Friday, January 24, 2020

Mexican Lives by Judith Adler Hellman Essay -- Mexican Lives Judith Ad

Mexican Lives by Judith Adler Hellman   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The author of Mexican Lives, Judith Adler Hellman, grapples with the United States’ economic relationship with their neighbors to the south, Mexico. It also considers, through many interviews, the affairs of one nation. It is a work held to high esteem by many critics, who view this work as an essential part in truly understanding and capturing Mexico’s history. In Mexican Lives, Hellman presents us with a cast from all walks of life. This enables a reader to get more than one perspective, which tends to be bias. It also gives a more inclusive view of the nation of Mexico as a whole. Dealing with rebel activity, free trade, assassinations and their transition into the modern age, it justly captures a Mexico in its true light. All walks of life are presented, from prevailing businessmen of white-collar status, to those of the working class and labor industry, as well as individuals who deal in the black market of smuggling illegal immigrants across the border into the U.S. Hellman’s work explores the subject of Mexico’s economic situation in the 1990s. NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) closely tied the United States and Mexico during this period, as well as similar policies such as GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) that were also created. These issues pertaining to economic policies between the two nations, Mexico and the United States are seen highlighted throughout her work. Hellman opens with three individuals at three different times. The reader is first introduced to Lupe Gonzalez at 3 A.M., whose story is a harsh reality for many. She lives in the vecindad of San Miguel Iztacalco where â€Å"eighteen families in eighteen single-room dwellings share a single water tap in the courtyard†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg.15) This is the daily life for many other Mexican families, as well as families from all over Latin America. She lives in a single room home with six children and her second husband. The reason for the set time is due to a schedule that each family must abide by, in order to obtain a simple necessity of life, water for their â€Å"drinking, bathing, cooking, and household cleaning.† (pg.15) With this the reader witnesses how there isn’t even enough water for all members of the community and city for constant usage. They share three beds for all eight family members and make considerably less then minimum... ...ople extort from others. It’s a way of life†¦ The NAFTA treaty isn’t meant to rescue people like us, it’s meant to help the rich" (pg. 157) Later, the reader learns that Maria was driven out of business by competators after NAFTA took effect. Mexican Lives is a rare piece of literature that accounts for the human struggle of an underdeveloped nation, which is kept impoverished in order to create wealth for that of another nation, the United States. The reader is shown that the act of globalization and inclusion in the world’s economies, more directly the United States, is not always beneficial to all parties involved. The data and interviews, which Hellman has put forth for her readers, contain some aspect of negativity that has impacted their lives by their nation’s choice to intertwine their economy with that of the United States. Therefore it can only be concluded that the entering into world markets, that of Mexico into the United States, does not always bring on positive outcomes. Thus, one sees that Mexico has become this wasteland of economic excrement; as a result it has become inherently reliant on the United States. Work Cited: Judith A. Hellman: Mexican Lives.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Conditional Love †How to Love Essay

Do you feel the sting of being rejected? Do your closest friends and even family push you away or mistreat you? I think that every emotionally healthy person wants to love and to be loved. We want people to love us as we are. We want to feel accepted no matter what we may say or do. When we make a mistake, we want to be forgiven and we don’t want to experience rejection. We want to be loved unconditionally. A problem comes though when we do not reciprocate unconditional love. For example, there will never be real love expressed between two people if both individuals are seeking to have their needs met. How can two people make a relationship work if both define love as, â€Å"if you love me then you will do what I want†? There is only one person who can truly love unconditionally. His name is Jesus. See, God is perfect and demands perfection from us. But, we all have fallen short of living a perfect life and that is called sin. The penalty for sin is death. But, this penalty is too great for us to pay! The Bible says that God demonstrated themeaning of love to us in this that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus laid down His life for us as the ultimate act of unconditional love. He accepts us for who we are, for what we have done, and even for what we have neglected to do. But, now He is asking us to accept Him unconditionally as well. He wants us to accept His love by giving to Him our heart, mind, soul, and strength. He wants all of us. When we give ourselves over completely to Jesus then we are â€Å"fully known, fully accepted, fully loved, fully valued, and fully celebrated.† Jesus will never leave you, quit on you, belittle you, or even condemn you. Did you know that the Bible says that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world but to save the world? He came to show you what love is. Once we experience His love, we must step forward quickly to embrace it. The Bible provides an excellent description of unconditional love and gives us a pattern to follow. What is real love? Here is an example, â€Å"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, †¦ Love rejoices with the truth. Love believes and endures all things. Love never fails.† The longing of your heart to be loved unconditionally can be fulfilled only through Jesus Christ. You must admit your sin, believe in Jesus, and follow His ways. If you do, you will experience unconditional love. Once you have experienced love unconditionally, you are then able to know how to love as well.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

French Number Expressions - Confusing Pairs

There are several confusing pairs and difficult expressions related to French numbers. Floor System Differences The numbering system of the floors in a building may be difficult for American English speakers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American English  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  British English Rez-de-chaussà ©e  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First floor  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ground floor Premier à ©tage  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Second floor  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First floor Deuxià ¨me à ©tage  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Third floor  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Second floor The meaning of premier changes depending on the preposition that precedes it. Au premier  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At/On the first Au premier à ©tage  Ã‚  On the second floor  Ã‚  On the first floor En premier  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first in a sequence En premier lieu  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first place, Firstly De premier/premià ¨re (prix, qualità ©)  The top (prize) or best (quality) Two Words for the Same Number in French There are two French words for the English ordinal number second (2nd): second  and deuxià ¨me. They are essentially interchangeable, but there is a general, not always followed guideline: Second  is often used when something is the second in a series of only two things. Deuxià ¨me tends to be used when theres a third, fourth, etc. Following this guideline allows you to add some interesting nuances to your words. La seconde guerre mondiale  Ã‚  World War II (the second and last) La deuxià ¨me guerre mondiale  Ã‚  World War II (the second of how many?) There are two words for third and fourth — one for the ordinal number and another for the fraction troisià ¨me  Ã‚   third (in a series) un tiers  Ã‚  Ã‚   one third quatrià ¨me  Ã‚  fourth (in a series) un quart  Ã‚   one fourth