Hamlet

This past week we have read and watched Shakespeare's masterpiece Hamlet. Hamlet is a story about a prince whose father has past away. Soon after his fathers death, his uncle marries his mother. Hamlet speculates that his uncle had something to do with his fathers death. The night of the marriage Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father. The ghost then tells Hamlet of how he had died. He said the uncle actually poisoned him while he was sleeping in his garden, and that is where we left off. 

I usually hate plays, but Hamlet has actually caught my attention. I like how Shakespeare shapes his words and I like the story line of Hamlet. I cant wait to read more of this exciting master piece.

HELL

Today in S.S. we discussed about hell. When people view hell, they first think of the fire and brimstone or whatever. But when i think of hell, i don't see that at all. I think that hell is a place where you cant see anything. You are trapped in darkness and you are with others who also cant hear or see you. If you had addictions here on earth, it is taken with you to hell. No more drugs and fun stuff like that, you are there basically to torture yourself forever.

I think that the people that go to hell are the people who have done really really bad things to another person like murder. I think that for example Hitler or Stalin would be good examples of hell dwellers because of the mass killings of people. These people are the ones that have done a great deal of wrong toward mankind and God. So, as punishment, God sends them to their eternal damnation of darkness.

My personal hell would be school. The reason being because of the amount of stress and energy and time it takes to do homework and other school things. And going to school everyday get kind of old and boring and nothing new really happens and you are always sleepy.

How is Socratic Seminar relevant to your future life???

When i grow up, i would like to be either a doctor or a National Forest Ranger.

I would like to be a doctor because of the good pay and also because I am very interested in the medical field. The reason

 why I want to become a National Forest Ranger is because I love the outdoors, and I love nature. I would like to work outside and tour people and things like that. 

Socratic helps with both of my interests. In socratic, you need to take good notes and learn to ask good questions, you need these characteristics in the medical field. With being a National Forest Ranger you need to be able to give information about the forest that you work in and of the dangers and things like that. 

In all, i think that Socratic Seminar help you in your life ahead. It helps you think of concepts and it helps you discuss with other people what their thoughts on these subjects are. YOUR COMMENTS?????

Value of reading the Canterbury Tales

Canterbury Tales is a series of stories of pilgrims going to a holy church where a saint got his head chopped off. On their way, they stop at an inn and speak with the inn keeper. To make things fun, the inn keeper proposes that they play a story game. This game was to see who had the best story, and in reward the keeper would give the winner a free meal. In the stories we never find out who one the contest because Chaucer (the author of the Canterbury Tales) dies before he could finish it.

Now, the question is, should Mr. Dye allow his students read the Canterbury Tales. My answer is, I don't know. Canterbury Tales was kind of boring to me and it was very hard to understand. I didn't really like how it had a little rhyming thing going on. The words used in the stories were very strange and I didn't know what the stories were about half the time. I would rather read stories that are easier to understand, like something that is more modern. I wish that school would require modern best seller books to be read at school, that would be very interesting. Anyway, that's aside from the point, for students next year, I think that Mr. Dye should have a more modern and exciting book to be read.

Music changes our personality?

I’ve heard that some scientists have done some research on how different types of music can affect plants. In their experiments, they played classical music on one plant. Then on the other they played rock music. After about two weeks, the scientists found that the plant that had classical music played to it grew more healthy and quicker than the other, which had died.

My question is, do different types of music affect humans? I have noticed that those who listen to classical music and have shunned rock music, are very smart. I have also noticed that those who listen to rock music are more unintelligent. I believe that music does affect us.

When I listen to my rock music, my adrenaline bursts and my body gets into the rhythm. But when I listen to my piano music, I get all tired and bored. But for other people, classical music is like how I view my rock music, and these people usually don't like rock music. What are your comments about this?

Best quotes ever

Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.

—Basho

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13. Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

—Lao-Tze

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14. Everyone is a genius at least once a year. The real geniuses simply have their bright ideas closer together.

—Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

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15. What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.

—John Ruskin

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16. The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes.

—Marcel Proust

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17. Work like you don’t need money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no one’s watching

—Unknown Author

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18. Try a thing you haven’t done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time, to figure out whether you like it or not.

—Virgil Garnett Thomson

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19. Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.

—Will Rogers

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20. People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing - that’s why we recommend it daily.

—Zig Ziglar

Global Warming

This article in the New York Post caught my attention:

On Feb. 2, 2007, the United Nations scientific panel studying climate change declared that the evidence of a warming trend is "unequivocal," and that human activity has "very likely" been the driving force in that change over the last 50 years. The last report by the group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in 2001, had found that humanity had "likely" played a role.

The addition of that single word "very" did more than reflect mounting scientific evidence that the release of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases from smokestacks, tailpipes and burning forests has played a central role in raising the average surface temperature of the earth by more than 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1900. It also added new momentum to a debate that now seems centered less over whether humans are warming the planet, but instead over what to do about it. In recent months, business groups have banded together to make unprecedented calls for federal regulation of greenhouse gases. The subject had a red-carpet moment when former Vice President Al Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," was awarded an Oscar; and the Supreme Court made its first global warming-related decision, ruling 5 to 4 that the Environmental Protection Agency had not justified its position that it was not authorized to regulate carbon dioxide. 

Economic Down Fall

This past week was the worst of the stock market. It seemed like points would drop by three digits everyday. This first started with the large banking companies that had been greedy in their business. About two weeks ago, these few companies announced their bankruptcy. This caused global trauma and people began to loose faith in banks and in the stocks, just like in the Great Depression. With people taking money out of the banks because they don't trust the system has brought global economic down fall and might make humanity once again enter the stone ages. I think that if people stopped pulling money out of banks and stocks, the economy will recover. What do you think???

Time spent at school

At maeser school starts at 7:30 am. We have a 30 min. lunch time. Then we go home at 3:10 pm. What is this? I look at schools like PG high and i'm angry that they get to go to school later than maeser and get out earlier that maeser. Then they get like 45 min. lunch break. WHAT IS GOING ON? I'm getting sick of seing my neighboorhood buddies at home watching Seinfeld when I had just got home. Man, I wish that the board would explane the reason why this is. If i remmember right, at Maeser last year we had to make up a week that we didnt have of school at the beginning of school. By the end of the year, we found out that we had made well over a week of hours at school. What if thats happening again? I dont know. i would like your insights on this though.

A perfect society?

A few days ago Mr. Dye showed us a film called Into Silence. This movie was very interesting in that the monks in the monastery only spoke when they had to. I wonder if this is what it takes to become a perfect society. Think about it. If you didnt talk with your friends then there would be no gossip or negative things being said. But, i personally dont think this is the answer to a perfect society. My personal opinion is that to make a perfect society, you need the idea of communism. If everyone was given a fair amout of everything then there would be no poor or rich. You wouldnt want anything cus everyone else has it. The idea of communism has been played out before, but everytime it fails because a greedy person is usually made as the leader, such as Chairman Mao. What im saying with communism is that if there was not a greedy person at the top of the party then communism would work. What are your responses?

The best song ever made

This is THE best song ever mad by man:

Let's get down to business- to defeat the Huns
Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?
You're the saddest bunch I ever met
But you can bet before we're through
Mister, I'll make a man out of you
Tranquil as a forest But on fire within
Once you find your center You are sure to win
You're a spineless, pale pathetic lot
And you haven't got a clue
Somehow I'll make a man out of you
I'm never gonna catch my breath
Say good-bye to those who knew me
Boy, was I a fool in school for cutting gym class
This guy's got 'em scared to death
Hope he doesn't see right through me
Now I really wish that I knew how to swim
[Be a man]
We must be swift as the coursing river [Be a man]
With all the force of a great typhoon [Be a man]
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon
Time is racing toward us till the Huns arrive
Heed my every order and you might survive
You're unsuited for the rage of war
So pack up, go home you're through
How could I make a man out of you?
[Be a man]
We must be swift as the coursing river [Be a man]
With all the force of a great typhoon [Be a man]
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon [Be a man]
We must be swift as the coursing river [Be a man]
With all the force of a great typhoon [Be a man]
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon.


its sweet right? ya? what is your favorite song?

One good thing about Maeser

The one good thing about Maeser is that you can choose what class you want to take with out any change in the schedule. Other schools like PG high when the students sign up for a class with a curtain order by the first day of school their entire schedule is changed up.

Out of Uniform Jackets?

I have a problem with the school not allowing jackets that are not Maeser. What is so bad about wearing out of uniform jackets, uh? I don't see it as a distraction at all. And i personally hate the "Maeser Jackets" because they look real ghetto. And students shouldn't have to buy a new jacket if they already have on at home. I am sure that many of the students here at Maeser would agree with me and i think that the school should allow all kinds of jackets as long as the student is wearing their uniform underneath. Ya?

Maeser Bucks?

I would like to talk about Maeser bucks. Maeser buck, i think, are a waste of ink and paper. The rewards for having Maeser bucks are not very interesting or exciting in anyway. Having lunch with Mr. K? COME ON! And i think that the amount of Maeser bucks that you need for these rewards are absolutely crazy. Like 400 Maeser bucks to have a party? Ya, so far only two of my teachers have given out Maeser bucks and i don't think that the 10th graders will have enough Maeser bucks to even get that much by the end of the year. And whats with the Maeser bucks being only like 50 cents? Ya, the school can at least make it worth a full dollar thing right? I understand that the school wants the students to begin to wear the appropriate uniform and be driven to being rewarded but, come on school board, cant you think of something more cool than Maeser bucks, and what to with the maeser bucks?

Printing Press vs. Guns

My opinion on this subject is that the printing press is more influential than guns. With the printing press you can send a letter to thousands of cities for war or for just announcements. The printing press can bring people together to fight another group or people.

Coke and Pepsi products at school

One thing that i don't get is why doesn't Maeser sell like coke and pepsi products at school? I thought that the teachers wanted us to be awake during class not sleeping. Besides, I'm sure that the school would get loads more money from a vending machine with Coke or Pepsi in it because students really really like coke and pepsi. And if they do put in coke and pepsi i hope that they dont put the sissy diet coke and diet pepsi. 

Bringing Text books Home

Everyday  I bring home a ton load of text books from school. The books are so heavy that i might have to buy a new backpack because the books just might break it. I dont understand why teachers would want students to carry text books everywhere everyday. I think that the teachers at Maeser should have the students leave their books at the class room, and if there is homework from the text books, let them do that during class. I'm sure that doing this would help many of us students not losing our books to because it would be at class everyday.

Full dress on field trips?

At the beginning of the year i noticed in the Maeser handbook it says that when Maeser has any field trips it is required for the students to wear full dress uniform. I don't think that Maeser should do this and I am sure many other students agree with me. When i go on a field trip with my uniform i feel like i am out of place. Representing or not, it doesn't seem right that a school wants to make its students feel absolutely out of place.

Colored shoes at school

I don't understand why it is not aloud at Maeser to have bright colored shoes. i personally dont get distracted by shoes and why would anyone else? During class i wont be staring at someone's shoes, that would be creepy. I just dont understand why this is a rule. Why must we wear boring colors like all brown or all black, grey, or white. Why cant we inlighten our day with bright happy exciting colors like flaming red, and paradise green, and ocean blue? Please comment on this. 

Tables or individual desks in the Socratic room?

In the socratic seminar room, we do not have our own individual desks. instead, we three people assigned to a table; sometimes there is an extra individual so they have to sit on the end. The tables are cramped and you feel like you are either violating  someone's space or they are violating yours. I think that we should get our own individual desks because that will allow more personal room and space to work in the Socratic room.

More Sports at Maeser

I think that at maeser we should have a wider variety of sports. We should make a swimming team, a tackle football team, a tennis team, and a baseball team. These sports that i have listed i think are more important than the sports that we have now at the school. An example would be fencing. I know of no other school that does fencing. it seems really random to me that Maeser suddenly wants a fencing team when they could be fundraising for a tackle football team.  

Pyramid of Abstraction

I think that the Pyramid of Abstraction is a very good way how to write stories and essays. I like how it helps you develop ideas that are very unique, interesting, and "colorful". What is your opinion on the Pyramid of Abstraction?

Islam

We learned about the Muslim religions this past week and i had some unanswered questions. One: is it required for women to were a turban for sports?

Two: Do Muslims believe in a prophet today?

Please, if you have the answers comment them.

9/18/09

Today at socratic seminar, we learned how to do "doodle notes". i believe that doing "doodle notes" is more effective than doing normal everyday boring notes. "Doodle notes" burns an image into my head, and helps me remember what i had studied the night before more clearer than if i had done normal boring notes. Also i like the idea of letting us draw at home because its allot of fun.

故知日本

故知輪本と仁尾もし路肩．荻産とおばさんとお話伊パイしました．日本のお世痔和本とに牡鹿て余した．も会日本二位行きたいです．またね！

穴生、木尾の息らとセミ奈留のお話和本とにおもしろ方．部九本とに良いパイのお友達亜痔ません下渡、三井紉本当に矢止しです．杯！じゃ！後で！

The Olympic Games 2008: did china cheat?

The Beijing Olympics 2008 was one of the best games yet for most athletes who competed. USA swimmer Michael Phelps one eight gold medals at the games, which has never been done before. Jamaican runner Usain Bolt ran 9.69 seconds in the 100 meter dash, which absolutely crushed the old world record. Anyway, what i want to talk about is the girls Chinese gymnastics team. There have been reports that the girls on this team were not qualified to enter the Beijing Olympics because they were not of the right age, which is 16. On a website that had been published about one year ago, it said that one of the chinese girls was 14. When authorities checked her passport and birth certificate, it stated that she was 16. Weird huh. What do you think, do you think that the girls cheated or not?

Homework at Maeser

This year at Maeser i feel bombarded with loads of homework. my question is, why is homework necessary? I mean, dont we learn all that we need to during class? Homework, i think, is just something made to keep students occupied away from school. What do you think? 

Beowulf: fact or fiction?

The character Beowulf is a seemingly invisible man who defeats evil creatures. In his amazing battle with Grendel, Beowulf fights the demon without any armor or weaponry. In the end of the battle Beowulf wins by literally ripping Grendel's arm off, causing Grendel to retreat to his layer where him and his mom live. Another story would be when Beowulf goes into the layer where Grendel and his mother live to slay Grendel's mother for the murderous doings she had done to the danes. When Beowulf goes into the cave he finds Grendel's mother and fights her. When he kills her, he find Grendel and cuts off the head that he used to kill its mother.

My question is this, is Beowulf fact or fiction? I know of no man that is able to rip off some ones arm out, let alone a demons arm out. In my opinion, i think that Beowulf is a very fun read but a very unrealistic book.

Why bother with Socratic Seminar?

World History:

i think that world history is very important because it is very fun to learn about famous people and also to learn about different cultures. Another reason why world history is important is because we can look at mistakes that have been made in the past, and make sure we don't make them again. We can gain knowledge about different religious or patriotic persons.

Literature:

Literature takes you back to the past or future. It can take you all the way back to the tale of Gilgamesh to the science fiction Ender's Game. Literature also helps your speech skills. I have noticed in my own speech that when i read literature that i start to say words that i wouldnt have used if i hadnt read that literature.

Language Arts:

With out language arts you wouldnt know how to read or write, then you wouldnt be able to go anywhere in this life. If you didnt know how to write or read do you think that a business would except you? 

Geography:

with geography you learn about people of different cultures and where they are from on this planet. you learn where cities, towns, countries, and continents are on the globe. With out that knowledge, how would you be able to send a letter to a friend that lives in asia or who lives in australia?