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Economic Darwinism

Natural History of Fire & Flood Cycles

Posted in Uncategorized by Economic Darwinism on August 14, 2010

In reference to the analogies presented in my previous article, please have a look at this article:

Natural History of Fire & Flood Cycles

While reading it, replace

  • “forest fire” with “recession”
  • “fire cycle” with “business cycle”
  • “ecosystem” with “economy”
  • “fire suppression” with “stimulus”
  • Etc

The following passage is so directly relevant to my point, I will reproduce it in its entirety (my highlights in bold):

Fire Suppression

As development has extended, or exploded as it has in some areas, into the chaparral environment, residents and government agencies have had to respond to the hazards associated with living in the urban/wildland interface. The majority of urban settlers who moved into these wildland areas are ignorant of the environment they are moving into and ill equipped to live in this wildland environment. Too often home buyers fail to realize that fire protection agencies may not be able to save their home from fire, and that agencies charged with building and safety and flood control may be powerless to save them from floods, mudflows, and landslides.

The primary response from government has been to initiation aggressive fire suppression and management in an attempt to eliminate fire from native lands. In spite of these aggressive fire suppression efforts large wildfires continue to consume vast acreages of chaparral in Southern California. After nearly a century of suppression, there has been increasing debate that fire control efforts have altered chaparral fire regimes in ways that magnify the threat of burning, erosion, sedimentation, and flooding at the urban/wildland interface (Pyne 1982). Fire suppression in Southern California appears to be producing older growth stands of chaparral which result in larger more intense fires. Younger chaparral stands (less than 20 years) are less likely to burn due to lower ratios of dead fuel to live fuels and reduced horizontal and vertical continuity of fuels. In northern Baja California where fire suppression has not been practiced to the extent it has in Southern California a mosaic pattern of differing age stands of chaparral appears to have developed resulting in smaller fire events of less intensity. Minnich (1983) comparing the chaparral fire regimes in southern California and Baja California found that in Baja California numerous small fire events fragment stands into a fine mixture of age classes, a process which appears to help preclude large fires. While the pattern of large fires in Southern California appears to be an artifact of suppression.

Fire suppression is extremely effective at the ignition stages of a fire and where climatic conditions are favorable. Therefore, fires occurring in Southern California in the summer during periods of higher humidity, lower wind speeds and temperatures are much more easily controlled. Most of Southern California’s major fires occur in the very late summer and fall periods during off shore wind conditions (Santa Ana Winds) which are characterized by high temperatures, low humidity and very high wind speeds. Fires in this type of severe weather conditions are extremely difficult and in many cases impossible to control. This type of weather scenario in conjunction with extensive areas of older chaparral stands result in fire magnitudes so great that entire watersheds are completely denuded of vegetation. This intense type of fire can even consume young moist stands of chaparral.

The extent of burned watershed can magnify flash-flood runoff behavior and high sediment yield in an exponential fashion (Minnich, 1989). Higher regional fire intensities may also result in more extensive hydrophobic soil impermeability and high runoff (Minnich, 1989). These adverse watershed impacts can be moderated by implementing a sustained-yield program of small to medium size planned burns to produce the stand mosaic similar to the Baja California chaparral model.

Prescribed burns adjacent to the urban wildland interface can present some challenging problems. The common complaints voiced by residents of these areas are the annoyance and potential health effects of the smoke, reduced visibility and potential danger of the controlled fire escaping and endangering their residences. Furthermore, air quality regulations, particularly in Southern California, severely limit the time of year these burns may occur. Given these constraints the prescribed burning near the urban wildland interface can be carried out only on a very limited basis. However, even on a limited basis prescribed burning in the urban wildland interface can be a valuable cost effective fire management tool for protection agencies.

The proximity of the Malibu/Santa Monica Mountains to the Los Angeles metropolitan region coupled with it’s coastal location, breath taking views, access to undisturbed natural areas, and sense of rural living make this a very desirable area. With proper land use planning, site planning, building codes and vegetation clearance it is possible to significantly reduce the threat of fire in the Chaparral community. However, the problem in the Santa Monica Mountains is there are literally thousands of existing legal undeveloped parcels comprising hundreds of acres of land area that are located in very remote, topographically constrained, and environmentally sensitive areas. These factors make it quite difficult to mitigate the threat of fire and adverse environmental impacts.

There are also a number of very poorly planned subdivisions which were divided in the late 1920s and 30s with lot sizes of less than an acre and many more typically 5,000 to 10,000 sq. ft. in size. These subdivisions were primarily designed for weekend cabin type of use. However, today the expensive homes built on these parcels are occupied on a year round basis. There are approximately 6,000 of these ill-conceived small parcels in the Santa Monica Mountains. These subdivisions have very narrow winding roads which cannot accommodate fire equipment and are for the most part very heavily wooded with both natural and exotic plant species. These types of subdivisions are disasters just waiting to happen.

Proper site design on a large parcel can reduce fire danger to some extent, however, in these small lot subdivisions it is impossible in many cases to significantly reduce the fire hazards given the very steep site topography, lack of adequate water supply, proximity to other structures and limited access for fire equipment.

Given that the threat of fire alone has not provide an adequate basis to prohibit development on these parcels and given the more rigorous requirements placed on regulatory agencies by recent court decisions regarding constitutional takings of private property, these parcels are and will continue building out. Furthermore, as most of us know today regulatory agencies are facing even more severe limitations and restrictive requirements regarding regulation of private property. Therefore, the over simplified argument, which is voiced quite often is “just deny all development of homes on these parcels” is just not realistic or legally justifiable.

In order to reduce the buildout of these subdivisions and remote environmentally sensitive parcels the California Coastal Commission developed the Transfer of Development program in the Malibu/Santa Monica Mountains Area of the Coastal Zone. Simply the Transfer of Development program requires that any time a new parcel is created through the subdivision process, the equivalent development rights on designated small lot subdivision lots or remote environmentally sensitive parcels have to be retired. In theory, the newly created subdivisions are located in areas more suitable for this type of development. To date 924 substandard lots have been retired in small lot subdivisions and some 800 acres of remote environmentally sensitive parcels have been retired. Making the Malibu/Santa Monica Mountains Transfer of Development program one of the most successful in the United States.

Prescribed Fire Economics

Posted in Uncategorized by Economic Darwinism on August 14, 2010

I enjoyed Market Talks quote of the day:

I wish free money was really free and that there was a painless way to move from severe recession and high leverage to robust and sustainable economic growth, but there is no short cut.

– Kansas City Fed President Thomas Hoenig, arguing the Fed needs to raise interest rates.

It seems everyone is looking for a painless solution. Even Felix Salmon comments about  “causing unacceptable amounts of pain” in his half-supportive half-opposed article on Santelli’s righteous (and right on) recent rant.

If we let housing find its bottom naturally, true, many financial institutions will cease to exist. True, we may look back at 2008 as the “good ol’ days” before things got really ugly.

But at this point, letting things get ugly is exactly what we need for the long run. Let the fittest businesses survive.

The analogy I like to use is a technique often used in forest management, i.e prescribed burns.

Imagine a world completely fearful of the tiniest of forest fires. Whenever a fire broke out, even a mild one, the entire Federal (Forest) Reserve  was called out to extinguish it. Years and even decades go by without even a single lost home due to forest fire. People started talking about a Great (Forest Fire) Moderation. Some even proclaimed that the forest fire cycle that used to be standard reading material in many, now obviously obsolete, forest management textbooks for years had been defeated by the Federal (Forest) Reserve.

The mantra became, “Let all vegetation flourish!” Never fear. If natural selection has lead certain vegetation populations to dwindle in the past, we’ll have none of that. Come one and all. Prosper in the new age of forest fire management where forest fires no longer exist.

Guess what happens? The forest floor becomes flush with vegetation (read fuel). All around, as far as the eye can see, nothing but flourishing vegetation (read fuel). Forest Rangers are happy. Politicians are happy. Everyone is happy.

But one day, there is a particularly strong wind. The Federal (Forest) Reserve has not yet figured out how to control the weather unfortunately. A fire breaks out and quickly spreads. At this point, the brush is so dense providing a never ending supply of fuel. Similar to the critical neutron mass of a nuclear reaction, the fire spreads exponentially. Soon, there is an inferno far larger than the world has ever seen.

Monetary policy should not be about avoiding forest fires at all costs. Monetary policy should be about prescribed burns. Let the vegetation that is unfit for survival perish. It is better to have a controlled burn now and then than to have an uncontrollable inferno.

Testimony of Chairman Ben S. Bernanke: July 18, 2007

Posted in Uncategorized by Economic Darwinism on July 26, 2009

For Yves Smith:

Testimony of Chairman Ben S. Bernanke
Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress
Before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives
July 18, 2007

Chairman Bernanke presented identical testimony before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate, on July 19, 2007

Chairman Frank, Ranking Member Bachus, and members of the Committee, I am pleased to present the Federal Reserve’s Monetary Policy Report to the Congress.  As you know, this occasion marks the thirtieth year of semiannual testimony on the economy and monetary policy by the Federal Reserve.  In establishing these hearings, the Congress proved prescient in anticipating the worldwide trend toward greater transparency and accountability of central banks in the making of monetary policy.  Over the years, these testimonies and the associated reports have proved an invaluable vehicle for the Federal Reserve’s communication with the public about monetary policy, even as they have served to enhance the Federal Reserve’s accountability for achieving the dual objectives of maximum employment and price stability set for it by the Congress.  I take this opportunity to reiterate the Federal Reserve’s strong support of the dual mandate; in pursuing maximum employment and price stability, monetary policy makes its greatest possible contribution to the general economic welfare.

Let me now review the current economic situation and the outlook, beginning with developments in the real economy and the situation regarding inflation before turning to monetary policy.  I will conclude with comments on issues related to lending to households and consumer protection–topics not normally addressed in monetary policy testimony but, in light of recent developments, deserving of our attention today.

After having run at an above-trend rate earlier in the current economic recovery, U.S. economic growth has proceeded during the past year at a pace more consistent with sustainable expansion.  Despite the downshift in growth, the demand for labor has remained solid, with more than 850,000 jobs having been added to payrolls thus far in 2007 and the unemployment rate having remained at 4-1/2 percent. The combination of moderate gains in output and solid advances in employment implies that recent increases in labor productivity have been modest by the standards of the past decade.  The cooling of productivity growth in recent quarters is likely the result of cyclical or other temporary factors, but the underlying pace of productivity gains may also have slowed somewhat.

To a considerable degree, the slower pace of economic growth in recent quarters reflects the ongoing adjustment in the housing sector.  Over the past year, home sales and construction have slowed substantially and house prices have decelerated.  Although a leveling-off of home sales in the second half of 2006 suggested some tentative stabilization of housing demand, sales have softened further this year, leading the number of unsold new homes in builders’ inventories to rise further relative to the pace of new home sales.  Accordingly, construction of new homes has sunk further, with starts of new single-family houses thus far this year running 10 percent below the pace in the second half of last year.

The pace of home sales seems likely to remain sluggish for a time, partly as a result of some tightening in lending standards and the recent increase in mortgage interest rates.  Sales should ultimately be supported by growth in income and employment as well as by mortgage rates that–despite the recent increase–remain fairly low relative to historical norms.  However, even if demand stabilizes as we expect, the pace of construction will probably fall somewhat further as builders work down stocks of unsold new homes.  Thus, declines in residential construction will likely continue to weigh on economic growth over coming quarters, although the magnitude of the drag on growth should diminish over time.

Real consumption expenditures appear to have slowed last quarter, following two quarters of rapid expansion.  Consumption outlays are likely to continue growing at a moderate pace, aided by a strong labor market.  Employment should continue to expand, though possibly at a somewhat slower pace than in recent years as a result of the recent moderation in the growth of output and ongoing demographic shifts that are expected to lead to a gradual decline in labor force participation.  Real compensation appears to have risen over the past year, and barring further sharp increases in consumer energy costs, it should rise further as labor demand remains strong and productivity increases.

In the business sector, investment in equipment and software showed a modest gain in the first quarter.  A similar outcome is likely for the second quarter, as weakness in the volatile transportation equipment category appears to have been offset by solid gains in other categories.  Investment in nonresidential structures, after slowing sharply late last year, seems to have grown fairly vigorously in the first half of 2007.  Like consumption spending, business fixed investment overall seems poised to rise at a moderate pace, bolstered by gains in sales and generally favorable financial conditions.  Late last year and early this year, motor vehicle manufacturers and firms in several other industries found themselves with elevated inventories, which led them to reduce production to better align inventories with sales.  Excess inventories now appear to have been substantially eliminated and should not prove a further restraint on growth.

The global economy continues to be strong.  Supported by solid economic growth abroad, U.S. exports should expand further in coming quarters.  Nonetheless, our trade deficit–which was about 5-1/4 percent of nominal gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter–is likely to remain high.

For the most part, financial markets have remained supportive of economic growth.  However, conditions in the subprime mortgage sector have deteriorated significantly, reflecting mounting delinquency rates on adjustable-rate loans.  In recent weeks, we have also seen increased concerns among investors about credit risk on some other types of financial instruments.  Credit spreads on lower-quality corporate debt have widened somewhat, and terms for some leveraged business loans have tightened.  Even after their recent rise, however, credit spreads remain near the low end of their historical ranges, and financing activity in the bond and business loan markets has remained fairly brisk.

Overall, the U.S. economy appears likely to expand at a moderate pace over the second half of 2007, with growth then strengthening a bit in 2008 to a rate close to the economy’s underlying trend.  Such an assessment was made around the time of the June meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) by the members of the Board of Governors and the presidents of the Reserve Banks, all of whom participate in deliberations on monetary policy.  The central tendency of the growth forecasts, which are conditioned on the assumption of appropriate monetary policy, is for real GDP to expand roughly 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 percent this year and 2-1/2 to 2-3/4 percent in 2008.  The forecasted performance for this year is about 1/4 percentage point below that projected in February, the difference being largely the result of weaker-than-expected residential construction activity this year.  The unemployment rate is anticipated to edge up to between 4-1/2 and 4-3/4 percent over the balance of this year and about 4-3/4 percent in 2008, a trajectory about the same as the one expected in February.

I turn now to the inflation situation.  Sizable increases in food and energy prices have boosted overall inflation and eroded real incomes in recent months–both unwelcome developments.  As measured by changes in the price index for personal consumption expenditures (PCE inflation), inflation ran at an annual rate of 4.4 percent over the first five months of this year, a rate that, if maintained, would clearly be inconsistent with the objective of price stability. 1 Because monetary policy works with a lag, however, policymakers must focus on the economic outlook.  Food and energy prices tend to be quite volatile, so that, looking forward, core inflation (which excludes food and energy prices) may be a better gauge than overall inflation of underlying inflation trends.  Core inflation has moderated slightly over the past few months, with core PCE inflation coming in at an annual rate of about 2 percent so far this year.

Although the most recent readings on core inflation have been favorable, month-to-month movements in inflation are subject to considerable noise, and some of the recent improvement could also be the result of transitory influences.  However, with long-term inflation expectations contained, futures prices suggesting that investors expect energy and other commodity prices to flatten out, and pressures in both labor and product markets likely to ease modestly, core inflation should edge a bit lower, on net, over the remainder of this year and next year.  The central tendency of FOMC participants’ forecasts for core PCE inflation–2 to 2-1/4 percent for 2007 and 1-3/4 to 2 percent in 2008–is unchanged from February.  If energy prices level off as currently anticipated, overall inflation should slow to a pace close to that of core inflation in coming quarters.

At each of its four meetings so far this year, the FOMC maintained its target for the federal funds rate at 5-1/4 percent, judging that the existing stance of policy was likely to be consistent with growth running near trend and inflation staying on a moderating path.  As always, in determining the appropriate stance of policy, we will be alert to the possibility that the economy is not evolving in the way we currently judge to be the most likely.  One risk to the outlook is that the ongoing housing correction might prove larger than anticipated, with possible spillovers onto consumer spending.  Alternatively, consumer spending, which has advanced relatively vigorously, on balance, in recent quarters, might expand more quickly than expected; in that case, economic growth could rebound to a pace above its trend.  With the level of resource utilization already elevated, the resulting pressures in labor and product markets could lead to increased inflation over time.  Yet another risk is that energy and commodity prices could continue to rise sharply, leading to further increases in headline inflation and, if those costs passed through to the prices of non-energy goods and services, to higher core inflation as well.  Moreover, if inflation were to move higher for an extended period and that increase became embedded in longer-term inflation expectations, the re-establishment of price stability would become more difficult and costly to achieve.  With the level of resource utilization relatively high and with a sustained moderation in inflation pressures yet to be convincingly demonstrated, the FOMC has consistently stated that upside risks to inflation are its predominant policy concern.

*  *  *

In addition to its dual mandate to promote maximum employment and price stability, the Federal Reserve has an important responsibility to help protect consumers in financial services transactions.  For nearly forty years, the Federal Reserve has been active in implementing, interpreting, and enforcing consumer protection laws.  I would like to discuss with you this morning some of our recent initiatives and actions, particularly those related to subprime mortgage lending.

Promoting access to credit and to homeownership are important objectives, and responsible subprime mortgage lending can help advance both goals.  In designing regulations, policymakers should seek to preserve those benefits.  That said, the recent rapid expansion of the subprime market was clearly accompanied by deterioration in underwriting standards and, in some cases, by abusive lending practices and outright fraud.  In addition, some households took on mortgage obligations they could not meet, perhaps in some cases because they did not fully understand the terms.  Financial losses have subsequently induced lenders to tighten their underwriting standards.  Nevertheless, rising delinquencies and foreclosures are creating personal, economic, and social distress for many homeowners and communities–problems that likely will get worse before they get better.

The Federal Reserve is responding to these difficulties at both the national and the local levels.  In coordination with the other federal supervisory agencies, we are encouraging the financial industry to work with borrowers to arrange prudent loan modifications to avoid unnecessary foreclosures.  Federal Reserve Banks around the country are cooperating with community and industry groups that work directly with borrowers having trouble meeting their mortgage obligations.  We continue to work with organizations that provide counseling about mortgage products to current and potential homeowners.  We are also meeting with market participants–including lenders, investors, servicers, and community groups–to discuss their concerns and to gain information about market developments.

We are conducting a top-to-bottom review of possible actions we might take to help prevent recurrence of these problems.  First, we are committed to providing more-effective disclosures to help consumers defend against improper lending.  Three years ago, the Board began a comprehensive review of Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act (TILA).  The initial focus of our review was on disclosures related to credit cards and other revolving credit accounts.  After conducting extensive consumer testing, we issued a proposal in May that would require credit card issuers to provide clearer and easier-to-understand disclosures to customers.  In particular, the new disclosures would highlight applicable rates and fees, particularly penalties that might be imposed.  The proposed rules would also require card issuers to provide forty-five days’ advance notice of a rate increase or any other change in account terms so that consumers will not be surprised by unexpected charges and will have time to explore alternatives.

We are now engaged in a similar review of the TILA rules for mortgage loans.  We began this review last year by holding four public hearings across the country, during which we gathered information on the adequacy of disclosures for mortgages, particularly for nontraditional and adjustable-rate products.  As we did with credit card lending, we will conduct extensive consumer testing of proposed disclosures.  Because the process of designing and testing disclosures involves many trial runs, especially given today’s diverse and sometimes complex credit products, it may take some time to complete our review and propose new disclosures.

However, some other actions can be implemented more quickly.  By the end of the year, we will propose changes to TILA rules to address concerns about mortgage loan advertisements and solicitations that may be incomplete or misleading and to require lenders to provide mortgage disclosures more quickly so that consumers can get the information they need when it is most useful to them.  We already have improved a disclosure that creditors must provide to every applicant for an adjustable-rate mortgage product to explain better the features and risks of these products, such as “payment shock” and rising loan balances.

We are certainly aware, however, that disclosure alone may not be sufficient to protect consumers.  Accordingly, we plan to exercise our authority under the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act (HOEPA) to address specific practices that are unfair or deceptive.  We held a public hearing on June 14 to discuss industry practices, including those pertaining to pre-payment penalties, the use of escrow accounts for taxes and insurance, stated-income and low-documentation lending, and the evaluation of a borrower’s ability to repay.  The discussion and ideas we heard were extremely useful, and we look forward to receiving additional public comments in coming weeks.  Based on the information we are gathering, I expect that the Board will propose additional rules under HOEPA later this year.

In coordination with the other federal supervisory agencies, last year we issued principles-based guidance on nontraditional mortgages, and in June of this year we issued supervisory guidance on subprime lending.  These statements emphasize the fundamental consumer protection principles of sound underwriting and effective disclosures.  In addition, we reviewed our policies related to the examination of nonbank subsidiaries of bank and financial holding companies for compliance with consumer protection laws and guidance.

As a result of that review and following discussions with the Office of Thrift Supervision, the Federal Trade Commission, and state regulators, as represented by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors and the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators, we are launching a cooperative pilot project aimed at expanding consumer protection compliance reviews at selected nondepository lenders with significant subprime mortgage operations.  The reviews will begin in the fourth quarter of this year and will include independent state-licensed mortgage lenders, nondepository mortgage lending subsidiaries of bank and thrift holding companies, and mortgage brokers doing business with or serving as agents of these entities.  The agencies will collaborate in determining the lessons learned and in seeking ways to better cooperate in ensuring effective and consistent examinations of and improved enforcement for nondepository mortgage lenders.  Working together to address jurisdictional issues and to improve information-sharing among agencies, we will seek to prevent abusive and fraudulent lending while ensuring that consumers retain access to beneficial credit.

I believe that the actions I have described today will help address the current problems.  The Federal Reserve looks forward to working with the Congress on these important issues.

1. Despite the recent surge, total PCE inflation is 2.3 percent over the past twelve months. Return to text

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2007 Testimony


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Economics at your fingertips

Optimal tax rate and economic growth. Evidence from Nigeria and South Africa

Olufemi Saibu ()

EuroEconomica, 2015, issue 1(34), 41-50

Abstract: The recent economic crisis had made developing countries to look inward for financial resources to finance development. The readily alternative is the tax revenues however, the possible adverse direct and indirect effects of tax on productivity and work efforts as well as on aggregate consumption had make some African countries (especially Nigeria and South Africa) reluctant in implementing far reaching tax policy reform. This paper examines optimal tax burden and real output growth Nigeria and South Africa, two of the top four economies in Africa. The paper empirically determined what should be the optimal tax rate for Nigeria and South Africa-the two leading economies in Africa. The paper found that nonlinearity hypothesis in the effects of tax in the case of South Africa is rejected while a significant nonlinear relationship is found in the case of Nigeria. The results suggest that the growth-maximizing tax rate is about 15% of per capita GDP for South Africa and 30% for Nigeria. At that tax rate, the economic growth rate would be around 6% and 8% instead of the actual mean growth rate of 2.84% and 4.51% for South Africa and Nigeria respectively. The paper concluded the current tax burden in the two countries may be sub-optimal and may hurt long term sustainable growth process in the two countries.

Keywords: growth; tax structure; fiscal policy, public finance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

CAL 2009: Teachers and technology: Professional development for transforming practice in schools

Captured live at #cal09, posted late.

Caroline Daly, University of London, UK

Described a project that took place in secondary schools as it was felt that's where there was the greatest need for ICT development. Becta talks about a "persistent deficit" - a lack of impact on teachers' everyday practice. - See the Harnessing Technology Review 2008. The majority of teachers are having CPD but it is not having an impact on classroom practice.

Teachers have to be at the centre of developments - teachers are the main agent of change and account has to be taken of their deep seated beliefs. There has to be a change in teachers. There is a feeling that there is a continual need to chase a skills deficit and just as you get the hang of one thing, the next big thing comes along! Alex Couros and the Networked Teacher is an alternative model or the Diffused Teacher model (Davis 2008) where the extreme interconnectedness is acknowledged and it is recognised that just working on ICT in isolation is not always helpful. The researchers developed a programme that did not just teach ICT skills but teacher enquiry is built in from the start as part of their CPD - to challenge how and why it might be used. The programme was practice focused. Teachers had to blog their experience as the project progressed.

Collaboration was a core strategy with many opportunities to talk and discuss. Technologies were not just for production of resources but they were for creative task making and for shared practice and collaboration. For example, teachers were expected to upload their digital pictures to Flickr. Enquiry based practices however can create challenges. For example, it can lead to a desire for fundamental shifts in the ways that learning is organised - something that was not always welcomed by schools. How teachers appropriate new technologies in their personal, social and professional lives is an important pre-requisite for use in their classrooms. Important aspect of the programme is that it was inter-disciplinary.

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Sarah Orne Jewett’s “A White Heron”

First Passage | Second Passage | Third Passage | Fourth Passage | Suggested Writing Activities

A great white heron, photo, S Dhruvaraj, courtesy Wikimedia Commons“…this age frowns upon the romantic, that it is no use to write romance anymore; but dear me, how much of it there is left in every-day life after all. It must be the fault of the writers that such writing is dull, but what shall I do with my ‘White Heron’ now she is written? She isn't a very good magazine story, but I love her, and I mean to keep her for the beginning of my next book and the reason for Mrs. Whitman's pretty cover. —Sarah Orne Jewett, from a letter to Annie Fields, written in early 1886

Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909) was an American writer who hailed from South Berwick, Maine. Born into a well-established New England family, she enjoyed a comfortable childhood in the countryside, which would later contribute to her capacity as a “local color” writer. Local color or regional literature captures the characters, dialect, customs, topography and other features particular to a specific region of the country.

In this way, Jewett’s work found a focus on the environment and the communities of southern Maine to which she was extremely attached. Her fiction is branded by intimate views of her rural Yankee characters unspoiled by city influences. They reflect characteristics that exemplify native New Englanders such as common sense, acceptance of hardship, frugality, and a deep connection to the natural world. Much of Jewett’s writing is peppered with subtle humor and dry wit.

Often heralded as a feminist writer, Jewett never married. She supported herself financially by writing, an option that had opened up for women by the late nineteenth-century. She became kindred spirits with the writer Annie Fields, widow of the editor of The Atlantic. Together, they traveled extensively and interacted with literary circles in Europe. Jewett’s creativity flourished in that arena.

“A White Heron” was a short story originally published in A White Heron and Other Stories by Houghton, Mifflin and Company in 1886, then reprinted in Tales of New England (1890). Excerpts from the story are reproduced here to assist in your close reading of the passages. You are encouraged to read the entire story before beginning this activity. Questions relating to the text are provided beneath each section. Be sure to refer back to the passage or the full story to provide evidence for your answers.

Navigate here for the complete text of Sarah Orne Jewett’s “A White Heron.”

First Passage

The woods were already filled with shadows one June evening, just before eight o'clock, though a bright sunset still glimmered faintly among the trunks of the trees. A little girl was driving home her cow, a plodding, dilatory, provoking creature in her behavior, but a valued companion for all that. They were going away from whatever light there was, and striking deep into the woods, but their feet were familiar with the path, and it was no matter whether their eyes could see it or not.

There was hardly a night the summer through when the old cow could be found waiting at the pasture bars; on the contrary, it was her greatest pleasure to hide herself away among the huckleberry bushes, and though she wore a loud bell she had made the discovery that if one stood perfectly still it would not ring. So Sylvia had to hunt for her until she found her, and call Co' ! Co' ! with never an answering Moo, until her childish patience was quite spent. If the creature had not given good milk and plenty of it, the case would have seemed very different to her owners. Besides, Sylvia had all the time there was, and very little use to make of it. Sometimes in pleasant weather it was a consolation to look upon the cow's pranks as an intelligent attempt to play hide and seek, and as the child had no playmates she lent herself to this amusement with a good deal of zest. Though this chase had been so long that the wary animal herself had given an unusual signal of her whereabouts, Sylvia had only laughed when she came upon Mistress Moolly at the swamp-side, and urged her affectionately homeward with a twig of birch leaves. The old cow was not inclined to wander farther, she even turned in the right direction for once as they left the pasture, and stepped along the road at a good pace. She was quite ready to be milked now, and seldom stopped to browse. Sylvia wondered what her grandmother would say because they were so late. It was a great while since she had left home at half-past five o'clock, but everybody knew the difficulty of making this errand a short one. Mrs. Tilley had chased the hornéd torment too many summer evenings herself to blame anyone else for lingering, and was only thankful as she waited that she had Sylvia, nowadays, to give such valuable assistance. The good woman suspected that Sylvia loitered occasionally on her own account; there never was such a child for straying about out-of-doors since the world was made! Everybody said that it was a good change for a little maid who had tried to grow for eight years in a crowded manufacturing town, but, as for Sylvia herself, it seemed as if she never had been alive at all before she came to live at the farm. She thought often with wistful compassion of a wretched geranium that belonged to a town neighbor.

 "'Afraid of folks,'" old Mrs. Tilley said to herself, with a smile, after she had made the unlikely choice of Sylvia from her daughter's houseful of children, and was returning to the farm. "'Afraid of folks,' they said! I guess she won't be troubled no great with 'em up to the old place!" When they reached the door of the lonely house and stopped to unlock it, and the cat came to purr loudly, and rub against them, a deserted pussy, indeed, but fat with young robins, Sylvia whispered that this was a beautiful place to live in, and she never should wish to go home.

The companions followed the shady wood-road, the cow taking slow steps and the child very fast ones. The cow stopped long at the brook to drink, as if the pasture were not half a swamp, and Sylvia stood still and waited, letting her bare feet cool themselves in the shoal water, while the great twilight moths struck softly against her. She waded on through the brook as the cow moved away, and listened to the thrushes with a heart that beat fast with pleasure. There was a stirring in the great boughs overhead. They were full of little birds and beasts that seemed to be wide awake, and going about their world, or else saying good-night to each other in sleepy twitters. Sylvia herself felt sleepy as she walked along. However, it was not much farther to the house, and the air was soft and sweet. She was not often in the woods so late as this, and it made her feel as if she were a part of the gray shadows and the moving leaves. She was just thinking how long it seemed since she first came to the farm a year ago, and wondering if everything went on in the noisy town just the same as when she was there, the thought of the great red-faced boy who used to chase and frighten her made her hurry along the path to escape from the shadow of the trees.

Questions. Excerpt 1.

  • The story opens in the woods among shadows. Why did the author make that choice in the story? Explain how shadows operate throughout this story. How can shadows be enticing and refreshing, yet also be frightening and dangerous?
  • The entire story is permeated with images of shadow/light/woods. Cite examples of how each of these three entities influences the story. Look up the origin of the name Sylvia. Why did the author use that name for her main character? Identify other ways that the author connects Sylvia with the woods. Explain the dichotomy that appears in this passage—Sylvia is part of the woods, but she also wants to escape them. Why?
  • Why does farm life agree with Sylvia? How does the farm experience differ from her earlier life in the crowded manufacturing town?
  • Why is the image of the “wretched geranium” so powerful? Compose an adjective and a flower name to describe Sylvia in her current life on the farm. Explain your choice.

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Second Passage

Suddenly this little woods-girl is horror-stricken to hear a clear whistle not very far away. Not a bird's-whistle, which would have a sort of friendliness, but a boy's whistle, determined, and somewhat aggressive. Sylvia left the cow to whatever sad fate might await her, and stepped discreetly aside into the bushes, but she was just too late. The enemy had discovered her, and called out in a very cheerful and persuasive tone, "Halloa, little girl, how far is it to the road?" and trembling Sylvia answered almost inaudibly, "A good ways."

She did not dare to look boldly at the tall young man, who carried a gun over his shoulder, but she came out of her bush and again followed the cow, while he walked alongside.

"I have been hunting for some birds," the stranger said kindly, "and I have lost my way, and need a friend very much. Don't be afraid," he added gallantly. "Speak up and tell me what your name is, and whether you think I can spend the night at your house, and go out gunning early in the morning."

Sylvia was more alarmed than before. Would not her grandmother consider her much to blame? But who could have foreseen such an accident as this? It did not seem to be her fault, and she hung her head as if the stem of it were broken, but managed to answer "Sylvy," with much effort when her companion again asked her name.

Mrs. Tilley was standing in the doorway when the trio came into view. The cow gave a loud moo by way of explanation.

"Yes, you'd better speak up for yourself, you old trial! Where'd she tucked herself away this time, Sylvy?" But Sylvia kept an awed silence; she knew by instinct that her grandmother did not comprehend the gravity of the situation. She must be mistaking the stranger for one of the farmer-lads of the region.

The young man stood his gun beside the door, and dropped a lumpy game-bag beside it; then he bade Mrs. Tilley good-evening, and repeated his wayfarer's story, and asked if he could have a night's lodging.

"Put me anywhere you like," he said. "I must be off early in the morning, before day; but I am very hungry, indeed. You can give me some milk at any rate, that's plain."

"Dear sakes, yes," responded the hostess, whose long slumbering hospitality seemed to be easily awakened. "You might fare better if you went out to the main road a mile or so, but you're welcome to what we've got. I'll milk right off, and you make yourself at home. You can sleep on husks or feathers," she proffered graciously. "I raised them all myself. There's good pasturing for geese just below here towards the ma'sh. Now step round and set a plate for the gentleman, Sylvy!" And Sylvia promptly stepped. She was glad to have something to do, and she was hungry herself.

It was a surprise to find so clean and comfortable a little dwelling in this New England wilderness. The young man had known the horrors of its most primitive housekeeping, and the dreary squalor of that level of society which does not rebel at the companionship of hens. This was the best thrift of an old-fashioned farmstead, though on such a small scale that it seemed like a hermitage. He listened eagerly to the old woman's quaint talk, he watched Sylvia's pale face and shining gray eyes with ever growing enthusiasm, and insisted that this was the best supper he had eaten for a month, and afterward the new-made friends sat down in the door-way together while the moon came up.

Soon it would be berry-time, and Sylvia was a great help at picking. The cow was a good milker, though a plaguy thing to keep track of, the hostess gossiped frankly, adding presently that she had buried four children, so Sylvia's mother, and a son (who might be dead) in California were all the children she had left. "Dan, my boy, was a great hand to go gunning," she explained sadly. "I never wanted for pa'tridges or gray squer'ls while he was to home. He's been a great wand'rer, I expect, and he's no hand to write letters. There, I don't blame him, I'd ha' seen the world myself if it had been so I could.

"Sylvy takes after him," the grandmother continued affectionately, after a minute's pause. "There ain't a foot o' ground she don't know her way over, and the wild creaturs counts her one o' themselves. Squer'ls she'll tame to come an' feed right out o' her hands, and all sorts o' birds. Last winter she got the jay-birds to bangeing here, and I believe she'd 'a' scanted herself of her own meals to have plenty to throw out amongst 'em, if I hadn't kep' watch. Anything but crows, I tell her, I'm willin' to help support—though Dan he had a tamed one o' them that did seem to have reason same as folks. It was round here a good spell after he went away. Dan an' his father they didn't hitch, -- but he never held up his head ag'in after Dan had dared him an' gone off."

The guest did not notice this hint of family sorrows in his eager interest in something else.

"So Sylvy knows all about birds, does she?" he exclaimed, as he looked round at the little girl who sat, very demure but increasingly sleepy, in the moonlight. "I am making a collection of birds myself. I have been at it ever since I was a boy." (Mrs. Tilley smiled.) "There are two or three very rare ones I have been hunting for these five years. I mean to get them on my own ground if they can be found."

"Do you cage 'em up?" asked Mrs. Tilley doubtfully, in response to this enthusiastic announcement.

"Oh no, they're stuffed and preserved, dozens and dozens of them," said the ornithologist, "and I have shot or snared every one myself. I caught a glimpse of a white heron a few miles from here on Saturday, and I have followed it in this direction. They have never been found in this district at all. The little white heron, it is," and he turned again to look at Sylvia with the hope of discovering that the rare bird was one of her acquaintances.

But Sylvia was watching a hop-toad in the narrow footpath.

"You would know the heron if you saw it," the stranger continued eagerly. "A queer tall white bird with soft feathers and long thin legs. And it would have a nest perhaps in the top of a high tree, made of sticks, something like a hawk's nest."

Sylvia's heart gave a wild beat; she knew that strange white bird, and had once stolen softly near where it stood in some bright green swamp grass, away over at the other side of the woods. There was an open place where the sunshine always seemed strangely yellow and hot, where tall, nodding rushes grew, and her grandmother had warned her that she might sink in the soft black mud underneath and never be heard of more. Not far beyond were the salt marshes just this side the sea itself, which Sylvia wondered and dreamed much about, but never had seen, whose great voice could sometimes be heard above the noise of the woods on stormy nights.

"I can't think of anything I should like so much as to find that heron's nest," the handsome stranger was saying. "I would give ten dollars to anybody who could show it to me," he added desperately, "and I mean to spend my whole vacation hunting for it if need be. Perhaps it was only migrating, or had been chased out of its own region by some bird of prey."

Mrs. Tilley gave amazed attention to all this, but Sylvia still watched the toad, not divining, as she might have done at some calmer time, that the creature wished to get to its hole under the door-step, and was much hindered by the unusual spectators at that hour of the evening. No amount of thought, that night, could decide how many wished-for treasures the ten dollars, so lightly spoken of, would buy.

The next day the young sportsman hovered about the woods, and Sylvia kept him company, having lost her first fear of the friendly lad, who proved to be most kind and sympathetic. He told her many things about the birds and what they knew and where they lived and what they did with themselves. And he gave her a jack-knife, which she thought as great a treasure as if she were a desert-islander. All day long he did not once make her troubled or afraid except when he brought down some unsuspecting singing creature from its bough. Sylvia would have liked him vastly better without his gun; she could not understand why he killed the very birds he seemed to like so much. But as the day waned, Sylvia still watched the young man with loving admiration. She had never seen anybody so charming and delightful; the woman's heart, asleep in the child, was vaguely thrilled by a dream of love. Some premonition of that great power stirred and swayed these young creatures who traversed the solemn woodlands with soft-footed silent care. They stopped to listen to a bird's song; they pressed forward again eagerly, parting the branches -- speaking to each other rarely and in whispers; the young man going first and Sylvia following, fascinated, a few steps behind, with her gray eyes dark with excitement.

She grieved because the longed-for white heron was elusive, but she did not lead the guest, she only followed, and there was no such thing as speaking first. The sound of her own unquestioned voice would have terrified her—it was hard enough to answer yes or no when there was need of that. At last evening began to fall, and they drove the cow home together, and Sylvia smiled with pleasure when they came to the place where she heard the whistle and was afraid only the night before.

Questions. Excerpt 2.

  • The peace of Sylvia’s existence is broken by the entrance of the stranger. How is the set-up of this story reminiscent of fairytales? Explain.
  • How does Sylvia’s initial fear turn to pleasure in one day?
  • Take one animal or natural entity that figures in the story and identify how the author enlists it to move the story along. (i.e. the cow, the hop-tad frog, the ocean)
  • Why did the author choose not to name the stranger? Describe him using the text references. How would the story change if he had been named? Come up with a name for him that is pertinent to the story line.

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Third Passage

Half a mile from home, at the farther edge of the woods, where the land was highest, a great pine-tree stood, the last of its generation. Whether it was left for a boundary mark, or for what reason, no one could say; the woodchoppers who had felled its mates were dead and gone long ago, and a whole forest of sturdy trees, pines and oaks and maples, had grown again. But the stately head of this old pine towered above them all and made a landmark for sea and shore miles and miles away. Sylvia knew it well. She had always believed that whoever climbed to the top of it could see the ocean; and the little girl had often laid her hand on the great rough trunk and looked up wistfully at those dark boughs that the wind always stirred, no matter how hot and still the air might be below. Now she thought of the tree with a new excitement, for why, if one climbed it at break of day, could not one see all the world, and easily discover from whence the white heron flew, and mark the place, and find the hidden nest?

What a spirit of adventure, what wild ambition! What fancied triumph and delight and glory for the later morning when she could make known the secret! It was almost too real and too great for the childish heart to bear.

All night the door of the little house stood open and the whippoorwills came and sang upon the very step. The young sportsman and his old hostess were sound asleep, but Sylvia's great design kept her broad awake and watching. She forgot to think of sleep. The short summer night seemed as long as the winter darkness, and at last when the whippoorwills ceased, and she was afraid the morning would after all come too soon, she stole out of the house and followed the pasture path through the woods, hastening toward the open ground beyond, listening with a sense of comfort and companionship to the drowsy twitter of a half-awakened bird, whose perch she had jarred in passing. Alas, if the great wave of human interest which flooded for the first time this dull little life should sweep away the satisfactions of an existence heart to heart with nature and the dumb life of the forest!

There was the huge tree asleep yet in the paling moonlight, and small and silly Sylvia began with utmost bravery to mount to the top of it, with tingling, eager blood coursing the channels of her whole frame, with her bare feet and fingers, that pinched and held like bird's claws to the monstrous ladder reaching up, up, almost to the sky itself. First she must mount the white oak tree that grew alongside, where she was almost lost among the dark branches and the green leaves heavy and wet with dew; a bird fluttered off its nest, and a red squirrel ran to and fro and scolded pettishly at the harmless housebreaker. Sylvia felt her way easily. She had often climbed there, and knew that higher still one of the oak's upper branches chafed against the pine trunk, just where its lower boughs were set close together. There, when she made the dangerous pass from one tree to the other, the great enterprise would really begin.

She crept out along the swaying oak limb at last, and took the daring step across into the old pine-tree. The way was harder than she thought; she must reach far and hold fast, the sharp dry twigs caught and held her and scratched her like angry talons, the pitch made her thin little fingers clumsy and stiff as she went round and round the tree's great stem, higher and higher upward. The sparrows and robins in the woods below were beginning to wake and twitter to the dawn, yet it seemed much lighter there aloft in the pine-tree, and the child knew she must hurry if her project were to be of any use.

The tree seemed to lengthen itself out as she went up, and to reach farther and farther upward. It was like a great main-mast to the voyaging earth; it must truly have been amazed that morning through all its ponderous frame as it felt this determined spark of human spirit wending its way from higher branch to branch. Who knows how steadily the least twigs held themselves to advantage this light, weak creature on her way! The old pine must have loved his new dependent. More than all the hawks, and bats, and moths, and even the sweet voiced thrushes, was the brave, beating heart of the solitary gray-eyed child. And the tree stood still and frowned away the winds that June morning while the dawn grew bright in the east.

Sylvia's face was like a pale star, if one had seen it from the ground, when the last thorny bough was past, and she stood trembling and tired but wholly triumphant, high in the tree-top. Yes, there was the sea with the dawning sun making a golden dazzle over it, and toward that glorious east flew two hawks with slow-moving pinions. How low they looked in the air from that height when one had only seen them before far up, and dark against the blue sky. Their gray feathers were as soft as moths; they seemed only a little way from the tree, and Sylvia felt as if she too could go flying away among the clouds. Westward, the woodlands and farms reached miles and miles into the distance; here and there were church steeples, and white villages, truly it was a vast and awesome world.

 The birds sang louder and louder. At last the sun came up bewilderingly bright. Sylvia could see the white sails of ships out at sea, and the clouds that were purple and rose-colored and yellow at first began to fade away. Where was the white heron's nest in the sea of green branches, and was this wonderful sight and pageant of the world the only reward for having climbed to such a giddy height? Now look down again, Sylvia, where the green marsh is set among the shining birches and dark hemlocks; there where you saw the white heron once you will see him again; look, look! a white spot of him like a single floating feather comes up from the dead hemlock and grows larger, and rises, and comes close at last, and goes by the landmark pine with steady sweep of wing and outstretched slender neck and crested head. And wait! wait! do not move a foot or a finger, little girl, do not send an arrow of light and consciousness from your two eager eyes, for the heron has perched on a pine bough not far beyond yours, and cries back to his mate on the nest and plumes his feathers for the new day!

The child gives a long sigh a minute later when a company of shouting cat-birds comes also to the tree, and vexed by their fluttering and lawlessness the solemn heron goes away. She knows his secret now, the wild, light, slender bird that floats and wavers, and goes back like an arrow presently to his home in the green world beneath. Then Sylvia, well satisfied, makes her perilous way down again, not daring to look far below the branch she stands on, ready to cry sometimes because her fingers ache and her lamed feet slip. Wondering over and over again what the stranger would say to her, and what he would think when she told him how to find his way straight to the heron's nest.

Questions. Excerpt 3.

  • What is the tone of this excerpt? What words and expressions does the author use to create that?
  • This section opens with a passage about the great pine tree. Where did Sylvia get the idea to climb it? What does the tree represent to her? What is her intention in climbing it now? How does the author render the tree into an anthropomorphic character? What feeling and thoughts does the tree have regarding its climber?
  • How is Sylvia acting as a “harmless housebreaker” by climbing the great pine tree? Is this an apt image for her? Why?
  • In this story, the great pine tree acts like an archetype, an “axis-mundi” or pole of the world. Research the term and then identify descriptive phrases that reflect the author’s use of this powerful symbol. Explain its larger purpose in the story.

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Fourth Passage

Sylvy, Sylvy!" called the busy old grandmother again and again, but nobody answered, and the small husk bed was empty and Sylvia had disappeared.

The guest waked from a dream, and remembering his day's pleasure hurried to dress himself that it might sooner begin. He was sure from the way the shy little girl looked once or twice yesterday that she had at least seen the white heron, and now she must really be made to tell. Here she comes now, paler than ever, and her worn old frock is torn and tattered, and smeared with pine pitch. The grandmother and the sportsman stand in the door together and question her, and the splendid moment has come to speak of the dead hemlock-tree by the green marsh.

But Sylvia does not speak after all, though the old grandmother fretfully rebukes her, and the young man's kind, appealing eyes are looking straight in her own. He can make them rich with money; he has promised it, and they are poor now. He is so well worth making happy, and he waits to hear the story she can tell.

No, she must keep silence! What is it that suddenly forbids her and makes her dumb? Has she been nine years growing and now, when the great world for the first time puts out a hand to her, must she thrust it aside for a bird's sake? The murmur of the pine's green branches is in her ears, she remembers how the white heron came flying through the golden air and how they watched the sea and the morning together, and Sylvia cannot speak; she cannot tell the heron's secret and give its life away.

Dear loyalty, that suffered a sharp pang as the guest went away disappointed later in the day that could have served and followed him and loved him as a dog loves! Many a night Sylvia heard the echo of his whistle haunting the pasture path as she came home with the loitering cow. She forgot even her sorrow at the sharp report of his gun and the sight of thrushes and sparrows dropping silent to the ground, their songs hushed and their pretty feathers stained and wet with blood. Were the birds better friends than their hunter might have been, -- who can tell? Whatever treasures were lost to her, woodlands and summer-time, remember! Bring your gifts and graces and tell your secrets to this lonely country child!

Questions. Excerpt 4.

  • This passage opens with Sylvia’s grandmother calling her home with her pet name, “Sylvy.” How has the child changed upon arriving home from her night on the tree? Discuss the plot. Show how this storyline, though deceptively simple, contains many complexities under the surface. Do you agree this can be read as a coming-of-age story? Does it depict a kind initiation for the country child? Why? How?
  • Explain how Jewett imbues living things in the story with mystical qualities. Select one example and show evidence from the text. Discuss how can this story be considered a signature representative of the school of New England Realism, when the story is filled with such supernatural aspects?
  • How does Sylvia’s attraction to the stranger complicate the story? Or does that conflict actually create the story?
  • What does Sylvia value? How does the author convey the place of these values in her inner life? Her outer life?
  • Why does Sylvia remain silent? How is that silence more powerful than a denial?
  • Write a response to the question posed at the end of the story: “Were the birds better friends than their hunter might have been— who can tell?”
  • Discuss colors as they appears in the story. Write about the author’s symbolic use of them. Select one and trace its progression as the author uses it in various ways.
  • Discus the concept of loyalty as it appears in this story. Does Sylvia prove herself loyal? To what or to whom?

Suggested Writing Activities

  •  Read the reviews of “A White Heron” dating back to when it was published in 1866. Draw phrases from the excerpts to support the view that this story belongs to literary realism. Draw phrases from the excerpts concerning the story as a reflection of literary romanticism.

Write an essay identifying which it is—an example of realism or an example of romanticism?

  • Read the idyllic opening paragraphs of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, then compare it to the opening passage of “A White Heron”:

There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings. The town lay in the midst of a checkerboard of prosperous farms, with fields of grain and hillsides of orchards where, in spring, white clouds of bloom drifted above the green fields. In autumn, oak and maple and birch set up a blaze of color that flamed and flickered across a backdrop of pines. Then foxes barked in the hills and deer silently crossed the fields, half hidden in the mists of the fall mornings. Along the roads, laurel, viburnum and alder, great ferns and wildflowers delighted the traveler’s eye through much of the year. Even in winter the roadsides were places of beauty, where countless birds came to feed on the berries and on the seed heads of the dried weeds rising above the snow. The countryside was, in fact, famous for the abundance and variety of its bird life, and when the flood of migrants was pouring through in spring and fall people traveled from great distances to observe them. Others came to fish the streams, which flowed clear and cold out of the hills and contained shady pools where trout lay. So it had been from the days many years ago when the first settlers raised their houses, sank their wells, and built their barns.

Write an essay describing how these two passages are similar and how are they different. Consider the different function of each piece. Consider how each relates to their author’s unique message and story.

  • Consider this passage by Roger Tory Peterson (Audubon Birds of America, 1981) about the kind of bird featured in the story:

At the beginning of this century [20th] the little snowy, loveliest of all American herons, was on the way out. Its exquisite plumes, called “aigrettes” by the trade, were worth $32 an ounce, twice their weight in gold. Every heronry was ferreted out and destroyed. As the birds bore these nuptial sprays only at nesting time, the young birds, bereaved of their parents, perished too, and the stench of death hung over every colony. Where there had been hundreds of thousands of egrets in our southern states there soon remained but a few hundred.... Under protection . . . Today snowies by the scores of thousands now nest north to the Great Lakes and southern New England.

Using the National Audubon Society, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, or similar website, investigate the habits and life cycle of the white heron or great egret. Note that the National Audubon Society actually selected the image of the white heron as its logo in 1953.

Write an essay telling why you think the author chose this type of bird for the story. What aspects of the bird contribute to the plot of the narrative? Bring up evidence from the text as well as evidence from your outside research to support your answer.

  • How would it be a different story if Sylvia had been older?

Rewrite the narrative with the same events, but set it at a future point in time when Sylvia has become a teenager or young woman. Model your story on Jewett’s style of writing and tone. Consider if the character would have made the same choice at a later point in time with more life experience. If so, why? Your conclusion may be different from Jewett’s.

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*Note to the teacher: This exercise aligns with Common Core State Standard English Language Arts exemplar text for grades 11–CCR. (Appendix B.)


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UNC Environment, Health & Safety

Safe Passages

UNC Environment, Health & Safety
1120 Estes Drive Extension, CB #1650
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1650

Welcome from the Fire Marshal

Hello Emergency Coordinators –

My name is David Guynn, and I’m the new Fire Marshal at UNC-Chapel Hill.

While I’ve spent the majority of my career in the fire service, I originally came to Carolina as a graduate student. Because I’ve been a member of this community for several years, I’ve always had a great appreciation for the way that UNC’s employees support the mission of the University. Since I joined UNC as the Fire Marshal, however, I have been even more impressed with the dedication that our Emergency Coordinators exhibit for the safety of everyone at Carolina. Thank you for your hard work!

One of my primary goals as Fire Marshal is to continue to support your work as an Emergency Coordinator by improving training and emergency planning at the departmental level and by getting Emergency Coordinators more involved in our emergency preparedness efforts within Environment, Health and Safety. Our group will depend on you for your knowledge of your individual departments as we strive to make Carolina a safe and healthy place to teach, learn and serve.

The main theme of this newsletter, and our goal with the Emergency Coordinator program over the next year, is Emergency Action Planning. It is our responsibility (and a legal requirement) that we provide employees and building occupants with detailed plans for what to do during an emergency. The Emergency Action Planning worksheet discussed in this newsletter is a first step in developing a functional emergency plan for each department on campus. Our group looks forward to working with you in this process.

I hope to meet you all over the next several months. If I can be of any assistance to you in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact me via e-mail at dtguynn@ehs.unc.edu or by telephone at 919-962-5708.

David Guynn
University Fire Marshal

Caring About Safety is a Two-Letter Word
Emergency Coordinator!

Emergency Coordinators (ECs) help University departments respond to emergencies by assisting people as they leave the building, including persons who have a disability. ECs take a head count at the assembly area and report missing persons to the Emergency Command. ECs also help in the planning stages to develop a good emergency action plan. Our Emergency Coordinators help keep our students, faculty, and staff safe every day.

Starting in 2016, we will be contacting campus departments to complete an Emergency Action Plan Worksheet and to submit it to Environment, Health and Safety for review and approval. Federal and State regulations require that an employer provide an emergency action plan.  The EAP must be in writing, kept in the workplace, and available to employees for review.  When you receive our phone call or email, please plan to look over the EAP, and talk to your peers about how your workplace can best be represented on the worksheet template that EHS has developed for you.

More Information

• Make Fire Safety Plans for Your Department

• When the Fire Alarm Activates: ECs Should...

• Prepare for Evacuation Ahead of Time

• Shelter in Place

• Do You Need an Emergency Coordinator Vest?

• Emergency Warning Poster

• Get Those Nagging Evacuation Questions Answered!


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Sunday , February 25 2018
Home | Opinion | Op-Ed: The End Credits and The Gig Economy

Op-Ed: The End Credits and The Gig Economy

I am one of those people that sit through an entire movie. When I say ENTIRE movie, I mean all of the credits. I was doing that long before the Marvel Comic movies added those cool little stingers at the end.

I was watching when the credits would scroll all the way through, and would be rewarded with: “James Bond will return in The Spy Who Loved Me: Summer 1977” or something to that effect. (I am still waiting for Doc Savage: Archenemy of Evil, promised to me in 1975 at the end of Doc Savage: Man of Bronze.)

And while the structure of the credit scroll has basically not changed, one thing I have noticed is that the end credits have gotten longer. Sometimes a full ten minutes is taken to get from movie’s final scene to the typical final phrase “Any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. And the soundtrack is available on Sony Records. And James Bond will return in 2019.”

Most people don’t pay much attention to the end credits. However, a lot can be learned from watching those seemingly never ending list of names. In the latest Star Wars movie “The Last Jedi” there were about 1800 people involved in the creation of that movie according to the IMDB website, not counting the cast.

That means about 2000 or so people worked together to create a single work. Imagine wrangling 2000 people to work on a single project. And not only were these people working all at different jobs, they also were working in different countries: Croatia, United States, United Kingdom, Bolivia and Ireland. At least 16 separate companies worked just on the special effects.

A russian arm.

Along with the usual cast and credits that you are familiar with such as Producers, Executive Producers, Directors, lighting technicians and such, there were jobs such as “4D effects editor,” “russian arm operator,” “phantom camera technician” and “creature puppeteer.”

If you needed a “4D effects editor”, or a “russian arm operator” where would you go? Creature puppeteer? Probably not someone that you have on staff. You would hire a specialist for a short period of time, and when the job, or gig, was over, they would go on their way to their next job.

Not necessarily your next job. You may hire them again, or you may not.

Welcome to the “gig economy,” where short term, temporary free lance employees come to work “as needed” but are not attached to a company. The gig can be huge, like the 2000 people that came together to create “The Last Jedi,” (TLJ) or it can be small like a single Uber driver.

The gig economy where groups of people come together, work collaboratively on a project, and then go their own ways, when done differs greatly from the economy that most people are familiar with. People working on a gig may work together again or they may not. Typically, all gigs are temporary.

This growing freelance job market is made possible by advances of digital technology, where workers no longer have to be tied down to a geographical location to get a job done. Special effects artists working on TLJ came from all over the world, including China, England and California. (Ever heard of a global economy? Movie making is a great example of that in action.) Ten special effects companies and dozens of artists, working across the globe, might be called upon to complete a single scene lasting only seconds in the final version of the movie.

There is mounting evidence that our future workforce will be heavily made up of freelance or “gig workers.” Gig workers make up close to 34% of the current economy according to Intuit, and are expected to make up to 40% of all US workers by the end of 2020.

Businesses like the idea of a gig workforce because they do not have to keep highly paid specialist on staff taking up offices, for just occasional work. Temporary workers don’t require all of those benefits that a full time worker requires such as insurance and retirement plans. They also have a much larger workforce to choose from, essentially everyone that can do that particular job anywhere on the planet. Gig employees like the idea of the freedom that gig work entails. They can follow the work that they are passionate for, are not bound to the drudgery of working for a single company, and can set their own hours.

While we have always had some amount of the workforce working as “freelance” workers, most of them have been sort of lone wolves and certainly did not represent the percentage of workers that are now in that type of job situation.

NPR recently did a with a segment on the “Contract Worker” which is essentially the same idea as a gig worker. This one focused on contracted lawyers, and let’s just say, the days of a single lawyer, in a local office are numbered.

How does education need to respond to preparing our students for this new way of doing business? A recent blog post by Emily Liebtag suggests that educators need to teach students to adapt to the changing workplace dynamics by making sure that students are able to find a passion that they are willing to make an impact in.

They need to be given meaningful problems and projects that are not simply focused on making money and are actually given the opportunity to create short term projects that mimic the “gigs” they will encounter in the world outside.

Along with Liebtag’s ideas, students also need to be well versed in how to work collaboratively, communicate clearly, and critically think with others, all skills that every single one of the people working on The Last Jedi had to been able to do and are essential in a gig economy. Today, we educate students to do A JOB for a long period of time.

We need to switch to teaching students how to pivot between differing jobs without losing a step. We all saw what happened during the Great Recession when people trained to do a single job were displaced and could not find employment because they were not flexible enough to learn a new type of job.

The workforce of the near future will be all about uncertainty, automation, technology infusion and people switching jobs from one month to the next. The idea of a “career” as we now define it might become more cloudy as well.

How we prepare our students to function in that type of economic environment will go a long way in determining their success and whether or not we will ever see James Bond returning in the Summer of 2035 or Doc Savage: Archenemy of Evil.

I can’t wait.

Author: Tim Holt is an educator and writer, with over 33 years experience in education and opines on education-related topics here and on his own award-winning blog: HoltThink. He values your feedback. Feel free to leave a comment.  Read his previous columns here.

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Guest Columnists are residents who feel so strongly about a news event, a story or some other issue, that they decided to put their thoughts to paper - or computer screens. If you'd like to submit a column, please contact us at

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Op-Ed: Teachers Who Don’t Value Learning New Things

I once had an office that was right outside the door where people would bring …


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text:
Sayre of Apomixis

I traveled for six days before reaching the desolate Apomixis Manor. I finally saw it, it’s small stone structure fragile against the wind. As I approached it, the level of decay the building had suffered over the years became slightly distressing. The roof of the second floor had long since been abandoned, and the ceiling of the ground base was reinforced with nothing but hay to keep the rain out. It all looked as though it might fall apart at any moment.

I knocked at the dusty and moldy front door and received no answer. I was about to start calling out, when I heard a sudden, gay laughter emerge from the back of the manor; it pierced the gloomy atmosphere with a sudden brand of warmth. Following the voice, I walked along a high and overbearing hedge trying to circle the enclosed garden area. I suddenly came upon a serious looking man in an outdated soldiers uniform. He took a moment to look me over and said:

“Are you lost, sir? The last village is long passed west and there is nothing around here expect the hills and the cliffs.”

“I don’t think I am lost.” I said. I showed him the picture I had of Apomixis, given, from over 20 years ago.
“I was told that Lady Sayre is…” I chose my word wisely, “…housed here. I have news she needs to hear. Do you happen to be Private Gull?”

The man was satisfied with my answer, turned around and led me to the back of the manor, “We have waited a long time for news.”

The knowledge of my message sank heavily within me. “When was the last time?”

“About 16 years ago. Back when we asked for provisions. You know,” he sighed, stopping to look up at the broken stone structure. “I was still trying to save the original roof back then.” We turned the corner to see the ajar back door, which had no doubt become the usual point of entry. He continued: “Mrs. Celina, oh, she’s been wanting those tomato seeds. And the Lady, she had wanted a dog at the time.”

We entered a small and humid kitchen. There were small bouquets, garlands and wreaths of wild flowers everywhere, livening up the dark, mossy stone. Jars of honeys, conserves, and jams lined the back wall, gleaming in the sunlight. A table with three chairs, that seemed to have been fixed with leftover materials time and time again, were set close to the door where the spring air invaded. A small fire burned in the hearth, crackling happily.

An elderly woman entered from the right, fresh fruits caught up in her apron. When she saw me, she let go of her plunder, fruit bounced and rolled on the floor.
“A visitor?” she said with disbelief. She could only be Mrs. Celina.

“News for the Lady,” Gull said, still standing next to me said.

“I’ll prepare some tea,” the elder said nervously. “Fetch her from the garden” she ordered the soldier.

I followed him through a small corridor and out a side door into the Apomixis yard. He went ahead of me and disappeared in a mass of vegetation; flowers grew in every corner, vegetables claimed plots of land in all areas, trees grew splendidly, creating lapses of shade and light and making the small garden seem like a large forest. I saw goats eating shrubbery happily, chickens wandering freely, and a cat purring softly on a patch of grass. Clouds overhead parted, revealing patches of bright blue sky and adding a warm glow to the scene. An unseen cicada serenaded the light, while a honey-bee hive in a flowery expanse sung the harmonies.

I was mesmerised; this is how they had survived all this time this far from civilization. Despite their misfortune, the three isolated here had built a paradise, a wonder hidden from the rest of the world. Some people feel the rain, others just get wet.

The Private then emerged from the thicket with Lady Sayre, wearing a lightweight gown in shades of pink, no doubt dyed with flower colouring. She must have been in her early forties, but seemed to have kept herself young through the years. She smiled and welcomed me, invited me back indoors. I regretted leaving the sight of the beautiful garden behind.

We sat at the official dining room of the house, which obviously hadn’t been used in years. Mrs. Celina seemed to have hastily dusted it, but it still felt stuffy and like forced formality. After allowing the three inhabitants of Apomixis to take a sip of tea, I cut to the chase.

“Lady Sayre, 19 years ago, in the role of what can only be described as ‘hostage’, you, your personal nurse Mrs. Celina, and your cousin who was enrolled in the national army, Private Gull, were to be housed here until conflicts were resolved.”

They don’t really react; they know all this already. I take a deep breath and continue.

“About three years later, those who had negotiated your position were executed, without mentioning your situation, or your whereabouts. Your home city was ravaged by invaders, and your immediate family was unfortunately killed. Not long after that, a peace was brokered, and your position as detainee was fully forfeited, if not completely…forgotten.”

She speaks promptly: “Thank you very much for bringing me news of my family…though I will grieve greatly, I had of course imagined such an end by now.”

She doesn’t seem to realize what I am trying to explain.

“I humbly apologize if I have not been clear…You could have left this house 16 years ago without triggering any consequences. No one remembered you were locked away, the discovery was only made a few days ago.
You are free, Lady Sayre. I am authorized to bring you back to the capital at once, and a rather generous compensation will be given for this horrible mistake.”

The Private seemed somewhat uncomfortable, while the elder was smiling to herself and shaking her head stubbornly. The Lady looked at me like I were a naïve child.

“I think, sir,” she said with a powerful voice, “that the first order of business regarding compensation, would be to fulfill our original order.”

I looked at her slightly confused.

“Mrs. Celina really would appreciate a stock of tomato seeds, and a large guard dog of a friendly breed would be incredibly beneficial.”

“Your original order? But, you don’t need to live here anym-”

“Sir,” she slammed as she stood, her chin high.

“Return from where you came, and get me what I need to fix my home!”

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Official EFT Tutorial

PART III - Advanced: Additional Tapping Tools & Refinements

New Insights, Behaviors & Beliefs Are Routine With EFT

EFT Tapping Cognitive Shift Image
Cognitive Shift

A major sign of improvement within traditional therapy is the cognitive shift. When a client has a new insight, exhibits new behavior, or demonstrates a new belief about their issue, then something significant has shifted in their perception and this is seen as evidence that emotional healing or growth has occurred.

In traditional therapy, these cognitive shifts often come after months or years of verbalizing and processing, but with EFT they can show up in every session.  In fact, with EFT they occur behind the scenes almost every time you give relief to a Specific Event.  That is why the event is no longer bothersome.  The client now has a different perception about it as previous aspects such as fear, guilt or anger shift in peaceful directions.

These behind the scenes cognitive shifts become routine within EFT sessions and often remain undiscussed.  However, using the Tell the Story Technique, you will soon discover that once a significant amount of intensity has been released, your client may say something that completely contradicts her original perception of the event.

For example, someone who was absolutely irate with their boss at the beginning of a session might suddenly say “well, I can understand why he did that.”  Or someone who was humiliated in front of their friends at a party might say “you know, that must have been pretty funny.” These are signs that the energy system has been realigned and your client has found some degree of peace with that event.

The video below gives you an in-depth discussion of this vital topic with a live audience.  This is followed by an actual session with Pamela and concludes with a narrative by me emphasizing the cognitive shift that occurred.  Note that she starts by saying that God doesn't think she is worthy but later (after tapping) says that that belief "doesn't make any sense."

These moments will often happen as your client recounts the story for the second or third time while you are looking for those last signs of intensity. At that point, the most appropriate thing to do is ask for a 0-10 intensity rating for that aspect, or for that crescendo, or for the whole event.  It will often be zero and you can proceed with testing methods for confirmation.

You will also encounter other signs that your work has been successful, the most common being yawns, sighs, or genuine laughter.  These can happen at any time in the session and are usually signs that the energy has shifted in some way.  My favorite of these is the sigh and this brief video with give you three examples from live sessions.

If you are in the middle of a tapping round or EFT session and your client either yawns or lets out a big sigh, complete the round and ask for a 0-10 level. You might also ask your client if they felt any significant differences in how they feel about the event. These responses do not always indicate a cognitive shift, but you can certainly confirm that with testing.

You may also hear your client say that they feel extremely relaxed, almost as though they want to go to sleep.  That is common too, especially after a long session or continued work. We get so used to carrying around these disruptions that once we start releasing them, it can take the body some time to catch up.

Cognitive shifts are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and provide exciting evidence that we are indeed getting results. The best part is that you don’t need any more than the EFT basics to produce them. Look for them in your sessions, and as always, test to confirm.

In this article you learned about Cognitive Shifts as a sign that EFT is delivering results.

  • A Cognitive Shift is known by traditional therapists as a new insight or a change in behaviors or beliefs. It is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
  • We see these shifts most often when all the Aspects have been cleared from a Specific Event. The client will simply blurt out a healthy new perspective that completely contradicts their original perspective.
  • Sometimes these shifts will happen without any evidence from the client. Asking more questions or using good Testing Methods will often bring the cognitive shifts out into the open.
  • Sighing, yawning, or genuine laughter are also signs that disruptions are being released and perspectives may be shifting. Ask questions or apply Testing Methods to confirm.

© Gary and Tina Craig
All Rights Reserved


text:
Innocent XI…

…judges Francis’ idea on the pastor

  • It is a condemned error to seek a proximate occasion for sinning for our good or that of a neighbor

[Condemned error] It is permitted to seek directly the proximate occasion for sinning for a spiritual or temporal good of our own or of a neighbor. […] All condemned and prohibited, as they are here expressed, at least as scandalous and in practice pernicious. (Denzinger-Hünermann 2163. Innocent XI, Various errors on moral subjects II, condemned in a decree of the Holy Office, March 4, 1679)

…judges Francis’ idea on the essence of divinity

  • Condemned: the doctrine of Molinos, as pantheist theology

[Condemned Error:] By doing nothing the soul annihilates itself and returns to its beginning and to its origin, which is the essence of God, in which it remains transformed and divinized, and God then remains in Himself, because then the two things are no more united, but are one alone, and in this manner God lives and reigns in us, and the soul annihilates itself in operative being. (Denzinger-Hünermann 2205. Errors of Miguel Molinos in the Constitution Coelestis Pastor by Innocence XI, Nov. 20, 1687)

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Hoang Tu Duy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Duy Hoang)
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Duy Hoang
Native name Hoàng Tứ Duy
Born (1971-11-29) November 29, 1971 (age 46)
Saigon, Vietnam
Nationality Vietnamese
Occupation spokesperson, writer, democracy activist

Hoàng Tứ Duy (chữ Hán: ; also known as Duy "Dan" Hoang) is a Vietnamese-born American democracy activist. He is currently the spokesperson for Viet Tan, an unsanctioned political movement in Vietnam.[1] Before becoming a full-time democracy activist, he worked as an investment banker for over 10 years. He has testified before US Congressional committees on human rights issues and written for the Wall Street Journal, Asia Times Online and leading Vietnamese-language publications.

He currently lives in Washington, D.C.

Early life and career

Born in Saigon, he left Vietnam in April 1975 at the age of three. He holds a B.A. from the University of California, Davis and an MBA from the University of Chicago.[2]

He was a principal financial officer at the International Finance Corporation, the private-sector arm of the World Bank, where he was responsible for IFC's local currency financing programs in Asia and Eastern Europe. He was hired to head Deutsche Bank's investment banking activities in Vietnam in 2007. However, he was reportedly denied entry by government authorities.[3]

He has a long history of organizing for the Vietnamese community,[4] actively serving as board member and organizer.

He is a co-founder and former National Co-chair for the Vietnamese American National Gala (VANG),[5] a national annual celebration of Vietnamese heritage and pride.

He is a co-founder of VOICE, a non-profit organization that focuses on advocacy for the protection of Vietnamese refugees, as well as addressing other issues confronting the conscience of our community.[6]

He also served on the board of Vietnamese-American Public Affairs Committee, a grassroots organization aiming to empower Vietnamese Americans through civic engagement.[7] As a VPAC member, he testified before the House Committee on Ways and Means about US-Vietnam trade relations.[8]

Pro-democracy activism

Duy quit his career as an investment banker to join Viet Tan full-time in 2007.[9] He has been a member of the leadership since 2001, currently serving as the spokesperson.[10]

He is active on raising awareness about the dangers of bauxite mining in the Central Highlands in Vietnam.[11] He has testified before US Congressional committees on human rights issues, calling on the international community to support democratic reforms in Vietnam.[12]

As the number of Internet users reached critical mass in Vietnam and the government ramps up its crackdown on bloggers and digital activists,[13] Viet Tan launched the Internet Freedom Campaign,[14] with Duy being an outspoken advocate for Vietnamese netizens to access the net. He testified before a Congressional Briefing on Internet Freedom in Vietnam[15] and spoken to conferences on strategies to promote access.[16]

See also

  1. ^ "Viet Tan".
  2. ^ "Geneva Summit 2010 Speakers Profile". Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  3. ^ Shawn, Crispin (January 18, 2008). "Democratic pebble in Vietnam's shoe". Asia Times. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  4. ^ "Vietnamese Professionals Society North American Conference 2004". VPS. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  5. ^ "Vietnamese American National Gala Recognizes the Contributions of Vietnamese Americans; 'Celebrating Three Decades of Progress'". Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  6. ^ "VOICE Summer 2009 Newsletter" (PDF).
  7. ^ "Refugees From Vietnam Unimpressed With Kerry". CNS News.
  8. ^ "Hearing before the Committee on Ways and Means, 106th Congress" (PDF). Committee on Ways and Means. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  9. ^ "Pro-reform party coddled in US, branded terrorists in Vietnam". AFP. 2007-06-16. Archived from the original on October 27, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-19.
  10. ^ "Leadership of Viet Tan". Viet Tan. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  11. ^ "Vietnam mining project sparks protests". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  12. ^ "Testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight" (PDF). Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  13. ^ "Country Spotlight: Vietnam". Alliance of Youth Movements. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  14. ^ "Viet Tan's Internet Freedom Campaign". Viet Tan. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  15. ^ "Congressional Briefing on Internet Freedom in Vietnam". Viet Tan. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  16. ^ "Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy: Internet Security, Internet Freedom". Retrieved 31 October 2011.

External links