Olympics: The Humanities Edition

ARE. YOU. READYYYYYYY?!? Get out your togas, because the Olympics are here! This project  has been one of the longest-running in Humanities (since I was a student, actually), and one of the most fun things we do in class. Today we introduced the project and got you into your civilizations for competition. If you weren't here today, make sure to get with your teacher so we can figure out what events you will be competing in! Let the games begin!!

Unfortunately the Queen will not be attending our Humanities Olympics with her face of disdain.

This weekend is Halloween weekend...what's everyone dressing up as? Not only can you get your candy and costume on, but maybe you can knock out a Humanities Experience as well. Here are some ideas in the DFW world this weekend:

• The Music Hall at Fair Park has the concert of all concerts: the Dallas POPS' Pokemon: Symphonic Evolution. Sadly, tickets cost around $25, so it's not the cheapest, but Pokemon. (I'm saying this because I feel like this makes some of you excited, not from personal enjoyment). 
• Also, speaking of orchestra performances, the Dallas Symphony is doing Disney's Fantasia live in concert at the Meyerson. Who doesn't love Disney?
• Check out the Kimbell Art Museum's Monet exhibit. 
• Also if you're feeling like driving to Fort Worth, the Modern Art Museum is broadcasting a theater performance of Frankenstein. Benedict Cumberbatch is in it, just saying.

Or if you just want to enjoy the Halloween spirit, here's a list of my personal favorite Halloween (school appropriate) movies to watch while you gorge yourself on overpriced Halloween candy!

Dory is all of us.

• Hocus Pocus
• The Addams Family
• The Nightmare before Christmas
• Or just do what works for every holiday...watch Harry Potter!

Have an AMAZING Halloween weekend friends! See you on Monday for some Halloween fun in class!

So we're all prisoners in a cave?!

Woah, so everything we perceive is a shadow of what is real?! Brain. hurting. Today in class we discussed Plato's "Allegory of the Cave", a smaller piece of his work The Republic. Plato explains that in life, our senses can distort our knowledge of what is reality and the only way to understand what is true and good, we must use philosophical reason and education. He explains his Theory of Forms; when we truly understand the Forms, we can truly understand reality and have true understanding.

Here's a helpful diagram of what Plato outlines in the cave

How did Medieval knights get into the cave?

In case you're still confused on "The Allegory of the Cave", here's a video from the YouTube to help:

Because it's the middle of the week and sometimes I think we get too bogged down with difficult current events around the world or election tensions or hard news, I wanted to spread some cheer from around the world. Here are a couple of news stories about people showing tangible love or kindness...

• Stanton showed me this article...andddd then I cried in the middle of third period. 
• I WANT THIS JOB. Hugs are good, people!
• This little boy had his mom pack two lunches for him every day, one for him and one for his friend. 
• This man smuggles toys into Syria to give to refugee children. 
• The Gilmore Girls trailer is HERE! (I know this isn't news, but it makes me happy).

Hope you have a great Wednesday! Spirit day tomorrow, so get ready for pep rallies and football games! 

I need a SPA day

Today in class, we began our study of Greek philosophy with a quick coverage of our philosopher trio extraordinaire, otherwise known as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Class doesn't allow us time to give these three men the justice they deserve, but if you really love philosophy after the next three days, consider taking a class in college!

Just a couple of important points about each of these three gentlemen...

• Socrates: Most of what we know about Socrates is from his followers, especially Plato, but he is one of the most important Western philosophers of all time. He's especially known for his "Socratic method", where he would walk around the agora (or marketplace) and ask deep questions of those who would speak to him. Sounds like my kind of guy. Socrates stressed  the importance of reflecting on what we believe; in fact, he's famously quoted as saying "the unexamined life is not worth living". 
• Plato: Plato, who you should be familiar with now after reading "The Allegory of the Cave", gives us many famous works that have forever influenced Western philosophy. The Republic is where we pull "The Allegory" from and details Plato's concept of a philosopher-king, which will give us true and just government. He also explains with the Theory of Forms, which we will dive into tomorrow as we discuss "The Allegory" in depth. 
• Aristotle: The last of our philosophers, born fifteen years after Socrates died, broke from the dualism of Socrates and Plato's theory of forms. Aristotle is deemed the father of logic and stressed what we know as the scientific method. He was BIG into reason and is actually sometimes dubbed "The Philosopher" because of his immense influence. 

Tomorrow your religions chart is due, so make sure to wrap that up tonight...hopefully you don't have too much more to go!

Today, I send you off with some fall music. Here are two songs that I love immensely and that I associate with curling up in a nice cozy sweater with a piping cup of coffee (and yes, I'm aware how much of a stereotype I sound like right now. Also, sorry Mr. Stanton for stealing your music theme).

Sad but true.

This is Bon Iver's "8 (circle)" off his newest album that was just released in September. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver writes lyrics that are incredibly complex, so if the words to this song are confusing, it's A-okay! The melody makes me think of autumn.

Song number two comes from the duo Hamilton Leithauser+Rostam, which combines two members of  middle-school Virdin's favorite bands, Hamilton Leithauser of The Walkmen and Rostam Batmanglij (try saying that name three times fast) of Vampire Weekend. 

Now let their melodies carry you into your "soothing" studying for Tuesday! Have an AWESOME day. 

Monday Funday

Happy Monday Humanitarians! Hope your weekend was fabulous! Did you get outside and absorb all of the beautiful fall weather?!?

Today was a relaxing and slow for a Monday. It was kind of nice to start off the week and ease back into responsibilities. Freshmen, we hope you used your time well in class and knocked out some assignments. Sophomores, thanks for surveying! Everyone, tomorrow you have a CE, and Allegory of the Cave should be read. Get ready for all the philosophy you can handle!

So much sass in one furry face.

Since there isn't a ton going on that's class related...I can put up whatever I want! SO MUCH POWER. Here are some distracting links from the internet for those of y'all who actually finished your philosophy reading for tomorrow:

• Guys, Snoop Dog and Martha Stewart, goddess of the kitchen, are doing a cooking show together?!
• My heart is exploding with the cuteness! Watch this four year old slay Juju on that Beat.
• THIS DOG THINKS HE'S A BOBBLEHEAD.
• Need a last minute halloween costume? Check out here or get inspired by the coolest baby ever  (really coolest mom ever because her mother is a genius).

My book of the week is a tear-jerker, so prepare yourselves. Entitled A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, this memoir details the story of a college student who loses his parents to cancer and adopts his elementary aged brother in the span of a little over a month. Don't read this unless you are okay with crying...a lot. I've just started it, but it's already incredible and heart-warming. 

Hope the rest of your Monday is wonderful! Enjoy the sunshine :)

Hi, my name is Hector, and I want to be your friend.

Ooooo... fancy. 

Poor, poor, sad Hector

Admit it. You shed a tear for Hector when he died. He's just trying to do the right thing, and mean old Achilles goes and kills. AND, drags his body all over the place. What's up with that? 

Not cool, dude.

Deep thought inspired by Ancient Greek literature:

Great literature is all about being human

We hope you enjoyed our conversations in class today. We all felt like your questions were great, and the resulting discussions were really rich and enjoyable. This is what great literature can do. It can inspire us and remind us what being is all about. Your life may not involve deadly battle son the plains outside of mighty Greek city-states, but I imagine it sure feels like a battle on most days. It is pretty darn remarkable that a story written almost 3000 years ago can still resonate with us today. Also, there's this:

It's sad how true this really is.

Soundtrack of the Week:

Story song week continues - what did you think of Slick Rick? Good, good stuff, eh? If you liked that, check out some of the collaborations he did with Doug E. Fresh. 

Today, we'll switch gears again, and jump over to some introspective folk-rock. I know that John Mayer catches a lot of flack, and that most of it is probably justified. But, if you look past that stuff he is a gifted musician with pretty strong songwriting chops. Here is a whimsical little song from his Born and Raised album. It has a little Beatles vibe to it, but with some nice 70's era soft rock touches. It is also a lovely story about following your restless heart. This is "Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967." Enjoy. 

PSAT + CoGAT = FUN!

Please tell me someone actually did this. 

How'd your morning go? 

Did you enjoy your test taking experience? C'mon! That's a good time right there. There's nothing like four hours of your life just... poof! Gone instantly. Four hours closer to your inevitable death, and all you've got to show for it is some sad reading comprehension passages and weird questions about unfolding paper diagrams. Ain't life grand? 

Don't look too hard... 

Our tour of Greece rolls on

Be sure to pack your gyros and tzatziki. 

Do you even understand how good these are? I'm literally drooling on my keyboard. 

Hopefully, you wrapped up talking about Greek sculpture today... or, you have Stanton, and you came pretty close. We'll revisit this stuff a little bit when you get to Rome because they are really good at borrowing stuff from people they take over. Rome is practically built on the motto "why reinvent the wheel."

Keep in mind, however, as we move into other forms of expression from ancient Greece that their values remain intact. How do you see this belief in human potential made manifest in their other art forms? This is a central question we'll be discussing in class.

For tomorrow, don't forget your literature reading from The Iliad as well as your second CE of the new grading period.

Soundtrack of the Week
Story song week continues...
We're really switching gears with today's selection. Yesterday we listened to a modern era sea-shanty done by one of the most popular indie groups out of the hipster Mecca of Portland.
Today, however, we're going to the Bronx in New York City and a super star of early hip-hop. Slick Rick is one of my favorite old school hip-hop artists. I used to listen to him back in 1988 while I was a junior at PSHS. He is renowned for his smooth delivery and a more mellow tone to his rhymes. This is one of his biggest hits. From 1988, here's Slick Rick with "Children's Story." Enjoy.

Again with the nude Greek People?

Whoa mama! Really dropped the ball on this whole blog thing!

Okay, so I kinda have been like the worst blogger EVER. Right? 

He's totally talking to me. 

I would try to blame some sort of nefarious outside force, but that would just be bold faced lies. I was supposed to write the blog last week, but we had a short week AND I left. Then, I said I'd do it this week and forgot to write it yesterday! What's up with that? 

True. 

Well, I am terribly sorry and deserve a public flogging. 

Greece is the word, it's got groove, it's got feeling...

That joke/allusion probably just flew right over your head. But, for all you musical theater fans out there, that was comedy gold!

We hope that you're enjoying our rampage through the ancient Mediterranean. Pound for pound, I don't think you can do better than the Greeks. I just feel like they really got the human condition in a way that others won't understand for a LONG time. 

Oh wow... this one hits a little close to home, eh? 

All those statues mean something right? 

Remember, remember, remember, art shows us what a civilization aspires to! We spent time yesterday and today talking about some of the core ideas that informed the Greek way of life. We did this so we can better understand what they created the art they did. We're beginning with sculpture, but this doesn't change with other forms of creative expression. Music, theater, literature, philosophy... they all revolve around this idea of the supremacy of human ability. 

Regina George would make a perfect Greek monster.

Tomorrow we'll finish up talking about those statues after your fun with standardized testing! 

Have fun sophomores.

Soundtrack of the week

I thought we'd have a little fun this week with our soundtrack. I am especially fond of story songs. I am sure you can figure this out on your own, but these are songs that tell an actual narrative story. They are actually one of America's oldest and most beloved forms of songwriting dating back to the pre-colonial days. 

Let's begin with one of my absolute all time favorites. One of my favorite bands on the planet is The Decemberists. They are out of Portland, and they are magical. They work in lots of different styles of music, but hey have a real knack for story songs. But, their most well known of these is The Mariner's Revenge. You must put on your bucket list seeing this performed live in full concert. It involves audience participation complete with props. This is an especially lovely video of them performing it live. Enjoy.

Donde esta Senor Stanton?

So...this was Mr. Stanton's week on the blog, but he basically didn't write anything for two days and then disappeared.

Here is a recap of what happened in class today:

• Epic Projects: We received your projects! Thank you to those of y'all that paced yourselves (since this was assigned like a month ago), followed instructions, and had something beautiful and creative ready to go.  Those of y'all that were unable to get a project into us need to turn something in tomorrow for a 15 point deduction! A maximum of an 85 is always better than a 0.  Hopefully we're learning more about the downside of procrastination.
• Humanities Textbooks: We issued textbooks to students in class today.  Our first reading assignment (pages 33-37) is due next Tuesday, October 17.  There are terms on the study guide that correspond with this. For those of y'all that were not issued a textbook, the reading has since been uploaded to the website.  
• Religions Rap: We wrapped up (pun intended) our coverage of the eastern religions and philosophies with some sick rhymes.  Here are some my faves:
• There once was a guy who sat under a tree, his only intention was to be free, then one day he found the way, to Enlightenment without horseplay
• Hindus believe in a large cosmic order, They hoped that their path to moksha was shorter
• Confucianism *uh* it's so real, Ain't no punishment that's our appeal, We real frugal, we real thrifty, The Analects, now that's pretty nifty 

Have a great evening, folks! 

- Siddiqui 

I'd like a tall chai tea...I mean...tai chi

"The highest motive is to be like water
water is essential to all life,
yet it does not demand a fee
or proclaim its importance.
Rather, it flows humbly to the lowest level,
and in so doing it is much like Tao." - from the Tao te Ching

Today we practiced some Tai Chi in class (see image of Ms. Virdin to the left).  Tai Chi is meant to be a source of relaxation, reduces ailments such as headaches, insomnia, and even anxiety, and enhances brain development.  The inspiration for Tai Chi comes from the writings of Laozi, the principle founder of Daoism (or Taoism). So at the very least, we hope that you found some inner peace and relaxation on this gloomy Friday before our long weekend!

Want to continue practicing on your own? Try these breathing exercises:

We hope that in addition to enjoying your Monday off, that you all remember to bring in Humanities Experiences and your Banned Books writing to class on Tuesday! Be sure to check out the blog entry from Wednesday for some Humanities Experience ideas.

Some Internet funnies for the weekend:

Seriously pennies, nobody wants you

Bored this weekend? Need a break from all of your school work? Try one of the following:

• Look at pics of sweet facial hair
• Watch a webcam feed of the Statue of Liberty (btw. nothing really happens)
• Create your own superhero
• Practice your typing speed (I type 85 words per minute...but I kept messing up) 
• Check out random places from Google Maps you may have never been to before

Have a wonderful weekend, folks! I'll leave you with this:

Every Other Freckle by Alt-J

- Siddiqui

Buddha, Buddha, Buddha, Buddha Rockin' Everywhere

Today in class we concluded the last of the CEs for the nine-weeks.  We will have those grades updated as soon as possible, which means your last remaining major grade for the nine-weeks will be your Epics project.

This Buddha's really rockin'

In addition to hopefully clearing up a few things on Buddhism, we briefly discussed the diffusion of the religion.  While the Classical Age ups the ante on exchange from the Ancient time period, interaction was still fairly limited.  Any interactions occurred along trade routes such as the Silk Roads, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean. Buddhism managed to spread along the Silk Roads, spreading from modern day Afghanistan to Japan, much like Christianity will spread along the Mediterranean Sea.  Both religions will be challenged by existing ideas, such as Confucianism in Han China and the traditional beliefs of the Romans, respectively.

The image on the left is of one of the famous Buddhas of Bamiyan from Afghanistan that were unfortunately destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. We'll look at Hindu and Buddhist art in greater detail next week.

Now let's look at some famous Buddhists:

• Richard Gere
• Jennifer Aniston
• Jet Li
• George Lucas (see image below for proof)
• David Bowie :( 

Star Wars is totally a metaphor for Buddhism

Below you'll find a short video on Buddhism from a series on YouTube I like a lot.

As we continue to collect and record grades, please note that there's still time to change your grade - make use of our extra credit Humanities Experience assignment (see yesterday's blog entry for ideas and the website for instructions) and bring your A game with the project next week.

Here's your Throwback Thursday moment (if I'm not at school tomorrow it's because my sister found out I posted this on the Internet): 

My sister and me (I'm the one smiling)

Happy Thursday, folks! Here's your song for the evening:

Do You by Spoon

- Siddiqui

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit

OMG HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. STANTON!

History is colored with societies, institutions, and people banning books.  Brave New World, Slaughterhouse-Five, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Animal Farm, The Hobbit (hence the title of the post), and even the Harry Potter series.  So to commemorate these stories belatedly after Banned Books Week, we've asked you to do some creative writing using the first line of some of the greats.  In class today you were randomly assigned an opening line from a banned book and asked to write a short 150-word story.  If you were absent today because of the pep rally, Spanish guest speakers, or something else, the instructions have been uploaded to the website, "Banned Books - First Lines" (check out the last slide).   Your completed story may be typed and is due next Tuesday, October 11.

A couple of other things to keep in mind:

• CE#12 tomorrow for those of y'all that need it
• Words for Nerds finally due tomorrow
• Your Literature textbook reading over the Mahabharata is due WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12 (there is an error on your class calendar; the PSAT/CogAt is October 19)
• Epics projects due Thursday, October 13

Some of you seem to be in need of a Humanities Experience! Below you'll find some ideas:

• Regarding our annual tradition of accepting Hitchcocktober at the Angelika Film Centers, the Plano location is playing The Birds on Thursday, October 6 (trailer below).  Please be sure to save your ticket as proof of attendance! And don't forget - you can only use one Hitchcock film. 
• See a performance of the Russian ballet, The Sleeping Beauty at the Eisemann Center
• Check out a recreation of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel at the Women's Museum while you're at the State Fair eating twice your weight in fried food
• Watch a comical performance of Dracula - The Melodrama at The Pocket Sandwich Theater (where you can throw popcorn at the actors)
• Watch a performance of Shakespeare The Tempest at Shakespeare in the Park in Addison

Trailer for 1963's The Birds

And of course there's tons of things going on this long weekend that wouldn't be Humanities Experiences, but would be fun nonetheless - Young the Giant at the South Side Ballroom (one of my favorite concert venues) or M83 at the House of Blues (another one of my favorite concert venues), showings of Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands (one of my favorite movies starring one of my favorite actors) at the Studio Movie Grill, or I guess you could go to a haunted house, but that's not my thing, especially with clowns out.  Stupid clowns. Go back whence you came from! D:

And now for some Internet funnies.

No wonder Sammy wants to cuddle all the time

We know you're never like this

I.want.all.the.baby.pandas

Truth.

Aren't we all Titus Andronicus? 

- Siddiqui

To YOLO or not...that is the question

Guess who's back...back again? Siddiqui's back...tell a friend! I apologize for the lack of entry yesterday, but I'm here today!

So a lot happened in class today. Just to recap in list form, because lists are the best:

• We made a few modifications to your new reading out of the Literature textbook (also scanned and uploaded to the website) over the Mahabharata.  The pages, which were printed incorrectly on your calendar, should read "563-570" and are now due Thursday, October 13.  This is the same day your projects are due, so plan accordingly!
• CE #11! Just one more left. If you don't see a 100 under CE by tomorrow, bring your A game for the last question this Thursday.
• We ended up taking a reading check over your WHAP reading...if you missed class today you'll need to schedule time with your teacher to make that up.
• We concluded class by looking at some sources on Hinduism (online for your convenience).  These visuals and passages of texts were aimed to help your understanding of the religion and also to make note of commonalities we'll see with other religions (prayer, meditation, religious architecture, pilgrimages, etc.)

We'll dig a little deeper into Buddhism on Thursday, but in the mean time, here are some sayings to reflect on (because Buddha is DEEP):

You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger. 

The mind is everything.  What you think you become. 

It is better to travel well than to arrive. 

I told some of my classes about a Kleenex commercial that reminded me of the values of Jainism:

Hey, guess what? Words for Nerds is due this Thursday! You've got two more days left to come up with some highbrowed definitions. Hopefully this assignment hasn't caused you any vexation. Maybe you're a factotum who excels in many areas and this comes fairly easy to you. But if you waited too long, this might have caused a kerfuffle in your schedule for the week. Either way, we hope that this is a serendipitous pursuit for everyone. 

I'm going to see Band of Horses tonight so I thought I'd leave you all with this:

- Siddiqui