FeaÂtured on the EmiÂly’s List FaceÂbook Page today is this “PSA from the 1960s,” where “BatÂgirl advoÂcates for equal pay while savÂing BatÂman and Robin.” EmiÂly’s List, a PAC aimÂing to put more pro-choice DemoÂcÂrat female canÂdiÂdates into politÂiÂcal office, goes on to note, “Over 50 years ago, ConÂgress passed the Equal Pay Act, a law designed to end wage disÂcrimÂiÂnaÂtion against women. UnforÂtuÂnateÂly, the fight’s still got many rounds left.”
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First Lady Eleanor RooÂsevelt was a proÂlifÂic columÂnist and writer, with an impresÂsive list of clips proÂduced both durÂing FDR’s tenure in the White House and afterÂwards. George WashÂingÂton University’s Eleanor RooÂsevelt Papers ProjecttalÂlies up her outÂput: 8,000 columns, 580 artiÂcles, 27 books, and 100,000 letÂters (not to menÂtion speechÂes and appearÂances). Many of those columns and artiÂcles can be found on their webÂsite.
Their archive offers every one of Roosevelt’s “My Day” columns, which ran through UnitÂed FeaÂtures SynÂdiÂcate from 1936–1962. These short pieces actÂed like a daiÂly diary, chronÂiÂcling Roosevelt’s travÂels, the books she read, the peoÂple she visÂitÂed, her evolvÂing politÂiÂcal phiÂlosÂoÂphy, and, occaÂsionÂalÂly, her reflecÂtions on such topÂics as eduÂcaÂtion, empaÂthy, apaÂthy, friendÂship, stress, and the scourge of excesÂsive mail (“I love my perÂsonÂal letÂters and I am realÂly deeply interÂestÂed in much of my mail, but when I see it in a mass I would someÂtimes like to run away! I just closed my eyes in this case and went to bed!”)
The “My Day” archive is a litÂtle difÂfiÂcult to navigate—you have to browse by year, or search by keyword—but the archive’s short list of selectÂed longer artiÂcles is a bit simÂpler to surÂvey. Some of my favorites:
“In Defense of CuriosÂiÂty” (SatÂurÂday Evening Post, 1935): RooÂsevelt often drew fire for her insaÂtiable interÂest in all areas of nationÂal life—a charÂacÂterÂisÂtic that peoÂple thought of as unlaÂdyÂlike. This artiÂcle argues that women, too, should be curiÂous, and that curiosÂiÂty is the basis for hapÂpiÂness, imagÂiÂnaÂtion, and empaÂthy.
“How to Take CritÂiÂcism” (Ladies Home JourÂnal, 1944): RooÂsevelt had a lot of haters. This longer piece mulls over the difÂferÂent types of critÂiÂcism that she received durÂing her pubÂlic career, and asks how one should disÂtinÂguish between worÂthy and unworÂthy criÂtiques.
“BuildÂing CharÂacÂter” (The Parent’s MagÂaÂzine, 1931): An ediÂtoÂrÂiÂal on the imporÂtance of proÂvidÂing chilÂdren with chalÂlenges, clearÂly meant to reasÂsure parÂents worÂried about the effects of the DepresÂsion on their kids.
“Good CitÂiÂzenÂship: The PurÂpose of EduÂcaÂtion” (PicÂtoÂrÂiÂal Review, 1930): Much of this piece is about the imporÂtance of fair comÂpenÂsaÂtion for good teachÂers. “There are many inadÂeÂquate teachÂers today,” RooÂsevelt wrote. “PerÂhaps our stanÂdards should be highÂer, but they canÂnot be until we learn to valÂue and underÂstand the funcÂtion of the teacher in our midst. While we have put much monÂey in buildÂings and labÂoÂraÂtoÂries and gymÂnaÂsiÂums, we have forÂgotÂten that they are but the shell, and will nevÂer live and creÂate a vital spark in the minds and hearts of our youth unless some teacher furÂnishÂes the inspiÂraÂtion. A child responds natÂuÂralÂly to high ideals, and we are all of us creaÂtures of habit.”
RebecÂca Onion is a writer and acaÂdÂeÂmÂic livÂing in PhiladelÂphia. She runs Slate.com’s hisÂtoÂry blog, The Vault. FolÂlow her on TwitÂter: @rebeccaonion.
I go to encounter for the milÂlionth time the realÂiÂty of expeÂriÂence and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreÂatÂed conÂscience of my race.
— James Joyce, A PorÂtrait of the Artist as a Young Man
For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighÂbors, and laugh at them in our turn?
— Jane Austen, Pride and PrejÂuÂdice
There is nothÂing more atroÂciousÂly cruÂel than an adored child.
— Vladimir Nabokov, LoliÂta
You’ve almost cerÂtainÂly read all three of these senÂtences before, or even if you don’t rememÂber the lines in parÂticÂuÂlar, you’ve probÂaÂbly read the famous novÂels they come from. TheAmerÂiÂcan ScholÂar highÂlights them as three of the ten finest in EngÂlish-lanÂguage litÂerÂaÂture, alongÂside othÂer senÂtences comÂposed by the likes of F. Scott FitzgerÂald, John Hersey, and Ernest HemÂingÂway. WritÂing at Poynter.org, Roy Peter Clark explains just what makes these senÂtences so great, from Joyce’s use of “forge” (“For the narÂraÂtor it means to strengthÂen metÂal in fire. But it also means to fake, to counÂterÂfeit, perÂhaps a genÂtle tug at [the proÂtagÂoÂnist’s] hubris”) to Austen’s strucÂturÂal eleÂgance (“Who could not admire a senÂtence with such a clear demarÂcaÂtion beginÂning, midÂdle, and end?”) to Nabokov’s reflecÂtion of his narÂraÂtor’s self-deluÂsion.
— Vladimir Nabokov, LoliÂta, choÂsen by Jonathan Santofler
StateÂly, plump Buck MulÂliÂgan came from the stairÂhead, bearÂing a bowl of lathÂer on which a mirÂror and a razor lay crossed.
— James Joyce, Ulysses, choÂsen by Lydia Davis
I have nevÂer seen anyÂthing like it: two litÂtle discs of glass susÂpendÂed in front of his eyes in loops of wire.
— J.M. CoetÂzee, WaitÂing for the BarÂbarÂians, choÂsen by AnthoÂny MarÂra
If all these don’t satiÂate your appetite for well-wrought senÂtences, the AmerÂiÂcan Book Review has not just its own runÂdown of the 100 best first lines from novÂels, but of the 100 best last lines as well, a list that feaÂtures CoetÂzee’s grim coloÂnial fable as well as the work of Franzen himÂself:
This is not the scene I dreamed of. Like much else nowaÂdays I leave it feelÂing stuÂpid, like a man who lost his way long ago but pressÂes on along a road that may lead nowhere.
— J.M. CoetÂzee, WaitÂing for the BarÂbarÂians
She was sevÂenÂty-five and she was going to make some changes in her life.
— Jonathan Franzen, The CorÂrecÂtions
“You can trust me,” R.V. says, watchÂing her hand.” “I’m a man of my
— David FosÂter WalÂlace, The Broom of the SysÂtem
Before you leave a comÂment pointÂing out that apparÂent fragÂment of WalÂlace’s senÂtence just above, let me reasÂsure you that it appears exactÂly like that in The Broom of the SysÂtem — the novÂel just stops there — and that, if you read all the way to that point, you’ll find it a pretÂty brilÂliant choice. This just goes to show that the senÂtence, though undoubtÂedÂly the funÂdaÂmenÂtal unit for any writer (“All you have to do is write one true senÂtence,” HemÂingÂway would say), always needs a conÂtext. This meta-list of best-senÂtence lists at MetafilÂter has many more high-qualÂiÂty senÂtences for you to admire, and a fair few intriguÂing enough to send you right out to go read them in conÂtext.
You can find some of the great books menÂtioned above in our colÂlecÂtion of 575 Free eBooks.
The third damned soul in our one-room hell was played by a delightÂfulÂly shrieky Jaime MurÂray, friend and SparÂtaÂcus co-star of Lucy’s. You likeÂly know Jaime for her role as Lila, the psyÂchotÂic main guest star in SeaÂson 2 of DexÂter, and right now she appears in the sci-fi shows DefiÂance and WareÂhouse 13.
The play is about three dead peoÂple stuck in a room togethÂer, any two of which would probÂaÂbly reach some equiÂlibÂriÂum. But, as a threeÂsome, they enter into a toxÂic dynamÂic where none can get what he or she needs out of the othÂers.
The recordÂing was made in supÂport of the ParÂtialÂly ExamÂined Life episode disÂcussing Sartre, covÂerÂing this play as well as his essays “ExisÂtenÂtialÂism is a HumanÂism” (1946), and “Bad Faith,” (which conÂstiÂtutes part 1, chapÂter 2 of Being & NothÂingÂness, 1943). These conÂvey the essence of Sartre’s exisÂtenÂtialÂism and give a picÂture of his view of man’s radÂiÂcal freeÂdom (we’re conÂdemned to be free!) and what for him serves as some semÂblance of an ethics.
On SunÂday evening, Fox aired the latÂest episode of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s CosÂmos series. This episode, called “A Sky Full of Ghosts,” explored some more out-of-this-world subÂjects — the speed of light and how it helps us underÂtand the Big Bang; the sciÂenÂtifÂic work of Isaac NewÂton, William HerÂschel, James Clerk Maxwell; Albert EinÂstein’s TheÂoÂry of RelÂaÂtivÂiÂty; dark stars; black holes; and more. US viewÂers can watch the entireÂty of Episode 4 online (above), along with preÂviÂous episodes in the series below (or on Hulu). For viewÂers outÂside the US, we have someÂthing perÂhaps betÂter for you: Carl Sagan’s OrigÂiÂnal CosÂmos Series on YouTube. Plus, we have a bunch of Free Online AstronÂoÂmy CoursÂes in our colÂlecÂtion of 875 Free Online CoursÂes. Enjoy.
When I was a kid, my father brought home from I know not where an enorÂmous colÂlecÂtion of NationÂal GeoÂgraphÂic magÂaÂzines spanÂning the years 1917 to 1985. I found, tucked in almost every issue, one of the magazine’s gorÂgeous maps—of the Moon, St. PetersÂburg, the Himalayas, EastÂern Europe’s ever-shiftÂing boundÂaries. I became a carÂtogÂraÂphy enthuÂsiÂast and geoÂgraphÂiÂcal sponge, porÂing over them for years just for the sheer enjoyÂment of it, a pleaÂsure that remains with me today. Whether you’re like me and simÂply love the imagÂiÂnaÂtive exerÂcise of tracÂing a map’s lines and conÂtours and absorbÂing inforÂmaÂtion, or you love to do that and you get paid for it, you’ll find innuÂmerÂable ways to spend your time on the new Open Access Maps project at the New York PubÂlic Library. The NYPL announces the release with the explaÂnaÂtion below:
Can you—as I did with my neatÂly foldÂed, yelÂlowÂing archive—have all the maps in full-colÂor print? Well, no, unless you’re preÂpared to bear the cost in ink and paper and have some speÂcialÂized printÂing equipÂment that can renÂder each map in its origÂiÂnal dimenÂsions. But you can access someÂthing worlds away from what I could have imagined—a digÂiÂtal enhanceÂment techÂnolÂoÂgy called “warpÂing,” also known as “geoÂrecÂtiÂfiÂcaÂtion.”
This, explains the NYPL, “is the process where digÂiÂtal images of maps are stretched, placÂing the maps themÂselves into their geoÂgraphÂic conÂtext, renÂdered either on the webÂsite or with tools such as Google Earth.” For examÂple, below see a “warpÂing” of the 1916 Redraft of the 1660 “CastelÂlo Plan” for then-New AmsÂterÂdam over a curÂrent-day Google Earth image of lowÂer ManÂhatÂtan (and note how much the island has been expandÂed past its 17th cenÂtuÂry shores). The “warpÂing” techÂnolÂoÂgy is open access, meanÂing that “anyÂbody with a comÂputÂer can creÂate an account, log in, and begin warpÂing and tracÂing maps.” User conÂtriÂbuÂtions remain, “a la Wikipedia,” and add “one more piece to this new hisÂtorÂiÂcal geoÂgraphÂic data modÂel.”
The “warpÂer” is a speÂcial feaÂture that helps place hisÂtorÂiÂcal maps in a modÂern visuÂal field, but it in no way ruins the enjoyÂment of those maps as archival pieces or art objects. You can see carÂtogÂraÂphÂer John WolÂcott Adams origÂiÂnal 1916 CastelÂlo Plan redraft below, and visÂit NYPL’s DigÂiÂtal ColÂlecÂtions for a high resÂoÂluÂtion image, fulÂly zoomable and, yes, printÂable. For more on the incredÂiÂble warpÂing techÂnolÂoÂgy NYPL makes availÂable to us, see this extendÂed blog post, “UnbindÂing the Atlas: WorkÂing with DigÂiÂtal Maps.” Over ten thouÂsand of the collection’s maps are of New York and New JerÂsey, datÂing from 1852 to 1922, includÂing propÂerÂty, zonÂing, and topoÂgraphÂic maps. In addiÂtion, over one thouÂsand of the maps depict Mid-Atlantic cities from the 16th to the 19th cenÂturies, and over 700 are topoÂgraphÂic maps of the AusÂtro-HunÂgarÂiÂan Empire between 1877 and 1914. That should be enough to keep any amaÂteur or proÂfesÂsionÂal map-lover busy for a good long while. Start digÂging into the maps here.
This month, the hip hop trio is givÂing away new music — their mixÂtape “Smell the Da.I.S.Y.,” which feaÂtures their colÂlabÂoÂraÂtions with the late-great hip hop artist, J DilÂla.
You may nevÂer have heard of “DylanolÂoÂgy” before, but rest assured that the field covÂers the intelÂlecÂtuÂal terÂriÂtoÂry you susÂpect it does. Even if you have heard of DylanolÂoÂgy, you may nevÂer have heard of A.J. WeberÂman, the man who holds reaÂsonÂable claim to havÂing fathered the disÂciÂpline. In John ReilÂly’s musiÂcalÂly bioÂgraphÂiÂcal 1969 short film above, The BalÂlad of A.J. WeberÂman, we witÂness the titÂuÂlar Bob Dylan obsesÂsive engagÂing in one of his many research methÂods: in this case, the also neolÂoÂgism-anointÂed purÂsuit of garÂbolÂoÂgy. This “sciÂence” has WeberÂman go through Dylan’s trash “in order to gathÂer scraps of eviÂdence to supÂport his theÂoÂries,” says the diliÂgent fan’s entry in the web’s Bob Dylan Who’s Who. These theÂoÂries include, accordÂing to Rolling Stone’s Marc JacobÂson, the notion that “Dylan, the most angel-headÂed head of the genÂerÂaÂtion, had fallÂen prey to a ManchuriÂan CanÂdiÂdate-style govÂernÂment plot to hook him up to senÂsiÂbilÂiÂty-deadÂenÂing hard dope.”
The page also menÂtions that “after three years of self-pubÂlicÂiÂty” as the “world’s leadÂing DylaÂnolÂoÂgist,” WeberÂman “finalÂly met Dylan in 1971.” But much of his notoÂriÂety comes not just from havÂing met Dylan in the flesh, not just from habitÂuÂalÂly digÂging through Dylan’s garbage, and not just (or so he claims) havÂing takÂen a rightÂful beatÂing at the hands of Dylan, but from havÂing conÂversed with Dylan, canÂdidÂly and at length, over the teleÂphone. These chats evenÂtuÂalÂly emerged on vinyl as the album Robert ZimÂmerÂman vs. A.J. WeberÂman, and you can hear the whole thing at Ubuweb, or below:
IntroÂducÂtion
JanÂuÂary 6, 1971
JanÂuÂary 9, 1971
“The conÂverÂsaÂtions were recordÂed in JanÂuÂary, 1971, in the weeks folÂlowÂing a demonÂstraÂtion outÂside Bob’s NYC apartÂment orgaÂnized by WeberÂman [ … ] a misÂguidÂed 60’s radÂiÂcal who felt (corÂrectÂly enough) that by the earÂly 70’s, rock music had ceased to be a force for radÂiÂcal politÂiÂcal upheaval in the U.S. and had been co-optÂed by the estabÂlishÂment,” writes one conÂtribÂuÂtor to the Dylan Who’s Who. “Like any of Bob’s songs, they must be heard to be truÂly underÂstood.”
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