Greek - Do you speak Greek?

Remember that to say please or you're welcome in Greek, you say Παρακαλώ (Parakaló).

To ask if someone speaks Greek, you say Μιλατε ελληνικα? (Milate ellinika?).

It sounds like mee-lah-tay ay-lee-nee-kah  

In the Greek language, the word for Greek comes from the story of Helen, the father of all of the famous rulers of Greece.
Other languages like English call it Greek, because of some other tribes of people that have lived in the area, that called themselves Greek.


To say yes you would say Ναί (Naí) which sounds like nay  

or to say no you would say Οχι (ochi) which sounds like oh-xhee  

Yes and no can be tough for English speakers to remember, because Ναί (Yes) sounds like no, and Οχι (No) sounds kind of like OK.


The letters for these new words are:

Μ (Mu) ι (iota) λ (lambda) α (alpha) τ (tau) ε (epsilon) ε (epsilon) λ (lambda) λ (lambda) η (eta) ν (nu) ι (iota) κ (kappa) α (alpha)?
Ν (Nu) α (alpha) ί (iota)
Ο (Omicron) χ (Chi) ι (iota)


(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)

ASL: Do you speak ASL?

Italian: Parli italiano?

German: Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Spanish: ¿Hablas español?

French: parlez-vous français?

Intraplate Earthquake

We just learned about the Interplate Earthquake where two plates bump into each other and cause an earthquake.

Another type of earthquake is an Intraplate Earthquake.

This is when an earthquake happens in the middle of a tectonic plate, not near the edges.
Because this isn't by a fault line or border of the plate, scientists are not really sure why these happen, and they do a lot of research to see if there is a hidden fault line somewhere they did not know about.


(from: wikipedia - intraplate earthquake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sponge Iron

Japanese Tree Frog

We just learned about the African Dwarf Frog.

Another type of frog is the Japanese Tree Frog.

This frog lives in Japan, Korea, China and Russia.
They sometimes live in rice paddies and on rice leaves.

When the Japanese person Toyohiro Akiyama went to a space station called Mir in 1990, he took some of these frogs into outer space with him.

These frogs have figured out a special way to call out to each other without interrupting other frogs.
Scientists have used this to come up with better ways to use wifi networks.


(from: wikipedia - japanese tree frog)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Snakes Forked Tongue

Costoxiphoid Ligaments

We just learned about the Superior Costotransverse Ligament that connects your spine to your ribs.

Another piece of connective tissue in the body is the Costoxiphoid Ligaments.

These are ligaments that connect the rib, sometimes named the "costo" to the xiphoid process in the middle of the chest.


(from: wikipedia - costoxiphoid ligaments)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lumbar Plexus

Guerrero

We just learned about the Mexico State of Chihuahua, the biggest state in Mexico.

Another Mexico State is Guerrero.

This state was named after the second president of Mexico, Vicente Guerrero, and is the only state named after a Mexican president.

It is on the southwest part of Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean.

(from: wikipedia - geurrero)

The coat of arms of Guerrero is a blue shield with a tiger knight on it, who is wearing a battle suit with a jaguar skin.
In his left hand he has a Mexica shield, and his right hand a weapon called a Maccahuitl, which is a piece of wood with sharp edged stones on it.

(from: wikipedia - geurrero)

The largest city is Acapulco. It is a famous place for people to go to on vacation for it's beaches and sunshine.


(from: wikipedia - acapulco)

There are famous cliff divers in Guerrero, called the La Quebrada cliff divers.
These divers dive into water from cliffs that are 135 feet tall, that's like a 13 story building!


(from: wikipedia - la quebrada cliff divers)

There are large caves called the Grutas de Cacahuamilpa, some of the largest caves in the world, with tunnels and rivers.


(from: wikipedia - grutas de cacahuamilpa national park)

Some of the oldest cave paintings ever found are in Juxtlahuaca. People believe they are about 3,000 years old.

(from: wikipedia - juxtlahuaca)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Chugach Mountains

Benedict of Nursia

We just learned about the Mar Saba, the monastery in Bethlehem.

Another monk from history is Benedict of Nursia.

Saint Benedict helped set up 12 different monasteries throughout Italy.

He also wrote a very famous book called The Rule of Saint Benedict.

This was a long book that gave instructions for how monks should live together.
It has everything from what they should eat, how they should work, where they should sleep, and how they should act toward each other and the people in the community.

One of the most important rules for monks was to be humble, and they had 12 rules for how to be humble:

"(1) Fear God, (2) Subordinate one's will to the will of God; (3) Be obedient to one's superior; (4) Be patient amid hardships; (5) Confess one's sins; (6) Accept the meanest of tasks, and hold oneself as a "worthless workman"; (7) Consider oneself "inferior to all"; (8) Follow examples set by superiors; (9) Do not speak until spoken to; (10) Do not readily laugh; (11) Speak simply and modestly; and (12) Express one's inward humility through bodily posture."


(from: wikipedia - benedict of nursia)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Isaac

The Prinzessinengruppe - Schadow

We just learned about the Axel Oxenstierna and History by Swedish sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel in 1772 in Stockholm Sweden.

Another famous sculpture is The Prinzessinengruppe, a statue of the famous Princess Friederica and her sister Louise, sculpted by German artist Johann Gottfried Schadow, in Berlin, 1797.

These two sisters were very beautiful and charming, and they went on to marry brothers that were Frederick and Louis.
Frederica married Louis, and Louise married Frederick.
The sculpture is called Prinzessinengruppe, which means princess group.

Their children went on to be kings, queens, emperors and empresses of many countries like Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, Russia and Poland.

Louise was also the Great, Great, Great, Great Grandmother of the famous Anastasia from the stories from Russia.


(from: wikipedia - johann gottfried schadow)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Aberlemno Sculptured Stones

Greek - Please, You're Welcome

Remember that to say thank you in Greek, you say ευχαριστώ.

To say please in Greek is Παρακαλώ (Parakaló) - pah-dah-kah-loh.

And to say you're welcome, you say the same thing as please, Παρακαλώ (Parakaló) - pah-dah-kah-loh.


The letters for this new word are:

Π (pi) α (alpha) ρ (rho) α (alpha) κ (kappa) α (alpha) λ (lambda) ώ (omega)


(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)

ASL: Please, You're Welcome

German: bitte, bitte schön

Spanish: Por favor, de nada

French: s'il vous plait, de rien

Interplate Earthquake

We just learned about the Doublet Earthquake.

Another type of earthquake is the Interplate Earthquake.

This is an earthquake that happens where two tectonic plates meet.
These are the types of earthquakes that happen more than any other.


(from: wikipedia - chuetsu earthquake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bloomery

African Dwarf Frog

We just learned about the Stony Creek Frog with the special nostrils so they can hide underwater.

Another type of frog is the African Dwarf Frog.

These frogs live on the African continent around the equator.

This special kind of frog lives its whole life underwater, except when it goes to the surface to get a breath of air.
They have no tongues and no teeth! So when they want to eat they use their claws to grind up their food, and then push it down into their mouth with their feet.


(from: wikipedia - african dwarf frog)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Snake Biology

Superior Costotransverse Ligament

We just learned about the Radiate Ligament of Head of Rib that connects the ribs to the spine.

Another connective tissue in the body is the Superior Costotransverse Ligament.

This is a piece of tissue that connects the rib to the part of a vertebrae called the Transverse Process.
The transverse process sticks out from the back of the vertebrae in your spine, and the rib is tied to it by this ligament.


(from: wikipedia - vertebra)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Subcostal Nerve

Chihuaua

We just learned about the Mexico State of Oaxaca that has wind farms and palaces like Mitla.

Another Mexico State is Chihuahua.

We learned before about the type of dog named a chihuahua, and that dog was named after this state.

Chihuahua borders the US states of New Mexico and Texas to the north.
It is the biggest state in Mexico, and is even bigger than the whole United Kingdom in Europe!

Because it is so big, it has the nickname of El Estado Grande, which means The Big State.


(from: wikipedia - chihuahua (state))

The coat of arms of Chihuahua has a picture of the old water system called an aqueduct. In the middle is the head of a Spaniard and an Amerindina, to show that the people of Chihuahua are a mixture of people from different places.
The bottom is a picture of the Chihuahua Cathedral.


(from: wikipedia - chihuahua (state))

There is a large group of canyons called the Copper Canyon, that is a lot like the Grand Canyon in the US.
It's name comes from the copper and green color of the canyon.

(from: wikipedia - copper canyon)

There is a beautiful mansion that is now a museum in the city of Chihuahua, called Quinta Gameros

(from: wikipedia - quinta gameros)

Because Chihuahua is so big, it has all types of land, from the sand dunes of Samalayuca, to the tall grassy mountains of Cerro Mohinora, to the tall snowy mountains of Tarahumara.



(from: wikipedia - chihuahua (state))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Kenai Mountains

Mar Saba

We just learned about Mar Agwin, the Monk who helped spread Christianity to the east.

A famous monastery in Bethlehem is called Mar Saba, built in the year 483.

This monastery brought many of the monks of the Judean Desert together, and was known as the mother of all monasteries of the Eastern churches.



(from: wikipedia - mar saba)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sarah

Axel Oxenstierna and History - Sergel

We just learned about the famous sculpture of George Washington by Jean-Antoine Houdon, in 1785.

Another Neoclassical sculpture is the bronze statue of Axel Oxenstierna and History by Swedish sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel in 1772 in Stockholm Sweden.

Oxenstierna was one of the important people that worked for the King of Sweden, so Sergel sculpted the famous mythological character of History as a person who was writing down all of the things that Oxenstierna told him that the king did.


(from: wikipedia - johan tobias sergel)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Stenkvista Runestone

Greek - Very good thanks, and you?

We just learned to say How are you? in Greek, Τι κάνεις? (Ti káneis?)

and Very good thanks is Πολύ καλά, ευχαριστώ. (Polý kalá, efcharistó)

To be polite you should also ask how the other person is doing.

And you? - εσύ (esý) - sounds like eh-see

εσύ really just means "you". People don't usually say "And you" in Greek, they just say "You?".
Just for fun, the word for And is: και - (kai) - sounds like kay.


So with all that we've learned so far, we could understand a meeting between two people like this:

Γεώργιος (Geórgios) the Greek name for George, sounds like "Yor-yoh-ss"
Μαρία (María) the Greek name for Mary, sounds like "Mah-dee-ah"

Γεώργιος: Γειά σου!
Μαρία: Χαίρετε! Τι κάνεις?
Γεώργιος: Πολύ καλά, ευχαριστώ. εσύ?
Μαρία: Πολύ καλά, ευχαριστώ. Αντίο
Γεώργιος: Καλημέρα!


The letters for these new words are:

ε (epsilon) σ (sigma) ύ (upsilon)
κ (kappa) α (alpha) ι (iota)


(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)


ASL: Very Good Thanks, and You?

Italian: Molto bene, grazie.

German: Sehr gut, danke. Und Sie?

Spanish: Muy bien gracias. ¿Y tú?

French: Très bien, merci. Et vous?

Doublet Earthquake

We just learned about the Blind Thrust.

Another type of earthquake is the Doublet Earthquake.

We learned before that most earthquakes have a big mainshock, with a smaller beginning called a foreshock, and a smaller quake after called the aftershock.

Sometimes two big earthquakes happen at the same time very near each other.
When this happens, it's like a double quake, just like the name doublet earthquake.
So when this happens there are two foreshocks, two mainshocks and two aftershocks.
It can be very hard for seismologists to figure out which quakes came from which fault.


(from: wikipedia - doublet earthquake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Iron Ore

Stony Creek Frog

We just learned about the Rhacophorus that lays its eggs in foam in a tree.

Another type of frog is the Litoria Wilcoxii, also known as the Stony Creek Frog or Wilcox Frog.

This type of frog lives in Australia.

They have a special nose, with the nostrils right at the end so they can stick just the tip of their nose out of the water and hide the rest of their body under water to stay away from predators.

(from: wikipedia - litoria wilcoxii)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Anaconda

Radiate Ligament of Head of Rib

We just learned about the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament that goes down the back of the spine.

Another piece of connective tissue is the Radiate Ligament of Head of Rib.

This ligament connects the rib bone to the vertebrae on your spine.


(from: wikipedia - radiate ligament of head of rib)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Intercostal Nerves

Oaxaca

We just learned about the Mexico state of Michoacán, home of the Purépecha long ago.

Another Mexico state is Oaxaca.
This state is on the south part of Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean.


(from: wikipedia - oaxaca)

The coat of arms of Oaxaca has a red background, for the freedom of the people.
At the top is the coat of arms of Mexico.
The coat of arms has seven stars for the seven regions of the state.
In the middle are three areas. The left is for the fruits and flowers from the Leucaena leucocephela tree, and the face of a native.
The right has a side view of a palace in Mitla, and a Dominican cross.
On the bottom are two strong arms breaking a chain, for the battle for freedom of the Oaxacan people.

The words on the seal say: "El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz" which means "Respect for the rights of others is peace"
and "Estado libre y soberano de Oaxaca" which means "Free and sovereign state of Oaxaca".


(from: wikipedia - oaxaca)

Oaxaca is the state that has the most wind power in all of Mexico, and the Eurus Wind Farm in Juchitán de Zaragoza is the largest wind farm in all of Latin America.


(from: wikipedia - oaxaca)

There are many ancient places in Oaxaca, like the pyramids in Monte Albán.


(from: wikipedia - monte albán)

Another ancient place is a palace in a place called Mitla.


(from: wikipedia - mitla)

Since Oaxaca is on the ocean, it has some beautiful coast areas, like Punta Cometa.


(from: wikipedia - oaxaca)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pacific Coast Belt

Mar Agwin

We just learned about the Theodore the Studite and his iconoclasm.

Another famous monk was Mar Awgin.

He was one of the first monks to make a monastery in the east, and spread the way of the monks into Asia, even as far as India and China.

His most famous monastery is in Mt. Izla.


(from: wikipedia - mar agwin)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Abraham

George Washington - Houdon

We just learned about the Nicolaus Copernicus Monument by Danish Bertel Thorwaldsen in Poland.

Another famous sculpture is the bust of George Washington by French artist Jean-Antoine Houdon, in 1785.
A "bust" is a sculpture of just the head and shoulders of a person.

Houdon was a famous sculptor in France, and he really liked the people at the time that were pushing for better knowledge, freedom and making lives better, so he made sculptures of people like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington.

George Washington sat for this sculpture with Houdon, where he made clay models and a plaster mask of Washington.

The models that Houdon used were reused many times for other sculptures of Washington through the years.


(from: wikipedia - jean-antoine houdon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gero Cross

Greek - How are you?

We just learned some greetings in Greek, like Γειά σου (Geiá sou), Χαίρετε (Chairete), Αντίο (Antío) and Καλημέρα (Kaliméra), Καλησπέρα (Kalispéra), Καληνυχτα - (Kalinychta).

If you want to say How are you? in Greek, you would say:

Τι κάνεις? (Ti káneis?) - sounds like tee-KAH-nee-ss

To respond and say Very good thanks, you would say

Πολύ καλά, ευχαριστώ. (Polý kalá, efcharistó) - sounds like poh-LEE-kah-LAH, ef-kha-dee-STOH


The letters for these words are:

Τ (tau) ι (iota) κ (kai) ά (alpha) ν (nu) ε (epsiolon) ι (iota) ς (sigma)
Π (pi) ο (omicron) λ (lambda) ύ (upsilon) κ (kappa) α (alpha) λ (lambda) ά (alpha)
ε (epsilon) υ (upsilon) χ (chi) α (alpha) ρ (rho) ι (iota) σ (sigma) τ (tau) ώ (omega)


(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)

ASL: How are you?

Italian: Come va? Molto bene, grazie.

German: Wie geht es Ihnen? Sehr gut, danke.

Spanish: ¿Cómo estás? Muy bien, gracias.

French: Comment allez-vous? Très bien, merci.

Blind Thrust

We just learned about the Thrust Fault where the earth slips in the reverse direction.

One type of earthquake is a Blind Thrust earthquake.

Usually earthquakes happen in places where there are faults that have been mapped out, so people know where they are and know what to expect.

Sometimes earthquakes happen in areas where people did not think there were any faults, so it is like a blind earthquake because no one was expecting it, and no one was looking there for an earthquake.


(from: wikipedia - blind thrust earthquake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Heat Treatment

Rhacophorus

We just learned about the Wallace's Flying Frog.

Another type of frog is the Rhacophorus.

This is another type of flying frog that has webbing in between it's toes.


(from: wikipedia - rhacophorus)

These frogs live in the trees, and lay their eggs in a type of spongy foam in the tree.
When the eggs hatch, the tadpoles drop out of the sponge, and drop down to the water below.


(from: wikipedia - rhacophorus arboreus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Timor Python

Posterior Longitudinal Ligament

We just learned about the Invertebral Disc that gives padding on the spine.

Another ligament that helps cushion the spine and hold it in place is the Posterior longitudinal ligament.
This connective tissue goes up and down in the middle of the spine.


(from: wikipedia - posterior longitudinal ligament)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Intercostal Nerves