Book Review: Self-Consciousness

Book Review of: John Updike, Self-Consciousness (Alfred Knopf, 1989

Rediscovering James T. Farrell

No major American writer has been worse served by criticism than James T. Farrell. After the publication in 1935 of his first fictional series, the Studs Lonigan trilogy, Farrell labored for four decades under an unjust and unfounded critical accusation. During these years, many influential critics dealt with his fiction as it appeared by mechanical citation of a party line which ran as follows: James T. Farrell is that sad case, a one-book writer. Studs Lonigan is credible fiction, albeit in the limiting and dated naturalistic mode pioneered by Theodore Dreiser. But his subsequent novels have been obsessive reworkings of the same materials, and nowhere near as good as Studs. The primarily New York-based writers who mouthed this line became the American critical establishment of the 1940s and 1950s, and their dismissal of Farrell was repeated in the academy by the next generation of scholar/teachers, many of whom never took the trouble to read the books in question

The Irish Voice in America: 250 Years of Irish-American Fiction

Winner of the American Conference for Irish Studies Prize for Literary Criticism The Irish Voice in America surveys the fiction written by the Irish in America over the past two hundred and fifty years. For this second edition, Fanning has added a chapter that covers the fiction of the past decade. He argues that contemporary writers continue to draw on Ireland as a source and are important chroniclers of the modern American experience. Fanning\u27s admirable work is a welcome addition to ethnic studies…. His material is revealing, his insights are informed, his scholarship points to possibilities. -- American Literature A vastly impressive survey of Irish American fiction ranging from the 1760s broadsides of Lawrence Sweeney down all the years to Alice McDermott’s novel Charming Billy (1998). -- American Literature A book indispensable to anyone pursuing the Irish-American genre. -- Boston Irish Reporter The most important book yet published in Irish-American studies…. A magnificent blend of long and diligent research, excellent organization, careful though and judgment, and beautiful writing. -- Lawrence J. McCaffrey, Irish Literary Supplement An accessible yet erudite, largely even-handed, extraordinarily well-written study. -- MELUS Fanning is best at analyzing the combination of passion and reticence that seems to be characteristically Irish. -- Philadelphia Inquirerhttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_english_language_and_literature_north_america/1004/thumbnail.jp

Finley Peter Dunne and Mr. Dooley: The Chicago Years

Finley Peter Dunne, American journalist and humorist, is justly famous for his creation of Mr. Dooley, the Chicago Irish barkeep whose weekly commentary on national politics, war, and human nature kept Americans chuckling over their newspapers for nearly two decades at the beginning of this century. Largely forgotten in the files of Chicago newspapers, however, are over 300 Mr. Dooley columns written in the 1890s before national syndication made his name a household word. Charles Fanning offers here the first critical examination of these early Dooley pieces, which, far better than the later ones, reveal the depth and development of the character and his creator. Dunne created in Mr. Dooley a vehicle for expressing his criticism of Chicago\u27s corruption despite the conservatism of most of his publishers. Dishonest officials who could not be safely attacked in plain English could be roasted with impunity in the pure Roscommon brogue of a fictional comic Irishman. In addition, Dunne painted, through the observations of his comic persona, a vivid and often poignant portrait of the daily life of Chicago\u27s working-class Irish community and the impact of assimilation into American life. He also offered cogent views of American urban political life, already dominated by the Irish as firmly in Chicago as in other large American cities, and of the tragicomic phenomenon of Irish nationalism. Mr. Fanning\u27s penetrating examination of these early Dooley pieces clearly establishes Dunne as far more than a mere humorist. Behind Mr. Dooley\u27s marvelously comic pose and ironic tone lies a wealth of material germane to the social and literary history of turn-of-the century America. Winner of the 1979 Frederick Jackson Turner Award of the Organization of American Historians Charles Fanning is emeritus professor of history and English at Southern Illinois University..https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_english_language_and_literature_north_america/1022/thumbnail.jp

Book Reviews

Book Reviews of: Michael K. Evans, The Truth about Supply-Side Economics by (Basic Books, 1983) Harvey Cox, Religion in the Secular City by (Simon and Schuster, 1984) William Kennedy, Legs (Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1975) William Kennedy, Billy Phelan’s Greatest Game (Viking, 1978) William Kennedy, Ironweed (Viking, 1983

Resting state functional connectivity provides mechanistic predictions of future changes in sedentary behavior

Sedentary behaviors are increasing at the cost of millions of dollars spent in health care and productivity losses due to physical inactivity-related deaths worldwide. Understanding the mechanistic predictors of sedentary behaviors will improve future intervention development and precision medicine approaches. It has been posited that humans have an innate attraction towards effort minimization and that inhibitory control is required to overcome this prepotent disposition. Consequently, we hypothesized that individual differences in the functional connectivity of brain regions implicated in inhibitory control and physical effort decision making at the beginning of an exercise intervention in older adults would predict the change in time spent sedentary over the course of that intervention. In 143 healthy, low-active older adults participating in a 6-month aerobic exercise intervention (with three conditions: walking, dance, stretching), we aimed to use baseline neuroimaging (resting state functional connectivity of two a priori defined seed regions), and baseline accelerometer measures of time spent sedentary to predict future pre-post changes in objectively measured time spent sedentary in daily life over the 6-month intervention. Our results demonstrated that functional connectivity between (1) the anterior cingulate cortex and the supplementary motor area and (2) the right anterior insula and the left temporoparietal/temporooccipital junction, predicted changes in time spent sedentary in the walking group. Functional connectivity of these brain regions did not predict changes in time spent sedentary in the dance nor stretch and tone conditions, but baseline time spent sedentary was predictive in these conditions. Our results add important knowledge toward understanding mechanistic associations underlying complex out-of-session sedentary behaviors within a walking intervention setting in older adults

1946: Abilene Christian College Bible Lectures - Full Text

Abilene Christian College Lectures - 1946 INTRODUCTION It has been our purpose at Abilene Christian College down through the years to provide in the Annual Bible Lectureship programs that which would be appropriate for the time and most useful to the students and to the Lectureship visitors. The general subject for the 1946 lectures is “Things That Cannot Be Shaken.” This subject was selected because one of the battles, if not the battle, which the church faces today is against those forces which would undermine the bases of gospel truth. Many denominational leaders, in one way or another, are denying even the fundamentals of fundamentals— God is, the Bible is God\u27s Revelation, Jesus Christ is the Son of God and The Kingdom Cannot Be Shaken. Many others, some without knowing what they do, are accepting false teachings and ideologies which, if allowed to run their course, will destroy all true religion. It is believed that the 1946 lectures and this edition of the lectures will help toward establishing in the hearts of men the truth of the important theses discussed. It was the purpose of those who arranged the program that the Lectureship should, also, hold up Christianity as a working, practical religion; hence, the meetings on “Work in New Fields” and “The Church at Work.” The attendance of this Lectureship was the largest in the history of these yearly meetings. On Wednesday evening Brother Nichol spoke to a crowd of approximately 1700 persons. Other evening lectures were attended by crowds almost as large. Visitors came from more than a score of States and, also, from Canada and Mexico. It is the hope of all of us at the College that the fellowship of the 1946 Lectureship and the instruction given by the various speakers will continue to do good for years without end. DON H. MORRIS

Genome-Scale Networks Link Neurodegenerative Disease Genes to α-Synuclein through Specific Molecular Pathways

Numerous genes and molecular pathways are implicated in neurodegenerative proteinopathies, but their inter-relationships are poorly understood. We systematically mapped molecular pathways underlying the toxicity of alpha-synuclein (α-syn), a protein central to Parkinson's disease. Genome-wide screens in yeast identified 332 genes that impact α-syn toxicity. To “humanize” this molecular network, we developed a computational method, TransposeNet. This integrates a Steiner prize-collecting approach with homology assignment through sequence, structure, and interaction topology. TransposeNet linked α-syn to multiple parkinsonism genes and druggable targets through perturbed protein trafficking and ER quality control as well as mRNA metabolism and translation. A calcium signaling hub linked these processes to perturbed mitochondrial quality control and function, metal ion transport, transcriptional regulation, and signal transduction. Parkinsonism gene interaction profiles spatially opposed in the network (ATP13A2/PARK9 and VPS35/PARK17) were highly distinct, and network relationships for specific genes (LRRK2/PARK8, ATXN2, and EIF4G1/PARK18) were confirmed in patient induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons. This cross-species platform connected diverse neurodegenerative genes to proteinopathy through specific mechanisms and may facilitate patient stratification for targeted therapy. Keywords: alpha-synuclein; iPS cell; Parkinson’s disease; stem cell; mRNA translation; RNA-binding protein; LRRK2; VPS35; vesicle trafficking; yeas

Response of the thermohaline circulation to cold climates

A coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea ice-land surface-ice sheet model of intermediate complexity, the so-called McGill Paleoclimate Model, is employed to study the response of the thermohaline circulation (THC) to various global climate coolings, which are realized by increasing the present-day planetary emissivity to various values. Generally, it is found that the response of the THC to global cooling is nonlinear: For a slightly cold climate the THC in the North Atlantic and the Pacific upwelling become intensified. For a very cold climate the THC in the North Atlantic may be weakened or even collapsed. The associated Pacific upwelling for a very cold climate also becomes weak when the THC is weakened, and intermediate deep water may form in the Pacific when the THC is collapsed. Some support for this nonlinear response is found in recent paleoceanographic data. The reduced atmospheric poleward moisture transport due to the global cooling is mainly responsible for the intensification of the THC in the North Atlantic for a slightly cold climate. For a very cold climate the global cooling may lead to a decrease of the meridional surface density gradient and an increase of the vertical density difference (lower layer density minus upper layer density) in the deep water formation region, which can weaken or shut down the THC. It is the temperature-dependent part of the density differences that is mainly responsible for the weakening or shutting down of the THC. The potential influence of surface temperature changes must be taken into account for a full understanding of the role of the THC in the climate system