Have You Ever Seen An Eclipse From Space? Check It Out

I got these from various used/rare book sales on campus 🍂 (fun fact, i got a 4$ hardcover copy of the secret history at one of those sales, which is great bc my paperback is super annotated and worn out)

using the semester break to pick up a new skill (much to the joy of my flatmates). also practicing loads for my intermediate examination next year 

The clearest composite image of moon obtained by combining various moon images by astrographers

Andy Warhol, Self-Portrait, 1966

Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha (1922)

From Beginner to Intermediate: an intense plan for advancing in language

Introduction

I've studied Spanish at school for 3 years and now I'm at a low B1 level. I can actually understand pretty well while listening or reading but I can't communicate fluently.

This plan will include vocabulary build up, some grammar revision, a lot of listening, reading and writing. And could be used for the most languages, not only Spanish.

Plan

Every day:

Conjugate one verb in present, past and future tenses

Make a list about 10 - 30 words long

Create flashcards with them and start learning them (I use Quizlet for flashcards)

Revise yesterday's set of flashcards

2-3 times a week:

Read an article or a few pages from a book

Write a few sentences about anything in your target language

Listen to one episode of podcast (at least one)

Once a week or every two weeks:

Watch a movie in your target language, preferably animated movie as the language used there is easier. You can watch with subtitles

Grammar exercises

Translate some short text

Once a month:

Write something longer, like an essay or report, on chosen topic

Additionally:

Talk to yourself, to your friends, to your pets

Text with someone

Look at the transcription while listening to the podcast for second time

Repeat what you hear (in podcast or movie)

Check words you don't know from the listening and reading

Read out loud

Listen to music in your target language - you can even learn the text and sing along

Watch YouTube in your target language

Change your phone language to the one you're learning

Think in you target language!!!

***This is very intense plan for self-learners, you don't have to do all of these things in the given time. Adjust it to your own pace. I'll try to stick to this, if I have enough time.***

Frederick Douglass, February 14, 1818* - February 20, 1895

Frederick Douglass, ca. 1879 Series: Portraits, 1862 - 1884. Collection: Frank W. Legg Photographic Collection of Portraits of Nineteenth-Century Notables, 1862-1884 

Born into slavery in Maryland two hundred years ago in 1818, Frederick Douglass went on to become a prominent abolitionist, author, orator and statesman.

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”

More African American history resources at the @usnatarchives

(*While the actual date of Douglass’ birth is unknown, he reportedly chose to celebrate his birthday on February 14.)

A peformance of Eugene Onegin at the Bolshoi, 1994. Photos by Gueorgui Pinkhassov.

"The strength of a person's spirit would then be measured by how much 'truth' he could tolerate, or more precisely, to what extent he needs to have it diluted, disguised, sweetened, muted, falsified."

— Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil

[Bookstore in London ruined by and air-raid 1940]