text:
… of Robbie Burns Day
"The best-laid schemes o' Mice an' Men
Gang aft agley…"
In observance of Robbie Burns Day and, thereby, of John Steinbeck's novella, Of Mice And Men, I highlight this thoughtful character study of Curley's wife, by Leighton Meester for The Huffington Post, based upon her own stage portrayal of that character.
Perhaps above all I appreciate Meester's nuanced intuition about the audiences who judge Curley's wife which, beyond their relationships to the characters in the story, might suggest something about their own – our own – blind spots and hypocrisies. How often we live with daily nonchalance, oblivious to the interiority of those we encounter, and of those beyond. How much we rely on our affirmed belief of our selves.
If confronting ourselves is art's great authenticity, then Meester's perception is spot-on: in Curley's wife, Steinbeck subverts our conceit – whether he intended to or not. Indeed, the best-laid schemes…
Author Scott RobertsonPosted on January 25, 2019 May 20, 2019 Format QuoteCategories Art, Conformity, Cultural Priorities, Culture, Dignity, Empathy, Humility, Integrity, Literature, Personal Responsibility, Persuasive Appeal, Reading, Relationships, Reputation, Respect, Uncategorized1 Comment on … of Robbie Burns Day
A Kind of Certainty: II. Curriculum, or What You Will
2. Curriculum, or What You Will
Baumlin (2002) distinguishes three concepts of temporality. Chronos is linearity, our colloquial passage of time, "non-human; impersonal objective nature" (p. 155), from which we understandably define past, present, and future. In relation to this is kairos, a single point in time, "[describing] the quintessentially human experience of time as an aspect of individual consciousness, deliberation, and action… that single fleeting moment … when an individual's fortune is 'set in motion', … [providing] the means" and yielding "Fortuna, the consequences" (p. 155). Interwoven with kairos, then, is Occasio, the cause to Fortuna's effect, a sense of "'right-timing' and prudent[1] action," an opportunity[2] to better the capricious lies of fortune and fate. Although this sense of opportunity was emancipating, it also engendered accountability for consequences.
The developing belief that we possessed not mere agency but free will weighed upon Renaissance thinking, a trait that Shakespeare often imparted to his characters, Hamlet (4.4.46-52) being but one example.[3] By the time 17th century Elizabethans first watched Hamlet on stage, the humanist challenge to "a grim… Christian sufferance and resignation to time" (Baumlin, 2002, p. 149) was well underway. Unsurprisingly, Shakespeare offers nothing firm in Hamlet as to where our belief should lie, either with fortune or with free will; indeed, leaving the debate ruptured and inconclusive seems more to his point. To this end, perhaps most notable is his placement of Hamlet alongside Horatio in the graveyard to ponder the dust and fortune of Alexander, Yorick, and – hard upon – Ophelia.
In handling Yorick's skull, Hamlet revives the poor fellow's "infinite jest [and] excellent fancy" (5.1.186), memories of such fond "pitch and moment" (3.1.86) as to "reactivate" (Pinar, 2017a, p. 4) his own childhood, even momentarily. Such specific remembrances educed by Hamlet (which is to say, by Shakespeare) expose the springe of kairos; ultimately, certainty is beyond our capacity, rough-hew it[4] how we will. Colloquially, this might seem obvious (i.e. "the best laid plans…" and so forth, and no one person apparently able to pick the right lottery numbers each week). Yet the extent to which we consider ourselves masters of our own fortune is, for Hamlet, presently in the graveyard, a kind of epiphany, "a spiritual (re-) awakening, a transformation" (Baumlin & Baumlin, 2002, p. 180).[5] He decides that yielding himself over to "divinity" (5.2.10) is wise as compared to the folly of trying to control what was never within his grasp to begin with.
He does not give up any freedom so much as give over to dependence, which of course is a leap of faith. Shakespeare poses a question of allegiance – to obey, or not to obey – further compounded by which allegiance – obedience to father, or to Father; to free will, or to fortune; to an unweeded garden, or to what dreams may come – all these are the question.[6] Shakespeare has Hamlet "reconstruct" (Pinar, 2017a, p. 7) his conceptions of allegiance and obedience during the exchange with the Gravedigger, which hardens Hamlet's resolve yet also enables him to come to terms with his tormenting dilemma over fealty and honour. By the time his confrontation with Claudius is inevitable,[7] Hamlet's decision to "let be" (5.2.224) "[marks his] final transcendence of deliberative action in worldly time" (Baumlin & Baumlin, 2002, p. 180). Thus is indicated the subtle dominance of the third temporal concept, aion, "the fulfillment of time" (Baumlin, 2002, p. 155), a circularity like the uroboros, the serpent swallowing its tail. As such, aion signifies what is boundless or infinite, neither more nor less than eternity.
Oddly enough, these three concepts, in concert, can seem both time and place,[8] describing a "spatial-temporal sequence … from point, to line, to circle"; from "natural to human to divine orders" (p. 155). I am not fixed to the idea of a "sequence," but the general composite still shapes my response to Hamlet's most famous question of all.[9]
Let go. Learn from the past, but don't dwell on it.
left (past)
Let it work. Anticipate the future, but no need to control it.
later (future)
Let come what comes. Every possible decision will still yield consequences.
Let be. Pay attention now to what is now.
The readiness is all. (5.2.222-223)
lasting (present)
The rest is silence. (5.2.358)
(a clever double-meaning here: "the rest" = either past regrets and future anxieties or else the undiscovered country, death)
As I take them, these four "Let…" statements amount to sound wisdom, like trusted advice from teacher to student or parent to child. As a student and child, myself, writing this paper, I faced some question of certainty – the same question, strangely enough, that we ask about curriculum: what is worth including? By the same token, what is worth omitting, and from there, what will also be otherwise left out or unmentioned? Whatever we decide, one thing is certain: we can neither cover nor even conceive it all, which of course was my original problem. In fact, knowing as much as we know can even shed paradoxical light onto how much we remain in the dark. Eventually, as my Dad recommended over the phone, I simply needed the courage to make a decision and go with it, and even with his voice in my ear, I knew my own advice with my students had always been the same.
Hanging up, I reasoned further that any feedback I did receive – from peers during revision or from my professor's formal evaluation – would illustrate how effectively I had collated and communicated my message. Beyond that, say revising the paper for publishing, I would have some ready direction. And there it was, I realised, staring me in the face, curriculum in a nutshell: conversations, decisions, actions, evaluations, reflections – all these, in relation to me as I wrote this essay, amounted to a lived curricular experience of my very own.[10] My curriculum, like this essay, does not simply pose the straightforward question about what is worth including. That question is insufficient. More particularly, my curriculum, like this essay,[11] prompts me to consider what is worth including in light of the audience, the topic, what is already known about the topic, and whatever aims exist in further pursuit of the topic.[12] Succinctly, my curriculum – all our curricula – is contextual, multitudinous, and a question of – questions of – what is particularly worth knowing about any topic of study under the sun: "Why this, why here, and why now?"[13] That is the question.
Well, maybe that is the question. The essence of this question, this curricular particular, lies in kairos, the concept of opportune timing or occasion that "signals the need to bring universal ideas and principles to bear in historical time and situations [i.e., deductively] and, thus, calls for decisions [requiring] wisdom and critical judgment" (Smith, 1986, p. 15). We can only note what matters to us once we have a reference point. And since nothing occurs in a vacuum, any detail can be potentially informative, so we must learn to pointedly ask not, "In what way(s) do I already know what I'm looking at?" but rather, "In what way(s) do I not know what I am looking at?" which tends to be deductive. Typically, curriculum begins inductively, with what someone already knows, and we all know plenty of things. But we generally bring to bear only what we deem relevant to the moment. By the same token, someone who knows what is relevant to the moment has a kind of prescient "mechanism" (Christodoulou, 2014, p. 54) for spotting what will likely be of use.[14] So curriculum is a means of determining, if not discovering, in the moment what works. It is, therefore, also a means of coming to know ourselves.
As we develop confidence and self-esteem, and dignity, we grow to feel that we have something to contribute, that we matter, all of which prepares us for helping others. Curriculum helps us to sort out our values and beliefs,[15] which provide a frame-of-reference in order to select and, later, to measure our day-to-day efforts. Of course, none of this happens immediately; we need time to grow more self- and other-aware, each kairos experience filing in alongside the rest, like a crowd of ticket holders. I can only wonder whether Shakespeare might have characterised curriculum as something akin to being held over for an indefinite engagement. In any event, we never stop learning – may our auditoriums ever sell out – as we continually induce as well as encounter influence. But how deliberately do we do so? Maybe that is the question.
Click here for Pt III. A Scripture of Truth
[1] As Baumlin (2002) notes, "For the student of prudentia, time reveals itself as golden Opportunity rather than as fickle, devastating Fortune" (p. 141). Certainly, Shakespeare and his Elizabethan audiences were feeling such debate permeate their own lived experiences, a dram of an idea that, once diffused, might only thereafter suffuse.
[2] According to Claflin (1921), "'opportunity' in Shakespeare means more than it does now [in the 20th century]; it is closer to the original force of Latin opportunus, and means 'a specially favourable occasion'" (p. 347). Curiously enough, however, as I searched a concordance of Hamlet (Crystal & Crystal, 2002), I found no usage of "opportunity" whatsoever and only three of "chance," most notably that of Hamlet to Horatio: "You that look pale and tremble at this chance…" (5.2.334) in reference to the dead and dying at the play's closing. Of further interest is the concordance's report that Shakespeare used "opportunity" throughout his entire catalogue of poems and plays only sixteen times as compared to "chance," which he used 114 times.
[3] Kiefer (1983) examines Fortune at length as one colour in Shakespeare's palette for his characters, noting of King Lear: "In no other of Shakespeare's plays do characters invoke Fortune so insistently [or] so frequently at pivotal points of the action" (p. 296).
[4] Read either "certainty" or "our capacity," here, in place of "it"; either works just as well. The line from the play I have paraphrased, of course, because the original antecedent is "our ends" (5.2.10) in place of "them" (5.2.11). However, where I have changed the diction of the thought, as a matter of perspective, the meaning remains intact. The implication that we – in essence – play God might not be nearly so alien for Shakespeare's audience as to their feudal predecessors. By contrast, to postmodern audiences these days, the notion of a divinity standing apart from our own free will and shaping our ends might be the more alien concept.
I might finally point out that Shakespeare, as his creator, is Hamlet's god, of a kind. But that analogy does not last long under scrutiny since Hamlet, being a fictional character, has no sentience, free agency, or tangibility, and actors who portray him are left with prescribed dialogue and beliefs.
[5] Because I am ultimately discussing what Shakespeare did, his characters being only conveyances as such, I was tempted to complete this sentence with a line from Macbeth, as follows: "The extent to which he considers himself master of his own fortune, presently in the graveyard, is laid plain for Hamlet, leaving him to conclude only that '…all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death' (5.5.22-23)." The key difference, of course, is that Hamlet decides against being a fool whereas Macbeth seems all too keen to excel at it. Where Hamlet best demonstrates a respect for "divinity [shaping] our ends," Macbeth better represents the rough-hewing bit, which makes him a far less redeeming character in the end. So, upon reflection, it seemed prudent to stick substantively to just the one play. Thank heaven for endnotes, I guess.
[6] Had he fallen clearly to one side, as a subject to his monarch, Shakespeare might very well have sealed whatever freedom he did enjoy; his own response, evidently, was to render unto Caesar, and render unto God, and continue writing plays. Four centuries on, what is there about us, that we might think we are any less susceptible than he was to coming to terms with our finite nature? We live in civil society, by the rule of law under a Constitution, within which are Rights and Freedoms that include the assurance to believe, or not to believe, whatever we decide suits us best. Furthermore, we have the advantage over Hamlet in that his example exhorts us, interminably – just ask my students, remember? Alas, though, poor Yorick.
[7] As Horatio notes, "It must be shortly known [to Claudius]" that Hamlet has tricked Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths at the hands of England (5.2.71-72), a move by Hamlet in his contest that must certainly harden his uncle's resolve to have Hamlet dealt with once and for all. Of course, Claudius had sent Hamlet to England to be killed, but in secret, on account of both Gertrude and the public's love for the Prince (4.7.5-24). However, in dispatching his childhood comrades – and with such calculation (5.2.57-70) – Hamlet has now given Claudius justifiable means to overcome any such favourable opinion as might have benefitted Gertrude's "son" (5.1.296).
[8] Time and place are what we commonly refer to as setting in English class, which is a curious way to consider eternity.
[9] Seldom mentioned amidst all the consternation is that Hamlet does not actually ask a question. If he had, he might have worded it as, "Is it to be, or not to be?" In that case, we would need to know what "it" means. Alive? Dead? Happy? Sad? Anything goes, I suppose, but then… what would you expect? He might have been asking, "Am I…" or "Are we to be, or not to be?" But where that is still somewhat existential and vague, now we might want to know whether his use of the verb, to be, is more open-ended or copular. I suspect Shakespeare knew enough about a general audience to trust that only the most fastidious grammarians would fuss over particulars such as antecedents and verb tenses in the dialogue. Otherwise, why decide to use the most protean verb in the English language?
[10] As far as lived curricular experiences go, there are many like it – as many as there are people to have them – but this one is mine.
[11] At this early stage, I confess: why struggle writing a paper when I could use the age-old trick of writing a paper about writing the paper? Why…? Because the age-old trick is just that – a trick – and spinning academic wheels stalls any hope of contributing to knowledge, so I would hardly be honouring my responsibility if I tried pulling that off. Still… the paper within a paper got me thinking about Hamlet, which oddly enough had been my original inspiration for this essay. As my students used to say… once you study Hamlet, he just never goes away. How true, how true…
[12] According to Hartmann (2014), it was just such questions that prompted Ezra Klein to leave The Washington Post and establish Vox.com in 2014.
[13] Students in my all courses learned to rue the question "Why?" so much so, one year, that it became a running joke simply to utter "why" as a pat-response, whether as a question, an interjection, a plea, a curse, an epithet – those last two maybe reserved for me, I don't really know. In honour of their perseverance, and their angst, I named my blog The Rhetorical WHY.
[14] Surrounded by Winkies, confronted by certain capture, only Scarecrow eyes the chandelier above the Wicked Witch, so only he can yank Tin Man's axe across in time to chop the rope that suspends it. Hardly the grandeur or the gravitas of Hamlet, I realise, but The Wizard of Oz has much to offer pertaining to curricular theory as well as teacher autonomy.
[15] In keeping with the three temporal concepts, perhaps a more suitable metaphor than threading our own needles would be to say we surf a long pipeline. But, this essay being more concerned with curriculum and theatre, any such Hang-Ten imagery is better suited to another time, like connecting curriculum to gnarly waves and bodacious beaches ("Surf's Up," 2015). Anyway, certainly no one would ever dream of linking Hamlet to surfing ("'Hamlet's BlackBerry'," 2010) in the first place, would they?
Author Scott RobertsonPosted on September 21, 2018 February 1, 2019 Format QuoteCategories Art, Conformity, Cultural Priorities, Culture, Development, Dignity, Education, Empathy, Free Will, History, Humility, Integrity, Learning, Liquid Modernity, Literature, Personal Freedoms, Personal Responsibility, Politics, Public Discourse, Public Intellectualism, Reading, Relationships, Relativism, Respect, Self-Respect, Teaching, Uncategorized2 Comments on A Kind of Certainty: II. Curriculum, or What You Will
Play's the Thing…
I used to say to my students, "Find the overlap between our English coursework and, say, Trigonometry, or the link from persuasive writing to PhysEd. Where does Hamlet end and organic chemistry begin? Find that one out… there's genius in that." The courses my Department offered were called "English" and, helmed by some teachers, they were more traditional, as one might expect. The most common feedback I received from students, though, was how unlike English our coursework seemed to them. I took those remarks as a measure of success: my aim was to prepare young people, soon enough entering the world as older people, to be responsible… to families, communities, careers, and so forth. For me, that's the purpose of school and its teachers.
What prompted me to reflect was reading Science, Order, and Creativity, by David Bohm and F. David Peat – specifically, such remarks as "the appropriate relationship between thought and experience… [in which] creative new perceptions take place when needed" (p. 49). That distinction between thought and experience reminded me of another distinction, this between dialogue and conversation. And again I was prompted to recall my English courses – what we had, I'd say, were definitely conversations, scratching new surfaces and digging into things with fluid spontaneity, as compared to the "my turn / your turn" protocol of dialogue, which might dig one trench but deeper and deeper. Where dialogue strikes me as instrumental, a means to an end, conversation is an end in itself, without start or finish but continual – that is, until the bell rings. We notoriously lived beyond the rigour of scheduling in some of my courses.
Those conversations were hard to let go. And what exactly were we after? "The creative person does not strictly know what he or she is looking for," say Bohm and Peat. "The whole activity [is] play itself," and no better description of teaching (at least, my teaching) have I ever read. Who knew I was so creative? Not me although I did have fun. So who knew teaching was just so much play? "The play's the thing / wherein I'll catch the conscience of–" well, anybody, really. I should clarify that I respected my colleagues and our Departmental philosophy as well as my professional obligation to Ministry curricula. At the same time, I relied on my own interests and concerns to guide our coursework, by day and by year. The result was a mixture of reading, discussion, writing, and presenting about topics as disparate as literature, film, fine art, civics, politics, economics, philosophy, etymology, all manner of topics – yes, even science and math – all bundled together in a process of classical rhetoric. Eventually, I developed a suitably disparate canon of texts, too, that flowed meaningfully from English 9 through 12. And I relied on students' differences to alter and adjust the flavour however they might. I loved teaching for how creative it allowed me to be, and for how much creativity it provoked in my students. "Let come what comes," Laertes tells Claudius – brazen, even foolhardy. Genius, perhaps?
Bohm and Peat seem to suggest that genius is not creativity per se so much as the effect of having challenged some assumptions, and maybe that's mere semantic distinction. Either way, I like the notion. Later, reading Allen Repko, I found myself nodding likewise at what he calls "boundary crossing" (p. 22). There it was, this discovery of common threads in disparate disciplines, this crossing of amorphous boundaries, what my students have heard me call "genius" although I might now redefine that trait as "ingenuity." Accompanying "boundary crossing" is a reaching across disciplines, with intent, what Repko calls "bridge building." This, I think, I would call visionary. Discovery and vision, both what I would forever consider, as a teacher, to be meaningful developments of the learning process.
Repko also points out the origin of the word, "discipline," deriving from the Romans and their need to "relate education to specific economic, political, and ecclesiastical ends" (p. 32). How delightfully Roman! I thought, reading that. Such instrumentalism, "the logic of utility."[1] Finis at its finest: How long, O Lord! Will their legacy never end? But I trust in teaching and my unfailing students.
I enjoyed sixteen years teaching Secondary English to brilliant students. In that time, we developed a philosophy, addressed the BIG Questions, and fed our curiosity. But my planning process was seldom more than make-it-up-as-we-go. "We could never get away with this in Math," I used to say to them, "although if you do find a way, I'd love to hear about it."
[1] Phelan, A. (2009). A new thing in an old world? Instrumentalism, teacher education, and responsibility. In Riches, Caroline & Benson, Fiona J. (Eds.) Engaging in Conversation about Ideas in Teacher Education, (105-114). New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Author Scott RobertsonPosted on September 18, 2018 October 8, 2018 Format QuoteCategories Art, Conformity, Culture, Development, Education, History, Integrity, Learning, Literature, Personal Freedoms, Personal Responsibility, Public Discourse, Reading, Relationships, Respect, Teaching, Uncategorized1 Comment on Play's the Thing…
Catch-22: A Masterpiece by Joseph Heller
WARNING! This post is an analysis and celebration of Joseph Heller's novel, Catch-22, and it DOES contain PLOT SPOILERS. If you wish to read the novel for the first time, do not read this post.
"Give the first twelve chapters a chance" has long been my advice to anyone who asks about Catch-22, Joseph Heller's modernist masterpiece that critiques the absurdity of the military during wartime. If you haven't read the book, I will hardly spoil things by explaining how eagerly we witless first-timers set out to read such a lauded modern classic, only to be confronted by what might be the most frustrating paragon of show-versus-tell in existence. (However, I will be discussing spoiler details from here on, so be warned.) From the seemingly disparate chapter titles to the disjointed narrative, which repeatedly folds back upon itself, from a maddeningly mirthful plot device, which tempts you to toss the book aside and deny its existence, to an irresolute closing – if you make it that far – the book continually challenges readers to deduce what's happening and piece together what's happened. Toss in what seems like an endless cadre of characters, ranging from odder to oddest to perhaps not so odd, the book is a challenge, no question.
For seven years, I assigned this book as summer reading for returning seniors. Oh, how the students complained about those twelve chapters – excessive! pointless! irritating! – only to feel more aggrieved at hearing, "Exactly," my necessary reply. Once the venting subsided – usually at least half the first lesson – we'd begin discussing why Heller's book could only be written this way as compared to some more conventional, accessible way.
For one thing, we need to meet the protagonist, Yossarian, and understand his circumstances so that, at appropriate upcoming times, which of course will have already occurred, we won't criticise but will instead favour him. To this end, the entire story is told out-of-sequence, opening apparently in media res during Yossarian's hospital stay. We have character introductions and letter censoring, foreshadowing how words and language will be manipulated while characters will be isolated, alienated, and demeaned. Subsequently, we learn the logic of Catch-22 from Doc Daneeka. And that Snowden dies. If we've navigated the twelve opening chapters and lived to tell about it, we learn that Yossarian, originally a young, excited airman, once needed two passes over a target in order to bomb it successfully, which gets his crewmember, Kraft, killed. Yossarian is further distressed upon returning when he receives a medal for the mission. Meanwhile, Milo opens his syndicate. The tension of tedium, the injustice of fortune. The folly of command, the depravity of humankind. Capping the story is the gruesome account of Snowden's death, the key incident that incites Yossarian's fear and lands him in hospital, where we first meet him – naturally, Heller waits until the end to tell us the beginning.
Heller writes with an absurd, illogical narrative style that characterises Yossarian's internal eternal predicament, wending its way through isolation, alienation, discord, misery, paranoia, fear, senselessness, deception, vice, cruelty, even rape and murder. Catch-22 being what it is, its victims have zero-chance to overcome because the antagonists are permitted to do whatever the protagonists are unable to prevent. All along the way, Heller has Yossarian wanting out of the military (fly no missions = live), and he continually ups the ante between Yossarian and all the disturbing confrontations and contradictions that antagonise him, from his enemies and his commanders to his acquaintances and his comrades. But ultimately, and most potently, he has Yossarian suffering from his own self-interest. As the narrative flits and tumbles about, in its own progressive way, Yossarian's self-interest evolves or, better to say, devolves. What does evolve, inversely to self-interest, is his compassion as he gradually grows more concerned for the men in his squadron, and which by Chapter 40, "Catch-22," has extended to all innocent people beset by oppression, prejudice, and exploitation. So when Colonel Cathcart's promised deal to send him home safely, definitely, comes ironically (fittingly!) at the expense of the squadron, Yossarian ultimately recovers enough self-reliance to overcome his personal anguish but not enough to remand himself to the cycle of absurdity. Given Heller's dispersed timeline, describing Yossarian's character development as a narrative arc or an evolution is less accurate than the piecing together of a jigsaw or the unveiling of a secret.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Yossarian's instinct for self-preservation is the source of his personal torment. His despondency and disgust over the preponderance of all human self-interest finally turn Yossarian's decision to go AWOL, at criminal risk but personal safety. That such a climax works is because readers – like Yossarian – are no longer fighting back but giving in, yet even then Heller offers no respite – the story ends ambiguously, leaving readers to satisfy their own vexation. Even so, I suspect that Heller appreciated John Chancellor's life-imitating-art intiative as one inspired by more than a spirit of fandom. So where some characters have been subjects of compassion, others agents of absurdity, readers' resultant responses have also undergone a perfectly natural evolution, mirroring Yossarian's character development and culminating with his terrifying walk through Rome. The horrors of "The Eternal City," in this light, are not only an essential but an inevitable piece in Heller's plan.
Yossarian's shall-we-say militant decision to desert is borne of Snowden's ugly death during the Avignon mission, only a week after the death of Kraft and the award of Yossarian's medal. Seeing Snowden's innards spilling rudely from his body nauseates Yossarian and haunts him throughout the entire (or, from Yossarian's perspective, for the rest of) the story. Yossarian, inset by Heller on behalf of soldiers as a protagonist, has no way of making things better. His futile effort at comfort, "There, there" (p. 166), is comically insincere for its honest helplessness, an understated shriek from all soldiers continually sent to face death – not death without context but without resonance. However, for Yossarian and his comrades, the context of sacrifice is all too irrationally clear: thanks very much. Catch-22. Soldiers face the dilemma of following orders that entirely devalue their very existence.
Participation as a soldier offends Yossarian to the core, yet it also helps him to reconcile his fear over death: "… man is matter," finite, mortal and – without spirit – simply "garbage." In fact, this sentence sums human worth as a blunt statement: "The spirit gone, man is garbage" (p. 440). Six words of sad, harsh consequence, war, no longer wearing a comic mask. The absolute phrase, a terse syntactical effect, annuls man's significance – spirited briefly, gone abruptly, an empty corporeal body left over, garbage. Garbage is a harsh image – rotting flesh, buzzing flies, scum, residue, stench. Pessimism, cynicism, worthlessness. On such terms, one wonders whether anyone might willingly die to save themselves, as it were, another troubling revelation engineered by a masterpiece of unprosaic illogic. Yet even on this point, Heller's genius is flawless. Haunting though it is, Snowden's death gradually reveals to Yossarian the very path to life and safety that he has pursued ever since the opening chapter in the hospital – which is to say, ever since Snowden's death drove him there in the first place.
This is why Heller refers to Snowden's death, specifically his entrails, as a "secret" because to reveal it any earlier would be to end the novel. And he calls it Snowden's "grim secret" to illustrate Yossarian's suppressed mental anguish. Heller has Yossarian recall Snowden a number of times, each admitting more detail, each growing more vivid, each driving him a little closer to his final resolution. Heller's portrayal of Yossarian's traumatised memories in this way suggests the nightmarish flashbacks that people, particularly soldiers, endure following the horrors of war. His final flashback in Chapter 41, "Snowden", is prompted when Yossarian wards off the mysterious stranger in – where else? – the hospital. It's most revelatory for Yossarian – and readers, by extension – because, here at the end of his patchy, appalling flashbacks, he is finally secure enough to divine for himself – or is it to admit to us? – the grim secret found in Snowden's entrails. In the same way, the climax is most revelatory for readers who – at the mercy of Heller's dispersed narrative structure – have been made to wait until the closing, when the time is finally ripe.
To get there, we are dragged unwittingly by Heller down a path of frustrating sympathy, illogical absurdity, and agonising anticipation. By the time Yossarian is introduced (in the opening chapter!) censoring letters and conniving a way to escape the war, he is that much nearer to desertion than we can yet know. Certainly, Snowden will convince us to desert as surely as he convinces Yossarian, but that will happen later, after Heller has aggravated our tolerance and mottled our innocence. Heller must drag us down Yossarian's agonising path, or else he places us at risk of passing premature judgment upon not merely his protagonist but his entire message. Finally, when the moment arrives that we gather full appreciation of Snowden's death, we have all we need to share in the vindication of Yossarian's desertion.
So here is our way to grasp the grim secret behind the novel's dissembling structure as restlessly and imperturbably as Yossarian does: the root of conflict, Snowden's death, can only occur at the end of Heller's narrative path, not Yossarian's. The story simply works no other way.
Author Scott RobertsonPosted on July 13, 2017 June 6, 2019 Format QuoteCategories Art, Conformity, Culture, Dignity, Empathy, Free Will, History, Humility, Integrity, Learning, Literature, Personal Freedoms, Personal Responsibility, Reading, Respect, Rhetorical Analysis, Self-Respect, Uncategorized, War1 Comment on Catch-22: A Masterpiece by Joseph Heller
Why Read All This Stuff Into Literature?
Teaching Secondary English for sixteen years, I frequently faced questions from students like the ones listed below…
Why do we analyse stuff so much in English class?
Why read all this into a poem? How can we ever really know what the poet actually meant? Does it matter anyway? Why even study poetry in the first place?
Is [some deep analysis] what Shakespeare really intended? Didn't he just write his plays to entertain people?
By over-analysing literature, aren't we unfairly putting words in someone's mouth?
Fair questions, all. Indeed, why do we read stuff into literature? English teachers can drive students up the wall with questions like, "What does this poem mean to you?" or "What's the significance of the theme?"
"AHHHRRRRG!!!!!" replies the student.
Here are some initial thoughts I've had on the subject (far from exhaustive!) to address this frustration. For simplicity, I refer to Shakespeare as one primary example, plus a few other writers, but I don't mean by that to leave out or ignore other artists or creative types of expression as compared to literature alone. Therein the students must transpose for themselves.
Is our analysis what Shakespeare really intended? Didn't he just write his plays to entertain people and make a living?
Shakespeare had his own intentions, of course. We will never really know what was on his mind. What's more, Shakespeare is dead now, gone, kaput. For 400 years, the man himself has not been a factor in the literature – sad but inevitable!
But what he's left behind, his poems and his plays, is what we have to work with. In his words live ideas and people and memories that he knew and loved and remembered. Shakespeare said as much himself in Sonnet 55:
"Not marble nor the gilded monuments
Of princes shall outlive this powerful rime;
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone, …"
And sure, maybe it's not one-to-one correspondence to actual living (now dead) people although there is oodles of studied conjecture about many of his characters and plot lines. But, despite the fascinating academic and journalistic exploration regarding possible real-life connections, consider that (a) nobody will ever truly know, since Shakespeare never explained one way or the other, and he's dead now, and (b) Shakespeare had to have drawn upon his real-life relationships, cultural observations, and historical knowledge to develop any characters and situations because what else could any human being ever do? It's not like he lived in isolation from all human contact on another planet or suffered from daily bouts of amnesia (although truly, again, who knows…?) But if you're a human being who writes, especially for a living, I'll bet you know other people and work from your human experience. Surely, your own life is your best source. Write what you know, isn't that the advice?
You might also read the poems listed below, which express similar sentiments – the magic and music of poetic words and imagery; the lasting immutability of words and ideas that resist the entropic passing of time; the futility of our human attempts to create enduring institutions and monuments of brick and stone. Read on, and do not despair…
"Scorn Not The Sonnet" by William Wordsworth
"Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley
"Shakespeare" by Matthew Arnold
Why read all this detail into a poem or piece of literature? How can we ever really know what the poet / author actually meant? Does it matter anyway? Why even study poetry in the first place?
Not to ignore the human being who created something artistic, but what really matters as far as this question's concerned is the literature itself – the poem, the song, the novel; the images, the ideas, the sensations that live within the words; the themes and nuances and rhythms that play in our ears or in front of our gaze or within our thoughts.
Shakespeare's lingual creations are so wonderful if only for their magical, playful, balanced rhythms – it is beautiful poetry. We enjoy music for the same reason. We enjoy a painting on our wall for its palette, or its brushstrokes, or its portrayal. Sometimes we don't even understand it yet like it all the same. A sculpture, a garden, a finely prepared meal, all these we enjoy and understand as art, for myriad reasons ranging from our senses and our emotions to our beliefs and our memories.
But not only are these art forms musical, or aesthetic, or appealing (or whatever), they're also deeply human – art is a human response to the world around us, in which we live and share with other people and other living things and other non-living things. That world and all its contents and relationships are there for us to perceive. And if they are not enough, we're able to look up at the sky, day or night, or down into the ocean, or into a microscope, or a microprocessor, or how about inward to our own imagination? On and on and on they go, our curiosity and creativity, hand in marvellous hand. The perceived world is the artist's muse, and it's likewise the artist's resource. It's fuel for the imagination.
In his short book, The Educated Imagination, Northrop Frye opens by suggesting that we possess three levels of perception, of "language":
State of Consciousness or Awareness: we distinguish things in the world around us from ourselves; a kind of "self-expression" prompting thinking and conversation
Pragmatic Attitude: we project upon this outside world a "human" way of understanding such things; a kind of "social participation" prompting deliberate knowledge and practical action
Imaginative Attitude: we combine the first two perceptions and imagine a world we would prefer to see as compared to the real one we occupy; a kind of creative exercise, producing art forms, literature among them
Back to the artist: in his literature, Shakespeare created such depth and complexity, so closely mirroring the real world, and our relationships and the human condition, that we simply can't help but see ourselves in them. Yes, he was that good, and his works resonate so much that we still find ourselves studying, admiring, and marvelling over them four hundred years later. So, for example, the genius of Shakespeare's plays, for me, is how realistically he captures the essence of people and motives and relationships, all by way of dialogue – we watch his plays, we study his literature, we know ourselves better. More than that, we admire it, we revel in it! In the same way that we listen to our most favourite music to enjoy its melodies, we read and watch and listen to Shakespeare because he stirs us at the core.
Let's consider one more example, the author, J. R. R. Tolkien. He tenaciously disliked allegory, and he continually denied as invalid, as definitely not his deliberate intention, all comparisons made between The Lord Of The Rings and the two World Wars [1]. Even so, evident in Tolkien's storytelling, upon closer reading, are his concerns for the environment, polluted and abused by industrial development, his disquiet for the human race, stricken as it is with the potential for hubris and evil, and his belief that hope still exists for us, exemplified best by his beloved characters, the hobbits. Do we attribute such biased concerns as these to something from his life, say his Catholicism? Does it even matter since they're genuine concerns whether you're Catholic or not? His books express what they express, that much is evident. What need to pursue Tolkien's motives or intentions when we're able to glean something meaningful for ourselves? So far as there's room for allegorical interpretation, it's merely an intellectual luxury. Alright, then, Sauron is not a deliberate parallel either to Hitler or to Satan; there is nothing we are meant to spy of either Jesus Christ or an infantryman in Samwise Gamgee. The list goes ever on, but none was Tolkien's intention for us to correlate in any direct way, according to the man himself. So I will take him at his word.
Yet how could Tolkien have written any of his stories without them somehow reflecting his background and beliefs? The case has been made, apart from any allegory, that his life necessarily had an impact on his storytelling. He remembered the Somme in dreadful detail while parts of The Lord Of The Rings he wrote during the London blitz. The very substance of his creative writing is as clear a reflection of Tolkien, the man, as any allegory we may seek to attribute to him. The Hobbit was borne of bedtime stories for his children, adventures he felt they would enjoy, undertaken by characters he thought they would like. We might even conclude that no other books were possible from Tolkien apart from the ones he produced. Tolkien himself described the entire phenomenon of Middle Earth as arising from his professional passion, philology, and his desire to express and share his passions in a tangible way. Sounds like art to me.
For a superb exposition on why to bother specifically with poetry, check out this article. For a more brief but still informative meditation, check out this one.
Not really, no, and what's more, be careful – asking this question is like giving away the freedom to decide for yourself. Now, I know when my students asked, they just didn't want to do any thinking or work, and teens will be teens. But anyone seriously considering this question owes it to the rest of us, if not themselves, to reconsider.
As I mentioned above about Tolkien, he had intentions and motives behind his storytelling – who doesn't? – irrespective of us knowing what they were. After it was published, though, Tolkien was famously bemused and upset by those in the audience who turned The Lord Of The Rings into an LSD experience, and by those who made it a screenplay. But whose problem is that? Copyright laws protect content and intellectual property, but heaven knows we're unable to stop people from thinking. Attempts might try to control what is available to think about, or how what's available is presented, or worse, how people think, period. We ignore such detail at our peril because whether we're for or against a particular interpretation, how and why something is offered is at least as important as what. This is a whole 'nuther topic.
But, as to Tolkien's problem, the only substantive response in the aftermath of publishing his story was not to have published it at all. That balance between private creativity and public expression is inescapable, unless you're a hermit, I guess. As creative as you want to be, go crazy, but don't forget that creativity for an audience means some lost degree of autonomy because everybody has an opinion. I don't know if it's a zero-sum equation, but there is a sliding scale from artist to audience, as far as we're considering any kind of interpretive control. What else is criticism but artistic interpretation, Frye's third language? The critic is an artist, sometimes a very good one, and there's something to be said for the decline of public discourse (as compared to debate over the decline of public intellectualism, which is a different topic). But opinions are as numerous as the people who possess them, and sometimes just as popular.
For artists like Shakespeare and Tolkien, who have since died, this question of putting words in their mouths is moot anyway. And, as I mentioned above, once the creative process ends, once the artist decides it's time to stop creating and start exhibiting, they rather exit the equation of their own accord. Even an explicit interpretive explanation from the artist during an interview or in a press release or on the back of a napkin is itself subject to interpretation. Bias is inescapable (and makes life worth living, so long as it's checked by responsible morality). An artist is a catalyst, in this respect, nothing more. There are bound to be audience members who defend an artist's interpretation of X-Y-Z, just as there are bound to be members who dispute it. But aside from any intended message, artist inevitably accedes interpretation to audience. There is no other way.
What of the creation, itself, the artefact or text, that contains the message – or should we say, by which the message is conveyed? As the medium, it enables us to experience a relationship with the artist by proxy – this avenue has lead to some fascinating cultural restoration that far exceeds in scope and import anything I offer here. It has also yielded some curious responses on behalf of artists by other artists. Still, for some others, an object of art somehow literally has its own "words in its mouth," as people imbue an artefact with life all its own. To me, that's the same as putting words in the artist's mouth because, again, the kinds of artefacts I've had in mind here are not living, breathing things but more conventional creations such as books, paintings, songs, and sculptures.
I suppose someone out there will know a living, breathing artefact or text in this more conventional sense of art – fair enough although we now fall into discussion over a definition of "art," which I'd argue has as its basis intentionality, which necessarily implicates the artist, not the artefact. Any conversation that might occur between an audience and an artefact or text would still depend on the frame of mind and experience of the audience after depending on the creative will of the artist. And with no two relationships ever being the same, every person unique, an art experience by its very nature is an intimate, personal phenomenon. Even when someone experiences the same art piece over and over, the interpretation will vary: a movie is different depending on your mood each time you watch it, say, or your age. In that sense, you're putting words in your own mouth from the last time you watched it!
The same idea put a different way: I once heard from a Jimi Hendrix fan that he liked listening to songs over and over because he heard new things each time, stuff that he missed those other times. Then, after taking up guitar ten years later, he listened to the same songs with yet another new appreciation since his understanding of guitar playing had grown more sophisticated. It's an easy example to grasp, and it respects both sides of the medium – in this instance, guitar players and guitar listeners.
So yes, then, we can respect this question being asked on behalf of an artist, that of putting words in their mouth, but it risks the cost of silencing your own words, which these days, especially, is anathema. When an audience gets involved, a published or exhibited creation of any kind takes on a new, unpredictable existence – many, in fact, each one personally derived by those who partake. As I briefly acknowledged above, this discussion can encompass not just objects or texts or songs but, more broadly, ideas, beliefs, and cultural practice. But leave the details of any such area for others to discuss who have the appropriate nuance and expertise.
Finally, an anonymous quotation – if anybody knows the source, please say so! – on the topic of literary interpretation and criticism in general…
"One way students learn to interpret fiction, poetry, and drama is through an understanding of the conventional elements of literature. Another way to deepen our appreciation and enhance our understanding of literature is to learn how readers have interpreted it over the years since it was written. Therefore, reading and discussing the ideas of scholars who have studied particular authors, periods, or genres provide us with knowledge that enriches all our reading experiences. Likewise, reading literature with an awareness of specific critical views of the major schools of literary theory – such as mythological, historical, psychological, reader-response, feminist, or deconstructive perspectives – further expands our reading experiences. Through knowledge of the historical impact of literature and the major literary theories, students of literature learn to appreciate a work of literature for its social, moral, or spiritual worth – in other words, its cultural value."
It's nothing so ground-breaking or, as I mentioned, music to the ears of students who just don't want to study. Yet this response underscores a most fundamental precept of academics, across every discipline, just as it pleads for culture – the sincere stewardship of our stores of knowledge, inherited, refined, and passed on over time to future generations, is an artistic task of creativity, that is to say a shared process, and we all therefore bear a measure of responsibility. If that's not a compelling "motive for metaphor," then I don't know what else to say!
I hope this helps to address some of the more common issues and questions that people raise regarding the analysis of literature, specifically, and of art in general.
[1] Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Ed. Humphrey Carpenter with Christopher Tolkien. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1981.
Author Scott RobertsonPosted on June 15, 2017 July 28, 2017 Format QuoteCategories Art, Cultural Priorities, Culture, Literature, Public Discourse, Public Intellectualism, Relationships, UncategorizedLeave a comment on Why Read All This Stuff Into Literature?


Did you enjoy the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Banquet? I sure did. Who wouldn't take pleasure in experiencing Jimmie Johnson officially being crowned as the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion amid the opulence of the Waldorf-Astoria, live on ESPN?
I reveled in the history bestowed on the crowd by the King, Richard Lee Petty. There is a racer who truly understood that this sport would be nowhere without its fans. Throughout Petty's career, but especially during his prime, he was known to stand for hours - backed against a fence, signing autographs to everyone who asked. Richard Petty is a true gentleman.
Then the show became very personal to me when the Chevrolet President Ed Peper walked on stage to accept the manufacturer's championship. My husband and I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Peper in September of 2006. Paul had written a short story about his 1991 Chevy Silverado truck (story) and won a trip to Dallas, Texas to take part in the public introduction of the all new Chevy Silverado.
It was an awesome trip. We met Montgomery Gentry; after which we were wined and dined at a V.I.P. party where they gave a private concert. Paul and I attended the Texas State Fair. We were treated to a Cowboy Crush concert and met with them. We were even given an autographed guitar with inlayed bowtie emblems on the fret bar. It is beautiful.
However, what I remember the most is how genuinely nice Mr. Peper was. While sharing a ride to the fairgrounds, we had a nice conversation about our son's racing experiences. Mr. Peper was such a gentleman and very informed. It was only later that I discovered he was the Chevrolet General Manager.
Seeing Mr. Peper on stage at the awards banquet brought back a flood of fond memories. However, I was saddened to hear him announce his company tribulations. "This is the fight of our lives," he said. I wish him and Chevrolet the best for 2009.


text:
Officers target drunken driving; five arrested
An eight-hour operation Saturday targeting suspected drunken drivers in Fairfield resulted in five arrests, officials said Sunday.
From 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., six additional officers were brought on patrol to augment regular staffing and aid in the special enforcement detail.
The effort resulted in five DUI-related arrests and two narcotics-related arrests, police said.
Funding for the program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Remember what your teachers and professors constantly said, from kindergarten through college? There are no bad questions.
The same goes for internships. There are no bad internships. Whether it's at a small company, large company, start up, non-profit, public or private company, government agency (the list goes on), there is tremendous value in an internship.
In fact, there are even hidden benefits of internships that go bad.
But obtaining an internship takes hard work, planning and preparation. And to obtain an internship this summer, college students and recent college grads need to start the process now.
Even if you're not a baseball or sports fan, one of the bigger non-political stories of 2016 was the Chicago Cubs ending "the curse of the Billy Goat". The last time the Cubs won the World Series, there hadn't been a World War yet. After 108 years, they finally won again. There is a message in here for HR and managers.
There are a lot of reasons why the 2016 version of the Cubs was the team to finally win a championship. The 2003 team had been great, for example, but lost because of another "cursed" situation. Other Cubs teams in 108 years had the ability to win it all. None did. What was different about the 2016 team?
First, one main factor was that over time, they put a lot of quality young talent together. Eventually, some of those players began hitting their peak around the same time.
Second, and maybe more importantly, there was an influential person who was tasked with making sure everything was on the same page. That person was Cubs' manager Joe Maddon. Maddon had only been hired in 2014 after a successful run as manager of the Tampa Bay Rays (he got them to the 2008 World Series, although they lost).
He does other unconventional things, too — hiring DJs, for example, or choosing to live downtown when most MLB managers (often well-paid) opt for large houses outside the city their team represents.


text:
Questions persist as OSC case against Sino-Forest nears its conclusion
Canadian Press in Canadian Business
TORONTO – As the Ontario Securities Commission's case against Sino-Forest nears its end, questions remain about how enforceable any possible outcomes might be. Lawyers have been delivering their closing remarks over the past few weeks in what has been one of the most complex cases in the OSC's history, encompassing more than 170 days of hearings, 22 witnesses, over 22,000 pages of transcripts and thousands of exhibits. If the securities watchdog wins the case, former CEO Allen Chan and four other former executives of the now-defunct forestry company could be permanently banned from Canada's capital markets, or fined up to $1 million for each failure to comply with Ontario securities law.
Christy Clark slams Trump on trade, warns of 'poisoned' relations
Donald Trump has called NAFTA a 'disaster' that 'shouldn't exist,' worrying the B.C. premier
B.C. Premier Christy Clark is taking presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to task for his anti-trade stance — equating it with building a wall between the U.S. and Canada. "It's not helpful when down in the States there are serious presidential candidates who are talking about building a wall between Canada and the United States. Trade barriers are just another kind of wall," Clark said in an interview with Chris Hall on CBC Radio's The House… The comments come as Canada and the U.S. are still haggling over a new softwood lumber trade agreement. Clark said Friday that she's hopeful the two sides can craft a deal by summer's end before presidential politics heat up further.
Resolute to close Georgia newsprint machine despite better demand environment
Life in Quebec
MONTREAL — Resolute Forest Products is permanently shutting one of its U.S. newsprint machines even though demand is showing signs of stabilizing after years of dramatic decreases. The Montreal-based pulp, paper and lumber producer said a machine at its mill in Augusta, Ga., isn't competitive because of the high U.S. dollar. About 100 jobs will be affected by the closure. The move, announced Thursday, will leave Resolute with three newsprint machines in the U.S., along with seven in Canada whose competitiveness is helped by the lower loonie. Demand for newsprint has fallen by double digits annually in recent years as readers increasingly turn to digital media.
Louisiana-Pacific beats 1Q profit forecasts
Associated Press in The Money Morning
NASHVILLE, Tenn. _ Louisiana-Pacific Corp. (LPX) on Monday reported first-quarter net income of $10.3 million, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier. The Nashville, Tennessee-based company said it had profit of 7 cents per share. The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 2 cents per share. The home construction supplier posted revenue of $504.6 million in the period. Louisiana-Pacific shares have climbed roughly 2 percent since the beginning of the year. The stock has increased 9 percent in the last 12 months.
Small fire breaks out at Weyerhaeuser
Albany Democrat Herald
LEBANON — Sparks from a welding project caused a small fire late Saturday in Weyerhaeuser's planer mill but did not cause building damage or injuries. According to information from the Lebanon Fire Department, the building, at 30440 Fairview Road, had been shut down for maintenance work. Crews had been working at the mill earlier in the day on a project involving welding and cutting torches. A spark caught a sawdust pile and smoldered for hours, sending smoke through the building and triggering the department's response at about 9 p.m.
Donald Trump says NAFTA 'destroyed' U.S. at rally near Canadian border
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee in Lynden, Wash., bypasses Seattle
Donald Trump held a rally minutes away from B.C.'s border on Saturday where he touched on lumber and international trade… During his 45 minute speech in Lynden, he meandered from topic to topic — from his love of his evangelical supporters to attacking Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton by calling her "crooked." He called NAFTA "one of the great economic disasters" that's "destroyed" the U.S., a message he first shared back in September 2015. Trump also spoke about international trade, specifically pertaining to lumber. "You can't sell your timber … they won't even take it and when they do take it, they charge you tax," he told the crowd of thousands without clarifying which country "they" are.
Group touts forestry industry in South Mississippi
The Sun Herald
Valuing and protecting Mississippi's forests, preserving clean water and supporting a healthy ecosystem and its wildlife were discussed at the Hancock/Harrison County Forestry and Wildlife Association Policy Makers Luncheon on Friday at the Pass Christian Yacht Club. "The state of forestry is very good and positioned well and conditioned to grow and prosper with the right tools," said Tedrick Ratcliff Jr., executive vice president of the Mississippi Forestry Association, Hancock/Harrison County's parent association. "There are a ton of opportunities in this part of the world for children and people of all ages to experience so much of our natural resources and to work with landowners to experience all of those natural things." Ratcliff spoke on the non-economic benefits of a healthy forest industry in the state's lower six counties.
Laurentian log home a dream come true
This superb log house north of Lachute is a wish come true for Corey McHugh. …The construction was handled by Harkins.ca of St-Faustin-Lac-Carré in the Laurentians, a family business specializing in building Scandinavian log homes. Increasingly popular, these homes are ecological and energy efficient. Because most of the work was done in the company's yard, the actual building on site took just 45 days. "Harkins crew was amazing," McHugh said.
Hi-tech strategies for future forests
The Mercury.com
SUSTAINABLE, hi-tech and worth tens of millions of extra dollars each year to the Tasmanian economy. That's the vision for forestry from the man leading UTAS's new Centre for Forest Value, Jim Reid. Professor Reid's industry and conservationist backed centre is tasked with re-imagining the nation's forestry future. "(It's) to try to get away from the old industry, to go to a new industry," he says. "It's trying to make sure that we get maximum value out of the resource that we actually have, and that means going to a much higher-tech way of doing forestry. "Instead of just producing a commodity, it's looking at it from the other end." That would mean engineered wood products replacing energy-intensive concrete and steel in buildings.
Forestry compensation fund receives boost, silviculture sector now included
Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
VICTORIA – The Province is providing a $1-million lift to the Forestry Service Providers Compensation Fund to protect eligible forestry contractors and service providers in the event of licensee insolvency. The one-time grant was announced today by Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson at the Interior Logging Association's 58th annual conference and trade show in Vernon. The grant will enhance the $5-million provincial seed money that established the fund in summer 2012, along with the additional $1-million provincial grant that was already made in 2015… The Forestry Service Providers Compensation Fund was established to give relief to eligible forestry contractors that were not paid for forestry service that they provided because the licensee that received the services became insolvent.
Growing a greener future at Forests Ontario's annual Community Planting Weekend
TORONTO – Today, volunteers and planting partners in four communities across Ontario participated in Forests Ontario's annual Community Planting Weekend. In the spirit of helping to re-green our province, more than 460 attendees planted a total of 2,800 new, native trees in Niagara, Windsor, Kitchener/Waterloo and York Region. Now in its eighth year, the annual Community Planting Weekend was hosted by Forests Ontario and supported by CAA South Central Ontario, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Thompson Emergency Freight Services, Ecobee, and Ontario Wood. "The tree planting events were not only a fun way to spend the day with family and friends, but were also a great way to create a local legacy and a greener tomorrow which will benefit current and future generations.
Old-growth forests can help preserve biodiversity in a warming world
The towering canopies and dense understories of old-growth forests might be able to help protect biodiversity as global temperatures continue to rise, according to new research. Climate change is expected to have a dire impact on global biodiversity, but these predictions are derived from models applied at global scales that can miss some important nuances, according to a study published in the journal Science Advances last month. "Such models lack the capacity to incorporate microclimate variability, which is critical to biodiversity microrefugia," the authors write. "In forested montane regions, microclimate is thought to be influenced by combined effects of elevation, microtopography, and vegetation, but their relative effects at fine spatial scales are poorly known."
How Maine can move beyond a damaging debate over its public forests
But LePage got his way on one issue over which he's been at odds with most lawmakers in recent years: management of the state's 600,000 acres of public reserved lands. The Maine House upheld his veto of legislation that spelled out timber harvesting rules for the state Bureau of Parks and Lands and added new restrictions on the use of an account set aside for the lands' management. On two separate occasions over the past few years, LePage has proposed — and the Legislature has rejected — increasing the amount of wood harvested from 400,000 acres of the state's public land holdings and diverting the sales revenue to a low-income heating upgrade program. LePage's insistence on the scientifically and legally unsound proposal led a special legislative commission last fall to examine the state's public lands and the account set aside for their management.
Waterloo's ash forest disappearing
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
WATERLOO — Chainsaws are beating beetles in the race to destroy the city's ash forest. Forestry crews have toppled more than 30 percent of the nearly 4,500 ash trees in street rights-of-way and public parks since the emerald ash borer was discovered in Waterloo on Jan. 25, 2014. While some Iowa cities have opted for costly treatments to spare many of their ash trees from the insects, others, including Waterloo and Cedar Falls, are working proactively to remove them even before they're fatally infested. "I think that what we're doing is going to be the best for the taxpayer," said Waterloo City Forester Todd Derifield. Treating remaining ash trees on city property would cost $620,000, Derifield said. Those chemical injections would last two years before the trees would need another treatment.
Top palm oil producer sues green group over deforestation allegations
Malaysian palm giant, IOI, lost business after it was suspended
One of the world's largest palm oil producers is suing the green body that suspended its sustainability certification last month because of allegations it had deforested Indonesian rainforests. The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a body set up by industry and NGOs to address environmental concerns about the commodity's production, confirmed it had been served with a lawsuit by the Malaysian palm giant, IOI. IOI was suspended by the RSPO in early April after the allegations of wrongdoing, leading major buyers including Unilever, Mars, Kelloggs and Nestle to cut back on the palm oil they buy from the company.
Island droughts are going to worsen, researchers say
Vancouver Island droughts will be worse in coming decades than they have been in the past 350 years, University of Victoria researchers say. A study found that natural droughts from past centuries were more severe than initially believed. Climate change and deforestation will only aggravate conditions that have already seen streams dry up and wildfires rage, research associate Bethany Coulthard said. Looking at tree-ring data for coastal areas in southern B.C., the report found that 16 historical droughts dating back to the 17th century were more serious than what was recorded. Previous data depended on stream flow, collected at measurement stations in low-flow rivers. "Those 16 droughts are what we're calling natural droughts. They're driven by normal climate variations," Coulthard said.
Clean, renewable biomass good for environment
Mike Leonard, Consulting Forester
Telegram.com
As a consulting forester helping landowners manage thousands of acres across the state, I support more utilization of forest biomass. Biomass is in essence stored solar energy and is a byproduct of forestry operations, which allows us to grow high quality sawtimber by weeding out the junk timber… The use of wood for energy is carbon neutral as long as the forests are growing faster than they are being cut. According to a study by state Department of Conservation and Recreation & UMass, the current ratio of growth to harvest on timberlands is 12.7 to 1!
Carlier: Province will not waver in commitment to fight wildfire
by Oneil Carlier, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry
Category: Forest Fires
I want to assure all Albertans that this is absolutely not true. Every necessary resource was available when this fire started, and we will continue to ensure every necessary resource is available going forward. Our government and our emergency management system are better prepared than ever before to fight extreme wildfires, thanks to lessons learned from the Slave Lake tragedy and the Flat Top Complex report and recommendations that followed. Implementation of each of the report's 21 recommendations is well underway and has resulted in significant improvements. For example, we now have an additional 200 firefighters available to protect homes, families, businesses and critical infrastructure from the threat of wildfires.
Forest fire location, not necessarily size, priority for battling blazes
By Jennifer Graham
Canadian Press in Prince George Citizen
Whipped up by wind and fuelled by tinder dry conditions, the wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alta., grew to about 1,000 square kilometres on Friday. An expert said it's a dangerous fire because of its location, not necessarily because of its size. "Let's put this into perspective. That is a high-priority area," said Marc Mousseau of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre in Winnipeg. "If you get a fire on the Saskatchewan-Manitoba-Nunavut border, that thing could be 300,000 hectares (3,000 square kilometres) and nobody would even know because there's nobody up there and it's zero priority."
Insurance companies mobilize staff to begin claims process in Fort McMurray
Canadian Press in Thunder Bay News Watch
As the wildfire situation in Fort McMurray, Alta appeared to stabilize Sunday, insurance companies across Canada have already begun deploying mobile response units and flying in personnel to the province from across the country to prepare to assess the damage. Most companies have natural disaster and crisis units that were deployed to emergency centres soon after all of Fort McMurray was placed under a mandatory evacuation order last Tuesday. More than 80,000 have left the community. …A spokeswoman for Intact Insurance said the company has a catastrophe team that works year-round. It set up temporary claims centres "within hours" of the evacuation order.
Wildfire above Oyama
Castanet
A helicopter has now joined in the battle against the wildfire above Oyama. The BC Wildfire Service is getting a handle on the blaze, says fire information officer Ryan Turcot. "Crews are making good progress on this fire – it is now 60 per cent contained," Turcot tells Castanet. A seven-person firefighting crew is also on scene. …The fire, which is believed to be caused by lightning, was reported Saturday morning to the BC Wildfire Service.
Wildfires continue to grow in B.C.'s northeast
A wildfire in northeastern B.C. that jumped the border into Alberta last week continues to grow and now spans 586 square kilometres in both provinces. The Siphon Creek fire, which was sparked last month about four kilometres south of the Doig River First Nations community, was last estimated Sunday night at 415 square kilometres on the B.C. side. However, an earlier evacuation order for some homes near the fire was downgraded to an alert on Sunday. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but hot and dry weather this spring have allowed for an early and intense start to the wildfire season in British Columbia. Over the last 10 years, an average of just 14 square kilometres has burned by this time of year.
For Victoria's watersheds, major wildfires would be catastrophic
By Amy Smart
Greater Victoria's water supply would be seriously compromised if major wildfires broke out in the Sooke and Goldstream watersheds, the Capital Regional District warns. Ash and debris from wildfires pose a significant contamination threat, said Ted Robbins, general manager of integrated water services for the CRD. "[Wildfires] could be potentially catastrophic in terms of being able to provide drinking water to residents of Greater Victoria," Robbins said. Southern Vancouver Island, including the Sooke and Goldstream watersheds, was under a high-danger rating Friday from the B.C. Wildfire Service. That means forest fuels are very dry and fire risk is serious. Sooke Lake is less than 40 kilometres from the site of a 400-hectare wildfire that blazed near Lizard Lake last August.
'Lucky to get out:' Fort McMurray fire evacuees get first view of burned city
Canadian Press in the Chronicle Journal
…In Edmonton, Premier Rachel Notley announced the government will provide financial help to evacuees for immediate needs. Adults are to receive $1,250 each and dependents $500. The cost is estimated at $100 million.The first convoy of 50 vehicles drove through the oilsands city from the north at about 6 a.m. It was escorted by the RCMP and a police helicopter in the air to warn of any renewed fire danger. …Notley said the plan was to get 500 vehicles out by ground and 5,500 people by air on Friday. Another 4,000 were to go Saturday. About 7,000 left by air Thursday. "The city of Fort McMurray is not safe to return to, and this will be true for a significant period of time," she told a briefing in Edmonton. The road took convoys past blocks largely reduced to grey wastelands of charred concrete and ash, a gutted Super 8 motel and a levelled gas station.
Scenes from inside Fort McMurray: Eye-stinging smoke, scorched earth and the non-uniformed arrested on sight
FORT MCMURRAY, AB – There's a reason that sleep-deprived woodland firefighters begin to see forest fires as a sentient, intelligent foe. The Fort McMurray fire is moving underground. It is smoldering in peaty forest floors for days, only to explode to the surface like a hand grenade. It will sweep along a wide front, or fan out into unpredictable guerilla assaults. It has demolished people's home, but left their car unscathed just to prove that it can. The fire has burned through the rear fences of homes, only to fizzle out a few metres from the back door like some kind of sick "I'll be back" threat. But all things considered, Fort McMurray emerged from a biblical firestorm in relatively good shape. …About 80 per cent of the city is unscathed, and the luckiest outcome was that the fire did not penetrate forested recreational areas in the city's core. Piled high with decades of forest debris, it would have burned like a Presto log.
Premier Notley to survey damage to Fort McMurray on Monday, fire growth slows
Premier to survey damage to Fort McMurray on Monday
EDMONTON – Wildfires that levelled neighbourhoods in Fort McMurray slowed their rampage through tinder dry forest in northern Alberta on Sunday, allowing firefighters in the oilpatch city to focus on hotspots as plans were made for Premier Rachel Notley to survey the damage first-hand. Notley said the fight against the fire has stabilized to the point where she can visit and begin the next phase of the government's operation to determine what must be done to eventually allow people to return to the city. Speaking at a media briefing, Notley had to pause to compose herself when she spoke about Mother's Day and two evacuees who were killed in a traffic accident last week.
Connecting the dots on the Fort McMurray catastrophe
By Tim Louis
The Vancouver Observer
…Do you see where I am going with this…? Climate Change. Climate change is upon us. Not in a theoretical way but in real life, just as the world's scientific community has been telling us would happen for decades now: Climate change causes, amongst other crises, more and more extreme weather events. Not to make light of this disaster, but I also can't help but note the terrible irony at play here, namely that it is carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels that are a huge factor in climate change — the very kind of carbon emissions intrinsically linked to the tar sands Fort McMurray is famous for. In my opinion, the only fact that makes this tragedy even worse than it is is that — other than Green Party leader, Elizabeth May — our spokespeople and news media are failing us by not linking cause and effect.
Notes from a disaster
By Neil Godbout
Prince George Citizen
Some takeaways from the Fort McMurray tragedy: – Canadians care. The outpouring of support from across the country shows once again that this country is more than an oath to the Queen, more than the flag or the anthem and more than the strengths and weaknesses of our political leaders. When interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose, an Albertan, rose in the House of Commons to speak about Fort McMurray, her voice broke and she fought off tears. Her caucus gave her a standing ovation and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rushed across the aisle to embrace her in solidarity.
Air assets play critical role fighting wildfire
Canadian Press in FIRE Fighting in Canada
Fort McMurray, Alta. – The image of a helicopter ferrying a small bucket of water through towering plumes of smoke made clear the daunting, seemingly futile, task of fighting the Fort McMurray wildfire from the sky. To observers, it was like flicking water on a raging grass fire. But experts in fire suppression and management say the aircraft play a critical role in a multipronged strategy in containing expansive fires. "It has a target and a usefulness, for sure," said Roger Collet, a wildfire prevention officer with Natural Resources in New Brunswick.
Stuart Olson Responds to the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Wildfire Crisis
CNW in Montreal Gazette
Stuart Olson Inc. is announcing its response to the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) wildfire crisis. As everyone is aware, the RMWB wildfire has affected over 90,000 individuals, including members of our Stuart Olson family. The safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority and we are actively working to support the recovery efforts. Our history in RMWB spans over 50 years, and as a community partner, we are devastated by the current situation. Our initial response is focused on providing support to both our employees and the community in any way we can. We have made an initial donation of $50,000 to the Red Cross, and have committed to match all employee donations.
Environmental groups join appeals for people to assist Fort Mac fire victims
Canadian Press in Sudbury News
OTTAWA — At least two Canadian environmental groups who aggressively lobby against oilsands development are imploring their supporters to send aid to the people of Fort McMurray, Alta. Greenpeace Canada and the Sierra Club of Canada have each issued appeals for donations to the Red Cross and other aid agencies in the face of the mass evacuation and destruction of homes and property in the northern Alberta oilsands hub. After imploring its followers to help Fort McMurray, the Sierra Club cautiously broached the subject of global warming. …Mark Meisner, the Canadian executive director of the International Environmental Communications Association, said in an interview from Syracuse, N.Y., that there is nothing incongruous about environmental groups championing a move away from carbon intensive energy while supporting people who work in the industry.
Forest fire east of Caddy Lake forces evacuation of 50 cottages
1,000-hectare fire still spreading; 40,000 hectare fire north in Nopiming Provincial Park rages on
Dozens of cottages in and around Caddy Lake have been evacuated as a days-long forest fire continues to threaten areas north of Whiteshell Provincial Park near the Manitoba-Ontario border. Provincial spokesperson Earl Simmons confirmed Monday morning that at least 50 cabins will be evacuated along the east shore of Caddy Lake, including Green Bay Resort.Members of the South East Whiteshell Fire Department and officers with Manitoba Sustainable Development will be going door-to-door starting at 8 a.m. asking people to leave the area, Simmons added.
Wildfires to challenge BC
Castanet.net
As wildfires plague northeastern B.C. and ravage northern Alberta, B.C.'s forests minister is blunt about what the logging industry can expect this year. "We know we face significant challenges over the summer," said Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, during a speech to industry representatives attending the Interior Logging Assocation's annual conference in Vernon. "Depending on May and June, in terms of precipitation, we could be facing a long and difficult fire season." Thomson said his thoughts were with the people of Fort McMurray and Alberta as they deal with "that devastating fire." He pointed to the "significant challenges" in B.C.'s Peace River area where a number of wildfires are burning, including a large blaze that has crossed into Alberta.
Health official warns Manitoba wildfire smoke could cause breathing problems
Forest fires burning in eastern Manitoba could prompt health concerns for asthmatics, elderly, youth
Forest fires popping up along the eastern part of the province are making for smokier air in the region, which has Manitoba health officials reminding people with breathing problems to be on their toes. A major forest fire burned east of Caddy Lake near the Manitoba-Ontario border late this week. It forced cottagers in the Beresford subdivision at Nopiming Provincial Park to leave the area Friday night. Forest fire prompts evacuation of Beresford cottage subdivision at Nopiming park. Elyse Weiss, deputy chief public health officer with the province, advised people with asthma and other breathing issues to check Environment Canada's website before planning outdoor activities.
B.C.'s fire investigators get on the case while the trail is still warm
Before firefighting crews are done extinguishing a burning forest, investigators from the B.C. Wildfire Service are already examining the smoking remains behind them, sifting through the ash for clues as to how the fire started. "We prefer to be deployed as soon as possible," said Ian Douglas, who leads some 50 investigators across B.C. as the wildfire enforcement and prevention officer… Since the 2016 fiscal year started at the beginning of April, the B.C. Wildfire Service has logged 213 fires. Of those, 174 were believed to be human-caused, four by lightning and 35 are still under investigation. "It continues to be a frustration," B.C. Forest Minister Steve Thomson told reporters in a briefing. "To see the numbers and to see the fact that the majority of these have been human-caused remains a sense of frustration and that is why we significantly increased fines."
Ottawa yet to respond to Russian offer to send water bombers to fight Fort McMurray fire
By Murray Brewster
Canadian Press in National Post
OTTAWA — The Trudeau government has yet to respond to an offer by Russia to dispatch massive water bombers and fire-fighting specialists to battle the growing inferno around Fort McMurray. The proposal was made late last week by Vladimir Puchkov, the Russian minister of emergency measures. A spokesman for Russia's embassy in Ottawa, Kirill Kalinin, said Sunday that they continue to stand "ready to help our Canadian partners to fight the ongoing wildfires in Alberta." The offer involves sending converted Ilyushin Il-76 transport planes — the kind occasionally leased by the Canadian military — that can dump as much as "42 tons of fire retardant into fire spots," according to a statement on the web site of Russia's Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters.
People flee Northwest village
The Chronicle Journal
About 100 seasonal residents in a Kenora-area village remained evacuated Friday, as provincial crews attacked a growing forest fire and monitored a second, much larger blaze burning further north. As the evacuation of Ingolf village continued for a second day, nearby Kenora filled with hazy smoke. The smoke is believed to be blowing in from a separate 13,000-hectare fire in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, about 80 kilometres southwest of Red Lake. "It's a (smoky) odour, and it's a strong one," said Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield. "We've shut all the windows at city hall. Anyone with breathing problems is going to feel it." Canfield said the municipality was in the process of implementing a city-wide fire ban, following the lead of other communities west of Thunder Bay.
Restricted Fire Zone declared throughout Northwestern Ontario
The News Watch
THUNDER BAY — The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has declared a Restricted Fire Zone in much of Northwestern Ontario to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires. The MNRF declared the restriction early Saturday morning, citing unusually dry spring conditions with no end in sight, which have resulted in increasing forest fire activity.The restriction will remain in effect until wet weather conditions balance the dry ground and brush on the land. Under the Restricted Fire Zone, all burning permits are suspended and all open fires are prohibited.
Kenora Area Forest Fire Not Under Control
CKDR
The Ministry of Natural Resources says a forest fire near the Ontario-Manitoba boundary is still not under control. Information Officer Jonathan Scott says the fire grew to about 300 hectares Thursday night despite the work of six water bombers. Scott says crews are now on scene to protect buildings and homes. 100 people from the small community have been evacuated. Provincial Police are asking camp owners in the Longpine, Makara and Rice Lake areas to stay away this weekend due to the fire situation.
Wildfire risk 'high to extreme' in northwest Ontario, fire bans issued
Thunder Bay, Fort Frances, Rainy River, issue municipal fire bans
All fire permits are suspended beginning Sunday morning in Thunder Bay as the city joins other municipalities in northwestern Ontario and the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in issuing a fire ban. The Ministry declared the region a restricted fire zone as of Saturday because of a "high to extreme" risk of forest fires in the area… An area near Kenora was evacuated on Friday and the Emergency Area Order remains in place, prohibiting all travel in the Ingolf area near the Ontario-Manitoba boundary.


text:
Curated by NZ On Screen team
For a small country from the edge of the world, achievements on the Olympic stage are badges — silver fern-on-black — of national pride: precious moments where we gained notice (even if it was Mum's anthem playing on the dais). This legacy collection draws on archive footage, some rarely seen, to celebrate the stories behind Kiwis going for gold.
An Inside Story
In this 1998 documentary, made for TV3's Inside New Zealand slot, prisoners provide straight-talking descriptions of life on the inside. Collectively rejecting any idea of prison as a soft option, they talk about missing sunlight, closing up emotionally, and how even "the staunchest" end up crying. One long-timer argues that imprisonment is an expected part of becoming a gang member. Statistics provide food for thought about the life cycle of criminality — 78 per cent of inmates have no school qualifications; 80 per cent were abused as children.
Songs from The Inside - Series Three, Episode One
Television, 2015 (Full Length Episode)
This acclaimed Māori Television series saw Kiwi musicians teaching bars behind bars — working with prisoners to compose and record songs, drawn from their life experiences. In this opening episode from the third season, Anika Moa, Ladi6, Scribe and Troy Kingi head to Christchurch's men's and women's prisons. For Moa, Ladi6 and Scribe, Christchurch is their "music whakapapa". For Scribe it is a reminder of earthquake tragedy. The jail itself revives memories of childhood visits to his father (an upbringing which the two explored in 2015 play The White Guitar).
Captive - First Episode
Five strangers give up their freedom to live in the confines of an apartment together in this 2004 reality series. It's not all for nought though — $40,000 is up for grabs. Alliances are formed and newfound friendships quickly betrayed, as the contestants try to keep things civil with their inescapable roommates. The contestants in this first episode are builder Riki, project officer Marcella, business developer Brett, and students CC and "nice guy" Arron. Retracting walls leading to the quiz area and food delivered in a perspex box remind contestants they are totally trapped.
Women in Power - Indira Gandhi
This 1976 documentary examines India's third Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. Her father took office as Prime Minister in 1947, the day India became independent from Britain. Framed around an extended interview with Gandhi, reporter Dairne Shanahan explores India and Indira's history, and her controversial 'emergency' governing of the democracy's 600 million people. The documentary was directed by Barry Barclay. As this article explains, Shanahan hoped it would be the pilot for a series, but it was never made. In October 1984 Gandhi was assassinated by two of her bodyguards.
Short Film, 1998 (Full Length)
During a stint in prison for importing drugs, Bill Payne reinvented himself and became a writer. Payne went on to write Staunch (an acclaimed non-fiction book about gangs), short stories, a play, and two short films. Bella was the first. It follows life behind bars for Bella (Mitch Thomas), a defiantly proud transsexual and part-time tattooist, whose mere presence arouses the ire of one of the prison guards. But the guard's taunts are more complicated than they appear. The guard is played by Tim Gordon, who would later play All Blacks coach Graham Henry in telemovie The Kick.
Film, 2005 (Full Length)
Sedition - The Suppression of Dissent in World War II New Zealand chronicles the experiences of Kiwi pacifists during wartime. New laws affecting meetings, mail and media coverage meant that talking about pacifism could result in arrest, and imprisonment. By June 1940, holding more than one copy of a 'subversive' magazine could mean nine months hard labour. Ironically many of the MPs backing the laws had earlier been imprisoned for their anti-war beliefs; while Christian Pacifist Society leader Ormond Burton was twice decorated for bravery during World War I.
Queer Nation - Peter Ellis: A Question of Justice
The first part of this disturbing double documentary focuses on the man accused of molesting seven children in a Christchurch crèche in 1992. The programme is divided into seven chapters, in which Ellis talks about his accusation and arrest, the trial, his prison sentence, his two appeals and his eventual release in 2000. Ellis initially thought the accusation was so ridiculous that it would soon get sorted out. Instead, he was found guilty on 16 charges and convicted to 10 years imprisonment, despite the lack of any conclusive evidence.
This documentary follows the police investigation that lead to the capture and imprisonment of South Auckland rapist Joseph Thompson. He was the first serial rapist convicted in New Zealand. Using re-enactments and in depth interviews with police, the Keith Hunter-directed doco examines how the relatively new technology of DNA matching and criminal profiling led to the arrest of Thompson in 1995. Viewers are not spared details of his long-lasting and brutal rampage which targeted girls as young as 10. Thompson was eventually sentenced to over 30 years in prison.
Compilation - Memories of Service 1
Web, 2015 (Full Length)
Memories of Service captures the war experiences of Kiwi veterans who served in campaigns from World War II to Korea, Vietnam and beyond. Director David Blyth (Our Oldest Soldier) and Silverdale RSA museum curator Patricia Stroud wanted to make the series of interviews as an "archival/educational treasure for all New Zealanders." In this selection of stories compiled from the first nine interviews, the returned servicemen recall training, survival, imprisonment, parachuting from crashing planes, lighter moments, and bonds of brotherhood.


text:
«Structuralist Marxism» and the politicism of the theory of action
Karl Marx leyendo a Louis Althusser
✆ Jeffrey Ascott
The turn of Western Marxism towards the theory of action and the tautological reinterpretation of the left wing politicism associated with that theory did not enjoy an uninterrupted development, once that, in the ideological thought of Modernity, the metaphysics of intentionality did not generally succeed in freeing itself from the metaphysics of law-governed structures, or vice-versa. This is why Western Marxism also produced a "structuralist" version after the Second World War, represented principally by Louis Althusser. However, the so-called structuralism of the post-war period, which gave rise to Althusser's "structuralist reading of Marx", did not follow the classical bourgeois metaphysics of law-governed structure, but developed from linguistic (Saussure) and ethnological (Lévi-Strauss) paradigms. Here, too, however, they revealed pseudo-scientific reductions; in Lévi-Strauss, for example, these "explanatory models" were simultaneously directed against the Enlightenment and the Hegelian metaphysics of history. "Conformity with the laws" was no longer considered to be historically dominant; it was reduced to the "respective structures" and to their "necessary autonomization", without teleological components.
Etiquetas | Tags | Étiquettes: Estructuralismo, Louis Althusser, Robert Kurz
«Structuralist Marxism» and the politicism of the ...


text:
Home / Knowledge / News / Textiles / 55 countries impose protective measures on Chinese imports
55 countries impose protective measures on Chinese imports
U.S. textile groups and major textile workers unions are in talks to study whether 421 safeguard investigations can be introduced on Chinese apparel imports.
A minimum reference price has also been imposed on the Chinese footwear products by Argentina, and Brazil is also planning to do the same. The two countries will make joint anti-dumping investigations on Chinese products.
The US steel corporation, America's largest steel company made a request to the U.S. Department of Commerce, through an application, to impose duties on several steel pipe products imported from China, with the highest anti-dumping duty at 60 percent and the highest countervailing duty up to 30 percent.
Provisional countervailing duty of 10.90 percent to 30.69 percent on Chinese steel pipes for oil sector had recently been announced by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Similarly, on the import of tires from China, India has introduced special safeguard measures, while Brazil and Argentina have imposed additional tax and anti-dumping investigations respectively.
Around 55 countries have introduced various protective measures on numbers of exported merchandise from China.
In the first 6 months of this year, China has become world's export champion by exporting US $521.7 billion worth of merchandise, said the figures from the World Trade Organization.
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
U.S. textile groups and major textile workers unions are in talks to study whether 421 safeguard investigations can be introduced on Chinese apparel imports. A minimum reference price has also been imposed on the Chinese .....
More Textiles News - China...
Liquidity is a primary issue in Indian context
Great step towards realising end goal of 'AtmaNirbhar Bharat'
Increase foreign exchange and create jobs
Chini Chouhan
Founded by Chini Chouhan, her eponymous brand specialises in women's...
Yawer Ali Shah
Synthetic colours and dyes were all the rage till the very first ban on...
Daniele Uboldi
EptaInks is the screen-printing division of Eptanova, a company that...
Dr Anup Rakshit
The Indian Technical Textile Association (ITTA) is the only association of ...
Suresh Patel
Non Woven Federation of India
The Non Woven Federation of India (NWFI), representing the regional...
Label Manish Malhotra
A multitalented designer and founder of an eponymous label, Manish...
Label Anju Modi
Filmfare Award winner for best costume designer,<b> Anju Modi </b>is...
Kamal Khushlani
Mufti
Based out of Mumbai, Mufti is a men's clothing fashion brand. In an...


text:
in Baseball Canada , Junior Team
U-18 Baseball World Cup: Gomm and Schofield-Sam lead Canada over China
GIJANG, South Korea – Austin Gomm (Mississauga, ON) and TJ Schofield-Sam (Brampton, ON) each drove in four runs as Canada's Junior National Team recorded a 17-3 win over China to open the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup.
The game was declared official after seven innings due to the ten-run mercy rule.
"We did what we needed to do today (to win)," said Manager Greg Hamilton. "Mitch (Bratt) settled in on the mound and the offence gave him a chance to settle in which is what you want in these games - you want your offence to take over and they did a great job."
BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS
Starting pitcher Mitch Bratt (Newmarket, ON) worked five and two thirds innings on the mound and struck out five to earn the win before giving way to Justin Thorsteinson (Langley, BC) and Jack Seward (Port Moody, BC) who recorded the final four outs.
Canada opened the scoring with a five-run second inning highlighted by back-to-back run scoring doubles from Gomm and Raphaël Pelletier (Mascouche, QC) while Micah McDowell (Coldbrook, NS) came up with a sacrifice fly to score one run, and TJ Schofield-Sam (Brampton, ON) contributed a RBI single.
China responded with three runs in the top half of the fourth but Canada answered back with four runs in the bottom of the inning before putting across eight runs in the fifth highlighted by a Dasan Brown (Oakville, ON) two-run double off the wall in centerfield and Gomm's triple with the bases loaded.
Schofield-Sam's four hits led a Canadian offence that had thirteen on the game as eight players recorded one hit with all nine batters in the starting lineup scoring at least one run.
Canada will now focus its attention on a match-up with the Netherlands scheduled for Saturday, August 31st with the first pitch at 2:30AM ET.
"We've got to take care of our game (tomorrow) and play well," added Hamilton. "If we pitch honest and take care of plays on defense we've got enough dimension on offence to score some runs."
HOW TO FOLLOW
All 50 games of the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup will be streamed live at: youtube.com/wbsc.
WBSC Twitter
Baseball Canada Instagram
Baseball Canada U-18 Twitter
WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Schedule
Current MLB Team: St. Louis Cardinals
Hometown: Maple Ridge, BC