Saturday, December 22, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
Happy holidays, dear students and parents and those taking the class who are not registered students or parents
Over the holidays, take a break from videos, video games, MySpace, mindless munching, aimless muttering, random randomness, etcheterra, by . . .
Shooting a photo essay or video or writing descriptive notes on sorties such as (worth indy points for next semester, too) -
* Meadows Museum, Centenary College (they close early; call before you go)
* MultiCultural Center of the South, Tex St
* Norton Art Foundation Gallery, South Highlands
* Artspace, 710 Texas (my wife, Talbot, and I have art in the current show, Deck the Halls)
* Southern Univ Museum of Art, Tex St
* SciPort
* Red River Waterway Center (across the lot from SciPort)
* Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
or
* Art and map projects to be given as gifts (photograph or scan and email the image to me)
* Practice yoga / read more about it; teach your friends and family. It is
an effective antidote for holiday stress.
See you Jan 7, terrific ones.
Shooting a photo essay or video or writing descriptive notes on sorties such as (worth indy points for next semester, too) -
* Meadows Museum, Centenary College (they close early; call before you go)
* MultiCultural Center of the South, Tex St
* Norton Art Foundation Gallery, South Highlands
* Artspace, 710 Texas (my wife, Talbot, and I have art in the current show, Deck the Halls)
* Southern Univ Museum of Art, Tex St
* SciPort
* Red River Waterway Center (across the lot from SciPort)
* Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
or
* Art and map projects to be given as gifts (photograph or scan and email the image to me)
* Practice yoga / read more about it; teach your friends and family. It is
an effective antidote for holiday stress.
See you Jan 7, terrific ones.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The arrival of winter: Dong Zhi
DONG ZHI£¨¶¬ÖÁ£©
Dong Zhi is the thanksgiving of the Chinese calendar. "Dong Zhi" literally means "arrival of winter". Coinciding with the winter solstice, it is an occasion for the family to get together to celebrate the good year they have had. Tang Yuan (ÌÀÔ²) is cooked and eaten to symbolise unity and harmony within the family. Dong Zhi occurs 6 weeks before Chinese New Year and would normally fall between 21st Dec and 23rd Dec.
ORIGIN
Winter solstice signifies the beginning of winter. The sun is at the Tropic of Capricorn and this results in the longest night of the year for those living in the northern hemisphere. The festival began as a farmer's festival to celebrate year-end harvest.
CELEBRATION
Dong Zhi is a time for family reunion. Tang Yuan, sweet soup of glutinuous rice flour balls, is indispensible during this festival. "Yuan" (literally meaning "round") signifies "yuan man" (complete / Ô²Âú ) and Tang Yuan means "tuan yuan" (family reunion / ÍÅÔ² ). Eating Tang Yuan is symbolic of family unity and family prosperity.
For good luck, families prefer to have some pink tang yuan to mix with the white ones.
Dong Zhi is the thanksgiving of the Chinese calendar. "Dong Zhi" literally means "arrival of winter". Coinciding with the winter solstice, it is an occasion for the family to get together to celebrate the good year they have had. Tang Yuan (ÌÀÔ²) is cooked and eaten to symbolise unity and harmony within the family. Dong Zhi occurs 6 weeks before Chinese New Year and would normally fall between 21st Dec and 23rd Dec.
ORIGIN
Winter solstice signifies the beginning of winter. The sun is at the Tropic of Capricorn and this results in the longest night of the year for those living in the northern hemisphere. The festival began as a farmer's festival to celebrate year-end harvest.
CELEBRATION
Dong Zhi is a time for family reunion. Tang Yuan, sweet soup of glutinuous rice flour balls, is indispensible during this festival. "Yuan" (literally meaning "round") signifies "yuan man" (complete / Ô²Âú ) and Tang Yuan means "tuan yuan" (family reunion / ÍÅÔ² ). Eating Tang Yuan is symbolic of family unity and family prosperity.
For good luck, families prefer to have some pink tang yuan to mix with the white ones.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Yay: students were issued new point sheets in geography classes today; exams begin Wed.
Point sheets and review: student work is certainly apparent this week.
Indy work will be accepted via email through Tuesday night / Wed morn.
See topics in the following post.
Exam:
1. Hand-sketched map (not an open-notes section) of the Mississippi Valley: 10 states and 4 principal cities, plus borders.
2. Multiple-choice, open notes test of 100 questions. See prior pages on web site for relevant old tests.
2. Brief essay of comparison on topic of student's choice. Notes may be prepared in advance.
Indy work will be accepted via email through Tuesday night / Wed morn.
See topics in the following post.
Exam:
1. Hand-sketched map (not an open-notes section) of the Mississippi Valley: 10 states and 4 principal cities, plus borders.
2. Multiple-choice, open notes test of 100 questions. See prior pages on web site for relevant old tests.
2. Brief essay of comparison on topic of student's choice. Notes may be prepared in advance.
Red River Waterway Visitor Center: compare the improved Red to the Erie
Find material at the RedRiverWaterway.com and compare the upgraded Red to the Erie Canal, especially during its heyday, the 1800's.
More topics for indy work:
DeWitt Clinton and Thomas Jefferson
Empire State Building and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles.
More topics for indy work:
DeWitt Clinton and Thomas Jefferson
Empire State Building and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles.
Carrying water jugs: typical daily work for most of the world
The world faces a massive crisis. About one fifth of our fellow human beings on Earth do not have daily, immediate access to the most basic of necessities: safe drinking water. Think about this for a moment, says the site Blue Planet Run.
Imagine if, instead of just going to a tap in your kitchen, or to a water cooler, anytime you were thirsty, you had to hoist a heavy vessel onto your head and walk, up to two hours, to a well, where, after filling your vessel—now really heavy—you had to carry it up to two more hours back home.
After your trek, how much more time and energy would you hope to have to farm, cook, take care of your family, especially the sick ones; clean, work to make money outside the home or go to school to get ahead?
This is the dilemma facing hundreds of millions of women and children in
Africa,
Afghanistan,
India and other parts of
Asia,
Central and
South America each day.
They live in communities where water is scarce or contaminated or both, and, 9 times out of 10, it is their responsibility to find a safe source, whatever the distance or terrain. They are among the 6,000 who die every 24 hours, because the need for safe drinking water outweighs adequate supply. But, with your help, they will see a way out of their cycle of poverty, disease and death.
People with waterborne illnesses occupy half of the world’s hospital beds. 2.2 million die each year.
Imagine if, instead of just going to a tap in your kitchen, or to a water cooler, anytime you were thirsty, you had to hoist a heavy vessel onto your head and walk, up to two hours, to a well, where, after filling your vessel—now really heavy—you had to carry it up to two more hours back home.
After your trek, how much more time and energy would you hope to have to farm, cook, take care of your family, especially the sick ones; clean, work to make money outside the home or go to school to get ahead?
This is the dilemma facing hundreds of millions of women and children in
Africa,
Afghanistan,
India and other parts of
Asia,
Central and
South America each day.
They live in communities where water is scarce or contaminated or both, and, 9 times out of 10, it is their responsibility to find a safe source, whatever the distance or terrain. They are among the 6,000 who die every 24 hours, because the need for safe drinking water outweighs adequate supply. But, with your help, they will see a way out of their cycle of poverty, disease and death.
People with waterborne illnesses occupy half of the world’s hospital beds. 2.2 million die each year.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Time for the the pilgrimage called the Hajj - millions journey to Mecca
Among many changes in Russia today is a growing acknowledgment of the power of Islam.
Says the NY Times of Russian Muslims in 2007, "Islam, like Orthodox Christianity, is in a state of revival here after years of confinement to the kitchens and basements of the Soviet Union, which severely restricted the open practice of all religions.
Russia has about 4,000 mosques now, compared with about 90 in the waning days of the Soviet Union. In Moscow, Muslim groceries and other stores selling Muslim fashions have appeared, and the first hospital catering to Muslims opened this month.
Fourteen million to 23 million Muslims live in this country of about 140 million people, making Islam the largest minority religion. They live mostly in the Caucasus and in two autonomous republics, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan; there are also about two million Muslims living in Moscow.
The Kremlin has worked to facilitate the pilgrimage, part of a strategy to ward off potential unrest among the country’s Muslims and monitor their activities, while also improving ties with Saudi Arabia, where Russia has budding economic interests. When President Vladimir V. Putin visited Saudi Arabia in February — the first Russian leader to do so in decades — his lobbying efforts helped persuade the Saudis to raise the quotas for Russian Muslims this year."
Some 26,000 Russian pilgrims will be allowed into Saudi Arabia for the Hajj this year.
Says the NY Times of Russian Muslims in 2007, "Islam, like Orthodox Christianity, is in a state of revival here after years of confinement to the kitchens and basements of the Soviet Union, which severely restricted the open practice of all religions.
Russia has about 4,000 mosques now, compared with about 90 in the waning days of the Soviet Union. In Moscow, Muslim groceries and other stores selling Muslim fashions have appeared, and the first hospital catering to Muslims opened this month.
Fourteen million to 23 million Muslims live in this country of about 140 million people, making Islam the largest minority religion. They live mostly in the Caucasus and in two autonomous republics, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan; there are also about two million Muslims living in Moscow.
The Kremlin has worked to facilitate the pilgrimage, part of a strategy to ward off potential unrest among the country’s Muslims and monitor their activities, while also improving ties with Saudi Arabia, where Russia has budding economic interests. When President Vladimir V. Putin visited Saudi Arabia in February — the first Russian leader to do so in decades — his lobbying efforts helped persuade the Saudis to raise the quotas for Russian Muslims this year."
Some 26,000 Russian pilgrims will be allowed into Saudi Arabia for the Hajj this year.
Week of Dec 17: Prep for semester exam / India reports / guideline review on comparison essays
Digital reports on topics regarding India, from the Taj Mahal to Bill Gates: please bring your report on India to class if you did not hand in your script when I gathered the written part of the report.
Students who submitted the written part on India received a 15. Those who submitted a note saying that the script was recorded or that the presentation was entirely on computer or flash drive, please bring it Tuesday so your points can be added.
A review of the Guidelines on comparison essays -
1. Snaqqy title
2. Explanatory subtitle
3. Colorful opening
4. "according to ... " / informal documentation in the first paragraph.
5. Blend topics in each paragraph; do not write a paragraph on one topic and follow it with another paragraph on the other topic.
6. Use details (numbers and examples, placed in parentheses) to bolster your generalities.
7. Proofread for grammar, awkward construction and spelling.
Students who submitted the written part on India received a 15. Those who submitted a note saying that the script was recorded or that the presentation was entirely on computer or flash drive, please bring it Tuesday so your points can be added.
A review of the Guidelines on comparison essays -
1. Snaqqy title
2. Explanatory subtitle
3. Colorful opening
4. "according to ... " / informal documentation in the first paragraph.
5. Blend topics in each paragraph; do not write a paragraph on one topic and follow it with another paragraph on the other topic.
6. Use details (numbers and examples, placed in parentheses) to bolster your generalities.
7. Proofread for grammar, awkward construction and spelling.
Friday, December 14, 2007
World's Tallest Buildings: Malaysia, China, US
Comparison of Al Hamra Tower with Some of World's Tallest Buildings
Originally uploaded by Thamerium
In 1996, as a response to the dispute as to whether the Petronas Towers or the Sears Tower was taller, buildings were ranked in four categories: height of structural or architectural top; height of highest occupied floor; height to the top of roof; height to top of any part of the building, says Wikipedia.
Currently Taipei 101 tops all categories except highest point, where the Sears Tower is highest.
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