Vocabulary Week 5

Embezzle (verb)- To take money or property

Emaciate (verb) - To make abnormally lean and thin

Obsolete (adjective)- Discarded or outmoded Obviate (verb) - To prevent or eliminate
Penchant (noun) - A strong liking, or inclination
Paucity (noun) - A small quantity; scarce
Sycophant (noun) - A person who tries to please someone for their own advantage
Taut (adjective) - To be emotionally strained and stressed
Tenuous (adjective)- Someone who has a slender form
Tenacity (noun)- Someone who is stubborn or persistent

Spaceship to Smash into Moon

Nasa is going to smash a spaceship into the moon in order to see if there is hidden ice in the craters. Two spaceships are going to hit the moons south pole and scientists believe this will reveal ice inside the craters of the moons. Many people have been critical of this because it seems violent or crude but scientists are saying it is economical. The last time NASA had a lunar prospector mission it found large amounts of hydrogen in the moon's poles. NASA plans to hit the moon on a flat surface away from large rocks. This will allow the plum to rise up and be seen by telescopes. In all this mission will cost $79 million dollares.

Vocabulary Week 5 Pictures

fidelity- To be loyal

The dog was loyal and smart.

emancipation- Freeing some from the control of another

The girl was emancipated from her parents at the age of fifteen.

complicit-To do an illegal activity

To do illegal activity's such as selling drugs is complicit.

bolster- To stregnthen and support

Friends and family can give you support and bolster you.

Vocabulary Week 5

1. lucidity- Easily understood and comprehensive
2. conciliatory- To reconcile and be compadable
3. counterman- To cancel or revoke
4. acumen- Quick and accurate
5. insurrection- Rising in revolt
6. fidelity- To be loyal
7. complicit-To do an illegal activity
8. steadfast- Resolution or faith
9. emancipation- Freeing some from the control of another
10. bolster- To stregnthen and support

Current Event

Democratic Race

Yesterday was the primaries and Barrak Obama won both hawaii and Wisconsin. Obama has been on a winning streak and this is his 10th strait win. Right now Obama is in the lead and many people believe he will win the presidential nomination. Either way if Clinton or Obama wins they will both make history by being on the first woman and african american to get the nomination. Many people have also been voting for Obama because the believe if Clinton was to run against MCcain it would be harder for her to win. Also this week Obama's wife, Michelle Obama was critized for making controversial commentrs during a speech. She said that for the first time in her life she was proud of her country. Many people were offended by this and saying it was unpatriotic but it does npot seems to be hurting Obama's campain. The next two states to vote are Ohio and Texas. They vote in two weeks and these states will basically decide who gets the presidential nomination.

Current Event

Some voters say sexism less offensive than racism

This article was about how both Barrack Obama, and Hillary Clinton are facing both sexism and racism during their campains. But overall Hillary has gotten it worse and more often, but many voter feel that sexism is something that is not as offensive as racism. An example of some of the sexism she has dealth with has been hecklers and people holding up signs saing things such as iron my shirt. Also a radio host named Rush Limbaugh told his listeners "Will this country want to actually watch a woman get older before their eyes on a daily basis?" So far there has been a lot of overt sexism and subtle racism.

Adversity Essay

Everyday, no matter if I want to or not, my mind always tends to wander back into the past. I’m sixteen and I already feel like I’ve grown up a lot, and now have a better understanding of life. When I think back to all the things I’ve done, it makes me feel both good and bad. There are times where I wish I could have done or said something differently, but there are also times that make me proud of my choices. In life, each day, we are all faced with difficulties and decisions. We all struggle, but in the end it only makes us stronger.
Since the sixth grade I have had trouble with completely trusting people. This year was really hard for me because I entered middle school being overconfident and naïve. Suddenly all the people I thought I knew began to change. Even someone I had been best friends with since kindergarten, and had been a big part of my life, became a stranger to me. I found out who my true friends really were, and I started to see myself in a new way. This year changed me in many ways, but in the end I have no regrets or bad feelings towards any of the people who did anything mean or shady to me. This year taught me to be independent and strong, even when things are going bad.
Another time when I overcame an issue in my life was in the seventh grade. My parents found out about a new school opening in Point Loma called High Tech Middle. They enrolled my brothers and I into the school with out telling me, and then in May of my sixth grade year my parents told me I would be going to a new school. At first I was very upset because I didn’t want to leave my school and friends. All summer I complained about not wanting to go to High Tech Middle, but then I decided I would make the best of the situation. Over time I began to learn more about the school and got more excited about going. I was still kind of nervous about going to a brand new school because I didn’t know anyone and I also didn’t like change. This experience taught me to find the positives in life, and to never be afraid of trying something new. In the end I’m glad I got accepted to High Tech Middle because I meet a lot of really great people, and had many fun times. I feel like it really opened my eyes to many new things, and helped me become who I am today.
In eighth grade I felt like I had pushed myself a little too hard. I was trying to be perfect at school, dance, and many other things going on in my life. This made me feel like I was always under pressure and overwhelmed. Also this year two of my really going friends who I had grown up with, both moved away to the east coast. This year was really hard for me because it just felt like everything bad was hitting me all at once. I wasn’t use to dealing with this much stress because the previous year seemed so much easier. The first semester of eighth grade was very hard for me, so I decided to start doing things differently. The first things I did were I asked my parents if I could get a tutor so I could get help with all my school work. This helped me a lot because my grades improved from C’s to A’s and B’s and it took away all of the stress from school. I also stayed in touch with my friends that had moved away by talking them on the phone and over the computer. By doing these things I felt like I gained a lot more control in my life and I felt a lot happier each day. This year taught me how to handle stress, how to take control of my life, and to change whatever is making you unhappy in your life.
Each year, and everyday, I am always learning and changing. I have had many experiences and issues in my life. By overcoming these conflicts I have become smarter, stronger, and overall a better person. I know that I still have a lot to learn, but I know that my past has taught me a lot, and has made me the person I am today.

Current Events

Iraqi Women Death Toll Rises

In Iraq many women have been killed by extremists for not following Islamic Teachings. There is a sign up that says "We warn against not wearing a headscarf and wearing makeup. Those who do not abide by this will be punished. God is our witness, we have notified you." Many women now live in fear. There have been many horrible stories about women being killed, and tortured. There have also been many incidents of women being killed infront of their children by extremeists. This is a growing problem in Iraq which has not been easy to solve. It has been very hard to catch the murder's who commit these crimes. After the fall of Sadamm Hussiens regimes women were starting to have more rights and freedoms in iraq. But now many are saying this is now the worst times for women in iraq ever.

Vocabulary: Week 3

Renovate- The old house was renovated.

Bigot- The main was stubborn and did not listen to other peoples ideas; he was a bigot.



Relapse- The man relapsed and went back to his old habit of smoking.

Sanguine-She was always happy and sanguine. Disseminate- The bee helps disseminate pollen to flowers.

Vocabulary: Week 3

Disseminate (v)- Scatter or distribute over a large area or range.
Eloquence (n)- powerful and effective language.
Austere (adj)- Severly simple.
Baleful (adj)- Hurtful, sorrowful, miserable.
Bigot (n)- A prejudiced person who is intolerant of opinions, lifestyles, or identities differing from his or her own.
Relapse (n)- A failure to maintain a higher state.
Repudiate (v)- To deny that an event has taken place.
Resilience (n)- The capacity of a system, community or society potentially exposed to hazards to adapt, by resisting or change.
Sanguine (adj)- Confidently optimistic and cheerful.
Renovate (v)- To restore to a structure to a former state by cleaning, repairing or rebuilding.

Making Sense of American History

The definition of a song is a musical composition. Songs can have vocal parts where lyrics are sung, and it can also have instrumental parts where instruments are played. Most songs usually incorporate both vocals and instruments. The song I chose is called /The Voice Within/ and it is by Christina Aguilera. Her influences are Etta James, Aretha Franklin, and Whitney Houston. The type of music she is categorized under is pop, but she says she is influenced by a lot of jazz, gospel, blues, and soul. The song was written by Christina Aguilera. She wrote it about her life growing up with an abusive father. This song came out in December of 2003. This song is about how when Christina Aguilera was growing up she had an abusive father. The song talks about being strong through tough times in your life. It also is saying that when you have no one to help you, you need to trust yourself and then find the strength from with in to overcome any issues in your life. There are three stanzas in the song. There is also strophic form in this song that is repeated five times during the song. There isn’t really much of a hook in this song because it is more of a slow song/ballad and not really meant to be a catchy song. This song was written about how she was emotionally and physically abused by her father when she was around seven years old. I think that this song can tell society that even though it may not seem like a big issue, domestic abuse is something that happens in America everyday.

Song Lyrics:
Young girl, don't cry I'll be right here when your world starts to fall

Young girl, it's all right Your tears will dry, you'll soon be free to fly

When you're safe inside your room you tend to dream

Of a place where nothing's harder than it seems

No one ever wants or bothers to explain

Of the heartache life can bring and what it means

When there's no one else

Look inside yourself

Like your oldest friend

Just trust the voice within

Then you'll find the strength

That will guide your way

If you will learn to begin

To trust the voice within

Young girl, don't hide

You'll never change if you just run away

Young girl, just hold tight

And soon you're gonna see your brighter day

Now in a world where innocence is quickly claimed

It's so hard to stand your ground when you're so afraid

No one reaches out a hand for you to hold

When you're lost outside look inside to your soul

When there's no one else

Look inside yourself

Like your oldest friend

Just trust the voice within

Then you'll find the strength

will guide your way

If you will learn to begin

To trust the voice within

Life is a journey It can take you anywhere you choose to go

As long as you're learning You'll find all you'll ever need to know

You'll make it You'll make it

Just don't go forsaking yourself

No one can stop you You know that I'm talking to you

When there's no one else

Look inside yourself

Like your oldest friend

Just trust the voice within

Then you'll find the strength

That will guide your way

If you will learn to begin

To trust the voice within

Young girl don't cry

I'll be right here when your world starts to fall

Book Report: The Secret

The Secret, written by Rhonda Byrne is a book about the secret to life. It talks about a philosophy called the law of attraction. The law of attraction is a law that basically says you are what you think. It says that human thoughts have a strong frequency and our thoughts will attract things into our lives. The Secret is suppose to teach people how to understand their mind, and to help them stop focusing on all of the negative things in their life, but instead focus on the positive things, so that they can achieve positive things in their life. The Secret talks about quantum physics and says that nothing is possible, because as humans we limit ourselves with our thoughts. Throughout the book there are many stories that have lived out their dreams by using The Secret to get whatever they wanted in life. Whether it is love, wealth, or health The Secret says that it is possible to achieve anything by using the law of attraction. The author of the book Rhonda Byrne said she discovered The Secret after reading a one hundred year old book called the Science of Being Rich. She then read through many other books and discovered that many famous, influential people through out history have known The Secret, and that is why they were so successful. Some of these people were Einstein, Plato, Shakespeare, Edison, Benjamin Franklin, and many others. Overall I found this book very interesting and exciting.