excercises

World C banana C
Textbook C conduct N
acid D progress D
smoking N biology N
poetry 
 N essay C
applause 
 N crystal C
thought D shopping N

defense 
 X rain
beauty rug X
garbage
 X nature
experience
 X bag X
baggage X emotion X
Because diabetes can cause devastating _damages________ (damage, damages) to virtually all body _systems_______ (system, systems), people with diabetes should not underrate the seriousness of their disease. Learning to live with a chronic __illness______ (illness, illnesses) such as diabetes must be an ongoing process.
The Hospital's Center for Family Life Education is sponsoring a five-part educational series on diabetes. The series will begin on April 30 and continue through May 29. The __program_______ (program, programs) will be held in the second floor classroom of the Education Center from 7-9 p.m.
The diabetes series is free and open to the public and will be of specific __interest_______ (interest, interests) to people who have diabetes and their families and friends.

a table The poetry
these person 
 X a difficulty
this furniture
 X a reaserch
that assignment 
 this eggs X
a boy those argument X


Though you can make _a___ decision on purely economic grounds, buying __a__ computer is often more like joining __a__ religious cult. Buy __an__ Apple, for example, and almost by default you join Apple chairman Steve Jobs in his crusade against IBM. Every machine has its "users' groups" and _a___ band of loyal enthusiasts who tout its merits. That makes it all __a__ more difficult for _the___ uninitiated to decide what machine to buy. Students have __a__ huge advantage, however. The computer companies are so eager for students' business (it builds "brand loyalty") that many offer huge discounts.
In the past six months, IBM, Apple, and others have brought out new computers, and _a___ fierce competition has forced prices down. Also, time is on your side: next year at _the___ time you'll have even more choice and more computing power and features for _the___ same price. On __the__ other hand, this will probably be true for many years. So for those who need or want __a__ computer now, it's a great time to buy one.

The Tao's point of view.

“For one gains by losing
And loses by gaining.” (FORTY-TWO) I’ve noticed that the Tao Te Ching uses a lot of paradox; many of the maxims are based on that, on comparing two things that are the opposite. Antonyms are used to state a point. For example, in this maxim the antonyms losing and gaining are used to state that sometimes things are not always how they should be. It is said that when you have too much you become a hollow person, loose humbleness, and when you have nothing you are full of love and gracefulness! Which is ironic. These kinds of analysis are made throughout the whole novel, as a why of looking at life with another point of view. Because when you twist the thing you might get another perspective that will make your life easier, and you a better person. It is all about looking at the other side of the coin. Sometimes it happens to be the brightest one.

“In the persuit of learning, every day something is acquired.
In the persuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.” (FORTY-EIGHT)
The Tao is quite the opposite of the analects. Confucius teachings were all about learning and being eager to learn, the love, the passion to learn everyday. The Tao on the other hand is all about clearing the mind and looking at life at another point of view.

“They have more possessions that they can use.” (FIFTY-THREE) I read this and a bell ringed in my head. My mom constantly tells me that, “Mariana you have already so many things that you might not even remember what you have.” This, by the way is not true! But what is true is that I have many things that I don’t need, and many of my friends do as well. Incredibly we still ask for more and incredibly there are millions of kids that don’t have absolutely nothing but a piece of cloth to cover themselves, and would be eternally gratefully if one of us that “have more possessions that we can use” give some of them to them, and yet we are too selfish to give something up.

CHANGE

Yield and overcome
Bend and be straight;
Empty and be full;
Wear out and be new;
Have little and gain;
Have much and be confused.
(twenty-two)

It is to be able to be better, to do the things you usually do and from them learn, to be flexible, be two thngs at the same time, be balanced and be good. Bing only one thing, monotounos and boring there is no way to be good, to grow as a huma being. People always ompliments the persons that can be seriouds and crazy att the same time, or mature and childish at different times. to be able to adjust to the situation, to be able to accept change and go with it. Change is something that will be always present iin everybodys life. Most people don’t like it, they take it as a misfortune or a problem because they cant adjust to it. They cant be ‘bend and be staight’. They are just ‘staight’ and when the world requests them to bend, they cant! Change also requires the mind to be amt, ready to be filled with whatever it is needed to be illed with.

”Empty yourself of everything. Let the mind become still.” (sixteen) we fill ourselves with trash until there is no space for the important things. Priorities have been lost a lot. Nowadays we are more interested in making bigger cars or more technological cellhones than saving the starving kinds in Africa, or finishing wars that kill millions of people mercilessly. If we wipe our minds of nimportant informations and thoughts then we might be able to focus on other things. To change our ordinary way of living to more spiritual and philosophical to a point in which yourlife is no longer based on material but on inside peace.

No opposite; no one

I think I don’t yet understand what is the Teo, it is explained as something nor explainable nor namable, and not eternal. It seems to be that there are too Teo, the one that is namable and eternal and the other that it is the opposite. At least that is what I understood, the problem is that I don’t know what is the Teo, is it a god, a preacher, another king do Confucius “way”, or the name of a tree. It has the same concept of Confucius. The writing is based of maxims that have a deep meaning. If analyzed and re read it talks about moral values, about truths of life and humans and the world, and everything that has to do with it. Yet it is not religious and it is not a guide on how life should be lived, even though it sometimes feels as if the author is commanding you to do as it is told, otherwise you are wrong.

The structure is a fallacy, “this, because, therefore” and sometimes it doesn’t make sense at all and the main ideas are completely different form one sentence to the other, which makes you get lost quite often. It jumps to wrong conclusions that after all eventually persuade you to believe it. It is a trick!

There is a maxim that talks about there being good because there is evil and there being beautiful because there is ugliness, which made me realize something. We are nothing if it wasn’t because of our opposite. What is white if there is no black? What is love when there is no hate?

I Will Consult Confucius

Confucius’s teachings, if analyzed and put into practice can easily make your life way much better and therefore his teachings changed the way of life of the Chinese. Throughout the week that I started reading the analects many things happened to my life, I had some problems with my friends, with my family in which I didn’t know how to react or what to do, and at night I had to read Confucius for the blogs and happened to be that his teachings made me think and analyze what was going on in my life and gave me somehow advice on how to handle them, to make the right decision. There is this maxim with which I saw myself reflected at the time. “The Master said, “I have never been able to do anything for a person who is not himself constantly asking, “What should I do? What should I do?” 15.16 That is what I had been asking myself for an entire week. “What should I do? What should I say? How should I react?” And that is exactly not being myself, if I question my actions so much then I am very unsecure of myself and have a low self esteem. I realized that in life, if you are not sure of yourself then you are not going anywhere, people are going to squash you and life is eventually going to go ahead of you before you notice it.

I now understand the Chinese and their admiration for Confucius, he definitely changed their lives. If for me it was a help, then for them I might probably be as a God. “To make a mistake and yet not change your ways- this is what is called truly making a mistake” this maxim also made me open my eyes, mistakes are a amazing. I figured that trouble makes you grow up, and that I should not avoid them but learn from them like Confucius always says. All my life I’ve known this truth and yet every time trouble knocks on my door I forget it until they are passed and I say to myself again “Trouble makes me grow as a human being, I learn from it”. It takes a long time to understand somethings in life, sometimes you have to suffer to understand them and get to find the joy of it. Even if it sounds a bit nerdy or unrealistic I think I will consult Confucius quite often, every time I don’t now what to do.

Mistakes.. or errors?

Confucius likes the theory of mistakes, the whole concept of learning from them and looking within you to understand the mistake you did and change or modify what caused it to be that way. He repeats this theory many times and he is asked again and answers with the same thoughts. “To make a mistake and yet to not change your ways-this is what is called truly making a mistake.” 15.30 I love this quote. It is simply stated n a few words that when you commit a mistake and don’t accept that you committed one or that you simple move on and probably commit the same mistake again, then that cannot be called a mistake, it is an error. Errors cannot be fixed or are not fixed, mistakes are. I think mistakes are a blessing. If it wouldn’t be for the mistakes we would not grow as a human being. We would be doing the same things that we did when we were children, we would be having the same thoughts, we would be falling because of the same stone in our paths…
The analects talks about “Heaven”. For me Confucius teachings are not religious in any matter and that is what I liked about them, until Heaven is mentioned. I it mentioned as a source reliable for questions and answers. As another “master” if the Master does not speak. I would like to discuss this in class.

One of the Bunch

Many of Confucius quotes are repetitive, he uses the same concept but with other words. He is very egocentric; he calls himself not equaled and the best in “cultural refinement”, though he doesn’t considers himself the best gentlemen and is still trying to be one. There is one quote that I like a lot because it is something that every religion tells us, every teacher, every philosopher or thinker, “When walking with two other people, I will always find a teacher among them. I focus on those who are good and seek to emulate them, and focus on those who are bad in order to be reminded of what needs to be changed in myself.” 7.22. It is so true and yet we don’t listen to the advice. We criticize so much and never look within us and try to “fix” our faults and our wrong doing. We criticize the way someone is dressed or the way someone talks or who dumb someone is or how cocky the other one is, but when do we look within ourselves to find out that we are no better. Life happens to be fair sometimes and karma brings back all that you do wrong to you. Think about this, when you point at someone three of your own fingers are pointing at yourself. And the ones we find good, instead of applying their actions to yourself you also criticize them because you envy them. We are stupid, having so many tools to be amazing persons we choose to be one of the bunch.

Confucius talks about music. “Find inspiration in the Odes, take your place through ritual, and achieve perfection with music.” 8.8 Perfection does not exist, for me perfection is the imperfection of perfection…JA! Confusing although true. Music is higher than any philosophy; it is the reflection of so many things that it can’t even be described! You can’t describe music, it is the description of everything. “No music, no life.”

PERSUASIVE ESSAY

Videogames are the most famous entertainment activity in the XXI Century. About an 80% of the children have videogames at home. It is considered one of the best businesses, because everybody desires it. Playing video games is very fun for everybody; there is a lot of variety and different types of video games. There is PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, Wii, Game Boy, PSP, Computer games, and so on. Something they all have in common is the fact that they all game violent games involved, which mean that all the children that play video games are involved into violence. Shown by studies, that provokes consequences to the children’s mind. Boys from ages 7-18 play this games quiet often, instilling slowly violent thoughts in their minds. Children that play these games are shown to be more aggressive, to have violent reactions and tend to be anti-social. Some get scared, paranoiac and insecure. Any video game that contains violence should be banned from sale. There are one of the reasons why in the U.S teen violence has increased so much. The teens and children spend more time watching TV, or playing video games than they do inside a classroom. Games like Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Battlefield and 007 are clear examples of violent video games. The goals of these games are to kill as many people as the player can and therefore go to a “higher level” or to” pass the missions”. Unconsciously this sends a message to the players, that with violence they will achieve things easier, and so is their behavior. The children are victims of the hidden message that TV and video games give them and their mood is modified into aggressive and sadist. Violence is attractive to anyone, humans enjoy watching others suffer, yet is wrong. The producer of the video games’ only interest is to sell, and they sell by making the games about violence, they don’t care if the child or teenager that buys it will become an assassin after playing their games. School shooting has become a common event in the U.S. and violent TV and video games have taught the criminals how to use the weapons, making them professionals murders. By age 12 the average child has witnessed at least 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 other acts of violence on television. “The 14 years old killer in the Paducah, Kentucky, school shooting had never fired a real pistol in his life. Nevertheless he fired eight shots, five of them head shots, the other three upper torso shots, killing 8 children. Where did he get the skill and will to kill? Most likely from violent video games and media violence, pared with a lack of adult guidance.” If these games are banned, the violent mentality could probably reduce significantly. Video Games inventors could create games that involve some kind of educational subjects or moral values. To change a corrupted society we have to start at the mind of our young ones.

Perfect Role Model

Confucius had a particular way of thinking. His teachings’ goal was to create the perfect gentlemen. He talks about Good and what does it mean to be Good. He has very deep quotes and philosophical thoughts. In Book Four he kind of explains what is Good, in Book Five he explains who is Good and who isn’t. In Book Six he simple states some judgments to his pupils and himself. Good is described as the opposite of what today is describes happiness, to be the opposite of greedy and the opposite of materialistic, one who is Good is one who enjoys life without measuring joy in profit. One who cares for the common good and not the personal good. One who is Good is a one who is not interested in Way and who is willing to achieve the Way the best way possible without caring about the “shaggy clothes” 4.10. Something that I did not like about his sayings was that it gives an impression of judgement, as if “he is Good, he isn’t, he is better than he is” and so on… If Confucius was a perfect role model, then he shouldn’t be judging others, he should be rewarding them by who they are and not if they are better or worst than somebody else.

Confucius also talks about fate a little but it drew my attention. “the Master sighed, “That we are going to lose him most be due to fate! How else could such a man be afflicted with such an illness (and we left with nothing we can do)? How else could such a man be afflicted with such an illness?” 6.10. This man, Boniu, was an exceptional man that was probably in the category of “Good” for Confucius. Everything is due to fate. Every step we make is because that’s what our destiny decided to be. I am certain that Confucius is going to talk about it later on. Confucius if I am not wrong created through his teaching a king of a religion, they deeply influenced China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. He has point of view towards morality that made the people meditate and feel related.

The Magic of Words

OH MY GOD! I am so satisfied, even though I am an American, I am very pleased with the fact that Obama is the president of the U.S.A. Something that stands out in his speech, and in every time he talks is the confidence that covers him immensely. He is so calm and so clear at everything that he says; he was no doubt and is completely positive at every word he pronounces. His movements are minimum, he changes his view from one place to another, like talking to each individual personally, his stare is fixed and his eyes don’t move around. He has some hand gestures that reaffirm some of the arguments he is stating. He points sometimes, giving a lot of strength to the word he says. The gestures are not distracting at all; they instead give a lot of “magic” to his speech. He uses a bit of every rhetoric. “WE are and always will be the United States of America” demonstrative and deliberative at the same time. “it was build by working men and women who dug their little savings to give 5$, 10% or 20$ to the cause” He is talking the way his campaign was brought up, this is a use of pathos and ethos because the is telling the people, the struggle he has to go through, and at the same time saying that he is honest and that he worked himself up. “The challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime” deliberative. “There are mothers and father that lay awake when their children are sleeping thinking how they are going to pay the mortgage” that’s a use of pathos. Obama’s words are so strong that when the audience was shown by the cameras, more than one was crying. To produce those feeling in an audience just by speaking is the power of rhetoric.

Stop and Think After You Suffer

Eliezer was a devout believer of God, he was a proud Jew. Until circumstances lead him to loose faith in God. Who wouldn’t? What he was going through was an absolute proof that God was not present, because if he were, He wouldn’t let that happen. He was absurdly tortured, discriminated, exploded and hurt, not only physically but psychological. He questions God’s existence… and whether keeping faithful would keep him alive. All his life he had been faithful and the only consequence was that he was taken to a concentration camp for being a Jew. He relates himself to Job, he understands him because Job also questions God and his power. “Some talked of God, of his mysterious ways, of the sins of the Jewish people, and their future deliverance. But I had ceased to pray. How I sympathized with Job! I did not deny God’s existence, but I doubted His absolute justice.” (pg. 42) He has very similar thoughts to those of Job. He talks a lot about darkness and light and relates it to his feelings.
He refers to his days at the camp as a night, and there is no time during the unhappy moments is which he talked about light or sunny days… He only referred to the sun a hot and devastating, as a negative thing. “What are You, my God,” I thought angrily, “compared to this afflicted crowd, proclaiming to You their faith, their anger, their revolt? What does your greatness mean, Lord of the universe, in the face of all this weakness, this decomposition, and this decay? Why do You still trouble their sick minds, their crippled bodies?” (pg63) This is so true! What is his greatness to all the suffering? What does it really mean? It seems ridiculous that they stilled prayed for such an egocentric God, who even when they are decaying, He instills guilt to them so that they have to pray to an invisible God. “Why, but why should I bless Him? In every fiber I rebelled. Because He had had thousands of children burned in His pits? Because He kept six crematories working night and day, on Sundays and feast days? Because in His great might He had created Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buna, and so many factories of death? How could I say to Him: “Blessed art Thou, Eternal, Master of the Universe, Who chose ud from all races to be tortured day and night, to see our fathers, our mothers, our brothers, end in crematory? Praised be Thy Name, Thou Who hast chosen us to be butched on Thine altar?” (pg 64) WOW! This is so touching and so deep. I noticed that he talks a lot about “nigh and day”, he mentions it twice in this quote. Just like Job talks about it in his dialogue with his friends and God. I myself relate to him. I started doubting his absolute justice, because my family was going through very difficult times and I was very sick, and we prayed, and God was not present at all, since then I lost total faith and relied my beliefs on science and the universe’s energy .