4/5 golgotha

No, that is not a Japanese sea monster.

Golgotha is the place where Christ was crucified, the event in commemoration of which there is no school tomorrow. (I know: technically it is simply a "day of non-attendance," but we all know better, don't we?) I bring up Golgotha, though, not merely because of that, but because of the fact that, in two sections of honors juniors, only one single student knew what it was!

Now I am not a religious person, but I do think that if one calls oneself "Christian" one ought to know a few basic facts about one's religion, including the place where that cross you wear around your neck was originally planted. What else don't you know about Good Friday? Do you know how many hours Jesus hung on that cross? Do you know who were there as witnesses? Who took the body down? Do you know about the two thieves? Do you know what "eli, eli, lema sabachthani" means and who said it? Do you know who pronounced the sentence that he be crucified in the first place?

What do you know about Easter? I won't even bother with the Bible here. Here's a good one: do you know why it is celebrated on the date on which it is celebrated? I mean, it is not, like Christmas, celebrated on a fixed date, so how is the date chosen each year? And just what is the deal with the egg-bearing bunny anyway?

Those are all just off the top of my head. So are the answers. And I'm not religious. It seems to me that, if you are, you should be able to answer them too.

E3H:  We have entered 11th Century Scotland. There are witches. There's a civil war that has just been squashed. There's a thane who has turned traitor. And there are two pretty darned spectacular generals, one of whom is somehow connected to the aforementioned witches. Something is amiss here. Read the rest of Act One for Monday.

Film: We discussed Sound in film. I showed a few videos, the last of which dealt with sound design in the film "Apocalypse Now," which is a movie we'll be watching next week. Film review due on Monday.

E2CP: We were in the lab today, and some of you were even working. No matter: the portfolio is due in 25 days for all of you, whether you use your time wisely or not. We have another WW on Monday.

WORD OF THE DAY*:       PROSAIC
* Click word for information.


Tony Orlando and Dawn (who sang "Candida," one of today's songs), had a giant hit in 1973 with a song called "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree," about a man coming home from prison who has asked his love to, well, do just that if she still wants him. Eight years later, when Americans were held hostage in Iran, yellow ribbons popped up on trees across the country and this song became a sort of anthem. Since then, the yellow ribbon has become associated with support for soldiers away from home.





AND, JUST BECAUSE...





Have a great weekend!