Shop Class; Tuesday, Fourth Period [01/16].

[special_rabbit]

"Afternoon, everyone," Amaya greeted cheerfully from the front of the class again that week, "and I hope you're ready to get right back into it, because we're going to be learning some pretty important stuff that'll become useful all throughout the class these next few lessons, so pay attention and be attentive, because we're working with real equipment that can cause some real trouble, and I've said it before and I'll say it again, but I've yet to send someone to the clinic, and I don't want that to start now."

Yes, those numbers were a bit padded by the fact that most of the injuries sustained in class had been done so by a Muppet, but she had Graham in her class before, too, so she felt that sort of balanced it out somehow.

"That said, today's going to be all about wood! Now, wood is not my preferred medium; it's with metal that I really shine, but I've been doing this long enough and wood is a common enough element in my bread and butter that I can still share a thing or two about it! So, what we'll do today is go over different types of wood you might work with and what kind of projects they're best suited for, as well as some common techniques and tips in wood working. Once we've got that out of the way, it's on to talking about the variety of different saws available in the shop and how to use them, although we will be focused on particular with a hand saw, the jigsaw, and the circular table saw. Which is a lot, but it's important, and important thing to remember when it comes to building anything is that a solid foundation is the way to go, and you'll never regret taking the time to really work out the finer details before really getting into the fun stuff.

"So, now, to begin with our materials...."

In the Cupcake of Good and Evil, Tuesday 2nd Period [1/16]

[stykera]

"We are," said Summer, once it was time to get the class started, "pretty much in the smack dab dead of winter now, which means it is cold and it is gloomy and that means it's a good time to add a little spice to things to help keep you warm through the chilliest of months. Now, I know what you're thinking. Spice? In cupcakes? And chili spice, not pumpkin spice?"

“It’s not all horrifying, I promise,” Stark said quickly. “Spicy with chocolate can be very good.” Even if he was worried about someone encouraging ghost pepper frosting or something equally terrible. “And spicy things can be good when it’s so cold out.” Yes, he was taking the recent weather as a personal attack.

"Balancing spicy and sweet has definitely gained a lot of popularity in the culinary world, and there are some pretty good examples of it working well. For example, you might be willing to give these double chocolate cupcakes with a chili cream cheese frosting. It's a way to sort of cut the bite of the chili while still giving it a fun kick!"

“See,” Stark said, “chocolate and spice is good. Other things…may not be.” He looked over at Summer expectantly. “Or definitely aren’t good?”

"Meanwhile," Summer continued, just g r i n n i n g as she gestured to the other cupcake in front of her, "this one? Not so much. I decided, for this one, to go with a pistachio cupcake, stuffed it with jalapenos, and topped it off with a salsa verde frosting with a nice sprig of cilantro for garnish!"

“Frosting,” Stark said with a sigh, “is not meant to be made of green tomatoes, Summer.” At least, being an alien, he didn’t have to worry about having the gene that made cilantro taste of soap.

"But look how cute it is! Which just goes to show you, just because something is cute does not mean it's not terrible, so there's your real lesson on the day!"

Once more, Summer gestured, this time toward one of the tables that had several baskets on it, all of them containing a wide variety of peppers, with little paper signs accompanying each with the name of the pepper and a little heat scale for each one, "we have a wide selection of peppers for you to try and incorporate into your cupcakes today. Will you choose a path of good? Or will you descend into evil? Let's find out!"

“Try not to be too evil.” Stark was resigned to his fate when it came to Summer’s creations but the rest of you could pleasantly surprise him. Especially you, Anakin.

Diplomacy, Relationships & Tactics: the Art of War [Tuesday, Period 1]

[atreideslioness]

Today when the students arrived, they'd find Ghanima sitting on her desk with Trebor napping in his forcefield-enclosed playpen, and in the center of the room was a pile of small red books, one for each student to take and keep.

"Good morning," Ghanima said once the majority of the class seemed to be settled. "Welcome back, I'm glad to see I did not frighten any of you off. Today we are starting with the first chapter, 'Laying Plans.'"

"War." Ghanima surveyed them sharply, making sure she had everyone's full attention. "The term calls to mind battlefields and generals. The most successful battles, however, are not fought with soldiers, but behind closed doors with words. They are the battles you never hear about, because there is no glory to them."

"There is the war of the sexes, the war between companies and corporations, economic wars, ideological wars, political wars, and wars between the social classes, all of which tend to start on a more basic level, and escalate to the stereotype. Whether you are wooing a romantic partner or a business rival, or meeting an enemy with your weapon drawn, the same principals hold true."

"The Art of War." Picking up a well-loved, clearly personal copy of the red book from her desk, Ghanima flipped it open to her marked page and began reading. "The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining the field. These are: One - The Moral Law. Two - Heaven. Three - Earth. Four - The Commander. Five - Method and Discipline." She snapped the book shut and placed it beside her.

"The Moral Law," she announced, hopping off her desk, "causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger."

"Heaven and Earth are metaphors for the conditions you face, which is slightly more applicable to physical confrontations. However, if you view each type of terrain as a mental condition, you will have a large advantage over your opponent," Ghanima said briskly as she walked through the rows, hands gesturing as she spoke. "Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons, whereas Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death."

"The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness."

"By method and discipline, it is to be understood that it means the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure."

"These five heads should be familiar to every general," she recited, eyes glowing bright for a moment. "He who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not will fail."

"Now, when you take these five factors, you must decide how to apply them. Luckily for us, Sun Tzu provided seven ways you can weigh them before making your decision."

"First, which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral law? Who has the army and the populace behind them? Because without the support of your people, you cannot win." Ghanima turned to face all of them as she leaned against a wall. "I cannot stress that point enough. Even if it is simply your friends, or the other members of your company, you will win nothing without the support of your 'troops', if you will."

"Which, is actually why this book was written. The military was facing the problem that their commanders were all poetry majors or nepotism hires, and thus, did not understand things such as 'you need to feed a horse or it cannot go,' or, 'if your people hate you, you will die." She smiled slightly. "There's a reason why capitalist CEOs like it so much... it makes them feel smart, and teaches them actual skills that they do not actually have -- not that they realize it -- and it helps them succeed."

"The other factors to weigh are more basic and less subjective; which of the two generals has most ability? With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven and Earth? On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced? Which army is stronger? On which side are officers and men more highly trained? In which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment?"

"Now, I'd like us to discuss which of the five constant factors you feel to be the most important, and why."