To act or not to act

Steve Jobs and Hamlet's speech are quit different. Hamlet say that bad things will happen and that we just have to let them happen, we can't change it. Jobs on the other hand says that we have to learn from and do better for future situations. It seemed to me that Hamlet wanted to give up when times got rough, whereas Steve wanted to work hard and be successful, he didn't want to give up or even consider it. Steve Jobs talks about real life events, tragedies, and success. Hamlet, not sure what is going on with him. 

Dear Steve

Reading his speech was inspiring. He basically tells his story from being adopted to being fired from a company which he started, and finally to success. Yet, I feel like his story was rare? If I were to drop out of school , I doubt I would end up being as successful as he is, and I say "is" because although he has passed away Apple is still very successful. Dropping out of college was a risky move, we can all agree on that, but his case turned out to be success! I just don't know how to explain this but the point is that his success was something that i doubt will happen again for a long time if ever again.
Steve Jobs had this love for Apple, and he talks about finding what you truly love. Now, how many people can truly say that they love what they do? I actually don't know many people who love what they do. Actually, i don't know many people who are actually that dedicated to something. If you find that you love doing something, go for it! But, why spend so much time finding something that you love and not have much time left to do it? ( Not sure if that makes sense, it did in my head) For those of you who have found a passion and love doing something; Congratulations! Hope you never loose that passion! And for the rest of us; Keep looking! You're good at something , make it a passion !
Steve Job's last story on death was also powerful. His mentality of looking in the mirror every morning and asking himself if what he did was so meaningful, he knew it was or else he would do things differently. I don't think i would be able to do that because in reality , I DON'T know what I'm living for. But, anyways, Job's tells his audience that you must live your life like you really are going to die that day. The way Job's states it really has meaning . If you have a mentality similar to his you can't use it to do dumb and stupid things, but use it for life changing experiences and to better yourself.


Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

The Value Of Life

One of the main things i could work on for this class is vocabulary.Reading for understanding is also very important. sometimes when you are given a prompt or a question about a certain topic you had to read, its hard to answer because you didn't understand what you read. Also, in a text when you don't understand even one word and you don't ask for help on it, it could mess up your entire reading. One of the main things i want to learn is how to prioritize things correctly , i guess is what I'm trying to say, I feel like that would make things so much easier, not just for myself but for everyone else who is anything like me when it comes to things like that. 

Netvibes Dashboard

Im playing around with it and trying to figure it all out. Its still not complete but maybe once I get the hang of it , it could be very useful. Its a good tool for those, like myself, who aren't very good at remembering things. Before it becomes useful to me, I'm going to have to organize it in a way that will actually help me because otherwise this will be useless.

FREEDOM OF CHOICE

1. In a post to your course blog entitled FREEDOM OF CHOICE, explain the pros and cons of being responsible for your own decision-making.  What opportunities does this present?  How can it make things easier, and how can it make them harder?  Ultimately, what do you prefer-- making choices or having them made for you?  Why?


Making your own decisions means growing up. you're on your own now. You have no one to blame for your mistakes or for the bad decisions but yourself. On the bright side, your experiencing new things and if you make a mistake you can learn from it and help others when they might be in a  similar situation. When you make your own decisions you're in control . That's all there is to it. success or failure, that s in your hands and in your control. No one else. It makes things easier in the sense that you don't have to explain the reasoning for your actions to someone else.it makes it harder if you have no experience because then you won't know what the right choice is, and that could back fire. In situations like that you just have to learn from your mistake and be prepared for next time. I think its best to make your own decisions rather than having some one else make them for you because no one knows whats best for you, except for you! 

Life After High School : ERWC

                                                                                                                                           Alicia Ramirez
                                                                                                                                           Johna Emerick
                                                                                                                                           Judith Botello

                                Life After High School 

Summary: As we read our topic we read about one specific way the college board wanted us to do things such as studying & note taking ; students didn’t have the choice to do in a way that would help them out , which basically contradicts what we’ve learned In this class. In this class we learned that no two people learn exactly the same. So, find a way that works for you ! One thing that we did agree with the college board on was the SMART Goals . Your future is in your hands, write down a plan that will help you achieve your life Goals !

1.       How To Study

·         Don’t be limited! There are many different way to study so explore a few and choose what works best for you.

2.       How To Take Notes

·         Cornel Notes work for you ? Great ! It didn’t for me, so I found a way that did.

 ** Bullet points, summeries,  ask questions, etc…

3.       Reading and understanding.

·         Not everyone will undersand the material so consider doing discussions . They will help everyone get a better understanding, even those who did undertand.

** You will receive many different points of views

·         Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

·         ReRead the material as many times as necessary

4.       Research

·         Research Different topics all based on the same topic. It will help you get a better understanding on what your subject is actually about.

·         Get research from more than two sources that way you get different information and different perspectives.

5.       Reflection On Writing Process

·         Like we said before , different ways work for different people.

** Organization maps, bullet points to organize your thoughts,

·         Different forms of writing require different organization and though processes 

DECLARATION OF LEARNING INDEPENDENCE

My future is in my hands. I tell myself this everyday. Why? I honestly don't even know. I don't know what i want to do with my life. Right now i say that I want to be a lawyer, but the closer I get to actually having to apply for scholarships and for Universities the further that goal seems to get. I know i want to go to college and do something that will be amazing, but am I ready?

NO CHILD LEFT UNTABLETED

I think that this could either be a great idea or just be a complete disaster. Its a good idea considering how much time students spend on the computer doing homework as it is . its a bad idea because what if the kid isn't actually doing anything and they just want to sit around on the tablet all day. Also, would this mean that teachers and students would interact less? If so, then I don't think its a good idea. Students might learn better though since technology is such a big part of our everyday life. Like i said , it can either be a success or a complete disaster, there really is no in between.

Vocab #5

1) Adroit (adj) -cleverly skillful, resourceful or ingenious

2) Amicable (adj) -characterized or showing goodwill; friendly

3) Averse (adj) -strong feeling of opposition; opposed

4) Belligerent (adj) -warlike character, aggresively hostile

5) Benevolent (adj) -characterized by or expressing good will or kindly feelings

6)  Cursory (adj) -going rapidly over something, without noticing details

 7) Duplicity (n) -deceitfulness in speech or conduct; acting in two different ways to different people concerning the same matter

 8) Extol (v) -to praise highly, laud

9) Feasible (adj) -capable of being done, effected or accomplished 

10) Grimace (n) -a facial expression, often ugly or contorted that indicates disapproval, pain

11) Holocaust (n) -a great or complete devastation or destruction especially by firing

 12) Impervious (adj) -not permitting penetration or passage incapable of being injured or impaired

13)  Impetus (n) -moving force, impulse, stimulus

14) Jeopardy (n) -hazard or risk of exposure to loss harm, death or injury; peril or danger

 15) Meticulous (adj) -taking or showing minute details; precise, thorough

 16) Nostalgia (n) -a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's lives

17) Quintessence (n) -the pure and concentrated essence of a substance

18) Retrogress (v) -to go backward into an earlier and usually wise condition

19) Scrutinize (v) -to examine in detail with careful or critical attention

20) Tepid (adj) -characterized by a lack of force or enthusiasm

Literary Analysis #1

Murder by Family by Kent Whitaker 

Questions : http://drprestonrhs14exposcomp.blogspot.com/p/literature-analysis.html

• Topic(s) and / or Events

1) Murder By Family is a story about a family of four ; Kent ( the author and father ) , Tricia ( Kent's wife), Bart( the oldest son), and Kevin ( The youngest child). They are a nice, united, religious family that is very involved and well known in their small community.On December 10,2003, after going out to dinner to celebrate that Bart would be graduating from college,they come home and the unthinkable happens. three shots go off, and Kent runs inside to see what was going on and then was shot. Kent wakes up in the hospital to find out that Kevin and Tricia were murdered at the scene and only Bart and himself survived. while being questioned by the police Kent finds out that Bart had dropped out of college and wouldn't be graduating like he had said. After months of investigation the police made Bart the main suspect to the investigation. Kent hoped and prayed that Bart wasn't the murderer, but regardless Bart forgave the murderer and whoever was involved. Once the police focused more on Bart, he fled the country. In the end, Bart confessed to setting up the murders and paying someone to actually be the shooter. He also confessed to other attempts at murdering his family, but they failed. Through this terrible experience , Kent kept his faith in God and he knew that God would guide him through that experience and that God had that happen for a reason. For that I admire Kent because it takes a lot of faith and I, personally ,wouldn't of been able to forgive someone who murdered the most important people of my life. 

2) Kent Whitaker, I believe , chose to write about this event because he wanted people to know how God guided him through this terrible situation.He mentions that he chose to do an interview with the show 20/20 because not many people would understand how he managed to forgive the murderer of his son and wife, even if it was his own son. Also, because how many people can say that their son murdered or set up the murder of his family? Not many. So, he wanted people to know how he let God guide him and heal him . 

3) This book actually belongs to my little sister and i asked her if i could borrow it because the name of it just grabbed my attention. When i saw the book I knew I knew I was going to like it because its a murder story , but the fact that its a true story and that it was a family murder just made me want to keep reading. Once i began reading it my main motive to actually finish it was to see if my prediction of who the murderer was was correct(which it was) and to find out how Kent managed to forgive the murderer and God I guess for actually letting this happen. 

4) At first I didn't believe that the book was a nonfiction story because the thought that someone could actually murder their family was just unrealistic to me. Then, I thought to myself " why would someone want to make up such a horrid story about his wife and youngest son being murdered and his oldest child being the actual murderer?" I couldn't make any connections to people in my life because no one i know has gone to the extreme to kill or even think about killing their family. Yes, people are unhappy but they deal with it differently than Bart does because his unhappiness lead to the deaths of his mother and brother. I feel like if i was that religious I would lose my faith in God because he let my family die, meaning that I would probably blame Him for everything that went wrong and just be depressed. 

• People

1) I believe that the main characters are true because why would he fake a character where his son is the murderer?  To me it just makes sense that these characters aren't fiction. The situation that are talked about in this book happen through the authors point of view and his thoughts. I feel that if we were to meet the characters for the most part the would be the way they were described. I believe that the only character that would be different might be Bart, because I don't think That he  is as emotionless as he was first described. I
feel like he really did rebuild his relationship with God and that now, although its too late he is a better man.

2) Kent Whitaker: I would describe him as a good and caring husband and father. He has a very strong relationship with God and even through this tragedy managed to keep his faith. He was a family man who just wanted what was best for his family and was blinded at times by Barts actions. 

Bart Whitaker- he looks like any regular college student. When he was around family he seemed to be happy and normal, but that was only to cover up his evil plans. Deep inside he was troubled, confused, and unhappy which led to the tragic incident of December 10,2003. After being convicted, he rebuilt his relationship with God and "was a changed man".
Kevin Whitaker: I imagine him to be a good and educated college student. i feel like he would of been hardworking and successful if he were to still be alive. He was very involved in the community and at his college, he was a good kid and didn't deserve what happened to him that night.

3) In my opinion, Bart Whitaker is the most interesting character because he is the one that actually set everything up. I find him interesting because what could possibly lead you to want to kill your family? If you were that unhappy, why not just leave and live your life the way you wanted to. They didn't deserve to die. I find him interesting because I wanted to know his motives and how he didn't even feel guilty enough to confess from the start. If he would of confessed he would have saved his family so much time and heartbreak and the could have had some closure and they wouldn't of had to wait 4 long and painful years.

• Style 

1) I believe that the title of the book itself was a form of foreshadow because it let us know that a family member was the murderer. After reading the title I knew a family member would be the murderer, but who? Besides that the author did a lot of going back to remind us of what had happened that led to the specific situation, which at times mad me loose track and become confused .

2) Kent didn't have a main focus i don't think because he did a lot of describing people but also on actions. He describes a lot of the actions that Bart took as he planned the murders and even after. he also described the actions he took in order to be able to forgive the shooter and his accomplices and to be able to move on from that tragedy. He also does a lot of describing the characters so that we the readers could get a better understanding of the actions taken by the character. for example, he describes Bart the way he was before the shootings and before even going away to college and how things were after the shooting and even how Bart acted during his time in college. He must describe the characters so we can get a better understanding of the story and their lives.

4) Im not sure how his attitude is about the subject, I imagine it being painful because it must be hard talking about the death of your family and how your son was the reason of their deaths. But, in reality no one can really explain the way he feels because I don't think people who haven't gone through this situation, or something similar, would even understand his pain. Even though there is pain, I feel like the audience would be confused as to how he was able to forgive Bart and the rest of the people involved, even if God was on his side because I mean its such a devastating situation. i just cant imagine being as string as he is.

5) The main resource that Kent offers is a documentary on him and the situation on the show 20/20. Honestly, even if he wouldn't of mentioned that it wouldn't of changed my way of thinking because I feel like a story this tragic and heartbreaking is to realistic to actually make up. Really, who would write about the fake death of their son and wife and his other son being the murder?

• Enduring Memory

The memory that will stick the most with me is that Kent , even though it was a hard and tragic situation, managed to keep his faith. I feel like if I would of been in that situation I would of just gave up because it wold of been too much for one person to handle ; not only the murders, but also the situation with Bart. I basically learned that yes, you might be going through tough times, but it could always be way worse. So, be thankful for what you do have and work hard to get what you don't have but would like to have. People like Kent are the reason I wish I was religious, because he went through this tragic situation and through it all he turned to God. I think that that is the main message that actually stuck with me throughout the book and made me think about religion and things of that matter.

Fall Vocabulary #4

1) Accede (v) -to give consent, approval or adherence

• My parents do not accede of me going to the football game this Friday.

2) Brandish (v) -to shake or wave, as a weapon 

• Brandishing a gun, the bank robber demanded the clerk gave him the money.

3) Comprise (v) -to include or contain

• The new toy comprise a user manual because the toy might be hard to build otherwise. 

4) Deft (adj) -dexterous; nimble; skillfull; clever

• She wanted Dr.Mann to perform the delicate  procedure because of his reputation as a deft surgeon.

5) Destitute (adj) -deprived of; lacking food, clothing and shelter

6) Explicit (adj) -clearly developed or formulated

• Her ideas were explicitly stated throughout her presentation. 

7) Extirpate (v) -to remove or destroy totally; do away with

• The new federal prosecutor promised that he would extirpate corruption from society.

8) Inopportune (adj) -inappropriate; inconvenient; untimely 

• Considering the fact that it was a job interview, the way she was dressed was inopportune.

9) Ironic (adj) -using words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning

• It was ironic that the woman married a soldier as she is against war. 

10) Musty (adj) -having an odor or flavor suggestive of mold

• The musty smell of the untouched attic filled my nostrils.

11) Officious (adj) -objectionably aggressive in offering one's unrequested and unwanted services

• When people put on their uniform, their attitude becomes more confident and their manners more officious.

12) Ominous (adj) -portrending evil or harm; threatening

• The alley  looked tremendously ominous yet, we decided to take it considering it was a shortcut and we were late.

13) Pinnacle (n) -the highest or culminating point, as of success, power, fame

• Being the CEO , he had reached the pinnacle of his career. 

14) Premeditated (adj) -done deliberately; planned in advance

• The premeditated murder was done with success after two failures.

15) Rampant (adj) -violent in action or spirit; raging; furious

• In the high impact sport, concussions are rampant, with long-term effects to the players.

16) Solace (n) -comfort in sorrow, misfortune or trouble; alleviation of distress or discomfort

• I became her solace once her beloved turtle passed away.

17) Stately (adj) -majestic; imposing in magnificence 

• The stately horse was an attraction to the small town. 

18) Supple (adj) -bending readily without breaking or becoming deformed; pliant; flexible

• The baseball mit will become supple once it is put to use. 

19) Suppress (v) -to put an end to the activities of a person, body of  persons

• The class was unable to suppress their laughter once the chalk blew up on their classmates face. 

20) Venal (adj) -willing to sell one's influence; especially in return for a bribe . 

• The venal judge took a bribe in return for the defendants guilt. 

Fall vocab #3

1) Accomplice (n) -a person who knowingly helps another in a crime or wrongdoing

• A few months after the crime took place, the gunman and his accomplice were caught by the LAPD.

2) Annihilate (v) -to destroy the collective existence or main body of; destroy utterly 

• Six million Jews were annihilated during World War II as a result of Adolf Hitler being in power. 

3) Arbitrary (adj) -subject to individual will or judgement without restriction

• The jury's arbitrary statements led to the confirmation of the man being accused of murder to be found guilty.  

4) Brazen (adj) -shameless or impudent 

• Many elders don't approve of people who live a brazen life. 

5) Catalyst (n) -a person or thing that precipitates  an event or change

• 
  

6) Exodus (n) -a going out a departure or emigration, usually of a large number of people

• Once the fire alarm sounded, students made a mass exodus from the school building.

7) Facilitate (v) -to make easier or less difficult; help forward, to assist the progress

• Since i was vice president, i was asked to help facilitate the meeting. 

8) Incorrigible (adj) -bad beyond correction or reform

• Once he sobered up, he learned that the drugs caused him to do many things that were incorrigible.

9) Latent (adj) -present but not visible, apparent, existing as potential

• The teacher was latent with late work, and allowed the students to turn it in a few days after it was due. 

10) Militant (adj) -vigorously active and aggressive, especially in support of a cause

• Police arrested 13 militants they said had been preparing to provoke madness. 

11) Morose (adj) -gloomily or sullenly ill, humored as a person or mood

• At the game , the home fans celebrated as if they'd won and we look so morose you'd think we lost. 

12) Opaque (adj) -not transparent or translucent; impenetrable to light

• Sometimes i feel as if my explanations are to opaque and they need some clarification. 

13) Paramount (adj) -chief in importance or impact; supreme above others in rank or authority

• Her results in the text , like always , paramount while other students needed more help.

14) Prattle (v) -to talk in a foulish or simple-minded way

• The way she prattled about everything made her sound somewhat ignorant. 

15) Rebut (v) -to refute by evidence or argument to oppose by contrary proof

• No matter what was stated, we processed to rebut his claims to prove him guilty.

16) Reprimand (n) -a severe reproof or rebuke, especially a formal one by a person in authority

• Having received countless reprimands I still knew that I had to stick my her side through these tough times and prove his innocence. 

17) Servitude (n) -slavery or bondage of any kind

• In a way, a maid's or housekeepers servitude is very similar to living the lifestyle of a slave ; very little pay and no physical threats but worse ones- emotional ones.

18) Slapdash (adv) -in a hasty manner, careless

• Her slapdash actions cause her mother to take her phone away until she managed to improve her careless behavior. 

19) Stagnant (adj) -not flowing or running as water, air stale or foul from standing

• 
  

20) Succumb (v) - to give way to superior force; to yield to disease, wounds, old age

• After many years of fighting cancer, she had succumb and stopped fighting which only left her a few days left to live.