February is Black History Month

In celebration of this important period of history, ELI is giving away copies of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. If you are an ELI student or faculty member who would like a free copy of the book, please send an email, including your student number, ELISuccess@nvcc.edu. 

This book was the last book read by the ELI’s Book & Cinema Club.  If you wish to become a member of the book club, please send an email to ELILearn@nvcc.edu.  The club’s current book is Argo.   If you recall, “Argo “won Best Picture at the Gold Globe Awards!  As a bonus, members will be able to watch the movie at the end of February!   

For an overview of the award winning book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, visit author Rebecca Skloot’s  narration of the book’s overview.  See the video here!

A Guide to Getting Started at ELI

 

Are you registered for an ELI course and wondering what’s next?  Below are some hints to get you started.
 

§  Sign up for Eli Orientation , a one hour webinar introducing you to Eli Classes.

§  Reach out to an Eli Counselor; they can clarify any concerns you might have regarding courses to take. They can also help you develop a plan to complete your degree or academic goals.  Visit the Eli Courses webpage to learn more about distance learning.

§  Get familiar with Blackboard , with some step-by-step instructions.

§  Receive Quick-Start syllabus , in the mail. The syllabus will explain where to begin in your ELI courses. If you have not received it within 3 days after the course has started, contact ELI Registration at elireg@nvcc.edu .

 

§  Know your Course Length/Dates. Online courses may be 16 weeks, 12 weeks, 10 weeks, 8 weeks, 6 weeks, or 4 weeks in length; each course has specific start, refund, first assignment due date, withdrawal, and end dates you should be aware of when you select a particular course. Click Here to view dates/descriptions.

§  Utilize your Resources. Know you have Student Success Coaches who aim to help students struggling with their distance learning courses. Email: elisuccess@nvcc.edu, (703)764-5076.

 

The Wonders and Benefits of Color

 

Did you know that color has the power to improve mood, better your health, and change your perception.  More information about colors and their properties may help you choose what colors you are most comfortable around:

 
•  Red-   The color red is known to boost creativity, elevate your spirit and increase appetite.  It is also more likely to stimulate spending money, a major reason why casinos are saturated with this color.  Red painted rooms are considered warmer, “heavier” and slow the passage of time.  Red clothing has qualities of energy, leadership and power.  Interestingly enough, when faced with two items, one red and one blue, people are more likely to perceive the red object as heavier.

•  Orange-- Orange is associated with health and peaceful feelings.  It is similar to red in that it can increase appetite, but in the context of an eat and run situation.  Youth, sharp thinking and a warm, friendly feeling are conveyed by the color orange.  It also has the effect of cheerfulness, good communication, excitement and fun.
Meals that have the color orange are often more appealing and appetizing.

• Yellow-  The color yellow conveys happiness, love, light, warmth and intelligence.  It is known to give off positive vibes and energy and is recommended to wear when asking for something that you need.
 

• Green- Green represents balance, control and harmony.  Green rooms are reported to stimulate learning and is a great choice when you are working on tedious, monotonous tasks.  If you are looking to vamp up team spirit and foster peaceful relations, it is a great color choice.

• Blue- Shades of blue promote relaxation and tranquility and have a light presence.  Blue rooms create a feeling of repose that can lead to restful sleep.  Blue clothing reflects trust, loyalty, stimulates communication and symbolizes a feeling of belonging.

• Violet-  Violet has characteristics of somberness and may be perceived as either positive or negative; it can also give off qualities of creativity, individuality and uniqueness.  It also conveys and insightful disposition. 
 

As you can see, color has a lot of power and personality.  Knowing what colors you resonate with can help you decide what color to paint your room or house, wear for a specific occasion or simply surround yourself with to improve your sense of well being.  

 

                   For more information on this topic, visit this link. 
 

How Good Are You at Living In the Moment?

Living in the moment involves embracing the present as it comes, without anticipating the future or dwelling on the past. Living in the moment goes a long way in feeling connected and centered in the flurry of busy activity that immerse us every day. How in the moment are you? Take this quiz to find out!.

Song-Lyrics Quiz

How well do you know your song lyrics? Surprisingly, these well known songs contain phrases with a relaxing, spiritual connotation (i. e., peace, calm, healing). See if you can fill in the blank to the song “guide words” in this quiz.

Build-A-Word

How fast can you spell? Test your ability to spell multiple words in a pre-determined timeframe and see how you do! It will exercise your brain in new ways!

Kindomality Quiz

If you lived in the Middle Ages, what personality type would most reflect your position in the kingdom? Take this fun quiz to find out!

Your Facebook Personality Type

What’s your Facebook personality type? Check out the ones below and see what people or situations you can best relate to!

• The Chronic Liker – You have a habit of clicking “like” in response to every phrase, story or update. “It’s a beautiful day today!” Like. “What are your plans for the weekend?” Like. “ Big presentation this week.” Like. It’s cold outside. “Like.”Generally, these types are associated with nurturing personalities.

• The Courtesy Liker – You use like out of obligation to acknowledge some big news that someone shared – “Yes, I got the job! Like. The challenge is, Courtesy Likers are at a high risk of getting responses from other Courtesy Likers.

• The Birthday Well-Wisher – This personality only sends you a message on your birthday and is merely copying your real friends and family members who compete to get their birthday wishes in at 12 AM the day of your birthday.

• The Lurker – This personality is essentially a voyeur who checks out his/her and other Facebook page, but doesn’t really contribute anything. You only view information from close friends who keep their Facebook page private.

• The Oversharer – This person has a compulsive need to share everything from what they had for dinner to what they are wearing to going out for a walk to what they shouldn’t have eaten for lunch.

• The Bragger – This person uses Facebook as a tool to brag about everything that is happening in his/her life from that job promotion to their new house to how great that new dress looks! It can have the effect of reminding some of us how mundane our lives are!

• The Check-Inner – This person has a habit of “checking in” to Facebook wherever he/she goes, be it an Internet café to a friend’s house or the mall. This person needs to be extra careful that they don’t share too much personal business! For example, if they cancel a committment, they may not want to advertise that they made other social plans like, "at an ice skating rink with some friends from out of town!"

For more information on this topic, visit this link.

Historical Quotes Quiz

Which famous person in history said that? Test your accuracy on historical quotes and who said them.

What's Your Pet Personality?

Trying to decide on the perfect pet? Give this quiz a try and find out your Pet Personality in preparation for your next pet adoption!

Create a Virtual “You”!

Are you looking for a fun and creative way to express yourself online? Try creating an avatar! An avatar is a graphical representation of yourself online. You can create one that looks like you, or one that is totally different! Choose your face and body shape, your clothing and your setting.  Check out my avatar below for an example.

Some avatar creators include:
http://www.meez.com/ – This free avatar creator lets you customize your look and setting.
http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/ – Simpsonize yourself with this free Simpson avatar creator.
http://www.secondlife.com/ – Want to create an avatar and interact with others in an entirely virtual world? Check out Second Life.

Millionaire Trivia!

How much do you know about Millionaire Trivia? This quiz, "These Millionaires did WHAT with their Money?" is full of fun and outlandish surprises! Have at it!

Monday Fun Stuff: Cognifit

Many people either enjoy or think they ought to participate in games and activities designed to help themselves stay physically fit. It is quite easy to find an excercise program that can focus on a physical area like stretching, weight training, or aerobics that will build up one particular area you are weaker in.

It is more unusual to find an excercise program for the mind. While many people enjoy puzzle games like crosswords or logic puzzles that provide a refreshing mental workout, it is unusual to find a class on "improving your short term memory" or "dividing your attention with greater ease." This is the area in which Cognifit tries to step in and bridge the gap. This website has developed a series of activities which are designed to assess your mental fitness in at least 11 different categories: planning, shifting attention from one task to another, hand-eye coordination, short-term memory, working memory, speed of processing, visual scanning, visual perception, spatial perception, inhibition, and naming.

After completing the series of activities, Cognifit will recommend several games on its site that will help you become more capable in the areas you are weaker in. I found the activities fairly enjoyable, and look forward to trying out the games it recommended for me. Let me know what you think of the site!

Fourth of July Trivia

How well do you know your Fourth of July history? Find out by taking this trivia quiz!

Here are some additional fun facts about 4th of July:

• While Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird, he was outnumbered by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson who selected the bald eagle.
• It is estimated that 150 million hotdogs are consumed on this day.
• The first 4th of July party at the White House occurred in 1801.
• Originally, the stars on the American flag were arranged in a circle to show equality of the colonies.

Visit this link to see more 4th of July Fun Facts.

Jigsaw Fun

Looking for a new way to exercise your brain? Try this computerized jigsaw puzzle and see how fast you can create the entire picture starting from a mixture of mismatched puzzle pieces. Good luck!

Monday Fun Stuff

Were you fascinated by kaleidoscopes as a child? 

Do they still fascinate you? 

Check out this mesmerizing imagery I found on StumbleUpon.com.

It would make a cool screensaver, don’t you think? 

Monday Fun Stuff: The National Jukebox

Image Source: Library of Congress

Imagine your computer as a new Gramophone purchased for family and friends to enjoy in your home parlor. Audition popular recorded selections of the beginning of the 20th century years—band music, novelty tunes, humorous monologues, hits from the season's new musical theater productions, the latest dance rhythms, and opera arias.

The Library of Congress' recently released National Jukebox now makes that possible, with historic sound recordings available to the public free of charge. The collection includes more than 10,000 78rpm disc sides issued by the Victor Talking Machine Company between 1900 and 1925. Select from classical, ragtime, opera, gospel, and ethnic music, and spoken word recordings. Check out these sample playlists curated by Library staff and learn how to create and share your own playlist. Opera fans, check out the interactive Victrola Book of the Opera.

Monday Fun Stuff: Fairytale Trivia

Did you know that in the original version of "Cinderella", the stepsisters sliced off parts of their feet so that their foot would fit into the slipper? Or, that Cinderella's wishes were granted by a white bird instead of a fairy godmother? Common fairytales that we think we know everything about have varied origins and/or have changed throughout the years. Visit this website to test your knowledge of fairytale trivia.

Some Interesting Facts About Monday

As you embark on a new week at work or school, below are some interesting facts about Monday that you may not have known about.

• Monday was once referred to as “Blue Monday” as it was once considered the day when everyone did laundry. “Bluing”, as it was called, was necessary to prevent white clothes from getting faded and washed out looking.
• Another unique tidbit about Monday, the second day of the week, is, the French used to call automobiles that turn out to be lemons, "Monday Cars."
• There are actually a few positive things about Monday. First, if you were born on Monday you are considered “not homely". Second, Mondays are the best days to shop for new cars as the majority of car sales take place on weekends. Due to the limited sales on Mondays, car salesmen are more likely to offer special deals to increase their profits.
• According to the science of Alchemy, Monday is associated with the color Silver, a thought that might put a little glitter into your Monday routine!

For more information about Monday fun facts, read this article.

Monday Fun Stuff: Today I Found Out

Did you know that the first professional baseball team was the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings? Did you know that the inventor of Fender Guitars never learned how to play guitar? Do you know what the background colors preceding movie trailers mean? For answers to these questions and lots more interesting factoids, visit Today I Found Out. Happy Monday!