†, as they would count them one by one making them seem no more important than counting the hairs on your chin. The nationalist’s regards towards these prisoners were cruel and very careless. 4. Near the beginning of the story, the young poet becomes overthrown by anger and pain that he actually passes out. Once he saw a familiar face, he began to calm down and gather a sense of encouragement. This familiar face started to make him feel more brave and resolute. Near the end, the mood is totally flipped around when they remembered their g overnment was being formed. Their attitudes were now positive as they died, proudly singing for their country. 5. Ting Ling wrote this store to raise awareness of the disapproving murders the nationalist party committed. I think she honored her husband with the passionate, loyal, hardworking poet. Maybe she wrote this story more for her self, as a forever memory of her husband. Not only of his death, but also by showing her passion for her beliefs. 6. A major theme in the story is to stand your ground, and fight for what you believe in. In other words, be willing to die for what you stand for, but proudly. Another theme is showing the absolute cruelty of humans. It is showing the brutal behaviors humans can portray on one another. Thinking and Inquiry 1. The tone of this story is dark and bitter. Ting Ling achieves this in the characters emotions throughout the story. This is also shown through imagery, through the gloomy vibe of the story. Ting Ling used figurative language and vivid descriptions to make the story come across as both bitter and dark. 2. The setting of the story contributes to the tone because it is set up during a dark, cold, windy, snowy night. The overall mood of the story was both gloomy and somber, which contributes to the tone I think Ting Ling was going for. Everything from the prisoners falling down in the snow, to the soldiers stomping throughout it, made the tone come alive through the text. 3. There are many different symbols throughout the story. For the chief executioner, he resembles both cruelty and oppression whereas the young poet symbolizes innocence and better reform. At the end when the prisoners are singing to their death, it shows a sense of resistance, which symbolizes the acceptance of their death. 4. The sound of trampling feet connotes punishment as a result of the communists standing up for their beliefs. It also shows desperation because the prisoners have basically hit rock bottom, and have nothing left to do. Ting Ling repeats this image to implement the despair in the prisoners, and to get the point across. 5. This story reflects a political bias because they make the communists seem innocent, as if they have done nothing wrong. Not saying they are innocent, but it is persuading the audience as if they are so. Yes, it is wrong for the nationalists to execute them, but you don’t hear the past story between the two groups. Therefore, it reflects a political bias by only showing the â€Å"innocence† of the communists.

Global article essay essays

Global article essay essays The term global events in Mr. Beekens definition is any incident that gets people react or provokes reactions. Examples are human rights violations, public health issues, economic, technological advances, environment issues, war, and etc. Articles arent really global because not everyone reads nor cares about what is happening. The true point of this assignment is so that Beeken can show all the losers in his class to read articles and newspapers to be informed what is happening around the world or to provoke a reaction from the people. Showing the students that reading and reacting is part of the democratic way. Cancer is such a widespread disease that is known throughout the world and is basically on everyones mind, next to how to kill Saddam/terrorists. Thats what makes cancer such a global issue because the public likes to hear about breakthroughs, treatments, and cures, anything that can help the war on cancer. The articles one, six, and ten are the ten approved articles I have selected are related to cancer. The first one is concerned with prostate cancer, which is a problem for men and their privates. The main purpose of this issue is to tell people, especial men to be in either groups that are the watchful waiting or the surgically removed group. It tells you the pros and cons of both sides, such as if you wait the chances of dying are greater and if you choose surgery it may not even be necessary because the disease is slow growing; many will die with it rather than from it. The next connected article was stopping cancer in its tracks, which involves technological advances t hat allow scientists to identify the first changes in cells as they are overtaken by the cancer. Scientists are also linking the lifestyles we choose to live may have an effect on the cancer or the factors leading to it. I final article that relates cancer by the production of a new drug that is intended...

Names of Family Members in Spanish

Names of Family Members in Spanish Who are the members of your family, how many are there, and what do they do? These are among the first questions you may be asked when you meet and first become acquainted with a native Spanish speaker. Depending on your age, you may be asked about your parents and what they do for a living, or you may be asked if you are married or have any children. Learn the words on this page as well as a few words to describe your family members, then bring a photo along, and even if youre a beginner and know only simple grammar, you can engage in conversation. Gender and Family Members Keep in mind that masculine plurals in Spanish can refer to mixed groups of males and females. Thus cuatro hijos can mean either four sons or four children, depending on the context. And while it may sound strange to the ear attuned to English, padres is a grammatically correct way to refer to both a mother and father, even though padre alone refers to a father. Also, note that the word pariente means relative in general; the Spanish-English cognate  doesnt refer only to parents. Vocabulary of the Family Following are the names for the most common relatives and some of the uncommon ones: padre: fathermadre: motherhermano: brotherhermana: sistersuegro: father-in-lawsuegra: mother-in-lawcuà ±ado: brother-in-lawcuà ±ada: sister-in-lawesposo, marido: husbandesposa, mujer: wifeabuelo: grandfatherabuela: grandmotherbisabuelo: great-grandfatherbisabuela: great-grandmothertatarabuelo: great-great-grandfathertatarabuela: great-great-grandmotherhijo: sonhija: daughternieto: grandsonnieta: granddaughterbisnieto: great-grandsonbisnieta: great-granddaughtertataranieto: great-great-grandsontataranieta: great-great-granddaughtertà ­o: uncletà ­a: aunttà ­o abuelo: great-uncletà ­a abuela: great-auntprimo: cousin (male)prima: cousin (female)primo carnal, prima carnal, primo hermano, prima hermana: first cousinprimo segundo, prima segunda: second cousinsobrino: nephewsobrina: niecepadrastro: stepfathermadrastra: stepmotherhijastro: stepsonhijastra: stepdaughterhermanastro: stepbrotherhermanastra: stepsistermedio hermano, hermano de padre, hermano de madre: half brothermedia her mana, hermana de padre, hermana de madre: half sister concuà ±ado: husband of ones spouses sisterconcuà ±ada: wife of ones spouses brotherconsuegro: father-in-law of ones son or daughterconsuegra: mother-in-law of ones son or daughterprometido, novio: fiance, boyfriend, groomprometida, novia: fiancà ©e, girlfriend, bridecompaà ±ero: male partner in a couple relationshipcompaà ±era: female partner in a couple relationshippadrino: godfathermadrina: godmotherahijado: godsonahijada: goddaughteramigo: friend (male)amiga: friend (female)conocido: acquaintance (male)conocida: acquaintance (female) Miscellaneous Family Terms La familia polà ­tica  or los polà ­ticos may be used as the equivalent of the in-laws. In other words, the terms refer to people to whom one is related by marriage. (In a different context, polà ­ticos can also refer to politicians.) The term amigovio or amigovia can be used colloquially in some areas to a person with whom a person has a romantic or sexual relationship that hasnt necessarily been formalized, such as a friend with benefits or a live-in lover where there isnt necessarily an expectation of marriage. This is a word of fairly recent origin, so its meaning isnt uniform in all areas. Note that while marido refers to a husband, there is no corresponding feminine form, marida, in standard use. Sample Sentences Referring to Family Members Here are some simple sample sentences you can use as models for your own: Mi padre es carpintero. (My father is a carpenter.)Mi tà ­a es dentista.(My aunt is a dentist.)Mi madre es ama de casa. (My mother is a housewife.)Tengo dos hermanos y una hermana. (I have two brothers and a sister.)Tengo cuatro hermanos. (This sentence can be seen as ambiguous by English speakers. It can be correctly translated as either I have four brothers or I have four siblings.)Tengo nueve tà ­os. (I have nine aunts and uncles or I have nine uncles.:)Mi madrastra vive en el estado de Nueva York. (My stepmother lives in New York state.)Mis sobrinas viven en Chicago. (My nieces live in Chicago.)Mi padre est muerto. (My father is dead.)Mi prima est muerta. (My female cousin is dead.)Mi madre est viva. (My mother is alive.)Otto y Edith Frank fueron los padres de Ana Frank. (Otto and Edith  Frank were the parents of Anne Frank.)Los primos no pueden casarse segà ºn nuestra cultura. (Cousins cannot marry accoridng to our culture.)Los suegras siempre tienen mala reputacià ³n. (Mo thers-in-law always have a bad reputation.)

Daytime Talk Shows Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Daytime Talk Shows - Essay Example Laura Grindstaff discusses the various things that occur behind the scenes when Talk Shows are being prepared. There are things that she points out that I never thought of like that and some that I did not know. Talk shows have a lot of strange spaces of matters to be discussed. Matters like misuse, manipulation, consent and choice within the context of entertainment are clearly depicted in Talk shows. The entertainment context itself is embedded in bigger cultural landscapes with social inequality as its character. Grindstaff argues that unlike other elites and celebrities shown on television, the† ordinary people† who come as guests in the talk show at daytime are forced to be emotional about their lives and private affairs to attract and entice audiences. She believes that for talk shows, it is necessary to manipulate the people so as to create moments that are dramatic. The dramatic scenes seen on the daytime talk shows are not stories of natural occurrences but rathe r directed by producers (Shuyisun 1).Identify the thesis of the article and criteria the author states or implies for assessing responsibility. If the author does not draw a conclusion about the criteria say so and explain what you think they should be.In the â€Å"Daytime talk show† article, Grindstaff proposes that as much as the daytime talk show makes profit and entertainment from the privacy of people, the show stages a platform for manipulation in the context of entertainment.

The Role of Trade Unions in the United Kingdom Essay

The Role of Trade Unions in the United Kingdom - Essay Example The conditions in these factories were harsh and the employees worked for long hours for very low pay. The workers did not accept these conditions and this resulted in trade dispute. The workers came together and resolved the one-off problems at work. This gave birth to trade unions. However, one of the challenges that are being faced by the 21st century trade union is redefining and reviving the traditional roles of trade unions. For instance, the UK has almost 200 certified independent trade unions, although the members have been reducing due to recent amalgamations. Howell (2009:19) defines a trade union as an organization that is comprised of members who are workers whose main aim is to protect the interests of its members. The trade unions core priority is protecting and enhancing people pay packages as well as the conditions of employment. Moreover, they are also tasked with campaigning or laws and polices that would be beneficial to the working people. Trade unions have been i n existence since an individual worker has very little power to affect the decisions that are made in relation to his or her job. Therefore, by combining with other worker there is a more chance of a significant voice and influence. The paper is going to critically discuss the changing trade union agendas and priorities. The major services that are provided by trade unions to its members are representation and negotiation. However, they are other benefits that individuals are accrued to from being members of trade unions which include provision of information and advice, and member services. Discussion Emerging trends and trade unions agenda Trade unions as noted by Wrigley (2002:82-90) play a number of roles including negotiating pay and employment conditions, offering advice and information such as financial and legal advice, defending the rights of the employees, negotiating bonuses for attaining set targets, resolving conflict, accompanying the union members to grievance and dis ciplinary meetings and lastly, offering services to members. In the last two decades trade unions have been faced with major political and economic change. There also have been a dramatic change in the in the type of jobs that people perform and the kind of industries they work in have also changed. The manufacturing sector which traditionally used to be the most crucial industries has shrunk tremendously translating in low union membership. On the other hand, new sectors like finance and voluntary sectors have become important to the global economy (Undy, 2008). Traditionally trade unions were shaped by existence of a normal employment relationship that involved a full-time job with a particular employer and typical degree of long-term stability. However, due to globalization and industrialization of economies, in cases that previously cushioned from external shocks, have now become subject to the fluctuations of the global markets (Checchi & Lucifora, 2002). People are now being e mployed on part-time and contractual basis thus has no way of joining trade unions. Furthermore, in some countries there has been a growing unwillingness from the employers to accept trade unions as collective representatives of their employees. With the recent changes in the labour market, trade unions in order to survive and thrive have reasserted the rights of labour in ways which let them to recapture the advantage in the battle of ideas. Since organizational strength without ideology is like form without content, numerous trade movements are suffering organizational weakness,