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The Complex Role of Protests in America
06/25/2020 Current Events, Resources for StaffBlack Lives Matter, protests, racial equity, resourcesAnnah Hackett
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed by three Minneapolis police officers. His death was the latest in a long line of black people dying at the hands of police, including the late-night shooting death of EMT Breonna Taylor by Louisville police in her own apartment and the death of Mike Ramos, an unarmed man of black and Latinx descent, by Austin police on April 24, 2020. For many, it was also reminiscent of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in February, who was chased and shot by two white men while jogging near his home. While Arbery was not killed by police officers, it was a harsh reminder that the possibility of racially motivated violence against people of color is always present in American society.
Since late May, protests in response to police brutality against people of color and other acts of racist violence have spread across the country. Many of the protests have been guided by the principles of non-violence as set down by Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and other civil rights leaders. At a virtual town hall organized by the organization My Brother's Keeper, former President Barack Obama both decried the police violence that led to Floyd's death and also called upon protesters to remain peaceful.
However, in some places there has also been violence, including rioting and looting either by protesters or by other parties. Determining where a protest ends and a riot begins (if there even is a clear distinction) is difficult. Some scholars even argue that a certain degree of violence is an inevitable part of American protesting. After all, one of the most famous protests in American history– the Boston Tea Party– was an act of material destruction.
Likewise, the act of rioting has been construed by some as a means of last resort when all other avenues of change, including voting and peaceful protests, have failed. In a recent interview, Rep. Maxine Waters described the riots in California in 1992 as "an explosion of a hopelessness being played out" and went on to compare the 1992 riots to the current situation. While she points out several similarities between the two periods of unrest, including the lack of trust in the police, she also sees an important difference between them—specifically that in the recent protests there have been many white people joining black people in calling out for racial equity. In her words: "That's telling us something — that it's not only black people fed up with the police Establishment."
Using the resources listed here, we invite you to explore the complex role protests play in American politics with a special emphasis on the ongoing struggle for racial equality. In future blog posts, we will discuss less frequently recognized events of racial violence in American history and the tradition of LGBTQ+ activism (including the Stonewall Riots of 1969).
Please note: All annotations have been taken from the resource itself.
Gottheimer, J., ed. (2003). Ripples of Hope: Great American Civil Rights Speeches. Link.
Including a never-before published speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., this is the first compilation of its kind, bringing together the most influential and important voices from two hundred years of America's struggle for civil rights, including essential speeches from leaders, both famous and obscure. With voices as diverse as Cesar Chavez, Harvey Milk, Betty Friedan, Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth, this anthology constitutes a unique chronicle of the nation's civil rights movements and the critical issues they've tackled, from slavery and suffrage to immigration and affirmative action. This is an indispensable compilation of the words –the ripples of hope–that, collectively, have changed American history.
Cover of How To Read a Protest by L.A. Kauffman
Kauffman, L. (2018). How to Read a Protest: The Art of Organizing and Resistance. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520972209
In this original and richly illustrated account, organizer and journalist L.A. Kauffman delves into the history of America's major demonstrations, beginning with the legendary 1963 March on Washington, to reveal the ways protests work and how their character has shifted over time. Using the signs that demonstrators carry as clues to how protests are organized, Kauffman explores the nuanced relationship between the way movements are made and the impact they have. How to Read a Protest sheds new light on the catalytic power of collective action and the decentralized, bottom-up, women-led model for organizing that has transformed what movements look like and what they can accomplish.
Streitmatter, R. (2001). Voices of Revolution: The Dissident Press in America. https://doi.org/10.7312/stre12248
Streitmatter tells the stories of dissident American publications and press movements of the last two centuries, and of the colorful individuals behind them. From publications that fought for the disenfranchised to those that promoted social reform, Voices of Revolution examines the abolitionist and labor press, black power publications of the 1960s, the crusade against the barbarism of lynching, the women's movement, and antiwar journals. Streitmatter also discusses gay and lesbian publications, contemporary on-line journals, and counterculture papers like The Kudzu and The Berkeley Barb that flourished in the 1960s.
Tufekci, Z. (2017). Twitter and Tear Gas : The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest. Link.
An incisive observer, writer, and participant in today's social movements, Zeynep Tufekci explains in this accessible and compelling book the nuanced trajectories of modern protests—how they form, how they operate differently from past protests, and why they have difficulty persisting in their long-term quests for change. Tufekci speaks from direct experience, combining on-the-ground interviews with insightful analysis. . . . These details from life inside social movements complete a moving investigation of authority, technology, and culture—and offer essential insights into the future of governance.
Peck, R., & Brown, J. (2016). I Am Not Your Negro. Documentary available on Kanopy. E-book available through UT Libraries.
I Am Not Your Negro documentary, a continuation of a book envisioned by Civil Rights activist James Baldwin
An Oscar-nominated documentary narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO explores the continued peril America faces from institutionalized racism. In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, Remember This House. The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and successive assassinations of three of his close friends–Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin's death in 1987, he left behind only thirty completed pages of his manuscript. Now, in his incendiary new documentary, master filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin's original words and flood of rich archival material.
Speeches and Music
Seale, B., & Educational Video Group. (1973). Bobby Seale : Speech on Black Panthers Movement. Link.
This is a video of Bobby Seale giving a speech about the values of the Black Panther Party.
Duration: 3 min.
Voices of the Civil Rights Movement: Black American Freedom Songs, 1960-1966. (1997). Link.
These 43 tracks are a series of musical images, of a people in conversation about their determination to be free. Many of the songs were recorded live in mass meetings held in churches, where people from different life experiences, predominantly black, with a few white supporters, came together in a common struggle. These freedom songs draw from spirituals, gospel, rhythm and blues, football chants, blues and calypso forms.
Online Resources and Newspaper Articles
Jackson, K.C. (1 June 2020). "The Double Standard of the American Riot." The Atlantic. Link.
"Today, peaceful demonstrations and violent riots alike have erupted across the country in response to police brutality and the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Yet the language used to refer to protesters has included looters, thugs, and even claims that they are un-American. The philosophy of force and violence to obtain freedom has long been employed by white people and explicitly denied to black Americans."
Hannah-Jones, N., et al. The 1619 Project. The New York Times Magazine. Link.
The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country's history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.
Texas After Violence Project (part of the UT Libraries Human Rights Documentations Initiative) Link.
In 2009, the Human Rights Documentation Initiative (HRDI) partnered with the independent, Austin-based nonprofit organization, Texas After Violence Project (TAVP), a human rights and restorative justice project that studies the effects of interpersonal and state violence on individuals, families, and communities. Its mission is to build a digital archive that serves as a resource for community dialogue and public policy to promote alternative, nonviolent ways to prevent and respond to violence. The HRDI is working with TAVP to ensure the long-term preservation and access of its digital video testimonies, transcripts and organizational records.
Juneteenth: Celebrating Liberation
06/17/2020 Resources for StaffElle Covington
By Roxanne Bogucka
Juneteenth (variously called Emancipation Day, Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, or Cel-Liberation Day) is a holiday that commemorates the date when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the enslaved black people in Texas. "Juneteenth" is a portmanteau word formed from "June" and "nineteenth."
Although the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863, enslaved Texans were not apprised of this fact until Union Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, on June 19, 1865 (Acosta, 2020). While the text of General Order No. 3 announced that "all slaves are free," it also stated that "Freedmen are advised to remain in their present homes, and work for wages."
In Austin, freed persons organized the first Emancipation Day celebrations in what is now Eastwoods Park, just north of present-day Dean Keeton Boulevard (Hasan, 2017). Photographs of Austin's Juneteenth observances in 1900, taken by a Mrs. Grace Stephenson, including this one of celebrants, are available in The Portal to Texas History. According to the Portal metadata, Mrs. Stephenson later sold her photos, along with a report of the day's festivities, to the San Francisco Chronicle. A search for the article in America's Historical Newspapers was unsuccessful. A reference staffer from the San Francisco Public Library replied that SFPL is unable to respond to these kinds of reference questions at the moment.
As freed persons dispersed from Texas, they carried with them the tradition of celebrating emancipation on June 19th. The database African American Newspapers, Series 1 has several articles about communities' Juneteenth celebrations. The earliest reportage was published in the Parsons (KS) Weekly Blade, in 1895.
Enlarged images of Juneteenth coverage in the Parson's Weekly Blade from June 22, 1895
In 1979, Texas State Representative Al Edwards (D-Houston) introduced House Bill 1016, legislation that led to Texas becoming the first of these United States to declare Juneteenth an official holiday. Today, Juneteenth is an official holiday or observance in 46 states and the District of Columbia (National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, n.d.). While not observed by the University of Texas, Juneteenth (Emancipation Day) is an official public holiday in the state of Texas. Do not get too excited by this, as the state of Texas also lists Confederate Heroes Day on its official calendar of holidays (Texas State Auditor's Office).
The United Kingdom, which abolished the slave trade in 1807, and passed the Slavery Abolition Act nearly 30 years before the United States, has a related observance on 18 October—Anti-Slavery Day, whose unfortunate name raises inescapable questions about the other days of the year.
This year, with parades and gatherings being deemed unwise, Austin celebrates Juneteenth virtually. Stay Black and Live will be held online from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday, June 19, 2020. There will almost certainly be a performance of "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," also called the Black National Anthem. Learn the words, learn the tune, raise your voices in song on Friday, and raise your voices in citizenship every day.
Selected Resources from the UT Libraries
Abernethy, Francis E., ed. (1996). Juneteenth Texas. Denton, TX : Texas Folklore Society.
African American Newspapers, Series 1, https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/db/618 and Series 2, https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/aans2
African American Newspapers: The 19th Century. https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/db/10
African American Periodicals. https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/aap
Jordan, D., & Jordan, D. (2008). Juneteenth. (2nd ed.). Chicago: Heinemann Library.
"Describes the holiday known as Juneteenth Day, which has roots in Texas and which celebrates the end of slavery in the United States."
Sierra, Sali. (1988). Juneteenth and other freedom celebrations. Chicago: Society for Visual Education, Inc. [filmstrip]
"Explains the origins and histories of Black freedom celebrations in North America. Tells how, even though the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863, it was not until June 19, 1865, that General Granger landed near Galveston, Tex., and spread the word that slavery had been abolished. Shows that the anniversary of Granger's landing is celebrated today among Black communities as Juneteenth."
Texas Newspaper Archive. https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/db/959
Works Consulted / Additional Reading
Acosta, Teresa Paloma. (2010, June 15. Modified: 2020, February 21). Juneteenth. In Handbook of Texas Online. Austin : Texas State Historical Association. https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lkj01. Access date: June 14, 2020
The Anti-Slavery Day Act 2010. (2010). U.K. Statutory Instruments, 2010 No. 2325. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/2325/made. Access date: June 14, 2020.
Conradt, Stacy. (2018, June 19. Updated: 2020, May 27). 12 things you might not know about Juneteenth. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501680/12-things-you-might-not-know-about-juneteenth. Access date: June 14, 2020.
Emancipation Proclamation. (1862). The National Archives. [online exhibit]. https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation. Access date: June 15, 2020
General Orders, No. 3. Retrieved from the Briscoe Center for American History. https://www.cah.utexas.edu/db/dmr/image_lg.php?variable=di_01803. Access date: June 8, 2020.
General Orders, No. 3. U.S. House, 54th Congress, 1st Session (H. Doc. 369, Part 2). "General Order Number 3," 1896. U.S. Documents Collection. Y 1.1/2: SERIAL 3437
Gordon Granger. United States, None. [Between 1860 and 1870] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2018669780/. Access date: June 15, 2020
Hasan, Syeda. (2017, January 19). Staring down development, neighbors seek historical recognition for Emancipation Park. https://www.kut.org/post/staring-down-development-neighbors-seek-historical-recognition-emancipation-park. Access date: June 14, 2020
Juneteenth and General Order No. 3. (n.d.). Retrieved from GalvestonHistory.org. https://www.galvestonhistory.org/news/juneteenth-and-general-order-no-3. Access date: June 15, 2020
Legislative Reference Library of Texas. https://lrl.texas.gov/index.cfm. Access date: June 15, 2020
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation. http://nationaljuneteenth.com/St_Holiday_Legislation.html
National Museum of African American History and Culture. (n.d.) The historical legacy of Juneteenth. https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/historical-legacy-juneteenth. Access date: June 8, 2020
(1895, June 22). Parsons Weekly Blade, p. 4. Available from Readex: African American Newspapers: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/apps/readex/doc?p=EANAAA&docref=image/v2%3A12B765516BD0CFE8%40EANAAA-12BE0D1D07C169A0%402413367-12BBC9429910C368%403. Access date: June 15, 2020
Stephenson, Grace Murray. (1900). Emancipation Day celebration. Austin History Center General Collection Photographs. https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth124053/. Access date: June 8, 2020.
Stephenson, Grace Murray. (1900). Emancipation Day celebration band. Austin History Center General Collection Photographs. https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth124054/. Access date: June 8, 2020.
Taylor, Derrick Bryson. (2020, June 13). So you want to learn about Juneteenth? New York Times. Access date: June 13, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/article/juneteenth-day-celebration.html
Texas Remembers: Juneteenth. Texas State Library. https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/juneteenth.html
Texas State Auditor's Office. (n.d.). http://www.hr.sao.texas.gov/Holidays/
U.S. House of Representatives. 54th Congress. (1896). The war of the rebellion: a compilation of the official records or the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, D.C. : Government Printing Office. https://www.tsl.texas.gov/outofthestacks/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/GeneralOrders3_Juneteenth.pdf. Access date: June 14, 2020
Honoring Black Lives: Josephine Baker
06/02/2020 Current EventsBlack Lives MatterElle Covington
In light of everything that is going on in our country right now, I briefly considered cancelling plans to publish this post, which has been on our planning calendar since last Fall. The DAC blog team is working on other posts related to protests and social movements around racial justice and the history of systemic and violent racist oppression in the United States. Those posts will go up as soon as we are able to get them finished.
While we all grieve the violent and needless deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN; Michael Ramos in Austin, TX; Breonna Taylor in Louisville, KY; Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, GA; and Tony McDade in Tallahassee, FL, it is my hope that remembering the incredible life of Josephine Baker on the 114th anniversary of her birth will provide another avenue today for honoring black lives and black legacies in the United States.
Van Vechten, C. (1949) Portrait of Josephine Baker, Paris, 1949. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress.
Josephine Baker was born Freda Josephine McDonald on June 3, 1906 in St. Louis. Her early life was hard. Her father abandoned Baker and her mother shortly after she was born, and she began work as a maid at the age of 8 for white families at whose hands she experience both neglect and physical and sexual abuse. At the age of 11, she survived the East St. Louis Race Riots.
At age 13, Baker ran away from home. She began working as a waitress in a club and married a man named Willie Wells, whom she separated from after only a few weeks, though technically the marriage was never legal due to Baker's age. She performed in clubs and on the streets until she began touring the United States with an all-black theatre troupe based out of Philadelphia. At 15, she married Will Baker, and though this marriage lasted only a little longer than her first, she kept the name Baker for the rest of her life.
Baker's comedy skills provided her with increasingly successful performance roles and an undeniable place in the Harlem Renaissance. In 1925, she was invited to join La Revue Nègre at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris. She was 19 and already one of the highest paid performers in vaudeville. In Paris, her comedy and dance routines were celebrated, but it wasn't until her performances turned to the more exotic that she truly achieved the international fame she is known for.
Photo Card No.101, Dancer Josephine Baker posing with a cheetah wearing a collar, photograph by Piaz Studios of Paris, Early 1930's. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Baker embraced the exotification at the time, regardless of how she may have felt personally about her "Africanized" burlesque performances. She became a larger than life persona, even adopting a pet cheetah, which she named Chiquita, and walked on a leash with a diamond collar.
In 1927, she became the first black woman to star in a movie, Siren of the Tropics, a silent French Film. This debut was followed with two "talkies," Zouzou in 1934 and Princess Tam Tam in 1935.
Baker's fame continued to skyrocket. She expanded her repertoire and her performances matured until she was one of the highest paid performers in the world.
Baker was an American expat in Paris at the same time as Gertrude Stein, Langston Hughes, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, all of whom, along with other Jazz Age artists including Picasso and Colette, considered Baker as a muse.
She returned to the U.S. a couple of times, but was frustrated and disgusted at the racism she experienced. In the time of McCarthyism, she was accused of communism, and hounded by both the FBI and the CIA.
Baker married her third husband, a Frenchman, in 1937. Like the other marriages, this one didn't last long, but it did provide Baker with the opportunity to become a French citizen, after which she renounced her American citizenship.
Over the years, she had many lovers of all genders, including a nearly 10-year relationship with her manager and a Sicilian count, Pepito Abatino. While Baker never labeled her sexuality, she did have affairs with women throughout her life, including Ada Smith, Colette, and possibly Frida Kahlo.
When World War II broke out, Baker remained in Paris, which by then, she considered her country. Baker worked as a nurse for the Red Cross. When France became occupied, Baker joined the French Resistance, smuggling information across enemy lines and hiding weapons and refugees at her chateau. Her international performances provided Baker with a unique opportunity. She would perform and attend parties at the Italian Embassy and then pass along any information she learned to the resistance, written in invisible ink on her music sheets.
For about a year and a half during the war, an illness kept Baker confined to a Casablanca clinic. However, even there, she joined the women's auxiliary of the Free French forces as a sublieutenant and performed for the allied troops.
For her work during the war, Baker was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Légion d'Honneur with the Rosette of the Résistance.
When the war was over, Baker returned to France and turned her considerable energy to the fight for civil rights. She married (self-identified homosexual) bandleader Jo Bouillon, and though they eventually separated, they remained married throughout Baker's life. Together, they adopted 12 children of different races and religions from around the world. Baker called them her "Rainbow Tribe."
After 9 years of "retirement," Baker found herself facing serious debts that forced her to return to performing. She returned to the stage with a musical autobiography called Paris mes Amours at the Olympia Theatre in Paris in 1959.
She often returned to the US throughout the 50s and 60s to support the Civil Rights Movement. While in the U.S., she refused to perform for segregated audiences, and in 1963, she was the only woman asked to speak at the March on Washington.
In 1969, she and her children were evicted from the chateau in southern France where they had lived since the end of the war. However, Princess Grace of Monaco stepped in, offering Baker and her family a villa in Monaco and helping to fund a new show titled Joséphine to celebrate the 50th anniversary of her Paris debut.
After a few performances of the new show, Baker died peacefully in her sleep in her chosen country, France. Even in death, Baker accomplished another notable first. She was the first and only American woman to be buried with military honors and a 21-gun salute in France. Over 20,000 people lined the streets of Paris to mourn her passing and honor her life.
Josephine Baker Biography. (2020). A&E Television Networks. Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/performer/josephine-baker
Josephine Baker. (2004). In Encyclopedia of World Biography (2nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 448-451). Detroit, MI: Gale. Retrieved from https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/apps/doc/CX3404700392/GVRL?u=txshracd2598&sid=GVRL&xid=c379cd99
Norwood, A. R. (2017). "Josephine Baker." National Women's History Museum. Retrieved from https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/josephine-baker
Josephine Baker. (2003). Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved from http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/j/josephine-baker/
Strong, L. Q. (2006). Baker, Josephine. Reprinted from http://www.glbtq.com. Retrieved from http://www.glbtqarchive.com/arts/baker_josephine_A.pdf
CIA report on activities in Latin America of Negro singer Josephine Baker. (1953, February 10). United States: Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved from https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/apps/doc/CK2349254187/GDCS?u=txshracd2598&sid=GDCS&xid=52ea60d3
Josephine Baker in new challenge. (1969, March 11). Times, p. 5. Retrieved from https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/apps/doc/CS84504683/GDCS?u=txshracd2598&sid=GDCS&xid=8242988a
von Wangenheim, A. (2015). Josephine Baker: Black Diva in a White Man's World. San Francisco, California, USA: Kanopy Streaming.
Nalpas, M. & Étiévant, H. (1927). Siren of the Tropics. Paris, France. [film]
Allégret, M. & Nissotti, A. (1934). Zouzou. Paris, France. [film]
Greville, E. T. & Nissotti, A. (1935). Princess Tam Tam. Paris, France. [film]
Baker, J. (1952). Speech in St. Louis on the Third of February, 1952: The Josephine Baker Home Coming Day. UMSL Black History Project.
Baker, J., & Bouillon, J. (1977). Josephine. (1st ed.). Translated by Mariana Fitzpatrick. New York: Harper & Row.
Baker, J., & Sauvage, M. (1931). Voyages et aventures de Josephine Baker. Paris: M. Seheur. (Ransom Center)
Baker, J. & Sauvage, M. (1949). Les mémoires de Joséphine Baker. Paris: Corrêa. (Ransom Center)
Baker, J., & Chase, C. (1993). Josephine : the hungry heart (1st ed.). New York: Random House.
Jules-Rosette, B. (2007). Josephine Baker in art and life : the icon and the image. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. [Print].
News & Magazine Articles
La Baker Is Back. (1951). Life, 30(14), 55–60.
Curtiss, T. (1959). JOSEPHINE BAKER CONQUERS PARIS ANEW. Variety (Archive: 1905-2000), 215(2), 1, 66. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1032388739/
Cheng, A. A., & Baker, J. (2010). Second Skin Josephine Baker and the Modern Surface. Oxford : Oxford University Press. [electronic].
McAuliffe, M. (2016). When Paris sizzled : the 1920s Paris of Hemingway, Chanel, Cocteau, Cole Porter, Josephine Baker, and their friends. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. [electronic].
Willis, D. (2010). Black Venus 2010: They called her Hottentot. Philadelphia, Pa: Temple University Press. [electronic].
Powell, P. H., & Robinson, C. (2014). Josephine : the Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. [Print].
Baker, Josephine, Mario Braggiotti, and Jacques. Fray. "Josephine Baker : Complete Recorded Works, 1926-1927, in Chronological Order." Document Records, 1999. Television.
PARIS MES AMOURS / JOSEPHINE BAKER, avec l'orchestre dir : JO BOUILLON ; Orchestrations : JO BOYER. (1959). Retrieved from http://ark.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k8816212k
Josephine Baker performing The Charleston on August 24th, 1928


In the last couple of years, there has been a lot of debate about solar energy and its use. Many experts are warning about the abuse of natural resources and one day we will have to switch to renewables because we dried everything up. Solar energy is obtained from the sun's radiation, and it can be converted into electricity or heat. It is free, green and clean. With the help of modern technologies, we can harness more energy now; then we could have in the past. But, the main obstacle remains the price. The initial investment is costly and requires a lot of money, which average citizens aren't able to afford. But, here are some benefits of solar energy.
This type of power has no adverse effects on nature and our environment. Compared to other sources, it does not produce greenhouse gases or pollution. It requires little water for maintenance, but way less than nuclear power plants. Solar energy doesn't create any noise, which is a significant benefit, considering we all live in urban areas. With the use of solar energy, you are saving our planet because you don't create pollutants.
Solar power allows you to function independently. Generating your own electricity, you will go off the grid, and you won't depend on commercial supplies. This will instantly help you decrease utility bills, and we all know how costly they can be. Plus, you can also make money, by selling unused power. The more energy you produce, the less you will need from a supplier. In this case, you are entirely independent and can avoid all unexpected power outages.
As long as there is sunlight, the solar energy will be available everywhere. In this case, particularly remote regions can solve the electricity issues. There are millions of people around the world who don't have access to electricity, and solar energy can be the answer. Independent solar systems can installed in those regions and improve lives of millions of people.


We know that learning takes place outside the classroom as well as inside it visits are highly valuable educational experiences. We also know how much learning inside the classroom is enhanced by visits outside it. GNIA organized a visit to Govt. Hospital, Rania on the occasion of "International Nurse Day" Students present flowers to the nurses to make them feel special and wished them. Visit to the hospital was organized visit to the hospital in continuation with experiential learning. Students visited the various units in the hospital such as Vaccine Storage Room, Homeopathic Ward, Dental Surgeon Room and Labour Room etc. Students interacted with Dr. Ajay (Dental Surgeon) who gave them brief knowledge about teeth and oral care. He also gave valuable tips for proper dental care including good diet frequent cleaning of the teeth after eating, and regular dental checkups is essential. It was all a wonderful and enjoyable experience for students as well as the teachers.


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The Long Ma, which literally translates to "dragon-horse," is a legendary divine beast, part dragon, part horse, from the Book of Rites (礼记 lǐ jì). It appears in the story of Fu Xi (伏羲 fú xī) and bestows upon him the gift of the Eight Trigrams (八卦 bā guà). The Long Ma is believed to be a symbol of good fortune and vitality.
The Eight Trigrams and Long Ma
Fu Xi led his people to the Yellow River (黄河 huáng hé) where they lived a simple life, not worrying about (or even aware of) time, hunting when hungry, and drinking when thirsty. However, when times were hard and food was scarce, he couldn't help but pity his children as they suffered from hunger. He longed to find a way to ensure they would never go hungry again.
For the next part of this story, there are two widely accepted versions:
1. Every now and again, a large beast would rise out of the river and fly away, creating huge waves that would harm Fu Xi's people. After a few occurences, Fu Xi decided if it appeared again, he would subdue the beast and make sure it never harmed them again. The next time it rose from the river Fu Xi attacked. They fought in the river for seven days and seven nights until Fu Xi was finally able to overcome the beast. As he held it down he noticed that the beast had the body of a horse, and the head, scales and claws of a dragon. After further inspection he noticed there was a pattern on it's back unlike anything he had ever seen. The beast became known as a Long Ma, and the pattern would become known as a Bagua.
Long Ma 龙马 (lóng mǎ)
Status: Divine Beast
Best known for: Delivering the Bagua to Fu Xi
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2. One day, when Fu Xi was fishing in the river, the water began to rise in an unnatural manner. There, in the middle of the river, Fu Xi noticed a beast appearing from beneath the water with the body of a horse, the head of a dragon, and a large pair of wings. The beast stood on the water and walked slowly towards Fu Xi. It raised its head as if out of respect for him then turned to one side. Fu Xi examined the beast and noticed a pattern on its side, unlike anything he had ever seen. He memorised the patterns, and when he was finished, the beast raised it's two front legs in the air, threw back its head, and flew off into the sky.
Fu Xi picked up a twig and drew the pattern into the clay on the riverbed. He stared at the pattern for days on end trying desparately to understand their meaning. Then, one day, it came to him. The lines in the pattern started to make sense. What he saw was patterns of changes in the universe, from which he could predict the future. He named the pattern Bagua.
These days the Bagua, or Eight Trigrams, is used as an ancient divination tool in Feng Shui (风水 fēng shuǐ) - the art of placement to balance the elements in a given space - and is also used in many other disiplines such as astronomy, astrology, geography, geomancy, anatomy (Chinese Medicine), and elsewhere. It is said to be able to tell the future of everything and holds the key to the secrets of the universe.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


There is not a more Provençal dish than tapenade. Fret not the little fishes - see the list of ingredients 😬 - and the olives - many people weirdly don't love these green and black orbs - and try this fresh, spreadable goodness on a slice of grilled bread. You can thank us later.
Remove the pits from the olives.
Remove the salt / rinse the anchovy filets.
Squeeze the juice out of the half lemon.
Mix the olives, capers and anchovies in a high-speed mixer. Add the pepper, then add the olive oil and lemon juice little by little. The mix should be rather smooth but a couple of small chunks have never killed anybody!


text:
Glückspilze steht für:

 Glückspilze (1935), deutscher Film von Robert A. Stemmle
 Glückspilze (1940), US-amerikanischer Film von Lewis Milestone
 Glückspilze (1971), deutscher Fernsehfilm von Thomas Engel
 Fünf Glückspilze (auch Die Glückspilze), französischer Episodenfilm (1963)
 Die Glückspilze (Fernsehserie), US-amerikanische Fernsehserie (1995)

Siehe auch:
 Der Glückspilz, US-amerikanischer Film von Billy Wilder (1966)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia