Class Procedures and Reminders
Project Stack. I don't update the Project stack as often on the weekends, but you can check there to make sure I received your assignment; I'll update it at least once or twice over the weekend. If you want comments back on your assignment sooner rather than later, turn in your project on Sunday morning or Sunday afternoon; don't wait until Sunday evening! You'll get comments much sooner if you turn something in earlier today.
Week 12 extra credit. Week 12 is the last time there will be extra credit for doing more blog comments and more project comments (as more and more people finish up the class, it becomes harder to coordinate all the commenting). So, if you want/need some extra credit, take advantage of the Week 12 options!
The following items are for fun and exploration:
The Perils of Cursive. A great comic by Jim Benton about the perils of cursive: demon? lemon? The wizard is not happy with the results!
Mythology Words in English: Today's mythology word in English is APHRODISIAC, from the name of the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. For details, see this blog post.
Featured Storybook: Creatures of Irish Lore. Seeking shelter from the rain, some American tourists stumble into an Irish pub where they hear first-hand stories about banshees, leprechauns, merrows and fairies too, of course.
Free Book Online: The Story of Sir Launcelot and His Companions written and illustrated by Howard Pyle. This blog post provides additional information about the legends of Lancelot that you will find in this book.
India Featured Book: Surya: How the Sun God Was Tamed. This blog post provides additional information about this reading option for Indian Epics which contains the famous legend of Chhaya, the shadow wife of the sun god Surya.
Words of Wisdom: Today's proverb poster is A stitch in time saves nine (an English proverb). Details at the Proverb Lab. This is one of my favorite proverbs, both because of the meaning and because of the rhyme.
Today's Video: Gayatri Mantra. If you listen closely, you can hear the Sanskrit mantra in the opening music for Battlestar Galactica; this blog post contains Ravi Shankar's traditional recording of the mantra:
Growth Mindset: Today's growth mindset cat is facing an obstacle, as we all do, because... We all struggle. Details at the blog.
Event on Campus: There will be a matinee performance of Thoroughly Modern Millie at 3PM in the Brackett Theatre on Elm (details). Find out more about this and other events at the Campus Calendar online.
April 17: Benjamin Franklin. Today, April 17, marks the anniversary of the death of Benjamin Franklin in the year 1790; he was born in 1706. I find Franklin to be a fascinating character and there is plenty of wonderful reading in this long Wikipedia article about his life and various careers. There is a wonderful Latin verse composed in Franklin's honor by the French statesman Turgot: Eripuit caelo fulmen, sceptrumque tyrannis, "He ripped the lightning from the sky, and the sceptre from the tyrants." That verse inspired this allegorical portrait of Franklin from the year 1778; details here:
Note: You can page back through the older blog posts to see any announcements you might have missed, and you can check out the Twitter stream for information and fun stuff during the day.
