"I Always Had Pads with Me": A G.I. Artist's Sketchpad, 1943-1944
In the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the declaration of war, thousands of Americans enlisted in the U.S. armed forces. Among them was twenty-year-old Bronx resident Ben Hurwitz. Like many of the men and women who entered military service, Hurwitz (who changed his name to Brown after the war) kept a record of his experiences. But his "journal" was a sketchpad, and, during his two years in North Africa and Italy, Corporal Hurwitz drew and painted at every opportunity. Hurwitz's pictures a
Camella Teoli Testifies about the 1912 Lawrence Textile Strike
When 30,000 largely immigrant workers walked out of the Lawrence, Massachusetts, textile mills in January 1912, they launched one of the epic confrontations between capital and labor. The strike began in part because of unsafe working conditions in the mills, which were described in graphic detail in the testimony that fourteen-year-old millworker Camella Teoli delivered before a U.S. Congressional hearing in March 1912. Her testimony (a portion of which was included here) about losing her hair
Bitter Harvest: A Puerto Rican Farmer Laments U.S. Control of the Island
In 1898, the United States took control of the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, intending to use it as a base for strategic naval operations. Most of the island's 900,000 inhabitants welcomed the end of Spanish rule. But they were divided about the U.S. presence. Some hoped links with the United States would lead to increased trade and prosperity; others wanted total independence. Some who initially welcomed the United States quickly became disillusioned. Severo Tulier, a small farmer from Vega
Killing the Messenger: Ida Wells-Barnett Protests a Postmaster's Murder in 1898
The rising tide of lynchings of African Americans across the South launched a national anti-lynching crusade, led by Memphis, Tennessee, newspaper editor Ida Wells-Barnett, an outspoken advocate for the area's African-American citizens. As the leader of the national anti-lynching movement, Wells-Barnett joined a group of Illinois congressmen who visited the White House in March, 1898, to protest the murder of the newly-appointed Lake City, South Carolina Postmaster Baker, who was black. Wells-Ba
"Their Own Hotheadedness": Senator Benjamin R."Pitchfork Ben" Tillman Justifies Violence Against Sou
In this March 23, 1900, speech before the U.S. Senate, Senator Benjamin R. "Pitchfork Ben" Tillman of South Carolina defended the actions of his white constituents who had murdered several black citizens of his home state. Tillman blamed the violence on the "hot-headedness" of Southern blacks and on the misguided efforts of Republicans during the Reconstruction era after the Civil War to "put white necks under black heels." He also defended violence against black men, claiming that southern whit
"Organize among Yourselves": Mary Gale on Unemployed Organizing in the Great Depression
The Communist-led Unemployed Councils were the first and the most active of the radical movements that sought to mobilize the jobless during the Great Depression. In this interview, which is taken from the radio series "Grandma Was an Activist," relief worker Mary Gale, who was sympathetic to radicals and the jobless, described how she worked behind the scenes to encourage her clients to organize and demand better treatment. The jobless and the poor had few advocates for them, and radicals like
Developing Analytical and Communication Skills in a Mock-Trial Course Based on the Famous Woburn, Ma
This Journal of Geoscience Education article discusses a mock trial in which undergraduates serve as expert witnesses and law students serve as their attorneys. The article identifies the trial as an effective vehicle for developing quantitative skills and enhancing written and oral communication skills. The course discussed is unabashedly about applying scientific principles to solve real-world problems. The entire course revolves around the analysis, interpretation, and presentation of scienti
Music of Ivana Themmen, The
Documentary containing interview footage with the composer Ivana Themmen, and narrated overview of her life and music. Includes performances of her music recorded for this program. Themmen compositions are performed for the piece. They include: 'Mystic Trumpeter,' featuring Katherine Ciesinski as soprano and Harold Themmen as conductor 'Cupid and Psyche,' with Emanuel Borok on violin'Lullaby,' with Allegra and Tania Themmen 'Soundings' was a music documentary program affiliated with the Workshop
Joseph Schwantner and His Music
Documentary containing interview footage with the composer Joseph Schwantne, and narrated overview of his life and music. The piece focuses on the making of his composition New Morning for the World, which accompanies the words of Martin Luther King. Includes performances of his music recorded for this program.
Inside the Oval Office
As staff secretary to President Dwight Eisenhower from 1954 to 1961, General Andrew Goodpaster was the person most privy to Eisenhower's thinking and key decisions during his White House years. Goodpaster began his long affiliation with Eisenhower as a staff officer under his leadership of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), and he went on to become the president's right-hand man on security matters. In this video segment, Goodpaster describes the inter-service rivalries that
Harry Somers and His Music
Documentary containing interview footage with the Canadian composer Harry Somers, and narrated overview of his life and music, focusing on his interest in the native peoples of Canada. Includes performances of his music recorded for this program Somers compositions are performed for the piece. They include:'Kuyas,' with Roxolana Roslak as soprano, Julie Ranti on flute, and Allen Beard on percussion 'Shaman Song,' with Roxolana Roslak as soprano and Casey Sokol on piano'Soundings' was a music doc
Vacation II
'Connors creates a fantasy vacation in limitless circumstances by constructing a travelogue that moves from New England forests to the bottom of the sea, to outer space and to all corners of the world. The artist uses video effects such as computer-assisted animation, editing processes, and sophisticated matting techniques as metaphors for perceptual experience.' Using both miniature sets and still and moving images of various environments, Betsy Connors evokes both real and virtual spaces.
Sabda
"Sabda" is a eulogy to the North Indian poet Kabir and other Indian mystics. The title refers to 'the word,' the original sound of existence. Excerpts from poems are interwoven with a continuous flow of images and sounds of daily life situations in India.
The Indian landscape is revealed through pictures of workers harvesting wheat, a full moon visible between two trees, and wildlife in their natural habitats. Scenes showing street life and details of temples and spiritual icons depict elements
Trisha and Carmen
Burt Barr looks at the performance of 'Carmen' by Trisha Brown at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Italy Scenes include details of the ornate theater, both empty and with the audience stirring in their seats before the performance. Backstage, Trisha Brown speaks directly to the camera and prepares for the show with a makeup artist. In rehearsal clothes, a duet is shown over and over again. A woman treads her way across the space to her male partner, who slowly lowers her to the ground. This sa
Aviary
Based on a performance by Beth Galston, Ellen Sebring, and Sarah Skaggs. 'Aviary' is a melancholic mood piece that deals with themes of constraint and freedom. In this short sequence, images of a bird flying are superimposed over the figure of a lone female floating in a swimming pool.
Time Code
"Time Code' is a compilation of works by international video artists. It includes: "Luck Smith' by Gustav Hamos (4:55): A man walks through different digitally enhanced environments, including some sort of steel mill. 'Maison' by Bernar Herbert (11:00): In this sad piece two women live together in a house by the ocean. With no spoken text, small details show the growing depression of one of the women, who eventually drowns herself. 'Heartbeat' by Mary St. James and Anne Wilson (7:10): In this di
Every Picture Tells a Story
These activities are designed to create a sense of disequilibrium in the visual perception of students to make them aware of different ways to to view a picture. The students will view the images, decide what they see in each, record their ideas, and write a story based upon these findings.
Project Skymath
Project SkyMath is a mathematics module for middle school students, developed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). The goal of the pilot project is to demonstrate that acquiring and using current environmental and real-time weather data in middle school classrooms, in ways that embrace the dynamic and the uncertain natures of these data, will promote the teaching and learning of significant mathematics, consistent with the standards set by the National Council of Teache
Galactic Inquiry
In this inquiry activity, students view NASA images of galaxies and develop a galaxy classification scheme. Students then compare and contrast their classification scheme with that developed by Edwin Hubble.
Lunar Plant Growth Chamber
This site invites students to design chambers for growing plants on the moon. (Plants may be used to supplement meals of astronauts during space exploration.) Teacher guides include lessons on providing light and water for the plants, choosing plant species, exploring the moon, and designing, building, and evaluating plant growth chambers.
