Destiny & Free Will, #2 [Period 1, Monday, July 21]

[atreideslioness]

"Today, children, we discuss semantics," Ghanima said briskly from her seat on her desk.  "Although the words are used interchangeably in many cases, fate and destiny can be, and should be, distinguished."  She smiled, kicking her heels slightly.  "Don't groan at me.  Semantics are your friends, I promise.  When you know a word, inside and out, it becomes more than a word.  It's a friend, a weapon, and a great source of fun at the expense of other people."

( 'Fate is not the ruler, but the servant of Providence.' -- Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton )

"So, let's chat."  She set the chalk down and leaned against the wall to watch them.  "Semantics and harbingers of fate.  I'm curious to hear what you think."

[Please wait for the OCD is now up.  Have fun!]

Karaoke For Fun And Profit #3 [Monday, Period 4, 7/14]

[mike-cannon.livejournal.com]

Mike was feeling a bit nostalgic today, so he reset the Danger Room simulation to the familiar Club Mystique at the original Montecito casino, as it had looked during the Las Vegas Centennial. "A few years ago, my aunt Gladys Knight performed in Las Vegas to celebrate the city's 100th birthday, and I had the honor of being a member of her back-up group," said Mike. "Now, I couldn't get Aunt Gladys out here today, but I thought we'd talk about a musical genre that is near and dear to my heart: R&B. Like most major music genres, you'll get different sub-sets such as contemporary R&B, soul, funk, and even reggae." As he spoke, Mike passed out a few song catalogs for the students to look through.

"As karaoke singers, the type of R&B songs you'll hear most often are either the Motown classics, which includes hits from the '50s and '60s, or contemporary, which includes R&B hits after the end of the disco era. Today, your task is to perform a song from somewhere in the R&B spectrum. As for myself, I'm going to do one my favorite Gladys Knight song, 'You're The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me.'"

[Please wait for the OCD is up!]