Tuesday, September 3

Today is Tuesday of Week 3. Here is a link to the Week 3 assignments. If you have not done Reading A yet, today is the day! In Myth-Folklore you will be choosing from Biblical or Classical stories, and in Indian Epics you will be starting the Ramayana.

Class Procedures and Reminders

Week 2 grace period. Normally the grace period for end-of-week work is on Monday morning but yesterday was a holiday, so there is a grace period this morning, Tuesday, until noon for finishing up those final Week 2 assignments, along with any Week 2 extra credit you want to turn in.

Project stack. I'll start reading and replying to the Project assignments today, starting with the assignments turned in on Friday, and then Saturday, and so on. You can check the stack at any time to make sure I got your assignment, and I'll keep you posted on my progress each day here in the announcements.

The following items are for fun and exploration:

Blog Stream. I thought this was so cute: to go along with the feedback cats, Sarah made a feedback dog using a picture of her adorable pug. It's... Positive Pug!

Story of the Day. Today's story is a Cherokee legend about a stick-ball game, and it explains how the flying squirrel got his leather wings: The Ball Game of the Birds and Animals.

Twitter Stream. Yesterday was the holiday of Ganesha Chaturthi, so the Twitter stream was full of wonderful Ganesha tweets. For example, I learned that the tallest statue of Ganesha in the world is in Khlong Khuean, Thailand; this Ganesha is over 120 feet tall!

Indian Epics Today. For the past two weeks I focused on the goddesses and gods, and starting today I'll be focusing on characters from the Ramayana, starting with King Dasharatha of Ayodhya, Rama's father. This image shows King Dasharatha and the rishi Vishvamitra.

Storybooks. Here's a great example of a Storybook that brings together stories from different cultures: Spin Me a Yarn. It all starts in a supernatural craft store!

Myth-Folklore Video. Some of you will be reading about the Greek goddesses and gods this week, so here's a fun storytelling style you might consider: Epic Rap Battle! (Be warned, this one is #NSFW.)

Words. Today's word is the name of the day today: Tuesday, from the name of Tiw, the Germanic god of war: "Tiw's Day" (details). The Roman god of war was Mars, which explains the name of Tuesday in Italian martedi, French mardi, and Spanish martes.

Writing Video. And if you're curious to learn more about where words come from, here's a TED-Ed video: Where do new words come from?

H.E.A.R.T.. For those of you who are reading today, here's a graphic to inspire you: Reading can seriously damage your ignorance.

Mindset Cats. Today's mindset cat is ready for a week of learning: Study something new.

Event on Campus. Today is the first day of Italy Week (details). Come enjoy an Italian coffee break 3PM-4PM in the Kaufman Lobby, and maybe you'll want to go to Tiramisu class at 4PM in Farzaneh Hall.

September 3: Frederick Douglass. On this day in 1838, the American abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery. Douglass died in 1895; because he was born in slavery, he did not know with certainty the year of his birth, but he guessed he was born around 1818. Douglass's autobiography is a beautiful work of American literature: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.

Check out the Twitter stream for information and fun stuff during the day, or click here for past announcements.