HS Comments on the Fly

The big news is that some notes were found that indicate that Lisa, wife of Francesco del Giocondo of Florence, Italy, was the subject of one of da Vinci’s paintings.

The basics are that an acquaintance of da Vinci scribbled some notes in the margin of a book about who was being painted. This book is in Heidelberg, Germany, and has been examined by experts who say that the margin notes verify that Mona Lisa is Lisa, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, merchant.

So it looks like E. L. Konigsburg made a pretty good guess way back in 1975 when he/she wrote The Second Mrs. Giaconda. The spelling may be a little different, but that’s to be expected in Italian. But if you’re interested in this famous woman, don’t read this book because it’s about da Vinci, his apprentice, and a lady from Ferrara, Italy. Mona Lisa doesn’t show up until the very end of the book. I liked the book — it made me crave anise cookies — but waiting for Mrs. Giaconda to show up gave me gray hair. Lovely book. Stupid title. And now I have to use Miss Clairol.

Hey, News Flash! I have an older paperback version of the book and the title is The Second Mrs. Giaconda, with an “A.” The newer version has a different spelling and is titled The Second Mrs. Gioconda, with an “O.” Interesting, no?

I do not have to nag my daughter to practice her piano. I never have. Amazing*, but true!

She wanted to take lessons for a long time, but we put her off for all the usual reasons. Finally when she did get lessons, she was so happy that she just has not had a problem getting practice in. Maybe a lot of kids are like this. Maybe she has an inspiring teacher. Maybe … anything. It is all just so Alfie Kohn-esque. Yes, I read his book PBR back in ‘94/’95. I can’t say I agree with it all, but I still remember, albeit vaguely, the story of the child and violin lessons. So, the reward, for my daughter, I presume, is in the playing of the piano. I don’t have to bribe her to play. And I also don’t have to nag. It’s been her choice all the way, which is a relief to me.

I have, however, bribed/rewarded my children. Used consciously (with a little thought) rewarding children seems harmless and sometimes beneficial. So I don’t think that people are “punished by rewards” in every instance. I do think that piano playing could be damaged that way though.

For us, it worked well to give the kids a 50-cent credit every time they read a chapter book. When they saved up enough credits, we’d go to the bookstore and they could pick out one educational book. I didn’t care if it was literature or non-fiction or activity. It just had to have the essence of “education.” The 50 cents wasn’t enough of a carrot to make them read non-stop like crazed bibliophiles, so it really didn’t change their everyday behavior. But it was a sweet little bonus that they appreciated and anticipated. Plus, by making the reward a book, I think I was helping to show that learning was the ultimate reward of reading. Maybe. I hope that makes sense. I suppose I’d have to increase it to $1 these days, though.

Threats of bad grades never worked around here. My unthinking comments came out, “If you aren’t careful, you’ll get an F.” I was always caught unaware when I got a blank stare as a response to my comment. It’s a weird thing, to me, to not be motivated by getting an A or an F. It’s what I was taught by the classroom schools I attended. But grades were not motivational in our homeschool, which I think was a good thing, because I do believe in learning for the sake of learning.

Anyway, this was my daughter’s recent recital piece. See the pic? A little dark, huh? That’s too bad because on the cover is a neat painting of “Festivity given to the Sultan’s wife in the Seraglio,” which doesn’t seem to be showing up any where else online so I can’t link it. She played one of Mozart’s Sonatas. Okay, for the musical readers, it’s Sonata in A Major, K. 331 for the piano by Mozart with a whole bunch of notes/comments which are edited by Maurice Hinson. She played it well. She didn’t, however, dress up like homeschooler Lauren, whose mom blogs, did for her recital in an exquisite blue dress. Wow! Go and see for yourself. Regrettably, I lost all the stuff off of my camera that I took at my daughter’s recital. ::kicking self::

*Maybe no one ever nags their kids to practice, but somewhere I got the idea that nagging occurs all too often.

It took us 12 hours to read aloud The Lost Painting. I am pretty sure that is correct because I have a little form that I use as a bookmark that I note times, dates, and pages on. Of course, we discuss during that time, too. A straight read through would take less time.

It was a satisfying read. It would be great for a high school student who has an artistic bent. It covers things like restoration, provenance, artistic scholarship, etc. It is actually a non-fiction book but is written as a narrative. It reads just like a novel for the most part, but the names haven’t been changed to protect the innocent. Carravagio’s life story is creatively woven in also.

This is the lost painting.

If you do read the book, follow-up will need to include info showing that art experts found another version of this painting in Rome which was authenticated by Mahon and others. (source)

Wow, can you believe some partiers in France punched a 4-inch hole in a Monet? Rather shocking. This article gives a good view of the actual tear along with the actual size of the painting. It’s a rather small painting, if you ask me. The title of the painting is Le Pont d’Argenteuil (The Bridge at Argenteuil).

So what can be discussed as a result of this news story? Oh, lots of stuff. Who Monet was. When he lived. What Impressionism is. Where Paris, France is. What river flows through Paris. And, of course, the possible results of getting tipsy in Paris during Nuit Blanche — an annual all-night musical and cultural event. I guess it could read like this: Bottle of French wine, $6.74, Admission to Orsay Museum, $10.53, Ripping a hole in a Monet … Priceless.

I couldn’t believe it when I read that the famed (possibly notorious) Northwest Passage had been opened up. What would Captain Cook, Sir John Franklin, and Henry Hudson, etc., etc., etc., think?!?! Wow! But yes, it was open earlier this year as revealed in this BBC article (map inc.). I know you probably already know about it, but we found the info of interest … what was it? … about a month ago now. And to think that Hudson, Franklin, and Cook, etc., spent so many years searching for it. Without them what would Turnagain Arm or Hudson Bay be called? Did Franklin name anything after himself? If he did, I don’t know it about it. All I know is that he died somewhere up near Nunavut.

So now Canada, the US, and the UN are fighting over the Northwest Passage. Should we expect anything less?

Canada says it has full rights over those parts of the Northwest Passage that pass through its territory and that it can bar transit there.

But this has been disputed by the US and the European Union.

They argue that the new route should be an international strait that any vessel can use. (from above article)

Canada and the US are also engaged in a dispute over the future of the Northwest Passage, the partially frozen waterway that links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The US says it regards it as an international strait but Mr Harper [Canadian PM] has vociferously defended the passage as Canadian territory.

He has already announced plans to build six naval patrol vessels to secure the route. (source)

Lastly, the new theory about the appendix is startling. You know, how they always say that the appendix is useless and unnecessary. Well, now they claim that possibly it’s used by the body to repopulate the large intestine with healthy intestinal flora after illness, that the appendix reboots (so to speak) the digestive system. Cool, huh? It sounds reasonable to me.

So, what can we discuss after reading this article with our students? That good bacteria live in the intestines. We can look up the appendix in the Body Atlas. Learn the warning signs of appendicitis. Learn about cholera and dysentery … not exactly a light-hearted subject. And that drinking drinking fresh water is important.

So, that’s three subjects touched on: Art, History/Geography, and Biology.

	actors rehearsing fight scene before the play

We did manage to see The Merry Wives of Windsor. Will Shakespeare’s play … not Camilla and the Queen. Well, I’m assuming Millie and Betty are merry, but I don’t actually know.
It was enjoyable — a pleasant bit of fiction.

This acting company continues to delight us summer after summer. Most productions* of Shakespeare fail to entertain — possibly because the actors take themselves or Shakespeare too seriously. But the group that performs here each summer ENTERTAINS! I’m not sure why this group is so much fun to watch year after year. Some credit must go to the director, Joel Jahnke, and some must go to the playwright. However, I tend to think that the actors must shoulder the lion’s share of the blame when it comes to audience satisfaction. They put on a good show.

The Merry Wives of Windsor is about Falstaff and his crazy plan to woo two married women — Mistresses Ford and Page. Falstaff, a retired knight, must put up with interference from one of the husband’s wives. Another story line is the wooing of Anne Page (daughter of one of the merry wives) by three men, two of which are patently ridiculous yet preferred by her parents. There are plenty of laughs, scheming, disguises, and swordplay.

We don’t get the full text of Shakespeare’s play. That might be a bit of a negative, however, I think that’s done because there’s only so much time in an evening. Also, I think that part of the goal is to make Shakespeare accessible to those who’ve not had much contact with his works elsewhere. I don’t think Shakespeare would mind a bit. I think he’d poke fun of the cult that has formed around his works as if his plays are part of some sort of holy folio handed down from Clio, Melpomene, and Thalia. The goal is to enjoy Shakespeare. The actors look like they’re having a good time on stage, and it’s obvious to the audience, which also ends up having a good time.

Here’s a photo. Left to right: Andrew Truschinski as Master Page, Jordan Ahnquist as Sir Evans, Michael Gonring as Master Slender, and Ian Andersen as Nym.

I wish I had a picture of the merry wives to share since that’s who the play’s named for. I taped about half an hour of the play on my camera instead of taking pictures so that we could watch a bit at home and compare it to the actual text. Jennefer Ludwigsen was just so cute as the smiling Mistress Ford. If you want to see her act, I believe she was a server/waitress on Desperate Housewives (Disc 5 of Season 1, Episode 19). I think it’s just a teeny tiny part; I’ve got it in my Netflix queue to watch soon.

Hmmm. Well, I really got off topic there at the end, didn’t I?

* Excluding Kenneth Branagh’s brilliant productions, of course!

My daughter’s reading The Mystery of the Periodic Table. She’s been doing textbooks for science the past few years, so I decided it was time to give her the option of reading living science books for the year. She enjoyed Archimedes and the Door of Science and also Christine Bennet, Chemist, which is an older book about about a teen girl who makes perfume, sells the formula, and heads off to college to become a chemist, which is a big surprise … unless you actually read the title.

I’m reading Andalucia in preparation for our big pretend trip to Spain. I’m thinking of staying in Salobrena, but I can’t figure out if we can actually walk to the beach from there or if we have to take a bus. I’m also trying to figure out how much it will cost to take the train up to Madrid to see Las Meninas by Velazquez (you know, the artist in I, Juan de Pareja). Of course, we’re going to see The Alhambra (you know, that place that Washington Irving wrote stories about) in Granada because it’s right there about an hour away from Salobrena by bus. Yes, I waste a lot of energy planning a big maybe trip, but pipe dreaming is fun.

My son is reading something. I can’t tell which book; he’s got a few strewn about. He’s at work, so I can’t ask him.

I can’t figure out what my husband’s reading either. The last novel he read was last month and took place in Bologna, Italy, but I can’t remember the title. Last night he picked up a book I had been making fun of titled, The Consumer Survival Book: How to Fight Inflation by Bittinger. It was published in 1976! The part I found rather ridiculous was the part about how to find quality furniture:

The best stuffing is horsehair. Curled pig bristles are just about as good.

Eeeewwww! No offense to horsehair-stuffed furniture lovers, but YUCK!

And let’s not forget this derision-worthy comment about another “good” material to stuff a couch with:

Rubberized hair is a new development which is of good quality. (Cow hair mixed with latex.)

I think the 70s were weird. Very weird.

A little bit of news.

From an article about alienated gifted students in the public schools:

According to the U.S. Department of Education, home-schooling rose 29 percent across the country between 1999 and 2003.

In a separate article which discusses how U.S. universities are easing policies for homeschoolers, Ana Beatriz Cholo (AP) writes:

Last fall, however, Riverside [the Riverside campus of the University of California] joined a growing number of colleges around the country that are revamping application policies to accommodate homeschooled students….

UC Riverside is actively recruiting homeschoolers, said Merlyn Campos, interim director of undergraduate admissions.

“There are a lot of students out there that are very prepared for a college level education,” she said. “They are kind of being forced into going into a community college.”

Frank Vahid, a UC Riverside computer science professor, was among those who lobbied for the change, contending the school could gain a competitive advantage because homeschoolers have a lot to offer.

Vahid’s own children are taught at home. His 15-year-old son also takes community college classes and will likely try to transfer into to a public university.

That is good news because the University of California system of schools were not overly welcoming to homeschoolers over the past couple of years because of their special rules that affected homeschoolers adversely — even the article uses the term “lost cause.”

Jessica Marks writes about a homeschooled visual artist named Brittney Diamond who airbrushes with a mixture of liquid lead, charcoal and pencil:

Art that she creates upstairs in her home has been valued at thousands of dollars, and people can’t get enough of her work….

Brittney only learned about airbrushing six months ago.

What gives her the edge is that she’s home schooled, [mother] Teri said.

“The one thing with home schooling has helped children find their passion,” she added.

For Brittney, that was art - and specifically, airbrushing….

Though art is a passion for Brittney, she only spends about an hour a day in her studio working on it.

If you’d like to see what Brittney Diamond’s work looks like, I found two paintings at the Liquid Lead Art Studio which is selling prints — “Jack Sparrow” and “a horse.” The pirate painting is startling in its intensity; it seems to capture what Captain Jack is all about.

From Salem, Oregon, we get a fun story about homeschooler Jordan Berrier. He plays basketball for the local public school and his nickname is “Homeschool.”

“He’s one of the more popular kids at school, and he doesn’t even go to school here. People all over the place know him and chant Homeschool for him when he’s announced.”

Berrier, a senior by eligibility standards, has tried going to public school a few times, but it never has stuck.

There was a three-day stint at an elementary school — he doesn’t remember which — and a semester of taking electives at Adam Stephens Middle School.

He has taken a few weight-training classes at McKay, but he has done better academically in the home-school environment.

Bill Poehler takes the obligatory prejudicial swipe at other homeschoolers with:

Unlike a lot the [sic] typical home-schooled students, Berrier (pronounced like Perrier) is well-adjusted and blends in enough with his McKay teammates that outsiders can’t tell the difference.

I believe Poehler is actually saying that a lot of typical home-schooled students are not well-adjusted and don’t blend in. I wonder if he’s basing that opinion on anecdotal evidence or something actually substantial.

Okay, I think that’s enough news for now. It’s enough for me for sure.

Growing up as a homeschooler, Chris Thile had plenty of time to play his music and record his albums. He’s 25 for just a few more days and was recently named Musician of the Year at the 2007 BBC Folk Awards. He was the only U.S. citizen nominated. (source, source, and source)

You can hear and see him on YouTube: Clip #1 or Clip #2

We are hoping to go to Italy someday. Rome wasn’t initially on the list — c’mon, everyone goes there, so it’s rather passé — but my life partner insisted. So, a while back, we started our homeschool list of what we must experience in Rome.

The Trevi Fountain, is, of course, on the list. It’s pretty much an imperative. You see, according to a legend, if you throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, then it’s guaranteed that you will return to Rome. So, of course, the Trevi Fountain is on our Roman “to do” list. Here’s a few of the others “must dos” while I’m at it:

• Mouth of Truth (you know, where Gregory Peck “lost” his hand in Roman Holiday) We’re going to go tell lies and half-truths there and giggle like mindless school girls … well, two of us will.
• Spanish Steps
• Forum
• Romulus and Remus w/wolf
• Colosseum
• Arch of Titus
• Appian Way

But back to the Trevi Fountain — here’s a link to a photo. You see that’s Neptune up there in the shell. The shell is being pulled by “seahorses” guided by Tritons. I still haven’t seen what kind of stone is used in the sculpture. (marble)

You may wonder why I’m looking up stuff about the Trevi Fountain today when our trip is such a far-distant pipe dream. It’s because the coin my daughter intends on tossing in is a 1995 Chuck E. Cheese token. It may seem of little value, but besides a bit of sentimentality, you can still play a game of Skee Ball with it. I think behind her idea of throwing a Chuck E. Cheese coin, though, is a certain disdain for silly superstitions — in a way, laughing at the legend while still honoring it.

But still, we must know if that type of coin is allowed. She can’t be like totally tempting the Fates (or whoever is in charge of the legend — maybe Neptune?) by tossing the wrong kind of coin in the fountain. Maybe Chuck E. Cheese is considered anathema or something. That type of faux pas could make a return to Rome impossible. Duh.

So, I’ve rummaged around the internet for an unimpeachable source of the legend. I don’t think I’ve found one, but every source indicates “coin.” It sounds like any ol’ coin will do. None of the sources suggest the need for the coin to be Italian or worth at least 5 cents or be usable … you know, a current coin. Conceivably, I could toss my old coin with Constantine on it from the south Balkan region into the fountain and that would be good enough to ensure my return to the Eternal City. (You, too, can have an ancient coin — see border, bottom right.)

However, I found out that the Trevi Fountain is cleaned every night to the tune of $4000 in change. The money is given to the poor of Rome or rather a charity who helps the poor. You’d think that $4000 a day could easily completely support 30 families a month. Wow. So, that Chuck E. Cheese coin wouldn’t help the poor; and as a result, we are faced with a moral dilemma of sorts.

I learned this from WikiTravel:

According to popular superstition and custom, throwing coins with one’s right hand over one’s left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain is a practice endowed with good luck. Throwing one coin ensures that the thrower will return to Rome; throwing two coins will ensure that the thrower will fall in love with a beautiful Roman girl (or handsome boy); throwing three coins, finally, ensures that the thrower will marry that girl or boy in Rome itself.

Guess which part I’m not mentioning to my daughter? If my grandchildren lived in Rome, I’d have a terrible time getting to see them more than once every couple of years. That would be tragic, though I wouldn’t be abused as a babysitter, would I?

So, we’re to hold the coin in our right hand and toss it over our left shoulder. Another supposed requirement is that we must have our back to the fountain.

One site stated that we could drink the water instead of throwing a coin, but newer web sites say, “No way!” I guess the water is now chemically treated (a type of poisoning, I suppose). Along with the practical drinking advice, there’s plenty of history in this web page.

Look here for lots of comments and photos and more photos.

Watch people throw coins into the Trevi Fountain on YouTube.com. Even that actor guy — John Bongiovi — has thrown a coin into the Trevi Fountain.

Trivia Question: Why might those who are pursuing classical education through their homeschooling be interested in the Trevi Fountain?

Trevi is the corruption of trivium (Latin for “three-way junction”): once three main roads converged in the middle of the district, on a spot now corresponding to piazza dei Crociferi, whose shape is still vaguely reminiscent of the original crossing. (source and another)

Trivial, yes?

Brett Dennen is on tour. If you’re in the Richmond, Virginia, area, he’s playing tonight. He’s 26 now, but here’s what he says about homeschooling:

I didn’t grow up in a musical environment. I grew up in a very small agricultural town and I was home-schooled. There wasn’t any music in my house, except for records and a record player.

After reading about him at the link above, you can listen to him on YouTube.com. His stuff is on iTunes, too, where he was #1 in sales last month in the Folk category.

One of Brett Dennen’s songs was on Grey’s Anatomy (tv hospital drama) late last year. It’s rather peaceful sounding.