Vocab 2.0

Eradicate

Some people had an agenda that included the eradication of a specific peoples. Most of the time, they do not succeed.













Erratic

One of my favorite actors happens to be the most erratic in show business. He's done everything from comedy to murder-mystery.



















Euthanasia

Euthanasia doesn't always apply to medical patients; the inevitability of death escapes noone.





















Esoteric

The creation of war seems like an esoteric profession. Nobody really understands it.









Eulogy

Even the most touching eulogy doesn't prevent people from being affected by the fact that there is someone who is deceased.

Kenyan Politician Killed

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-kenya-crisis.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

A gang member shot a Kenyan politician yesterday. After the shooting, the assassin was killed. More than 800 people have been killed since the election in December.

I did not know how much violence was going on in Kenya. This politically charged offenses are going quite unnoticed by the rest of the world. It is crazy to think of how many people die that don't get put in the New York Times or the BBC reports. This politically related killing shows some of the harsh bloodshed that is still going on.

It makes me scared to think of people who want to do humanitarian aid and amnesty being attacked in the country. It's just another example of colonizing turning into prejudices which come back to haunt tourists in later years. We should watch out international actions more carefully.

Ringo and His Song

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/custom/today/bal-to.people23jan23,0,5431805.column

Ringo Star was going to appear on Regis and Kelly until producers told him to do something that was completely undoable. After the release of his new album, Liverpool 8, Ringo was going to perform the title track, until he was told it had to be shorter than its four minute run time. He shortened to three and one half minutes, until the producers informed him that it had to be less than three minutes. Ringo replied with, "God Bless," and walked off.

This is just an example of why the entertainment industry thinks they have a hold on everything. It seems to grasp artists and attempt to choke their artistic integrity, even if they are one of the most famous musicians of all time. It seems contrary to the popular eye to cut off someone who has always been popular, through the two minute songs of the sixties to the songs ten times that which appear on the radio.

(A funny side note: The Baltimore Sun printed this article before the article about the presidential debate.)

Why We Fight?

"Why We Fight" is an intensive documentary that showcases the hypocrisy and ill-decisions of the United States government. The movie clearly outlines its points on Eisenhower's warnings of corperate and military cooperation, as well as examples of its forthcoming.

I didn't like a large part of the documentary due to the fact that it was an overload of information. Each minute dragged on a point, though well informed and interesting, turning all of the documentary into a long guilt trip. The documentary felt continually exhaustive, while I needed to stretch after each condemning fact stated.

Eisenhower warned against the rise of the "military-industrial complex," and it didn't prevent anything. America's capitalist views propelled the competitive market to propel war. The warnings fell on deaf ears, similar to George Washington's anti-globalization ideas, and the warning turned into a reality. Companies, especially in powerful industries, control not only the initiative and the motivation for the country to go to war, but help instigate it and propel its forces. Corporations find themselves doing jobs on the base that were originally for soldiers, such as peeling potatoes, to allow the forces to fight for the intentions of the company.

The "American War Machine" is the most diabolical factor when it comes to war. Its ideals and hopes are all based on the profit of being able to sell items for ten-fold of what it costs. Costs power the well-oiled army of the United States, and there's no political factor that can prevent it.

I Am America (And So Can You)

Colbert, Stephen. I Am America (And So Can You). New York. Gran Central Publishing Hachette Book Group: 2007.


I constantly watch the Comedy Central Network in my free time. One of the featured television shows is the Colbert Report, starring former Daily Show correspondent, Stephen Colbert. The show is a satirical outlook on the cognitive workings of the United States and its decisions. When I was offered to read the book he wrote, I took the opportunity to enjoy his sarcastic humor.

Colbert covers, in his opinion, every major aspect of America. Each chapter takes a subject, such as science or racism, and puts a solidified extreme right-wing Christian view to threats and traits of America. Colbert covered science strongly, due to its standing as the easiest thing for Colbert to make fun of.

This book was enjoyable. Colbert instated his humor in many key spots and kept me entertained for most of the book. The only faults in the book was the lack of ability to communicate sarcasm. Sarcasm only came off when using extreme examples, and the book sometimes was bogged down by his obviously fake extremist tone. The novel kept me entertained long enough to get through the book, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else. It was just an overkill of sarcasm, and would only be enjoyable if read in short bursts.

Vocabulary #Uno

Intrepid:

Just because Daniel was intrepid, and told his boss why he hated him, it didn't prevent his eventual unemployment.









Aspire:

Aspiration can start at even the earliest of ages.
















Heritage:

There are families in Mexico, who have heritages based in Judaism, yet they don't even know it. During the Inquisition, Jews were expelled or killed, and many people converted to avoid persecution. Many who converted instructed their offspring to light candles on Friday nights, a shadow of a Jewish tradition, that was continually passed down from generation to generation until many had forgotten the reason.













Guru:
Everyone has a guru of some kind; this one is the teacher of many.











Vacillate:

Some politicians vacillate on their opinions constantly.

Walden Pond

Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. Boston, Ticknor and Fields: 1854.

The book in question, Walden was consistantly referenced in a movie I recently attended. The main character was known as a compelling and compassionate young man who wanted a simple life in exile, and was inspired by this book. I was curious as to why he chose to do what he did based on this book, and purchased it after somebody told me about its influence. The book is an autobiographical account of Thoreau's stay in the cabin he built on the shore of Walden Pond. The entire book takes place on the shore of the pond and the woods around the pond, barring a few flashbacks recounted. The book takes place during the middle of the Nineteenth century. The only factor that the time period plays into the book is the language, which is more similiar to Shakespearian than it is to modern English.

Thoreau starts the book by recalling how he built the house on the shore of Walden Pond, and its respective costs, whilst explaining that he wanted to live in solitude to process his philosophies and the nature around him. He wonders if the posession of items is merely a status symbol or if they really represent anything. He moves on to wonder the intentions of man, when watching workers around the lake. At the end of the book, Thoreau leaves Walden Pond, for the same reason he started living there. He originally wanted a new surrounding, and Walden Pond became a redundant concept, and wishing to start anew, Thoreau leaves the cabin, in order for others to use it.

The only important character in the book is Thoreau. The man had more resolve than any other of the time, and he constantly shows his devotion to his "experiment" of Walden Pond. He took polarized approaches to writing this book, constantly bouncing in between autobiographical events, peciliur philsophies that are approachable, and tedious, redundant details of everything that he felt like writing about. It was interesting to see Thoreau take an engaging idea, especially one that still applied to modern day life, and trail off with unneccesary and repetitive detail.

As for his philosophies, they are applicable and interesting. Thoreau questions the use of items and possessions, and extends to meanings of life. Thoreau makes solid points, which are agreeable, yet wears them out with constant examples of each situation.

This book was hit and miss. The novel was extremely enjoyable for half of the reading, usually when discussing the building of the house or the introduction of his thoughts on life. It was entertaining to read these different points of view, and was very informative, but the book became exhausting. It became harder and harder to read situations and examples of his ideas. Thoreau uses an extensive knowledge of books from around the world, including Confuscious' teachings, Indian philosophy, ancient Greek literature and religious texts. His points are confirmed with poems and translated works, and exposed me to many books I have never heard of, but it made the reading more dense and exhuastive.

Another book Thoreau wrote was Civil Disobedience. The book was based on an encounter Thoreau had when writing Walden Pond. It is of a cyncial and ascerbic style in comparison to Walden Pond. It is based on the point of the book where Thoreau is unjustifiably thrown into prison for not paying an unreasonable tax, whilst walking through Concord. He wrote the book, in dismay due to slavery and the Mexican-American War, and argues that people should not permit their government to overrule their citizens. I do not plan to read this book, due to Thoreau's dense writing style, and my disinterest with any more of his ideas.

Alexander Hamilton

In any possible situation, there is always a pessimist. Alexander Hamilton was born in January of 1755 to Rachel Faucett and James Hamilton. As a teen, Hamilton worked as a bookkeeping clerk on the island of St. Croix, though disliked his employment. When he turned 17 he became well-known do to his “Hurricane Letter” about a storm which destroyed most of St. Croix, and was financed by The Royal Danish American Gazette’s Nicholas Cruger and a Presbyterian minister to move to New Jersey.

Hamilton served in the military during the American victories at Trenton and Princeton. March 1, 1977, Hamilton was appointed as the aid to George Washington, which ignited a long relationship between the two. Soon after, Hamilton became a politician, involving himself in the different Congresses, and finally the Constitutional Convention. When Hamilton was given a choice between two presidential candidates, his betrayal of an old adversary led to a grudge between him and Aaron Burr. The dispute between the two was intensified when Burr killed Hamilton’s oldest son in a duel. The high tension between the two led to a duel between Alexander and Aaron, and Alexander was shot down, and killed July 11, 1804.

Though he was against many of the morals of the America that was founded, Hamilton is responsible for setting them up. When the United States of America was first established, it was established under a document known as the Articles of Confederation. The document was a frail connection between the states, which was lacking due to a dependance on honesty and good relations. Hamilton believed that the central government needed strengthening at the expense of the states. Hamilton was one of the few politicians who was against the Articles of Confederation, and is responsible for calling together the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention, which nullified the old constitution and was the birthplace of the modern constitution.

Hamilton is not significant in his contributions to the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention. Due to his belief in a government very similar to the Japanese Empire, which constituted of a government run by land owners, he was against the concept of a democratic society. Contrarily, Hamilton signed the Constitution, due to his interest in an experiment in the effective qualities of a Republic.

Though against the foundation of democracy, Hamilton was unanimously elected to George Washington’s cabinet, as the secretary of the treasury. Hamilton was a fortunate choice for the people of America, due to his impeccably proposed economic program which eliminated much of the economic debt the country was in due to the Confederation period. Had Hamilton not proposed his economic plans, it would have caused the country to dissolve due to its economic debt, and the country would be not be the same as it is today.

Thus, Hamilton could be easily compared to president Franklin D. Roosevelt. Both were men who are revered for the genius and quick thinking. While Roosevelt proposed plans to bring the U.S. out of debt to a more developed congress during the Great Depression, Hamilton’s plans had the same effect and prevented the same problems. They are both significantly important to the United States continuing to function as a working economical environment.

Additionally, Alexander Hamilton is extremely relevant to the creation of America’s borders. While Hamilton was part of president Washington's cabinet, he became a close rival with Thomas Jefferson. When Jefferson was in a tie with Aaron Burr, Hamilton chose his rival over his former political adversary, leading to one of the few one vote decisions in history. Had Hamilton not voted for Jefferson, there would not have been the Louisiana Purchase, the largest attainment of land in United States history, which doubled the country’s size. Hamilton, therefor, is most famous for affecting history than actually changing it himself.

Accidentally, Hamilton is respoinsible for the creation of two major political parties. John Adams and Alexander Hamilton had extremely different political views, and during Adams’ time as Vice President, the two were opposed on nearly every debate. When Adams was elected to presidency, Hamilton retired from cabinet, and became a politically outspoken lawyer. His continuous arguments with Adams split the Federalist party, which had previously been a strong, united political party. The weakened and split party gave enough room for the up and coming Democratic-Republicans to elect Thomas Jefferson to the presidency, and ignited the continuous two-party system that the United States still has.

Although Alexander Hamilton is not as famous as Thomas Jefferson or George Washington, he was almost as influential. Hamilton was the driving factor to lead the country out of its first debt, created the first equal elections and was the deciding vote for an influential president who greatly affected the country. Even pessimists can make changes.