Lady Bird Johnson's Highway Beautification Project

"The biggest decision of all concerns our highways, the greatest public works program of any civilization... our challenge is to see that these highways are not only superbly functional, but also in harmony with our landscape and a pleasant asset to our lives.  After all, this is a civilization where our favorite recreation is driving for pleasure." (Lady Bird Johnson)

Billboards galore courtesy https://www.yahoo.com/style/bp/oct-22-1965-highway-beautification-act-becomes-law-165215592.html.

With the construction of the Interstate Highway system overseen by President Eisenhower came the growth of the billboard industry, a force more powerful in the United States than any other save the Rifle Association.  The highways had become peppered with junkyards and billboards to the detriment of nature. Lady Bird Johnson, who accompanied her husband President Johnson on road trips from their Texas ranch to the White House, was tired of seeing the endless ads on the nation's highways.  President Johnson explained:  "We have placed a wall of civilization between us and the beauty of our countryside."

She mounted a campaign to curb the billboards amid fierce opposition.  Senator Robert Dole sarcastically called it "Lady Bird's Bill" and motioned that the word "Secretary of Commerce" be replaced in the Act with "Lady Bird", a motion that lost by only one voice vote.  But President Johnson would not be deterred, telling his staff:  "You know I love that woman and she wants that Beautification Act...and by God we're going to get it for her."  The act finally passed, after much debate, on October 22 at 1 am.

Decades later, there are mixed emotions about the Lady Bird's Bill.  Some say that while the goal of eliminating junkyards along the highways was achieved, the goal of eliminating billboards failed. Today, billboards are twice as big as they were in the 1960's.  The number of billboards has increased rather than decreased (450,000 today versus 330,000 in 1965).  Seventy thousand of the "non-conforming billboards" still stand today according to the New York Times.  Some of them which were knocked down by Hurricane Katrina. The billboard industry lobbied fiercely to get them rebuilt. (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/20/opinion/20wright.html).  

When new billboards are built, often trees are cut down.  Twenty of the most common birds have lost half their population in the past 50 years since Lady Bird's Bill first was signed.  But the billboard industry can take nothing away from Lady Bird's initiative.  Her heart was in the right place.

Poppies and flowers in South Carolina courtesy http://humanflowerproject.com/index.php/weblog/comments/lady_birds_wild_highways/.

Kathleen Blanco's Address to the Louisiana State Legislature

"I want the world to know what I know:  We are brave.  We are resilient.  We will prevail." 

(Kathleen Blanco)

In the days, weeks and months after Hurricane Katrina, the nation was in a state of shock.  Over 1800 people died in the Category 5 storm which pounded New Orleans on August 29, 2005.  The Louisiana government scrambled to gather resources to aid the victims of the tragedy.  FEMA trailers were temporarily set up to house more than a million displaced persons.  Wards had to be drained.  Levees had to be reconstructed.  Roads had to be rebuilt.  Governor Kathleen Blanco, a somber look on her face, stood before the Louisiana Legislature on September 14 with this message:

"Nearly two weeks ago, Katrina tore across Southeast Louisiana leaving a path of physical destruction and human tragedy unprecedented in our nation's history.  Tonight, foremost in our thoughts are the families who were literally ripped apart by the storm.  Over the past few days, I have met brothers separated from sisters, mothers and fathers searching for children, and children who have seen things no child should have to witness.

As a mother, a sister and a daughter, my heart goes out to every family.  And we all know that family stretches beyond blood to embrace the neighbourhoods and communities that form the fabric of our lives.

...I must offer thanks on behalf of a grateful state.  When I called on the people of Louisiana to respond they rallied in overwhelming numbers.  First responders and ordinary citizens put aside concerns for their own safety and demonstrated a heroic courage...They were joined by an unprecedented brigade of ordinary citizens who drove a fleet of school buses we commandeered , and they steered hundreds of private boats down flooded streets and toiled without pause to rescue at least 70,000 people...I want the world to know that:  We are brave.  We are resilient.  We will prevail.  

...To anyone who even suggests that this great city should not be rebuilt, hear this and hear it well:  We will rebuild.  Americans rebuilt Washington after the British burned it to the ground.  We rebuilt Chicago after the Great Fire.  We rebuilt San Francisco after the earthquake.  And we are rebuilding New York City after 9/11.  We will rebuild New Orleans and the surrounding parishes, because that is what Americans do."  

Dear God, please bless the people of the state of Louisiana, and bring all of our sons and daughters safely home. (http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/kathleenblancokatrina.htm)

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina circa 2005 courtesy http://www.nairaland.com/2493596/hurricane-katrina.

Laura Bush: UN Ambassador for Decade of Literacy

"I have found the most valuable thing in my wallet is my library card."
(Laura Bush)

Former First Lady Laura Bush was born in 1946 in Midland, Texas where her mother taught her the importance of reading from an early age.  "When I was a little girl, my mother used to read stories to me.  I have loved books and going to the library ever since.  In the summers, I liked to spend afternoons reading in the library.  I enjoyed the Little House on the Prairie Books and Little Women...Reading gives you enjoyment throughout your life." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Bush)

In the 1960's, Laura Bush's loved of literacy continued as she studied education at university and took a job as a teacher.  In 1973, Laura returned to school to pursue her Masters in Library Sciences and secured a position at Houston Public Library.  

In 1977, Laura met and married George Bush Jr.  When she was first introduced to her husband's grandmother, Dorothy Walker Bush, the latter asked her what she did for a living.  Her reply was simply:  "I read." (http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/people/shows/bush/profile.html) 

In 1981, after three years of trying to conceive, Laura gave birth to twin girls, Jenna and Barbara, named after their grandmothers.  Continuing the family tradition, Laura read regularly to her girls, including the Laura Ingalls Wilder series.  

In 2001, Laura's husband was inaugurated as the President of the United States.  Here was Laura's opportunity to use her forum as First Lady to promote literacy, an opportunity that she seized upon with gusto.  In partnership with the Library of Congress, Laura created the National Book Festival in her husband's first year as president.  In 2002, she testified before the Senate Committee on Education for higher teachers' salaries.  The First Lady luanched "Ready to Read, REady to Learn" promoting early childhood literacy.  

In 2003, Laura was declared the Ambassador for the United Nations Decade of Literacy, a position which she held until 2012.  

Two years later, when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit, Laura secured a $500,000 grant for libraries in regions hit by these disasters.  Focussing on Texas, she headed up a book festival which raised $900,000 for 350 libraries in her home states.  As Laura explained:  "Once a child learns to use a library, the doors to learning are always open."

In 2008, Laura and her daughter Jenna co-authored the book Read All About It!  The same year, she visited the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, where she gave the writer the Save America's Treasures grant.  

In her role as United Nations Ambassador for Literacy, Laura has extended her focus to other nations, particularly the Middle East, and to women.  "Literacy lifts women out of poverty and opens doors of opportunity," said the former First Lady.

Note:  For more information, visit http://www.laurabushfoundation.com/.

Laura Bush participates in UNESCO round table discussion in Paris in 2007 courtesy http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/firstlady/photoessays/Paris2007/02.html.

Persona Poetry: Wearing a Mask

Character poems, or persona poetry, is a type of poetry where the author takes on the persona of another character.  Persona, comes from the Greek word "mask"; the author wears the mask of another character.  The author imagines the character's voice, age, interests and beliefs.  It is common to put a fresh twist on an old story when writing a persona poem.

The author can use the structure of the poem to mirror the speaker's circumstances.  For example, if the poem is the speaker is confused, the structure could be free verse.  Mary Ann's Samyn's "Alice Falling" is an example of such a poem   However, if the speaker is very structured, the poem should follow a rhyming scheme.  Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess" is written in Iambic pentameter to mirror the speaker's rehearsed speech, trying to convince the world he didn't poison his wife (http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/browning/section3.rhtml).

https://alyssa09.wordpress.com/2008/08/19/poem-connection-othello-and-my-last-duchess/

A character poem is also a good vehicle for an author to retell an historical event.  For example, "Jessica from the Well" is written in the voice of Jessica McClure, the 18 month old baby who fell down a Texas well in 1987 (http://www.vqronline.org/jessica-well).  Similarly, the persona poem "34", by Patricia Smith, is written in the voice of the 34 New Orleans nursing home residents who were abandonned to die after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 (http://zooeysblogg.blogspot.ca/2009/09/patricia-smith-34.html).  Ms. Smith cleverly weaves the words of the Lord's Prayer into her poem.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-28-st-ritas_x.htm

Here is my character poem, The Captain, written in the voice of Captain Smith, on his maiden voyage of the Titanic, last voyage before retirement:

Wow!  She's a beauty and she's all mine.

What a chance to sail for the White Star Line.

Flaunting four funnels placed all in a row;

Four city blocks long with tugboats in tow.

Dropping the anchor twenty horses hauled.

I check my log for our first port of call.

We stop in Cherbourg, Southampton and Cork.

Now we're steaming on cue towards New York.

What a lovely evening; the stars are out.

It's a perfect night for a walkabout.

That crisp, fresh air makes me ready for bed.

but how about a cup of tea instead?

WAIT!  What was that awful, terrible crash?

The stewards ell me her side has a gash!

What should I do here?  What words should I say?

should I take action or should I now pray?:

They told me her compartments were airtight.

Yet it seems as if we're sinking tonight.

They told me there were no icebergs to check.

Yet I see pieces of ice on the deck.

Can I save my stately ship from demise?

Should I tell the truth or a bunch of lies?

Water's filling our hold due to the blast.

Where are the rowboats?  Let's fill them up fast!

Let all women and children get off first.

Another boiler is about to burst.

My S.O.S. is getting me nowhere;

That foll's completely ignoring our flares.

I should have retired when I had the chance.

Now I hear the brass band play the last dance.

There aren't enough lifeboats for everyone.

will my ship last 'til the rise of the sun?

We've only a short time left on this boat.

With so much water, we won't stay afloat. 

I pray my passengers' lives yo will spare.

Losing my crew would be too much to bear.

Please forgive me for this awful mistake!

Make it a nightmare from which i"ll awake.

http://www.maritimequest.com/liners/titanic/crew/smith_edward_john.htm

For more information, read http://classroom.synonym.com/write-character-poem-2303.html.

The History of Blogging

In the early 1990's, the World Wide Web first appeared.  By the mid-1990's, we saw the advent of the online diary.  Chicagoan Justin Hall of Swarthmore College started such a diary in 1994 which lasted 11 years.  Jorn Barger coined the term "weblog" in 1997.  Two years later, Peter Merholz divided the word weblog into "we blog", making blog not just a noun but a verb.  Blog was the word of the year for 2004.  The same year, the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/) called Justin Hall "the founding father of personal blogging."

Swarthmore College where Justin Hall pioneered the personal blog.

Blogs have played an increasingly important role in our society in the past decade.  In 2004, "Rathergate", which exposed documents about George Bush's military record as forgeries, was reported on the blog "Little Green Footballs" at http://littlegreenfootballs.com/ one of the first times a blog was accepted as fact by the mass media.

The Tsunami of December 2004 was reported by blogging, especially by the humanitarian organization "Medecins Sans Frontieres".  The blogs "Gulfsails" (http://gulfsails.blogspot.ca/) and "the Interdictor" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdictor_%28blog%29) shared information not shared by the mainstream media about Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

gulfsails.blogspot.ca

Fortune magazine listed several businessmen blogs that "could not be ignored" in 2005, including those written by Peter Rojas and Xeni Jardin.  The following year BBC News started a weblog.  In 2007, a Blogger's Code of Conduct, written by Tim O'Reilly, appeared.

My favourite example of a blog influencing the mainstream was "The Julie/Julia Project", a blog started by Julie Powell in New York City in 2002.  Julie worked for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation investigating claims filed in the aftermath of 9/11.  As a change from her depressing day sitting in a cubicle listening to horror stories, Julie started a cooking blog in the evening, challenging herself to cook all of the recipes in Julia Child's first cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Soon, Julie accumulated hundreds of blog followers and responded to dozens of questions and comments daily.  One thing led to another and Julie signed a book contract for 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Kitchen Apartment at http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Julia-Recipes-Apartment-Kitchen/dp/031610969X.  The book was transformed into the movie Julie & Julia starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep which debuted in 2009.

Julie Powell's blog led to a book deal and blockbuster movie "Julie & Julia" courtesy amazon.com.

Blogs are having an ever increasing influence on our society.  Why not join the blogosphere?