To Act or Not to Act

For starters, one was written hundreds of years ago and the other, just a few. However, human emotion and story telling remain much the same. Our actions and how we represent them effect our lives and the lives of others. Some people have harder choices than others, but we shouldn't shirk the responsibility of making choices that may last a lifetime, or longer. Remember: one day,your words may be remembered for all to hear, so speak wisely.

Dear Steve

I never much cared for Steve, he's not your average billionaire. He did a lot of creative stuff, "improved the world" some would say, but I never liked him. Sure, I didn't know him in the 70's, but the Steve I knew I was not a fan of. He was a great man who did great things, and there's a lot today to thank him for. It's hard to talk about people you don't like, and I'm not making this very easy. So, I'll just say, I'm grateful for how he positively impacted the world today, but he's not the god you may thing he was.

The Value of Choice

I mostly want to look at what jobs require, who's hiring who, what it takes to get into a career, and what to expect after working. I think these topics will prepare us for our careers and will educate us on what to do next as well as what to do during and what to expect afterward. Instilling knowledge of what the future may hold due to the steps you take is important for people who haven't yet decided or for those still considering multiple fields.

I most want to know those things sated above for my own field. I hope we'll cover the other important topics, as deemed fit, as well, but that is my want.

Netvibes, why Bother?

I started up Netvibes. I only did it because I had to. I was instantly greeted with a million "opportunities" to link my various accounts together for my benefit. Instantly I was reminded of all the time spent logging into things and making sure things were set up properly on separate products in the past, but here it was all at once once again.

I chose to have it not geared toward a certain demographic and just chose 'all', but of course, it gave me a myriad of sources I had never heard of or didn't ever want to use. Couldn't you had just asked me what services I used and then put them on there later? And why am I getting weather for Paris, France?

I use iGoogle, the thing that was supposed to die this year but just won't. It's great. I have a nice wallpaper, my chosen sources like Twitter, CNN, YouTube, my city's weather, my calendar, and a quote of the day for good measure. I don't care about fancy features, how many companies use your software or signing in to your "service". I just want to put some information in one spot for me to look at once I start Chrome.

yes, I look at everything once. I don't leave my homepage open, I close it. It's there and then it's gone. It's not important to me and it won't be. I use Blink Feed on my phone way more often. I'll use Netvibes for a bit longer, but I won't be happy about it.

Vocabulary: Fall #6

accede - take on duties or office; to agree or express agreement; submit or yield to another's wish or opinion
Anyone would accede if people stopped listening.

brandish - the act of waving; verb move or swing back and forth; exhibit aggressivelyYou can brandish no weapons here.

comprise - form or compose; include or contain; have as a component; be composed of

We would comprise the team of experts, obviously.

deft - skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands

To be deft is very sought after.

Theoretical Foundations for Reading and Writing Rhetorically

Developed by Mira-Lisa Kratz with Nelson Graff and Nancy Brynelson


          Summary

• Businesses are now requiring more than a high school diploma, they're looking for college/university degrees and advanced study
• Not only being familiar with fiction and non-fiction, poetry and drama, but being able to analyze research papers and portfolios for their education and professions
• Students shouldn't, and won't, just learn about the writing techniques but use themselves and understand why they way they are
• Understanding the connection between reading and writing as social interaction
• Inquiring about personal topics to bring out opinions and discussion on current topics
• Incorporate many different aspects of a subject, to understand that views differ and that there are many ways to communicate a point to listeners and to understand a subject
• Help students understand what they already know and foster development in sharing knoledge
• Use a person's strength to their advantage

          Highlights

• Understand your own strengths and weaknesses
• Challenge yourself to try new things & refresh abilities to continue advancement for current skills
• Know what you're reading and why, how it relates to you, your own experiences, etc.

          I would recommend reading "Broadening Notions of 'Reading' and 'Literacy': Facilitating College-Readiness Through a Rhetorical, Inquiry-based Approach".

No Child Left Untabulated

The American classroom has never looked so new. Technology sounds like the answer to all of our problems right now, and it very well may be. We need to investigate what happens when we use these teaching methods long term and what they'll impact in the future. Everyone doesn't respond the same way, so tailoring lessons and education has always been a challenge. I hope that change comes and it is, in fact, positive.

Declaration of Learning Independence

I understand the importance of education and the role it plays in our society. Some people are smart, others are not. Smart or not, we all eventually get a career and must use our abilities and skill in it. Whether your job needs a doctorate or a five year old could do it, you need knowledge, understanding, ability. Not everyone is an astrophysicist, nor does everyone have the brain of a five year old. We'll all eventually end up where we belong, to an extent, and we'll, hopefully, excel at that position. I'll be a firefighter, but I won't need a degree in physics to do it. I'm not understating a degree in physics, but I'm making the argument that it's not always necessary to know everything, even though that would be nice. What I'll close with is; don't set the bar way too high, but don't set it way too low either. Challenge yourself, find out what you can do.

Vocabulary: Fall #5

adroit - quick or skillful or adept in action or thought; skillful (or showing skill) in adapting means to ends
He was adroit in his field, nothing confused him.

amicable - characterized by friendship and good will
Their amicable friendship was the envoy of all.

averse - strongly opposed
I was averse to her "better plan".

belligerent - engaged in war; characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight
The belligerent drunk stumbled across the room, almost tripping twice.

Literature Analysis

Literature Analysis

NONFICTION ANALYSIS

E-Man

TOPIC(S) and/or EVENT(S)

1.    E-Man is the story of Robert Sheppard, an NYPD officer who served over 30 years in the ESU (Emergency Service Unit) rescuing everyone from civilians to fellow officers, protecting the citizens of NYC or foreign dignitaries, saving lives 270 feet off the ground on the Brooklyn Bridge or 100 feet down a construction hole. Though hundreds of pages, he recounts events on the job where he used advanced training or tactics (or maybe just common sense) to do to do one the most dangerous jobs in the country.

Vocabulary: Fall #4

accede - take on duties or office; to agree or express agreement; submit or yield to another's wish or opinion
He was told to accede, as the argument went on too long.

brandish - the act of waving; verb move or swing back and forth; exhibit aggressively
It is illegal to brandish a firearm.

comprise - form or compose; include or contain; have as a component; be composed of

The words would comprise a list, to be defined and made a sentence using.

deft - skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands

How deft his movements were, the drumsticks twirling and flipping.

destitute - poor enough to need help from others; completely wanting or lacking

"There's a very destitute part of town, I'd avoid it", he advised.

explicit - precisely and clearly expressed or readily observable; leaving nothing to implication
She was given explicit instructions.

extirpate - surgically remove (an organ); pull up by or as if by the roots; destroy completely, as if down to the roots
"I will extirpate these roots!" I exclaimed.

inopportune - not opportune
Inopportune circumstances prompted drastic recalculations.

ironic - characterized by often poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected and what actually is;humorously sarcastic or mocking
It was a very ironic statement.

musty - stale and unclean smelling; covered with or smelling of mold
We entered the musty cellar.

officious - intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
Their officious behavior prompted us to ask them to leave.

ominous - presaging ill fortune; threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
The crow's presence was ominous, some would believe.

pinnacle - raise on or as if on a pinnacle; surmount with a pinnacle
I'm in the pinnacle of health.

premeditated - characterized by deliberate purpose and some degree of planning
Premeditated murder is highly illegal.

rampant - unrestrained and violent
Termites can go rampant on a wooden structure, completely destroying it.

solace - comfort in disappointment or misery; the act of consoling; giving relief in affliction; the comfort you feel when consoled in times of disappointment
Take solace in the fact that it was quick.

stately - of size and dignity suggestive of a statue; refined or imposing in manner or appearance; impressive in appearance
It isn't easy to be stately.

supple - make pliant and flexible
I'd like a supple pillow.

suppress -  to put down by force or authority; put out of one's consciousness; keep under control; keep in check; control and refrain from showing; of emotions; come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority

Suppress the urge to "freak out", please.

venal - capable of being corrupted

Unfortunately, the council was venal.

Will Study for Food

Or, how about not?

Although the prompt was to research a scholarship to a college or university, I'd prefer to explain why I'd rather spend my time preparing for my career by gaining experience, and money, working.

Currently, I am a cook, but I'm looking for another job closer to my career field, firefighting. This Santa Maria Fire Department is hiring at the Airport, me and my friend will be applying. This will give me experience in the field and what to expect in the future. I've been trying to find a job like this for a while but no departments in the area had explorer programs. It's my hope to use this experience to get me a job further down the road, not necessarily at an Airport, but hopefully in a big city. 

I understand the importance of education, however, I feel it's in my best interest to pursue a career rather than sit in a classroom. 

Vocabulary: Fall #3

Accomplice -  person who joins with another in carrying out some plan (especially an unethical or illegal plan)
The robber had an accomplice, he drove what would've been the getaway vehicle.

Annihilate - kill in large numbers
Some people would like to annihilate all the creepy crawlies of the night.

Arbitrary - based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice
The argument was arbitrary as they both worked for the companies they were arguing for.

Brazen - face with defiance or impudence
His brazen daylight robbery ended with his capture only 3 hours later.

Catalyst - something that causes an important event to happen
The main catalyst for the American Revolution could be a number of different things.

Exodus - a journey by a large group to escape from a hostile environment
A mass exodus occurred in Ireland in the eighteen hundreds due to a potato famine.

Facilitate - make easier; increase the likelihood of (a response); be of use
To facilitate a faster checkout time, more clerks headed to closed registers.

Incorrigible - impervious to correction by punishment
The incorrigible man wasn't swayed by the solitary confinement he received.

Latent - not presently active; potentially existing but not presently evident or realized
The latent ideas sat around in his head like cats on sofas.

Militant - disposed to warfare or hard-line policies; showing a fighting disposition
The militant forces mobilized to attack the soldiers.

Morose - showing a brooding ill humor
He became morose and withdrawn and would not talk to his friends.

Opaque - not clear; not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy
The almost opaque glass shielded the people watching from being noticed.

Paramount - having superior power and influence
The paramount moment occurred as everyone looked away.

Prattle - idle or foolish and irrelevant talk
Instead of discussing the topic, the girls decided to prattle amongst their little group.

Rebut - prove to be false or incorrect; overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof
The defense attorney was able to rebut almost every claim by the prosecution.

Reprimand - an act or expression of criticism and censure
"If you do something wrong, they'll reprimand you", he whispered.

Servitude - state of subjection to an owner or master or forced labor imposed as punishment
Indentured servitude is another form of slavery.

Slapdash - marked by great carelessness
A slapdash job is nothing to be proud of.

Stagnant - not growing or changing
The stagnant market proved difficult to invest in.

Succumb - be fatally overwhelmed; consent reluctantly
He would later succumb to his better judgment, selling stock in MSFT to buy stock in GOOG