The Story of Us: Intro — Wait But Why This is society. Now let’s zoom in on the left arm. Further. Okay see those skin flaps on the elbow? Let’s zoom in on the bottom one. Little more. There! Hi. So let me explain why we’re here. As a writer and a generally thinky person, I’ve spent a lot of my life thinking about the society I live in, and societies in general. When you’re a single cell in the body of a giant, it’s hard to understand what the giant’s doing, or why it is the way it is, because you can’t really zoom out and look at the whole thing all at once. The thing is, when I’ve recently tried to imagine what society might look like, I haven’t really been picturing this: Based on what I see around me, in person and online, it seems like my society is actually more like this: Individual humans grow older as they age—but it kind of seems like the giant human I live in has been getting more childish each year that goes by. So I decided to write a blog post about this. Don’t do it. They were right. One last thing. And away we go…
Black Freedom Struggle in the United States: A Selection of Primary Sources | ProQuest Free to Use and Reuse Page from “Red Riding Hood,” Lydia L.A. Very, 1863. Cover, right. Photos by Shawn Miller. Frankly, we’ve always wondered about how quick on the uptake Little Red Riding Hood actually was. It’s Children’s Book Week, so we present you this marvelous 1863 edition of “Red Riding Hood” (she hadn’t achieved “little” status yet), a tiny, 18-page book cut in the shape of the star herself, with the aformentioned wolf at her feet. Moral of the story: Listen to your mom and make sure granny hasn’t shape-shifted on you since Thanksgiving. Subscribe to the blog— it’s free! And now for something completely different. This month, we’re highlighting selections from the Library’s vast international poster collection on our Free to Use and Reuse page – and an animation contest. This is a guest post by Flynn Shannon, who interned this summer in the Library’s Communications Office through the Junior Fellows Program. To celebrate Irish-American Heritage Month—and of course St.
The Man Who Documented Native American Cultures Edward Sheriff Curtis The Man Who Documented Native American Cultures by Chris Nelson Born on a Wisconsin farm in 1868, Edward Sheriff Curtis became fascinated with photography early on, building his own camera at the age 10. In 1906, Curtis was approached by the financier J.P. Though Curtis often romanticized his subjects, at times photographing them in ceremonial attire not regularly worn and wigs to conceal contemporary hair styles, he was an outspoken opponent of the devastating use of relocation and reservations. Apsaroke, 1908 Sioux, 1907 Apache, 1910 Tewa, 1906 Cheyenne, circa 1900 Siksika, circa 1910 Arikara, 1907 Wishham, 1911 Jicarilla, 1904 Hopi, circa 1900 Apache, 1905 Hopi, 1922 Koskimo, 1914 Zuni, 1926 Nakoaktok, 1914 Qagyuhl, 1914 Qahatika, 1907 Hesquiat, 1916 Nez Perce, 1899 Tewa, 1922 Navajo, 1904 Kwakwaka'wakw, circa 1905 Apsáalooke, 1908 Kwakiutl, 1914 Nunivak, 1928 Papago, 1907 Piegan, 1900 Kalispel, circa 1905 Piegan, circa 1900 Wishram, 1911 Nez Perce, 1911 Edward Sheriff Curtis by Chris Nelson
Why we hate Complexity Natural and social systems are complex — that is, not entirely knowable, unpredictable, resistant to cause-and-effect analysis, in a word, mysterious. For our first three million years on Earth we humans, like every other species on the planet, accepted that mystery. We adapted rather than trying to change our environment. But with the invention of civilization, we stopped accommodating change and started imposing it on our environment so we wouldn’t have to change. The problem is, our brains are severely limited in what they are capable of understanding. Once we invented civilization, and started to need to change our environment a lot, we needed to invent science. Even scientists loathe the imperfections in their models. One of the principles that stresses scientists, mathematicians, philosophers and theologists the most is the concept of infinity. The reason for this is that, to survive very well in a healthy ecosystem, there is no need to worry about infinity. Why?
Our World In Data Immigration Timeline - The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island By the 1880's, steam power had shortened the journey to America dramatically. Immigrants poured in from around the world: from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Southern and Eastern Europe, and down from Canada. The door was wide open for Europeans. One immigrant recalled arriving at Ellis Island: "The boat anchored at mid-bay and then they tendered us on the ship to Ellis Island…We got off the boat…you got your bag in your hand and went right into the building. Families often immigrated together during this era, although young men frequently came first to find work. The experience for Asian immigrants in this period was quite different. The 1907 "Gentlemen's Agreement" with Japan extended the government's hostility towards Asian workers and families. For Mexicans victimized by the Revolution, Jews fleeing the pogroms in Eastern Europe and Russia, and Armenians escaping the massacres in Turkey, America provided refuge. And for millions of immigrants, New York provided opportunity.
Free to Use and Reuse – and Animate! A Parade of Posters A French poster from the early 1900s advertises noodles and pasta using images of celebrities, some holding packages of the product. This month, we’re highlighting selections from the Library’s vast international poster collection on our Free to Use and Reuse page – and an animation contest. The posters we’re showcasing – on themes from travel, sports and entertainment to consumer goods and more – reflect a special collaboration between the Library and Poster House, a new museum that will open in New York City next year. The museum’s staff worked closely with specialists from the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division to select the 31 posters featured. Each connects in some way to a global cultural event or trend from the 1890s through the 1960s. A pair of skiers promotes the Jantzen skiwear brand in this 1947 poster. Poster House now invites you to re-imagine the selected posters using digital animation: Can you tease new meaning out of a scene?
Bringing PEACE to the Classroom One of the most intriguing, and perhaps intimidating, aspects of walking into a class for the first time and introducing yourself is deciding who you will be. The teaching persona you present to your students on that first day of class will set the tone for the rest of the semester. As teachers, we get to consciously decide who we will be in the classroom. The creation of our teaching personas deserves careful consideration and is something I frequently discuss with my graduate students prior to their first teaching opportunity. In reflecting on the evolution of my teaching persona over the last two decades, and in discussing how my colleagues have developed and refined their own teaching personas, I offer an overarching recommendation for the basic elements of a teaching persona that will enhance the engagement of the teachers and students and contribute to a vibrant community of teachers and learners in the classroom. Preparation. Expertise. Authenticity. Caring. Engagement. Caring.
Simone de Beauvoir Simone-Lucie-Ernestine-Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir, commonly known as Simone de Beauvoir (French: [simɔn də bovwaʁ]; 9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986), was a French writer, intellectual, existentialist philosopher, political activist, feminist and social theorist. She did not consider herself a philosopher but she had a significant influence on both feminist existentialism and feminist theory.[1] Beauvoir wrote novels, essays, biographies, an autobiography and monographs on philosophy, politics and social issues. She is best known for her novels, including She Came to Stay and The Mandarins, as well as her 1949 treatise The Second Sex, a detailed analysis of women's oppression and a foundational tract of contemporary feminism. Early years[edit] Beauvoir was born in Paris, the elder daughter of Georges Bertrand de Beauvoir, a legal secretary who once aspired to be an actor,[2] and Françoise Beauvoir (née Brasseur), a wealthy banker’s daughter and devout Catholic. Middle years[edit]