Reflection (Week 6 of 6)

As I read the article on the Independent site, it seems to me that Dr. Eland has a bias in this article. I credit him with giving facts to start out the article. But as the article winds down he just straight out says that we should prosecute the Bush administration from top to bottom. Whether I agree or not, I'll get to that later, he plainly states his intention, he doesn't let the reader come away with their own view. You can't help but be influenced by his thoughts because there was no other side, the Bush administration had no defense. As much as I dislike the Bush era, and George Bush himself, this country is based on fair trial, and this site would not be reliable evidence for me to fairly "prosecute" them or not. Mr. Eland makes good points, but I sure some Right-wing columnist has just as much proof to completely disprove why we should prosecute Bush higher-ups. It is the nature of politics to make people completely lean one way on an issue. It is hard to deny this man credibility due to his high-level education, but he is definitely bias and I don't blame him. The box at the bottom justifies why he is supposed to be credible. It seems to be an online newspaper of sorts. The info seems to be reliable, but more names on who says torture didn't work, those names need to be just as reliable as the writer.

In my own opinion, I have no political affiliation, just because I do think that politics is full of corrupt liars who are only out to achieve their agenda for their party. I do vote anyway though, because I don't want to be one of those people who complains but didn't even bother to try. Yet, I find myself aligning with Barrack Obama, because, I really think he is trying to do what is best, maybe not for us, but he doesn't want to be the president who came in at a bad time and left us at about the same shape or worse. Race never had anything to do with my thoughts on him, I just think the crisis brings out the true person out of a president. He must act quick and correctly or we all go to hell.

Reflection (Week 5 of 6)

As it stands, I have an: A, A, A, B, C. To me those grades where I do not have an A are a complete disappointment to me. I have been extremely lazy and have not done what I set out to do. I am here at Fullerton to exceed and get out of here in a timely fashion without having to waste time taking a class again and again. A C in math is not good enough, especially since it is so close to being a D. I know I can do better. In Reading 96 as well, I have a high B but I know I can get the A if I want to, but I don't. Don't know why. To continue my success in the other classes and elevate my other grades to where I want them, can't miss class, take notes and listen to my teachers very closely, you never know when they might give information that could help you on the final. I face a few internal challenges, my laziness and fatigue is just taking over my drive. I need to focus down the stretch, especially in this class. I have learned the SQ3R technique and that has made most of my work a bit easier to comprehend. Definitely, this class has given me a tool, and now that I write this and reflect, I am getting excited about ending this semester on a good note. I want the grades, but they aren't going to hand out A's for free. I hope I can seriously undertake the road ahead. I have finals coming up in each class, and some, not to sound arrogant, I know I have in the bag. I will study less for those, but I have no idea what the final for Read 96 is going to look like. I really hope that all the things this class has taught me will be reflected on the final and my final grade.

Calendar (Week 5 of 6)

To do List:
1)Finish project for Read 96
2)Nephew has birthday
3)Study for Stats

Calendar (Week 6 of 6)

To Do List:
1)Practice w/ sister at park-softball
2)Project for World Civ.
3)Spend time with nephew

Vocabulary (Week 5 of 6)

Errant


source sentence: "The errant message raised some false hopes."

context clues: "raised", "false", "hopes"

definition: deviating from the regular or proper course; erring; straying.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Errant

original sentence: Though the teacher was amusing, he kept throwing out errant phrases.


Vigilance


source sentence: "Dr. Keiji Fukuda, WHO's top flu expert, said vigilance was all important because it was not known how severe the outbreaks would become."

context clues: "important", "known", "severe outbreaks", "expert"

definition: state or quality of being vigilant; watchfulness
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Vigilance

original sentence: It is always good vigilance practice when crossing the street.


Moderate


source sentence: "On President Barack Obama's 100th day in office, the GDP report at least provided signs that the nation is seeing its economic slide start to moderate."

context clues: "report", "signs", "economic slide", "seeing"

definition: kept or keeping within reasonable or proper limits; not extreme, excessive, or intense.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Moderate

original sentence: The moderate driving length to school isn't the problem, it is the parking.

Vocabulary (Week 6 of 6)

Cathartic


source sentence: "Hundreds of students at high schools from Newton, Mass., to Palo Alto, Calif., have created cathartic "Wall of Shame" or "Rejection Wall" displays of college denial letters."

context clues: "Wall of Shame", "Rejection Wall", " denial"

definition: evacuating the bowels; purgative.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Cathartic

original sentence: The cathartic picture was just as greusome as a movie by Rob Zombie.


Missives


source sentence: "On message boards at CollegeConfidential.com, students critique, attack and praise missives from various schools, elevating rejection-letter reviews to a sideline sport."

context clues: "praise", "attack", "rejection-letter"

definition: 1.a written message; letter. 2.sent or about to be sent, esp. of a letter from an official source.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Missives

original sentence: The missives at the office were rude and not inspiring to us at all as workers.


Steely


source sentence: "Stanford University sends a steely "don't call us" message embedded in its otherwise gentle rejection letter."

context clues: "don't call us", "gentle rejection", "message"

definition: resembling or suggesting steel, as in color, strength, or hardness.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Steely

original sentence: The woman displayed a will, steely in might she was.

Vocabulary (Week 4 of 6)

Woeful

source sentence: "Affected consoles are rendered completely useless in what's become a familiar tale to many Xbox fans -- it's just the latest in a string of hardware problems that have given the three-year-old system a woeful reliability rep."

context clues: "problems", "completely useless", "reliability"

definition: of wretched quality; sorry; poor
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/woeful?qsrc=2888

original sentence: The company gained a woeful reputation by taking the bailout money and using it unwisely.



Consternation

source sentence: "After blog GamePolitics expressed its consternation, the publisher began a flurry of hush-hush phone calls to arrange the return of the weapons."

context clues: "expressed", "flurry", "return"

definition: a sudden, alarming amazement or dread that results in utter confusion; dismay.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/consternation?qsrc=2888

original sentence: The woman expressed consternation when her name was called during roll call because she was sleeping.



Intrisically

source sentence: "They had access to McG, who was intrinsically involved in the game."

context clues: "access", "involved"

definition: belonging to a thing by its very nature.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Intrinsically?qsrc=2888

original sentence: The couple looks so happy, blissful and intrinsically walking as if joined at the hip.

Reflection (Week 4 of 6)

I took the Right/Left Brain Quiz, I thought the results were interesting. Apparently I am extremely right-brain bias when it comes to thinking. It said that I answered 12 for the right, and 6 for the left. I think the results are very accurate and reflect how I think many things over. What is really eerie is that I have been told by family, girlfriends and friends that I am the things it says I am. Holistic, random, nonverbal and fantasy-oriented are especially familiar to me, those have been said to me before. Teachers have told me I am nonverbal, and quiet, I never thought it was true, but the test seems to verify what I've been told all along. I thought it s a good test and it seemed to capture what I am, well at least my sense of self. I do tend to lean towards the Concrete tag and Intuitive. I don't think those two are particularly true, at least not as much as the others but they do describe my thoughts well enough. I won't complain, I thought the test was the easiest one to take nad I will take others to see what they say. I took the personality test as well, but I think this one is way out there. It says I really expressed intuitive thinking, and I beg to disagree. I think the first test captured my thoughts and functions much better, and I don't know why. I answered almost identical questions and it gave me a similar result but it ranked this above all, and I think it is my smallest quality. I enjoyed answering both tests, and I liked seeing how the first one graded me and how think I differ with the second test.

Calendar (Week 4 of 6)

To Do List:
1)Help Brother Unpack
2)Study for Sociology test
3)Do HW for this class

Vocabulary (Week 3 of 6)

Affinity

soure sentence: "On one hand, I guess it should have been obvious, given Dan Snyder's affinity for buying any shiny new item out there on the market."

context clues: "buying", "shiny", "market", "new"

defeniition: a natural liking for or attraction to a person, thing, idea, etc.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/affinity?qsrc=2888

original sentence: "My girlfriend is always buying things, she has an affinity for picking the expensive stuff."

Stymied

source sentence: "Stephens, who has major knockout power was stymied from the get-go."

context clues: "power", "get-go", "major"

definition:-verb-to hinder, block, or thwart.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stymied?qsrc=2888

original sentence: "My debate with a colleague of mine went nowhere, she stymied my points within a few seconds and left me speechless."

Bronchial

source sentence: "It's still not known if or when Sheppard will return from a bronchial infection that kept him out of the booth for the entire 2008 season and will prevent him from announcing the opener at the new Yankee Stadium later this month."

context clues: "infection", "kept/out", "prevent"

definition: Anatomy. pertaining to the bronchia or bronchi.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bronchial?qsrc=2888

original sentence: "Martha has a bronchial infection, but I thinnk she will be fine."

Reflection(Week 3 of 6)

This week has been an exhausting week but a positive one. I have managed to do my homework and help my brother move out of his place, almost simultaneously. I would squeeze in the homework between pick-up and drop-off periods( he has so many things in his home.). This, I am doing after the moving, so I am sore and tired. This class has helped improve my skills and speed of homework completion. I think I ccan say that my work in this class is probably the most quality stuff i've done in a long time. That might not be saying much due to my poor standards but it is okay. This class, due to the SQ3R, and mostly the atmosphere of the class gives me an advantage over past classes i've had. I've had classes that are 40 students to 1 teacher, and i've got 15( less somedays) to 2 teachers. I'm sure it has to do with the Friday thing,most people want Fridays off. I enjoy having such a small class, it gets more personal and it is easier to learn and process the things I am supposed to learn. I am going to be hoonest, I cannot find my paper for this week, and I have no ideawhat I am supposed to write about or answer. It is my mistake and if I recieve nothing than it is my fault. The buck stops here.

Calendar (Week 3 of 6)

To Do List:
1)Help my brother move
2)Homework for this class
3)Plan spring break with my peoples

Vocabulary (Week 2/6)

Semipermeable

source sentence:"For this reason, the membrane is said to be semipermeable in its normal resting state-only some chemicals can permeate or pass through, "holes" in the membrane."

context clues:"pass through", "holes", "some"

definition:Allowing passage of certain, especially small, molecules or ions but acting as a barrier to others. Used of biological and synthetic membranes.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/semipermeable?qsrc=2888

original sentence:The rock I found was semipermeable in its entirety, water flowed through it like a water breaknig through a dam.


Depolarization


source sentence:"This process is called depolarization, because the neuron is no longer mostly negative on the inside."

context clues:"no loger", "process", "de-", root word="polar"

defenition:To partially or completely eliminate or counteract the polarization of. To demagnetize.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/depolarization?qsrc=2888

original sentence: My cousin had a very bad addiction to caffeine, when he tried to kick his habit, he described it as a depolarization from his all things with caffeine.


Narcolepsy


source sentence:"Narcolepsy often causes serious difficulties with the use of dangerous machines and other job-related activities."

context clues: "serious","difficulties","often causes"

definition:A disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable, though often brief, attacks of deep sleep, sometimes accompanied by paralysis and hallucinations.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/narcolepsy?qsrc=2888

original sentence:I had an uncle who suffered from narcolepsy and he had to retire from the armed forces.

Reflection (March 22-28)

Studying vocabulary words for this class has had the same effect that it has had on me before, it helps me understand things a little more. I do recognize big words and know what they mean, but there are the occassional words that I do not know. I surprisingly do not notice these words everywhere now, it doesn't work that way for me. The words that we study do flash in articles and books I read, but they aren't around me by aany means. One thing I did start doing in this class is approach new words in a different way, I highlight, I scribble, I look them up and I try to remember them. I definitely approach words in a completely new way now that this class has taught me to use SQ3R. The new words I have learned, I sneak them in when I speak to friends, and they laugh, especially one who knows what they mean. I throw them in whenever it can replace a word I normally use or just to get a quick laugh. I usually do leave my friends or family wondering what I just said and I love explaining to them what they mean. The words usually stay with me, but I cannot lie, there are some words that fly in then fly out following tests. I think everyone is like that though. It's part of trying to pass the course with the best grade possible, but doing the least work possible as well. Also, I think some people(like me) don't want to major in English. That doesn't mean I don't want to sound articulate or use words that would impress during an interview, but I am very lazy.I do remember most of the words, do not think your labor is for not.

Weekly Calender (March 22-28)

To do list:
1)Homework
2)Study for midterm Mon. in World Civ.
3)Grrlfriends B-day, gift and Chocolates

Week 4: Calendar

To do List:
1)Go to friends Baby Shower
2)Homework for all classes
3)Go out with friends

Week 4: Reflection Post

There is plenty I need to do in the following week to improve my status in all of my classes including this one. Different from my previous weeks, I need to focus, study and be able to rehearse what I have "learned", that way I am sure I have learned what I need to learn to pass all my classes. I am one of those students that at every time I am evaluated they say, "You are doing good, but you have the potential to do better. I know you have the skills, but I don't know if you have the work ethic.". There are no obligations or obstacles in my way at all, the only thing that prevents me from getting my work done is my laziness. If I could I would sit or sleep all day, the only reason I get out of bed is for school and for doing things that keep me going (ex: eating, speaking, walking, weightlifting etc.). I have already begun to use SQ3R in most of my classes (all except my World Civ. class), and I will try to make it less tedious, maybe use some of the other techniques in the Writers' Handbook. I use things like: highlighting, cirlcling, notations on the side of the text and other things. It is very helpful so far, it's just that I am very lazy. I will shape up and do better, because I know I want to get out of Fullerton. I mean that in the best way possible, I want to graduate, I want to do the best I can for me, my teachers, my family, my friends but also for anyone coming into my life down the road. I won't take this opportunity for an education for granted, not anymore. I can use the tools given to me in this class, this semesters' classes and maybe down the road, I should say hopefully.

Week 3: Calendar

To do list:
1. School
2.Homework for Monday
3.Go out with friends

Vocabulary #1(Week 3)

Glucagon

source sentence: "The pancreas responds by secreting another substance called glucagon, which signals the liver to release some of the extra sugar stored there."

context clues: Very next sentence calls it a "hormone", that "raises the sugar level back up to normal level."

defenition: a hormone secreted by the pancreas that acts in opposition to insulin in the regulation of blood glucose levels.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=glucagon

original sentence: I never knew what a pancreas can do, apperantly it secretes glucagon, a hormone that raises my sugar levels.

Harried

source sentence: "The workers stand loosely grouped and at ease, but my uncle looks as harried and tense as a police officer trying to unsnarl a New York City traffic jam."

context clues: sounds like hurried, harry means to annoy i think.

defenition: to harass, annoy, or prove a nuisance to by or as if by repeated attacks; worry
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/harried

original sentence: My friend sat at the table looking so harried that I had arrived so late to his birthday party.

Incredulity

source sentence: "Their incredulity pesists even now that I am a senior resident, working in one the world's busiest hospital emergency rooms"

context clues: synonym-disbelief/antonym-approval

definition: inability or unwillingness to believe.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/incredulity

original sentence: The constant lies about his age only furthered the incredulity of his friends.