The Heroic Slave

Frederick Douglass based this story on the real-life heroism of Madison Washington, who led the largest successful slave revolt in U.S. history in 1841. His story is told through the eyes and words of two white men. First, Mr. Listwell from Ohio sees Madison enslaved in Virginia, then a fugitive in Ohio, and finally a recaptured returnee bound from Richmond to the slave markets of New Orleans. Lastly, Tom Grant, the mate on the slave transport Creole, describes the ship’s takeover by its human cargo and its passage to the British Bahamas, where 128 men and women stepped out of bondage and into freedom. Douglass contributed the story in 1853 to a book of collected pieces by anti-slavery writers and reformers. It is his only known work of “fiction,” and it is interesting especially for its prismatic point of view: a black writer’s account of white men describing a black hero. What makes a person heroic? And what possibilities for heroism even exist under slavery—for whites or blacks? Could they act together to lift the the great national curse? The work is brief, dramatic, and compelling, showing the gift for expression that made Douglass such a powerful figure on the anti-slavery platform.https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/zeaamericanstudies/1037/thumbnail.jp

The Heroic Slave

Frederick Douglass based this story on the real-life heroism of Madison Washington, who led the largest successful slave revolt in U.S. history in 1841. His story is told through the eyes and words of two white men. First, Mr. Listwell from Ohio sees Madison enslaved in Virginia, then a fugitive in Ohio, and finally a recaptured returnee bound from Richmond to the slave markets of New Orleans. Lastly, Tom Grant, the mate on the slave transport Creole, describes the ship’s takeover by its human cargo and its passage to the British Bahamas, where 128 men and women stepped out of bondage and into freedom. Douglass contributed the story in 1853 to a book of collected pieces by anti-slavery writers and reformers. It is his only known work of “fiction,” and it is interesting especially for its prismatic point of view: a black writer’s account of white men describing a black hero. What makes a person heroic? And what possibilities for heroism even exist under slavery—for whites or blacks? Could they act together to lift the the great national curse? The work is brief, dramatic, and compelling, showing the gift for expression that made Douglass such a powerful figure on the anti-slavery platform

Influence of root architectural development on Douglas-fir seedling morphology and physiology

A series of experiments were established to gain a better understanding of the extent to which Douglas-fir seeding root architecture may be manipulated and subsequent influences on seedling morphological and physiological development. The incorporation of amendments into nursery soils changed root architecture to some degree, but did not produce large differences in morphology at lifting or following two growing seasons under field-fertilized and non-fertilized conditions. The application of controlled-release fertilizers (CRF) to the planting hole, however, produced an interesting response in which aboveground growth was enhanced during the first field season but negatively affected thereafter. The resulting hypothesis was that drought stress was responsible for the growth reduction. To investigate rooting response to locally-applied CRF, two greenhouse experiments were established. In the first experiment, differences in seedling morphological and physiological development over time were observed under two comparable CRF types and this was attributed to variations in nutrient release. Roots proliferated in the soil zone above the locally-applied CRF, though root penetration into lower soil zones was not restricted. With increasing CRF rates in the second greenhouse experiment, however, root penetration into soil zones below the CRF decreased with increasing CRF rate six months following transplant (R2 = 0.72), likely due to the creation of a toxic osmotic gradient between rhizosphere and root. It was hypothesized that this response might intensify seedling drought stress following field fertilization. A field study investigated the influence of initial root volume and field fertilization at a relatively high rate on seedling drought resistance. Regardless of initial root volume, fertilized seedlings became more drought stressed during summer and had lower rates of stomatal conductance near the end of summer. An increase in shoot:root dry weight, which was greater for fertilized seedlings, was inversely correlated with xylem pressure potential (R2 = 0.54). There was no distinct proliferation of roots near the CRF layer as root growth in all vertical soil zones was negatively affected for fertilized seedlings

Evidence for Large-Scale Fluctuations in the Metagalactic Ionizing Background Near Redshift Six

The observed scatter in intergalactic Lyman-$\alpha$ opacity at $z \lesssim 6$ requires large-scale fluctuations in the neutral fraction of the intergalactic medium (IGM) after the expected end of reionization. Post-reionization models that explain this scatter invoke fluctuations in either the ionizing ultraviolet background (UVB) or IGM temperature. These models make very different predictions, however, for the relationship between Lyman-$\alpha$ opacity and local density. Here we test these models using Lyman-$\alpha$ emitting galaxies (LAEs) to trace the density field surrounding the longest and most opaque known Lyman-$\alpha$ trough at $z < 6$. Using deep Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam narrow-band imaging, we find a highly significant deficit of $z \simeq 5.7$ LAEs within 20 Mpc/$h$ of the trough. The results are consistent with a model in which the scatter in Lyman-$\alpha$ opacity near $z \sim 6$ is driven by large-scale UVB fluctuations, and disfavor a scenario in which the scatter is primarily driven by variations in IGM temperature. UVB fluctuations at this epoch present a boundary condition for reionization models, and may help shed light on the nature of the ionizing sources.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure, submitted to ApJ, comments welcom

THE ICEBERG METAPHOR OF EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS : HISTORY AND APPLICATION

ミシガン大学ICS(相互伝達・模擬実験)グループは1984年以来コンピューター媒介による模擬実験を行って来た。実験の成果の一つとして、アイスバーグ・メタファー(氷山隠喩)と呼ばれる教育的遠距離通信に関する概念的モデルを創り出したことがあげられる。このモデルは10年以上に渡り何千人もの学生によって現場でテストされ、その結果この隠喩の中心的主題は不変であり、その一方で広範囲におよぶ教育的模擬実験を促進する柔軟性を備えていることが分かった。このモデルは、K-12、遠距離教育、高等教育などへ応用するための教育技術導入の道を模索している教育者には有益となるはずである。当論文はアイスバーグ・メタファーの発展を述べると共に、それがサーバー側と教室内の双方に関するテレコミュニケーション(遠距離通信)研究にどのような影響を与え得るかについて考察するものである。The Interactive Communications & Simulations (ICS) group at the University of Michigan has operated computer-mediated simulations since 1984. One outcome of our experience was the development of a conceptual model for educational telecommunications called the Iceberg Metaphor. This model has been field-tested by thousands of students for over a decade, and the central themes of this metaphor have remained constant while retaining the flexibility to facilitate a wide range of educational simulations. This model should prove useful to educators who are exploring ways to use instructional technologies for K-12, distance, and higher education applications. This paper describes the development of the Iceberg Metaphor and examines how it influences telecommunications projects on both the server side and in the classroom

Farmers’ attitudes about farming and the environment: A survey of conventional and organic farmers

Farmers have been characterized as people whose ties to the land have given them a deep awareness of natural cycles, appreciation for natural beauty and sense of responsibility as stewards. At the same time, their relationship to the land has been characterized as more utilitarian than that of others who are less directly dependent on its bounty. This paper explores this tension by comparing the attitudes and beliefs of a group of conventional farmers to those of a group of organic farmers. It was found that while both groups reject the idea that a farmer’s role is to conquer nature, organic farmers were significantly more supportive of the notion that humans should live in harmony with nature. Organic farmers also reported a greater awareness of and appreciation for nature in their relationship with the land. Both groups view independence as a main benefit of farming and a lack of financial reward as its main drawback. Overall, conventional farmers report more stress in their lives although they also view themselves in a caretaker role for the land more than do the organic farmers. In contrast, organic farmers report more satisfaction with their lives, a greater concern for living ethically, and a stronger perception of community. Finally, both groups are willing to have their rights limited (organic farmers somewhat more so) but they do not trust the government to do so.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/83671/1/Sullivan,_S.,_E._McCann,_R._De_Young_&_D._Erickson_(1996)._Farmers_attitudes_about_farming_and_the_environment,_JAEE,_9,_123-143.pd

Explaining Institutional Change: Why Elected Politicians Implement Direct Democracy

In existing models of direct democratic institutions, the median voter benefits, but representative politicians are harmed since their policy choices can be overridden. This is a puzzle, since representative politicians were instrumental in creating these institutions. I build a model of direct democracy that explains why a representative might benefit from tying his or her own hands in this way. The key features are (1) that voters are uncertain about their representative's preferences; (2) that direct and representative elections are complementary ways for voters to control outcomes. The model shows that some politicians benefit from the introduction of direct democracy, since they are more likely to survive representative elections: direct democracy credibly prevents politicians from realising extreme outcomes. Historical evidence from the introduction of the initiative, referendum and recall in America broadly supports the theory, which also explains two empirical results that have puzzled scholars: legislators are trusted less, but reelected more, in US states with direct democracy. I conclude by discussing the potential for incomplete information and signaling models to improve our understanding of institutional change more generally

Empirical Legal Studies Before 1940: A Bibliographic Essay

The modern empirical legal studies movement has well-known antecedents in the law and society and law and economics traditions of the latter half of the 20th century. Less well known is the body of empirical research on legal phenomena from the period prior to World War II. This paper is an extensive bibliographic essay that surveys the English language empirical legal research from approximately 1940 and earlier. The essay is arranged around the themes in the research: criminal justice, civil justice (general studies of civil litigation, auto accident litigation and compensation, divorce, small claims, jurisdiction and procedure, civil juries), debt and bankruptcy, banking, appellate courts, legal needs, legal profession (including legal education), and judicial staffing and selection. Accompanying the essay is an extensive bibliography of research articles, books, and reports