vocabulary #9 additions

hyperbolic: enlarged beyond truth or reasonableness.
"a hyperbolic style"
consent: permission for something to happen or agreement to do something.

"no change may be made without the consent of all the partners"

doctrine: a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a church, political party, or other group.

"the doctrine of predestination"

hunch: a feeling or guess based on intuition rather than known facts.

"she was acting on a hunch"

predominant: present as the strongest or main element.

"its predominant color was white"

discretion: the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offense or revealing private information.

"she knew she could rely on his discretion"

provision: the action of providing or supplying something for use.

"new contracts for the provision of services"

seizure: the action of capturing someone or something using force.

"the seizure of the Assembly building"

warrant: a document issued by a legal or government official authorizing the police or some other body to make an arrest, search premises, or carry out some other action relating to the administration of justice.

"magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest"

infraction: a violation or infringement of a law, agreement, or set of rules.
"infraction of this law is dealt with severely"

7 times

I think the boy that was killed kind of had it coming to him. He should have never been walking down the street with a toy gun that looked very similar to an AK-47. And when the police approached him he turned around and pointed it at them. I think the Police made the right call and who cares how many shots were fired the boy is still dead. The police were following there training and protecting themselves from someone they thought had a very dangerous weapon. I think it is very sad that the boy had to die over something as stupid as a toy gun. But if I had to say it's anyone's fault it's his.

vocabulary #9

ultimate: being or happening at the end of a process; final.

"their ultimate aim was to force his resignation"

interactive: influencing or having an effect on each other.

"fully sighted children in interactive play with others with defective vision"

principle: a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.

"the basic principles of Christianity"

guidance: advice or information aimed at resolving a problem or difficulty, esp. as given by someone in authority.

"he looked to his father for inspiration and guidance"

collaboration: the action of working with someone to produce or create something.

"he wrote on art and architecture in collaboration with John Betjeman"

formative: serving to form something, esp. having a profound and lasting influence on a person's development.

"his formative years"

summative: additive, culminate.
intelligence: the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.

"an eminent man of great intelligence"

vocabulary #8

cursory: hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed.

"a cursory glance at the book"

impetus: the force or energy with which a body moves.

"hit the booster coil before the flywheel loses all its impetus"

pinnacle: the highest point or level, esp of fame, success, etc. 

"a celebrity has reached the pinnacle of success"

contumely: insolent or insulting language or treatment.

"the church should not be exposed to gossip and contumely"

bereavement: to leave desolate or alone, especially by death.

"there was a bereavement in my family when my grandma died"

cache: a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place.

"the taliban hide weapons caches in caves all through out afghanistan."

calamity: an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster.

"the fire was the latest calamity to strike the area"

avarice: extreme greed for wealth or material gain. 

fortify: strengthen (a place) with defensive works.

"Omaha beach was heavily fortified by the germans on d-day but it was still no match for America!"

erratic: not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable.

"her breathing was erratic" 

ubiquitous: present, appearing, or found everywhere.

"his ubiquitous influence was felt by all the family"

feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm.

nonchalant: 

"she gave a nonchalant shrug"

affect: have an effect on; make a difference to.

"the dampness began to affect my health"

effect: a change that is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.                                                  "the lethal effects of hard drugs"

misappropriate:  dishonestly or unfairly take (something, esp. money, belonging to another) for one's own use.

"department officials had misappropriated funds"

Literature Analyses #4

I read "Back in the Fight" by Joseph Kapacziewski. It's about the authors experiences as a U.S. Army Ranger. Joseph was on a deployment to Iraq when his convoy was ambushed by a large number of insurgents. An insurgent through a grenade through the gunners hatch of his humvee, the explosion from the grenade shattered his right leg and he soon had to have it amputated. Most Soldiers that lose a limb end up being medically discharged from the military. SGT Kapacziewski was able to stay in the Army. He had to go through the grueling Army Ranger training for a second time and after he proved he had what it takes to stay a Ranger he returned to service with the 75th Ranger Regiment.

The author wrote about his career in the Army because it's very rare that a Soldier with an amputated leg is allowed to stay in the Army. It's even more rare when they are in a Special Ops unit and they are able to keep there job.

I chose to read "Back in the Fight" because it tells the story of a U.S. Army Ranger. I enlisted in the Army about a week ago and I hope to one day be a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Any military book I read is hard to put down. I've wanted to join the military my entire life so I really love reading books about people in the military. This book was especially addicting because it's about an Army Ranger and I hope to join the 75th Ranger Regiment one day.

At the end of the book I felt like I new the SGT Kapacziewski pretty well. He reveals a lot of details about his life. Personal life and his career in the Army.

The author mainly used a journalistic style for the book. He talked about specific things that happened to him on his various deployments and at specific dates and times.

Vocabulary #7

cursory: hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed.
impetus: the force or energy with which a body moves.
pinnacle: a high, pointed piece of rock.
contumely: insolent or insulting language or treatment.
bereavement: state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one.
cache: a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place.
consummation: the point at which something is complete or finalized.
calamity: an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress.
avarice: extreme greed for wealth or material gain.
fortify: strengthen with defensive works.
erratic: not even or regular in pattern or movement.
ubiquitous: present, appearing, or found everywhere.

fortitude: courage in pain or adversity.
nonchalant: feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed.affect: have an effect on.
effect: a change that is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.
misappropriate: embezzlement..
pragmatic: dealing with things sensibly and realistically.
metacognition: awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes.
devoutly: having or showing deep religious feeling or commitment.

Literature Analysis #2

My book No Easy Day by Mark Owen is about a U.S. Navy SEAL and his entire 10 year career of service to our nation. The book centers around the authors time in SEAL Team Six and his his participation in the raid on Osama Bin Ladens compound in Pakistan. But most of the book is about his career prior to the raid. The author had nearly a dozen deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan before the raid, and his career ended when he left the Navy soon after the raid.

The author chose to write about his Navy career and the Bin Laden Raid because their was a lot of misinformation about the mission afterward coming from people that didn't know anything about it. The author wrote the book to set the record straight about the Bin Laden raid and SEAL Team Six.

The reason I chose to read this book was because I'm joining the military and I hope to one day join a special ops unit and I thought the book was really interesting because it was written  by a SEAL Team Six member.

I found the book to be pretty realistic even though some of the stuff the men in the book went through were pretty incredible. I wasn't able to make many connections between my life and theirs because theirs are so different than mine. The things they go through on a daily basis are way different than what I go through.

A few characters from the book that the author talks a lot about is Phil and Steve those aren't their real names he had to change them because their lives could be at risk if their names are released. They all went through their training together prior to joining SEAL Team Six, so they were really close by the time they joined the team. He doesn't really go into detail about their lives other than physical aspects. He says their both very tall large framed guys they both have thick beards to like a lot of special ops guys do.

The author used a journalistic style he just talked about the places he had been to and the things he did. The author is a round character. I feel like I knew the character pretty well after reading his book.

I will never forget what I read in No Easy Day. The kinds of things that the author and his fellow SEALs did for this country is incedible and I will never forget their stories and sacrifices.

To act or not to act

I must have read hamlets soliloquy 10 times and I still didn't understand anything  the only thing I know is that it has something to do with his uncle and how he is going to kill him.

Dear Steve

I never new that that Steve Jobs was a college drop out and I think that's pretty incredible that he was the CEO of Apple and he never graduated from college. Also the way he feels about surprised me, how he says it was one of the best things that ever happened to him. I like how all these bad things happened to him like how his parents couldn't afford to put him through college so he dropped out and he got fired from his own company he started but they still ended up being good things for him in the end.

Vocabulary Fall # 6

 amicable: having a spirit of friendliness
 averse: having a strong dislike of or opposition to something.
 belligerent: hostile and aggressive.
 benevolent: well meaning and kindly.
 cursory: hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed.
 duplicity: deceitfulness.
 extol: praise enthusiastically.
 feasible: possible to do easily or conveniently.
 grimace: an ugly, twisted expression on a person's face.
 holocaust: an ugly, twisted expression on a person's face.
 impervious: not allowing fluid to pass through.
 impetus: the force or energy with which a body moves.
 jeopardy: danger of loss, harm, or failure.
 meticulous: showing great attention to detail
 nostalgia:  sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past.
 quintessence: the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class.
 retrogress: go back to an earlier state, typically a worse one.
 scrutinize: examine or inspect closely and thoroughly.
 tepid: only slightly warm.
 accede: assent or agree to a demand.
 brandish: wave or flourish.
 comprise: consist of; be made up of.
 deft: neatly skillful and quick in one's movements.
 destitute: lacking basic necessities of life.
 explicit: stated clearly and in detail.
 extirpate: oot out and destroy completely.
 inopportune: occurring at an inconvenient or inappropriate time.
 ironic: using or characterized by irony.
 musty: having a stale, moldy, or damp smell.
 officious: assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way.
 ominous: giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen.
 pinnacle: a high, pointed piece of rock.
 premeditated: think out or plan beforehand.
 rampant: flourishing or spreading unchecked.
 solace: comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness.
 stately: having a dignified, unhurried, and grand manner.
 supple: bending and moving easily and gracefully.
 suppress: forcibly put an end to.
 venal: showing or motivated by susceptibility to bribery.

Freedom of Choice

Being responsible for your own decision making does present pros and cons. Obviously having freedom of choice is a good thing and most people would prefer that to being told what to do. But if you make all of your own decisions and you make a bad one you have to suffer the consequences. But if you don't have freedom of choice then you have to listen to someone tell you what to do everyday.

vocabulary fall #5

adroit: clever or skillful in using the hands or mind.
amicable: having a spirit of friendliness.
averse: having a strong dislike of or opposition to something.
belligerent: hostile and aggressive.
benevolent: well meaning and kindly.
cursory: hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed.
duplicity: deceitfulness.
extol: praise enthusiastically.
feasible: possible to do easily.
grimace: an ugly, twisted expression on a person's face.
holocaust: destruction or slaughter on a mass scale.
impervious: not allowing fluid to pass through.
impetus: the force or energy with which a body moves.
jeopardy: danger of loss.
meticulous: showing great attention to detail.
nostalgia: a sentimental longing or wistful affection.
quintessence: the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class.
retrogress: go back to an earlier state.
scrutinize: examine or inspect closely.
tepid: only slightly warm.

No Child Left Untableted

I don't think having tablets in classrooms is a bad idea, but at the same time I think the schools with their budget crises should focus on other things besides $30 Million on tablets for middle schoolers. As far as learning I think having a tablet could be more affective than having 6 textbooks to read every night. But your also gonna find good information in textbooks so I think they should save their money for something else.

Non Fiction Analysis

I'm reading "Lone Survivor" by Marcus Luttrell. It's about the authors experiences as a Navy SEAL. Most of the book is about his deployment Afghanistan where his entire platoon of Navy SEALs were killed and he was the only one that lived. The rest of the book is about his childhood growing up on a ranch in Texas, his training to become a Navy SEAL and his life after that deployment to Afghanistan.

The author clearly states why he wrote the book and that is to honor all of his fallen brothers and tell their story so they are not forgotten. The reason why I chose to read this book was because I'm joining the military and I enjoy reading books written by people in the military so I can gain insight into what it's like being in the military. It was also #1 on the New York Times best seller list for several weeks. What made me want to keep reading it was because it was very well written and it's intriguing to find out information about the SEAL teams because not much information is released about the teams. I thought the book was realistic but some of the stories he told were unbelievable because of how brave and heroic the Navy SEALs were.

One of the most important characters in the book was Lieutenent Michael Murphy. Lt Murphy was the authors best friend he was a tall, bearded, brown haired man. He was very physically fit since he was a Navy SEAL. The author says that he was a very smart man. He was excepted to several law schools before he decided to join the Navy instead. He also says he was the best officer he ever met and one of the finest SEALs. Another important character was Petty Officer Matthew Axelson also one of the authors team mates and best friends. The author describes him as being 6'4 with blonde curly hair. He was a quiet man and very smart. He was also a very professional and mature SEAL. Shane Patton was another important character, also one of the authors teammates in the SEAL teams. He's described as a big, robust, blonde man. He was the authors protege as he was training him to take over as the teams radio operator. What makes them interesting to right about is because they're all Navy SEALs and they all fought and died for each other.

The author uses a more journalistic style. He just describes all the events about his training and his Afghanistan deployment. He lengthly describes the places he went to and people in the book. The attitude he has towards the subject is mostly anger and sadness, because all of his best friends that he calls his brothers died in one day. His attitude towards the people is love and brotherhood.

One thing I will never forget from reading this book is the dedication and love the characters have and the incredible sacrifices they made for each other and their country. 4 Navy SEALs were ambushed by over 200 Taliban fighters, the SEALs never stopped fighting until they were all dead except for one who was badly wounded and had to crawl for miles until he found refuge in a local village.

I will study for food

I don't plan on attending college next year, instead I am joining the US Army. Before I took the asvab I bought a book and studied it nearly everyday to do my best. I did a lot better than I expected. Now the only thing I can do to prepare myself is workout, get strong and run a lot since I'm going into infantry.

Vocabulary Fall #3

accomplice: a person who helps another commit a crime.
annihilate: to destroy, obliterate.
arbitrary: based on random choice.
brazen: bold and without shame.
catalyst: a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction.
exodus: a mass departure of people.
facilitate: make easy or easier.
incorrigible: not able to be corrected.
latent: existing but not yet developed.
militant: combative and aggressive in support of a political cause.
morose: sullen and ill tempered.
opaque: not able to be seen through.
paramount: more important than anything else.
prattle: talk at length in a foolish way.
rebut: claim or prove that something is false.
reprimand: a rebuke, esp an official one.
servitude: state of being a slave.
slapdash: done to hurriedly and carelessly.
stagnant: no current or flow.
succumb: fail to resist.

Essay Idea

My group discussed obesity for our essay idea. I think writing an essay on obesity could help me by helping me understand more about it. It could help me prevent myself from becoming obese or help someone struggling with obesity.

Vocabulary Fall #2

obesity: a condition of being grossly fat or overweight.                      
accumulate: gather together or acquire an increasing number or quantity of something.
mass: a large body of matter.
disease: a disorder of structure in a human, animal or plant.
diet: food that a person or animal habitually eats.
prevalence: fact or condition of being prevalent.
stigma: mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance.
preventable: capable of being prevented.
adolescent: young person developing into an adult.
cardiovascular: involving the heart and or blood vessels.
excessive: more than is necessary.
mechanism: a system of parts working together in a machine.
sedentary: spending much time seated.
predispose: make someone liable or inclined to a specified attitude.
syndrome: a group of symptoms that consistently occur together or a condition characterized by a set of associated symptoms.

Pros & Cons of Obesity

The first article I read was on Philly.com and it was titled "Should Schools Send Home Fat Letters". It talked about how 21 states have already made policies of sending home fat letters in their schools. Massachusetts was the only state where there was a real problem about the letters. The article also states that the letters can be informative, non-judge mental and resource focused.

The American Academy of Pediatrics was also a major supporter of the schools that sent home fat letters. The American Academy of Pediatrics championed schools that sent out the letters because they believe that the letters can be very effective in helping overweight children lose weight by notifying the parents who convince them to make lifestyle changes.

Another article I read about fat letters was on examiner.com. It said that the fat letters can back fire depending on how the child's parents react to finding out they have an overweight child. Also that the singling out of overweight kids can cause future problems for them such as food addiction and eating disorders.

The last article I read was on thestar.com it was titled "Toronto schools won't send fat letters home". Schools in Toronto, Canada decided to start recording there students body mass index. But it's only for statistical purposes. Fat letters won't be sent home and parents won't be notified if there child is overweight. The children can be notified but only if they request it.

My conclusion on schools sending home fat letters is that they are a good idea they can lead to children being motivated to lose weight. People just need to be less sensitive, realize that they have a problem and make some lifestyle changes for there own good.

Public School Fat Letters

I don't necessarily think sending home the fat letters is a bad idea but I don't really see the point in them. I think the parents of the obese children already know that there children are overweight. I think it's good that the school is trying to help fight childhood obesity but I think they could do something better like serve more nutritious food instead of a lot of processed and frozen foods. They could also take physical education seriously.

Vocabulary Fall #1

expository: intended to explain or describe something.
composition: the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole.
assuage: make something unpleasant less intense.
decadence: moral or cultural decline.
hackneyed: lacking significance through having been overused.
coalition: an alliance for combined action.
transcend: to rise above or go beyond the limits of something.
meritorious: deserving reward or praise.
lurid: causing horror or revulsion.
retulant: rude in speech or behavior.

This is Phat

http://www.naturalnews.com/040736_Fast_Food_Nation_processed_foods_human_consumption.html

Reflections on week 1

1. Being able to do my homework on my iPhone or computer is going to make it much easier to get homework done, since I won't need a book or even a pencil or paper.

2. 1 learning experience that I will never forget is when me and my Dad were quail hunting. I was using my 12 gauge shotgun and my Dad was using his 20 gauge. I was reloading and without paying attention a grabbed a handful of 20 gauge shells and started loading my shotgun. The 20 gauges being smaller will slide right down the barrel and if you fire into a shell lodged in the barrel you could easily lose your hand. I had almost finished reloading when my Dad noticed me loading 20 gauge shells and stopped me. Then I had to field strip my shotgun to remove the shotgun shell. It taught me a lesson in not only firearm safety but to pay better attention at all times no matter what I'm doing.

3. I feel like in all my other English classes I've ever taken I haven't really became a better writer. But I honestly thing this class will teach me to be a better writer and thinker.

5 go to sources for good non-fiction

1. byliner.com, 2. east of the web, 3. good reads.com, 4.boingboing.com, 5.booksie.com.

A truly interesting piece of non-fiction

I read a piece of non-fiction titled "like butterflies in the jungle". It is a story about Brazilian gold miners called garimpeiros who are illegally mining gold in French Guiana. The garimpeiros started mining there when the price of gold went through the roof in 2007. Since they arrived they destroyed much of the rain forest, dumped mercury into many of the rivers and raped and killed many of the natives. The French military soon stepped in and made many arrests, seizing the brazilians gold. But as soon as the French military left the miners got right back to work. The French military soon returned and an all out war between French commandos and the garimpeiros started. The conflict is still happening, with the French military rotating different units in and out of the country and the garimpeiros still trying to mine their gold and make some money.