NETVIBES

So supposedly Netvibes has everything that has everything you wanted as soon as you open your web browser. You can personalize it yourself to your own liking. It has everything from games, news reports, weather,etc. I decided to try it out. On my Netvibes account I have my local weather, a couple Sudoku games when I'm bored, a link to Dr. Preston's blog for quick updates. Since I just started this I'm looking for to new widgets that will show my personality. I truly recommend checking this website out.

VOCABULARY 6

Definitions:

Adroit - clever or skillful in using the hands or minds

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 - decitefulness

Extol - praise enthustiastically

Feasible - possible to do easily or conveniently

Grimace - an ugly, twisted expression on a person's face; showing disgust or pain

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, harm, or failure

Meticulous - showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise

Nostalgia - a 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; lukewarm

Accede - to give consent, approval, or adherence

Brandish - to shake or wave, as a weapon

Comprise - to include or contain, consist of

Deft - dexterous, nimble, skillful, clever

Destitute - deprived of, lacking food, clothing and shelter

Explicit - cleverly developed or formulated

Extirpate - to remove or destroy totally, do away with

Inopportune - inappropriate, inconvenient, untimely

Ironic - using words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning, mockery

Musty - having an odor or flavor suggestive of mold, as old buildings, stale food, dull

Officious - volunteering one's services where they are neither asked nor needed

Ominous - being or exhibiting an omen, foreshadowing evil

Pinnacle - an upright architectural member generally ending in a small spire and used especially in Gothic construction to give weight especially to a buttress

Premeditated - to think about and revolve in the minded beforehand

Rampant - flourishing or spreading unchecked

Solace - to give comfort to in grief or misfortune

Stately - a marked by lofty or imposing dignity

Supple - compliant often to the point of obsequiousness

Suppress - to put down by authority of force, subdue

Venal - capable of being bought or obtained for money or other valuable consideration

VOCABULARY 5

Definitions:

adroit - clever or skillful in using the hands or minds

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 - decitefulness

extol - praise enthustiastically

feasible - possible to do easily or conveniently
grimace - an ugly, twisted expression on a person's face; showing disgust or pain
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, harm, or failure
meticulous - showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise
nostalgia - a 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; lukewarm

Sentences:

I am quite adroit when it involves working with cars.

After meeting several of the new foreign exchange students, I noticed that they all had an amicable attitude.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, several of the soldiers had an averse views towards the Japanese.

Most consider pit bulls to be belligerent animals, however they lack to see their true nature.

Even though his actions were dangerous, I knew he had benevolent intentions.

I finished my essay in a cursory manner because I had set off my essay until the end of the week.

Julius Caesar was murdered brutally due to the duplicity of Brutus and his accomplices. 

The valedictorian of my school was praised quite extol for his academic status.

How is it that others can write essays feasibly, while I struggle to make an introduction?

Isn't it ironic that Grimace name means to have a twisted expression, while Grimace himself is always smiling?

Anne Frank's Diary is one of the most popular books about the life during the Holocaust.

Creating dams were essential in the twentieth century to provide energy, but they had to be impervious so water would not leak.

My teacher's encouragement was the impetus that led me to attend college.

My drivers license and life were in jeopardy because I was driving while intoxicated.

Those who put time in drawing, must have a meticulous attribute.

Some adults show nostalgia when they play music from when they were growing up.

How boring would it be to be in a quintessence classroom with the same type of people? 

The survivors of the nuclear explosion retrogress into a state of anarchy.

Edgar Allan Poe was a harsh critic, who scrutinized the works of several authors.

I don't like showering in scorching hot water, I prefer more tepid water.

LITERATURE ANALYSIS: TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE

Nonfiction Analysis: Tuesdays with Morrie

Topic(s) and/or Event(s):

• After graduating from Brandeis University, Albom says goodbye to his professor Morrie Schwartz. Promising to keep in touch with Morrie, Albom's career has him break this promise. Years pass by and Albom is living a very successful life, meanwhile his old professor Morrie has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). While flipping through TV channels he found that caught him by surprise. Morrie was being interviewed on TV. Now knowing that Morrie had very little time left, Albom decided to go visit his former professor and made it a habit by visiting him every Tuesday.
• I believe that Albom chose to write about this to keep the memory of his former professor alive, and hoping that Morrie's final lessons could help others.
• This book was recommended to me by my former English teacher Mrs. Byrne. After several different recommendations, I decided to read this book due to the fact that it seemed more interesting than the rest. The reason that this book caught my attention was the introduction. In the introduction, Albom describes the "curriculum" of the class and the final exam was to write a long paper that was later called Tuesdays with Morrie.
• I found this book to be realistic. In a way I was able to make connections between this book and my own life. The death of Morrie reminded me of the death of my grandfather. Even though my grandfather did not have ALS, he suffered from prostate cancer. But like Morrie, my grandfather did not want me to see his death as a bad thing.

People:

• It is true that we see Albom's perspective of himself and other characters. Based on what he says about others he never speaks down on them, but has at least good things to say about them.  As for his tone it changes throughout the book, but the tone I seemed to identify was quite remorseful, especially when he has a conversation with Morrie.
• Main Characters:
• Mitch Albom: In, the story we get two see both sides of Albom. The eager student in college and the final student of Morrie. He is about six feet tall with black hair. In a fictional story I would use direct characterization because I have already read the story through his perspective.
• Morrie Schwartz: A former college professor of Albom with a enlightened view on life. Physically he is a small man with blue-green eyes and thinning silver hair that spills onto his forehead. If I were to rewrite this as a fictional story, I would use indirect characterization for Morrie's character in order to reveal Morrie's true emotions and thoughts of his final moments.
• What is interesting about these two characters is their relationship with each other. Even after the several years that gone by, they tend to keep a good attitude towards each other and share their views openly.

Style:

• Albom used a bit of tools of fiction writing. For example he used allusions in certain parts of the book. One of these allusions was about Job. The man from the bible that God made suffer in order to test his faith.
• I would say that Albom uses lengthy description mostly on action and dialogue. Because of these choices the overall effect is that we focus on the lessons that Morrie teaches.
• A tool that Albom uses to demonstrate tone and to create a mood is a simplistic writing format.
• I believe that Albom's attitude toward the audience was to not just inform them about Morrie's final moments, but to let them identify their own perspectives when it comes to death and farewells.
• While writing the story, Albom interviewed other close relatives and friends of Morrie. This helps contribute the story because it helps reveal more about Morrie the just his final moments. We get to see Morrie's past and struggles that led him to where he was.

Enduring Moment

An idea I picked up from this book was that death ends a life, not a relationship. To me it means that the death of someone will not mean that the person is truly gone.  Each persons life is valuable and should not be taken for granted. All of the memories that you have shared with someone will not be diminished, but will continue to live on through others. 

"As long as we can love each other, and remember the felling of love we had, we can die without ever really going away" - Morrie Schwartz

VOCABULARY 4

Definitions:

Accede - to give consent, approval, or adherence

Brandish - to shake or wave, as a weapon

Comprise - to include or contain, consist of

Deft - dexterous, nimble, skillful, clever

Destitute - deprived of, lacking food, clothing and shelter

Explicit - cleverly developed or formulated

Extirpate - to remove or destroy totally, do away with

Inopportune - inappropriate, inconvenient, untimely

Ironic - using words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning, mockery

Musty - having an odor or flavor suggestive of mold, as old buildings, stale food, dull

Officious - volunteering one's services where they are neither asked nor needed

Ominous - being or exhibiting an omen, foreshadowing evil

Pinnacle - an upright architectural member generally ending in a small spire and used especially in Gothic construction to give weight especially to a buttress

Premeditated - to think about and revolve in the minded beforehand

Rampant - flourishing or spreading unchecked

Solace - to give comfort to in grief or misfortune

Stately - a marked by lofty or imposing dignity

Supple - compliant often to the point of obsequiousness

Suppress - to put down by authority of force, subdue

Venal - capable of being bought or obtained for money or other valuable consideration

Sentences:

I acceded with Dr. Preston's view on Syria, but our ideas about handling the situation were very different.

In order to frighten the children, the actor brandished his sword.

The cake for Julio was comprised of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.

Using my deft mind, I was able to deduce the riddle before time had run out.

Lately there have been an increase of donations at the food drive for those that are destitute of necessities.

Thanks to modern technology we are able to maintain our children from watching explicit material.

In order to move on with my life, I extirpated all the photos I had of Harry Styles.

Some people might consider throwing a tantrum in the store is inopportune.

Don't you think it's ironic that she won the lottery, but lost her ticket.

As I passed by the kitchen I noticed a musty scent near the bread.

While I was in Las Vegas, an escort kept offering her officious services.

Mount Everest is the Earth's highest mountain, with a pinnacle peak of 8,848 meters.

After premeditating, Beyonce was ready to perform at her sold out concert.

The popularity of The Dark Knight series have increased rampantly.

After my uncle passed away, we solaced my aunt during these hard times.

Justin Timberlake looked rather stately in his suit and tie.

After taking orders from others, I just became supple and did whatever I was told.

In order to suppress my cravings, I just ate bread and water.

I don't usually take orders from people, but I'm quite venal when there is food involved.

VOCABULARY 3

Definitions:

accomplice - a person who helps another commit a crime

annihilate - destroy utterly; obliterate

arbitrary - based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system

brazen - bold and without shame

catalyst - spark, cause for something

exodus - a mass departure of people

facilitate - make (an action or process) easy or easier

incorrigible - incapable of being corrected or amended

latent - existing but not yet developed or manifest; hidden

militant - combative and aggressive in support of a political or social cause

morose - sullen and ill-tempered

opaque - not able to be seen through; not transparent

paramount - more important than anything else

prattle - talk at length in a foolish or inconsequential way

rebut - claim or prove that (evidence or an accusation) is false

reprimand - rebuke, scolding

servitude - the state of being a slave or completely subject to someone more powerful

slapdash - done too hurriedly and carelessly, careless

stagnant - having no current or flow 

succumb - fail to resist

Sentences:

The student who was caught cheated due to his accomplice, the teacher's assisstant.

United States plan to stop World War II was to annihilate the city of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Teams were put together in teams arbitrarily by an app.

During rallies, students wear purple brazenly to show their support.

During the lab, the catalyst discovered was heat that allowed oxygen to expand.

Due to the concert being cancelled, there was an exodus of disappointed fans.

In order to facilitate the needs of his students, Dr. Preston made them only write one essay.

Due to Dr. Cooper's incorrigible attitude we had to sushi last night.

Many video game designers keep their projects latent to keep fans anxious and waiting.

In Peru, citizens showed militant behaviors during one of their protests.

Even though mirrors are opaque, one-way mirrors are an exception.

The varsity football players are more paramount, then the freshman team.

An old teacher of mine would used to prattle during a lesson about his fishing trips.

A defense attorney's job is to rebut the accusations of their client.

After spilling the water for the third time, my mother began to reprimand about wasting water.

I was put into servitude, after losing a bet to my cousin.

The employee at the car wash did a slapdash job when it came to cleaning my windshields.

The pool became stagnant after we all got out of it.

I succumbed to the temptation of eating freshly made cookies.