Friday, April 6

HAPPY FRIDAY! You have reached the end of Week 11! Here is a link to the class calendar; the assignments are there for Week 12 and beyond if you want to work ahead so that you can finish the class early.

Class Procedures and Reminders

Success Tip: Use the extra credit. There are several different reasons why I offer lots of extra credit each week: to help you make up missing assignments, to give you a chance to get ahead, and also to encourage you to try new things. So before things get totally busy at the end of the semester, see if you can find some time to do some of the extra credit assignments this week!

Project Stack. Yesterday I finished replying to all the assignments turned in on Sunday, and today I'll get through as much of the rest of the stack as I can. While you are waiting on comments back from me about your Project assignment, you can check the stack to make sure I received your email.

The following items are for fun and exploration:

Blog Stream. Check out Chelsea's blog for a great reflection on the college experience... along with a picture of the cute Corgi puppy she is about to adopt: Famous Last Words: So Close Yet So Far.

Word from Mythology. The English word TANTALIZE comes from the Greek myth of King Tantalus: because of his wicked deeds, he was punished in the afterlife by not being able to grasp the fruit he sees in front of him and not being able to drink the water that surrounds him.

India Video: Did you know that Alanis Morrisette has a twin brother? Wade Morrisette is also a musician. Specifically, he is a kirtan singer! Here is one of his videos which starts with Sanskrit mantras; he then sings the English translation: Burn It in the Fire. You can see the mantras here: Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu and Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah.

And here's a picture of the twins Alanis and Wade:

Myth Book Online: Today's free book is Taytay's Tales: Traditional Pueblo Indian Tales by Elizabeth Willis Dehuff. See the Freebookapalooza blog for links and the table of contents.

Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is from China: A cloth is not woven from a single thread. Find out more at the Proverb Laboratory.

Language: Names are a fascinating part of language, and this map can help you learn about The Names of the States, including Oklahoma, which is from a Choctaw word, meaning "red people" (okla "nation, people" + homma "red").

Growth Mindset: Today's growth mindset cat is a maker cat: I think. I design. I create. I invent. I reflect. I learn. You can find out more at the Growth Mindset blog.

Growth Mindset: And here's a fun growth mindset infographic: The Force of a Growth Mindset.

Video: I am a huge fan of Matt Harding who has been traveling the world and doing his dance for ten years; here are his videos from 2006 and 2016. As you can see, he now has friends who come dance with him everywhere, unlike his solitary dancing when he first got started!

Event on Campus: Tonight is the 48th annual Eve of Nations at Lloyd Noble, with doors opening at 6PM (details). Find out more about this and other events at the Campus Calendar online. Here's the India Students Association at the Eve of Nations in 2012:

And thanks to Akriti for letting me know about this video from last year's Eve of Nations ISA performance:

April 6: Raphael. Today is the birthday of the great painter Raphael; he was born in 1483, and he died on his birthday in 1520, only 37 years old. You can read more about his life and career at Wikipedia, which also features many of his mythological paintings, like this painting of Saint George and the Dragon:

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