Half-way through semester one

Well, we've reached the half-way point of semester one... a quarter of the way through Grade 12. Frightening really, if you think about how quickly the time has passed.
I've begun some of the Hamlet assignments, and I hope to be able to submit them in the next two weeks, so that I can focus on my ISU. I haven't really gotten around to reading much of The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer-Bradley, but the first 50 pages tell me I am going to LOVE it. It's already about a dozen times better than Watership Down, in my opinion.
I'm almost done Hamlet, which I also find quite interesting, more so than the previous works of Shakespeare that I have read. I assume I'm only enjoying Shakespeare's Hamlet because I actually understand what he's saying! :) So, 2 more Acts to go and I'm done Hamlet (which might not be that great).
Speaking of Shakespeare, we've just finished watching Henry V, which was terribly boring (I'm sorry to those who disagree), except for the last couple minutes of it. Yup, the war part was the only thing that actually caught my attention and managed to keep it. But, I did enjoy seeing some familiar faces in the movies... and of course, they have to do with Harry Potter.
For those who did not notice, Katherine was played by Emma Thompson, who plays Professor Trelawney in Harry Potter. Falstaff was played by Robbie Coltrane, who plays Hagrid in the Harry Potter series. Kenneth Branagh, who played as Professor Lockhart in Chamber of Secrets, is none other than Henry V himself. Also, and this I had to double check, one of the court people was none other than Patrick Doyle, the composer of the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire soundtrack.
So there.... now you know.

Standardization Final

Truck terror

The Ottawa Citizen

Published: Tuesday, November 04, 2008

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/views/story.html?id=416ea666
-e86f-4865-8122-22b7057dfd18

1. The death of an 86-year-old woman who was struck by a dump truck on Rideau Street has refocused attention on an issue that should have been solved long ago.
2. It is unacceptable to have dump trucks and other enormous vehicles rumbling through the downtown streets of any city, which are dense with pedestrians.
3. The problem has been acknowledged for years and attempts have been made to build a bridge that would divert the traffic away from downtown.
4. Either way, the east end needs a bridge -- and fast.

:(

It is my sincere apology that it is quite obvious I haven't a clue of what I'm doing, in terms of standardizing arguments. Feel free to critique as constructively as you like.

Standardized Argument #2

Truck terror

The Ottawa Citizen

Published: Tuesday, November 04, 2008

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/views/story.html?id=416ea666
-e86f-4865-8122-22b7057dfd18

1. The death of an 86-year-old woman who was struck by a dump truck on Rideau Street has refocused attention on an issue that should have been solved long ago.
2. It is unacceptable to have dump trucks and other enormous vehicles rumbling through the downtown streets of any city, which are dense with pedestrians.
3. The problem has been acknowledged for years and attempts have been made to build a bridge that would divert the traffic away from downtown.
4. Either way, the east end needs a bridge -- and fast.

Standardized Argument #1

Hazing doesn't build character

The Ottawa Citizen

Published: Tuesday, November 04, 2008

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/views/story.html?id=30165251-
70f5-4101-9a15-e7a8048f5abb

1. Hazing and bullying used to be so routine in schools that they weren’t newsworthy.

2. Last week, the report of a hazing incident at a Barrhaven high school found itself on the front page of the Citizen. Society no longer sees such behavior as normal or inevitable.

3. Taking hazing and bullying seriously is a healthy development.

4. At the beginning of this school year, a 15-year-old Hamilton student was stabbed after he apparently intervened in a hazing incident.

Just a quick update...

Well, I've finally finished my fallacy assignment on the genetic fallacy. What a funny fallacy. You'll have to read my report on wikispaces to learn more about it. Here's an example though: "Bill claims that 1+1=2. However, my parents brought me up to believe that 1+1=254, so Bill must be wrong." Yup... that's a genetic fallacy.

As for my rhetoric assignment, I'm doing epiphora, which so far is a medical issue, but I'll find something English-related when I feel up to it. My standardized arguments? I'll let you know when I've figured out what the hell they are and how to set them up.

And I've already started my second ISU book. It's called "The Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley, and I already like it more than "Watership Down"... my first ISU novel. Hopefully this essay will be easier to write, as I actually enjoy the book this time around.

Well, that's my mini update (at least in English).