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The Day the Civil Rights Movement Ended
By Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney, Associate Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Texas, Arlington
Fifty years ago, on April 4th, the civil rights movement ended. That was the day that James Earl Ray assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King in Memphis, Tennessee and ended Dr. King's larger- than-life role in and influence on the civil rights movement.
Photo credit: Yoichi Okamoto/LBJ Presidential Library and Museum
Of course, some historians, as well as others, argue that the civil rights movement ended before Dr. King's assassination. They cite the backlash that the movement endured after Stokely Carmichael, the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), made his infamous "Black Power" speech in Greenwood, Mississippi during the "March Against Fear" in 1966. Dr. King was on the stage with Carmichael when he gave the speech and tried to change the shouts by the crowd from "Black Power" to "Freedom Now," but failed. "Black Power" became the new slogan of the movement and it alienated many whites who supported and participated in the movement as well as many of the foundations and organizations that provided financial support to the movement. Opponents of the "Black Power" slogan equated it with black violence against whites. Given the ongoing use of violence by whites against blacks to maintain white power and white supremacy, it was logical for the opponents of Black Power to conclude that the movement would evolve to their worst fear. But they were wrong.
Several of Dr. King's biographers also argue that the movement ended in April 1967 when Dr. King gave his famous "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" speech at Riverside Baptist Church in New York opposing the war in Vietnam. In the speech, Dr. King indicted the United States as "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world" and noted that the U.S. government sent young black, brown and poor men to Vietnam to fight in an imperialistic war, but did nothing to improve their lives at home. The Johnson administration, most of the media and even some of Dr. King's allies in the civil rights movement condemned him as a traitor for speaking out against the war. His critics condemned him and warned him that he should stay away from foreign policy and confine his efforts to fighting only for "civil rights."
In 1968, despite the continued resistance to civil rights by those who opposed the movement as well as the actions by the federal government to undermine Dr. King and the movement itself, Dr. King had not given up on it. In his last book, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? (1967), Dr. King wrote about expanding the movement from civil rights to human rights and addressing the fundamental issue of economic justice. He wrote that the wealthiest country in the world should address poverty by providing every citizen a livable income, affordable housing and a decent standard of living. He expanded his efforts to address the nation's rampant poverty by supporting the sanitation workers' strike in Memphis and by planning a Poor People's March in Washington, D.C. for the spring of 1968. He also believed that a government and society dominated by institutional racism should provide "affirmative action" to provide special support to those whose lives had been historically circumscribed by individual and institutional racism.
Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, 1967
But Dr. King's assassination ended not only his efforts to expand the movement from civil rights to human rights; it ended the movement itself.
With the assassination of Dr. King, the fissures in the civil rights movement expanded and broke it. White Americans acted on Richard Nixon's "southern strategy" in 1968 to elect him president. For African Americans, the assassination of Dr. King sent a clear message: his strategy of moral suasion, nonviolent social change and his efforts to form a "beloved community" were pipe dreams. Many young African Americans increasingly supported organizations that advocated "Black Power" and "Black Nationalism." While the FBI and the media sought to paint organizations and individuals who advocated these two ideas as violent, anti-American revolutionaries, young African Americans like me (I was 18 in 1968) rallied behind these ideas as the natural evolution of the ongoing struggle for black liberation.
Indeed, the assassination of Dr. King made it very clear to my generation that "loving your enemies," "turning the other cheek" and adopting nonviolence as tactics would get us killed. While we loved and honored Dr. King, we saw that the resistance to his very mild and legitimate demands for the nation to honor its own creed of equality of opportunity, voting rights and basic human rights were demands that the nation could not fulfill. Armed self defense and even urban guerilla warfare seemed more plausible as strategies and tactics to win our freedom and to change the inherent racism in American society than moral suasion.
Based on the "wars of national liberation" that we saw being waged in Vietnam, Angola, Mozambique and in other colonized nations in Africa and Asia, we romanticized that we could do the same thing in the United States. But after COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) and the bloody war that the FBI and the police carried out against the Black Panther Party for Self Defense and other Black Nationalist organizations after Dr. King's assassination, we came to our senses. We realized that the civil rights movement was over, but we had to survive in order to take the movement to the next level. In addition, we knew that we had to educate the next generation to continue the struggle beyond civil rights.
We adopted the slogan: "a luta continua" (the struggle continues) from FRELIMO (Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (Mozambique Liberation Front) in honor of Dr. King who gave his life and inspired us to find new ways to fight oppression, racism and white supremacy. Indeed, as we have seen, the civil rights movement is over, but we continue to struggle against some of the same issues (political disfranchisement, police brutality and economic discrimination) that confronted Dr. King.
The views and opinions reflected in the Museum's Guest Blog are those expressly of the author alone, and not of The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.
The People Mourn: Artistic Expression and Responses to the Death of President John F. Kennedy
The world was shocked by the astonishing, violent act of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Many of those grieving chose to express their feelings through song, poetry, art and musical scores — all created to memorialize President Kennedy. The artistic contributions of Kennedy's admirers after his death provide a deeper understanding of how the world felt following such a tragic loss.
Songs have been sung about Kennedy, his assassination or the events surrounding it, such as Mr. John (1964) by songwriter William Spivey. In the Summer of His Years was written by Herb Kretzmer and composed by David Lee just hours after Kennedy's death, and performed by Millicent Martin on the BBC on November 23, 1963. Since then, it has been performed by a number of other artists, including Connie Francis, who donated proceeds from her recording to the J.D. Tippit Benefit Fund, supporting the family of the Dallas police officer who was slain in the Oak Cliff section of the city less than an hour after the assassination.
He Was a Friend of Mine, re-written by The Byrds to lament Kennedy's assassination, appeared on their album Turn! Turn! Turn! in 1965. Son House performed a moving and sad lament for the late president aptly called President Kennedy, also released in 1965. Additional songs in the 1960s include Crucifixion by Phil Ochs in 1966 and Abraham, Martin and John, authored by Dick Holler and performed by Dion in 1968 about American leaders who were assassinated.
Musical scores that were composed after President Kennedy's assassination in 1963 include A City Mourns (for John F. Kennedy) by Dorothy Elliot and The Kennedy March, written by Joe Meek and performed by the Joe Meek Orchestra. In 1964, Remembrance: John Fitzgerald Kennedy by Fred Wirtz and William Steffe was published, and three years later, Oliver Nelson unveiled The Kennedy Dream, a tribute album with eight original tracks, including Day in Dallas, Let the World Go Forth and Jacqueline.
The Kennedy Dream by Oliver Nelson (1967)
President Kennedy was known to enjoy reading poetry, so it is fitting that a number of poignant poems were penned in his memory. One of them, Six White Horses, was written about his funeral by a fifteen-year-old named Candy Geer. The illustrated, published version of this poem is on view through February 19, 2018 as part of Mourning a President, a temporary exhibit about the funeral of John F. Kennedy, on the seventh floor of the Museum.
A page of Six White Horses by Candy Geer. Joseph Bastian Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
Other poems and collections of poems have been written in response to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. November Twenty Six Nineteen Hundred and Sixty Three was authored by Wendell Berry and illustrated by Ben Shahn (1964) and Poems in Memory of John F. Kennedy by Virginia P. Keinz (1967).
November Twenty Six Nineteen Hundred and Sixty Three by Wendell Berry and Illustrated by Ben Shahn (1964)
To this day, active and creative forms of expression inspired by Kennedy's legacy continue to shape our collective image and memory of the fallen president. The Sixth Floor Museum actively collects many of these multi-dimensional artistic and personal reactions to the assassination. This blog shares just a tiny selection of individual responses from the 1960s decade. The Museum has many artistic pieces not discussed in this blog available for researchers to view, including original art, some of which are on display in the temporary exhibit Mourning a President. If you would like to learn more about other JFK-inspired forms of artistic expression created over the last fifty-four years, please contact the Museum's Reading Room Librarian here, to schedule an appointment or discuss related materials in our collection.
Gift Shopping Guide: Museum Store + Café
If you're looking for interesting, unique gifts this holiday season, stop by the Museum Store + Café, located adjacent to The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on the corner of Elm and Houston St. in downtown Dallas. You'll find just the right gift for anyone who made your nice list this year, with items you won't find elsewhere. Plus, you can feel good about your purchases knowing they directly support Museum exhibits and programs.
President Kennedy's Favorite Fragrance
Eight & Bob Cologne gift set
The Museum Store + Café offers two of President Kennedy's favorite fragrances. Eight & Bob was introduced onto the market after a young John F. Kennedy met Albert Fouquet, the son of a Parisian socialite, while on a trip to France. Kennedy liked Fouquet's cologne so much that upon his return to the United States, he asked Fouquet to send eight samples of the fragrance to him, and "if your production allows, one for Bob." Hence the name "Eight & Bob." The fragrance comes in a beautiful book display that explains the fragrance's origin story and makes an excellent gift. It is priced at $175.
Christmas ornaments featuring Dealey Plaza and the JFK Centennial (1917-2017)
The Museum Store + Café has a wide variety of ornaments, including White House ornaments and Texas ornaments made by local artisans. Buy an ornament that reminds you of your trip to the Museum to hang on your own tree, or gift one to a friend! Whether you would like to remember Dealey Plaza or the John F. Kennedy Centennial, both are available at the Museum Store + Café and come in beautiful boxes perfect for holiday gifting. These ornaments are priced at $24 and $22, respectively.
Louis Sherry Chocolates
Louis Sherry Chocolates, shown here in Orchid and Nile Blue tins
When in the White House, John F. Kennedy's favorite lunch was known to be grilled cheese and tomato soup with Louis Sherry vanilla ice cream for dessert. President Kennedy is said to have gifted a beautiful orchid tin of Louis Sherry's chocolates to Jackie, but she was also fond of the Nile Blue colored tin herself. Both colors are available in two-piece and twelve-piece tins. The smaller tin costs $8.50 and would make a lovely stocking stuffer, while the twelve-piece tin, priced at $35, is a beautiful gift by itself. The Museum Store + Café also stocks the Diana Vreeland red tin if you desire a more festive color.
Caroline Kennedy's Christmas Book
"A Family Christmas" by Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Kennedy provides an exclusive look into Christmas with the Kennedy family in her book: "A Family Christmas." The book would make a beautiful gift, and it is filled to the brim with Kennedy holiday favorites, including poems, songs and traditions that the Kennedy family celebrated together during this season. "A Family Christmas" is priced at $26.95.
Toiletries fit for a President
Caswell-Massey Jockey Club Aftershave and Presidential Bath Soap
The Museum Store also carries Caswell-Massey, a brand that has been crafting fine toiletries since 1752, and supplying them to U.S. Presidents since George Washington. Two box sets including three bar soaps of President Kennedy's favorite fragrance, Jockey Club, or a mix of the three scents preferred by Kennedy, Washington, and Eisenhower are available for $30. The store also carries aftershave and cologne in President Kennedy's favorite scent, priced at $38 and $44, respectively.
Jackie's Favorite Candles
Rigaud candles in Jackie's favorite scent, Cypres
Jackie was renowned for her exquisite taste and impeccable style. Jackie studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, spoke fluent French, and was known to enjoy luxury French items, like the classic she is credited with bringing to the White House, the Rigaud Candle. Jackie's favorite candle, Cypres, a luscious Mediterranean scent, is perfect for burning during the holidays. Known for their beautiful and strong fragrances, Rigaud candles will delight anyone who receives them, especially those with a taste for the finer things. Priced at $70-$99, depending upon size.
*Prices and availability of above items subject to change.
The Last Years of Jack Ruby
By Stephen Fagin, Curator, The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
Jack Ruby in jail, visiting with attorney Phil Burleson in 1964. Credit: Robert L. White Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
"Whatever happened to Jack Ruby?" It remains one of the most frequently asked questions we receive from Museum visitors and students. Most are surprised to hear that Ruby spent the remainder of his life incarcerated in a building adjacent to Dealey Plaza. After being found guilty of murder with malice on March 14, 1964, Ruby remained in a cell on the sixth floor of the Dallas County Criminal Courts building while his attorneys appealed the verdict, which was ultimately overturned by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Had he not passed away on January 3, 1967, Ruby would have received a new trial in Wichita Falls, Texas later that year.
Deputy sheriff Benny Bob Barrett (1940-2015) spent a lot of "babysitting" Jack Ruby. His Oral History was recorded in 2009. Credit: Oral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
Jack Ruby was a unique prisoner. In addition to regular jail personnel, Sheriff Bill Decker assigned deputy sheriffs to "babysit" the high-profile prisoner to make sure he stayed safe. "You just had to sit there and hopefully get along with him," recalled deputy sheriff Benny Bob Barrett in his oral history, "and most of us did." Ruby's well known respect for law enforcement continued during his incarceration as he engaged his "babysitters" in conversation, sometimes planning future business opportunities. "Ruby [had] the idea that he could manufacture this stuff to keep people's hair from coming out, and wanting me to go into business with him," explained Barrett. [He] never gave up his desire to make money."
Ruby made this drawing for the children of deputy sheriff Archie Barnes. Credit: Archie and James Barnes Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
Deputy sheriff Archie Barnes played dominos and other games with Ruby. Ruby once presented Barnes with a geometric drawing—one of countless intricate doodles he made in jail—for the deputy's children. Barnes also recalled, "We both read a lot during this time… and especially on deep nights when the lights wasn't as bright… I got to where I couldn't see good." Ruby loaned Barnes his eyeglasses and later insisted that the deputy keep them.
According to Ruby's optometrist Dr. Thurman Ray, Ruby went through several pairs of glasses while at the Dallas County Jail. Ruby kept "breaking them, flushing them down the commode," said Ray in his oral history. "I always said… 'Only a crazy man would do this.'" Researchers continue to speculate on Jack Ruby's mental state during the final years of his life. Deputies were aware that Ruby was suicidal at times, and Benny Bob Barrett heard that Ruby once "jumped up and stuck his finger in that socket of the light bulb supposedly."
In an oral history recorded less than two months before his death in 1995, Ruby's longtime attorney Phil Burleson bluntly stated that during this period Ruby "was totally out of it" and often made bizarre allegations. Ruby shared with deputy sheriff Al Maddox his fears that he was being injected with cancer cells. While this has persisted as a conspiracy theory for many years, it is medically impossible to contract cancer via injection.
However, as with most aspects of the Kennedy assassination story, there are still lingering questions associated with Jack Ruby, his colorful past which included low-level mafia connections, and the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald. Following a court appearance during his appeal process, Ruby famously told reporters, "The world will never know the true facts of what occurred, my motives." He further suggested that people in high positions "had so much to gain." This statement, among others made in these final years, continue to interest (and perplex) researchers who believe that there is more to the story of Jack Ruby.


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Development and harmonisation of reliable sampling approaches for generation of data supporting GM plants risk assessment
Assessment of classical scrapie infectivity in sheep embryos
VectorNet: a European network for sharing data on the geographic distribution of arthropod vectors, transmitting human and animal disease agents
Database on the taxonomical identification and potential toxigenic capacities of non-QPS production strains of industrially produced food and feed additives.
Review of the state of the art of human biomonitoring for chemical substances and its application to human exposure assessment for food safety.
Preparation of summary reports from dossiers on food enzymes.
Applying a tested procedure for the identification of potential emerging chemical risks in the food chain to the substances registered under REACH — REACH 2.
Testing a procedure for the identification of emerging chemical risks in the food chain.
Literature review of baseline information on RNAi that could support the food/feed and environmental risk assessment of RNAi-based GM plants.
Review of immune stimulator substances/agents that are susceptible of being used as feed additives: mode of action and identification of end-points for efficacy assessment.
Transformation and further development of the compendium of botanicals reported to contain naturally occurring substances of possible concern for human health when used in food and food supplements.
Review and inventory of modelling frameworks/techniques suitable for assessing the risk of pathogen introduction and establishment and the risk of pathogen transmission and spread.
Development of a consolidated database covering EFSA pesticide outputs on active substances.
Evaluation of the applicability of existing (Q)SAR models for predicting the genotoxicity of pesticides and similarity analysis related with genotoxicity of pesticides for facilitating of grouping and read across.
Benigni, Romualdo
Machine learning techniques applied in risk assessment related to food safety
Integrating toxicokinetics in chemical risk assessment: application to human, animal and environmental risk assessment
Update of the EFSA comprehensive European food consumption database (2013–2014).
Preparation of summary reports from dossiers on food enzymes from genetically modified microorganisms (GMM) or genetically modified plants
Critical review of methodology and application of risk ranking for prioritisation of food and feed related issues, on the basis of the size of anticipated health impact.
Further development and update of EFSA's chemical hazards database
Closing gaps for performing a risk assessment on Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods: activity 3, the comparison of isolates from different compartments along the food chain, and from humans using whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis
Food chain analysis of selected aquaculture species products: identification and monitoring of vulnerabilities and drivers of change for the identification of emerging risks.
Closing gaps for performing a risk assessment on Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods: activity 2, a quantitative risk characterisation on L. monocytogenes in RTE foods; starting from the retail stage
Preparatory support for the statistical evaluation of the comparative assessment of GM plant field trials and for the evaluation of toxicological studies for GM plant food/feed safety
Preparatory work to support the re-evaluation of botanically defined feed flavouring additives.
Packaging Residues (1)
Parasites (9)
Microbiological Standards and Guidelines (1)
(-) European Food Safety Authority (113)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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UMW Theatre's "Much Ado About Nothing" goes virtual
10 months ago Blue and Gray Press Life
The date for the virtual performance of "Much Ado About Nothing" has not yet been determined. (UMW Theatre)
By LINDSEY BROWN
UMW Theatre has decided that despite the COVID-19 virus, the show must go on– digitally that is. Their production of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" will be performed online.
According to Gregg Stull, the head of the theatre department, "The good news is that 'Much Ado About Nothing' is not cancelled. We will be performing it online. The date is yet to be determined, but the cast has been rehearsing online for the last 10 days in order to bring the show to opening."
While this was a tough decision for the University to make, the professors of the theatre department stand behind the decision.
"The UMW administration is exercising extraordinary leadership in uncertain times, making every decision from the vantage of keeping our entire campus community safe and healthy. This was a difficult and heartbreaking decision for everyone at UMW, but I know we are doing exactly what we need to be doing," said Stull.
Michael Benson, a professor in the theatre department, explained what we are all going through in a great way. "Words like 'school' and 'theatre' and 'church' have double meanings; one meaning refers to the physical structure, while the other meaning refers to the community that gathers in those structures. In all cases, if you remove the building, the community still remains. The same is true now. We still gather as a university, just in a different way."
Classes are still in session online, and professors are doing all they can to make sure each student is able to finish the semester strong. However, since theatre is so hands-on, the change is particularly challenging for theatre students. It's especially difficult for the seniors as many of them were working on the show as their senior project.
"Because a significant portion of the senior project involves research, analysis, journaling and documentation of the process, this continues. Now that we have transitioned to a different performance medium, their project takes on an added dimension," said Stull. Professors have had to adapt to the online course structure.
"I've created a 'Bob Ross' video for my scene painting students on marbling techniques for the stage, and will be making several more throughout the semester, which will essentially keep us on track with the original syllabus," said Benson.
"I'm using Canvas to deliver quizzes and exams. I'm advising students using Zoom, Skype and even phone calls for the students who don't have internet. I'm holding online reviews for my classes using YouTube Live, and answering questions students type into the comments section in real time. I'm polling students using BluePulse to see what methods are effective or what materials they have on hand. I'm switching my delivery style and some of my content. However, the toughest challenge I'm facing is not having student interaction. I miss engaging students in a shared space; I learn more from them than they realize."
In the history of the UMW Theatre, an entire production has never been cancelled. There have been shows that were postponed because of weather, but never completely cancelled.
The show will be performed from the actor's homes through Zoom. While the date has yet to be determined, it will be free for anyone who has the link to watch.
The set was almost done before the school went online and production stopped. According to the shop foreman of Klein Theatre, Kenny Horning, "we have not done anything to the set currently. We plan on later in the semester to make a video montage with lights, music etc. to post online to our patrons, alumni and colleagues to close out the '19-20 theatre season. I think this would be very fitting, and a nice little bow to finish out the academic year. After this happens, we'll figure out when we'll strike the set." The exact date for the show has not been determined as of yet.
However, senior theatre major Kassie Bender is excited to see what happens with the show.
"I think success is in the way that you look at it. It isn't going to be like any other show I or anyone else has put on. It's definitely going to deserve its own category in theatrical terms, but I think that's what will make it great. Theatre is about thinking outside the box and being creative and we're doing just that."
Tags: coronavirus COVID-19 Digital Gregg Stull klein theatre Lindsey Brown Michael Benson Much Ado About Nothing play seniors shakespeare Theatre umw theatre virtual Zoom
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Something hides in the closet. Below the button down shirts and dress slacks for work, behind the winter wardrobe of sweaters, vests and jackets, and against the back wall is an old black leather portfolio with handles. Years ago it was a mandatory item for any and every graphic design student or young professional with goals of becoming an art director, illustrator or creative director. I pulled out the old portfolio and the oversized heavyweight document envelopes behind it and entered a gateway to another time and place.
Like time travel, I am back in the 1990s. There were three main portfolios I presented. One presentation was corporate, ad agency design samples. The kind of material that ranged from logo design, brand campaigns and the like. The second presentation was print design. That portfolio exhibited all manners of print designs from brochures, books, direct marketing collateral, magazine spreads, cover designs, etc. For presentations, I would rotate the design samples in the black leather portfolio based on the interview. Sometimes I presented a hybrid of both that included work that featured my copyrighting and marketing pieces. But the third portfolio was my favorite–the illustration portfolio.
Professors, peers and even my first art director advised it was the weakest of the three. The general critique was that technique needed improvement. So I kept working on improving technique and execution. A black cloth case bound sketch book always accompanied me almost everywhere I traveled. I'd sketch landscapes, still lifes, portraits and tried various techniques using pencils, Sharpie markers, charcoal, ink and watercolor. But soon I learned that I could earn more financially and find more consistent work with digital designs.
It is not that I abandoned illustration. A few years ago, a national news magazine featured one of my illustrations on the cover of its annual books issue. Earlier this year, another illustration was featured as a book cover design. Also this year, a few spot illustrations were published in a book.
As I look at these old illustrations and sketches, I see a younger, self-doubting me at a time before home computer, internet, or smartphone entered my life. Back in those days, the only entertainment devices I had was a stereo set with a five-CD player, a stack of maybe 30 audio CDs and a shelf full of books. Through the portal of this time capsule, I see the mistakes and accomplishments with a new perspective. Hidden away in that closet is a portfolio of dreams, aspirations and ideas that was slowly replaced with a portfolio of duty and responsibility. A thought occurs to me as I examine an unfinished sketch of a female portrait, did I focus on pursuing a career path rather than a vocation? Maybe that is a thought I should hide in the closet while I bring some of these illustrations into the daylight.
It's interesting you mention the personal illustration portfolio. I had an interview last year for a creative writer position in a marketing department, and I took some printouts of pieces I had done. Included in the stack was a photo writing exercise I did during an Emrys workshop. I thought it was a good example of something I could do from an image on the fly.
How was the photo writing exercise piece received?


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Wine in my coffee cup
Empire vs. Scandal: Primetime's Heavyweight Bout
Posted on March 6, 2015 October 20, 2017 by Donni Smalls
I casually scrolled through my Facebook newsfeed as I waited for Shonda Rhimes night to begin. I realized that there was an Empire vs. Scandal battle going on that I was unaware of. This is nothing like the upcoming Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight, but the interwebs is trying to pretend it is.
If you've been living under a rock or are allergic to FOX, you may not know that Empire has quickly become the number one new series of the season in all the key demographics. According to Nielsen, 61% of the show's audience is African-American. A figure that no other prime time show, new or old, even comes close to matching. Additionally, Empire is shattering Nielsen records as the only series to rise in the ratings for seven consecutive weeks since its premiere, climbing steadily from 9.9 million same-day viewers for its Jan. 7 opener to 13.9 million last week.
In comparison, Scandal first landed on ABC with eight episodes and the ratings were okay, but nothing like the Empire phenomenon. However, because of Scandal's ridiculous Twitter engagement, ABC saw its potential. Shonda Rhimes has since become Thursday night's queen.
Empire vs. Scandal
The basic argument was that Empire is led by an all-black cast (Andre's wife is a minor character) and has continued to break Nielsen records. Beyond this, the show addresses issues that plague the African American community, but are sometimes ignored (e.g. homophobia and mental illness). In addition, the show is ultimately a celebration of a family rising from poverty to an – for lack of a better word – "empire".
ADDRESSING the issues
Pro-Empire viewers chastised Scandal for not addressing serious issues and basically saying it was a dramatic story of who "other woman/ sidepiece" Olivia should be with. (For the record, I'm #TeamJake whom, I refer to as Pillow Lips). Don't get me wrong, I roll my eyes and sip my wine whenever the Olitz music plays and they have a brief and highly dramatic encounter. However, Scandal, in fact, has taken up an insane number of social issues. Abby's storyline that raised awareness about domestic violence. The issue of gun control was weaved into the storyline via a speech by Fitz. Who can forget the end of Season 3 when Daddy Pope called Fitz a "boy" reading him to filth with the eloquence and dynamics of a preacher giving a sermon on First Sunday. This wasn't just about Fitz's rude and childish comment, but about the achievements and struggles of the black community and a commentary on white privilege. Also, we can't leave out Rowan's "You have to be twice as good as them to get half of what they have" speech.
I also can't address that criticism without talking about last night's episode "The Lawn Chair," which echoed what occurred with Michael Brown in Ferguson, Eric Garner in New York and other countless incidents across the country. (P.S. Can we have a round of applause for Courtney B. Vance?) While the protesters weren't chanting "black lives matter," Shonda Rhimes and co. had them chant "Stand up, fight back, no more black men under attack". Still effective in my opinion. I'm usually pretty active on Twitter during episodes, but last night I was pretty quiet. I stayed engaged with the characters and I may have cried a little because the episode was just that powerful.
My question is why do we have to choose?
I think both shows play an important role in today's TV landscape. Scandal is the kind of show that will have Olivia Pope kidnapped one day and then take on institutionalized racism the next. Empire is opening people's eyes to taboo topics like mental illness. Both are showing Hollywood the power of not only Black actors and actresses (and producers), but black audiences. Shonda Rhimes tweeted about the importance of Empire's record-breaking numbers:
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) March 5, 2015
If boss lady Shonda can dance for joy about Empire's success, why do we have to be Team Empire or Team Scandal?
Tweet me your thoughts. Do you watch both? Are you a Cookie Monster (Team Empire) or a Gladiator (Team Scandal)? Or are you just sipping your tea while on Team Mary Jane Paul? (FYI – I love them all and equally on their corresponding nights!)
empire hollywood lee daniels primetime scandal shonda rhimes
MARTA Survival Kit
You Can't Sit With Us


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Milestone for revamped programme for pupils
Ikram
Some 160 pupils from vulnerable and disadvantaged groups have celebrated a major milestone for a revamped Cardiff University academic programme.
Step Up is a free, two-year scheme to equip sixth-form and college students with the skills and knowledge required to succeed at university.
It features activities, events, workshops and practical support to help young people fulfil their potential.
The new look Step Up has been further strengthened to include a mini university course and the opportunity to attend a two-day residential summer school.
Cardiff University held a celebration event at Cardiff Business School's Postgraduate Teaching Centre on 28 November for those completing the new programme.
Ikram, 17, from Tremorfa in Cardiff, wants to study medicine and said she would have been "lost" at this stage without Step up.
"For me it [Step Up] was an eye opener. I got to meet students who gave you an insight into the course, the academic requirements and what else you need to do to help yourself," she said.
Ikram would be the first in her family to go to university and, having completed the programme, is determined to succeed.
She said: "It's difficult to be a first generation. You don't have anyone who understands the kind of struggles you might go through.
From Year Six, I was adamant I was going to be a doctor one way or another and I'm still like that if it takes me 10 years or if it takes me five years!
The young people choose from five streams - Healthcare, Humanities, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences.
Through the monthly sessions, they develop presentation, analytic and research skills.
All students are allocated an academic tutor and, subject to terms and conditions, those who go on to study at Cardiff University are offered a means-tested bursary.
Scott McKenzie, the University's Head of Widening Participation and Community Outreach, said: "Our aim is to remove as many barriers as possible to higher education therefore our revamped programme is our most ambitious yet.
"I'm confident that these bright, ambitious young people will use the skills, knowledge and confidence they have acquired to fulfil their potential once they leave sixth-form and college."
Flexible access routes
We aim to offer flexibility and choice in our programmes, as well as developing additional routes of entry.
Improving Welsh pupils' access to medical school
Pupils meet Mo Farah
Celebrating Community Partnerships
Step-Up programme
Head of Widening Participation and Outreach


Nearly finished my Blurb book spreads, and I'm starting to think about the new project – web design – luckily it's an extension of the work from the first project, so that helps a lot!
After receiving feedback from my lecturers on some of my little doodles, that were accompanying my typography and photography, I've re-created the pictures by mono-printing them – and in the process I also made my front cover and contents page title… good times!
I created the fonts by drawing them out on card, cutting them out, then printing under/ over them with multiple colours of acrylic paint – on different textures/ weights of paper.
So here's a sneak peek of the front cover and two of the spreads, as well as some of the raw photographs of the mono printing!
Lines Double Page Spread One.
This is a raw pick of the mono print I created for chiaroscuro, and the last image is for planes. These images will stand alone, merge, overlap or hang off the page with the typography and photography.
So once I've got my spreads done, and have the book made, I'll stick up some photos! Also, I'll post the web link up when I've finished this new project.
Just finished my time in studio today – thought I'd quickly stick up a wee post about my progress with this book project.
I've finished my research (thank god for that!) and I'm now onto taking photos for each of the basic principles of design.
Colour, Texture, Dots, Lines, Dot & Line, Crossing, Planes, Circles, Rhythm and Chiaroscuro.
After that I'll have to create an illustration for each photograph (using different materials 'n such) and stick it all together in a purdy layout for publishing … and this is for Friday … sleeping shall be minimal for the remainder of this week!
So here's 3 of the images that I feel are the strongest so far – shall hopefully get this all done in time!
So this spiderweb that I photographed today is for "Crossing".
I was lucky enough to be taking pictures whilst there was a burst of sunshine through the windows, and because I snapped this during the blip of good weather, it picked up markings on the glass too – which I thought looked rather sparkly and purdy!
This is for "Texture". Whilst photographing the walls outside our studio for "Dots", I noticed a small numerical print on the wall – it looked like a rather rough texture, so I zoomed in and then altered the contrast on photoshop to bring it out a wee bit!
And last, but not least :P, this image is for "Chiaroscuro" (light-dark). Just stumbled across these whilst wondering about Scott Sutherland building and altered the white balance on my camera before taking the shot.
So that's all for now, since I probably wont have much time to update over the next week!
Off for curry and chat at Jan 'n Den's now (biryani goodness!).


text:
Q: How to find the URL path followed from Converting Traffic in Google Analytics I´m want to know the exact URL that where followed from the traffic that converted in a site. For doing that I have search in the following places but found some problems:

*

*Reverse Goal Path: That is awesome, but it just shows the last 3 URLs and I need it the path from the site they landed on the site, so is not really but I´m looking for.

*Google Analytics Multi Channel Funnels: I have searched in that section and specially in "Top Conversion Paths" but unfortunately still didn´t find the URL path.

Is it possible to the information (URL path of converting traffic from landing in Site to Goal URL) using google analytics?

A: You can do the following:

*

*Create a segment for the users who converted.

*Go to Behavior -> Behavior Flow and you will be able to see the whole path to your goal URL.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


SK Telecom signed a memorandum of understanding with Deutsche Telekom's subsidiary MobiledgeX to introduce mobile edge computing technologies to its fifth-generation network services, it said Thursday.
Mobile edge computing refers to a set of technologies that enable computation on distributed devices known as smart devices or edge devices as opposed to primarily taking place in a centralized cloud environment.
SKT will establish smaller 5G data centers between device users and the telecom firm's 5G base stations in order to provide faster 5G services with lower latency rates.
The edge computing-applied data centers will speed up data processing, moving forward commercialization of autonomous driving, emergency robots, drones, cloud gaming, augmented reality and virtual reality content, SKT said.


text:
Data dependent (machine learning classifiers)
Henry | September 30, 2015 | LANDSCAPE PLANNING
Data dependent classifiers are based on non-parametric rules. Particularly, the machine learning classifiers use different approaches according to classifier type. In this chapter, largely used non-parametric classifiers were assessed such as ANN, DT and SVM.
The ANN is one of several artificial intelligence techniques that have been used for automated image classification as an alternative to conventional statistical approaches. Introductions to the use of ANNs in remote sensing are provided in (Kohonen 1988), (Bishop 1995) and (Atkinson and Tatnall 1997). The multilayer perceptron described by
(Rumelhart et al. 1986) is the most commonly encountered ANN model in remote sensing (because of its generalization capability). The accuracy of an ANN is affected primarily by five variables: (1) the size of the training set, (2) the network architecture, (3) the learning rate, (4) the learning momentum, and (5) the number of training cycles.
Size of the training set is the most important part in all LUC classifications. If training pixel counts are enough, accuracy of a LUC map would be better than less training pixels.
Network architecture of an ANN is similar to the small part of a neural network (NN) system of human brain. Essentially, there are 3 parts in a NN as input, hidden and output nodes (figure 5). Input nodes are the image bands (e. g. for Landsat TM 6 nodes except thermal band) in a LUC mapping using optical images. Hidden node count depends on the user or previous experiences. There are two way to detect optimal hidden node count; (i) user may check the literature deals with the similar or same area of study site to find the optimal hidden node counts, (ii) user may apply several possibilities itself to find optimal hidden node count checking the accuracy of each applications. According to literature, if a NN system uses the one hidden layer, it is two or three times more than the input nodes generally (Berberoglu et al. 2009). Output nodes counts are equal the class count. Each output nodes are produced a class probability.
Input layer (image bands)
Hidden layer (various up to input neuron count)
Output layer (class count)
Fig. 5. NN architecture
The learning rate, determines the portion of the calculated weight change that will be used for weight adjustment. This acts like a low-pass filter, allowing the network to ignore small features in the error surface. Its value ranges between 0 and 1. The smaller the learning rate, the smaller the changes in the weights of the network at each cycle. The optimum value of the learning rate depends on the characteristics of the error surface. Lower learning rates are require more cycles than a larger learning rate.
Learning momentum is added to the learning rate to incorporate the previous changes in weight with the current direction of movement in the weight space. It is an additional correction to the learning rate to adjust the weights and ranges between 0.1 and 0.9.
Number of training cycles is defined according to training error of a NN system. When the training error became optimal, training cycles are sufficient.
In this chapter NN architecture was defined based on previous literature. Berberoglu 1999, designed a NN architecture for Eastern Mediterranean LUC mapping. Several NN architectures were tried in that literature and the highest performance was taken in four
layer architecture. This NN was included 2 hidden layers. First hidden layer was included nodes two times more than input and the second hidden layer was contained nodes three times more than first hidden layer. Learning rate and learning momentum have defined according to training error (table 5).
Input layer
1. Hidden layer
12 nodes
Output layer
Learning rate
Learning momentum
Table 5. ANN parameters and values
DT is a non-parametric image classification technique. A decision tree is composed of the root (starting point), active node or internode (rule node) and leaf (class). The root is starting point of the tree, active node creates leaves and the leaves are a group of pixels that either belong to same class or are assigned to a particular class (figure 6).
Fig. 6. Decision tree architecture
A Decision Tree is built from a training set, which consists of objects, each of which is completely described by a set of attributes and a class label. Attributes are a collection of properties containing all the information about one object. Unlike class, each attribute may have either ordered (integer or a real value) or unordered values (Boolean value) (Ghose et al. 2010).
Most of the DT algorithms generally use the recursive-partitioning algorithm, and its input requires a set of training examples, a splitting rule, and a stopping rule. Splitting rules are determined tree partitioning. Entropy, gini, twoing and gain ratio are the most used splitting rules at the literature (Quinlan 1993, Zambon et al. 2006, Ghose et al. 2010). The stopping rule determines if the training samples can split further. If a split is still possible, the samples in the training set are divided into subsets by performing a set of statistical test defined by the splitting rule. This procedure is recursively repeated for each subset until no more splitting is possible (Ghose et al 2010).
In this chapter, gain ratio, entropy and gini splitting algorithms have been used to find the most accurate one, and entropy accuracy was determined almost 3% more accurate than the gain ratio. Gini resulted the poorest performance for the study area. Stopping criteria and active nodes were determined according to fallowing rule;
If a subset of classes determined as pure, create a leaf and assign to interest class. If a subset having more than one class creates active nodes applying splitting algorithm, continue this processes until class leafs became purer.
The SVM represents a group of theoretically superior machine learning algorithms. SVM employs optimization algorithms to locate the optimal boundaries between classes. Statistically, the optimal boundaries should be generalized to unseen samples with least errors among all possible boundaries separating the classes, therefore minimizing the confusion between classes. In practice, the SVM has been applied to optical character recognition, handwritten digit recognition and text categorization (Vapnik 1995, Joachims 1998). SVM uses the pairwise classification strategy for multiclass classification. SVM can be used linear and non-linear form applying different kernel functions. In this chapter only sigmoidal non-linear kernel were used because, model based classifiers have already worked well if data histogram is linear. All data based models were run non-linearly, and sigmoidal application takes less time than other non-linear kernels. Different kernel functions like radial basis function, linear function or polynomial function may be applied. Even the accuracy of the SVM classifier may change when used the one kernel. For example, in polynomial kernel function, accuracy of SVM is various according to applied polynomial order (Huang et al. 2002).
All data dependent classifiers which were introduced in this chapter were evaluated in the Eastern Mediterranean environment (figure 7).


text:
The Law Dictionary Featuring Black's Law Dictionary Free Online Legal Dictionary 2nd Ed.
Archive | L RSS feed for this section
Loan/Lease Payoff Coverage
Also called Gap Insurance, Loan/Lease Payoff Coverage covers the difference between how much an insurer will pay on a lost, stolen, or totalled vehicle, and how much the insured person still owes on the vehicle.
Listed User
Members of the same household who do not drive an insured vehicle.
Lienholder
A bank, person, or other entity having a financial interest (such as a loan) in a vehicle.
Leased Vehicle
Acquiring a vehicle from a dealer or leasing company under a contract, requiring the lessee to pay periodic payments for a specified period of time.
Lapsed Coverage
When an insurance policy is terminated or cancelled, and a replacement policy has not been obtained.
LEGAL CONSIDERATION
the term used when something is legally sufficient and makes a contract binding.
LANDMARK CASE
a term used to describe a case of importance that it will establish a new law and set new precedents.
LATENT AMBIGUITY
a term given to a legal document, a will or a deed that seems to be clear but contains certain ambiguities.
a Latin phrase meaning a slip of the tongue.
the term that applies to a court sanctioned agreement for a husband and wife that details their obligations while living apart.
LEGALLY DETERMINED
a term that means that something has been decided by a law process.
LIFE FETAL
a phrase that means life before birth where the foetus is in its 5th or 6th month and is possible to live after birth.
LOSS OF RIGHT TO VOTE
the term used when a person who has committed a major criminal act and is not allowed to vote.
LOCUS CRIMINIS
a Latin phrase for the place where a crime was committed.
LEGALLY ADOPTED
the term used to signify that a child has been adopted in accordance with the state laws.
LOAN CERTIFICATE
the name given to a certificate that is issued by a clearing house to one of its banks.
LAND TAX
the name given to the levy that is placed on the owner of real estate that is based on the value of the land.
LETTER RULING
a term used for the statement from a tax official to a tax payer giving the interpretation of tax laws.
LIMITED APPEAL
the term applied to an appeal from a certain part of a decree or a judgement and not from the entire decree.
the term that is used when a person leaves the site of an accident without first checking to see if people are ok.
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Finding Common Language: Hand-In-Glove Conference 2015
by Tara Plath
This past week, more than four hundred art organizers and alternative art space practitioners gathered at the Soap Factory in Minneapolis for Hand-In-Glove 2015, a semiannual conference, to discuss, debate, and digest a wide range of concerns in the field. The idea itself posed a challenge, with one panel aptly titled "What is Our Common Field?"
In its third iteration and gaining momentum, this year's event was co-organized by Common Field and Works Progress Studio. The list of participating organizations was long and impressive, with representation from Project Row Houses, Houston, Temporary Art Review, St. Louis, Complex Movements, Detroit, and Creative Capital, New York, to name a few, and a very strong Minneapolis presence of both organizations and independent artists and curators. The broad national showing was vital in upholding themes of decentralization and the alternative, to the extent that larger cities like New York, Chicago, and LA felt like outliers. As an attendee hailing from Brooklyn, NY, I found myself often wondering what I had to contribute to such a rich artistic ecology of thought created by the diversity of site and mission.
The convening marked the official launch of Common Field's website, which aims to promote connectivity and discourse among contemporary and experimental organizations across the nation and abroad. Co-founder Stephanie Sherman articulated that the goal of Common Field is to be responsive to the needs of those in attendance, the founding members of the network. The convening was defined by its participants, who themselves were not defined by geographical location, constituency, model, structure, interest, or approach. It made for interesting conversation, at the very least, with an ongoing dilemma of definitions. Each panel attempted to carve out a vocabulary that would allow presenters and attendees to speak the same language. While not always successful in this endeavor, any conceivable failures or concessions were undeniably fruitful in the way the very process of searching for common ground prompted everyone present to investigate personal positions, biases, and ideologies. Works Progress Studio collaborative director Shanai Matteson reminded all present to be "conscious of the fact that shared terminology and shared definitions is one way we build a community…. but we also learn a lot and build community where there is friction and difference in the way we think about important words and concepts and terms."
While the panel discussions often felt disparate, threads could be found throughout the four-day convening. The buzzword of our day, gentrification, was parsed through cautiously, along with its causes and consequences: displacement, erasure, place-making versus place-taking, and the implication of artists in all of it. This concept took on a very site-specific tilt, with a powerful presence of indigenous Minneapolis-based Dakota artists and activists such as media artist Mona Smith, expanding the conversation from rising rents in Brooklyn to America's long history of violent land-grabs, seizure, and use of eminent domain.
Artist Seitu Jones' community meal outside the Soap Factory, the conference venue.
Another hovering concept was that of systems, a stand-in term for market economies, traditional and restrictive funding structures, and perhaps the very idea of structure itself. If there was tension, it was often found in discussions between those who described concrete, "on the ground" approaches to operating organizations not geared toward profit within capitalistic economies and those who proffered more theoretical considerations and anti-establishment attitudes. This created, at times, a dichotomy of those panels that remained in the realm of theory and speculative models and those who aimed toward the logistical needs of administrators and organizers.
The panel discussion "Place Race Geography & Power," directly addressed a slew of these issues in a challenging discussion that took place primarily between host Chaun Webster of Ancestry Books, Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz of The Lesbian Herstory Archives and Lambey Press, and Wiisaakodewinini artist, academic, and activist Dylan A.T. Miner of Michigan State University. While Webster and Smith-Cruz argued definitively for the concept of ownership as a means of control and power specific to communities of color, Miner tasked his fellow presenters and the audience to consider the concept of ownership as violence, and any form of ownership as part of a colonial settler mentality.
There is room for both arguments, and all parties involved knew better than to attempt to reach a shared resolve. Where Miner's arguments were rooted in the history and theories of settler colonialism, with references to Stuart Hall and Anibal Quijano, Webster and Smith-Cruz's position was based "on the ground." Webster articulated his views simply: "We reify the systems we try to rebel against. I am very aware of that, but I think we need to own some shit…. I think that if particularly black folks in North Minneapolis don't think about owning some shit, they will no longer be in North Minneapolis."
Ultimately the presenters found themselves not defending opposing views, but rather describing different timelines. Where Webster and Smith-Cruz stood for immediate action in the form of purchasing real estate to maintain and protect artistic communities of color, Miner acknowledged the realities of working within a system, while positing that one is not able to undermine it from inside, and concluding with the question, "How can we push ourselves, collectively and individually, to some thing else?"
The response to a question of house ownership during the Place, Race, Geography and Power talk
Such a question was at the heart of much of Hand-In-Glove. Often discussions came from positions of lack or struggle. Once one recognizes that the 501(c)3 model does not function properly for most art organizations, what other structures could one envision to carry out the work of supporting art outside of the market? There were undertones amongst some in the audience that much of the discussion did not address some "real" alternative, or the most alternative of alternative. The term itself took many forms in four days—sampling from the broad range of participating organizations, it was considered in terms of a unanimous opposition to profit-driven models, characteristics of race or class, de-centralized locations defined by population or demographics, emphasis on activism and social justice, and the list goes on. At the end of Hand-In-Glove many questions were left unanswered, and commonalities were no more frequent than differences. The general consensus seemed to be, however, that there was a willingness on the part of participants to complicate issues that are too often over-simplified. Furthermore, there is now an established platform in the form of Common Field and its annual convening to host these discussions, which will undoubtedly foster new partnerships, collaborations, and criticality within the field moving forward.
Videos of every panel can be found online: http://livestream.com/commonfield/convening as well as responses written by those in attendance can be read here: http://temporaryartreview.com/hand-in-glove-a-social-response/.
—Tara Plath
(All images courtesy of Sean Smuda. Image at top: Deanna Cummings, director of Juxtaposition Arts in Minneapolis speaking at the opening talk.)
Posted by Tara Plath on 9/24/15
Tags: alternative art spaces, non-profits, Conference, art organizations, Common Field, hand-in-glove
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Fielding comments
Thanks for posting this article Tara. These were important conversations, and this is a good resource for followup.
Comment by: nathanaelflink on Friday 09/25/15 at 9:45 PM


The kids are back in school and the holidays will be here before we know it. Let's head into that busy time of year a little more organized. By just taking 10 minutes each day to organizing one of these spaces in your home, you will feel more in control of your home and ready to tackle whatever comes your way.
Pantry – Start by throwing out any food that has expired. Make a bag of anything that is still good, but your family will not use and drop it by your local food pantry. Put like items together and organize so that you can easily locate what you need.
Sock Drawer – Throw out any socks that don't have matches or are tattered and torn. Straighten by color and style so that you can easily grab what you are looking for.
Cabinet Under Kitchen Sink – Under the kitchen sink can be a scary space where things hide. Pull everything out and get rid of what you no longer need. Organized cleaners and other supplies stored there by categories in simple plastic shoe boxes (without the lids).
Magazines – Decide how long you want to keep magazines (1-3 months is recommended). Take what you don't want to keep and tear out any articles you wish to read, put them in a file and take them with you next time you know you will be waiting with nothing to do (waiting at car shop, doctor's office, DMV).
Junk Drawer – Everyone needs a junk drawer but it need to be organized to be useful. Empty the contents on the counter. Grab some basic bins to divide out the space and put things back by category in bins. Get rid of or put away elsewhere anything that doesn't belong in this drawer.
Books – Scan thru your bookshelves and pull out any books that you feel you will never read again or refer to. Bag them up and take them to your local library. Straighten the remaining books.
Refrigerator – Pull out anything that needs to be tossed. Arrange what is left by category. Dressings go together into one shelf, condiments in another, leftovers on the top shelf, meat and cheese in a designated drawer, etc.
Movies – Most of the movies we watch are digital now. Scan through your stack of DVD's and pull out anything you haven't watch in a while. Donate them to the library or local charity. If for some reason you still have VHS and no way of playing them, these definitely need to go. Have family movies transferred to digital or DVD.
Medicine Cabinet – Empty the contents onto the counter top. Discard any medicines that are expired or you no longer need. Put back what you do need neatly by category (cold medicines, medicines for digestion, etc.
Purse – Dump everything out of your purse. Decide what really needs to go back (keep in mind a lighter purse is better for your back and posture). Use any compartments purposefully. Place like items in baggies or cosmetic bags so that you can more easily find them. Throw out or put away anything that doesn't belong.
I hope by the end of the month, you have had a chance to organize these and other areas in your home that need organizing. If there are projects around the house that still need to be done, but tend to be a little too overwhelming please contact us for a free organizing needs analysis where we can discuss your needs and how we can help. (909)307-4862.


text:
1Descriptions
1.1Subclasses
1.1.1Ligature
1.1.2Looped
1.1.3Italic
2Origin
3Bengali
4Roman
5Greek
6.1Cursive writing in the United Kingdom
6.2Cursive writing in North America
6.2.1Development in the 18th and 19th centuries
6.2.2Decline of English cursive in the United States
6.2.3Conservation efforts and effects on the learning disabled
9Chinese
10Examples
12Notes
Style of penmanship in which characters are written joined together in a flowing manner
For the Chinese cursive handwriting in calligraphy, see Cursive script (East Asia). For the style of typeface, see Italic type. For the rock band, see Cursive (band).
Example of classic American business cursive handwriting known as Spencerian script, from 1884
Cursive (also known as script, among other names[a]) is any style of penmanship in which characters are written joined in a flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing faster, in contrast to block letters. It varies in functionality and modern-day usage across languages and regions; being used both publicly in artistic and formal documents as well as in private communication. Formal cursive is generally joined, but casual cursive is a combination of joins and pen lifts. The writing style can be further divided as "looped", "italic" or "connected".
The cursive method is used with many alphabets due to infrequent pen lifting and beliefs that it increases writing speed. Despite this belief, more elaborate or ornamental styles of writing can be slower to reproduce. In some alphabets, many or all letters in a word are connected, sometimes making a word one single complex stroke.
A study of gradeschool children in 2013 discovered that the speed of their cursive writing is the same as their print writing, regardless of which handwriting the child had learnt first.[1]
Descriptions[edit]
Cursive is a style of penmanship in which the symbols of the language are written in a conjoined and/or flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing faster. This writing style is distinct from "print-script" using block letters, in which the letters of a word are unconnected and in Roman/Gothic letter-form rather than joined-up script. Not all cursive copybooks join all letters: formal cursive is generally joined, but casual cursive is a combination of joins and pen lifts. In the Arabic, Syriac, Latin, and Cyrillic alphabets, many or all letters in a word are connected (while others must not), sometimes making a word one single complex stroke. In Hebrew cursive and Roman cursive, the letters are not connected. In Maharashtra, there was a version of cursive called 'Modi' to write Marathi language.
Subclasses[edit]
Ligature[edit]
Main article: Ligature (writing)
Ligature is writing the letters of words with lines connecting the letters so that one does not have to pick up the pen or pencil between letters. Commonly some of the letters are written in a looped manner to facilitate the connections. In common printed Greek texts, the modern small letter fonts are called "cursive" (as opposed to uncial) though the letters do not connect.
Looped[edit]
In looped cursive penmanship, some ascenders and descenders have loops which provide for joins. This is generally what people refer to when they say "cursive".[2]
Looped cursive as taught in Britain in the mid-20th century
Italic[edit]
Main article: Italic script
Cursive italic penmanship—derived from chancery cursive—uses non-looped joins or no joins. In italic cursive, there are no joins from g, j, q, or y, and a few other joins are discouraged.[3][failed verification] Italic penmanship became popular in the 15th-century Italian Renaissance. The term "italic" as it relates to handwriting is not to be confused with italic typed letters. Many, but not all, letters in the handwriting of the Renaissance were joined, as most are today in cursive italic.
The origins of the cursive method are associated with practical advantages of writing speed and infrequent pen-lifting to accommodate the limitations of the quill. Quills are fragile, easily broken, and will spatter unless used properly. They also run out of ink faster than most contemporary writing utensils. Steel dip pens followed quills; they were sturdier, but still had some limitations. The individuality of the provenance of a document (see Signature) was a factor also, as opposed to machine font.[4] Cursive was also favored because the writing tool was rarely taken off the paper. The term cursive derives from Middle French cursif from Medieval Latin cursivus, which literally means running. This term in turn derives from Latin currere ("to run, hasten").[5] Although the use of cursive appeared to be on the decline, it now seems to be coming back into use.[6]
Bengali[edit]
Half of the National Anthem of Bangladesh, written in cursive Bengali
In Bengali cursive script[7] (also known in Bengali as "professional writing"[citation needed]) the letters are more likely to be more curvy in appearance than in standard Bengali handwriting. Also, the horizontal supporting bar on each letter (matra) runs continuously through the entire word, unlike in standard handwriting. This cursive handwriting often used by literature experts differs in appearance from the standard Bengali alphabet as it is free hand writing, where sometimes the alphabets are complex and appear different from the standard handwriting.[citation needed]
Roman[edit]
Main article: Roman cursive
Example of old Roman cursive
Roman cursive is a form of handwriting (or a script) used in ancient Rome and to some extent into the Middle Ages. It is customarily divided into old (or ancient) cursive, and new cursive. Old Roman cursive, also called majuscule cursive and capitalis cursive, was the everyday form of handwriting used for writing letters, by merchants writing business accounts, by schoolchildren learning the Latin alphabet, and even by emperors issuing commands. New Roman, also called minuscule cursive or later cursive, developed from old cursive. It was used from approximately the 3rd century to the 7th century, and uses letter forms that are more recognizable to modern eyes; "a", "b", "d", and "e" have taken a more familiar shape, and the other letters are proportionate to each other rather than varying wildly in size and placement on a line.
Greek[edit]
Main articles: History of the Greek alphabet and Greek minuscule
Greek cursive script, 6th century CE
The Greek alphabet has had several cursive forms in the course of its development. In antiquity, a cursive form of handwriting was used in writing on papyrus. It employed slanted and partly connected letter forms as well as many ligatures. Some features of this handwriting were later adopted into Greek minuscule, the dominant form of handwriting in the medieval and early modern era. In the 19th and 20th centuries, an entirely new form of cursive Greek, more similar to contemporary Western European cursive scripts, was developed.
English[edit]
An English letter from 1894, written in Continuous Cursive
William Shakespeare's will, written in secretary hand[8]
Cursive writing was used in English before the Norman conquest. Anglo-Saxon Charters typically include a boundary clause written in Old English in a cursive script. A cursive handwriting style—secretary hand—was widely used for both personal correspondence and official documents in England from early in the 16th century.
Cursive handwriting developed into something approximating its current form from the 17th century, but its use was neither uniform, nor standardized either in England itself or elsewhere in the British Empire. In the English colonies of the early 17th century, most of the letters are clearly separated in the handwriting of William Bradford, though a few were joined as in a cursive hand. In England itself, Edward Cocker had begun to introduce a version of the French ronde style, which was then further developed and popularized throughout the British Empire in the 17th and 18th centuries as round hand by John Ayers and William Banson.[9]
Cursive writing in the United Kingdom[edit]
Today there is no standardised teaching script stipulated in the various national curriculums for schools in the United Kingdom, only that one font style needs to be used consistently throughout the school.[10] In both the Cursive and the Continuous Cursive writing styles, letters are created through joining lines and curve shapes in a particular way. Once pupils have learnt how to clearly form single letters, they are taught how single letters can be joined to form a flowing script.[11]
Characteristics of Cursive and Continuous Cursive scripts:[12]
Continuous Cursive
Starting point for letters Variable Always on the writing line
Finishing point for letters Always on the writing line (except for o, r, v and w, which have a top exit stroke)
Single letter formation Letters taught with exit strokes only Letters taught with entry and exit strokes
Whether Cursive or Continuous Cursive is to be favoured remains a subject of debate. While many schools in the United Kingdom are opting to teach Continuous Cursive throughout the year groups, often starting in Reception, critics have argued that conjoined writing styles leave many children struggling with the high level of gross and fine motor coordination required.[13]
Cursive writing in North America[edit]
Development in the 18th and 19th centuries[edit]
In the American colonies, on the eve of their independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, it is notable that Thomas Jefferson joined most, but not all the letters when drafting the United States Declaration of Independence. However, a few days later, Timothy Matlack professionally re-wrote the presentation copy of the Declaration in a fully joined, cursive hand. Eighty-seven years later, in the middle of the 19th century, Abraham Lincoln drafted the Gettysburg Address in a cursive hand that would not look out of place today.
Not all such cursive, then or now, joined all of the letters within a word.
Cursive handwriting from the 19th-century US
In both the British Empire and the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries, before the typewriter, professionals used cursive for their correspondence. This was called a "fair hand", meaning it looked good, and firms trained their clerks to write in exactly the same script.
In the early days[when?] of the post office, letters were written in cursive – and to fit more text on a single sheet, the text was continued in lines crossing at 90 degrees from the original text.[14] Block letters were not suitable for this.[citation needed]
Although women's handwriting had noticeably different particulars from men's, the general forms were not prone to rapid change. In the mid-19th century, most children were taught the contemporary cursive; in the United States, this usually occurred in second or third grade (around ages seven to nine). Few simplifications appeared as the middle of the 20th century approached.[citation needed]
After the 1960s, a movement originally begun by Paul Standard in the 1930s to replace looped cursive with cursive italic penmanship resurfaced. It was motivated by the claim that cursive instruction was more difficult than it needed to be: that conventional (looped) cursive was unnecessary, and it was easier to write in cursive italic. Because of this, various new forms of cursive italic appeared, including Getty-Dubay Italic, and Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting. In the 21st century, some of the surviving cursive writing styles are Spencerian, Palmer Method, D'Nealian, and Zaner-Bloser script.[15]
Decline of English cursive in the United States[edit]
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D'Nealian script, a cursive alphabet, shown in upper case and lower case
See also: Cursive handwriting instruction in the United States
One of the earliest forms of new technology that caused the decline of handwriting was the invention of the ballpoint pen, patented in 1888 by John Loud. Two brothers, László and György Bíró, further developed the pen by changing the design and using different ink that dried quickly. With their design, it was guaranteed that the ink would not smudge, as it would with the earlier design of pen, and it no longer required the careful penmanship one would use with the older design of pen. After World War II, the ballpoint pen was mass-produced and sold for a cheap price, changing the way people wrote. Over time the emphasis of using the style of cursive to write slowly declined,[quantify] only to be later impacted by other technologies such as the phone, computer, and keyboard.[16][17]
Cursive has been in decline throughout the 21st century due to its perceived lack of necessity. The Fairfax Education Association, the largest teachers' union in Fairfax County, Virginia, has called cursive a "dying art". Many consider cursive too tedious to learn and believe that it is not a useful skill.[18][19]
On the 2006 SAT, a United States post-secondary education entrance exam, only 15 percent of the students wrote their essay answers in cursive.[20] However, students might be discouraged from using cursive on standardized tests due to exams written in hard-to-read handwriting receiving lower marks, and some graders may have difficulties reading cursive.[21]
In 2007, a survey of 200 teachers of first through third grades in all 50 American states, 90 percent of respondents said their schools required the teaching of cursive.[22]
A nationwide survey in 2008 found elementary school teachers lacking formal training in teaching handwriting to students. Only 12 percent of teachers reported having taken a course in how to teach it.[23]
In 2012, the American states of Indiana and Hawaii announced that their schools will no longer be required to teach cursive (but will still be permitted to), and instead will be required to teach "keyboard proficiency". Since the nationwide proposal of the Common Core State Standards in 2009, which do not include instruction in cursive, the standards have been adopted by 44 states as of July 2011, all of which have debated whether to augment them with cursive.[24][25]
In a 2022 article in The Atlantic, historian and former Harvard University president Drew Gilpin Faust noted that the Gen Z never learned to read and write cursive.[26]
Conservation efforts and effects on the learning disabled[edit]
Many historical documents, such as the United States Constitution, are written in cursive—some argue the inability to read cursive therefore precludes one from being able to fully appreciate such documents in their original format.[27] Despite the decline in the day-to-day use of cursive, it is being reintroduced to the curriculum of schools in the United States[timeframe?]. States such as California, Idaho, Kansas, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, and Tennessee have already mandated cursive in schools as a part of the Back to Basics program designed to maintain the integrity of cursive handwriting.[28] Cursive instruction is required by grade 5 in Illinois, starting with the 2018–2019 school year.[29] Some[who?] argue that cursive is not worth teaching in schools and "in the 1960s cursive was implemented because of preference and not an educational basis; Hawaii and Indiana have replaced cursive instruction with 'keyboard proficiency' and 44 other states are currently weighing similar measures."[30]
Students with dyslexia, who have difficulty learning to read because their brains have difficulty associating sounds and letter combinations efficiently, have found that cursive can help them with the decoding process because it integrates hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and other brain and memory functions.[31] However, students with dysgraphia may be badly served, or even substantially hindered, by demands for cursive.[32]
German[edit]
Kurrent (left, pre-19th century) and Vereinfachte Ausgangsschrift (right, from 1969)
Up to the 19th century, Kurrent (also known as German cursive) was used in German-language longhand. Kurrent was not used exclusively, but rather in parallel to modern cursive (which is the same as English cursive). Writers used both cursive styles: location, contents and context of the text determined which style to use. A successor of Kurrent, Sütterlin, was widely used in the period 1911–1941 until the Nazi Party banned it and its printed equivalent Fraktur. German speakers brought up with Sütterlin continued to use it well into the post-war period.
Today, three different styles of cursive writing are taught in German schools, the Lateinische Ausgangsschrift [de] (introduced in 1953), the Schulausgangsschrift [de] (1968), and the Vereinfachte Ausgangsschrift (1969).[33] The German National Primary Schoolteachers' Union has proposed replacing all three with Grundschrift, a simplified form of non-cursive handwriting adopted by Hamburg schools.[34]
Main article: Russian cursive
The Russian Cursive Cyrillic alphabet is used (instead of the block letters) when handwriting the modern Russian language. While several letters resemble Latin counterparts, many of them represent different sounds. Most handwritten Russian, especially personal letters and schoolwork, uses the cursive Russian (Cyrillic) alphabet, although use of block letters in private writing has been rising.[citation needed] Most children in Russian schools are taught in the 1st grade how to write using this Russian script.
Chinese[edit]
Cursive forms of Chinese characters are used in calligraphy; "running script" is the semi-cursive form and "rough script" (mistakenly called "grass script" due to literal misinterpretation) is the cursive. The running aspect of this script has more to do with the formation and connectedness of strokes within an individual character than with connections between characters as in Western connected cursive. The latter are rare in hanzi and in the derived Japanese kanji characters which are usually well separated by the writer.
Semi-cursive style Calligraphy of Chinese poem by Mo Ruzheng
Classical poem in cursive script at Treasures of Ancient China exhibit
Eight cursive characters for dragon
Calligraphy of both cursive and semi-cursive by Dong Qichang
Four columns in cursive script quatrain poem, Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain. Attributed to Emperor Gaozong of Song, the tenth Chinese Emperor of the Song Dynasty
One page of the album "Thousand Character classic in formal and Cursive script" attributed to Zhi Yong
Table of 19th-century Greek cursive letter forms
Letter to Manuel I of Portugal by Pêro Vaz de Caminha reporting the discovery of Brazil (1 May 1500)
A letter from Lessing to Kleist, written in Kurrent (14 March 1758)
United States Declaration of Independence (4 July 1776)
Bold running hand exemplar by English chirographer Joseph Carstairs (1820)
Example of classic American business handwriting known as Spencerian script (1884)
Writing portal
Bastarda
Book hand
Chancery hand
Court hand
Cursive script (East Asia) (Grass script)
D'Nealian Method
Emphasis (typography)
Hand (writing style)
Hieratic and Cursive hieroglyphs
History of writing
Italic script
Ronde script (calligraphy)
Rotunda (script)
Round hand
Secretary hand
Shorthand
Spencerian Method
Sütterlin and Kurrent – German Cursive
Zaner-Bloser Method
^ Also known as handwriting, fancy writing, joint writing, joined-up writing, or running writing
^ Bara, Florence; Morin, Marie-France (June 2013). "Does the Handwriting Style Learned in First Grade Determine the Style Used in the Fourth and Fifth Grades and Influence Handwriting Speed and Quality? a Comparison Between French and Quebec Children". Psychology in the Schools. 50 (6): 601–617. doi:10.1002/pits.21691.
^ "What is Cursive Writing? - Definition, History & Types". study.com. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
^ Bounds, Gwendolyn (5 October 2010). "How Handwriting Boosts the Brain". The Wall Street Journal. New York: Dow Jones. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
^ Jean, Georges (1997). Writing: The Story of Alphabets and Scripts. 'New Horizons' series. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd.
^ Harper, Douglas. "cursive". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
^ Rueb, Emily S. (13 April 2019). "Cursive Seemed to Go the Way of Quills and Parchment. Now It's Coming Back". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
^ Adak, Chandranath; Chaudhuri, Bidyut B.; Blumenstein, Michael (23–26 October 2016). "Offline Cursive Bengali Word Recognition Using CNNS with a Recurrent Model". Offline Cursive Bengalese Word Recognition Using CNNs with a Recurrent Model. 15th International Conference on Frontiers in Handwriting Recognition (ICFHR). Shenzhen, China. pp. 429–434. doi:10.1109/ICFHR.2016.0086. ISBN 978-1-5090-0981-7.
^ Cardenio, Or, the Second Maiden's Tragedy, pp. 131–3: By William Shakespeare, Charles Hamilton, John Fletcher (Glenbridge Publishing Ltd., 1994) ISBN 0-944435-24-6
^ Whalley, Joyce Irene (1980). The Art of Calligraphy, Western Europe & America. London: Bloomsbury. p. 400. ISBN 978-0-906223-64-2.
^ Be School Ready – What Letter Font is Your Child's School Teaching? (online), 29 August 2019, access date 30 March 2022
^ Teach handwriting: The three handwriting stages (online), access date 30 March 2022
^ What's The Difference between Cursive and Continuous Cursive Handwriting Fonts? (online), 9 November 2017, access date 30 March 2022
^ Angela Webb: 'Continuous Cursive: Cure or Curse?', National Handwriting Association (online), access date 30 March 2022
^ Livingston, Ira (1997). "The Romantic Double-Cross: Keats's Letters". Arrow of Chaos: Romanticism and Postmodernity. University of Minnesota Press. p. 143. ISBN 978-0816627950.
^ Heller, Karen (2 September 2018). "From punishing to pleasurable, how cursive writing is looping back into our hearts". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
^ Giesbrecht, Josh (28 August 2015). "How The Ballpoint Pen Killed Cursive". The Atlantic. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
^ Enstrom, E. A. (1965). "The Decline of Handwriting". The Elementary School Journal. 66 (1): 22–27. doi:10.1086/460256. S2CID 144897364.
^ Shapiro, T. Rees (4 April 2013). "Cursive handwriting is disappearing from public schools". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
^ Braiker, Brian (25 January 2011). "Tossing the Script: The End of the Line for Cursive?". ABC News. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
^ "The Handwriting Is on the Wall". The Washington Post. 11 October 2006.
^ Adams, Richard (21 August 2016). "Poor handwriting 'may hinder students' chances of exam success'". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
^ "Schools debate: Is cursive writing worth teaching?". USA Today. 23 January 2009.
^ Graham, Steve; Harris, Karen R.; Mason, Linda; Fink-Chorzempa, Barbara; Moran, Susan; Saddler, Bruce (2008). "How do primary grade teachers teach handwriting? A national survey". Reading and Writing. New York: Springer Netherlands. 21 (1–2): 49–69. doi:10.1007/s11145-007-9064-z. ISSN 0922-4777. S2CID 143793778.
^ Webley, Kayla (6 July 2011). "Typing Beats Scribbling: Indiana Schools Can Stop Teaching Cursive". Time. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
^ "Hawaii No Longer Requires Teaching Cursive In Schools". Education. The Huffington Post. 1 August 2011.
^ Faust, Drew Gilpin (16 September 2022). "Gen Z Never Learned to Read Cursive". The Atlantic.
^ Steinmetz, Katy (4 June 2014). "Five Reasons Kids Should Still Learn Cursive Writing". Time. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
^ "Is cursive handwriting slowly dying out in America?". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
^ "An act concerning education". ILGA.gov. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
^ Serratore, Angela (6 March 2013). "Is Cursive Handwriting Going Extinct?". Smithsonian. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
^ "How cursive can help students with dyslexia connect the dots". PBS NewsHour. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
^ "Myths and Fact ... Dysgraphia". Nursing. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
^ "Grundschrift-Schreibschrift". grundschrift-schreibschrift.de.
^ Pidd, Helen (29 June 2011). "German teachers campaign to simplify handwriting in schools". The Guardian.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cursive.
The Golden Age of American Penmanship, including scans of the January 1932 issue of Austin Norman Palmer's American Penman
Normal and Bold Victorian Modern Cursive electronic fonts for downloading
Mourning the Death of Handwriting, a Time magazine article on the demise of cursive handwriting
Op-Art: The Write Stuff, a New York Times article on the advantages of italic hand over both full cursive and block printing
The Society for Italic Handwriting, supporters of teaching a simplified cursive hand
Has Technology Killed Cursive Handwriting?—Mashable, 11 June 2013
Why Cursive Still Matters in Education
Cursive Coming Back in the US Schools
Hausam's practical writing course. 1917 State Library of Kansas' KGI Online Library
Types of handwritten European scripts
and medieval
Uncial
Visigothic
Insular script
Beneventan
Rotunda
Early Cyrillic
Poluustav
Bosančica
Glagolitic
Lombardic
Johannine
Technical lettering
Spencerian
Kurrent
Cyrillic cursive
Skoropis
Teaching scripts
Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting
D'Nealian
Getty-Dubay Italic
Sütterlin
Vereinfachte Ausgangsschrift
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Western calligraphy
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