Vocabulary Pictures- Week 6

The obsolete computer was replaced with a sleek new laptop.

My grandmother always warned me that I would emaciate myself by not eating three meals a day. I still think this is an exaggeration but I listen anyways.

I had a paucity amount of homework, so my weekend ended up being more fun than expected.

The taut rope had no slack and was good tension for the tug-o-war simulated game.

The tenuous string was unravelling quickly as I began to be concerned that it may break.

Embezzle (verb) - to appropriate fraudulently to one's own use, as money or property entrusted to one's care.
Emaciate (verb) - To make or become extremely thin, especially as a result of starvation.
Obsolete (adjective) -no longer in general use; fallen into disuse
Obviate (verb) - to anticipate and prevent or eliminate (difficulties, disadvantages, etc.) by effective measures; render unnecessary
Penchant (noun) -a strong inclination, taste, or liking for something
Paucity (noun) - smallness of quantity; scarcity; scantiness
Sycophant (noun) - a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite.
Taut (adjective) - tightly drawn; tense; not slack.
Tenuous (adjective) - thin or slender in form, as a thread.
Tenacity (noun)- the state of being tenacious. [holding fast; characterized by keeping a firm hold (often fol. by of)]

Current Event- Amored Vehicles

URL: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/26/iraq.main/index.html

U.S. troops claim that there could have been half the number of troops killed had their vehicles been fully equipped with the armor needed to protect against roadside bombs and other attack. Since so many people are upset about the war in Iraq and how so many of our troops are dieing as a result, then we have to take credit for the fact that our army is protected to the highest possible degree. The Marine Corps is now requesting to investigate the delays.

Current Event- Ectasy

Title:Officials: Ecstasy is back, and it's laced with meth

Summary: Ectasy pills are coming back, but now they are being laced with meth. They believe that since meth is cheaper to produce, drug dealers use meth as a substitute for ecstacy. "More than 55% of ectasy samples seized in the United States last year contained meth, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, compared with 44.5 percent the previous year." Teens report that getting these pills is very easy as long as you ask the right people. Not only is drug trafficing dangerous and scary, the fact that drugs are so easy for young teens to get is concerning for brain development and mortality rate. These drugs continue to come in mostly from Canada whether it is by car, plane, or ship.

URL: http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/02/20/meth.ecstasy/index.html

Vocabulary- Week 5

lucidity- easily understood; completely intelligible or comprehensible
conciliatory- To overcome the distrust or animosity of; appease. To regain or try to regain (friendship or goodwill) by pleasant behavior.
countermand- to revoke or cancel (a command, order, etc.).
acumen- keen insight; shrewdness.
insurrection- an act or instance of rising in revolt, rebellion, or resistance against civil authority or an established government.
fidelity- strict observance of promises, duties, etc.
complicit- choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable act, esp. with others; having complicity.
steadfast- fixed in direction; steadily directed:
emancipation- The act or an instance of emancipating.
bolster- a long, often cylindrical, cushion or pillow for a bed, sofa, etc.

she took conciliatory measures to try to repair their friendship.

We had to countermand the party because of the weather.

My friend, Cisco, uses a bolster when he drives to support his back.

She was very steadfast in her decision and refused to change her mind.

The lucidity of her argument made it hard to disagree with her points of view.

Book Report- A Seperate Peace

Book Report / Novel Summary

Knowles, John. A Seperate Peace. New England. Macmillan: 1959.

Reason, Type and Setting: A Seperate Peace was one of the most powerful books i have ever read. Both the moral lessons and the style of writing are some of my favorites yet. The plot line was tense and exciting and i enjoyed reading each chapter. This adventerous and reflective narrative gives the reader insight into Gene Forrester's life as a student through some sort of military boarding school. Taking place during World War II, the setting of this novel is in New Englands, Devon school for boys.

Plot: Other than the horrible war going on outside of our country at that time, Gene has to face an even greater war in his own life. Gene's accidentally jostels a branch that Finny was standing on, causing Finny to thud into the river below. The impact from the fall shatters Finny's leg and Gene feels like some outside force caused him to do this to Finny. The two boys continue to be best friends but there is always an awkward tension in their friendship. Toward the end of the novel some of the other boys at the school begin to question the incident and whether or not Gene should be held responsible. They hold a "meeting" to come up with a verdict. Finny is very upset by this and storms out of the room. he is unstable with his bad leg and slips on the hard marble, causing him to re-break his leg. This time the break is far les extensive, but when the doctor is trying to slip the bone back into place, Finny dies during the surgery. Gene's reactions and reasoning towards these events and others are facsinating to me.

Character: Gene represents a certain honesty that many people are too frightened to admit to. Although Gene himself has troubles facing his problems as much as anyone else may, Gene's charactersitcs made him easy for me to relate to. There seems to be a small evil in everyone that seems to be so good, such as Gene. Gene was aiming to be valedvictorian and he was a strong student and for the most part he obeyed the rules, unless under Finny's instruction. Finny on the other hand, seeming to be more of a rebel, he was always honest with himself and others so he never had any secret animosity toward anyone because he was truly honest. Gene was very able of being honest with himself, it was expressing his realizations with others that he had issues with. I think a lot of people could relate to that. By the end of the novel Gene comes to peace with himself and around that same time the war is beggining to come to and end. I think the author also refers to the war metophorically to the war that Gene is fighting within himself.

Evaluation: I throughly enjoyed this novel and would certianly read it agian. It kept my interest with an exciting plot line and unique characters. I learned more about human nature as a whole and I also learned about the way different people had viewed the war at that time. Through reading this novel I was able to come to certain realisation in my own mind about how i treat my family and friends. I was then given the opportunity to change how I approach different people and situations. The main values expressed in this story actually relate to some things i have been dealing with in my life so it was captivating to see things form a different perspective. I would absolutely recommend this book to others for the author's style, educational value and ethical insight.

Because this book is set during World War II it has a lot of historical value. I think the author may have written the book as his own reflection of war time. what ever the reason the book was written, it still expresses a raw side of a few young boys and for that matter teenagers. Any person could realte to these kids and I believe everyone could learn from some of their actions and mistakes.

Author, Context and Trivia: Some other writings by John Knowles includes; Morning in Antibes, Indian Summer, Ballin, Spreading Fires, A Vein of Riches, A Peace Breaks Out, and A Stolen Past. A Seperate Peace is his most famous work by far. I would be interested in reading more from Knowles because i really did enjoy his stlye in this novle and hope it is dupilacted in his others. I have read other World War II books, such as Slaughter House Five, and both were very well written books. I enjoy reading historical novels and plan on explanding on my current knowledge.

Documentary Reflection

The PBS documentary that my group and I watched together was a simple narrative. The techinique they used was mostly pictures and qoutes and few interviews. I personally enjoyed the style of the movie. We watched a total of four hours of information and because the civil war was the first photographed war i believe that is why the producers chose to use so many of the pictures rather than focusing on the interviews. Also, because the war was so long ago most of the information they can give is soley fact. Unlike with more recent wars when there are surviors, the civil war obviously doesnt have any surviors so it is difficult to have any commentary.

Current Event- Al Qaeda Recruits

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/14/iraq.main/index.html

In Iraq, Al Qaeda has been recruiting women to become sucicide bombers. Not just any women though, these are women taken from certain hospitals where they have already been diagnosed with terminal dieseases or depression. Not only is it concerning to have people completely willing to kill others by killing themselves. The fact that these women are also under the mindset that they are going to be dieing already, they can easily be persuaded into sucide bombing and following the Al Qaeda group. This seems like a horribile and difficult method to be stopping. hopefully this won't continue to be used as a method of retaliation.