big question

I never really decided what I had actually wanted my big question to be, so I never posted it. But I think I finally narrowed it down to the one that actually intrigues me the most:
Are we really alone in this universe? We are such a small portion of it, do others know if we exist but we still are unaware of them? Or have we just not been told of anything that was found outside of our current known existence?

vocab 4

obsequious - adj. attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner;attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery

beatitude - noun one of the eight sayings of Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount; in Latin each saying begins with `beatus' (blessed); a state of supreme happiness

bete noire - noun a person or thing that one particularly dislikes

bode - verb indicate by signs

dank - adj. unpleasantly cool and humid

ecumenical - adj. of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions

fervid - adj. extremely hot; characterized by intense emotion

fetid - adj. offensively malodorous

gargantuan - adj. of great mass; huge and bulky

heyday - noun the period of greatest prosperity or productivity

incubus - noun a male demon believed to lie on sleeping persons and to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; someone who depresses or worries others; a situation resembling a terrifying dream

infrastructure - noun the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area; the basic structure or features of a system or organization

inveigle - verb influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

kudos - noun an expression of approval and commendation

lagniappe - noun a small gift (especially one given by a merchant to a customer who makes a purchase)

prolix - adj. tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length

protege - noun a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career

prototype - noun a standard or typical example

sycophant - noun a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage

tautology - noun useless repetition; (logic) a statement that is necessarily true

truckle - noun a low bed to be slid under a higher bed; verb yield to out of weakness; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering

vocab #3

accolade - noun a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

acerbity - noun a sharp sour taste; a sharp bitterness; a rough and bitter manner

attrition - noun the act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction; a wearing down to weaken or destroy; sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation; the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice; erosion by friction

bromide - noun any of the salts of hydrobromic acid; formerly used as a sedative but now generally replaced by safer drugs; a trite or obvious remark

chauvinist - noun an extreme bellicose nationalist; a person with a prejudiced belief in the superiority of his or her own kind

chronic - adj. being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering

expound - verb add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing;state

factionalism - adj. of a faction or factions; self-interested

immaculate - adj. completely neat and clean; free from stain or blemish; without fault or error

imprecation - noun the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult); a slanderous accusation

ineluctable - adj. impossible to avoid or evade:"inescapable conclusion"

mercurial - adj. relating to or containing or caused by mercury;relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury; relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury; liable to sudden unpredictable change

palliate - verb provide physical relief, as from pain; lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of

protocol - noun code of correct conduct; forms of ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats and heads of state; (computer science) rules determining the format and transmission of data

resplendent - adj. having great beauty and splendor

stigmatize - verb mark with a stigma or stigmata; to accuse or condemn or openly or formally or brand as disgraceful

sub - noun a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes;a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States; verb be a substitute

rosa - noun large genus of erect or climbing prickly shrubs including roses

vainglory - noun outspoken conceit

vestige - noun an indication that something has been present

volition - noun the act of making a choice; the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention

Beowulf

            Beowulf, in its time, was considered a great epic, and still is to this day. But the story has elements that are somewhat outdated. For the most part, fighting with swords is something we just do not do much of in this day and age (except for those bitchin’ ninjas). Beowulf is considered a hero for his noble conquest on fighting the 3 monsters in order to provide a protection for those he loved and for those around him. He possessed the all-around characteristics of a hero, being a bold and chiseled young man to fulfill his characteristics of a hero. He is brave and confident, when Unferth teases him about not being able to take on Grendel and that he is no hero, he basically just laughs him off and tells him of his great feats as a hero and what he has gone through to be considered so.

            In the time, Beowulf is the precise definition of hero. But in modern day, the tables have turned and new requirements, per se, have established for heroes of this time. Although Spiderman is a fictional character, he is still considered to be a hero. His qualities of saving the citizens in his town all while remaining unknown as to who he really is, is a bold and honorable move. That is why he is known as being a hero. He didn't really choose to be bitten by a spider and become this man that saves the town, but it just happened and he applied himself to being this big hero in his story.

            Beowulf and Spiderman are both heroes, but considered heroes in different time periods. All while in their respected time periods, they are both holding qualities pertained to a big hero. Beowulf being a hero in a less modern, but a little manlier (in a sense) way because he really physically fights through monsters to help serve those in need and provide his protection; and Spiderman, still fighting people in the hopes of gaining a better town with less ‘evil’ in it, all for the purpose of protecting the citizens for which he lives around without needing a huge display of attention because he does it out of pure heart.

            Upon searching ‘hero definition’ in a Google search, the definition of “a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities” comes up. Right there it already states that a ‘hero’ is typically a MAN. It is already being put into the category that women don’t have what it takes to be a hero, but that is just morally wrong. Women should not be clubbed into dank submission and not be allowed to be a hero in any form. Most people see firefighters as heroes, and yes even women can become firefighters. Women have gone from having basically no rights, to fighting their way into the right to vote, own land, etc. Women can possess all of the qualities of being a hero and having the definition online for anyone to see that a hero is 'typically a man' will just allow for more fighting for women to prove that women and men can all pertain to the same qualities, although in some subjects not all will have the same physical strength a man may possess, but can still put in the same amount of work any man that is considered a hero can.

reality

Will study for food.

After spending tons of my time with Mr. VanPatten discussing college plans and plans for my future(which I had been very oblivious of before speaking with him), he had showed me a scholarship program, the Western Undergraduate Exchange program, which gives a student in California an opportunity to go to a college in the other qualifying states with a reduced tuition rate of 150% resident rate. At the University of Wyoming, there is no minimum required GPA or SAT/ACT scores required for it but all are evaluated, and in the end still most likely used to pick the students who receive the scholarship.
If anyone wanted more information on applying for this scholarship and/or if the institution they were looking at uses this scholarship, info can be found here: http://www.wiche.edu/wue

Vocab #2

accoutrements - noun 1. personal clothing, accessories,etc. 2. the equipment, excluding weapons and clothing, of a soldier.
apogee - noun apoapsis in Earth orbit; the point in its orbit where a satellite is at the greatest distance from the Earth; a final climactic stage
apropos - adj. of an appropriate or pertinent nature; adv. by the way; at an opportune time
bicker - noun a quarrel about petty points; verbargue over petty things
coalesce - verb fuse or cause to grow together;mix together different elements
contretemps - noun an awkward clash
convolution - noun the action of coiling or twisting or winding together; a convex fold or elevation in the surface of the brain; the shape of something rotating rapidly
cull - noun the person or thing that is rejected or set aside as inferior in quality; verb remove something that has been rejected; look for and gather
disparate - adj. including markedly dissimilar elements; fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
dogmatic - adj. characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles; relating to or involving dogma; of or pertaining to or characteristic of a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
licentious - adj. lacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained
mete - noun a line that indicates a boundary
noxious - adj. injurious to physical or mental health
polemic - adj. of or involving dispute or controversy; noun a controversy (especially over a belief or dogma); a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology)
populous - adj. densely populated
probity - noun complete and confirmed integrity; having strong moral principles
repartee - noun adroitness and cleverness in reply
supervene - verb take place as an additional or unexpected development
truncate - adj. terminating abruptly by having or as if having an end or point cut off; verb make shorter as if by cutting off; approximate by ignoring all terms beyond a chosen one; replace a corner by a plane
unimpeachable - adj. beyond doubt or reproach; completely acceptable; not open to exception or reproach; free of guilt; not subject to blame