Backbencher
Weblog for HIST 381 at NDSU
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Badminton
Well, I probably shouldn't find this as funny as I do but I can't help it. New Zealand is participating in an international badminton competition in Japan. Unfortunately for them, they're kind of getting their butts kicked. One of their players injured his groin; this made me laugh as I thought of a guy hobbling off of badminton court in pain. To think that they have one of the best rugby teams in the world and then a guy who injures his groin while playing badminton. HILARIOUS!
Newspaper Article Review
I read an article form the New Zealand Herald. The article was titled: Incentives and Penalties for Fuel Use in Cars. This article really caught my eye because this is currently a very hot and publicized issue. The article stated that in a recent poll 61% of people in New Zealand would support government grants of $3,000 for people registering low emission fuel efficient cars for the first time. The poll also stated 55% of the people supported $2,000 cash penalties for people registering cars guzzling more than 14 liters of petrol per 1000 kilometers. That’s about 9 gallons per mile in our language. The article goes on to talk about how New Zealand has one of the oldest fleet of cars in the world, and this lead New Zealand to be one of the highest greenhouse gas emitting countries. The article also talked about New Zealand’s liability under the Kyoto Protocol. In my opinion this kind of falls in New Zealand’s cultural identity because they like to seem themselves as friends to the environment and such. Does New Zealand have any manufacturing plants for cars? Where do they get their cars from? Is there a great need for cars there or do they prefer public transportation and bikes?
This article really made me think. What would the response be in the US if we took this same poll? I drive a truck, and I have to admit that my vehicle doesn’t get the best gas mileage, but I don’t think I should be penalized. That seems a bit radical to me. I guess I don’t have a problem with the government giving money to those who are registering fuel efficient cars, but where is that money going to come from? I don’t want to be taxed for that.
RP: To Batminton
Badminton is a sweet sport and it is very possible to injure those private muscles. It is sort of like tennis but in a way smaller court and is totally different. You have to move side to side pretty quick and I can see were that injury came from. I think NDSU should have a badminton team. I would definitely be on it. That’s too bad that Australia is getting their butts kicked. Maybe they should stick to what they no best, football.
RP: Lecture 10
Lecture #10 was all about Clark and Sinclair. I will first start with Clark. He was born in Sydney and grew up in Victoria. He wanted to be a cricket player but he had epilepsy so that disabled him from his dream. He taught college students and had his own hat (which Professor Isern’s dog ate, which I thought was pretty funny). He wrote a 6 volume book of The History of Australia (Who writes a 6 volume book?), and was made a Companion Order of Australia (like being knighted). He visited and wrote about the Soviet Union and was given a metal from the Soviet Union and then was accused by the Nationalist side of Australia of being a communist. But before that he was being questioned on if he really cared about the Aboriginal people. He said he cared about them but he never really wrote about them. The Prime Minister feared his imagination, not his writings or his politics.
Sinclair was a published poet who had some funny quotes, He thinks about sex more than history and, he thinks is a bugger being old. Then we realized that there is no such thing as and honest writer. Everyone fibs a little bit in their writing. He was made Australian of the year and was asked to speak in front of large crowds of people. Then we were asked,”Why do we study History?” We came up with the main reason we do history is because we are looking for an identity. That is what Clark and Sinclair are writing for even though they say they are doing it for their country. We also do it for fun, and to look at our heritage, and to learn judgment. But at the end of the lecture we learned that the main reason why these authors are writing what they are writing is because they are having “regenerative behavior,” because they are scared that they have to leave something for people to remember them by. So why do we do history? They say for our county but it is really for themselves, so yes, Clark is a self indulgent egotist.
RP: Lecture "Victoria and New South Whales"
Lecture that was about Victoria & New South Whales. It started out with Professor Isern sharing with us some of the lands species like the nonpoisonous Shingleback Lizard. Then we learned about the land and how it is covered with wheat fields and that the people produce so much grain that they do not have enough storage so they put the wheat on the ground. Then we talked about “The Big Merino”, and what it was? I do not know why people think it is necessary to make those big obnoxious creatures. I like how they use hedges as live fences, it is very smart and you don’t have to use any materials. A guy by the name of Wattie Thompson was a gold miner that died on an Air New Zealand flight. Must make Professor Isern Feel good when he goes on his trips. Well Wattie left open mine shafts all over for people to fall in. That is cool the the government has a fund for stupid people that fall in holes. I wonder what kind of health care plans NZ and OZ have? Australian women are weird if they really like the smell of sheep on men. But I guess after a couple drinks at the pub it doesn’t matter how bad a guy smells. Pictures were shown of Hagley Park, it look beautiful with all those exotic flowers and that sun set. I wonder if that is a big tourism place? I don’t really know where this lecture fits in but it was definitely a good one.
MR: CANE TOADS
In this film it showed humans introducing a species into an environment that has no counterbalances in place, that species quickly takes over the ecosystem and invariably ruins it forever. This new species that was introduced in Australia was the cane toad, as explained in the charming documentary
Back in 1935, about 100 cane toads were imported from Hawaii into Queensland, Australia to combat the cane grub, bane of the sugar cane farmer. Of course, the cane toads didn’t eat the grubs at all, and rather than fulfilling their agricultural destiny, they promptly began creating more and more cane toads. As the toads furiously expanded their territory, they attained a mythic status among Queenslanders, who were apparently desperate for a mascot. Whereas biologists nearly unanimously hate the toads for their destruction of native wildlife, ordinary Queenslanders have a sort of affection for the ugly, noxious things. Some of the funniest sequences in Cane Toads involve Australians killing the toads, and that humor is heightened by the scenes featuring scientists detailing their hatred for the same critters.
That hatred is quite well founded, given the unstoppable nature of the toad. Not only do cane toads eat any living thing smaller than themselves, they also have a disturbingly effective predator deterrent system. Two ducts behind their squat little necks shoot deadly venom into the mouth of whatever unfortunate creature tries to pick them up.
The musical track that the filmmakers place behind the human commentary and cane toad action scenes adds greatly to the film. A gentle, sentimental tune accompanies an elderly couple’s praise of the toads, while tense horror-movie music scores the footage of toads hopping all over a suburban yard, lurking underneath a step or having genuinely icky toad sex.
My favorite part of the movie is when a Volkswagen Microbus swerves erratically down a road, and tries to take out as many cane toads as possible. Over all I thought this film was very odd, but I think the films main purpose is to try to make you laugh.
Only in Australia.
MR: The Price of Milk
This film was between stupid and clever.” Harry Sinclair, the writer and director of The Price of Milk, desperately wants his film to be a clever and as if you were in a fantasy, but the movie instead comes off as artificial and forced.
Though it may look like our world, The Price of Milk transpires in some kind of a fantasyland where people can disappear in the blink of an eye and car accidents are normal. Our protagonists are Lucinda (Danielle Cormack) and Rob (Karl Urban), a pair of loving oddballs who make a living milking 117 cows. One day, Rob proposes marriage to Lucinda, which initially makes her quite happy, but when she has some time to think it over, she realizes that the spark in their relationship isn’t what it once was. Lucinda decides that the only way to determine whether or not Rob really loves her is to test him, which she does by selling his cows. The remainder of the film is chock full of bizarre occurrences and quirky characters.
The Price of Milk has a certain amount of charm – this has got to be the first film in history featuring an agoraphobic dog – but really, the entire thing is just too slight and too off-the-wall to ever become anything more than a mildly entertaining piece of fluff. As hard as Sinclair tries, he just can’t seem to convincingly create this idealized world but for a while, it does work in a Dr. Seuss kind of way. The isolationist lifestyle of the two central characters is compelling enough to keep things interesting for a while, but after the ridiculous events of the film start piling up, the story just falls apart.
It’s hard to imagine who The Price of Milk is supposed to appeal to. Aside from 12-year-old girls who play with Barbie dolls and believe in idealized love, the film will have the majority of audiences rolling their eyes way to much.
NP REVIEW: "The Age" From: Melbourne
The Age revealed on Saturday that BP had warned senators that its long-term viability in Australia was under threat unless the Government could achieve fundamental changes. They may have to stop reform in Australia's oil industry if these changes are not met. That means fewer operators, higher petrol prices and a serious brake on biofuel production because the oil companies, who are investing in biofuels, will be edged out. BP is leading in Australia when it comes to investment in ethanol and biofuels.
By reading this article I found that the United States in not the only country that is having trouble with the oil industry. It is a huge dispute and I wish that everyone could easily convert to other means of fuel with out it being costly and confusing. It would help our environment greatly if all our cars ran on corn or water or anything.
The funeral for Private Jake Kovco could be held as early as Tuesday after the coroner released his body for burial. He was the first Australia solder to die in the war in Iraq. A funeral with full military honors is expected to take place at his home town of Briagolong in south-east Victoria tomorrow. He will also have his name added to the town's roll of honor. The Private was 25, and died in Baghdad when his military issue Browning 9mm pistol discharged, but the circumstances surrounding his death have been the subject of claims of a cover-up.
I feel so bad for his family. First their loved one dies then they send the wrong body. What a terrible feeling that would be. I do not even know what the death count is for US solders killed but just thinking about it makes me sick. I am happy that Australia is helping the US to try to put together that messed up country, even though is seems hopeless sometimes. We learned in class that Australia was allies with US, that’s cool that they are helping us now.
web discussion
It seems as though the responses for lecture 10 have similiarities across the board. Every response I read philosophized about history, very refreshing compared to the other lectures regarding students' interpretations.
RP: Lecture 10
Lecture 10 was very different than the other lectures Dr. Isern has presented over the semester. Rather than having its primary function be providing information, lecture 10 was aimed toward giving us something to reflect on, using the information we have learned throughout this class. The main point of lecture 10 was Clark and Sinclair and their role in the making of Australia and New Zealand as nations. Manning Clark proved to be quite a controversial man, being self-absorbed and possibly a communist. (He was given the Order of Lenin by the USSR). Keith Sinclair is interesting in that he is also a poet, which creates a different perspective in his writings. Both of these author’s were nation-makers, with their writings beginning to form national attitudes.
Dr. Isern then confronted us with the question "Why do we do history?" Do we do history for judgement? for identity? as a heritage resource? Or just for fun. I think that all four of these are important. History is a good background for making judgments, as it provides a precedent for later behavior. The history of a person, group, or area is incredibly important in shaping the identity of that person, group, or area. Also, without remembering the past, our heritage, it is difficult to understand who or what we are. Also, it is important that history can be fun, because otherwise no one would care to study it.
This lecture was a very effective way to end the semester. Not only did it finish what we had started in pursuing information on Australia and New Zealand, but it tied our semester into history in general. It helped to put this semester into perspective with what we had accomplished, not in grades or papers, but in our understanding of history as a whole. With that in mind, Lecture 10 was a very effective final lecture.
RP: Lecture 10
Lecture 10 was about Clark and Sinclair and how they made histories for their countries. Clark was a man who was definitely not a historian who took a step back and wrote Australian history as a neutral observer. He let his left-wing views permeate his writings. In fact, he was awarded a medal by the Soviet Union for his views. His history of Australia gave Australians a sense of national identity at a time when Australians were not sure who they were. Sinclair was much the same as Clark in that respect, that he wrote his New Zealand history at a time when New Zealand was in the same situation. Both these men gave their countries a sense of identity that they were different and unique from Britain. Before these books, Australians and New Zealanders thought of themselves as British in a far land.
What these two men did was exactly what historians are supposed to do. They served their countrymen at a time when national identity was a gray area. That is what historians should do; build histories of places and people. This history is important, as it gives people a sense of who they are and where they come from. It gives them a sense that they have not come from nothing to end up as nothing. Everybody and every place have a history, and it is history that makes the person and place.
History and historians may be different in Australia and New Zealand in the fact that they had to build their countries history. In the United States, we have always seen ourselves as a unique and independent country. Australia and New Zealand have not seen them selves as independent nations until about forty years ago. History in Australia and New Zealand of Australia and New Zealand is a relatively new concept for these nations.
Book Review: Allies and Mates
I read the book Allies and Mates by Gordon L. Steinbrook. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The book takes place during the Vietnam War of 1966-1967. The author, Steinbrook, is a young officer in the US military who is sent war. While serving in Vietnam, he writes home to his wife, Frances, and his family quite frequently. In these letters, Steinbrook does an excellent job of depicting his daily life in the military. He usually comments on the current mission he is involved with, the food, the weather, the enemy, and how he misses everyone and longs to be with them again. I can really personally relate to much of his writings. I feel that I would write home in the same manner.
I can see why Dr. Isern put this book on the course bibliography because along with Steinbrook’s accounts of daily conditions and such, a clear message regarding the Australian and New Zealand soldiers is communicated. Within the American military, the Australians were known as “an elite group especially trained and sent to Vietnam for this type of war. Rumor has it that they are tremendous fighters and actually better soldiers man for man than the American Solider in Vietnam.” (p.16) I think this quote really communicates Steinbrook’s view perfectly. Throughout the book, Steinbrook goes onto comment on the professionalism exhibited the soldiers, their carefree attitude concerning the war, their fearless mindset, and even their lifestyle concerning alcohol. Steinbrook was very happy to fight with these soldiers, and more importantly, be their friends.
One part of the book that really struck me was that while working with the Australian and New Zealand military, much of the American forces had to adapt their language and techniques. At one point, Steinbrook includes a translation guide for a few commonly used phrases used by both militaries. It was interesting and somewhat humorous to read their differences. It’s one of those things that I wouldn’t have even thought about if Steinbrook didn’t bring it up.
Overall, a great and easy read!!
RP: Lecture 10
Lecture 10 was titled "Sinclair and Clark" but turned out to be more than a lecture on the two historians as it prompted us to think about our attitudes about history in general. The lecture and this class has caused me to do a lot of self-reflection about my preconceived and personal views about the subject. Self-reflection can drive a person crazy- especially if you are over 40!
I think Manning Clark is a complicated man. He is a nation-maker- his writings put together a history for Australia and earned him high acclaim. His growing years shaped him as a writer. He was diagnosed with epilepsy as a child. I think his own struggles with self-doubt and growing out of a bitterness helped him understand Australia. His book "A Short History of Australia," which reflects class consciousness could have grown out of the fact that he grew up in a household with parents with different backgrounds. Was he an egotist? I wouldn't know. I don't think the fact that his autobiography is two volumes proves that. Maybe the books were his attempts on self-awareness. Clark was a fan of Tocqueville and Dostoyevsky but we didn't really learn why he admired them.
Keith Sinclair was also labeled a nation-maker. His writings reflect that New Zealand's National identity stems from their quest for an independence from colonial ways but at the same time not excluding colonial origins in their history. His autobiography reflected his acknowledgement of human frailities as well as his own- "I spent more time thinking about sex than about history."
We were posed the question- "why do we do history?" in class and explored three reasons- history for identity, history for fun and history as heritage resources. Most reasons seem somewhat selfish when I think about it. Nevertheless history serves future generations but ultimately they are the ones who chose what is important and what they will pass on.
Lecture X (10) Sinclair & Clark: "Nation-Makers"
This was our final lecture and it once again proposed some probing questions on history and those who choose to write it, whether in text, poetry or song form. We reviewed the background of each text author and were asked basic questions that may have shaped each man's viewpoint in the writing of historical books. The big question we all must ask ourse;ves, as students in history classes and in our education pursuits, is "Why Do we do History?"
Is it for: judgement? is it for identity? is it for (preserving) heritage? or is it for fun? I believe it can be for all four reasons, especially for the fun and exploration of it all! Learning about other caountries only enriches our perception and broadens our horizons. One point that was not made, was What about the memories of these authors? If not for memories, however embellished, distorted or previewed/reviewed, the past would not be told with as interesting a storyline! Of course, memories are subjective and may always be better in retrospect, than was in the actual time they took plpace. Old age gives memeories and history a certain spin, and we are all richer in our education for having heard and read these past adventures. Many of the books we have read for this class are based on a person's personal timeline and life experiences.
We would all be so lucky to have tales to tell future generations!
Suzanne Ready
RP: Lecture #10
Lecture 10 was a short one but in the end it made me think a great deal about two items. Firstly about Clark and Sinclair and how their books helped "make" their countries. I'd never considered that kind of nation building yet, when you consider it, it makes sense. These two men, at the right point in their nations history decided to compile a history of their nation to "make" it a nation. There were also some interesting questions listed about Clark dealing with his possible personal views on Aborigines and communism, among other things. The second part of the lecture, dealing on why exactly
do we do history. Being the history major I am, this part really caught my attention and made me do some serious thinking about my views on history and drove me to make the question quite personal. Do I do it for guidance for my future decisions? Do it do it for fun? Do I do it for a source of identity? As much as I would love to say that I do it for fun, I can't say that it would be my only reason. I would have to say this lecture left the biggest impression upon me, mostly because it gave me the right questions to ask myself at this point in my education. Who would I serve once I graduate? Why do I do history? Excellent questions.
Lastly, I am curious about both nations in regards to Clarks' and Sinclair's books. We've talked about nation building and such in regards to the books, but how did the people of Australia and New Zealand look at themselves and their countries before these two published their books? Did the people see themselves as being part of a bigger picture in their country? Or did the books give them that opinion?
Book Review: ANZAC Memories
I read the book ANZAC Memories by Alistair Thompson and I was really intrigued as it detailed many of the things that Dr. Isern noted in class. One of the first things that Alistair Thompson writes is that "The diggers regarded themselves as citizen soldiers and balked at the traditions and regulations of the traditional British Army." This goes hand in hand with what Dr. Isern noted in lecture about how the Aussies and New Zealanders who served under British soldiers were more laid back than their British counterparts. Thompson believes that the ANZAC legend was made in the following ways; "At Gallipoli, and then on the Western Front, the Anzacs proved the character of Australian manhood for all the world to see and, through their victories and sacrifices, established a nation in spirit as well as in name." "The Australian soldier of the legend was enterprising and independent, loyal to his mates and to his country...but cheerfully undisciplined out of the line and contemptuous of military etiquette and the British officer class." This quote was really nice to hear because it drove home the fact that many of the Australian and New Zealanders who fought in the war were not just soldiers who didn't care about class or etiquette, rather they were great fighters who believed that they were fighting for a common cause, and that was Australia and New Zealand.
Another thing that Alistair pointed out was that going to war was seen as "an extraordinary adventure" and a time that could bring excitement. Thompson states that many of the soldiers loved the voyage to new and exotic locales in Europe and the United States. This ties in with the "bushranger" type of attitude that it was fun to jump into an adventure. It makes sense that these men would be excited because along with the new locales, it would bring the opportunity to meet new people and beautiful women.
One of the most interesting things that Thompson talks about is how the Australians viewed their fellow British soldiers. E.L. Cuddeford explained why he thought the British were inferior. "I hated the British Tommy as a soldier. I always said he was a very good soldier, and a very game soldier, if led, which he wasn't. He was led a lot of times at the point of a revolver. They didn't treat him properly at all, didn't know how to handle the man." I found this interesting because although he says that he hates them, he still respects them as a good soldier. This leads me to believe that, even though they may not have said it aloud, the Australian soldiers really respected the British even if they didn't like them.
One of Alistair Thompson's main points is the emphasis of mateship during the war. Dr. Isern mentioned this during his lectures and I understand now how much this meant to the men. Thompson reiterates this when he mentions that "A man's comrades also served as the main forum for the articulation of feelings, attitudes, and identities." In my opinion, this is very important in all wars, and this is one of the many times it is mentioned. another quote from Thompson was that "The diggers were proud of their status as citizen soldiers in an army that...resolutely maintained an informal attitude to military authority."
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I was glad that I read into this area. Since I like military history, I was surprised to hear of all of the sacrifices that Australia and New Zealand dealt with. This will hopefully make me remember to observe ANZAC day in the future. They were fierce fighters, but at the same time, they were happy go lucky soldiers who yearned for the comradeship of friends and fun times in countries abroad.
MR Whale Rider
This weekend I was able to watch the movie "Whale Rider." The movie takes place in New Zealand with a Maori family that has been part of a long line of chiefs. The story begins with the birth of the movie's main character Paikea Apriana. She was one of two children born that day, but her brother and her mother did not survive. Her grandfather then enters to see if there was a son, to extend the line of chiefs. He finds that the only child to survive was a daughter. It took Koro a long time to come to terms with this. Even when Pai's father was choosing a name for her he named her after the whale rider Paikea. It is told that their ancestors arrived in from Hawaiiki on a whale's back. In light of the fact that Pai was female, Koro had to train Maori boys to become chief. Everything seemed in order until it came to the final test, when one of them was unable to return the whale tooth from the depths of the ocean. After this happened Koro became very depressed and laid in bed for days. While this is taking place Pai is able to retrieve the tooth from the ocean floor. It was a day or so later that there was a concert at Pai's school, and the end of it had her giving a speech about where their ancestors came from. Pai dedicated it to Koro who failed to attend, and for ample reason. Koro stumbled onto the beach to find that a family of whales had been beached. They noticed that one was close to being swept up in the tide and returned to sea, so a group tried to spin the whale to get it into the water, but they failed. It was at this point that Pai goes down to the whale and gets on its back. The whale then started to kick itself back into the ocean. The movie ends with Koro finally being able to acknowledge that his granddaughter was likely to be the next chief. I thought this movie was pretty good, but it would probably have meant a lot more if I was Maori. There were strong cultural ties in the movie probably preserving tradition and heritage to people that have the strongest ties to the land.
Movie Review: The Piano
I recently watched the movie The Piano and I thought that it was an interesting movie. Ada is a Scottish widow who had not spoken a word since she was six. Her father marries her off to a man (Stewart) in New Zealand. She and her young daughter, Flora, arrive on the beach were her husband is to meet her, but no one is there. She improvises and soon her husband arrives. He takes her back to the village but refused to bring her piano, which she loves so much. Baines, the neighbor, recognized that she loves the piano and decided to buy it from Stewart. He lets Ada play the piano for some favors. She does it because she is desperate to play. Eventually Stewart catches and hurts her horribly. Ada and Flora move away with Baines and while they are at sea, Ada wants the piano pushed overboard. She gets caught in the rope and is pulled under as well. She had to make the decision to be with her piano or live life with out it.
I liked this movie because it showed what it might have been like in 19th century New Zealand. The movie also incorporates the Maoris and gives us a little insight on their culture and language. It also shows how the white population treated them. At times they were working well with each other, but then they would not get along.
Ada eventually starts to speak a little bit at the end and it looks like she has found happiness for her and Flora. I would recommend watching this movie because it incorporates the views of women and the Maoris in the film. Even though Ada does not speak in the film, there is a lot of emotion and passion portrayed throughout the movie. Flora does a good job of describing her mother’s emotions when speaking for her.
magazine re
Philip Todhunter, Helicopter pilot, dad, and "learner" high country farmer was an artcle I read in North and South magazine. It is about a man and his family who take over a family paddock. The change was very new to them. Philip was a helicopter and airplane pilot that worked all over the world. He had worked with Italians in Antartica, and he had helped search for servicemen missing in action in Laos. He also flew for a company that used helicopters to lift their clients to high mountain summits for skiing and snowboarding. While working that job he met his wife, Anne, an alpine guide, and thbey have been together since.
They have two young children, and Philip is working very hard to get the farming thing down. Anne takes care of the children and is a stereotypical farm wife. She does not mind the classification due to her self-confidence and the love of spending time with her kids. The family does live in isolation. Mail comes once a week, and it is a 10km drive to retrieve it.
Philip has long work days starting before sunrise and ending after sunset. Occasionally his eldest son will help him after school, but the farm work is constant and there are always difficulties. There is a new obstacle almost every day. The paddock's location is close to the area where Peter Jackson created Edoras, capital of Rohan, in his blockbuster trilogy Lord of the Rings. The family works hard, but they enjoy their new life and are exited about the future. The major problem is the record lack of rainfall; however, Philip remains optimistic, hardly complains, and he only curses when he is shocked by one of his electric fences during repairs.
RP; Film Review "The Piano"
This is the story of a young mute woman of marriageable age who was pushed into an arranged marriage by the events of her life. She had a daughter, and as a mute, probably did not represent the most marketable bride at home. The situation in far away New Zealand was different. It should also be mentioned that she had been something of a prodigy with her piano skills. New Zealand women were in short supply, and so she and her daughter were sent off to her new husband, along with her prize possession which was a grand piano. The new husband accepted her sans the piano, which he abandoned on the beach and later sold it to his neighbor. The neighbor bought the piano, but was obsessed with the wife. Romance between the neighbor and the woman ensued, jealousy erupted, climaxing with the husband having chopped off his wife's finger. Remorseful, he allowed her and her daughter to leave with the neighbor on a voyage, never to return. In accordance with the plot, it is deemed that the heavy piano is endangering the lives of the Maori that are taking them by canoe away from the shore, and as such it was dumped overboard. (Rather a preposterous notion, really... The canoe used in the film easily displaced more than enough water to handle the weight and unbalancing the weight distribution by the action of lifting it over the side would have unbalanced the canoe and swamped it if there had been any real danger. I suppose we will have to write it off to artistic license.) We are led to believe that the nine fingered pianist and her new man lived happily ever after with the lady sporting a metallic replacement finger.
All in all it is a moving, romantic film with excellent cinematography. I think that it makes a good choice for a a film review in this class because I think it fairly represents the situation New Zealand had, with too many single men and not enough women. I lived in a boom town once, the events are not only realistic for such a situation, but might even be understated for such circumstances.
magazine re
I read an article in North and South magazine titled Meng Foon, Gisborne mayor, te reo exponent and hangi-layer. The writer, Jenny Chamberlain, follows Gisborne's mayor, Foon, on a typical day in his work and family life. The day starts off waking up at sunrise. The city is the first to see the sun come up in New Zealand. Mayor Foon is half Chinese and half Maori. He is the second chinese person to hold office in New Zealand, and he is fluent in four languages including Maori. His knowledge of language helped him land his post due to the fact that his two Maori opponents could not speak Maori.
The city of Gisborne loves their Mayor. He starts off the day by visiting a radio station for breakfast and a weekly interview. The rest of his day is full of meetings with constituents who the Mayor is always eager to listen to. He is constantly taking notes in his notebook along with phone numbers to keep people in formed. He knows many of his constituents by his first name, and if he does not he always asks. The Mayor is a huge proponent of education and trade learning. In the mid afternoon he lectures at a local school about the importance of education.
His family keeps him grounded, and his wife ensures he is eating right and exercising. She indicates that there has been times when she returns from an out of town trip to find that her husband has gained five pounds. The end of the long day is a late night family dinner, they relax, laugh, and talk about their days. After working a long day Foon does not seem too tired. He states that he has energy every waking hour due to his exciting job and the love of his family.
FR: Walkabout
Walkabout is about two children who are driven into the Outback by their father. He proceeds to set the car on fire and shoot himself. Thus, they are alone in the vast Australian Outback. The sister of the young boy leads them through the harsh terrain; they seem to just have enough provisions with them for a while. They eventually meet up with an Aborigine boy on his walkabout, which is a tribal initiation into manhood. He helps them survive. However, there is a language barrier between the two. The young girl is naive by thinking that he must understand some English such as the word "water." "You must understand. Everyone can understand that." In a bizarre twist in the end, the young Aborigine man hangs himself, and the children find a paved road and wander into a deserted town.
Overall, I thought this movie was good. The beginning was very odd in that I really did not know where the plot was going. The movie starts out in urban Sydney and suddenly the location is in the middle of the bush. As with the movie, "Rabbit Proof Fence," this movie seems to depict man's struggle with nature. Although these two children did not endure nearly as much as the three girls did in "Rabbit Proof Fence," we see their struggle with the harsh terrain. This movie does a wonderful job of showing images from the Australian Outback, including the oases. One question I have is, "Was the audience given any reason for the father's bizarre behavior which led to his death?"
FR - Walkabout
This film is the story of two children a teenage girl and her 7 year old brother stranded in the Australian outback. They become trapped there when their father drives them out in to the middle of nowhere, lights the car on fire, then shoots himself in the head. Lost and alone, the two must find their way back to civilization. Just when their provisions have run out, an Aboriginal child finds them and guides them through the bush. Hes on his walkabout, a several months long journey across Australia where he must survive off the land but the end of his odyssey is something that neither he nor his two white new friends could have anticipated.
I got the never ending conflict between civilization and nature, and how the two constantly work to destroy one another. Man is continually tearing down the wild to build concrete fortresses that, left unattended, are reclaimed by the land. Its clear here, as it was in many 70s films, that civilized humanity is the enemy. By today's standards, the films message may seem a little naive, but that by no means renders it invalid.
For the most part, the film is an involving, occasionally hypnotic. Some of the photography, including images of the outback and its oddities, are spectacular. There are also several effective visuals between man and nature, such as the sequence where Agutters, a child of civilization, is enjoying a quiet swim in a natural pool while a group of Aborigines are curiously exploring the burnt out shell of a car. All throughout the film, the differences between man and the world are highlighted, and the ending, which, while tragic, seems almost inevitable.
I would recommend this film if you are into Art/Science at the same time.
Fastest Indian
Shannon Orth was alert and kind enough to call and let me know that
The World's Fastest Indian is showing at Century theater of Fargo. Highly recommended! It's a film that incorporates plenty of strong cultural images into a generous story-line. See also:
http://www.worldsfastestindian.com/
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Book Review: Allies & Mates
The book Allies and Mates an American Solider with the Australians and New Zealanders in Vietnam 1966-67, was written Gordon L. Steinbrook. With origins in Nebraska, Steinbrook was givens orders to report to Vietnam in the spring of 1966 as a second Lieutenant of the United States Army. Throughout his boyhood, he had dreamed of going to war and fighting in battle for his country, however, this dream quickly faded. As a newly wed, Steinbrook did not want to leave his new wife, nor did he wish to depart from friends and family and the familiarity of home. Reluctantly, Steinbrook reported for duty. In efforts to remember his time in Vietnam and in the ongoing war Steinbrook, asked his wife Frances, along with his parents to save all of his letters. Upon his assumed return he planned to compile all of the letters into a sort of memorial or memoir to his time spent overseas.
In the second chapter of the book Steinbrook takes note of the Australian’s fondness for beer. He stated “the situation was excellent if our tent was any indication. Cots were already set up, lawn chairs were sitting here and there, and the focal point, a small ice chest filled with cold beer and soda pop, stood in the center of the tent” (19).
He also discussed how American troops and Australian troops did things differently. This was a challenge that the allies had to overcome when watching for enemy attacks. Often Americans had to change to the Aussie/Kiwi ways. This was especially important in communication. Steinbrook also made note that this was a necessary adaptation since their direct boss was an Australian commander.
Steinbrook made reference to laughing over the intercom, and how some of the Aussies seemed to think warfare was “just a game”. On the contrary, Steinbrook writes of occasions were he feared for his life. With his realization of the severity of war and the situation he and his comrades were in, Steinbrook did not seem to relate to Aussie views on warfare.
In spite of all this Steinbrook often wrote home about captivating sunsets and the geography surrounding him. He found great beauty in the landscapes throughout the countryside. In addition, further into the book Steinbrook begins to develop a strong sense of mate ship with a number of his comrades. Although seemingly a bit skeptical at first, he begins to see Aussies in a more favorable light. Steinbrook best captures this idea in one of his letters. "He was probably in his mid- to late 30s, a bit paunchy, a chain-smoker who liked his rum and beer. But I never did meet an Aussie who didn't like to drink. During the weeks I worked for him, my respect and admiration for him as a leader grew tenfold. I was impressed by the way he could compel people to do their jobs without becoming angry, loud, or vulgar. Most Aussie officers seemed this way to me; always cool, deliberate, and extremely rational in their decision making, a far cry from the American leadership I had see during my first year in the army." (63) This change of heart toward his Aussie comrades was perhaps because of the developing level of trust, and camaraderie within the unit.
Near the end of the book Steinbrook talks about some of his Aussie friends being killed in the war. This not only affected those that knew them but the unit as a hole. At times like these it was difficult to keep up morale. By the end of his service in Vietnam, he saw Aussies were no different than Americans, many had a wife and kids at home and both had to pay the cost of war. In letters sent home, Steinbrook explains that diggers (Australian Soldiers) are remarkable fighters when given the chance. However, no matter how skilled the solider, none seemed prepared for the adverse effects of war.
Australian Gardens
If anyone is intrested in horticulture, here is a website, with pictures of some of the gardens in Australia, including some of the Royal botanical gardens reminiscent of Britain.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gardening/article/0,,HGTV_3546_1371594,00.html
BR - A Deep Sense of Wrong
The book starts out in Canada and begins talking about the farmers and how the land dispersement was handled. The farmland was mostly held under a system known as seigneurial tenure which was a legacy from France. The seigneurs of New France were supposed to grant the vacant land to anyone who wanted to farm it at the rent. When the system was first put in place, it favored the farmers, but the system was doomed to erode with time. When Britain conquered New France in 1760, the new politicians didn’t care to keep enforcing the penalties against the seigneurs which had favored the farmers in the past. The population had begun to grow quite a bit too and caused the demand for more goods. Rent inflation and soil exhaustion led to poor harvests and farmers were forced to sell their lands or animals and move to the city. Eventually, there was a small rebellion against the waning conditions in December of 1837 which was put down by Sir John Colborne and the forces he commanded. Within a year, a second rebellion occurred and Sir John placed the area under martial law. The armed rebellion ended by November 1838 and all those who took part in it or were thought to have taken part of it were arrested. Some were sentenced to death without a trial and many were sent to Sydney, Australia. When the rebels arrived in Sydney, they found out that the citizens didn’t want them there and thought they should be sent to Norfolk Island. Sydney cared deeply about its image and felt that the rebels would further taint the city and they would give rise to more bushrangers. Many of the Canadians were feared and spent most of their time at Longbottom Stockades. One of the first things they wanted to do was scour their own barracks. This first impression, along with good behavior, led to them being able to watch themselves after three months. The Canadians hard work ethic, even in their poor work conditions, began to change people’s attitudes about them. Eventually, they became some of the better citizens in Sydney.
Channel Surfing
Just in case anyone else is looking for something to watch, channel 43 is showing some unique homes from New Zealand. One of the homes has 30 bedrooms, 7 baths, 2 kitchens and 5 lounges! I believe the show is on until 10:30.
Research Paper: Australian Gold Rush
Evan Kimball
Professor Isern
History of Australia and New Zealand
April 28th, 2006
Aussie Gold
When most Americans think of gold digging they think of the California Gold Rush of the mid 19th Century. People from all over the country and from other countries left their lives behind them to travel to California in hopes of striking it rich with gold. The American Southwest can attribute much of its early settlement to this mining activity. What many Americans don’t know is that Australia had a similar, if not larger gold rush only a few years after the boom of the California rush. Some of the miners from the U.S. traveled to Australia to continue their prospecting.
The Australian gold rush was often marked with qualities that persist in Australians to this day. Between mining and sheep raising, Australian mateship was born and persists to this day. The miners, much like Australians throughout the colonial days, visibly fought for their rights, against governments that desired to capitalize from their efforts. And unlike many places where gold rushes were short-lived, Australian gold is still being mined, and in large quantities. The gold rush was a defining period in the history of Australia.
In 1851, Edward Hargraves returned to Australia from the California gold rush. Hargraves believed that he would find gold in his homeland because, “he had compared the geological formations of California with what he had seen in New South Wales.”
[1] When he actually did discover gold and report his findings the Australian Gold Rush was on. As a reward for his services to the colony, Hargraves, “was appointed a “Commissioner of Land”. He received a reward of ₤10,000, plus a life pension.”
[2] Naturally, the gold rush began on the field that Hargraves had discovered. Later, significant excavation sites were found in every colony but South Australia.
Most of the workers in the minefields were men; the occasional wife came along with her husband to work and was usually responsible for the cooking. Diggers usually worked in small groups such as, “teams of four to six. One man picked and shoveled the earth out of the hole: two wheelbarrowed the earth from the hole to the water, where the other members of the team dollied or cradled it till any gold was separated from the earth.”
[3] The rush of Australians to the fields often slowed down as the less physically able realized that getting rich from mining wasn’t as easy as they had hoped. But things never fully calmed down in the cities because wealthy prospectors often flaunted their money, and the women did this as well; “once-respected and sedate matrons came out on the streets in gaudy silk dresses and wafted strong perfume over passers-by.”
[4]But it wasn’t just these individuals who profited from the gold rush. The entire country went into a prosperous period in this time. The population of Australia sky-rocketed, especially in places such as Victoria, where, “in just two years the State’s population had grown from 77,000 to 540,000!”
[5] The largest group of mining immigrants to come from one country was the Chinese; “In 1861, Chinese immigrants made up 3.3 per cent of the Australian population, the greatest it has ever been. These Chinese were nearly all men (38,337 men and only eleven women!).”
[6] The Chinese were often discriminated against as many other miners viewed them as hoarding in on the gold removal. But many of the Chinese were just there temporarily and returned to their homeland.
These population changes affected much of Australia. When gold was found in one colony, people would pack up and abandon their own colony to travel to the fields. These drastic population shifts had such a severe on the colonies that some of the colonies would give out rewards to people for discovering gold in their vicinity. The Colonial Secretary of Western Australia declared a ₤5,000 reward to anyone who discovered a quality goldfield within 150 miles of Perth during 1862.
[7] Such a reward could not only help bring wealth to the colony, but also keep the citizens from leaving to mine in other colonies.
Gold prospecting also brought cultural changes to Australia. Americans have had such a diverse population since nearly the nations beginning that we often don’t realize how this has affected so many aspects of our culture. Until the discovery of gold in their country, the majority of Australians were from Ireland and Britain. The craving for wealth brought people from all areas of Europe, the United States, and Asia. Although they did not all stay, many of them had lasting effects on the nation they visited. Some of the people, especially those who arrived to help develop Australia with the money that had been brought in from the goldfields brought many changes with them:
They brought with them middle-class standards, and often wives and children. Yet courage, resourcefulness, friendliness, helpfulness and good humour were qualities admired in the goldfields, while Old World social distinctions meant nothing. There was a democracy to the quest for gold which helped to form the Australian spirit.
[8]But it is probably understandable that the changes gold mining brought to this nation stuck with it. After all, gold mining is still a large part of the Australian economy. Australia is one of the largest gold producers in the world especially since, “gold output edged higher in 2005, setting a trend which could see the nation displace South Africa as the world’s largest producer of the precious metal before the end of this decade.”
[9] And Australian gold mining still tends to lean towards being a smaller production than something like American iron ore or coal mining. Owner-controlled mines are becoming popular again probably because the owners will take the mining risk upon themselves to avoid paying a contractor’s fee.
[10] This trend seems to relate to the Australian desire to be independent and reduce the number of strings attached on their activities.
With gold output being as high as it still is, it is probably unfair to say that the Australian gold rush is really over. The “easy mining” seems to be largely over with but having the potential to be the number one gold producer in the world is something worth bragging about. The discovery of gold helped develop Australia and brought many changes to the land, and it continues to be an important part of their economy.
[1] Clark, 126.
[10] Dunlop
Bibliography
Cavendish, Richard. “The Australian Gold Rush Begins.” History Today. Vol. 51 Issue 2 (Feb. 2001): 50-52.
Clark, Manning. A Short History of Australia. Camberwell, Victoria, Australia. Penguin Books Australia Ltd, 1995.
Dunlop, John S. F. “Contract versus owner mining – an update on Australasian open pit mining practice.” Mining Technology: Transactions of the Institute of Mining & Metallurgy. Vol. 113 Issue 1 (Mar. 2004): 17-29.
Forster, Christine. “Australian gold output turns corner; could challenge S. Africa.” Platt’s Metals Week. Vol. 77 Issue 11 (Mar. 13, 2006): 10.
Spillman, Ken. A Rich Endowment. Nedlands, Western Australia. University of Western Australia Press, 1993.
The Australian Gold Rush. http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au (accessed April 28, 2006)
RP: Lecture 10
In lecture 10, we looked a little more deeply at Manning Clark and Keith Sinclair, discussed why we study history, and asked who historians are supposed to serve. With both Clark and Sinclair, it appears that their respective backgrounds had a direct influence on how they constructed their histories. Manning Clark's emphasis on conflicts (class, political, and otherwise) fit with his interest and ties to more left-of-center, communist-like thought. Sinclair, though also a poet, is more of a traditional historian. His book is more linear and structured than Clark's, but it must be stressed that both men have something important in common: they both had an intense desire to create a history of their nation.
In examining Clark and Sinclair, fundamental questions come to the surface regarding what the motives of a historian are and what purpose their work should serve. As a prospective history teacher, my motives for studying history are for judgment (decision-making) and history for fun. As Dr. Isern said, when we make a decision, all we have to rely on is our past experiences. I agree with this assessment wholeheartedly. Whether we are deciding to buy a car or trying to determine the direction of our foreign policy, history is the main resource on which to rely. All things go back to history. In this way, I believe in sharing my knowledge of history with others, in order to serve them and society in general. Additionally, I think history can be interesting and fun to study. People, places, and events are intriguing.
In comparing historical study in the United States versus Australia and New Zealand, I do think there are some differences in the approach. Maybe the OZ and NZ tradition allows for more myth (stories that people tell) to shape their histories than the U.S. That being said, there are certainly myths that influence the study of U.S. history. More importantly, historians in OZ and NZ need to emphasize identity-creation in their accounts, whereas in the United States, our basic identity as a nation was established during revolutionary times, and simply evolved from there. Thereafter, our historians did not need to start from scratch and create a new identity for our nation.
FR: Walkabout
Walkabout is a film about the cultural encounter of a city girl and her younger brother who meet an aborigine boy on a "walkabout", a six month journey that will end with his entry into manhood (but not in this case). The film is bizarre from the start, and if, and that is a big if, there is a purpose to this film it seems the director wants to portray this clash of civilizations: city life vs. outback life. As we see throughout the film, both are harsh ways of life in their own ways. Something in the city drives the father of the white girl and her brother to kill himself. Likewise, the aborigine boy struggles with his journey into the outback. As the film progresses, it is apparent that the aborigine wants to help the girl and boy find their way back to the city. The journey to this end and the end of the aborigine's walkabout make up the plot of the film.
There are not many redeeming qualities to this film, in my opinion. The only value I see for students of Australia is the detailed depiction of the outback, the harsh conditions, wildlife, and topography. There also might be a theme that seems to be to contrast city and outback life, but this theme develops oddly, and the film is so couched with symbolism and melodrama that the viewer just becomes annoyed at the director and rejects the message. The plot moves painfully slowly, with characterization limited because of language barriers. Unnecessary nudity and occasional gruesome scenes of people and wildlife add nothing to the film.
My overall impressions of this film were summed up when the aborigine boy is dancing. The white boy asks, "What's he dancing for?" No one knows. This is a common theme in this film. Things happen for no apparent reason or purpose, and the viewer is left to put together a puzzle with about 5% of the necessary pieces.
RP: Turning on Water with a Shovel, Kluger, 1992
Turning on Water with a Shovel is a biography about Elwood Mead and his career as a irrigation engineer. Mr. Mead’s fifty-year career took him all over the world as a consultant for irrigation projects and creating “model communities”; places like, the United States, Australia, Israel, and Italy. One of Mead’s greatest accomplishments was Lake Mead (reservoir) is created by the magnificent Boulder Dam on the Colorado River. Mr. Mead was a model engineer whose principal concern was public welfare, where he “attempted to secure the betterment of society by combing the best from the past with the hopes of the future.”
Mead was born January 16, 1858 in Indiana of a farming couple on the Ohio River. As a child mead adored the outdoors and enjoyed reading his grandfathers books. Mead worked his way through Purdue University and in 1882 graduated and marred Florence Chase. His early work involved agricultural experiments and teaching, but increasing political regulations on appropriating water caught his interest. Mead followed his mentor to Colorado and learned about large scale irrigation. He then devoted his life to “the study of the physical, human and legal problems of turning on water with a shovel”.
Mead spent nearly 10 years in Wyoming and his wife died. He moved to D.C. and spent time working in the Agricultural Department and re-married. Mead then spent 8 years in Victoria, Australia even though he had only planned on spending 6 months. He liked how the Australian government was so interested in public welfare. After returning to the U.S. he became an integral leader in the reclamation of land. He concluded his career with creating the model community, Boulder City, and Boulder Dam.
The book was a very nice biography on Meads career. It was real easy to read because it didn’t get too in-depth on every little detail, it just coved the important highlights of his life. It could have easily been a 400 page book but it was summarized very nicely. I liked it a lot because I am going to be graduating as an engineer in 2 weeks and this was about a model engineer who strived to make life better. A nice inspiration to become an amazing engineer who affects peoples lives around the world, and to make public welfare a priority.
RNZ International
Listening to the news, I heard that New Zealand had some torrential rains recently and many mudslides had occurred recently. This seems to fit what we had talked about in class since the soil in New Zealand is relatively new and is still trying to stabilize itself. Anyways, the mudslides which have occurred caused damage to many homes and property causing the insurance companies to go out an conduct inspections.
Another topic covered is that New Zealand is going to limit the amount of medical scans to shorten the wait time for people. People will now have to meet some requirements, none of which were based on age or race, before they would be allowed to go in and get a medical scan. On the flipside of this note, people will get shorter wait times, but the doctors will be able to talk with their patients longer than previously.
A soldier shot himself accidentally earlier this week. The New Zealand officials who are investigating the shooting didn’t or couldn’t tell the reporters much of anything. At first, they believed that the soldier may have shot himself while cleaning his weapon. Investigation proved that that wasn’t the case however.
The news that I listened too spent quite a bit of time covering foreign affairs actually. These are some of the very few topics that I heard that actually dealt with New Zealand directly. It almost sounded like I was watching CNN back home here. I’m guessing that since New Zealand is a small country and depends on outside markets quite a bit, they have to take a greater interest in what is happening elsewhere in the world.
FR- The Last Wave
The movie starts out in a small dusty village near a schoolyard. Children are playing around in the sun and it begins to thunder. The people begin to look around and comment that there aren’t any clouds. Eventually, there is a bright flash of lightning and a torrential downpour begins. These storms continue throughout the movie usually happening at night. After this, we see a native trying to run out of a water treatment plant and escape. Eventually, he is found by some of the other tribe members and killed by their sorcerer. This introduces the main character David, who is a lawyer and he gets their case. Throughout the movie, David seems to have a growing caution about water. The rains don’t bother David that much, but we first see him acting strangely when the bathtub floods and he hallucinates another time while in his car. He sees the outside world as being flooded and people outside are drowned and drifting around. Other events happen which he feels are strange, yet somehow connected to. At one point, he sees black rain fall from the sky and shortly thereafter, he talks with the tribal sorcerer and gives him some strange answers when the sorcerer asked him various questions. David continues to struggle to unravel the truth behind the case that he was given and it is lost because the tribe members are too secretive. One of those members then takes him to the water treatment plant the night after the case ends and leads him to an underground cave. There David sees a prophetic timeline on the wall and it eventually leads to a tidal wave coming ashore. He then remembers his heritage and that his grandfather was a tribal sorcerer. He then grabs several items from the cave including a mask, staff, and a headpiece for the staff. David flees the underground cavern, losing all the items in the process, and eventually comes out on the beach. The movie ends there with the last event on the timeline being fulfilled.
BR: Australian Race Relations
I chose to read a book called Australian Race Relations by Andrew Markus. The book covered what Autralia went through from when it first started seeing settlers and dealing with Aborigines to current day issues. The format of the book was really easy to read and follow it was broken down into different parts and chapters in a chronological order like Sinclair's book on New Zealand. The first part deals with the human conduct between the two cultures and the settlers justification to treat them as they did. The viewed the Aborigines as savages, like animals, so since they viewed them like animals they could treat them as such so they didn't have a bad subconscience. When the settlers came to Australia, the Aborignies had weak if any military and could not resist the European onset and when the Europeans seized the land the called it 'terra nullius' meaning empty land devoid of sovereign power. Since they said it was empty they did not have to compensate for what they were taking. Because they could not understand one another there was a lot of fighting but Britian refused to let the settlers declare war, but the settlers more or less covered it up and was very quite about it. Only four Europeans were ever convicted and executed for the brutality towards the Aborignes. Then Australia had an onset of non European immigrants coming in for the gold rush. Many of the non Europeans were Chinese and still could not communicate with the settlers. After the gold rush, Australia had to start dealing with racial segregation and the workforce. Even though they tried to uphold them as humans and not animals like the Aborigines it didn't really work and the Chinese were more forced into mining and farm labour. Australia soon passed a law to limit immigration and basically exclude non European immigrants from coming in. They eventually started letting limited numbers in and began dealing with assimilation. It was a slow process to start excepting the other races, they had a couple major turning points in their attitude towards race. While reading this book it sounded a lot like the US's history with race. Australia went through everything we had to from trying to get rid of the natives to making them slaves and then latter learning to live with them. I think they are were we are today. There are still problems with race through out the country but for the most part everyone is seen as equal.
MR: Whale Rider
The movie Whale Rider is directed by Niki Caro. The film begins at a Hospital in New Zealand where a mother is giving birth to twins, a son and a daughter. The little boy, who is supposed to be the next leader of the village, dies at birth with the mother. The daughter Paikea then goes to live with her grandparents and wants to learn the ways of her ancestors to take on the role of being the leader of the village, how ever her grandfather, Koro greatly disapproves of her even trying to learn the ways of her ancestors as a leader. Paikea’s father leaves the village in pursuit of a career in Art in Germany. Because Paikea’s brother dies, her grandfather, who is in control of training the new chief the ways of their ancestors, seeks the young boys of the village and tries to pick the most promising candidate. Paikea was able to accomplish many things these boys could not, like the final test for the boys when Koro throws his whale tooth necklace into the water and tells the boys to retrieve it. Paikea, by herself, also got a beached whale back into the ocean when her entire village could not. Then she rode on the whales back into sea, just like their ancestor that came to New Zealand on the back of a whale.
At the end of the movie, I think Paikea’s grandfather finally accepts the idea of her maybe not being the Chief of the village but very prominent leader. I watched this movie with my parents and they seemed very confused about the Maori culture because there was very little back ground in it.
MR: My Brilliant Career
The movie, My Brilliant Career is about a young woman, Sybylla Melvyn that is becoming of age to get married and move out from her parents, although she does not want to get married. Sybylla wants to peruse a career in the arts. He mother first arranges her to become a general servant but she would not accept that. Sybylla then gets a letter from her grandmother to come live with her, and I think I can pretty accurately say that the underlying motive of this arrangement is to have her grandmother help her get married. When Sybylla arrives, her grandmother quickly disapproves of her free will, and would like to see her married a suitable man, such as Frank Jordan. My favorite part of the movie was when Sybylla and Frank go to the store, and when Frank gets out to open the gate, Sybylla takes off in the buggy and leaves left Frank behind. Sybylla does meet someone that she is fond of, a man named Harry Beecham. The two fall in love and Harry wants to get married, as does Sybylla, but she just isn’t ready. She tells him to give her two years to figure out what is wrong with her and the world. After the two years are up, she still is not ready. The movie ends with Sybylla putting a package into the mailbox addressed to a publishing company.
In one sentence, this was a movie of few words. I think this movie shows that Australia is ahead of the times when it comes to equal rights between sexes. I don’t think there were any movies in the 70’s in America about equal rights like this one. I know this movie was written after a book, was there any more conclusion in the end of the book? Did she find that career?
Friday, April 28, 2006
RP: Lecture 10
Lecture ten was again about Sinclair and Clark. This time we mainly talked about their backgrounds. We went over some of the controversies surrounding Clark. Was he a self-indulgent egoist? He wrote a six-volume account of Australia’s history. There must have been some sort of self-interest to write that! I think that he may have done it to capture the history of Australia, but I also think that it was self-indulgent. Was he a good historian? I guess I can’t truly answer that because I have not read all of his work. His Book A short History of Australia seemed to be a good account of Australia’s formation so I would say that he was good based on that. Was he a Communist? I guess he could have been because he received honors and medals from the Soviet Union, but I don’t think that that is enough proof. We also discussed why people do history. Some do it because they think it is fun, while others want to teach it. I guess it goes back to that discussion should history be a social science or a humanity? I think it depends on whom you talk to.
I think that historians are there to serve the population. They may be doing work for their own self-fulfillment, but essentially they are doing it for others to read and learn from. I don’t know if it is different for the United States compared to Australia or New Zealand. It seems like there are more people in the United States who want to write about its history.
Lecture ten was a good lecture and brought up many interesting questions to think about.
RP: Gallipoli
I recently watched the movie Gallipoli and I thought that it was an interesting story. It is about a couple of guys who meet at a track meet and have quite the adventure trying to get to Perth to enlist in the army. Archy is very excited to fight in the Great War because he fears that the Germans will eventually get to Australia. He is not old enough, but they seem to get around it. He friend Frank is not as excited, but he joins anyways. They are separated in Australia because they are placed in different divisions of the army. While they are in Africa, they meet up again. They are placed in the same division for the remainder of the war. The troops are sent off to fight at the horrible battle in Gallipoli. There, Frank becomes a runner for the Officers to make sure their lines of communication remain open. I do not even know why they had him because they basically murdered all the men in the platoon. The ending scene is very sad, but I did not like the ending. It was cut so short, but then again, so were the lives of the men who were fighting.
This movie was a little slow for me especially when they were in training. The end was the most interesting part but it was so horrific. I cannot believe they kept sending those men up to fight. They had no hope of staying alive and the men knew it. This movie showed the strength and courage of the men, but it also showed how scared they were too.
Lecture 10
Lecture 10 was significantly shorter than previous lectures. Dr. Isern talked more about the personal lives of Clark and Sinclair. I personally thought the most interesting thing about Clark was the controversy over his relations with and awards from the soviets. It makes perfect sense why some would expect him to be a communist. Sinclair was an opponent of imperialism, and he wanted New Zealand to have an independent image, seperate from Great Britain. Not to have the appearance as just a former colony. Dr. Isern also discussed the problem of bias. Some students in class had some interesting opinions on bias. I believe it is impossible to be 100% unbiased, but I believe historians, professional and amateur, should try their very best to avoid it. It is not the historians job to spice up or add emotion to history, histroy should be allowed to speak for itself. A historian should tell historical events in a story board fashion using only hard evidence to back up theories or ideas. I personally believe that history is society's memory. I like history because it is about real people, real events, incredible and facinating times, and it gives us insight into our own future. There are a lot of excellent fiction novels and movies that are stimulating and exciting. However, the history of human civilization is much more spectacular than any movie or book because it really happened. I do think that Clark and Sinclair were bias when they wrote their history. I think they loved their countries so deeply that it was nearly impossible to keep their nationalism from leaping from the pages. I thought Sinclair's work was better mainly because of a more detailed look at native culture. He showed the Maori culture and its significance in NZ. Clark did not give close to as much detail on the Aboriginies. It seemed as though he rushed through that part of his book to get to the early European settlers.
web discussion
I was reading a radio nreview from one of my classmates. Thne review was very insightful, and it made me interested. I think I'm going to do radio reviews for the majority of my soft points.
movie review
The movie Gallipoli was directed by Peter Weir, and it is about two mates who sign up for enlistment in the Great War for different reasons. Gibson plays Frank, a track runner and free spirit who basically joins the military out of boredom. He meets Archy at a track meet, they get seperated in the outback, and meet up again oversees. The movie was slow paced, but I believe it was made that way to really get to know the characters before the fighting. The battle was disastrous and the ending scene is full of symbolism and sadness. Definitely not Mel Gibsons best work, but it was one of his first movies. However, I really liked his performance in Mad Max which I believe was his first movie. Perhaps it was just the character he was portraying that rubbed me the wrong way. Gallipoli was one of Australia's most tragic events in the country's history. The movie showed the patriotism, fear, horror, honor, terror, and self-sacrifice that comes with war. The film definitly was anti-war. If the movie were to be remade it would be a lot better. In its day battlefield accuracy was really non-existant. Today movies like Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan give audiences a better view of what the horror of battle really looked like. Overall, I thought the movie was pretty good. Compared to some of the required class movies it was great. I thought the Australian cavalry uniforms looked pretty cool, and the cinematography and background shots were done very well. I believe the director's intent was to glorify and remember those men that sacrificed during the war, and to paint war as an evil, destructive force that hardly any good comes from.
NR - RNZ International
I tuned into RNZ International for a little while and I was actually pretty surprised about their radio. They were talking about quite a few of the same subjects that we talk about here in the US. The show that I caught was an interview where a guy was explaining how technology has impacted our lives. He was mostly telling how greatly our recording media has improved over the last fifteen years. When I first tuned in, I caught him talking about CDs and DVDs being able to store more information than the old vinyl tapes and cassette tapes. He was also telling the listeners that the CDs and DVDs not only being able to store information, but the information is of far better quality and are also more convenient since don’t have to be rewound and they are smaller and store easier. The host was asking about what will be the next step will be in our media. The interviewee mostly focused on home media, but eventually he got into digital cameras and how they have improved our ability to capture our history. The old cameras were clumsy and the pictures that they produced faded with time. I’ve seen enough pictures of my parent’s childhood to know that. The central theme that I got from this was that we are able to maintain our history far better than we could before. Whether it be music, movies, or pictures, we want to store our history so that we can share it with friends and family.
RP Lecture 10
Since we brought up Clark and Sinclair again for lecture 10, I thought about both those authors again and tried to measure them up with some of the questions that we were looking at in class. I do think that Clark did care about the Aborigines, but I don’t think that he felt they were important enough to work hard enough to gather up their stories into a history. I think he probably felt it would have taken too much time and the reward for it wouldn’t have been all that great. I don’t feel that he was a bad historian either. His book may have contained quite a bit of rambling stories, but that’s what history mostly comes from anyways. People just shorten them up a bit to make them more interesting. I think that Sinclair did do quite a bit better job with his book though. He spoke of the native people much more than Clark did. However, we you look at what we talked about in class, we too didn’t talk much about the Aborigines. We talked about the Maori quite a bit more though and rightfully so. They had a far greater impact on the shaping of New Zealand than the Aborigines did in Australia. I don’t think that the history that they told is any different than the history that was told in the US. Both are just stories taken into account and recorded down on paper so that they can be retold to later generations. We care about our history because it helps us learn and because it’s simply fascinating to study.
Rp lecture 9
I liked this lecture the most out of all the others since this one dealt more with WWI and WWII and looked at the defense measures that Australia and New Zealand took during that time as well as during the Cold War. It basically tells us that both countries relied on Great Britain for defense, but we don’t really see Great Britain aiding either of the colonies much during WWII. In fact, both Australia and New Zealand had to look to the US for aid during this time. I can sort of understand why Great Britain didn’t help them too much. First off, the Japanese weren’t an immediate threat to the British regardless if they were beginning to encroach on the British Empire. The Germans on the hand were directly attacking the English seat of power and basically it was a priority to defend the homeland rather than the colonies. The colonies had men that could have enlisted and Britain most likely felt that if the colonies were overtaken, they would simply regain their lost ground after they dealt with Germany. Either way, the events of WWII strengthened the ties between the US and Australia, but not so much with NZ. We see Australia supporting the US in most of their Cold War campaigns as well as the anti-terrorist campaigns in the Middle East. Overall, I feel that those events have greatly weakened Great Britain’s involvement with both Australia and NZ and those ties will eventually become nonexistent.
RP: Lecture 10
In lecture ten, we talked more about Clark and Sinclair and their contributions to the history of their countries. We talked about the character of each man as well as why they do history. We came to the conclusion that these two men do history for themselves, which was regarded as "selfish". We discussed why anyone would do history and came up with four different answers, two of them being the most prominent. People do history for judgement, or they do it for identity. Dr. Isern talked about how earlier in life, people tend to do things for judgement, because they have a lot of decisions left to make in their lives. Later on they tend to do it for identity, because their decisions are already made. I found this discussion to be very interesting.
Clark and Sinclair did history for themselves because they loved it. I think this is really the only good reason to do anything. Even if you do not love the action itself, if you can love what it produces than that is good enough. I think historians are supposed to put the individual stories of history together and show that it means something. It can mean something in a million different ways, just as long as it shows some sort of meaning. They do this for themselves because they love it and they do it for the future generations because I think they want them to love it as much as they do. If they can show how rewarding it is to derive meaning out of endless events then maybe they can get the next generation to love history as well. I don't think it is any different there compared to here. They are different stories but the drive to want to make these stories known comes from the same place.
FR - Once Were Warriors
This is the most boldly put film in recent memory, an uncompromising array of domestic abuse told as the story of a poverty ridden Maori family that is struggling under the fist of its brutal father.
Jake Heke rules his wife and five children with a closed hand, which is also how he deals with any sort of disagreement, especially when hes drunk. His wife Beth puts up with his brutality, his cheating, and his broken promises even his raping her.
But her loyalty and love for Jake will eventually be gone, especially as she comes to realize just how seriously her own children are at risk.Jakes rage is understandable to some degree. As the title suggests, the Maori people were once warriors, but there is no outlet for that fearsome heritage in modern day New Zealand.
And as the film introduces the audience into the Heke clan, its easy to see how charismatic and winning this hulking, tattooed fellow is. And how easily Beth is seduced by him.But in every situation, no matter how begins, there is an element of suspense, the feeling that it won't take much to push Jakes buttons and begin another outburst.
Beths attempts to filter this entire are at first pointless. In fact, she doesnt really come to her senses until she realizes her two oldest sons may already be corrupted by Jakes violent example as one goes to a juvenile detention home, the other joins a gang. The question becomes, can she save her three youngest children?
All of this is specific to a Maori ghetto in a New Zealand setting, with ethnic pride playing a big part in the story. But there is no question as to the subject and its treatment.
It is a unique observation of domestic violence and a tribute to the wives who ultimately refuse to be victims, in the end the film demonstrates that women are the real warriors. I would recommend this film to you if you can stomach the harsh realities of real life.
NR - ABC News Australia
This report is from ABC News Australia.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO is considering forging formal partnerships with Pacific Rim countries, including Australia and New Zealand. The plan is being discussed at a meeting of foreign ministers from the European and North American alliance in Bulgaria. It is reportedly being pushed by the United States.
Global threatOfficials say that while NATO has no intention of becoming a global policeman, current threats are transnational. Australia and New Zealand are the top candidates for NATO partnerships because they are already working alongside the alliance in Afghanistan.South Korea and Japan are also being considered. Officials stress that the issue is only being discussed at the moment and no decision is anticipated at the meeting in Sofia. Australia has troops as part of the 9000 strong NATO deployments in Afghanistan and is contributing to the US led military presence in Iraq.New Zealand also has a small number of soldiers in Afghanistan, while Japan and South Korea have deployed troops in Iraq.
It seems that the Iraq war has become center stage again and this time it is for more than just the US. As you well know Australia has before and continues to support the US in many ways since WWII. I dont know if the addition of them and New Zealand will bring about any changes to nuclear policy in New Zealand but it might help to have more members of NATO to be on our side.
In my opinion I not quite sure how the whole Iraq war will end up, I already see us having troops in place similar to the North, South Korean border. I mean for a very long time. But maybe with more on board for the cause the issue can be resolved a lot quicker in order to make an attempt to restore world peace.
RR - ABC Radio Australia
This report is from ABC Radio Australia.
This is The Sports Factor, talks of Dutch and being nowhere in football until late 50s. But in the mid to late 60s it took off.
Next they switch to talks of Cricket
The world record of the most runs in Cricket was held by a woman of the Australians women team with 229 runs. Her name was Belinda Clark, and she says she found a gap to make it easier to play as a women.
They talked of their system of excellence with the terms of Cricket and the programs run through the winter. She began in the back yard and played with her brothers and then to cricket team at school.
Womens cricket is on the upward spin in Australia, and the women talk that they know they are shadowed because of the success of the mens teams recently. She says she thinks womens cricket could be more exposed by TV coverage and to tap into more media resources for coverage.
They are very successful on the international spot light. Belinda scored her record runs against the Dutch in 1997