Thursday, March 19, 2020

The lack of truth in the American Media essays

The lack of truth in the American Media essays No one disputes the evidence that on March 19, 2003, President Bush targeted Saddam Husseins bunker in Baghdad and fired the shot heard - - or at least watched - - round the world. Usually topics like this are beyond disputation because the basic contours of the U.S. approach to war already seem clear. Presumably, this clarity and lack of contention is engrafted into the perspectives that we Americans obtain from our mainstream media. Has this coverage of the war in Iraq turned out to be truthful information or has it become a meaningful page-one dissection and exposure of the White Houses claims which can hardly be found in our mainstream media? First is the modern media, with its supposed extensive press coverage of the diplomatic phase, its hundreds of embedded journalists reporting in real time from the battleground, its worldwide network that goes after the story from many aspects, or its multifaceted CNNs on the Internet. Such diverse coverage must bring pride to the media on reporting the information and gathering the evidence that tells the story or proves the facts. Perhaps we are seeing this slant of media pride through a callow and ignorant position. Perhaps we are talking about structural errors or more precisely about intensive political and economic power. A good place to start changing this outlook would be in regard to the corporate media masters who do not see the world or this reality through democratic eyes and never will. The United States mainstream media institutions that filter and otherwise control such an immense share of the domesticated information could simply start by doing one thingby telling t he truth. Imagine, for instance, that President George W. Bushs most optimistic dream comes true. Saddam Husseins authorities are abolished with minimal casualties. We find that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and in fact, meant t...

Monday, March 2, 2020

Using the Spanish Verb Volver

Using the Spanish Verb 'Volver' Although the verb volver typically is translated as to return, it has a wider variety of uses than that simple translation may suggest. Under some circumstances, its meaning can be as varied as to turn (something) over and even to become. Volver Meaning 'To Return' The meaning of to return is the most common, as in the following examples. If the meaning is to return to a specified place, the preposition a typically is used. Note that a variety of ways can be used to translate the verb to English. Pedro volvià ³ a casa de su tà ­a. (Pedro went back to his aunts home.)Volveremos a la ciudad de Panam en el primer ferrocarril transcontinental del mundo. (Well return to Panama City on the worlds first transcontinental railroad.)Volvieron muy contentos de su aventura. (They came back very happy from their adventure.) ¿Cà ³mo vuelvo a mi peso normal? (How can I get back to my normal weight?) Other Meanings of Volver When followed by the preposition a and an infinitive (the verb form ending in -ar, -er or -ir), volver can usually be translated as again: El profesor volvià ³ a preguntar a los estudiantes si el bote estaba lleno. (The teacher asked the students again if the jar was full.)Volveremos a intentarlo. (Well try it again.)Los democristianos vuelven a ganar las elecciones en Holanda. (The Christian Democrats are winning the elections again in Holland.)Si el comandante vuelve a aparecer, vamos a volver a frenarla. (If the commander comes back again, we are going to stop him again.) When used with a direct object, volver can mean to turn something or turn something over: Volvià ³ la pgina y hablà ³ de otro tema. (She turned the page and talked about another subject.)El hombre volvià ³ el rostro en direccià ³n contraria. (The man turned his face in the opposite direction.)Por algo que no puedes cambiar  ¡no vuelvas la vista atrs! (Dont look back for something you cannot change!) In the reflexive form, volverse can mean to become, especially when used to refer to people. Its use in this way doesnt necessarily imply the return to a previous state. Es imposible hablar contigo, te has vuelto muy cà ­nica. (It is impossible to speak with you, for you have become very cynical.)Me volvà ­ vegetariana hace 3 semanas. (I became a vegetarian three weeks ago.)Nos volveremos pobres en menos de un aà ±o. (Well become very poor in less than a year.)En la primera mitad del siglo XX, la ciudad se volvià ³ un centro mundial para la industria. (In the first half of the 20th century, the city became a world industrial center.) Conjugation of Volver Keep in mind when using volver that it is conjugated irregularly. Its past participle is vuelto, and the -o- of the stem changes to -ue- when stressed. Verbs Derived From Volver Several common verbs are made up of volver with a prefix. They all follow the conjugation pattern of volver. Among them are: Devolver can refer to returning to a previous state or returning an item: La noticias le devolvieron su felicidad. (The news brought his happiness back.)La policà ­a devolvià ³ el televisor a la tienda. (The police returned the television to the store.) Envolver is an etymological cousin of the English verbs envelop and involve and can have meanings similar to both of them. Possible translations include to cover, to wrap, to enshroud, and to implicate. Envolvià ³ el regalo de cumpleaà ±os en papel de seda. (She wrapped the birthday gift in silk paper.)La nube envolvà ­a a todo el reino. (The cloud enveloped all of the kingdom.)Ha tenido algunas experiencias que la han envuelto en la controversia. (She has had some experiences that have involved her in the controversy.) Desenvolver usually means to undo an action of envolver. Desenvolvià ³ el regalo de Navidad de su novia. (He unwrapped his girlfriends Christmas present.)Antes de meter el perro en la baà ±era tiene que desenvolver el pelo. (Before you put the dog in the bathtub you have to untangle his hair.) Key Takeaways Volver is a common verb that often means to return. It can also be used to refer to various kinds of change or to repeated actions.Prefixes can be used with volver to form several other common verbs.Volver is a stem-changing verb with an irregular past participle.