TO ACT OR NOT TO ACT

The biggest difference in Hamlets speech and Steve's speech is that Hamlet takes the role of the guy that gave up and Steve plays the role of the person that always took the risk. Overall Hamlet seems to be the one that's afraid of taking a risk, he entitles people to give up when things start looking bad or things simply start getting too tough to handle. In reality it more than likely just seems like a lot to do but can be taken step by step. That is the way Steve thinks, he believes that taking a risk is better than just quitting. He speaks through experience which leads me to believe that he knows more than Hamlet ever did and has the benefit of the doubt when it comes to risk taking. It is in fact the fear factor that stops all of us from taking all the risks we want to take, but they are all worth the risk if we truly believe they are. 

DEAR STEVE

Well after reading Steve's article in the section The Value of Life I have come to a conclusion, foolishness and curiosity aren't always leading to nothing. I mean Steve here dropped out of an expensive school because he couldn't find any inspiration there, and instead went with his friend to work in his parents garage on a project that everyone more than likely thought wasn't going to work. Although in the end Steve ended up starting a $2 billion business that all started with him saying, what if. This gets me thinking, what if the basic way of thinking isn't fully true? The basic way of thinking is that after high school everyone will go to college and be successful. Well in this case he went but dropped out and still made something of his life. Although this may be a rare case it still makes me wonder if everyone were to try to pursue their life changing ideas would most of us make it like Steve made it? We won't know because too many of us are afraid to take a risk. Although sometimes risks are worth taking. 

THE VALUE OF LIFE

(a) After reading the section I really like the idea of reading for understanding. It seems like we can all read but not all of us can comprehend what we read over the past few days and just seemed to keep reading knowing we don't fully understand what is happening. 

(b) I would like to squire the skill about the so called life schedule. It seems like everything in our lives needs to be ranked and set to a point where we can choose what is most important to us. We are dong something similar with the TIP's but this one seems to get into full detail. 

DECLARATION OF LEARNING INDEPENDENCE

Throughout this year I want to achieve my smart goal of learning when I have finally reached the future me I'm always trying to picture. Honestly I look into the future and see myself still getting ready for the future. By that time I would more than likely have forgotten that when I'm in college I would already be living out as the future me. Which brings about a question, how will I know when I have reached the future me? Is it not possible that I would continuously think about another future me and not realize that by the time I am out of college I would already be the future me? Now this may only make sense to me, but that's something I wonder about. 

Vocabulary:Fall #6

accede- agree to demand, request, or treaty
The authorities didn't accede to the strikers' demands.
brandish- wave or flourish as a threat or in anger or excitement
comprise- consist of; be made up of
The country comprises twenty states.
deft- neatly skillful and quick in one's movements
The deft piece of footwork was one to be admired.
destitute- without the basic necessities of life
Every charity will care about destitute children.
explicit- stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt
The speaker's intentions were not made explicit.
extirpate- root out and destroy completely
The use of every legal measure to extirpate this horrible evil from the land.
inopportune- occurring at an inconvenient or inappropriate time
A storm blew up at an inopportune moment.
ironic- happening in the opposite way to what is expected
It was ironic that now that everyone had plenty of money for food they wouldn't go buy it.
musty- having a stale, moldy, or damp smell
A dark musty library was filled with old books.
officious- assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way
A policemen came to move them on, an officious, spiteful man.
ominous- giving the impression that something had or unpleasant is going to happen
There were omnious dark clouds gathering this morning.
pinnacle- the most successful point; the culmination
The man had reached the pinnacle of his career.
premeditated- think out or plan beforehand
The criminal had premeditated the robbery.
rampant- of something unwelcome or unpleasant
Political violence was rampant in the US.  
solace- comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness
She sought solace in her religion.
stately- having a dignified, unhurried, and grand manner
The man has a tall and stately wife.
supple- bending and moving easily and gracefully; flexible
She has very supple fingers.
suppress- forcibly put an end to
The uprising was savagely suppressed.
venal- showing or motivated by susceptibility or bribery
Why should these venal politicians care how they are related 

adroit- clever or skillful in using the hands or mind
He was adroit at tax avoidance.
amicable- having a spirit of friendliness; without serious disagreement
There will be an amicable settlement of the dispute.
averse- having a strong dislike of or opposition to something
As a former CIA director, he is not averse to secrecy.
belligerent- hostile and aggressive
A bull-necked, belligerent old man.
benevolent- well meaning and kindly
She had a benevolent smile.
cursory- hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed
A cursory glance at the figures.
duplicity- deceitfulness; double- dealing
This man was duplicitous, never knew how to tell the truth. 
extol- praise enthusiastically
He extolled the virtues of the Russian people.
feasible- possible to do easily or conveniently
It is not feasible to put most finds from excavations on public display.
grimace- an ugly, twisted expression on a persons face, typically of disgust, pain, or wry amusement
She gave a grimace of pain.
holocaust- destruction or slaughter on a mass scale
There have been several threats for a nuclear holocaust.
impervious- unable to be affected by
He worked, apparently impervious to the heat.
impetus- the force or energy with which a body moves
Hit the booster coil before the flywheel loses all its impetus.
jeopardy- danger of loss, harm, or failure
Michael's job was in jeopardy.
meticulous- showing great attention to detail
He had always been so meticulous about his appearance.
nostalgia- a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past
I was overcome with acute nostalgia for my days in college.
quintessence- the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class
He was the quintessence of political professionalism.
retrogress- go back to an earlier state, typically a worse one
She retrogressed to the starting point of her rehabilitation.
scrutinize- examine or inspect closely and thoroughly
Customers were warned to scrutinize the small print.
tepid- showing little enthusiasm
The applause was tepid.

FREEDOM OF CHOICE

Pros: 

-you don't have to wait for anyone else, making your own choices means you decide what you want to do when you want to do it 

-you have the freedom to be creative, you set your own limits and there could be no limits if you want it that way 

-ultimately it does seem easier since you create your own pathway instead of waiting for someone else to create a path for you 

Cons: 

-when given the option to make your own choice there is a struggle to get started because there is no topic present 

-if you are making your own choice there is a chance not many people or absolutely nobody will agree with your choice leaving you to back up the choice and do it all on your own 

In the end I'd say I'd prefer to make my own choice because I like the idea of letting my choices be creative and be able to make my own pathway. 

NO CHILD LEFT UNTABLETED

This whole idea seems to be one step further than what this class seems to be doing. In this class we are allowed to use our electronic resources to learn and create our own ideas on just about everything. Now in this article the schools of Guilford are being given tablets as an actual learning tool, this to me is an idea that seems to have been talked about for a long time. Now since they're given the opportunity I think they should actually use it. I mean if you have the ability to use a resource wouldn't you use it? Wouldn't you take full advantage of every resource possible? Well this is how I see these people in Guilford, they are being given a chance that hardly anyone else is getting so I believe they should just take it despite how the author feels about electronics. We are in a new age of technology and if we don't take advantage of all that we have now we aren't going to get as much experience out of our world as we could. Don't you agree?