Rachel Carson: A Sense of Wonder

Rachel Carson (Wikimedia Commons)

Rachel Carson is one of the most famous figures in the history of environmentalism in the United States.  In 1962, she published her most famous book, "Silent Spring," about the dangers of pesticides in the environment.  This Thursday, The Evergreen State College is presenting a play about the life of Rachel Carson, called "A Sense of Wonder."  It starts at 7 pm and will be staged in the Longhouse.  This will be an excellent opportunity to learn about an important and interesting woman.  More details can be found here.

Asia Capitals Quiz

Beijing, China;  Tokyo, Japan;  Seoul, South Korea;  Bangkok, Thailand;  Jakarta, Indonesia;  New Delhi, India;  Kabul, Afghanistan;  Tehran, Iran;  Baghdad, Iraq;  Jerusalem, Israel;  Damascus, Syria;  Ankara, Turkey.

Science Fiction Protagonist Description

Write a complete page about the protagonist of your Science Fiction Story.  Describe the character in as much detail as you can.  The description must be at least 2 paragraphs in length.  Include the following in your description:

Ø Name

Ø Age

Ø Appearance

Ø Family

Ø Residence

Ø Education

Ø Profession

Ø Personality

Ø Interests

Ø Skills

Ø Pertinent Backstory

The Protagonist Description is not the Science Fiction Story itself.  It is description of the character who be featured in your story.

NOVA Poetry Permformance at Olympia Timberland Library

NOVA poets will be performing at the downtown Olympia Timberland Library on Thursday, April 19, between 7:30 and 9:00 p.m.  All members of the community are invited to attend.  This is an excellent opportunity to hear poetry performed by current 7th and 8th graders.  More information here.  Show your support for the poets of NOVA!

Science Fiction Setting Descriptions

You will create a setting for a Science Fiction story you will write.

Part I: You need to envision a setting in one of the following Science Fiction subgenres:

Other Planets
Parallel Worlds
Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic
Dystopia
Techno-future
Space

First choose a specific location.  The location should be the primary location for your story.  Then choose a timeframe for your story.

Describe the environment of the setting in thorough detail.  If you were to travel through this environment, describe what you would see.  In describing the environment, include description of some of the following things:

inhabitants
vegetation
animal life
buildings and structures
cities
landscape
technology

Use colorful vocabulary in your descriptions.  "Paint a picture" for your reader.

Setting descriptions should be about a page.

Part II: You need to provide a backstory for how your setting got to the point you described above.  You are in essence writing a history for your world.  You will need to create events for your backstory.

Sounders Women Off To Great Start

Sydney Leroux scored three goals vs. Seattle University
(photo by Jane Gershovich, SoundersWomen.com)

Jayda Evans wrote a terrific article in The Seattle Times about Seattle Sounders Women's second match last night.  You should read it.  This was an exhibition match, and the support was amazing.  Sounders Women defeated Seattle University 5-0.  Women's soccer has found a home in Seattle.  The first regular season home match will be Thursday, May 31, vs. Colorado Rush at Starfire.  Go here for a complete schedule.  Go Sounders Women!

Read these books!

Cleo recently wrote three rave reviews that I wanted to point out to the readers of Gacekblog.  The first was for a dark fantasy with quirky characters.  The second was for a comic novel with a twist.  The most recent is for a science fiction with a splash of fantasy.  All three are available in the NOVA Library.  And keep reading Cleo's Blog to see what she reads next!

Quiz Bowl #4

6 questions total.  Questions 1-4 are General Round questions and will be only answered by students.  Questions 5-6 are Final Round questions and will be answered by students and teachers.  The two sets of questions should be printed separately and turned in on separate pieces of paper.

Regular Quiz Bowl rules apply: no multiple choice or true/false, and answer may not be a number or date.  Include answers with questions.

1.  Answer must be your assigned country in Geography.  Question should relate to geography or history of your country.

2.  Answer must be the name of a country covered by a classmate in their article presentation.  You must refer to your notes to find this question.

3.  Academic question from one of three categories: Science, Spanish, or Language Arts.  Question should cover something the class has learned.  For Language Arts, the answer must be the title of a Science Fiction book.

4.  Same as #3, but must cover a different subject.

5.  Question in your favorite trivia category.

6.  Question in a trivia completely different from #1-5.

Geo Quizzes: Countries of Asia

Middle East: Cyprus, Israel, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

South and Southeast Asia: India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam.

East and Central Asia: China, Mongolia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan.

Science Fiction Film Festival

April 19-May 2 the Seattle Cinerama will be hosting the first Science Fiction Film Festival.  The lineup of films is most impressive: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Brazil, War of the Worlds, A Clockwork Orange, Dune, The Road Warrior, E.T., The Terminator, and many more.  All films will be shown on the giant Cinerama screen on 35 mm, or in some cases 70 mm.  This is the way these films were meant to be seen.  This festival exists because Paul Allen owns Cinerama and loves science fiction.  Thanks, Paul Allen!

And the poster does say First "Annual" Science Fiction Film Festival.  My guess is that they're saving Blade Runner, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and The Day The Earth Stood Still for next year.

More info here.

The Best Team in MLS Thus Far is Sporting Kansas City

SKC is now 5-0-0 after beating L.A. Galaxy 1-0 at home on Saturday in front of
20,323 fans. Check out Kei Kamara's game-winning goal and the subsequent celebration:



Here is some background, from ESPN, on Kei Kamara, who was born in Sierra Leone:



The Sounders, meanwhile, have looked mediocre their past two games, losing to San Jose at home, and tying D.C. United on the road. They are scoreless their past two games. The team sorely misses Mauro Rosales, who may be able to return Saturday vs. Colorado.

Thanks to Joshua Mayers for pointing out the links.

Sounders U-23 vs. Timbers U-23 at Tumwater High School

The match will be Saturday, June 2, at 6 pm.  Sounders U-23 play in the Premier Develoment League (PDL), which is the top amateur soccer league in the U.S.  Brad Evans, Brian Ching, Herculez Gomes, and Darlington Nagbe are just a few of the players who graduated from the PDL to play in MLS.  The match will be extra fun as it comes against the Timbers.  Yes, the rivalry exists at the PDL level as well.  Get there early, as fans from the Rose City will be making the trek northward.  Tickets are $10.  More info here.  Go Sounders U-23!