Kentucky Town of Manchester Illustrates Obesity Critique Essay

According to Wil Haygood, it’s his best opinion that the health concerns in this town of Manchester are due to the lack of exercise facilities and excess amounts of fast food restaurants and unhealthy foods offered in their local stores. I somewhat agree, to a point, that it is more difficult with so much temptation around. However, I also feel that a lack of self control is a contributing factor in any case such as this, as well as the fact that some people turn to food in times of stress, while others may also be in denial that there is a problem at all. In this story as well as actual situations, I have heard reasons and â€Å"excuses† as to why someone may be overweight. For example, in the story the Mayor of the town says, â€Å"I just don’t know a lot about obesity.† Until you realize it, you’re blinded. Then you get to an age where you suddenly say, â€Å"Oh, my God! What have I done to myself?† On the one hand, it seems as though the mayor is admitting that at one point in time, she was oblivious to the fact that she was overweight. At the same time, I do not understand how any individual could not be aware of such changes to his or her own body, especially if it is a drastic change. I would have to say that she demonstrates a definite lack of self control, and denial that the problem has or had anything to do with her own actions. By focusing on anything but the root of the issue, this woman may be overlooking the deeper problem of her health actually being in jeopardy. I feel that these type s of problems can be solved by individuals simply assuming responsibility that they have a lot to do with their weight gain. They can make better decisions, though they may be hard to follow through with, they can take action to correct their issue. Focusing on one man by the name of Charlie Rawlins, he chose to do this. He was a twenty year old man who stood five foot nine inches tall, and weighed two hundred and fifty one pounds. His weight was problematic to the point that it caused him to have to have several knee surgeries. The pain that he had to experience from his weight applying so much pressure on his body was more than he could handle. Mr. Rawlins educated himself on nutrition. He  started eating healthier, making better choices with his eating habits, and he began working as a personal trainer at a physical therapy facility inside a local hospital. With such positive choices, determination, effort and a lot of dedication, he was able to lose a total of sixty six pounds. He shows a lot of concern towards the local kids. He attempts to get them to come and see him at work, but they always refuse. His concern for them is sincere and personal because as he puts it, â€Å"The kids around here, they’ll eat corn b read and taters for lunch. They’ll get a 20-piece chicken meal. It’s killing them.† He figures that the reason that people do not go is due to a lack of resources, however he also argues that with the amount of money that these people spend on fast food they could easily afford his prices. Another local, Regina Stevens, who is the town’s pharmacist, states that it is her opinion that the residents are â€Å"unaware of the consequences of being overweight.† The pharmacist admits that a good share of the medications, which she prescribes, are â€Å"things that can be adversely affected by increased weight.† â€Å"These medications are for conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and hypertension†. She also admits that while she is most important to some people, others would not need her help at all if they would simply lost weight. Some of these individuals could be taken off of their medications all together. She even states that â€Å"they would have increased longevity in life.† If Regina Stevens is right about this, which I believe that she is, then it is a shame that so many people still believe that losing weight and living a healthier lifestyle is so difficult to attain. One former local, Jill Day who grew up in this town was astounded by the amounts of overweight people, children and adults as she looked around after coming home on a break from the University of Kentucky in Lexington. It was her opinion that the issue would make â€Å"an interesting academic study.† She did a study on the underlying causes that can lead to obesity. She conducted the study using elementary school students, by using fourth and fifth graders, although only two hundred and seventy seven students total participated out of seven schools. She did different tests, and as it turned out, exactly half of the students were either overweight or obese. Her next comments are hand in hand with what was stated before, about the problem  with denial. Day, who is now an assistant professor of human development and kinesiology says the people have a fear of talking about the issue of obesity, â€Å"a fear of knowing the truth.† She even states that some claim that obesi ty by in large is heredity however she disagrees. She states that â€Å"Since 1980, obesity has tripled in children, so we can’t totally blame genetics for this increase.† She blames the issue on a lack of physical activity combined with poor eating habits, and makes a valid point that attitude can make a large impact on willingness to make such changes. She talks about how people do not want to work hard to get to where they want to be. Instead, they just want to take the easy way out and the outcome of taking that ‘easy route’ is that these people are having severe health problems. Some other people mentioned in this story are two sisters, Carlin and Brittney Robinson. These girls are sweet and full of personality; however the main topic of conversation for them is food. Carlin states that she has started to notice that she is bigger than most kids at school and that she gets picked on. Her sister Brittney says that she would like to talk to Carlin about her weight but she does not want to â€Å"push her buttons.† She states that it is uncomfortable to talk about. Carlin even admits that she will not weigh herself because it is embarrassing. The girls do not even have full length mirrors in their home, so they cannot see the extent of their weight gain. Brittney is right that she should talk to her sister and help her in any way that she can, but she seems to be more hesitant when she claims that her reasoning for not doing so is to not upset her. It is my opinion that by not reaching out to her she is enabling the situation. At the same time, she wants to keep from hurting her sisters’ feelings, possibly making her feel worse about herself. The better thing to have done would have been to reach out, especially as a family member, which is a lot less embarrassing than an outsider, and voice her concern in a way that showed that she cared, carefully. In conclusion, I would just like to say that I hope that more people will start taking the initiative like Charlie Rawlins did, and be able to understand that it is okay to admit that they have a problem and to ask for  help if they truly need it. If you are embarrassed about your appearance, and know that you need to lose weight, it isn’t as hard as you think. It will be hard at first, but keeping a positive attitude and staying determined to reach your goal, then you will be able to succeed. References: Kentucky town of Manchester Illustrates National Obesity Crisis (published in the Washington post, July 17th, 2010), by Author Wil Haygood Pages 406-416 of â€Å"They say I say† by Authors Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. Haygood, Wil. â€Å"Kentucky Town of Manchester Illustrates National Obesity Crisis† Washington Post, 2010 July 12.

Philip Roth- writer of Defender of the Faith Essay

Philip Milton Roth was born on March 19, 1933 in Newark, New Jersey to a lower class middle-class Jewish Family novels and made it the scenes there. There are certain stories that he wrote which talks about his family members and his own life as well. His father was an insurance of Austro-Hungarian stock. When he wrote Patrimony in 1991, he wrote this for his dad who is still in his early eighties but in that particular story he portrayed his father as an eighty-six year old who suffered from a brain tumor. He loves his family so much. And that particular novel won the National critics Circle award in 1992.(Bloom, 2003) Experience is the best teacher and those experiences should be put into words to produce one magnificent work that will mirror the past. An excerpt from one of his book says â€Å"Between first discovering the Newark Bears and the Brooklyn Dodgers at seven or eight and first looking into Conrad’s Lord Jim at age eighteen, I had done some growing up. I am only saying that my discovery of literature, and fiction particularly, and the ‘love affair’ – to some degree hopeless, but still earnest – that has ensued, derives in part from this childhood infatuation with baseball. Or, more accurately perhaps, baseball – with its lore and legends, its cultural power, its seasonal associations, its native authenticity, its simple rules and transparent strategies, its longueurs and thrills, its spaciousness, its suspensefulness, its heroics, its nuances, its lingo, its ‘characters’, its peculiarly hypnotic tedium, its mythic transformation of the immediate – was the literature of my boyhood.† (Roth in ‘My Baseball Years’, from Reading Myself and Others, 1975) Here we can say that the place he grew up and the experiences made him what he really is and clearly shows the readers what kind of childhood he has. He attended Rutgers university from 1950-51 then transferred to Bucknell university where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude with a major in English in 1954. Then he studied at the University of Chicago where he receives his M.A. in English then in 1955 he joined the army but sooner discharged because of a back injury. He then continues his study at Chicago and worked there from 1955 to 1957 as an English teacher. He then dropped out from the Ph.D. program in 1959 and started to write film reviews for the New Republic. Also in that year Goodbye Columbus won the National Book Award and was made into film here it was based on a family of a middle-class Jewish which clearly shows the author’s technique that is experience based and observations about the Jewish way of living Roth is fascinated by the idea of Jews behaving badly, but for him the physical deviance is sexual. He undermines the icon of the mensch, the Jewish good-boy (buzzle.com). Portnoy’s complaint is also his work which became the number one best seller in 1969 and made a turning point in his career. Here Portnoy’s approach to hedonistic Western culture is ironic. This work of Roth for most readers finds it offensive because of the sex scenes and the presentation of Jewish Mother was criticized. (Bloom, 2003) Jewishness is Roth’s major territory in examining American culture. Roth has more ironic and characterized as â€Å"less loving† views on Jews’ life. The readers can identify the writer with the obsession on fictional characters. In his works he increasingly wrestled problems of identity. Sometimes, he views his own life as part of his fiction. In his work The Plot against America (2004) an alternate history in which the famous pilot Charles Lindberg is the 33rd president of the Fascist U.S Philip Roth is one of the characters suffering from his Jewish Background. When he experienced separation from his wife whom he got married in 1990 distinguished actress Claire Bloom, their relationship wayback 1970 was ended in 1996 and made his wife publish a book for him entitled Leaving a Doll’s House. We can see here that even his wife is using experience as a good source of thoughts and ideas in writing a book to clearly express one’s emotion and point of views.(Bloom 2003) In his work Defender of the Faith (1959) the social and critical context shows us the passion of Philip Roth for his works. Here Roth shows us two stories at the same time, first is the story of Marx’s recovery from war experiences and the other is his conflict with Grossbart. The author explores the struggle one man goes through in order to discover which value outweigh others. Marx is in a dilemma which should be first, a good sergeant, a good Jew or a good human being. As the story progresses, Roth allows us glimpses into Marx’s recovery: the parade ground at dusk evokes childhood memories that reach deep into his heart to touch him; later, he begins to send for law school catalogs and to write old girlfriends. (ftp.ccccd.edu) From here we can see points of the author about the conflict between Marx and Grossbart. Although they are both Jews, Grossbart is trying to get a special consideration and privilege. What is difficult for Marx is that Grossbart raises questions that the army at that time never considers. Like why is it that Jews don’t go worship on their Sabbath. Then Marx just realizes that Grossbart is not really a serious Jew. He just wants to manipulate the system which on the later part made Marx fight for his own sake. We can see that this work of Roth is full of complex irony. Sgt. Marx is the defender of faith which in fact should suggest a staunch religious champion, but as far as Marxs role in the story he does it so against his will and against his intention but what made him motivated is to have an equal and fair treatment to all his men and not to be partial to Jews.where unwillingly he became defender of faith to Grossbart. At the end of the story, however, when Marx has Grossbart’s orders changed to the Pacific, the irony is that he becomes most truly a defender of his faith when he seems to be turning against it. â€Å"You call this watching out for me what you did?† asks Grossbart. â€Å"No,† answers Marx. â€Å"For all of us.† The cause of the whole Jewish faith is set back when Jews like Grossbart get special favors for themselves, for other people will mistakenly attribute Grossbart’s objectionable qualities to the Jewish people as a whole. (It’s called â€Å"stereotyping.†) Thus Marx is unwillingly a â€Å"defender of the faith† when he helps his fellow Jew, yet he becomes truly a defender of the faith when he turns against him (ftp.ccccd.edu). Roth justifies his social context about Jews in this story and made many people realize what the term â€Å"Defender of the faith† really means. Works Cited Bloom, Harold â€Å"Blooms Modern Critical Views† Chelsea House Publishers, Defenders of the faith Notes: â€Å"Defender of the Faith†by Philip Roth Roth, Philip â€Å"My Baseball Years† from â€Å"Reading Myself and Others Book†, New York Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1975

Frankenrunner

Frankincense: Methods and Techniques: Structure & Narrative Form From Top Notes – Patterson & Strangers Epistolary Narrative Form â€Å"Frankincense† Is written In an epistolary narrative form that was popular at the time in which it was written. The original publication was presented in three volumes and this emphasized the Chinese box structure of the story within a story within a story. This structural device adds a great deal to its stark drama as well as ensuring greater reader engagement.The use of three narrators lends verisimilitude to an unlikely Tory since there is no one omniscient narrator. Our ideas are formulated by responding to multiple narrators and from being able to balance perceptions from one to the other. This method enables the author to maintain a certain objective distance between the text and the reader, allowing her audience to Judge and assess the moral worth of her protagonists. Flaws become evident but rather than the novelist casting asper sions on them; the characters condemn themselves In the reader's mind by their very actions. Multiple NarratorsThe novel is still able to Intrigue contemporary audiences because each of the three separate stories engage our sympathy with the narrator who presents them. This lends a personal voice in their fate. Each story fits neatly into the next. New contributions are made to our understanding which in turn colors our response to what is being recounted. The interlocutory bond between storyteller and listener Is maintained throughout even though the narrators alternate and often overlap. The reader is caught up in the storytellers magic, listening spellbound as different aspects of plot or character are revealed.First person narration offers one perspective but when this is put up against a deferent version of events, out Interpretations shift on response to questionable moral efficacy. Both Walton and Frankincense are linked by their voluntary alienation from society whereas the Creature has been forced to wander the world as an outcast. The narrators are depicted as flawed Individuals and on the absence of any one, single or reliable storyteller, the reader Is forced to assume the mantle of Judge. We, rather Han the novelist, evaluate the narrators and their versions of the truth that are presented to us.Well ? educated Walton seems the most reliable of the three and like Coleridge Ancient Mariner, is left alive to tell the tale that was in turn recounted to him. Shelley makes it clear however that these tales however have been filtered throughout his consciousness. Wallow's sister, Mrs. Seville becomes a surrogate reader, serving narrative function of receiving the letters her brother writes. Dualism Dualism links Victor and his mother which is not given a name, having no identity there than that of being Frankincense's doppelgà ¤nger shadow.Constructed from the dead body parts of others, he is a grotesque parody of life. â€Å"My form†, says the monster, â€Å"is a filthy type of yours, made horrid even in the very resemblance. † Both the scientist and his creation represent the duality of the human condition, the composite blend of good and evil; â€Å"Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous and magnificent, yet so vicious and base? He appeared at once time a mere scion of the evil principle, and at another as all that can be conceived of noble and godlike.Frankincense describes the fiend as a monstrous or supernatural devil – â€Å"l was cursed by some devil, and carried about with me mum eternal hell†. Linked by many features such as a desire to learn and extract vengeance and scarred by the emotional suffering that results, they become mirrored reflections of each other. Their identities fuse as part of the Doppelgà ¤nger motif, forging an ambivalent relationship between good and bad. This helps reinforce the central thematic concern of monstrosity, challenging the reader to ponder the n ature of humanity and its evil twin.

Business Proposal Presentation PowerPoint Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Proposal - PowerPoint Presentation Example It is proposed to Family Health Center to examine several implementations, which are the following: creating a hall of fame, informing about best workers of the month; implementing a system of official recognition, providing employees with thank-you letters from chief executive officer; launching job swap program; providing workers with additional breaks during a working day for their diligently completed work and ensure best of employees with free lunch. Proposed solutions will ensure equal possibilities to achieve privileges, general recognition in the collectives, increase of employee’s self-esteem, more careful selection of staff to take different positions and decrease of worker’s over fatigability. Estimated costs for mentioned implementations are $87. Forecast of fluctuation movement is decrease by 20%. MEMO DATE: June 9, 2011 TO: CEO FROM: Barbara Wallace SUBJECT: Increasing motivation of medical staff THE PROBLEM: High Level of Employee Turnover and Diminishing Motivation During last three months our Family Health Center hired about ten new employees. This fact encouraged to find out the main reasons of left workers to choose unsolicited dismissals.

Euralia and the European Single Market Case Study

Euralia and the European Single Market - Case Study Example A hypothetical situation may arise concerning a Euralian citizen who has been criminally convicted or who has a highly infectious disease. It may be queried whether there are restrictions on the travel or movement of that convict or sick person throughout the Union. While the cited Article 14 -2 of the EC consolidated treaty provides for the free movement of goods and persons, it has some qualifications. The proviso itself contains the phrase "in accordance with the provisions of this Treaty". Under Title IV, specifically Article 61 - (c), the consolidated treaty is clear on the matter. It declares that the European Council shall adopt such measures concerning cooperation on police and judicial matters. It is further stipulated that these initiatives are geared toward a high level of security which includes actions to prevent and combat crimes.4 This limitation may be construed in conjunction with Article 39 - 3 which specifically says that even the right of workers who are Union citizens to move freely may be constrained or limited for reasons of public policy, security and health.5 The spirit of this limitation or constraint is also enshrined in Article 64-1 of the consolidated treaty, albeit with particular reference to border crossings, which provides that the exercise of the responsibilities of a member state regarding law and order and internal security are not affected by such freedoms. A convicted criminal who is a citizen of a member state poses threats to another state and his entry to the latter may be considered both a judicial and a police matter. It is a judicial matter because the felon had already been finally sentenced guilty and must be brought behind bars in his state of origin in order to serve the ends of justice there. As a matter of fact it is also a political concern because for a member state to allow a convicted criminal from another member state entry into its territory will not only be a violation of the European Union Treaty but may also be construed as a sign of disrespect to a co-equal. Furthermore, the travelling felon can become a liability to the host member state and a menace to its society. It is this aspect which makes the issue also a police matter. This is precisely the spirit and letter of the exceptions to the free travel rights of Europrean Union citizens among member states and sovereignties. An undesirable European Union citizen with a conviction record will be a problem to the security of the member state to which he will travel. Allowing him to enter the territory of the neighboring state will put the police authorities of the latter at a quandary and will be in contravention to the collective efforts to prevent and combat crimes. The kind of threat that the felon will create is the one embraced within the meaning of high level of sec

Answering the question in skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Answering the question in skills - Essay Example What did you learn from your visit to the library? Which resources are you planning to use for your assignments this term? I learned from my visit to the library that there is a vast amount of reference materials available that can fully equip a student with all the knowledge, information, and data for any research work. I also learned that a student must familiarize himself how the materials in the library are Well-organized so one can efficiently conduct a research. It was very interesting for me to know that there are many databases that I can access in the library. These databases are provided by really good sources such as Cambridge, EBSCO, Harvard and other reputable academic organizations which provide an almost endless supply of journals. The Bridgeman Education is also helpful since it contains images that I can use for my projects. The journals coming from SAGE or EBSCO are even peer-reviewed which means that I get quality reference materials for any research I have to make. Also, it would be worth mentioning that the design of the library as well as the ambience is very conducive to reading. It was awesome to see such beautiful library containing 350,000 books and 8,000 journal articles. Indeed, the administration really made such an effort to giving the students the best possible support to their academic life. Aside from the books, I am planning to use the PCs since the electronic journals as well as databases can be accessed from there. The e-library provides convenience in reading materials even when you’re off-campus since I can access materials even at a net cafe. Yes I am confident in using the library resources and librarians are helpful in case you can’t find what you need. The only way to enhance research skills is by reading a lot of materials and organizing the reading list that you have. Having worked in groups today please reflect how successful you think it was? What do you think

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 9

Research Paper Example Yet, regardless of the motivation that exists for encouraging individuals to join street gangs, the fact of the matter is that participation and juvenile membership in street gangs has noticed a marked increase in the past several years time. Whereas other types of crime have slowly been decreasing, crimes associated with gain participation, membership, initiation rites, and all of the other aspects that go alongside this have statistically increased at an alarming rate. Gang crime also provides an additional headache for law enforcement as well as the justice system due to the fact that locating and prosecuting juvenile gang members for crimes committed on behest of the gang is oftentimes difficult if not impossible due to the completely unknown structure of the game that exists as well as the near impossibility of penetrating these criminal organizations to gain valuable intelligence. As such, seeking to understanding causal relationships and criminal theory that ultimately explain such behavior has been a fundamental research goal of criminologists and social scientists of late. Accordingly, the following analysis will review the â€Å"strain theory† as it relates to juvenile gang membership. Bureaucratic organized crime exhibits a number of tell-tale marks that help to differentiate it from the more commonly known and recognized patron-client networks of organized crime. One analyst noted the following: â€Å"Juvenile crime is unique in that it oftentimes exhibits a level of organization that is clearly not seen with respect to other types of crime throughout the system† (Goddard et al., 2000). However, just because bureaucratic organized crime may be less recognizable, it does not mean in any way that it exists to a lesser degree in our society. A few of the most recognizable aspects of bureaucratic organized crime is