Visual representations of literacy in the press : report to the Leverhulme Trust February 2001.

This project investigated the ways in which literacy practices are represented in visual images in a range of British newspapers. The aims of the research were: a) to contribute to theoretical understandings of literacy as socio-cultural practice and their implications for educational policy discourses about literacy b) to offer a framework and new data about the construction of visual messages in the media. c) to develop computer-based methodologies for dealing with visual data which are of relevance to social research more generally. The data showed that a mismatch exists between text-based stories and visual representations of literacy practices in the press: whilst text-based stories present a view of literacy as a neutral, technical, cognitive skill or deficit, the visual representations show it to be embedded in everyday social practice and to carry powerful ritual and symbolic as well as functional meanings

Blowin\u27 in the wind: Short-term weather and belief in anthropogenic climate change.

Abstract A series of polls provides new tests for how weather influences public beliefs about climate change. Statewide data from 5000 random-sample telephone interviews conducted on 99 days over 2.5 yr (2010-12) are merged with temperature and precipitation indicators derived from U.S. Historical Climatology Network (USHCN) station records. The surveys carry a question designed around scientific consensus statements that climate change is happening now, caused mainly by human activities. Alternatively, respondents can state that climate change is not happening, or that it is happening but mainly for natural reasons. Belief that humans are changing the climate is predicted by temperature anomalies on the interview day and the previous day, controlling for season, survey, and individual characteristics. Temperature effects concentrate among one subgroup, however: individuals who identify themselves as independent, rather than aligned with a political party. Interviewed on unseasonably warm days, independents tend to agree with the scientific consensus regarding anthropogenic climate change. On unseasonably cool days, they tend not to agree. Although temperature effects are sharpest for just a 2-day window, positive effects are seen for longer windows as well. As future climate change shifts the distribution of anomalies and extremes, this will first affect beliefs among unaligned voters

Arctic warming and your weather: Public belief in the connection

Will Arctic warming affect mid-latitude weather? Many researchers think so, and have addressed this question through scientific articles and news media. Much of the public accepts such a connection as well. Across three New Hampshire surveys with more than 1500 interviews, 60% of respondents say they think future Arctic warming would have major effects on their weather. Arctic/weather responses changed little after Superstorm Sandy brushed the region, but exhibit consistently strong partisan divisions that grow wider with education. Belief in an Arctic/weather connection also varies, in a nonlinear pattern, with the temperature anomaly around day of interview. Interviewed on unseasonably warm or cool days, respondents are more likely to think that Arctic warming would have major effects on their weather. This unscientific response seems to mirror the scientific discussion about extremes

Effective and Promising Summer Learning Programs and Approaches for Economically-Disadvantaged Children and Youth

Reviews research on summer learning program outcomes for low-income children and identifies the characteristics of effective programs such as experienced teachers, small groups, and fun activities. Finds reading and math achievement gains are possible

Was December Warm? Family, Politics, and Recollections of Weather

In 2015 New Hampshire experienced its warmest December on record. The temperature exceeded twentieth century average temperatures by a wider margin than for any month in historical records dating back to 1895. In February 2016, as part of an ongoing study of environmental perceptions, the Granite State Poll asked state residents whether they thought the recent December had been generally colder, warmer, or about average for that month. Only 63 percent remembered it had been above average. The remainder of the winter set a new warmth record as well, so in April 2016 another Granite State Poll asked residents about the season as a whole. This time, 73 percent accurately recalled recent warmth. Political independents and Tea Party supporters, as well as people who do not believe that humans are changing the climate, were less likely to think temperatures had been warm. These results suggest that, even for such immediate phenomena as recent local weather, climate-change beliefs exert some influence on perceptions

Kentucky Folktales: Revealing Stories, Truths, and Outright Lies

The storytelling tradition has long been an important piece of Kentucky history and culture. Folktales, legends, tall tales, and ghost stories hold a special place in the imaginations of inventive storytellers and captive listeners. In Kentucky Folktales: Revealing Stories, Truths, and Outright Lies Kentucky storyteller Mary Hamilton narrates a range of stories with the voice and creativity only a master storyteller can evoke. Hamilton has perfected the art of entrancing an audience no matter the subject of her tales. Kentucky Folktales includes stories about Daniel Boone’s ability to single-handedly kill a bear, a daughter who saves her father’s land by outsmarting the king, and a girl who uses gingerbread to exact revenge on her evil stepmother, among many others. Hamilton ends each story with personal notes on important details of her storytelling craft, such as where she first heard the story, how it evolved through frequent re-tellings and reactions from audiences, and where the stories take place. Featuring tales and legends from all over the Bluegrass State, Kentucky Folktales captures the expression of Kentucky’s storytelling tradition. Mary Hamilton, a professional storyteller since 1983, frequently performs at local, regional, and national storytelling festivals as well as conducts storytelling workshops around the country. In 2009 she received the Circle of Excellence Oracle Award from the National Storytelling Network. This book functions on two levels...great stories which will be fun for the casual reader…along with in depth notes showing how a contemporary storyteller…Mary Hamilton…shapes a tale for telling. Lovers of story will find a lot to delight them in this book. And Kentucky story lovers will just want to grab it and take it home with them to keep! —Dr. Margaret Read MacDonald, author of Ten Traditional Tellers “Mary Hamilton has given us a fascinating tour of the heart and mind of a contemporary storyteller, weaving together her tales, their sources, and the fabric of her life in which each tale has its lovingly embroidered place.”—Joseph D. Sobol, Ph.D., author, The Storytellers’ Journey: An American Revival This book is a goldmine. If you are looking for Kentucky stories, you will find some amazing ones here. If you want to know about how stories were collected in Kentucky, you can learn a lot here. If you want to learn more about the development and process of a brilliant storyteller, you need look no further. Mary Hamilton does Kentucky proud! —Elizabeth Ellis, Kentucky born storyteller Hamilton\u27s book is lively, convincing, unforgettable. This is a book tellers will read again and again, so rich and vivid is its approach. —Jo Radner, Past President, National Storytelling Network Lovers of story will find a lot to delight them in this book. And Kentucky story lovers will just want to grab it and take it home with them to keep! --Margaret Read MacDonald, author of Ten Traditional Tellers Mary Hamilton has given us a fascinating tour of the heart and mind of a contemporary storyteller, weaving together her tales, their sources, and the fabric of her life in which each tale has its lovingly embroidered place. --Joseph D. Sobul, author of The Storytellers\u27 Journey: An American Revival This book is a goldmine...Mary Hamilton does Kentucky proud! --Elizabeth Ellis, recipient of the Circle of Excellence Award for the National Storytelling Association “An entertaining collection of folktales and folklore that will remind all who read it of the value of storytelling to the human imagination. It will encourage readers to explore the lore of their own communities, no matter how near to or far from Kentucky.”--Library Journal Even before opening Mary Hamilton\u27s ode to storytelling, the rustcolored cover, adorned with a rocking chair and the kind of rustic text that might be carved in a tree, invites the reader into a world of oral traditions shared among Kentuckians for years before being captured on the page. . . . Her diligent notes increase the collection\u27s quality, ensuring many hours enjoyed in the chair of your choice. --Appalachian Voices A well-documented, lively, informative book and is a major contribution to regional folklore. --Louisville Courier-Journal Mary Hamilton has given us not only a glorious collection of dazzling tales...but also an inspiring model of how a truly professional storyteller works. --Storytelling Magazine With imagination and a joy of communicating, [Hamilton\u27s] book is informative without becoming didactic. It is a well-documented, lively, informative book and is a major contribution to regional folklore. --Louisville Courier-Journal An absolute joy. . . . This is the perfect book for bedtime reading. --Tucson Citizen Hamilton\u27s first book--a collection of tales and her commentary on each one--is a must-have for anyone considering telling a good tale. And for those of us who mostly sit and listen, Kentucky Folktales provides some really good stories along with a little peek behind the scenes at the mind who tells them. -- Around Cincinnati, WVXU Winner of a 2013 Storytelling World Resource Award for best storytelling collection. Winner of the Anne Izard Storytellers’ Choice Award Hamilton entrances the audience...[and] narrates a range of stories with the voice and creativity only a master storyteller can evoke. -- News-Express Weekend [. . .] With each story in her text [. . .] the author provides such excellent context and commentary that the reader comes to understand the story in its told form and also in its backstory. [. . .] Hamilton’s voice throughout is that of a storyteller [. . .] [A]fter reading a few pages, most readers will find both her voice and her stories about storytelling captivating. -- Indiana Magazine of Historyhttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_folklore/1012/thumbnail.jp

Taking stock of arctic sea ice and climate

Abstract The relationship among the cause-and-effect of the Arctic atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean is discussed. The increased vulnerability of the Arctic system to anomalous atmospheric forcing can be argued from the perspective that recent ice loss is the result of a long-term preconditioning to thinner ice. Such consequences demonstrate the difficulties inherent in ascertaining how the atmospheric circulation responds to Arctic, and global, climate change. Later-forming sea ice also leads to less protection from the waves of fall storms, affecting coastal communities such as Kivalina and Shishmaref. The coming decades will provide new insights into the complexities of the Arctic climate system and how changes will affect the biological and human communities within and beyond its boundaries