Without Blinding Darkness : The Imagery of Divine Light in Nauigatio Sancti Brendani

The motif of divine light is prominent in such early medieval Irish and Latin texts as Adomnán’s Life of Columba (Vita Columbæ), Vision of Saint Paul (Visio Sancti Pauli), and the Life of Brendan (Betha Brenainn). The symbol of divine light, a featured device in the Scriptures intended to emphasize the manifestation of the supernatural, if not the presence of the holy Spirit itself, is typically discussed by the patristic writers. In turn, the use of divine light in the Scriptures and the patristic writers influenced the texts of Christianity in early medieval Ireland, including hagiographical and ascetic texts, and immrama. The early ninth-century Hiberno-Latin text Nauigatio Sancti Brendani (Voyage of Saint Brendan; NSB) is one exemplar of this tradition as it makes use of the motif of divine light in a handful of episodes. The aim of this presentation is to argue that the motif of divine light is used in NSB to dissuade any doubts about the merits of the sort of monasticism promoted by the anonymous author of NSB through the encouragement of emulating Brendan. The presentation will begin by summarizing NSB. Then, the talk will elucidate a few examples of divine light in patristic writings as well as a few examples found in the early medieval Irish textual tradition. This part of the discussion will lead to a select few instances of divine light in NSB and what can be interpreted from them, particularly their use in promoting Brendan as a model for emulating Christ. The presentation has been tailored such that it can be given within twenty minutes. A laptop will be provided to host a PowerPoint slideshow, which shall be used as a visual aid for the presentation, thus necessitating the need for projector access. (This presentation is based upon aspects of “‘Without blinding darkness’: The imagery of light in medieval Irish immrama and vision tales”, an unpublished dissertation for the Master of Arts in Celtic Civilisation degree at University College Cork.

Tales from nowhere : Burma and the lonely planet phenomenon

This essay is an archival reading of the nine editions of Lonely Planet travel guides (published from 1979 to the 2005 edition) containing the progressive creation and narration of the tourist space of Lonely Planet’s Myanmar—in the formative years of its narration as elsewhere as nowhere. I extend Dean MacCannell’s argument from The Tourist to suggest that the function of forbiddenness and nowhere is central to Lonely Planet’s idea of the tourist experience in Myanmar. Moreover, the rhetoric of Lonely Planet has determined particularities of the spatial orderings of Myanmar as a result of tourist structures catering to the idea of the forbidden. Through a reading of Lonely Planet’s rhetoric in its Myanmar texts, we can see the construction of a forbidden place on both literal and metaphorical levels. A rhetorically unique situation exists in Lonely Planet’s role in the Myanmar tourism debate. A project of this scope suggests some ways of reading Lonely Planet’s role in the creation and manipulation of space of tourism in Myanmar. I argue for a careful examination of how Lonely Planet articulates Myanmar as specifically nowhere and, therefore, suitable for appropriation.peer-reviewe

Mexican art exhibitions in New York as cultural diplomacy, 1928-1932

In the aftermath of the 1910 Mexican Revolution, the postrevolutionary state launched an innovative campaign that exported the country’s emerging art and culture, which glorified its indigenous roots. The strategy of expanding its nation-building project abroad helped remake its image and radically improved U.S.-Mexican relations. This project investigates the first standalone exhibitions of Mexican modern and popular arts in the U.S.—the Art Center’s 1928 Exhibition of Mexican Art and the American Federation of Arts’ 1930-32 “Mexican Arts”—as cultural diplomatic efforts. Using empirical evidence, this project reveals the confluence of wealthy patrons, corporate sponsors, government officials, local artists, and museums and galleries in Mexico and the U.S. that made these exhibitions, both debuting in New York, possible. It argues that the success of the exhibitions, measured in public and critical reception, relied on the vision of Mexico curators offered and the access organizers had to established museum circulation networks.Histor

Senior Thesis ST 2008-01

In the 1970s and 1980s the state of Alaska invested millions of dollars to develop a large-scale agricultural industry. The Delta Barley Project and the Point MacKenzie Dairy Project were created to show that large-scale agriculture was possible in Alaska. This study looks at the major events and policy decisions that occurred and determines how the outcome of the demonstration projects was affected. An extensive literature review was conducted, focusing on state documents; key persons were also interviewed. The projects did not accomplish their original goals for a number of economic and politic reasons. The positive aspects of development are that Alaska now has more land in private ownership, more infrastructure to support the industry, and a thriving agricultural community at Delta Junction

Social Security Reform Proposals: USAs, Clawbacks, and Other Add-Ons

Faced with Social Security's impending deficits, some lawmakers have proposed supplementing the program's benefits with personal, market-based retirement accounts for all workers. Those proposals, dubbed "add-ons" because they would be added to the existing Social Security system, do not address Social Security's financial crisis. They would merely create another centralized retirement plan requiring a new funding stream. Proposed funding sources include voluntary individual contributions, general tax revenue, and mandatory payroll tax increases. Depending on which funding mechanism is selected, the market-based retirement accounts threaten to become tax shelters for higher-wage earners, become new entitlements, or increase the payroll tax burden. Although some add-ons are designed to "shore up" Social Security by cutting its benefits by the amounts accumulated in the accounts, such plans rely on a vast infusion of government money and offer no greater retirement income for workers. Studies show that if workers could invest what is currently taken from them in the form of Social Security payroll taxes, they would retire comfortably. Since workers already save enough to secure a comfortable retirement, it would be more sensible to let them get a better deal on their current payroll taxes by putting that money in personal accounts. Those accounts can be integrated with Social Security and therefore have the potential to eliminate Social Security's financial crisis. In addition, the accounts can ensure that all workers, not just the wealthy, can retire with financial security

Synopsis of biological data on the porgies, Calamus arctifrons and C. proridens (Pisces: Sparidae)

Information on the biology and fishery resources of two common species of western Atlantic porgies, Calamus areli/rons and C. proridens, is compiled, reviewed, and analyzed in the FAO species synopsis style. (PDF file contains 25 pages.

An overview of Chapters 40R and 40S: Massachusetts’ newest housing policies

In creating Chapters 40R and 40S, policymakers recognized that respecting local concerns in the pursuit of statewide goals was a more effective strategy than mandating or regulating behavior. While the jury is still out on how effective 40R and 40S will be, moving from regulation to incentives is a commendable step for housing policy in the Commonwealth.Housing policy - Massachusetts