85 Matching Annotations
  1. Nov 2024
    1. Dadalways griped that the railroad men in town got paid more than he did. Hecould read ancient Greek, but they had a union.
  2. Oct 2024
    1. Die von Waldbränden außerhalb der Tropen verursachten Emissionen haben sich seit 2001 fast verdreifacht. Weltweit haben die Emissionen durch Waldbrände in dieser Zeit um 60% zugenommen. Ursache dafür ist die Kombination von heißerem und trockenerem Wetter mit dem schnelleren Wachstum der Wälder durch die höheren Temperaturen. Die Wälder können durch die Brände jahrzehntelang zu Emittenten werden. Damit ist die Funktion der Wälder als Kohlenstoffsenken gefährdet. Das bedeutet auch, dass sie andere anthropogene Emissionen weniger kompensieren und die Fähigkeit verlieren, nach einem Überschreiten der 1,5°-Grenze C0<sub>2</sub> aus der Atmosphäre zu entfernen. Außerdem müssten diese von Menschen verursachten Emissonen den C0<sub>2</sub>-Budgets der Nationalstaaten zugeordnet werden.

      https://theconversation.com/forest-fires-are-shifting-north-and-intensifying-heres-what-that-means-for-the-planet-241337

    1. Erstmals wurde genau erfasst, welcher Teil der von Waldbränden betroffenen Gebiete sich auf die menschlich verursachte Erhitzung zurückführen lässt. Er wächst seit 20 Jahren deutlich an. Insgesamt kompensieren die auf die Erhitzung zurückgehenden Waldbrände den Rückgang an Bränden durch Entwaldung. Der von Menschen verursachte – und für die Berechnung von Schadensansprüchen relevante – Anteil der CO2-Emissione ist damit deutlich höher als bisher angenommen https://www.carbonbrief.org/climate-change-almost-wipes-out-decline-in-global-area-burned-by-wildfires/

    1. 20 Fachleute und 78 Umweltgruppen haben dagegen protestiert, dass die Welternährungsorganisation FAO einen Bericht nicht korrigiert hat, in dem die Bedeutung der Viehzucht als Quelle von Treibhausgas-Emissionen und damit die Notwendigkeit, die Essgewohnheiten zu verändern, nicht korrekt dargestellt werden. Die Fehlinformationen sind schon länger bekannt, Die FAO hat aber auf die Kritik trotz gegenteiliger Versprechungen nicht reagiert. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/sep/30/scientists-criticise-un-agency-fao-failure-to-withdraw-livestock-emissions-report

  3. Sep 2024
  4. Jul 2024
    1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_effect

      The Matthew effect of accumulated advantage, sometimes called the Matthew principle, is the tendency of individuals to accrue social or economic success in proportion to their initial level of popularity, friends, and wealth. It is sometimes summarized by the adage or platitude "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer". The term was coined by sociologists Robert K. Merton and Harriet Zuckerman in 1968 and takes its name from the Parable of the Talents in the biblical Gospel of Matthew.

      related somehow to the [[Lindy effect]]?

  5. Jun 2024
    1. Ein Report zum Stand der Dinge bei der Entfernung von CO2 aus der Atmosphäre (CO2 Removal) ist in der zweiten Version erschienen. Insgesamt ist die CO2-Menge, die mit anderen Mitteln als der Wiederaufforstung im Pflanzen von Bäumen aus der Atmosphäre entfernt wird, extrem gering. Der Bericht kommt zu dem Ergebnis, dass die Pariser Klimaziele ohne CDR unerreichbar sein werden, dass aber CDR ohne deutlich mehr Investitionen und eine schnelle Verringerung von Treibhausgasemissionen wirkungslos bleiben wird. https://www.derstandard.de/story/3000000222642/treibhausgase-aus-der-atmosphaere-saugen-wo-wir-bei-der-co2-entnahme-stehen

  6. May 2024
    1. In his renowned essay,“Battle of the Books” (1698), Jonathan Swift celebrated these texts asmore excellent than moderns realized—and he bequeathed a phraseto describe the honey of the ancients that Matthew Arnold wouldlater make infamous: “sweetness and light.”

      note the "honey of the ancients" description here with a tangential nod to the commonplace tradition

      see: <br /> - https://hypothes.is/a/mCsl9voQEeuP3t8jNOyAvw<br /> - https://hypothes.is/users/chrisaldrich?q=tag%3A%22jonathan+swift%22+tag%3A%22commonplace+books%22

    1. ¹¹ For you al-ways have the poor with you, but you will notalways have me.

      Said in the context of his pending crucifixion, with respect to a woman who had poured expensive ointment on Jesus.

      This is an interesting proposition in this passage with respect to lots of what he'd said about the poor in the past. See also the Beatitudes

      relationship to the idea of "Waging war on poverty, but not on the poor"?

  7. Apr 2024
    1. Eine Gruppe von NGOs hat ein Konzept für eine Klimaschaden-Steuer ausgearbeitet, zu der Öl- und Gasgesellschaften ausgehend vom von ihnen verursachten CO2-Ausstoß herangezogen würden. Würde die Steuer in den OECD-Ländern mit 5$ pro Kilotonne CO2 beginnen und sich jährlich um weitere 5$ erhöhen, stünden 2030 jährlich 900 Milliarden $ vor allem für den Loss and Damage Fund zur Verfügung, der bei der COP28 beschlossen wurde.

      https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/29/taxing-big-fossil-fuel-firms-raise-billions-climate-finance

      Bericht: https://www.greenpeace.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CDT_guide_2024_embargoed_version.pdf

    1. Typewriters make me a more fo-cused and disciplined writer. Theydon’t forgive. It’s like fi ring a gunwith every stroke. You can’t retractthe bullet. If you misspell, the type-writer won’t correct it for you. Youhave to plow on.
    2. Laptops are ideal forwhen I research and write at the sametime, or when I work on several storiesat once, going back and forth amongwindows. But for everything else, Iseek a departure from my primaryworld. It’s a different type of writing,so I need a different tool.
  8. Mar 2024
    1. Das Tempo der Temperaturerhöhung an der Oberfläche der Ozeane ist auch für erfahrene Forschende schockierend. Besonders hoch ist es im Nordatlantik, dessen Erwärmung zu schwereren Hurricans führen könnte. Aber auch der Südatlantik und damit das antarktische Meereis sind betroffen. Die Ursachen sind nicht geklärt; das El Niño-Phänomen reicht zur Erklärung nicht aus. Es könnten Feedback-Mechanismen eine Rolle spielen. Die New York Times hat mehrere Wissenschaftler befragt.

      https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/27/climate/scientists-are-freaking-out-about-ocean-temperatures.html

      Infografik: https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/02/07/multimedia/27cli-newsletter-02/2024-02-07-sst-hottest-january-index-superJumbo-v2.png?quality=75&auto=webp

  9. Jan 2024
    1. Zusammenfassender Artikel über Studien zu Klimafolgen in der Antarktis und zu dafür relevanten Ereignissen. 2023 sind Entwicklungen sichtbar geworden, die erst für wesentlich später in diesem Jahrhundert erwartet worden waren. Der enorme und möglicherweise dauerhafte Verlust an Merreis ist dafür genauso relevant wie die zunehmende Instabilität des westantarktischen und möglicherweise inzwischen auch des ostantarktischen Eisschilds. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/31/red-alert-in-antarctica-the-year-rapid-dramatic-change-hit-climate-scientists-like-a-punch-in-the-guts

  10. Nov 2023
  11. Oct 2023
    1. Die Extremwetter-Ereignisse dieses Jahres entsprechen den Vorhersagen der Klimawissenschaft. Der Guardian hat dazu zahlreichende Forschende befragt und viele Statements in einem multimedialen Artikel zusammengestellt. Alle Befragten stimmen darin überein, dass die Verbrennung fossiler Brennstoffe sofort beendet werden muss, um eine weitere Verschlimmerung zu stoppen. Festgestellt wird auch, dass die Verwundbarkeit vieler Communities bisher unterschätzt worden ist. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/28/crazy-off-the-charts-records-has-humanity-finally-broken-the-climate

  12. Sep 2023
  13. Aug 2023
  14. Jul 2023
    1. Der Guardian hat James Hansen und andere Klimawissenschaftler:innen zu den aktuellen Hitzewellen interviewt. Hansen geht davon aus, dass sich die Erhitzung der Erde beschleunigt. Auch Forschende, die diese These nicht teilen, nehmen an, dass am Ende dieses Jahrhunder ähnliche Temperaturverhältnisse wie im Pliozän (vor 1-3 Millonen Jahren) herrschen werden, wenn sich die aktuellen Trends bei den Emissionen fortsetzen. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/19/climate-crisis-james-hansen-scientist-warning

  15. Jun 2023
    1. Guter Bericht der New York Times zu der neuen Publikation über die Verschiebungen der Erdachse, die als Ergebnis des schmerzens von eisschild und Gletschern, aber auch der Entnahme von Grundwasser festgestellt wurden. Die Daten über die Drehung der Erde, die von Satelliten gemessen werden enthalten auch Informationen für die Klimaforschung. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/28/climate/groundwater-earth-spin-axis.html

  16. Apr 2023
  17. Mar 2023
  18. Feb 2023
    1. This Vast Southern Empire explores the international vision and strategic operations of these southerners at the commanding heights of American politics.

      How does this book speak with respect to Immerwahr's How to Hide an Empire?

  19. Dec 2022
    1. Petrie was also a eugenicist, who believed in the improvement of society through selective “breeding-out” of intellectually inferior races. While revealing evidence for the foundations of ancient Egypt, he attributed it on biometric grounds to a “New Race” of invaders from outside Africa, opening a space of the imagination that has since come to be filled by all manner of theories about the “alien” architects of ancient civilizations. It started with the “race science” that is part and parcel of archaeology’s own problematic history.
    2. The study of Egypt “before the pharaohs” was pioneered in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by a British archaeologist called William Matthew Flinders Petrie, familiar to generations of students as “the father of archaeological science.”
  20. Aug 2022
    1. Devices for note-taking. In taking notes of reading,use slips of paper the size of the standard library card(8 x 6 in.). For more extended notes and for typewrittennotes, the standard half-sheet (6% x 8% in.) is usually themost satisfactory sire. For special purposes still larger sheetsare sometimes essential. In any extended investi ation theuse of different colored sli s or different coloref inks forcertain classes of notes w i g often prove a convenient andtime-savin device. It is especially desirable, thus, to dis-tinguish bifliogra hical data from subject matter. Each slipshould contain onyy a single note. Put a topical heading atthe top of each slip of subject notes and a reference to thevolume and page of the authority quoted.

      The transcription on this from .pdf via Hypothesis is dreadful! In particular for the card sizes. The actual text reads as:

      1. Devices for note-taking. In taking notes of reading, use slips of paper the size of the standard library card (3 x5 in.). For more extended notes and for typewritten notes, the standard half-sheet (5 1/2 x 8 1/2 in.) is usually the most satisfactory size. For special purposes still larger sheets are sometimes essential. In any extended investigation the use of different colored slips or different colored inks for certain classes of notes will often prove a convenient and time-saving device. It is especially desirable, thus, to distinguish bibliographical data from subject matter. Each slip should contain only a single note. Put a topical heading at the top of each slip of subject notes and a reference to the volume and page of the authority quoted.
    2. These Directions and suggestions were first cornpiled in1908, and the first edition was printed in 1911 for use in theauthor‘s own classes. The present edition is the result ofthorough revision and is planned for general use.

      This will be much more interesting given that he'd first written about this topic in 1908 and has accumulated more experience since then.

      Look for suggestions about the potential change in practice over the ensuing years.

      Is the original version extant in his papers?

    3. The better students tend to exceed the indicated maximums.

      of course this also depends on the overall quality of the work and not just the length...

    4. One can't help but notice that Dutcher's essay, laid out like it is in a numbered fashion with one or two paragraphs each may stem from the fact of his using his own note taking method.

      Each section seems to have it's own headword followed by pre-written notes in much the same way he indicates one should take notes in part 18.

      It could be illustrative to count the number of paragraphs in each numbered section. Skimming, most are just a paragraph or two at most while a few do go as high as 5 or 6 though these are rarer. A preponderance of shorter one or two paragraphs that fill a single 3x5" card would tend to more directly support the claim. Though it is also the case that one could have multiple attached cards on a single idea. In Dutcher's case it's possible that these were paperclipped or stapled together (does he mention using one side of the slip only, which is somewhat common in this area of literature on note making?). It seems reasonably obvious that he's not doing more complex numbering or ordering the way Luhmann did, but he does seem to be actively using it to create and guide his output directly in a way (and even publishing it as such) that supports his method.

      Is this then evidence for his own practice? He does actively mention in several places links to section numbers where he also cross references ideas in one card to ideas in another, thereby creating a network of related ideas even within the subject heading of his overall essay title.

      Here it would be very valuable to see his note collection directly or be able to compare this 1927 version to an earlier 1908 version which he mentions.

  21. Jun 2022
    1. Matthew Fay (Institute of English Studies, University of London)

      Online

      Short Bio

      Over the years, Matthew has turned his hand to several disciplines, from high school teaching to theatre directing, before taking the MA in the History of the Book at London University. He is now undertaking research for a PhD on an archive formed by his great-grandfather, Frank Fay (1870-1930), an Irish actor and producer, who collaborated with W. B. Yeats and Lady Gregory on the plays that were performed at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Matthew is interested in the provenance of books and theatre history.

      Bibliography

      • Thesis: ‘The Fay Archive: Towards a Checklist and Copy-specific Analysis of Key Research Items by W. B. Yeats, J. M. Synge and Lady Gregory.’ (in progress)
    1. Hale also wrote what became the most frequently cited defense of the marital rape exemption, the doctrine that shielded a husband from prosecution if he raped his wife. Hale explained that a woman’s agreement to marry meant that she had placed her body under her husband’s permanent dominion. In Hale’s words: “The husband cannot be guilty of a rape committed by himself upon his lawful wife, for by their mutual matrimonial consent and contract the wife hath given up herself in this kind unto her husband, which she cannot retract.”
    2. Hale believed that authorities should distrust women who reported having been raped. In his mind, rape was “an accusation easily to be made and hard to be proved, and harder to be defended by the party accused, tho never so innocent.”
  22. May 2022
  23. Aug 2021
  24. Mar 2021
  25. May 2019
      • 0:37 - need to recognize the networked nature of today's media
      • 0:37 - need to recognize the networked nature of today's media
      • 0:48 - work within traditional media literacy and build on things that have worked for decades, but recognize what has changed and use the strengths of networked media
      • 1:05 - how do children check sources on the internet
      • 1:20 - one of the simplest ways is to follow the links back to the source
      • 1:34 - when it's a photo, you can do a reverse image search
      • 1:50 can do a news search and sort by date to see if the news story is current
      • 2:45 - misinformation campaigns happening - mixing genuine content with misinformation
      • 3:25 - some create alternate identities or fake accounts
      • 4:25 - important to get a sense of how reliable a source is
      • 4:35 - what is the purpose of the source and what is their business model? - is there accuracy and reliability in this, then likely will trust it as a source
      • 5:10 - impact that we don't get our news from a limited number of sources
      • 5:45 - some of these sources are from friends on social media, others are algorithmically determined
      • 6:08 - some advantages and disadvantages - the old model was news curated in a newspaper; new model has the potential of getting news we may not have gotten in the old model
      • 6:20 but in the old system you had gatekeeping and 'provenance'; in online news it's sometimes an effort to see where the information originates; gate keeping falls to us now
      • 7:05 we need to train young people to do this
      • 7:30 how should we teach this?
      • 7:35 - with the concept approach you don't need to feel like an expert
      • 7:40 - success teaching media literacy from the key concepts for three decades; begin from these
      • 7:52 - media are constructed;
      • 7:55 - they have commercial considerations;
      • 7:58 they have social and political implications;
      • 8:00 that audiences negotiate meaning;
      • 8:05 that each medium has a unique form and the form influences the content
      • 8:20 these can be applied to any form of media and adapted to any grade from K-12
      • 8:30 so the key concepts of digital literacy are paralleled and are in addition to those, they don't replace the original five concepts
      • 8:40 now have implications of digital literacies in that they are networked so we need to understand the idea of the network
      • 8:50 understand that content now is shareable, that this is the default rather than the exception
      • 8:55 - the ways the tools we use influence not just the content but the ways we use them
      • 9:05 - this has an impact, an ethical dimension
      • 9:10 - these can be applied in any context and to any grade level
      • 9:20 - we have a full digital literacy curriculum that we offer (speaking about Media Smarts Canada); it has lessons on seven different aspects that a teacher or school board can use
      • 9:45 - the value of the key concepts is teachers can modify these resources to their contexts
      • 9:50 - teachers have in those key concepts what is essentially a GUIDING STAR to understand what they are supposed to be achieving with these lessons
  26. Dec 2017
    1. Also the whole of his Slaves amounting to 57 in number.

      Among the list of offerings that John Robinson of Rockbridge County is willing to make to the President of the University and the Directors of the Literary fund for locating the University in Lexington, are slaves. Moreover, he is willing to offer all 57 of his slaves. The fact that one individual would own 57 slaves in mind-baffling. 57 slaves are more humans than students in some of my larger classes here at UVA. This line of the Rockbridge Gap Report is cringe inducing for a 21st century reader. Perhaps back in 1818 when the document was written ownership of that large a number of slaves was the norm. It is completely dehumanizing to think that slaves, real humans, could be offered as a trade for a favor. However, the progress that society has made regarding equality of mankind is noteworthy, although much progress remains.

    2. that education like private & individual concerns, should be left to private & individual effort; not reflecting that an establishment

      This is an interesting take on the relationship between an individual and an institution. The writers of the Rockfish Gap Report are saying that what an individual at the University wants to do with theirself is entirely up to that individual and the actions of that individual do not have any reflection upon the values or beliefs of the University as a whole. On one hand, this makes sense as individuals have free will to do as they please and an institution like a University shouldn't really compromise that. However, one could also see it that the University is a governing body responsible for its members and their consequent actions. Therefore, the University could be liable for the actions of its members. Either way, the University's job is to educate its members and should uphold a certain code of conduct - for decency's sake.

    3. In the education of youth, provision is to be made for 1. tuition. 2 diet. 3. lodging. 4. government: and 5. honorary excitements

      This is a statement that seeks to justify the money that is being made by the university for the education of the students that attend. More specifically, it briefly highlights all the categories that expenses can be classified into. Similar to today, I believe that these broad categories are being used to hide little hidden costs. Just like going to college today, these little hidden costs add up to make a significant contribution to the cost of attending college. The rest of the document continues to elaborate more on these categories, but I still feel that there is an element of hidden costs.

    4. To give to every citizen the information he needs for the transaction of his own business.

      This proposed object starts off so optimistically, by saying that the university wishes to provide its students with the knowledge necessary to succeed as a citizen. However, the second half of the proposed object brings up the fact that the schools goal is to provide males with this knowledge. Considering the time period that these proposals were made, this statement is obviously referring to white males. Therefore, this particular object does not give every citizen the information that is needed for the transaction of their own business.

    5. And generally to form them to habits of reflection, and correct action, rendering them examples of virtue to others & of happiness within themselves.

      This objective seems a bit ironic to me especially considering the kind of exclusivity of the type of students that attended when UVA was first founded. Also, it's hard to ignore the fact that at UVA they are meant to "correct action" and "render themselves examples of virtue to others", both good moral values, except while African Americans were being oppressed and not given the same opportunities as these men attending the University. Lauren L.

    1. This doctrine is the genuine fruit of the alliance between church and State

      It's interesting to see the phrase "alliance between church and state" when all throughout my previous history classes they'd focus on the separation of church and state. I don't find this university to be particularly religiously driven. There are religious studies classes available, and any student can choose to take them. There are clubs and organizations for every religion, and there are a multitude of churches on or near grounds, the most notably being the Chapel. Although there are many religious opportunities for students and it maybe tied into the structural foundation of this university, I admire its acceptance of people of different beliefs, creeds, and religions.

  27. Nov 2017
    1. the care of the grounds

      Many students here at the University have no idea why we refer to the grounds in the way we do, myself included. It just seems to be tradition. Here in the Rockfish Gap report, the term "grounds" appears a whopping 2 whole times! I assume that it's from this document that we derive our tradition of calling our university "grounds." It's crazy how something so small has become so engrained in our student culture.

      It may be worth questioning as to whether or not this term invokes a sense of superiority and/or pretentiousness through its use both in the student body and in an outsider's view of the university.

      Jedidiah Park

    1. To enable him to calculate for himself, and to express & preserve his ideas

      This statement stood out to me because it lines up with my belief that college allows one to grow as a person, to be able to become independent, and to be able to find your own path. So far in my short time at UVA, I have been able to begin to figure out my own path. A lot of people close to me tell me I should study something else or I should do this or do that but I don't let that influence what I want to do. I am calculating for myself, and expressing and preserving my ideas.

    2. Dormitories, sufficient each for the accommodation of two students only, this provision being deemed advantageous to morals, to order, & to uninterrupted study;

      I wonder why Jefferson believed that dormitories accommodating two students would help with uninterrupted study. In my experience, living with another person doesn't really help with uninterrupted study. The roommate can be distracting even if they don't intend to be. I wonder why Jefferson decided have dorms accommodate two students instead of just having all single rooms. I know in other countries, their dorms are all single and I watched an interview with a foreign student and they too wondered why American dorms are double occupancy.

  28. Oct 2017
    1. It was the degree of centrality to the white population of the state which alone then constituted the important point of comparison between these places

      I find this statement in the document appalling. The founders portray blatant racism within the first paragraph as they decide upon the foundation for the University. I find it baffling that a university designed for the bettering of an entire state would exclude its benefits from such a large segment of the population for which it was designed. Furthermore, it is concerning that issues regarding the exclusion of certain groups of the population remain an issue today amidst the twenty-first century. However, it is encouraging that the University and the larger population of the United States have made great progress towards removing these racist beliefs.

      -Jenna Taylor

    2. Education, in like manner engrafts a new man on the native stock, & improves what in his nature was vicious & perverse, into qualities of virtue and social worth

      I found this section of the document inspiring. This empowering belief regarding education is still held today at the University of Virginia and in today's broader society. Although the founders of the University prove to be quite discriminatory and immoral throughout many sections of the document, their argument here, that education betters a man, brings a hint of optimism to this section of the report.

      -Jenna Taylor

    3. Also the whole of his Slaves amounting to 57 in number.

      This sentence really shows the dichotomy of the present and the past. It is clearly demonstrated that the slaves are not seen as people, but are instead seen as property. The word "also," while being used to show the end of a list, also subtly says that slaves are afterthoughts, even when speaking of properties.

    4. The 1st. duty enjoined on them was to enquire & report a site in some convenient & proper part of the state for an University, to be called the “University of Virginia.”

      I find it very intriguing that the very first task of the commissioners was to look for a site for the school, rather than going over the ideals, values, and goals that are mentioned later on in the report. I read that Jefferson wanted the site to be so beautiful and the school to gain such notoriety that people from even out of state would "drink of the cup of knowledge". Having the physical site in mind could have given the commissioners the motivation and inspiration to set values for the future university.

    5. The board of Trustees of Washington College have also proposed to transfer the whole of their funds, viz, 100 shares in the funds of the James River company. 31 acres of land on which all their buildings stand.

      This really stood out to me. I may be wrong, but it seems as if the administration of Washington College (currently Washington and Lee) proposed the absorption of the school into the new UVA school system. For a school that seems now to pride itself on its independence, it's funny to think that they very well could have ended up as part of the University.

    6. each of these was unexceptionable as to healthiness & fertility.

      The focus on healthiness and fertility reminds me sickeningly of the treatment of slaves and of women throughout history, as land, a place for a school to be built, was regarded in the same way that human beings were -- property; only worthy of life if they met specific criteria. A slave was only useful if it was healthy enough to perform the work necessary of its existence (as the slave owners thought). If a slave could not work in a field or in the home, they were a useless slave and often times killed for their inability to perform. The fertility of a slave and it's ability to reproduce was profitable as slave owners were able to buy a slave (if they raped their females) or two (male and female), and have their slave continue to produce more slaves and therefore more bodies able to do the slaveowner's biding. Such is similar to the view of women, as health and fertility were the most important aspects of a woman to society, besides obedience. Women's fertility could be manipulated and used for gain of both men and society. In some instances, women were only considered worthy of life if they produced male offspring. Such is seen in royalty, as King Henry vehemently believed that Catherine "was condemned by God not to have a boy and that Anne would provide him with one". This belief that the only worth of a woman is their ability to produce male heirs was carried into society for a long time after the Tudor times. And although the thoughts towards women are not as strict in modern society, the stigma towards women unable to have children or who do not want children has continued into modern society.

      source link : http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/tudor-england/henry-and-divorce/

    7. “the branches of learning,

      I find this phrase "branches of learning" interesting, as it implies that learning stems from a singular object, which in essence is a university. It is a very remarkable way to think of learning, as the university is the foundation for learning, but the different branches (topics) stem from not only what is taught officially at the university in classrooms, but also from the experiences that occur here and people that call this place home. I know that this statement did not mean what I think it means now back when it was written, but I still find it a beautiful way to talk about learning. The metaphor of a tree implies that roots in the university - the land it was built on, the people who built it, the people who used to live on this land - can affect the university and the way students learn from it and on it. Such is so applicable to today as we are attempting to embrace the rotten roots of our dear university, attempting to learn from the injustisces against humanity that occurred on and before our university.

    8. Spanish is highly interesting to us, as the language spoken by so great a portion of the inhabitants of our Continents, with whom we shall possibly have great intercourse ere long; and is that also in which is written the greater part of the early history of America.

      This is a perfect example of the "pan-american" independence movement many of the founders envisioned for all of the western hemisphere. It is often forgotten that many Americans hoped that our revolution would inspire the other colonies in North and South America to revolt as well. Eventually most of them did, but not as soon as Jefferson or the rest of the founders expected. The line "with whom we shall possibly have great intercourse ere long" and the reference to "our Continents" shows their hopefulness for a free and allied America. It is no coincidence that for many years South American flags were flown alongside that of the United States on July 4th.

    9. The advantages of this plan are, greater security against fire & infection; tranquillity & comfort to the Professors, and their families thus insulated; retirement to the Students, and the admission of enlargement to any degree to which the institution may extend in future times.

      I think it's amazing how much consideration went into the planning of the living arrangements. Jefferson's plan had great emphasis on comfort and education. His plans also took into account potential problems like fires and sickness. I think we as a community at UVA overlook how much time, effort, and consideration went into each detail of where we live and learn and it's nice to look back on this report to see where we started.

    10. In this enquiry they supposed that the governing considerations should be the healthiness of the site, the fertility of the neighbouring country, and it’s centrality to the white population of the whole state

      It is clear that the University of Virginia did not people of color to attend or even be in close proximity of the University. Did they think that being in a centrally white populated area would keep the site healthy? Is that what they meant by "healthiness of the site?"

    11. To expound the principles & structure of government, the laws which regulate the intercourse of nations, those formed municipally for our own government, and a sound spirit of legislation, which banishing all arbitrary & unnecessary restraint on individual action shall leave us free to do whatever does not violate the equal rights of another.

      This passage, though seemingly intuitive and well- meaning, was very troubling for me. What I found troubling about it was not in the words of Jefferson and the other founders, but rather in how those principles are carried out at UVa today. In essence, I agree with Jefferson - students at UVa should be taught to understand the "principles and structure of government" and in particular their own government. I agree with him in that I think we should all have a right to be free from unnecessary restraint. However, when he says that we shall be free to do whatever does not violate the equal rights of another, I cannot help but think of the events on August 12th. It seems to me that in protecting freedom of speech by allowing these people on our grounds, we also blatantly disregarded one of our founding principles. Do confederate and nazi flags not violate the rights of blacks and jews respectively? -Ben Kava

  29. Jul 2016
    1. This principle is, I will show, a convenient fiction in this new work, enabling the philosopher to hear the call of things and to speak to and for them, despite the new rule that we cannot think of objects as being-for-us and must reject older philosophies smacking of "presence" and traditional ontology or ontotheology

      So this is the leap. But what about work like this?

      "Answers to this question are beginning to emerge from an area of work I see as connected to rhetorical ecologies, the study of object-oriented ontologies (OOO), led by Graham Harman, Levi Bryant, and Ian Bogost. Bogost’s self-described “elevator pitch” for this area of inquiry reads as the following:

      Ontology is the philosophical study of existence. Object-oriented ontology (“OOO” for short) puts things at the center of this study. Its proponents contend that nothing has special status, but that everything exists equally–plumbers, cotton, bonobos, DVD players, and sandstone, for example. In contemporary thought, things are usually taken either as the aggregation of ever smaller bits (scientific naturalism) or as constructions of human behavior and society (social relativism). OOO steers a path between the two, drawing attention to things at all scales (from atoms to alpacas, bits to blinis), and pondering their nature and relations with one another as much with ourselves. (bogost.com)

      There’s much more to this area, of course, no surprise given its relationship to Heidegger’s work, but this statement makes the case for a focus on things, just as theories of rhetoric as ecological inform my research methods. While OOO rejects the disproportionate historical focus of study on all things human, often referred to as correlationism, focusing on objects does not mean dismissing human-based studies so much as looking with equal rigor at all the innumerable phenomena that populate the world. This is a question of balance, as becomes clear with Bogost’s call in the last phrase of his blurb to consider objects in their “relations with one another as much with ourselves” (emphasis mine). As those concerned with activism—i.e., action mostly on behalf of people—our anthropocentrism will never recede so very much, but work like that of rhetorical ecologies and OOO opens space for us to consider the existence, movement, and effects of objects in new ways. Hence, my claim that adapted flags might do a kind of activist work on their own. From this angle, any flag objects than trigger thoughts or actions on behalf of D.C.’s disadvantaged would be doing the work of activism."

  30. Apr 2016
    1. A system that assumes a "quite good" institution is unable to get better, and thus denies them the funds that would enable them to get better, is probably not an optimal system for promoting merit. A system that rewards in proportion to merit would at least be able to recognise and reflect the dynamism of university research; research groups wax and wane as people come, go, get disheartened, get re-invigorated.

      On the importance of funding middle-ground

    2. it could be argued that we don’t just need an elite: we need a reasonable number of institutions in which there is a strong research environment, where more senior researchers feel valued and their graduate students and postdocs are encouraged to aim high. Our best strategy for retaining international competitiveness might be by fostering those who are doing well but have potential to do even better

      capacity requires top and middle.

  31. Mar 2016