A Hug is Nearly a Gun Spelled Backwards...

If you think about it, humans just took over the land on this Earth and claimed it as their own. That’s pretty much what countries are- land that was taken over by humans who created ways to control the people who live there.  Human relations were needed for all that and it is essential for our survival.  There isn’t anything wrong with patriotism, in fact I think it’s great and it unites people but when it comes down to when you have a problem, it’s better to have a personal connection with people. The government can’t solve all your problems or have sympathy for you.

The government is supposed to help citizens but people have personal problems and may want opinions and advice from other people. A country won’t care about a problem like that, unless you have a huge group of people to back you up and they still won’t treat you with the same kind of care as a friend would.  Trying to ask the government what you should wear on the weekend is something that they cant help you with and only people you are close to and talk to on a daily basis can.

Patriotism unifies a nation but that doesn’t mean it unifies the people. A person can be patriotic and love their country dearly but they can still be antisocial at the same time. This is because they aren’t united with a group of people who bonds with them.  They would just have a lonely life, and have no one to share the benefits of this country and the joys of life with.  Having a personal relationship with people benefits our mental health. If you are lonely and spend all your time alone, you can put yourself in a dangerous place of thinking thoughts that could affect your mental health. Yeah you could have a deep love for your country, but patriotism doesn’t give you that kind of love and care humans crave and need.

In conclusion, human relations are more valuable than having a pride in your homeland.  Without human relations, then everyone and their parents (and so on) wouldn’t have been born and we would not be here right now. Having a good life has to do with sharing amazing and fun experiences with the people you know and love which is something patriotism cannot grant you.

When Logic Fails

Favorite Logicical Fallacies:
Argumentum ad hominem-
Example: Trump uses Argumentum ad hominem by calling Hillary "crocked" and other nicknames instead of bringing a valid point in an argument. 
Argumentum ad emphasizes-
Example: This can be very affective and affect people a lot. An example is those sad commercials with the dogs and cats in the shelter. 
Argumentum ad nauseam-
Example: Repetition. Just think about how Trump can't stop mentioning China and Mexico. 
Red herring-
Example:When someone changes the subject in an attempt of avoiding the question.
Slippery slope-
Example:A point that would lead to a chain reaction that have no end. 
Straw man-
Example: Think of a little kid tattling on their sibling and exaggerates what their sibling said so they can get in trouble. 
Argumentum ad emphasizes-
Example: Last night Hillary tried to appeal to authority by promoting her book and websites. 
Argumentum ad numerum-
Example: This can be effective because it shows data and facts.
Argumentum ad ignorantiam-
Example:This is when an assemtion is made that something is true because it was never proven to be false.
Argumentum ad populum-
Example: When the crowd cheers at a point that is made.

MISTAKES FOR PRESIDENT

What I got from the debate tonight:

It started off with Trump mentioning China and Mexico several times, nothing new. Hillary promoted her book(appeal to popularity), she said that someone who gets offended with a tweet shouldn't be in charge of nuclear weapons. They talked about their websites.Trump was rude and kept interrupting  the correspondent. They talked about Hillary's email scandal, again nothing new. Hillary brought up Donald's tax returns. I don't know what Mexico and China have to do with our economy. I started dozing off when they talked about clean energy. Trump promotes his personal business, appeal to popularity again. Donald kept changing the subject. Then he got side tracked for about the 100th time tonight and said how Bernie was cheated. He mentioned Obama's birth certificate, once again nothing new and does not relate to the topic.

My opinions:

I don't care for either of the candidates however, since someone has to win, I would rather have Hillary win. I was a Bernie supporter before. This debate had no new information and I don't see any really good points that would persuade their audience to change their minds. They look like kids arguing at each other. They both attacked each other and spoke over their time.  I wouldn't even call this entertainment or a circus because at least you get interested in a circus. 

I thought this tweet was pretty interesting/on point:

Sometimes My Mind...

The other day I was thinking about how we as humans expect magical moments as in movies all the time and expect life to be that way. On the other hand, if we don't have pain or discomfort, then happiness would just become a norm and happiness wouldn't feel as amazing as it would have if we hadn't found the light at the end of the tunnel. So what I guess what I'm trying to say is that we can't expect happiness every single moment of our life because that's impossible but when the magical moments do happen, it won't be as what we expected or planed but that's what makes life's moments all the more exciting to look forward too.

R.I.P. Christina Grimmie

I was scrolling through twitter during summer late at nignt and I saw something trending. It was a hashtag that was something like "RIP Christina Grimmie". I clicked on it to see if it was some kind of stupid twitter hastag but it was real. What happend was something so terrible it makes me angry that this would happen and it made me so sad that we lost a young and innocent human being who was following her dreams. It was June 10, 2016 and Christina Grimmie was having a concert. She was outside meeting her fans and a guy comes up to her and she opens her arms for a hug, thinking it was a fan, and the guy shot her. I looked up videos of her and found that she is really talented and one of the sweetest and kind hearted people ever. The guy had no reason to shoot her! And why would he?! Murdering people is extremely wrong and disgusting!She was 22 and already living her dream and helping people through her music. It just makes me so angry he shot a perfectly innocent person and wonderful person. Infact, there shouldn't be any shootings at all! What got to me was the guy still shot her even after he saw she opened her arms out to give him a hug! This also makes me afraid for myself or any other person who wants to follow their dreams or just be a normal person because of people like that guy. Gun violence has increased tremendously this year and it is a huge problem that must be stoped! I'm so sad that I had to find out about a wonderful and talented person because someone shot them. I feel bad for her family and her fans. She will be missed.

Literature Analysis Response: Looking For Alaska

                                                       "Looking For Alaska"

                                                            By John Green

Theme: The theme of the book is "seeking a Great Perhaps" which means the meaning of life and death. You don't have to die in order to search for it.

The tone: So far the tone sounds neutral but hopeful because the main character aspires to go on a journey and change is life completely. 

Plot: Miles Calvary leaves Florida to go to a boarding school in Alabama in a journey to find life's meaning and have some adventures. Once he arrives to the boarding school his room mate, Chuck, becomes his best friend and introduces him to his other best friend, Alaska Young. Miles instantly has a crush on Alaska. Chuck, also known as the colonel, nicknames Miles "Pudge". 

Diction: changes between formal and informal diction

Syntax: The author structures his sentences to make the book interesting by using descriptive words to give clear imagery

Characterization: The characters so far are the parents, Pudge, Chuck, and Alaska.

My Yoda

My ideal mentor would be someone who can give me their advice, opinions, and constructive criticism just so I can have a different perspective. Someone who is easy to be comfortable around, is supportive, and maybe be willing to learn some things with me along the way.

My Big Question & Discipline

My big question (that has a few things added to it) is:

"Why are we so fixated on what other people think about us, even though we tell ourselves not to, and let that stop us for asking questions and taking risks?" This question is kind of important to me because something so simple like ordering food or answering the phone has become a major challenge and I think it might have to do with caring about people's opinions.

I think this big question has to do with psychology.

Vocab: fall list #4

adroit- clever and skillful
The boy was an adroit guitar player.
amicable-friendliness between people or groups
Amicable people are easier to be friends with.
averse-actively not liking something
Vegans are aversed to meat and dairy.
belligerent -hostile or ready to fight
Jane became belligerent after waiting two hours for her medicine. 
benevolent -willing to help and be generous
Holding the door for the people after you is being very benevolent.
cursory-something that is in a rush to be finished.
Sam finished her art project in a cursory manor that she forgot some details.
duplicity-dishonest behavior that is used to trick someone.
Swindlers use duplicity to get what they want from someone. 
extol-to praise
feasible -something that is possible 
Waking up early in the morning is barley feasible.
grimace -a facial expression that shows pain or dislike
After the little girl ate her vegetables, there was a grimace on her face.
holocaust -the extermination of a large group of people or living beings
The fire destroyed the trees and created a holocaust in the forest.
impervious-not allowing something to enter or pass
The guard dog was impervious of letting the kids in the house.
impetus-a force that causes something to be done
The girl saw something impetus that made her want to go to work.
jeopardy-at risk of loss or harm
Being conscious of what you eat does not put your health in jeopardy
meticulous-showing attention to detail
My mom is a meticulous cleaner and always has the house clean and tidy.
nostalgia- regret or miss something that is gone.
The song gave the girl nostalgia flash blacks from the concert she went years ago.
quintessence-most perfect example
My aunt's pastries are quintessence of a wonderful treat.
retrogress -to return to a worse state than before
When James became rich, he told himself he would not retrogress to the the life he had before.
scrutinize-examine or inspect closely 
Most students scrutinize their notes before an exam.
tepid-displaying very little interest 
The movie seemed to have a tepid response from the critics. 

I'M HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE!!(rant)

I think the title of this blog post is sarcastic because most students, like me, are not living in the moment and enjoying life. Instead we're in a constant cycle of waiting for the weekends and holidays. The days we spend thinking about how great it would be to get a break is just making Monday through Friday not as valuable as the days off. I admit that I'm one of those people who are like "It's finally Friday!". That means not as much stress, more time to do homework, and two days off but it also means we spent five days not being thankful for breathing and just enjoying life, Life is too short to be spending most of your life waiting for two days off and passing just for a grade that no one will care about in the long run. We spend our time instead of learning to cramming all the materials in our minds before a test and doing projects for a grade,which in the process causes us to not live in the moment, so we can just forget what we're "learning" after we get a grade. Long story short: staying up late to do homework, finishing projects, and studying isn't having the time of my life but maybe I can make it be.

Vocab. List #3

catharsis- relief of emotions
Crying can be a good catharsis when one is feeling sad. 
taboo- something that is considered inappropriate by society. 
Swearing can be taboo to most older people. 
sordid-bad or dirty
The villain had a sordid plan of taking over the world.
swindle-Deceiving or depriving someone of money or of their belongings.
The collector swindled the teenager by giving him less money than what his baseball card was worth.
frivolous-Things that aren't worth a lot.
My sister often spends her money on frivolous things she finds online.
inadvertently-not on purpose 
The kid pushed her friend inadvertently. 
incendiary-explosive
The paparazzi kept trying to get an incendiary response from the celebrity
jargon-communication that can't be understood
The doctor gave the patient a prescription but patient couldn't read the medical jargon.
colloquialism-casual language
In a job interview, people should not use colloquialism.
archaism-something no longer current. Old fashioned. 
The term "phat" and video tapes has become archaic.
cudgel-A short thick stick used as a weapon.
The golfer beat the ground angerly with a cudgel. 
egregious-bad or offensive
The teacher sent the egregious kid to the office.
anesthetize-deprive of feeling or awareness. 
The doctors had to anesthetize the patient before they started the surgery. 
euphonious-a pleasing sound in regards to the town of a word
The poet's words gave the girl a euphonious
scrupulous-extremely careful about doing something correctly
When taking a exam, I'm very scrupulous about double checking my answers for accuracy.
perverted-something that has been corrupted from its origional state. 
The boy was perverted by his time.
superfluous-unecessary or more than what is needed
Sending letters seems superfluous now that email is something used by all.
Saxon-relating to anglo-saxons or their language.
The language of anglo-saxsons is now called old English.
slovenly-careless in personal appearance.
Most kids dress slovenly to go to school because they had overslept.
provocation-words or actions that causes someone to be mad.
Instead of responding with insults to provocation, it is better to remain calm.

I'M READING BIG BROTHER

 Here are my notes I took of Politics and the English Language by George Orwell.

BAD WORDS

I think that words can't be bad because it's like saying a table or the floor is acting bad. It just doesn't make any sense. However, people do use words to hurt others as to insulting them. Those words aren't bad. The person's intentions was bad and how they chose to use their words. Euphemisms are good when your are in a situation where you have to be nice or don't want too embarrass yourself. For example, it sounds nicer to say "I'm in between jobs" rather than saying "I'm unemployed".When we saw the video about euphemism, George Carlin talked about how the disease that people got in the military. The name was originally Shell Shock and people who had it got more attention since the name was grotesque. Then over years, people kept changing the name to make it not sound so horrible but since the newer names make it sound like not a big deal, they don't get as much attention as they should. Saying "the people on the streets" instead of "homeless people" sounds better because you are more likely to not feel bad or want to help when you use that to describe them. After those examples, euphemisms sound really phony and people should be careful about using them.

BIG BROTHER'S FIRST IMPRESSION

What I got out of Orwell's writing in "Politics & The English Language" is that it is important to learn a lot of words and things about the English Language so we can express ourselves clearly and there wouldn't be so much miscommunication. However, at the same time he feels that even though we should use more diverse words, we should make sure we make some sense out of them. He explained how politicians sometimes make up speeches where even they themselves don't even understand what they're trying to say but since they are using such big words, it makes an impression on the audience that the politician are confident in what they are saying which gains their respect and eventually a vote.

An Environmental Satire

I thought most of the points I wrote were really outrageous and hopefully someone gets the message. Anyways, here is the link to my satire power point about the environment: https://www.scribd.com/presentation/322805591/This-Planet-is-Garbage-satire