TO ACT OR NOT TO ACT

Hamlet's soliloquy has tons of meanings and you can find them by just one search on the internet. The first time I read it it was very hard to understand, mostly because it was written in old English. I now understand that to be or not to be means should he act or shouldn't he, not should he do it or shouldn't he do it. It's interesting how someone could struggle with doing something like Hamlet did when someone could just jump in and do things and hope for the best like Steve Jobs. I'm not saying Hamlet had an easy thing to do but the way he struggled with it surprised me. I feel as if others, such as me, would be so filled with hatred and anger that they would just kill their betraying uncle and get it over with. It's also interesting how Hamlet's soliloquy can be applied to everyday decision making and doing. No matter how simple it is it can be applied and actually make sense if you think about it enough.

DEAR STEVE

I think Steve is 100% right on multiple things. The first being you have to have trust in something. If you don't then what's the point? The second thing is that if you literally live everyday like it's your last then you won't have any regrets when that day actually comes. Near death experiences can be scary but they are definitely life changing. They make you realize how valuable life is and as weird as this sounds, I wish everyone could have a near death experience. Everyone would be so much more empathetic and caring and would also try to achieve more greatness in their lifetime. It would be a wonderful thing to see everyone following their dreams and doing what they love instead of grimacing at the thought of getting up and going to a job that they hate in the morning. The point is to never give up on what you love and never stop trying to get to what you love. Don't let anyone tell you any different.

Vocabulary #6

1. adroit - clever or skillful using the hands or mind
The mechanic was adroit and it made him good at his job.

2. amicable - having a spirit of friendliness; without serious disagreement or rancor
The two parents were in an amicable divorce for the sake of the child.

3. averse - having strong dislike of or opposition to something
The former CIA operative was not averse to secrets because that was part of his job.

4. belligerent - hostile or aggressive
The father was a belligerent drunk causing many problems in the family.

5. benevolent - well meaning and kindly
When he walked into the meeting, everyone had on a benevolent smile which made him calm down.

6. cursory - hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed
The victim only got a cursory glance at the robber so she could not identify him.

7. duplicity - deceitfulness; double-dealing
She described it as a scandal of financial duplicity and secrecy.

8. extol - praise enthusiastically
The sailors extolled at the sight of land.

9. feasible - possible to do easily or conveniently
The homework was a feasible task so she pushed it off until last minute.

10. grimace - an ugly, twisted expression on a person's face, typically expressing disgust, pain, or wry amusement
When the rookie cop found the dead body, he had a grimace look on his face that showed how new he was.

11. holocaust - destruction or slaughter on a mass scale, esp. caused by fire or nuclear war
Hitler's holocaust of the Jews during WWII was one of the worst in history.

12. impervious - not allowing fluid to pass through
The roofing on houses is supposed to be  impervious to rain.

13. impetus - the force of energy with which a body moves
The great employees of this company are the impetus behind the companies success.

14. jeopardy - danger of loss, harm, or failure
The police officer was in jeopardy of his life during the firefight.

15. meticulous - showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise
The investigator was very meticulous about his work.

16. nostalgia - a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period of place with happy or personal associations
The nostalgia that came over me after viewing a TV show I saw when I was a child was so immense that I almost felt like I was a child again.

17. quintessence - the most perfect or typical example of quality or class
The Catcher in the Rye is the quintessential American novel.

18. retrogress - go back to an earlier state, typically a worse one
The girl sadly retrogressed to the start of her rehabilitation.

19. scrutinize - examine or inspect closely and thoroughly
The customers were warned to scrutinize the fine print of the contract.

20. tepid - showing little enthusiasm
The crowd's applause after the show was tepid.

21. Accede- to assume an office or position
The king acceded to the throne.

22. Brandish- to waive or flourish something especially a weapon
Brandishing his sword he valiantly rode into battle on horseback.

23. Comprise- to be made up of
Seminars and lectures comprised the day's activities.

24. Deft- neatly skillful and quick in one's movement
The deft mechanic had our car ready in record time.

25. Destitute- without the basic necessities of life
The destitute children were a horrible sight when they were found in the woods.

26. Explicit- stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion
The instructions were so explicit that nearly anyone could understand them.

27. Extirpate- to root out or destroy completely
Extirpated mammals had to be reintroduced to the forest after the fire.

28. Inopportune- something that occurs at a bad time
Courtney's grandmother came for an inopportune visit.

29. Ironic- something that happens in the opposite way as was expected.
It was ironic when a smoker told me not to smoke.

30. Musty- a very stale or damp smell.
The inside of the shed was musty several days after in had rained.

31. Officious- assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way.
The boss was very officious and everyone hated him because of it.

32. Ominous- giving the impression that something bad is going to happen
My girlfriends cat is very ominous.

33. Pinnacle- the highest or culminating point
The pinnacle of Thomas' career was when he got a raise.

34. Premeditated- to think out or plan something
The attack strategy was premeditated and it work out to their advantage.

35. Rampant- something unpleasant flourishing or spreading unchecked
The student was running rampant and caused a lot of trouble.

36 .Solace- to comfort someone in a time of sadness or distress
The mother gave solace to the widow.

37. Stately- something majestic in manner and appearance
The Ebert's had a stately home.

38. Supple- to bend or move in a graceful way
The stick they found on the beach was supple and was easily manipulated.

29. Suppress- to forcibly put an end to
Genie was suppressed from the outside world for thirteen years and had her childhood ruined.

30. Venal- to be motivated by bribery
The judge was corrupt and venal.

My Dashboard

-Weather Widget
-Yahoo Email Widget
-New York Times Widget
-Reddit Widget
-The Course Blog

It is also very bland in color. I will add more widgets as they come to mind and as I discover more.

NO CHILD LEFT UNTABLETED

I personally really like the idea of having tablets in the classroom. It offers new experiences for the students and even the teachers. Students need a new, fresh way of learning and I think this is a good way to go about doing so. On the other hand, many teachers, I know a few, would be strongly apposed to this. They would prefer face to face teaching and more interaction with the students such as Smith, one of the trainees who got the tablets. It would be better when it comes to books because students wouldn't have to carry around all of them and waste class time going to the library to get them. It would be impossible to lose your books unless you lost the tablet itself. They would be spending $30 million on tablets which could go to something more beneficial to the schools but it may be worth it in the long run. In the end I am still on the side that is for tablets in schools but I can see how people would be against it.

Vocabulary #5

adroit - clever or skillful using the hands or mind
The mechanic was adroit and it made him good at his job.

amicable - having a spirit of friendliness; without serious disagreement or rancor
The two parents were in an amicable divorce for the sake of the child.

averse - having strong dislike of or opposition to something
The former CIA operative was not averse to secrets because that was part of his job.

belligerent - hostile or aggressive
The father was a belligerent drunk causing many problems in the family.

benevolent - well meaning and kindly
When he walked into the meeting, everyone had on a benevolent smile which made him calm down.

cursory - hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed
The victim only got a cursory glance at the robber so she could not identify him.

duplicity - deceitfulness; double-dealing
She described it as a scandal of financial duplicity and secrecy.

extol - praise enthusiastically
The sailors extolled at the sight of land.

feasible - possible to do easily or conveniently
The homework was a feasible task so she pushed it off until last minute.

grimace - an ugly, twisted expression on a person's face, typically expressing disgust, pain, or wry amusement
When the rookie cop found the dead body, he had a grimace look on his face that showed how new he was.

holocaust - destruction or slaughter on a mass scale, esp. caused by fire or nuclear war
Hitler's holocaust of the Jews during WWII was one of the worst in history.

impervious - not allowing fluid to pass through
The roofing on houses is supposed to be  impervious to rain.

impetus - the force of energy with which a body moves
The great employees of this company are the impetus behind the companies success.

jeopardy - danger of loss, harm, or failure
The police officer was in jeopardy of his life during the firefight.

meticulous - showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise
The investigator was very meticulous about his work.

nostalgia - a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period of place with happy or personal associations
The nostalgia that came over me after viewing a TV show I saw when I was a child was so immense that I almost felt like I was a child again.

quintessence - the most perfect or typical example of quality or class
The Catcher in the Rye is the quintessential American novel.

retrogress - go back to an earlier state, typically a worse one
The girl sadly retrogressed to the start of her rehabilitation.

scrutinize - examine or inspect closely and thoroughly
The customers were warned to scrutinize the fine print of the contract.

tepid - showing little enthusiasm
The crowd's applause after the show was tepid.

Literature Analysis #1

Topic(s) and/or Event(s)

1) The book I chose is about exactly what it says in the title, The Theory of Everything. Stephen Hawking wrote the book and he dives into some of the outrageous theories that have come up in the past and proves most of them to be correct. It goes as far back as Aristotle's and even Galileo's theories about the universe. He explains what they had correct and what they were slightly off about. Hawking goes on to explain the basics of Einstein's theory of relativity and how important that discovery was. The book talks about the life and death of star, the big bang, black holes, and even the direction of time.

2) Stephen Hawking probably chose to write about this subject because he is an expert at it. He has one of the most brilliant minds when it comes to physics and even space in general. It's no surprise that he would choose this subject to write about.

3) I chose this book because space really interests me. It's always interested me because there is so much out there that we have yet to discover. It came to my attention because I was looking up books about space and time and saw that this one was written by a well known theoretical physicist. I knew I had to read it.

4) I found the book highly realistic because it is all about scientific facts. The book made connections to stories I have read that are about recent discoveries in science on the microscopic level. The book talks about how stars are created and recent discoveries have dug deeper into these elements that make up stars.

People

1) The author chose to write this book because it is informational and insightful. There is no doubt the author wanted the audience to think bigger and to learn from this book. The authors tone is informative and straight forward. This book is purely for information and inspiration.

2) x

3) The discoveries the people spoken about in the book makes them interesting enough to write about. They made some incredible observations about the universe and proposed some outrageous theories then went on to prove them. Their life's work was dedicated to their studies.

Style

1) The author used an informative journalistic style of writing when writing this book. He wrote sentences like, "the work that Roger Penrose and I did between 1965 and 1970 showed that, according to general relativity, there must be a singularity of infinite density within the black hole".

2) The author uses lengthy descriptions of different theories and scenes throughout the book. In a way he kind of has to to get his point across. It is not easy describing the stuff he does in this book but he manages to do it. This makes the book seem complicated at times and makes you have to read a sentence two or three times to get it but he makes it work.

3) x

4) I think the author's attitude toward the subject was that he cared about the subject a lot. It was easy to tell that it really interested him and he enjoyed writing about it. The way he added so much detail to what he was describing was very thorough. You could tell that he wanted to inform the audience and that he cared about what he wanted everyone to read. The book isn't as long as you might think so in each lecture it is easy to understand the key points he was trying to make.

5) The author used the work written down by previous theoretical physicists and astronomers. He talked about what they discovered and how they came about doing that. He mentioned many people made important discoveries/proposed theories about the universe such as Aristotle, Galileo, Einstein, and many more. It gave a background about how the theories proposed today came about and made it easier when it came to understanding how they got to these theories about the universe. The author also mentioned that the theories and discoveries made today are far more accurate than the ones made by people in the Aristotle and Galileo era and even during Einstein's time. I think that is important to note because even more discoveries have yet to be found.

Enduring Memory

An idea from this book that I think will stick with me is the birth and death of a star. It is born when a large amount of gas, mostly hydrogen, starts to collapse in on itself due to gravitational attraction. The atoms of gas collide with each other as it contracts and the gas heats up. Eventually it will get so hot that hydrogen atoms will no longer bounce off of each other but rather merge with each other to form helium atoms. It then begins expanding like a balloon and lives its life over millions of years. When it has burn all of its fuel and comes to the end of its life it will either, depending on its size, expand then contract into a white dwarf or explode into a supernova. This supernova will create new galaxies and sometimes, if it is dense enough, create a black hole. Black holes interest me because we can't understand them yet because the laws of physics break down in them. The life cycle of a star is interesting to me because it is nature recycling itself and creating new matter with the leftovers of a star that was created by another star.

Vocabulary: Fall #3

accomplice - a person who helps another to commit a crime
The accomplice to the murder was never found.

annihilate - destroy utterly; obliterate
The construction workers were given orders to annihilate the old building.

arbitrary - based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system
The definitions that the teacher gave seem arbitrary.

brazen - bold and without shame
The congressman went about his business with a brazen assurance.

catalyst - a person or thing that precipitates an event
The governor's speech acted as a catalyst for the debate.

exodus - a mass departure of people
When the bell rings at the end of class, there is a mini exodus.

facilitate - make (an action or actions) easy or easier
The assistant was hired to help facilitate the businessman's lifestyle.

incorrigible - not able to be corrected, improved, or reformed
If caught cheating, the test will become incorrigible.

latent - existing but not yet developed or manifest; hidden; concealed
Meditation is the process of rediscovering, enjoying and finding the positive qualities that already lie latent within you.

militant - combative and aggressive in support of a political or social cause, and typically favoring extreme, violent or often confrontational methods
He was the third westerner to be killed by suspected Islamic militants in Saudi Arabia in a week.

morose - sullen and ill-tempered
He became morose and withdrawn and would not talk to anyone.

opaque - not able to be seen through; not transparent
The glass was very opaque and wouldn't allow for a view of the town.

paramount - more important than anything else; supreme
The interests of the child are of paramount importance.

prattle - talk at length in a foolish or inconsequential way
The old women could prattle on all day.

rebut - claim or prove that (evidence or an accusation) is false
He had to rebut charges of acting for the convenience of his political friends.

reprimand - a rebuke, esp. an official one
In a relation to minor offenses or a first time offense you will receive a reprimand.

servitude - the state of being a slave or completely subject to someone more powerful
He imposed a sentence of fifteen years' penal servitude.

slapdash - done too hurriedly and carelessly
The students work was slapdash.

stagnant - showing no activity; dull and sluggish
The student was obviously very stagnant when it came to his work.

succumb - fail to resist
He has become the latest to succumb to the strain.