'Averaging' Faces Could Improve ID Card Security

According to this article, researchers have concluded that ID card photos and passports could be more effect if they depicted averages of several snapshots, so that it will allow a facial recognition software to spot familiar faces as well humans do. Researchers found that humans are much better at recognizing averaged faces than if shown an individual photo. They state and argue that if we see a person from different angles and in varied lighting, we build a mental image of their face that averages out all those experiences.

Vocabulary #2

We can easily eradicate our words that are written on paper, as seen here.
After building the sand castle, she decided to quickly eradicate it since she didn't think it was a good enough sand castle and decided to build a new one.



When I look at this painting the first vocab word that comes to mind is erratic. It reminds me of those Disney cartoons I would watch when I was a little kid, but this picture looks a bit more eccentric.
He always liked to stand out, which is why he would wear such erratic clothing that included a shirt made out of a plastic bag.

These cars probably looked very spiffy when they were brand new, but now it looks as if they are completely eroding.
The heavy rains caused the land to erode, thus resulting the landslide.

Before the decease's caskets were laid to the ground, a priest/pastor/whoever would say a eulogy to honor the person.
My brother recited a eulogy after Maraschino, our Betta fish, died.

First look at this picture, it is obvious that this girl in a tutu is experiencing a shot of euphoria.
I had a feeling of euphoria after finding out I get to go to Japan.



Definitions:

1) equivocate - to avoid making an explicit statement
2) eradicate - to remove or destroy utterly; extirpate
3) erode - destroy by slow consumption or disintegration
4) erratic - eccentric; queer
5) escalate - to increase in intensity
6) esoteric - understood by or meant for only the select few
7) espouse - to make one's own; adopt or embrace, as a cause
8) eulogy - a set oration in honor of a deceased person
9) euphoria - a feeling of happiness
10) euthanasia - mercy killing
11) epitome - a person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class

Why We Fight: Notes/Reflection

Vocabulary Week #1

Heritage is defined as something that comes or belongs to one by reason of birth. In the picture above, it depicts the different Filipino folk dances that have been a part of the different people living in the different regions in the Philippines. Even here in the US there are many dance studios that offer Filipino folk dancing and is a part of the Filipino heritage.
Though I was born in the US I am still aware of my Filipino heritage.



At first glance, this picture can be seem as a random array of color, but I'd see it better being defined as desultory. With all the different random colors mixed together, desultory is an appropriate word.
Though he is a straight-A student his work showed to be desultory since he would only study for tests and inconsistently turn in homework.



Though it may not be clearly seen in this black and white picture, it shows soldiers on the battlefield showing an act of intrepid, fearlessly courageous.
After the little boy had just been bit by the spider, he did not complain or cry and even remained intrepid towards the spider and squished it.

A state of alarm or dread can clearly be seen in this picture and would otherwise be known as trepidation.Though the expression of trepidation is painted on her face, I can't imagine what caused this.
Hearing the door creak open, she went down the stairs not knowing what to expect. As she neared towards the living room a man held a gun that was pointed in her direction and she was left with utter alarm and trepidation.



Although this does not show the feeling of despondency, the weather can cause it. The dark overcast and the dilapidated conditions of the dock may inflict the emotion of gloominess or being despondent.
Living in Seattle, she says that sometimes the despondent weather can be a bit depressing.


Definitions
1. intrepid - resolutely courageous; fearless
2. trepidation - a state of alarm or dread; apprehension
3. despondent - feeling/showing profound hopelessness or gloom
4. decorum - propriety in manners and conduct
5. aspire - to long, aim, or seek ambitiously
6. vacillate - to be indecisive or irresolute
7. desultory - lacking in consistency; random
8. fallacy - a deceptive, misleading, or false notion
9. formidable - causing fear, apprehension, or dread
10. heritage - something that comes or belongs to one by reason of birth
11. guru - an intellectual or spiritual guide or leader

Candidate Profile Project

With the large number of candidates campaigning to become the next president, it can be difficult to distinguish various candidates from on another. Using Online NewsHour information available at http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2008/index.html along with other Internet and primary sources, answer each question below and create a candidate profile that describes one of the people campaigning to be president. Be prepared to share your candidate profile with classmates, and stage a mini-debate.

Group Members:
Paris F.
Anthony K.
Anna L.



Research Questions

1. The candidate I am profiling is:
   Barack Obama
   


2. The political party this candidate represents is:
   The Democratic Party



3. What other political offices has this person had in his/her career, if any?
   Barack Obama was a Senator in the United States Senate from 2005-present and is the 5th black U.S. senator in history. Also, he was a Keynote Speaker during the 2004 Democratic National Convention and was previously the senator of the Illinois State Senate from 1996-2004.
   


4. What prior political and leadership experience does this candidate have that makes him/her qualified to be the next president?
   Other than his political experience being what qualifies him to be the next president, he has taken leadership roles in many organizations. Those being the following:
   
   Member, Trinity United Church of Christ, present
   Center for Neighborhood and Technology
   Chicago Annenberg Challenge
   Cook County Bar
   Cook County Bar Association Community Law Project
   President, Harvard Law Review
   Board Member, Joyce Foundation
   Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law
   Leadership for Quality Education
   Board Member, Woods Fund of Chicago.
   


5. What is this candidate's point of view on major issues, such as:




1. The Iraq War
   Problem: Many people have a misunderstanding about the surge, and that the reason why additional troops were put in Iraq in 2006 was to press the Iraqi leaders to come up with a solution and a compromise so that American troops can leave at the end of the year, but it has not happened and though the levels of violence was significantly reduced in Iraq, it placed an incredible strain in American economy which led to 40% of the Army and the Marine Corps weapons are in need of repair and make it harder for American troops to respond to other needs.
   
   Plan: As people are skeptical to the true intentions of most candidates, Barack Obama has disapproved of the war since it was started in 2001, and he consistently voted against the war. He plans to immediately remove 1-2 brigades each month, and expects to have all combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. His only plan with the military is to keep a few troops to protect our embassy and diplomats and he will use those troops to carry attacks on al Qaeda if necessary. He also states that he will press Iraqi leaders to come up with a solution as fast as possible and that he will make it clear that the Americans are leaving and that they will pay 2 billion to provide for the Iraqi refugees and the displaced.
   
   
2. National Security

Problem: On his campaign website, its states that, “Five years after 9/11, our country is still unprepared for a terrorist attack. From improving security for our transit systems and chemical plants, to increasing cargo screening in our airports and seaports, the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission have been underfunded and ignored. The 9/11 Commission gave the government five F's and 12 D's on the implementation of its recommendations. Senator Obama is a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and has supported efforts to base homeland security spending on risk rather than pork-barrel politics. He has also introduced legislation to strengthen chemical plant and drinking water security and to enhance disaster preparedness.”

Plan: Barack Obama plans to increase our homeland security in the most efficient way possible. He plans to keep track of nuclear and chemical plants, increasing the security and defense to those plants, and to do the same with our water supplies. He stresses that the water supplies are critical to our security, and that it has not gotten enough federal funding to be adequately protected. He also plans to increase reserves for disaster relief funds to ensure that if a disaster strikes, whether it is a terrorist attack or a natural disaster.


3. Education
   Problem: The goal of the law was in the right, but unfulfilled funding promises, inadequate implementation by the Education Department and shortcomings in the design of the law itself have limited its effectiveness and undercut its support. As a result, the law has failed to provide high-quality teachers in every classroom and failed to adequately support and pay those teachers. Six million middle and high school students read significantly below their grade level. A full third of high school graduates do not immediately go on to college. American 15 year olds rank 28th out of 40 countries in mathematics and 19th out of 40 countries in science. Almost 30 percent of students in their first year of college are forced to take remedial science and math classes because they are not prepared.
   
   Plan: Obama's comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide critical support to young children and their parents. Unlike other early childhood education plans, Obama's plan places key emphasis at early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. Obama will create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state "zero to five" efforts and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school. Expand Early Head Start and Head Start: Obama will quadruple Early Head Start, increase Head Start funding and improve quality for both. will also provide affordable and high-quality child care to ease the burden on working families. Reform No Child Left Behind: Obama will reform NCLB, which starts by funding the law. Obama believes teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. He will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the workplace and improve student learning in a timely, individualized manner. Obama will also improve NCLB's accountability system so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them.
   
4. Health Care
   Problem: Because the cost of health insurance is rapidly rising, the majority of the American population is either uninsured or underinsured. Statistics show that 47 million Americans, as well as 9 million children fit in this category. Aside from that, there is not enough money being spent on spreading awareness and prevention towards public health such as obesity and other chronic diseases.
   
   Plan: In regards to uninsured Americans, Obama plans to have a health insurance that has guaranteed eligibility for everyone. It will also have affordable premiums, comprehensive benefits, easy enrollment, and portability and choice which will enable Americans to move from job to job without jeopardizing their health care coverage. Also, Obama will set up a National Health Insurance Exchange to help people who want to purchase a private insurance plan as well as have employers contribute to their employees. However, employers will have to contribute an amount that would be substantial enough to help their employee have health insurance, whether it is through benefits or increased payroll.
   


5. The Economy
   Problem: There are various problems with America’s economy, and that the biggest is that the middle class are failing to move up on the social ladder.
   
   Plan: Senator Obama plans to give better tax relief, and plans to create a universal mortgage credit for Americans, and it will help more that 10 million American’s become land owners, through the equaling of the scale of the home mortgage rates. Houses today are being sold in the favor of the better off because they itemize or put on a list of deductable taxes. Barack Obama plans to remove the tipped scale to create a housing market where people further down the social ladder can afford homes as well.
   


6. Taxes
Problem: Taxes I think are serious in our day now because so much of our money goes into taxes. 1 third of our paychecks go out to taxes, the reason its an issue is because the things bush spends our taxes on like the war in Iraq. When in reality many people want the money to go to better things whether it be a cure for aids or helping families in need.

Plans: Barack has many plans when it comes to this issue because it is such a huge issue and by that I mean there are many forms of taxation and these are the things that Barack wants to do for some of those issues: Provide a “Making Work Pay” Tax Cut for America's Working Families, Create a Universal Mortgage Credit, Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, Eliminate Income Taxes for Seniors Making Less Than $50,000, Enable Millions of Americans to Complete Tax Returns in 5 Minutes, Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit, Expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit



7. Global Warming
   Problem: The facts are that America uses 20 million barrel’s of foreign oil a day and that it had cost 500 billion dollars in the year 2006. Also climate change is causing numerous problems from rising water levels, deteriorating ecosystems, and greater differences in temperature around the world.
   
   Plan: Senator Obama’s plans are to reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions by 80 percent by 2050, and stop deforestation and/or research ways to capture carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. He also plans to invest over a 150 billion dollars in 10 years to invest in environmentally friendly fuels. He also plans to put in effect various incentives, prizes, and government funding to help America eliminate their need for foreign oil
   


8. Nuclear Weapons
   Problem: Since 9/11, terrorism has been the biggest threat to America. But as of now, the threat of a terrorist attack with a nuclear weapon and the spread of nuclear weapons to dangerous regimes are the gravest. Obama has taken bipartisan action to secure nuclear weapons and materials.
   
   Plans: Obama will secure all loose nuclear materials in the world within four years. While we work to secure existing stockpiles of nuclear material, Obama will negotiate and assure that a verifiable global ban is made on the production of new nuclear weapons material. By doing so, this will deny terrorists the ability to steal or buy loose nuclear materials. Obama plans to strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty so that countries such as North Korea and Iran that break the rules will be automatically faced with strict international sanctions. Obama has a goal of a nuclear weapon-free world. He will start doing so by seeking dramatic reductions in U.S. and Russian stockpiles of nuclear weapons and material while also setting a goal to expand the U.S. & Russian ban on intermediate- range missiles so that the agreement is global.
   


9. Immigration
   Problem: The number of illegal immigrants has risen by 40% since the year 200 and it is estimated that more than half of a million illegal immigrants come each year. Also since the immigration bureaucracy is so overwhelmed, the process in which it takes to apply is a very prolonged one it forces immigrants to wait.
   
   Plan: Other than wanting to secure the border through the use of technology, Obama proposes to fix the broken immigration bureaucracy and increase the number of legal immigrants so as to keep families together and meet the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill. However, he wants to crack down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants. Obama supports a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens as well as promoting development in Mexico’s economy to decrease illegal immigration.
   
   
10. Gay Marriage
    Problem: Gay marriage is a serious topic because the LGBT community has been fighting for the right to do so for a long time. The reason being that if you were married and something happens to the other person there area many things that come with being married and when they are not it makes things complicated for example if you were married some of the benefits that come with it are Married couples are permitted to give an unlimited amount of gifts to each other without being taxed. Many married people are entitled to financial benefits relating to their spouses, such as disability, pension and social security benefits.
    
    Plan: Barack Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples equal legal rights and privileges as married couples, including the right to assist their loved ones in times of emergency as well as equal health insurance, employment benefits, and property and adoption rights. Obama also believes we need to fully repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions.
    
    

Biographical Summary
Barack Obama was born on August 4th, 1961 on the island of Oahu in Hawaii to a Kenyan father and a Caucasian mother from Kansas. Most of his youth was spent with his grandmother in Hawaii and attended the esteemed high school, Punahou Academy. During his teenage years he struggled to reconcile social perceptions of his biracial heritage. After graduating from high school he attended the prestigious schools, Occidental College and Columbia. Right after college, he moved to Chicago, Illinois to work as a community organizer in the tough neighborhoods of Chicago. Here, Obama worked with poor families on the South Side to get improvements in public housing and also fought for a program to keep at-risk children from dropping out of school. However, he had to leave his job to pursue a law degree at Harvard Law School where he became President of the Harvard Law Review. He then returned back to Chicago to install a new program called Project VOTE where it helps people register to become voters. Soon after that Obama was elected to the Illinois state Senate in 1996, when Democrats were in the minority. He proposed hundreds of new law with those being universal health care, strict gun control and expanded welfare, but were turned down by the Republican leadership. He did pass some laws in restricting the gifts that Illinois politicians could accept from lobbyists called the Gift Ban Act and also helped create the Illinois' "KidCare" program, which provided health care to children in families that did not qualify for Medicaid. When Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate he cooperated with Republican Senator Richard Lugar to study the dangers of nuclear proliferation and pass laws meant to keep nuclear material from falling into the hands of terrorists.

"Barack Obama Biography." 2007. 24 Jan. 2008 .

My Point of View
Judging from Obama's point of views towards the issues going on today in our country, I htink that he would make a great possible candidate for our country despite his length, or lack of experience compared to his competitors. If he were to be the winner of the Democratic Party, I would definitely vote for him. His plans are definitely capable of being successful, I believe. He is a strong person who holds up to his values and is a well-spoken person who is open-minded and is very willing to listen to both sides to comes up with a fair decision.

Paris's Point of View
I want Borack Obama in office and these are reasons why. African American people today sadly still are abused for their race whether it is racial profiling or becoming a president. One of the things that are amazing to me is how far African American people have come since slavery ended. Not only is the fact that he’s black make me want to vote for him I also love his views on current problems in America. One being what he thinks about Iraq. He wants to get our troops out of their and go about the situation in a more civilized manner by vactually talking. I think he wants what is good for the people and I respect that the most.

Anthony's Point of View
I believe that Barack Obama has the greatest plan for America’s future, though some parts of his plans are somewhat weak such as the homeland security plans, his plans to balance out America through the removal of troops in Iraq, the making of a fair housing market, seems to be do-able. I think that his greatest asset is that he can back up his most crucial arguments for his campaign such as his disapproval of the Iraq war since he was senate; he also has a lack of experience, though that is a double edged sword. His lack of experience can make him weaker in handling situations that arise, but it could also help as well since he would not be influenced with any past experiences, just like a clean slate.

Survival of the Sickest

Title: Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease
Author: Moalem, Sharon & Prince, Jonathon
Place of Publication:

Reason, Type and Setting: Needing to find a topic to talk about for the upcoming Presentation of Learning for my Biology portion, I decided to read a book about diseases and genetics since those are what my interests lie in. The book, I think, is an informational read that would be classified under nonfiction. However, it's not like those textbooks that you'd need to read for reference for a biology class. It's an informational yet entertaining read as well. There is no specific setting.

Plot: Since there is no specific rising action, falling action, plot, & resolution I will summarize the book. It talks of the relationship between disease, environment, and lifestyle that make diseases that are very deadly and prominent today bred into our genetic code. Also, it gives an explanation as to why diseases keep being passed on and how there are good effects on these certain diseases aside from the bad. It really gives an informational insight on these diseases without making it sound uninteresting.

Evaluation: This book was really interesting and was broken down into chapters that talked about different diseases such as hemochromatosis, diabetes, cholesterol among others, which made it very easy to read. Also, the author writes it in a way that is humorous and in a very easy to read format. Also, since it is broken down into chapters you may not have to read the whole book. If anyone is looking for an informative read relating to diseases this would be a very good book.

Author, Context and Trivia: From what I've found, this is Dr. Moalem's first book, however he has published many articles concerning different fields of science. He earned his Ph.D in neurogenetics and evolutionary medicine from the University of Toronto.

Caffeine May Boost Miscarriage Risk

According to this article studies show that caffeine may in fact be a factor for women to have high a risk regarding miscarriages. That is, if a woman consumes two cups of coffee a day. And it does not make a difference where the source of caffeine is from whether it be coffee, soda, or tea. The study had 1,063 women take part in their first trimester and the women who did not have any caffeine was 12.5 percent miscarriage rate whereas those who did consumed had double, 25.5 percent miscarrying. Therefore, mothers who are looking to have children should reduce their intake of caffeine during pregnancy since there is a correlation.

Novel: Edit/Revision

THE BEGINNINGS OF CONTENTION

A loud wail emanated within the walls of the dilapidated house. It was the cries of Cresencia, born on June 24, 1937 to young parents of the age of 18 and 23. My mother was born with the name of Cresencia Ang Estrella, with her mother being Chinese and her father being Filipino with Spanish descent. She was born in a small and frugal family of five, with her as the eldest of two younger sisters, Editha and Irene. The war abruptly started within Cresencia’s childhood years. The Japanese inundated the island of Luzon, specifically in Bataan where Cresencia was born. She was of the age of eight when the Battle of Bataan started among the Japanese who invaded the island since the US had their airforce base located there and also they wanted to create an Asian imperial empire, just as the Germans wanted to control Europe. The year the battle started was the same year that Cresencia and her sisters became an orphan. The night that the first bombs from the air raid took place, Cresencia’s parents Alma and Edward tried to take refuge with the whole family up on the mountain. There, her mother contracted malaria from the mosquitoes mountain habitat. A few weeks later she died. Although she was eight, she understood the loss of her mother while her younger sisters did not. Her sisters have said when they met up later in life, that their older sister Cresencia had no childhood like the one they had. The battle eventually ended with a 90 day siege and resulting with 75,000 Filipinos surrendered and many were killed during the Bataan Death Match. Their father soon died after the battle after having a fever for three days. The three sisters were now orphans, however it is Cresencia that endured the life of an orphan. The sisters were split up among different sets of relatives. Editha and Irene paired off with a relative of their father’s and Cresencia was off to live with their aunt, the sister of Alma. The first day she came to the house of Aunt Lourdes, it was nothing like the house she was habiting before. It had a tinge of pink and orange hues painted in stucco form, and spanish roofing tiles. When Cresencia came to step foot in her new home, she felt a spark of hope come to her chest. She seemed, at first, very hesitant to open the white- painted steel gates of the entrance of the house. She gazed among the beauty of the house she was about to enter, but suddenly a loud yell interrupted her daydreaming, “Hoy, you, little girl, we serve no beggars here.” It was a woman sweeping the front yard inside the house. She started to try to have Cresencia flee by waving the straw broom in her hand. All of a sudden, the door opened and a woman who looked to be about Chinese started yelling, “Luningning! What is all this commotion going on! I expect you to do your work yet you go on poking about and yelling at everyone you see on the street!” She stood there watching the yelling going on and seemed a bit confused. "Ah, ma’am, it is just there is that girl standing there begging for food.” “Ang gago mo (you have such a stupid mind) Luningning, that is the orphan girl of my dead sister! Have her come in now! She has much to do in the house!” The woman heartily sighed buisit under her breath, which inflicted the emotion of regret of hiring such a stupid woman. Luninging opened the gate, held Cresencia by the arm and dragged her through the front garden and into the house. Then and there, did Cresencia see the beauty that was in the interior of the house, and continued on day dreaming. “Child, what is your name,” the woman said in a stern voice. With a meekly response she stated, “Cr-cr-cresencia.” “Pahh! For such a pretty name, your looks do not achieve that. But then again, my sister did not inherit my mother’s beauty. Anyway, though you will be staying here you are just another burden to all the things I have to accomplish in the house and for my husband’s business. You will help Luninging with her duties in cleaning up the house and cooking. I expect you to listen to her, if I hear any wrongdoing under her command you will not be getting any food to eat.” Cresencia was quite shocked with the way she was greeted by her aunt. Well, it did make sense to her, for when she first looked upon her aunt who she still didn’t know the name of, she looked as if to have a very stern face. So much for her spark of hope, however, she was used to the disappointment always barging in her life. Even though she was only eight years old, she experienced so much emotional hardship. Though she had two sisters, they were also out of her life along with her parents. After splitting up and leaving her with the stern aunt, she felt that somehow she might never regain happiness. She tried to instill a small fragment of hope, when she roamed around the house she spotted two young girls of her sisters’ ages that were probably the children of the household. She could try and gain some friendship and she started to think of actually having a place to stay during such hard times among the population of the Philippines, especially since now the Americans took over, and she guessed that was something to be grateful about. "Daydreamer! Stop staring into space, ma'am has just said that you are under my command and most obey and help with my duties." She rummaged through the closet and started to gather supplies for Cresencia that consisted of rags, a broom, a bucket, a mop and feather duster. She lengthily described the arduous chores she was going to do till the end of the day. And she was supposed to get everything finished before dinner, otherwise, just as her aunt said, she would not receive one bite to eat. Her stomach itself started to rumble as she picked up all the supplies that was shoved into her hands. Sweep the floor, mop the floor, dry it with rags, and dust the counter tops. Sweep the floor, mop the floor, dry it with rags, and dust the counter tops... She recited this on and on again in her head as she was doing her chores, trying hard not to forget. It seemed to work for time began to pass by faster, and she was able to get it done a bit earlier than she anticipated to be finished.

The Joy Luck Club

Title: The Joy Luck Club
Author: Tan, Amy
Place of Publication: Ballantine Books June 1990

Reason, Type and Setting: After reading Malinche's Children, I wanted to try reading a book that was similar to the writing style. My cousin, however a different one, recommended this book to my mother who in turn recommended it to me. It's rather ironic seeing that this book is about the relationship between American born daughters and their mother's who all came from a foreign country. This was also something I could relate to and found the plot to seem very interesting. This novel is somewhat written in vignette style with each chapter recounting the story of a daughter and a mother interchangeably. There are various settings in this book since there are many stories being told in this book, however the constant setting would have to be the kitchen where everyone is celebrating New Years and playing Mah Johng.

Plot: There are eight characters in this book, four daughters, and four mothers however the main focus in the novel is the relationship between June and her mother Suyuan. After, Suyuan's death June is faced with the expedition of confronting her long lost sisters left in China after the Japanese invaded and Suyuan was separated from them. Her Aunts tell her of her must-visit to China to tell her twin sisters of her mothers death and to retell her mother's life to them but she finds that she doesn't have a clue what to tell them since she never really understood her mother. This book talks of the barrier between the daughters and mothers living in America and the hardships that the mothers had to face in China that shaped them today. Each mother tells their story and a lesson that is drawn from their story affects the life of the daughters who hear it.

Character: June, the main character, is the one that I found most interesting. Unlike the other daughters, she really isn't sure of what she wants to do in her life other than freelance writing for companies. She isn't married unlike the others, doesn't have children, and is the only one left at their Mah Jong meetings without a mother. She is Chinese, but was born and raised in America where, just like the other daughters, she has assimilated to the American culture. The quality that I like about June has the ability to stand her ground which is something her mother can't understand. She is outspoken when it comes to her being upset by her mother or her childhood rival Waverly. Towards the end of the novel she understands her mother and the life she had before she had her and is ready to tell her twin sisters of her mother's life.

Evaluation: I really enjoyed this novel and, without exaggeration, read the entire book until I was finished. Just like Malinche's Children, it was a compilation of stories put together, however they all connected and made sense. There are some philosophies you can take out of this book as well and good quotes. I found this book interesting and entertaining. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read. Also, I read the movie after and it is very close to the story and is entertaining as well. Sometimes I see myself in June's situation with her not having such a bonding relationship with her mother as well as the other daughters.

Author, Context and Trivia: Amy Tan has written many books relating to Chinese-Americans. Another book of hers is The Kitchen God's Wife which I am currently reading now. Her books and writing style remind me of Maxine Kingston who wrote Warrior Woman and is one of my must read books. Amy Tan was also born in California same as the characters in this story. This story does remind me of Malinche's Children, which is why I read it, and it talks of being raised in two different cultures. I definitely plan to read more of Amy Tan's books.

Malinche's Children

Title: Malinche's Children
Author: Houston-Davila, David
Place of Publication: USA
Company: Association of American University Presses

Reason, Type and Setting: I selected this book after a close friend of mine referred this book to me. Her teacher is in fact the author of this book at El Camino College in Torrance and this was a book that they were assigned to read. That being said, this book is geared for more of an adult audience since there are some scenes that are a bit explicit. This novel is categorized under historical fiction. This book is a compilation of vignettes broken down into chapters with their titles being the years from 1900 to the last chapter being 1994. It deals with the lives of the Mexican-American immigrants living in Carmelas, California.

Plot: This book is an overall account of the people's lives and problems happening in the small town of Carmelas, which was named after the main character himself, Arnulfo Carmelas. Each vignette is a story of some different character's life and has it's own individual plot. Each chapter is taken place in a different time period and has it's own individual conflict happening between the years of 1900 onward to 1994. One plot story in particular that I found interesting takes place in the vignette entitled Whatever Lola Wants 1934. During that time period, Hollywood was very big and there were many stars that are considered legends today. Unlike her other neighbors in Carmelas, Lola was the only Mexican-American young girl who was able to go to an eilte school with her friend Sandy Hinton, whose parents favored Lola. So during this time, Lola is 18 and against her parents wishes, she sneaks out and ventures off with Sandy to extra in a movie. Though she does end up being a small time actress, she consequently loses the trust of her family and loses her friend Sandy.

Character: Arnulfo Carmelas in the very first chapter, Taking Root 1900, is 45 years old and is married to Gloria Peralta who is left in Mazatlan, Mexico with their children. During this time he had been working for 10 years at Norwalk under Mr. Hinton's farm. He is very hardworking, considering that his job is very laborious. Arnulfo is also very brave, when Mr. Hinton's son fell into the river Arnulfo quickly jumped into the river to save Mr. Hinton's son and in turn, Mr. Hinton gave Arnulfo a piece of land of his choice which thus became the town of Carmelas. Throughout the novel, Arnulfo is the sole founder of this town where all these people are connected in some way with each other and Arnulfo is the constant person whose always been in the town of Carmelas.

Evaluation: I liked how the novel was broken down into small short stories and was during different time periods because although it is in the same town of Carmelas the whole setting in general, with the time period is entirely different and the author gives a feel of what it was like durin those times. I'd say that the book was interesting and informed me a lot of the Mexican-American culture, but I felt a bit uncomfortable reading the book which I think should be geared more for adults and those who can understand general Spanish. The book was very explicit when it came to profanity and sexual scenes that went on, but it was a recurring theme in the book my friend who referred to me said. Also, throughout the novel, there are many phrases that are in Spanish and may be troublesome to those who do not understand basic Spanish.

Author, Context and Trivia: David Houston-Davila has not written other books aside from Malinche's Children but I do know some facts about him since my friend personally knows him as a teacher at El Camino College in Torrance and from going on his website. He is first-generation here in the US, as well as I, and comes from a Mexican mother and Scottish father. I have read a book somewhat like this named House on Mango Street which does have vignettes but it follows one character constantly rather than various peoples stories and is of Mexican-American culture. I really like this style of vignettes and I would like to read more novels like this.