Ethan Kahn India Epics

The Buddha: Teacher of Gods and Men Statue of Gautama Buddha      As was customary for Siddhartha, he headed back to his sleeping quarters by dusk to rest from a  long and tedious day of leading and mingling with his multitude of disciples. He would rest for only a  couple hours. Then, when all of his disciples were asleep, and surely nobody would disturb him, the  gods would descend and manifest in young Siddhartha's quarters.       The gods would come to this youthful and humble man to be his Heavenly disciples just like those  who were sleeping were Siddhartha's Earthly disciples. You see, the Buddha was a teacher of both  gods and men. Different divinities came and went on different nights. Sometimes the whole pantheon  squeezed in with Siddhartha, while other nights, one lonesome deity would come for his/her  own individual purpose. Tonight, it was Sakra, ruler of the gods, who welcomed himself into  Siddhartha's abode. He c

Mohini Wood Carving Goblin City W.H.D. Rouse      This story was about a large crew of 500 sailors that crashed ashore the island Ceylon. This island was home to a large city whose inhabitants were all female goblins. The She-Goblins ring in travelers and marry them so that they can eat them later on. The captain of the crew finds out what these creatures really are and what they're up to. Him and the crew members that believe him escape the island on a winged horse while the non-believers meet their end.       This story gave me an idea that takes Goblin City and turns it around into something more peaceful. Rather than travelers meeting a violent death in that city, I could write a story that explores the culture and society of the Goblins.       I could even go further in-depth with it and talk about their religious rituals, food (besides man's meat), agriculture, overall lifestyle, and origins. 

Ravana Lifting Kailasa Mountain Ganesha: The Remover of All Obstacles      This comic book sounds like it contains the origin story of Ganesha which caught my interest. Any story with Ganesha also seems adventurous since he's the remover of all obstacles.  Krishna and Rukmini: A Love That Will Not Be Denied      This caught my attention because all of the stories that I've read about Krishna so far feature him as a supremely powerful god-child showing up the gods, even brahma, or as a King-like figure. While I always enjoy those types of larger-than-life stories, I haven't read much about Krishna's romantic life. I also know that it's another prominent aspect to his story and I want to see what all of the hype is about.  Agni: God of Fire      I chose Agni out of the characters' list because I haven't learned too much about him. From what I know, he's a god that is more widely worshipped in the Vedic sects of Hinduism, which

Time Strategies Time Management      I read  The Important Habit of Just Starting  and  The Myth of Too Busy . Both articles really  resonated with me. As someone who's a Nazi about time-management (my own dad said I kept to my  schedule better than him) I have found myself already implementing some of the ideas discussed in  those articles.  The Important Habit of Just Starting  talked about how procrastination creates stress,  depression, and anxiety. I've already found this to be true for myself, which is why I fear  procrastination more than getting started. Naturally, fear drives you away from the thing you're afraid  of into something you're not afraid of. For me in this case, that means running away from  procrastination by getting started as soon as possible.       I chose  The Myth of Too Busy  completely based on the name of the article. It's something that I've  always felt myself. That being "too bus

Class Technology 'The Internet'      I did high-school online, so using technology for school is something that I'm fairly comfortable  with by now. However, there's still a couple things that I'm inexperienced with. I'm still new to  blogging and I haven't done anything significant with graphics creation either. Hopefully I'll be a fast  learner and won't run into too many problems. I'd rather technology be a step forward in this case  then a step backward like the old mantra says. 

My Thoughts on the Assignments Power of Words - Antonio Litterio          I think it's very convenient that the readings are split into two halves each week and that we're  allowed to do one half per week if we absolutely need to. I also liked that we're going to be writing our own stories each week. I knew we were going to have to do that for our final Storybook project but I didn't know it was going to be a weekly thing. I'm very excited about that. The optional extra credit assignments are something that I've never had in any of my classes before. I find that very convenient as well, because it's a "pick-me-up" for my grades that I have on the side, if needed. Overall, I'm looking forward to the rest of this semester and I hope this class meets my expectations! 

My Mindset on Growth-Mindset Educator Andi McNair      I've actually watched Carol Dweck's TED talk video in my free time about a year ago. It's a very  intriguing educational concept that I've had similar thoughts about myself. I've always wondered how  much better people would do, not only in school, but in every aspect of their life if they enjoyed the  process enough to focus on it before the "destination." It was amazing to see the actual measurable  difference in the brain activity of growth-mindset people vs. fixed-mindset people. The scientific  evidence that Dweck brought to the table in support of her idea is practically undeniable. I never  would've guessed that such a simple educational transformation would accomplish changes as  significant as bringing a Native American school from the bottom of their district to the top.       If I had to categorize myself as a fixed-mindset or growth-mindset perso

Hello! My name is Ethan      Hello ya'll! My name is Ethan Kahn. I'm a student-athlete here at the University of Oklahoma. If you insist on knowing what sport, I'm a gymnast. I compete for the OU men's gymnastics club team. We are 4-time national champions! Personal Photo      Let's get to the stuff that has to do more with me personally though. I was born in Buffalo, New  York. My family and I moved down here to Norman, Oklahoma when I was 5 years old.             I have one sibling, an older brother. He goes to OU as well. My brother and I are practically  opposites. He's spazzy and extroverted while I'm calm, cool-headed and more introverted. He likes  cool colors like blue and purple while I tend towards warm colors like red and orange. Even our  majors are quite different. He's in pre-dentistry and I'm a philosophy major.             Speaking of philosophy, I love to think about, well, everything. I have m

The Beginning of the End The Beginning of the End - Trace Youngman   Matsya Protecting the Manu      I loved how this story revolved around Hindu Eschatology. I've read about it before, in my own free-time, and it's something that really fascinates me. The idea that our Universe has been and will be created and destroyed innumerable times for eternity. However, I didn't know the Golden Egg was a Hindu concept as well. I knew that Chinese mythology has a similar story about the Universe being born out of a Cosmic Egg. I also enjoyed reading the part about the Devas battling the Asuras for the Nectar of Immortality and then deciding to double-cross them instead. The end of the story gave me an idea to ponder when Purusha, the narrator, talks about how one of the reasons it created the Universe was to observe each successive Universal creation play out before destroying them and creating something new. Stories of Krishna Stories of Krishna - Jeet Patel

                                                      Tel Aviv Promenade - Wikipedia Tel Aviv Promenade Wikipedia       I traveled to Tel Aviv, Israel for an international gymnastics competition in July 2013. Tel Aviv is a seaside Middle Eastern city (right on the Eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea). This makes Tel Aviv an absolutely beautiful place to visit in the mid-summer. It's like an exotic Middle-Eastern version of L.A. with tons of great restaurants, shops, and outlets. The people there are exceedingly kind as well. They will make your stay as comfortable as can be.

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