Every man has a Molly...

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:58:52 GMT

Jonathan Benoit
LIS 513
Homework #3
10/27/09

Case Study #1

Architectural Plans (folder)
Architectural plans for new corporate headquarters (file)
CPR Training Class (Folder)
Certificates for Completion 2006 (folder)
Certificate for completion of CPR training class by Joseph Killdeer (maintenance worker), 2006 (file)
Fiscal (folder)
Budget Reports (folder)
Annual budget report, 2009 (file)
Payroll 2004 (folder)
Payroll for December 2004 (file)
GIS (folder)
GIS (database) files (file)
Incident Reports (folder)
Annual incident report, 2007 (file)
Letters (folder)
Letters 2006 (folder)
Letter from Vive President Hovey, 25, June 2006 (file)
Repair Trucks (folder)
Inspections (folder)
Truck lift (serial #222) inspection (file)
Repair Truck #1 (folder
Current insurance policy for repair truck #1 (file)
Repair Truck #3 (folder)
Purchase order for repair truck #3 (file)
Repair truck #3 maintenance records, 2005 (file)

Case Study #2

First and foremost, I suggest he identify any/all security threats – computer crashes, fires or other natural disasters, tampering, viruses. Physical security is no doubt important, I recommend he keep windows and doors locked, use intrusion alarms, and remember to log off. Furthermore, it is crucial to secure computer records. I suggest he regularly update virus software, avoid software from unknown sources, make all computers follow guidelines, keep computer software up to date, and limit access to computers. He can maintain access to computers through the use of user IDs and passwords, read/write rights, and audit trials. Moreover, I recommend he make backups – Backups ensure protection from loss – hard-disk crashes, intentional damage, accidents, and disasters. In addition, I suggest he establish a disaster plan by identifying risks, identifying preventative measures, creating a response plan, and developing a plan for resuming work. More specifically, I recommend he explore data recovery – have a plan in case data is lost, destroyed, or corrupted.
In a nutshell –
1. Identify any/all security threats – computer crashes etc.
2. Physical security – lock windows and doors
3. Update virus software
4. Maintain access to computers though user IDs & passwords
5. Make backups
6. Establish a disaster plan by identifying risks
7. Data recovery in case data is lost

Case Study #3

Exercise #1 – No doubt there are a number of considerations. Version 1 is compatible with version 4 – therefore, item-by-item migration and mass migration are possible. However, migration is often expensive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. Although the records are accessed infrequently, migration is necessary because e-records are at risk if/when software is obsolete. Moreover, e-records must be accessible.
Exercise #2 – In order to maintain functionality, the e-records must be stored in standard formats – formats not expected to change. There are standard file types for images & graphics, video & audio, as well as text. Simply put, “lossless” and “lossy” compression algorithms reduce the size of digital documents and maintain functionality. If e-records do not need to maintain functionality – conversion to hardcopy because there is no need to maintain functionality of the system.
Exercise #3 – As with Exercise #2, “lossless” compression is recommended for long-term preservation because no data is lost.
Exercise #4 – HoricanWord is a program made by a company. Therefore, it is what is known as a “proprietary format.” Unlike “proprietary format,” “open architecture” is based on standard format and can be migrated. Unfortunately, proprietary format leaves e-records at risk.
Exercise #5 – Copy the e-records to DVD for the new computers that do not have disk drives – it will not be necessary to keep the 3.5” diskettes. The DVDs will suffice until the LAN and server are installed. Once the LAN and server are installed, upload the e-records to the server via the LAN. Because the IT staff will regularly back-up the server, it will not be necessary to keep the DVDs.

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:54:28 GMT

Jonathan Benoit
3234 Main St.
Buffalo NY, 14214
(585) 703-2051
jonobenoit@gmail.com

October 25, 2009

Experience:

Lockwood Library
Buffalo, NY
August 2009 to Present

Student Representative
- Help patrons locate material whether online or print using ALEPH and BISON
- Organize the Hold Shelf and the Interlibrary Loan Shelf

WRUB Radio
Buffalo, NY
August 2006 to May 2007

Training Director
- Train incoming students how to use the studio – from the soundboard, to the turn tables
- Develop, administer, evaluate exams
- Post regular office hours

Paul T. Freund Inc.
Rochester, NY
May 2007 to July 2007

Floor Manager
- Oversee production
- Settle disputes between employees
- Correct damaged product
- Coordinate equipment maintenance and repair with engineers

Education:

University at Buffalo, Bachelor of Arts in English
University at Buffalo, Master of Library and Information Studies

Skills:

When I was in high school, I sat on the Chemical Prevention Advisory Board (CPAC). CPAC is a community organization that seeks to educate the dangers of drug use/abuse. I was selected by the principal of my school to be a Student Ambassador. It was my duty to attend meetings once a month with law enforcement, parents and teachers, religious leaders, as well as other students. We spearheaded many initiatives such as “Red Ribbon Week,” “Parents Who Host Lose the Most,” and “Start Today.” While working with CPAC I learned the give and take of playing on a team. I feel my experience will carry over to the work place – particularly the library – especially when tackling many of the issues that face libraries today – budgeting cuts, fleeting patronage, exploding technology – many of the topics I explored earlier. No doubt, these issues will require the cooperation of many to address.

I was also selected to serve as an Asset Coordinator. My role as an Asset Coordinator was similar to my role as a Student Ambassador to CPAC. It was, however, much more hands on. Once a month I hosted a workshop called Leadership Asset Training (LAT) – a comprehensive program aimed at teaching youth how to deal with risky situations – depression, drug use/abuse, safe sex etc. More often than not CPAC worked in conjunction with LAT. For that reason, I was usually served as a liaison between the two – scheduling meetings, workshops, and appointments.

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:52:08 GMT

When I was in high school, I sat on the Chemical Prevention Advisory Board (CPAC). CPAC is a community organization that seeks to educate the dangers of drug use/abuse. I was selected by the principal of my school to be a Student Ambassador. It was my duty to attend meetings once a month with law enforcement, parents and teachers, religious leaders, as well as other students. We spearheaded many initiatives such as “Red Ribbon Week,” “Parents Who Host Lose the Most,” and “Start Today.” While working with CPAC I learned the give and take of playing on a team – so to speak. I feel my experience will carry over to the work place – particularly the library – especially when tackling many of the issues that face libraries today – budgeting cuts, fleeting patronage, exploding technology – many of the topics I explored earlier. No doubt, these issues will require the cooperation of many to address.

I was also selected to serve as an Asset Coordinator. My role as an Asset Coordinator was similar to my role as a Student Ambassador to CPAC. It was, however, much more hands on. Once a month I hosted a workshop called Leadership Asset Training (LAT) – a comprehensive program aimed at teaching youth how to deal with risky situations – depression, drug use/abuse, safe sex etc. More often than not CPAC worked in conjunction with LAT. For that reason, I was usually served as a liaison between the two – scheduling meetings, workshops, and appointments.

mock job ap

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:51:08 GMT

Jonathan Benoit
3234 Main St.
Buffalo NY, 14214
(585) 703-2051
jonobenoit@gmail.com

October 25, 2009

Lynn Overgaard
Rochester Regional Library Council
390 Packett’s Landing
Fairport, NY 14450

Dear Miss Ovargaard,

I am writing in response to the ad seeking a librarian to provide reference service and adult programming at the Penn Yan Public Library

Allow me to tell you about myself: When I was a kid my mom used to tell me bedtime stories – more pictures than stories. She would sit on my bed with me and trace images on my back – a ghost, a cat, a glass of spilled milk. I had to guess what she was drawing. It was a game. Her finger tips on my back – the connection between mother and child. This was my first brush with storytelling. For over 25 years my mother has been a librarian, my brother and his wife for three, and last year my grandmother retired from the West Seneca Public Library. I come from a family of storytellers. From my brother to my sister-in-law, from my mother to my grandmother – I see first-hand the influence libraries and librarians have on community, education, and empowerment – encouraging others to achieve their full potential

Now more than ever I believe libraries and librarians play a vital role in communities. Given the rapid change in technology, it is no doubt an exciting – although challenging – time to be a librarian. As we abandon the script for the screen, how do we adapt? Fairport Public Library, for example, hosts a number of community events – once a month patrons gather for bingo; parents with babies are invited once a week to attend Babies Love Books – a program that pushes reading at a young age. These are examples of the initiatives aimed at increasing patronage in the face of a brave new world. Certainly the interplay of libraries, librarians, patrons, and technology is complicated – for this reason, I am interested in working for you

No doubt, the placement of libraries in communities is of great importance. More specifically, how libraries interacts with communities. What is the function of the library in the 21st century? The relationship between libraries and communities is vital to the survival of both. I hope to reach out – not only to patrons but coworkers as well – collaborate, invigorate, educate – contribute to a new library for a new time. I aim to help others achieve their full potential – I may not trace images on their backs like my mother and me – but I hope to foster an environment that is no less intimate, tender, and caring – even in a world of internet, email, online applications, and strangers.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Benoit

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:08:46 GMT

Final Project Proposal
Benoit, Higgins, Marcus, Posey
10 / 18 / 09
LIS 506: R 2:00-4:40

Last week two articles appeared in the New York Times: “Off the Shelf Onto the Laptop: Libraries Try Digital Books,” and “Jane Friedman Starts Open Road Integrated Media, an E-Book Company” (both by Motoko Rich).

Our group seeks to pick up where these articles leave off. What is the role of e-books and libraries? More specifically, what do e-books mean for libraries? Librarians? Patrons? Publishers? No doubt e-books increase accessibility of books – enticing patrons who may not use libraries. However, what do e-books mean for publishers?

Evan, Lawrence, Amber, and I hope to approach e-books objectively. By the same token, we hope to look into them skeptically – asking tough questions. According to Rich, “Some librarians suggest that because digital books never wear out, take up no shelf space and could, in theory, be read by multiple people at the same time, the purchasing model for e-books should be different than it is for print.” However, “some publishers worry that the convenience of borrowing books electronically could ultimately cut into sales of print editions” (Rich 1). Certainly e-books are a contentious subject – divisive to say the least – pitting patrons, librarians, and publishers.

Simply put, we selected e-books because we are curious. More importantly, we selected e-books because technology advances faster and faster. Now more than ever, libraries rely on technology. The rise of the internet, for instance, changed – and continues to change – libraries.

What about e-books? Drawing from a range of sources, we seek to outline prevailing attitudes, conceptions, conclusions surrounding e-books.

Rich, M. (2009, October 16). Off the Shelf Onto the Laptop: Libraries Try Digital Books. New York Times. Retrieved from www.nytimes.com.

Rich, M. (2009, October 16). Jane Friedman Starts Open Road Integrated Media, an E-Book Company. New York Times. Retrieved from www.nytimes.com.

Ross, L. & Sennyey, P. (2008). The Library is Dead, Long Live the Library! The Practice of Academic Librarianship and the Digital Revolution. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 24(2), 145-152. doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2007.12.006.

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:11:40 GMT

Student Name:

LIS 518: Reference Sources & Services
Fall Semester 2009

Assignment: Homework 4
Due: October 6, 2009

Directions:

Please use this MS Word document to complete the homework assignment. Please print out the completed assignment and be prepared to submit it at the beginning of class on October 6.

Assignment:

Select a topic for your pathfinder assignment. The topic must be appropriate for the type of library you desire to work in, and it should be meaningful to you.

Topic:

Legal Research – I am currently enrolled in LIS 512. I know I want to be a reference librarian. However, more and more, I want to be a law librarian. That said, I want to explore legal research – is it for me?

Select a backup topic for your pathfinder assignment.

Topic:

In addition to legal research, I am interested in being a subject librarian – perhaps English or World History

Identify an authoritative information source about the topic that is your first choice for the pathfinder assignment. The source may be an article (journal, magazine, or newspaper), a book, an image, a sound recording, a video, a web site, or any other relevant material. Write a full and proper bibliographic citation for the source, and also a proper annotation.
• Citations must be formatted to and compliant with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), sixth edition.
• For assistance creating proper annotations, refer to the following web guide:
Purdue University. (2009, July 1). Annotated Bibliographies – The OWL at Purdue. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/

Citation:

Pritchard-Schoch, Teresa. (1993). The Law Librarian’s First Step to CIO: The Conflicts
Database. Database Magazine, 16(6), 105-108, Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

Annotation:

For the most part, this article is anecdotal – two friends chatting over coffee. The author shares her experiences as a law librarian – drawing on them to illuminate the ins-and-outs of – not only the law librarian – but the law library at large. Throughout the article, the author focuses on conflict. From conflicts of interest, to conflicts database – No doubt there is no shortage of detail. However, the article is too acute, specific, detailed. I hate to admit, it may not come in handy. In spite of its non-threatening as well as conversational prose, the information presented is a wee bit advanced for one new to the field. Rather than outline the general expectation of a law librarian, the author dives into the “Conflicts Database.” Although this article may be useful down the road, it is not a good place to start. That said, more research is needed.

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:23:25 GMT

Jonathan Benoit
Ref. Services – T 7:00-9:40
9/28/09
HW #3 – Ref Critique

I visited the reference desks in Capen Libraries and Lockwood Library simply because I don’t own a car – I own a bicycle --- I don’t need to tell you it rained all weekend. I would have visited the Buffalo Public Library had the weather cooperated – such is life. That said, my question was about the Pioneer Satellite. For the most part, I was interested in its mission – the purpose of the satellite – objective/objectives. Moreover, I wanted to know if the satellite was operational today – General information about the satellite. Simply put, both interviews went well. However, the Capen interview was more eye-opening – to say the least – simply because the reference librarian at Capen happened to be a subject librarian. Subject librarian or not, both reference librarians were – in a word: helpful. However, both interviews were different in terms of attitude – approach.

I began at Lockwood. I confess I was nervous because I had not spoken to a reference librarian in years. Nevertheless, the librarian established rapport – reassuring me that I was not bugging him at all and invited me to take a seat. I was surprised because upon asking my question, the librarian didn’t repeat it or ask follow-up questions. Instead, he began searching a database with which I was not familiar. It wasn’t until I asked that he/she told me what database he/she was searching. After several failed searches, the librarian searched Google and asked me if any of the search results looked useful. I hate to say, few of them did. He/she then searched another database and found one article about the engineer/engineers of the satellite. Although the article was interesting, it did not answer my question. However, he/she composed an email – addressed to me – complete with the searches he/she conducted as well as the search results. The librarian closed the interview by showing me what and where he/she searched. Although the interview lacked follow-up questions – both closed and open – the librarian directed me to a number of databases and websites. All-in-all, I was satisfied. More importantly, he/she was approachable and listened.

The second interview – at Capen – was more fun. The librarian at Capen, unlike the librarian at Lockwood, was a subject librarian. Moreover, he/she was casual – conversational. There was no need to tell me I was not bugging him/her because he/she understood the economics of conversation – a high-five rather than a handshake? At any rate, avoiding the typical formalities of the reference interview, the librarian resisted the urge to begin searching and chatted briefly with me about my question. After discovering that I was interested in general information about the satellite, the librarian directed me to a number of websites – NASA for example. Rather than search databases for articles, he/she offered quick facts about the satellite – tailoring the scope of the search to my needs. His/her laid-back attitude allowed me to open-up – discussing a tattoo of the plaque on the satellite. Upon discovering my interest in the plaque, the librarian narrowed the search and found a book in the catalogue about the plaque. Furthermore, the librarian went above-and-beyond – calling the music library to see if it owned a copy of the recording on the satellite. Simply put, I was satisfied. Both interviews were different – one more easy-going than the other. However, both yielded useful sources. Although I preferred the Capan librarian over the Lockwood librarian, I learned that reference librarians employ different techniques, attitudes, and approaches when interviewing users.

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:21:31 GMT

Jonathan Benoit
LIS 513 – Records Management
J. Tammaro – Thurs. 7:00PM-9:40PM
Homework One

- First and foremost, I would express to Mr. Hunter the importance of managing the records in his department. Given that no one really cares about managing the records – I would recommend that Mr. Hunter organize a committee in order to negotiate the importance of records management.

- Secondly, I would recommend that the committee include representatives from both the accounting office and the ordering office. Because both offices are involved, the representatives of both offices need to know the importance of records management in order to better manage records.

- Third – Because the accounting department never refers to vouchers after the year the vouchers are received, I would recommend that the vouchers be placed in storage after the first year until the scheduled retention is met.

- Fourth - Once the scheduled retention is met, I would recommend that the vouchers be disposed of in order to make room in storage.
Jonathan Benoit

- Fifth – Because the records are available to the public for review, I would recommend that the vouchers be organized either alphabetically, numerically, or chronologically. Rather than use all three arrangements, I would recommend one arrangement in order to expedite the retrieval of records for review by the public.

- Sixthly, all parties have agreed that the accounting department has the official copy of the voucher. Because the ordering office rarely refers to its copy of the voucher, I would recommend that the ordering office purge its copies in order to make room.

- Lastly, Because new vouchers fill up one square foot of a filing cabinet drawer each year, I would recommend that the vouchers that have met the scheduled retention be purged at once in order to make room for new vouchers.

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:19:38 GMT

Job Interview (NEW 8/5/09)

J: Buenos Dias
S: Buenos Dias. Me llamo SC.
J: Me llamo JB. Como estas?
S: Estoy bien gracias, y usted?
J: Bien gracias y muy emocionado. Estas interesada en una puesto en mi compañía?
S: Si, Estoy interesada en un puesto en la officina.
J: En que departamento?
S: En el departamento de relaciones humanas.
J: ¿Cómo oyiste sobre el trabajo?
S: Leí sobre el trabajo en el anuncio clasificado en el periodic.
J: Dime sobre ti. Que te gusta hacer en tu tiempo libre?
S: En mi tiempo libre me gusta…
J: ¿Cuáles son sus calificaciones?
S: Yo tengo un licenciatura en negocio, pero tengo muchos fortalezas. Soy una trabajadora concienzuda. Siempre llego y nunca sali temprano. Trabajo bien con otra gente y yo fui una empressaria en my trabajo pasado. Puedo escribir a maquina bien y puedo navegar el interned y uso otros programmas en el computadora.
J: Por que renunciaste tu trabajo pasado?
S: Porque mi trabajo pasado fue en florida, y mi familia vive aqui. Quiero vivier mas cerca de mi familia.
J: En que ciudad viviste?
S: Yo vive en la ciudad Clearwater. Me gusta la ciudad porque es muy cerca del mar.
J: Si, me encanta Clearwater. Yo tengo familia en Clearwater. Mi tia tiene una tienda de ropa en esa ciudad.
S: Si? Cual es el nombre del tienda?
J: La tienda se llama “ropa del sol.”
S: Si, yo fui de compras alla.
J: Si? Conoces Aline Benoit?
S: Si! Yo conozco ella. Ella es muy simpatica.
J: Ella es my tia favorita.
S: Dígame sobre el trabajo.
J: El trabajo es interesante pero dificil porque tienes que trabajar con muchas personas diferentes. Pero no te preocupes porque mis empleados son professionales.
J: Solo necesitas hacer los evaluaciones y resolves conflictos menores.
S: Perfecto. Pienso que soy la mejor persona para el trabajo.
J: Eres calificado y me gusta tu personalidad. Me gustaria ofrecerte el puesto. Bienvenidos a mi compania.
S: Muchas gracias por su tiempo. Usted no estará decepcionado.
J: Cuando puedes empezar?
S: Puedo empezar inmediatamente.
J: Bueno. Empezas lunes a las ocho.
S: Perfecto. Gracias.
J: Hace un buen dia.
S: Y usted tambien.
J: Adios
S: Adios

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:57:29 GMT

Jono Benoit
SPA 152
MTWRF 9:40-10:50
Final Draft – Composition #4

El verano difícil

Cuando yo tenía diecinueve años, yo volví del universidad. Necesitaba un trabajo por el verano. Yo buscaba por un trabajo. Pero, yo no lo encontraba. Mis amigos tenían trabajos y yo estaba muy frustrado. Yo buscaba por todos partes! Mi madre y padre eran muy provechosos, pero el verano era muy difícil.

Un día, mi amigo y yo teníamos hambre. Mi amigo sugiero un restaurante nuevo. Mi amigo y yo fuimos al restaurante. El restaurante tenía comida orgánica y muy saludable. El empleado del restaurante me dijo que el restaurante necesitabas más empleados por el verano.

Estoy muy emocionado! Yo encontré un trabajo. Todos los días, yo montaba mi bici a el trabajo. Me encantaba lavarse platos porque yo podía pensar mucho. Pero, mi parte favorita era, me hice amigos con todos los empleados en el restaurante.

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 07:28:27 GMT

Jono Benoit
SPA 152
MTWRF 9:40-10:50
First Draft – Composition #4

El verano dificil

Cuando yo tenia diecinueve anos, yo volve de universidad. Yo necesitaba un trabajo por el verano. Yo veia por un trabajo. Pero, yo no encontraba el. Mis amigos teniamos trabajos y yo estaba muy frustrado. Yo veia por todos partes! Mi madre y padre eran muy provechoso, pero el verano era muy dificil.

Un dia, mi amigo y yo tuvimos hambre. Mi amigo sugere una restaurante nuevo. Mi amigo y yo fuimos al restaurante. El restaurante tenia comida organico y mucho saludable. El empleado de el restaurante dijo me el restaurante necesito mas empleados por el verano.

Yo era muy excitado! Yo encontre un trabajo. Todos los dias, yo montaba mi bici a trabajo. Me encantaba lavarse platos porque yo pude pensar mucho. Pero, mi parte favorito era, yo hice amigos con todos empleados en el restaurante.

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:27:26 GMT

Jono Benoit
SPA 152
MTWRF 9:40-10:50
First Draft – Composition #3

Entrevista con Mi Hermano, Madre, y Padre
Preguntas:
- Es su salud importante? Por qué?
- Durante la semana, cuantos días haces ejercicio? Esta importante?
- Comes comida saludable? Que comida comes?
- Juegas deportes con tus amigos? Que deportes?
- Es una vida saludable difícil o fácil?

Mi familia es muy saludable. Mi padre cree que su salud es muy importante. El levanta pesos tres días a semana. Pero mi hermano va al gimnasio todos los días. Por eso razón, mi familia y yo llamamos mi hermano “Hulk.” Por la cena, mi madre cocinas una variedad de comidas muy saludables. Por ejemplo, ella preparas verduras por ensaladas. Ademas, mi padre y yo encantamos jugar frisbee en el parque durante los fines de semana. A pensar de al gimnasio y la ensaladas de mi madre, mi familia creen que una vida saludable es muy difícil pero muy gratificante.

Mi familia tiene una influencia para mí y mi salud. Yo creo que en el futuro yo podré hacer opciones saludables. Cuando yo era niña, mi madre y padre siempre cocinaban para mí. Ellos cocinaran comida saludable. Por eso razón, yo como comida saludable hoy y pienso comeré bien en los próximos años. Intentaré vivir una vida muy activo, gratificante, y saludable gracias a mi familia.

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:26:21 GMT

Jono Benoit
Spanish 152
MTWRF 9:40-10:50
First Draft – Composition #2

Soy muy emocionado. La economía es mala pero soy muy emocionado. Soy agradecido para que la oportunidad trabajar porque el trabajo es duro de encontrar. Por otra parte, la mala economía me ha enseñado a apreciar el trabajo. Sin embargo, hay buenas oportunidades. ¡Por ejemplo, la oportunidad de trabajar para su escuela!

Tengo un comandante en inglés. En 2009, recibí a mi comandante de la universidad a búfalo. Aunque no tenga mucha experiencia, trabajo bien con otros. Trabajo especialmente bien con los niños. Trabajé en el Sunshine Campus, un campo para niños con desordenes físicos y de desarrollo. Por otra parte, Me ofrezco voluntariamente en la biblioteca de mi madre todos los veranos.

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:41:44 GMT

Jonathan Benoit
SPA 152
MTWRF 9:40-11:00
First Draft – Composition #1

Civilizaciones Antiguas:
Los Mayas y Los Incas

Hay muchas civilizaciones antiguas. Los dos más reconocibles comieron los mayas y los incas. Ambas civilizaciones formaron organizaciones sociales y políticas así como la arquitectura, arte, religión, y, economía. Los mayas y los incas tienen muchas semejanzas. Pero tienen muchas diferencias también. Por ejemplo, los mayas llegaron antes de los incas. Pero ése no es todo…

La estructura social y política fue controlada por la clase alta y los sacerdotes. La clase alta y los sacerdotes tenían meteorológico así como conocimiento agrícola. Los mayas seguido un calendario y construyeron las pirámides grandes. Pero había más a los mayas que organizaciones sociales y políticas. Construyeron palacios, los templos, y los pyrimids hermosos.

Los incas llegaron después de los mayas. Sin embargo, como los mayas, los incas establecieron organizaciones sociales y políticas así como arquitectura, arte, y la religión. Las clases más bajas eran grandes y las clases altas eran pequeñas. El Senor del Imperio estaba en la tapa de la pirámide y era el jefe. Como los mayas, los incas construyeron los monumentos magníficos. Los mayas y los incas tenían diferencias pero también tenían mucho en campo común.

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:30:33 GMT

Mi hermano y yo hacen "platos de la basura" todos fines de semana. Los platos de la basura se originan en Rochester, Nueva York - nuestro pueblo natal. Ellos son muy poco sano. Por eso nosotros hacemos platos vegetarianos de basura. Todos restaurantes en mi pueblo tiene su propia versión del plato de basura. Para hacer platos de la basura que usted necesita hamburguesas, las papas, la salsa de tomate, la mostaza, la carne de vaca, y los macarrones.

Primero, cocina las hamburguesas en una cacerola en la estufa. Entonces, cocina la carne de vaca en una cacerola en la estufa. Próximo, se hierve las papas antes de cortarlos. Proximo, cocina las hamburguesas y hervir las papas, se hierven los macarrones. Dure, mezcle los macarrones con las papas, la carne de vaca, la salsa de tomate y la mostaza. Por último, puso las hamburguesas en la cima.

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:36:18 GMT

Jonathan Benoit
Making Culture
Professor Mack
Paper #2 Proposal

I hope to explore the notions of despotism and freedom in the Persian Letters. Throughout the novel, several letters bare witness to despotism and freedo. Letters 80 and 83, for example, discuss law and desire. These letters assume men can be separated from desire and imply a denial of pleasure as well as a pleasure of denial. Not unlike letters 80 and 83, letter 64 suggests the eunuchs are an extension of Uzbek. Indeed, one eunuch admits that his “hand is merely [Uzbek’s] instrument” (Montesquieu 131). In addition to the role of the eunuchs, I hope to discuss the role of the wives. In letter 62, for instance, Zelis recognizes the absurdity of the system and points to the difference between mental freedom and physical freedom. It seems that although Uzbek is physically free, he is not mentally free. No doubt Uzbek is a prisoner of his desire. Moreover, I hope to explore the structure of the text – the structure of the text as despotic insofar as it revolves around one author. Through examples from the text as well as Mythologies, Course in General Linguistics, Orientalism, and the Spirit of Laws, I hope to quantify despotism and freedom. Not only how the two function in the Persian Letters, but also how the above texts enrich our understanding of them.

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:42:28 GMT

Jonathan Benoit
ENG 369: Making Culture
M/W/F 12:00-12:50
Paper #1 Second Draft

The Heart of Darkness and Robinson Crusoe:
An Exploration of Marlow, Crusoe, and Colonialism

Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe are no doubt controversial books. Both stories grapple with the volatile issue of colonialism. Although Conrad revealed colonialism before it was well known, he is widely criticized as racist in his portrayal of Africa and Africans. Chinua Achebe – one of the most outspoken critics of the novella – outlines several grievances in his essay “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.” According to Achebe, Conrad casts Africa and Africans as exotic, romantic, mysterious – a mere backdrop – the mise en scene of Kurtz’s dissent into madness. Simply put, for Achebe, Conrad’s treatment of Africans is patronizing. For instance, Conrad calls Africans “prehistoric [men]” (Achebe 108). It seems the story is less about Africa and more about “the deterioration of one European mind” (Achebe). In spite of Achebe’s criticism, the protagonist Marlow moves beyond the insanity of one European mind to expose collective insanity: colonialism. The same, however, cannot be said of Crusoe. Crusoe stands in stark contrast to Marlow. Both men connote rationale, reason, logic – the path of least resistance. However, Marlow sheds light onto the pointlessness of colonialism whereas Crusoe embodies it. Through his nagging need to order, his relationship with Friday, and his journal entries Crusoe comes to exemplify that which Marlow seeks to unmask. Though both systematic thinkers, Marlow and Crusoe reveal two competing interpretations of colonialism. Marlow's scientific thought process allows him to see the holes in colonialism while Crusoe's does the opposite - blinds his ability to see the error of his ways.

Colonialism is essentially imperialism – the domination of a weak country by a strong country for control over resources, labor, and markets. Economics is at the heart of colonialism and the product of science, mathematics, and logic. Marlow, no doubt a man of science, sees a great deal of horror in the wake of a seemingly scientific process - colonialism. For example, when the doctor asks him if there was “ever any madness in [his] family,” Marlow wonders if “that question [is] in the interests of science” (Conrad 76). Certainly, Marlow sees himself as a man of science – not concerned with madness unless it fits into the scientific method. When he reaches the outer post, Marlow encounters a great deal of natives working. However, “no change appeared on the face of the rock.” (Conrad 81). For Marlow, this is the problem. Not only does no change appear on the face of the rock, no change appears throughout the book – day and night natives work to no avail. Marlow notices, “the cliff wasn’t in the way or anything; but this objectless blasting was all the work going on” (Conrad 81). It seems the natives are not making progress. For Marlow, the “objectless blasting” comes to represent the fruitlessness of colonialism. As Marlow travels, he discovers more atrocities – the brick maker doesn’t actually make bricks; there are no rivets to fix the hole in the boat; the natives feed on rotten meat. Left and right Marlow sees “men strolling aimlessly about in the sunshine of the yard . . . here and there with their absurd long staves in the hands, like a lot of faithless pilgrims bewitched inside a rotten fence” (Conrad 91). Over and over again, images of listlessness play into the text – the workers have little work to do – and what little work exists is meaningless. Indeed, “the word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed." Marlow continues, "you would think they were praying to it” (Conrad 91). Clearly, the natives and the colonists are mad for ivory. It seems the absurd hunt for ivory reflects the absurd form of currency: brass wire. While the natives search hopelessly for ivory – a potential form of legitimate currency – they are paid each “week three pieces of brass wire, each about nine inches long; and the theory was they were to buy their provisions with that currency” (Conrad 115). Perhaps the height of stupidity, the brass wire serves no useful purpose – not even as currency. It simply stands as a testament to the futility of colonialism. In short, the natives are unable to obtain the necessary supplies and the colonists are unable to move forward. More and more, Marlow comes to epitomize the senselessness of colonialism. Through the scope of his scientific mind, the sheer absurdity of his observations, and his negative interpretation of colonialism - Marlow stands in stark contrast to Crusoe. Simply put, Crusoe embodies that which Marlow is not.

To be sure, Marlow focuses on the senselessness of colonialism for a great deal of the book as a passive observer. Unlike Marlow, however, Crusoe acts as an active participant – Through his urge to order, his relationship with Friday, and his journal entries Crusoe grows to represent the futility of colonialism. One the clearest examples of Crusoe’s need to order appears early in the novel. After washing ashore, Crusoe makes numerous trips to the marooned ship for supplies. Upon scouring the ship, Crusoe “got three of the Seaman’s chests” (Defoe 38). He continues, “the first of these I filled with provision, viz. Bread, Rice, three Dutch chesses, five pieces of dry’d Goat’s Flesh” (Defoe 38). Crusoe continues to list each and every item taken from the ship. Moreover, he makes several subsequent voyages, draining the ship of nearly every resource. It seems Crusoe, not unlike Marlow, is a systematic thinker. His obsessive urge to order implies his need to maintain control. Crusoe orders more than simply product, however. Even evil and good are quantifiable in the eyes of Crusoe. Indeed he is “cast upon a horrible desolate island, void of all Hope of Recovery,” he is, however, “alive, and not drown’d as all [his] Ship’s Company was” (Defow 49). A simple pros and cons list becomes sinister – a representation of Crusoe’s compulsion to assert himself however possible. Whether taking inventory of items or emotions, the implications of ordering are scary to say the least. Crusoe doubtlessly feels a sense of ownership when he “descended on the Side of that delicious Vale, surveying it with a secret Kind of Pleasure, (Tho’ mixt with my other afflicting Thoughts) to think that this was all my own, that I was King and Lord of all this Country indefeasibly, and had a Right of Possession” (Defoe 73). This seems to be the affect of ordering. Ordering fills Crusoe with notions of power – to classify, index, tabulate is to award residence. It seems Crusoe thinks that “this [is] all [his] own.” Most terrifyingly, Crusoe believes he is "King and Lord.” The overarching question becomes: On what grounds does Crusoe have a “Right of Possession?”

Crusoe’s journal works in a similar fashion – his need to catalog appears when he runs out of ink as he only includes important plot points. Furthermore, it is written journalistically – fact-based hard news – as if for an audience. His first entry reads: “I poor miserable Robinson Crusoe, being shipwrecked during a dreadful Storm, in the offing, came on Shore in this dismal unfortunate Island, which I call’d the Island of Despair, all the rest of the Ship’s Company being drown’d, and my self almost dead” (Defoe 52). Even in writing, Crusoe insists on ordering. In addition to inventory and emotions, words too are subject to his obsessive lists. When he refers to himself as both “poor” and “miserable,” as well as when he refers to the island as both “dismal” and “unfortunate” before naming it the “Island of Despair,” it is as if he cannot decide which words to employ. His repetitive use of vocabulary seems to reinforce his need to order. No doubt, Crusoe feels a sense of helplessness. After all, he’s stranded on an island. It’s no surprise that he seeks empowerment where possible – names. Simply put, to name is to own. After naming the contents of the ship, he names the island. After naming the island, he names Friday. For Crusoe, it’s never enough. Not surprising is it that he cannot reconcile with God, he fancies himself God. In his journal, for example, Crusoe admits that he “never had so much as one Thought of what should become of [him]; or one Wish to God to direct [him] whither [he] should go” (Defoe 65). It may be, perhaps, that Crusoe fears faith. Because he is unable to validate the existence of God, he avoids the issue altogether. It is easier for him to remain “meerly thoughtless of a God” (Defoe 65), because, unlike cargo and emotions, he is unable to order God. He is, however, able to order Friday. When Friday enters the novel, Crusoe’s inability to make sense of God and his propensity to order allows him to stand in as God.

Certainly, it seems, Marlow and Crusoe have scientific minds governed by rationale, reason, and logic. Marlow cannot ignore the inefficiencies of colonialism – the futile labor, the listless workers, and the overall lack of equipment, know-how, and ingenuity. Crusoe, on the other hand, cannot accept God because God appears unquantifiable. He compulsively lists in an attempt to assert power. Both men exist in the realm of reason – thrown into a seemingly chaotic world. Marlow witnesses the horror of slavery, whereas Crusoe experiences life on a desolate island. In either case, Marlow and Crusoe come to rely on the power of reason to better understand, make sense of, or control their surroundings. Marlow uses logic in order to escape ignorance. By pointing out the shortcomings of colonialism, he is free to improve upon a system full of flaws. In short, Marlow’s employment of reason serves a useful purpose. The same cannot be said of Crusoe. Unlike Marlow, Crusoe’s use of reason is self-serving. He uses logic in order to gain power over a hopeless situation. For instance, the contents of the ship, the choice of his words, or the fate of Friday, Crusoe is interested in authority. This is the paramount difference between the two – power or knowledge.

Works Cited
Achebe, Chinua. "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's
Heart of Darkness." www.ncsu.edu. 1977. Massachusetts Review 18. 17 Feb. 2009 <http://social.chass.ncsu.edu/wyrick/debclass.achcon.htm>.
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Signet Classic, 1950.
Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. New York: W.W. Norton Company, Inc., 1994.

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:12:39 GMT

Jonathan Benoit
ENG 303: Chaucer
M/W/F 10:00-10:50
Paper #1

The General Prologue and Social Difference:
A Portrait of Portraits

No doubt Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales was written in the midst of great social, economic, and political change. For a wide range of reasons, the fourteenth century signaled the break-up of Feudalism. Famine and the outbreak of the Black Death between 1348 and 1349 and again in 1361 decimated nearly one third of the population in less than half a year. Agricultural production suffered at the hands of the plague because there were not enough vassals to grow crops. Therefore, surfs were no longer tied to land. Now free to move from place to place, the Peasantry could demand higher wages for their much-needed service. As surfs saved their money and sent their children to school, towns and urban areas grew in size and number – which gave rise to the Merchant class. Other factors, however, lead to the growth of the Merchant class. For example, the Peasantry could move to the Clergy. In turn, the Nobility would often install family into plush clerical positions. For these reasons, the Clergy became a mixture of classes that produced social wealth. To be sure, the fourteenth century was a time of unparalleled change. Simply put, Chaucer embraces change. Throughout the General Prologue, the narrator of the Canterbury Tales focuses on discourse – amongst other things. For the narrator, language is social. Through the use of highly individualized portraits, the narrator advances his friendly attitude and seems to imply the difficulty with which any and all attempts to introduce classification of the characters falls apart in the face of growing change in social class structure. Certainly, the narrator values individuals – each character receives their own portrait – profile. Moreover, the narrator offers an apology or “proper” on behalf of the characters out of respect for their unique voices. In essence, the portraits of the characters in the General Prologue and the actions of the narrator come to embody the break-up of Feudalism and the rise of Capitalism and the merchant class in England during the fourteenth century.

Through portraits, the narrator showcases several characters in the General Prologue. From the Knight to the Squire, from the Franklin to the Miller, the characters point to the increasing social complexity of England in the fourteenth century. Indeed, the characters come from a number of different social, economic, and political backgrounds. For this reason, the pilgrimage seems to embody the proverbial court insofar as numerous individuals from a variety of social classes intermingle. For instance, Chaucer writes: “At night come into that hostelry / Wel nine and twenty in a compaingnye / Of sondry folk, by adventure yfalle / In felaweship, and pilgrimes were they alle / That toward Canterbury wolden ride” (23-27). In this passage in particular, the image is clear – happy hour – the crowd of “nine and twenty in a compaingnye / Of sundry folk” is essentially a casserole of social classes getting together and taking a trip Canterbury. The host of the trip, the narrator, introduces guidelines from the outset – each pilgrim must tell two tales on the way to Canterbury and two tales on the way back. If not, he must pay for food. The rules are simple enough. However, the economic implications are vast. Each pilgrim is a storyteller. Thus, each pilgrim is given the same opportunity to make his voice heard. More importantly, each pilgrim is given a chance to “quite” his fellow pilgrims – to repay, retaliate, or negate. In this way, stories are much more than simply stories – stories become a type of capital – a measurement, commodity, or exchange. Furthermore, the notion of “quite” is especially crucial because it places the pilgrims in direct conversation with one another. Not only are opposing classes traveling hand in hand, they are engaging in face-to-face dialogue – debate. Through the scope of the pilgrimage, the narrator provides the characters an open forum in which they are free to debate, examine, question, dissect, and argue one another. The nature of the forum given the pilgrims by the narrator no doubt challenges the conservative structure of the three estates – Because the three estates exists hierarchically, to allow different classes to get together and take a trip appears radical, contradictive, and strange.

It is not, however, the nature of the trip as an open forum for communication between different classes alone that posits the demise of Feudalism. Through the lens of the various portraits served up by the narrator – the change in the social, economic, and political realm comes to the fore. Take the Knight and his son the Squire for example. Of the Knight, Chaucer writes: “…he loved chivalrye / Trouthe and honour, freedom and curteisye” (45-46). Chaucer appears to idealize the Knight through flowery phrases – notions of truth, honor, and freedom. Furthermore, the Knight was “At Alisaundre…when it was wonne” (51). Indeed, the Knight helped shape Europe. By the same token, sadly, he is old, out of date, and washed up. To add insult to injury, the Knight was “…as meke as a maide / Ne never no vileinye he said / In al his lif unto no maner wight” (69-71). For the narrator, the Knight may be noble, gentile, and experienced, but ultimately, he represents an old Europe, a faded prophet, and a picturesque - though fleeting - snapshot of knighthood. In short, the Knight is a caricature – unrealistic, out of touch, and dated. Enter: the Squire. Chaucer portrays the Squire as that which the knight is not – in a word, the antithesis. Of the Squire, Chaucer writes: “Al ful of fresshe floures white and reede / Singing he was, or floitinge, al the day / He was as fressh as the monthe of May” (90-93). It is not difficult to see that the Squire stands in stark contrast to the Knight. Where the Knight is burnt out, the Squire is “ful of fresshe floures,” “singing,” and “fressh as the monthe of May.” The relationship between Knight and Squire, father and son comes to mirror England at large – the generational shift between the two seems to imply the social, economic, political shift from Feudalism to Capitalism. The father is clearly tired whereas the son is youthful, wide-eyed, and grinning. Not only does the Squire house a fresh version of knighthood, he touts a realistic version of knighthood. Unlike his father who fought in the Crusades, the Squire fought in the 100 Years War under no national army – burning villages, raping women, stealing money and bringing it to England to spread around. It may not be particularly chivalrous but it is accurate.

Impossible is to capture all the factors that lead to the social change in England and Europe in the fourteenth century. Certainly no one factor sparked the shift. No doubt it was a symphony of cause and effect. The Black Plague and the demand for labor contributed to the rise of the Merchant class. Similarly, the intermingling of the Peasantry and the Nobility within the confines of the Clergy forced the break-up the three estates and Feudalism. There were, however, many more contributing factors. In addition, the change did not take place quickly but grew slowly out of individuals immersed in conversation - individuals not unlike those on the pilgrimage. Indeed, Chaucer captures not only the shift from Feudalism to Capitalism but also the factors that lead to it – in short, the issues surrounding it through the various portraits as well as the inclusion of many different social classes in the General Prologue. What’s more, Chaucer was an active participant – an advocate for change. The General Prologue stands as a testament to the power of discourse. The change made possible by blending of many different groups of people in the spirit of dialogue, conversation, and debate.

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:20:09 GMT

Jonathan Benoit
ENG 303: Chaucer
M/W/F 10:00-10:50
Paper #1

The General Prologue and Social Difference:
A Portrait of Portraits

No doubt Chaucer’s General Prologue and the Canterbury Tales were written in the midst of great social, economic, and political change. For a wide range of reasons, the fourteenth century signaled the break-up of Feudalism. Famine and the outbreak of the Black Death between 1348 and 1349 and again in 1361 decimated nearly one third of the population in less than half a year. Agricultural production suffered at the hands of the plague because there were not enough vassals to grow crops. Therefore, surfs were no longer tied to land. Now free to move from place to place, peasants could demand higher wages for their much needed service. As surfs saved their money, they sent their children to school increasing the growth of towns and urban areas. In addition, the Peasantry could move to the Clergy. The Nobility, as well, would often install family into plush clerical positions. For these reasons, the Clergy became a mixture of classes and produced social wealth – which gave rise to the merchant class. To be sure, the fourteenth century was a time of unparalleled change. Simply put, Chaucer embraces change. Throughout the General Prologue, the narrator of the Canterbury Tales focuses on social difference, discourse, and language. For the narrator, language is social and indicative of social class. Through the use of highly individualized portraits, the narrator advances his friendly, journalistic, non-judgmental attitude and seems to imply the difficulty with which any and all attempts to introduce classification of the characters falls apart in the face of growing change in social class structure. Certainly, the narrator values individuals – individuals are always linked to their social class. The portraits of the characters of the General Prologue and the actions of the narrator come to mirror the rise of Capitalism in the fourteenth century.

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:06:53 GMT

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:47:30 GMT

When I was a kid my mom used to tell me bedtime stories – more pictures than stories. She would sit on my bed with me and trace images on my back – a ghost, a cat, a glass of spilled milk. I had to guess what she was drawing. It was a game we played. But the game wasn’t important. The feel of her finger tips on my back was – the connection of mother and child. This was my first brush with storytelling. For over 25 years my mother has been a librarian, my brother and his wife for three, and last year my grandmother retired after 30 years of service to the North Tonawanda Public Library. I come from a family of storytellers. From my brother to my sister-in-law, from my mother to my grandmother – I see the influence librarians have on community, education, and empowerment – encouraging others to achieve their potential.

Now more than ever I believe libraries and librarians play a vital role. Given the change in technology, it is no doubt an exciting – although challenging – time to be a librarian. As we abandon the script for the screen, how do we adapt? Fairport Public Library, for example, hosts a number of community events – once a month patrons gather for bingo; on inauguration day, an inaugural party; in addition, parents with babies are invited once a week to attend Babies Love Books – a program that shares the importance of reading at a young age. These are a few of the many initiatives aimed at increasing clientele in the face of increasing technology. Certainly the interplay of libraries and technology is a complicated subject – it can be harnessed to increase patronage, however, it can work to the contrary. Regardless, it changes the nature of the relationship between the library and the client and is one of the main reasons why I am interested in the school of Library Science.

No doubt, the placement of the library in the community is of great importance. More specifically, how the library interacts with the community. What is the function of the library in the 21st century? The relationship between the library and the community is clearly vital to the survival of both. I hope to reach out – not only to patrons but coworkers as well – collaborate, invigorate, educate – contribute to a new library for a changing time. Whether in the private sector, or the public, it is my hope that I create an opportunity to help others achieve their potential – Maybe not trace images on their backs like my mother and me – But create an environment that is just as intimate, tender, and caring even in a wired world of internet, email, online applications, and total strangers.

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 04:16:21 GMT

Jonathan Benoit
ENG - Bible as Literature
Christian - M 7:00-9:50
Final Paper - 11/13/08

The Bible & Matthew: Stimuli, Grief, Lack
An Exploration of Freud -
Beyond the Pleasure Principle & Mourning and Melancholia

No doubt Sigmund Freud lurks just beneath the surface of the many books of the Bible. For example, in chapter four of the book of Genesis – often referred to as the Primeval History – Cain’s jealousy of Abel leads him to murder his brother. It is written, “Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let's go out to the field.’ And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him” (4.8). From the very first book of the bible a great many Freudian tropes are present. Perhaps the clearest representation of Freud can be found in the book of Matthew. The first of the four gospels, Matthew advances a handful of passages that come to embody Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle as well as Mourning and Melancholia. Simply put, Matthew tells the story of Jesus Christ. According to Matthew, Christ is the messiah or “chosen one.” In spite of the title given Christ, he is not portrayed as a warrior – for instance he does not ride a horse, he comes to serve rather than be served, and he rejects the notion of “king.” However, he does have royal lineage – born in the line of David in the royal city. Over and above the basic plot points, the book of Matthew – through various quotes comes to embody Freud’s most salient – if not important – works: Beyond the Pleasure Principle and Mourning and Melancholia.

Freud takes up his discussion in Beyond the Pleasure Principle with stimuli – both external and internal - more specifically, the regulation of stimuli by a living organism. In order to control the flow of stimuli or “excitations,” Freud argues the organism forms “a crust . . . which would at least have been so thoroughly ‘baked through’ by stimulation that it would present the most favorable possible conditions for the reception of stimuli and become incapable of any further modification” (Freud 29). It seems the crust is crucial to the survival of the living organism – thrown into the world, it would not stand a chance without it because the overwhelming stimulation would destroy it. In order to salvage the innermost layers, the living organism sacrifices the outermost layers in the name of protection – to save “all the deeper ones from a similar fate” (Freud 30). For Freud, the crust appears to be no more than a representation, depiction, or metaphor for the sense organs. Indeed, the sense organs function as a filter – sifting through stimuli. No doubt the crust provides much needed shelter from the exterior world. However, according to the Kantian theorem, “time and space are ‘necessary forms of thought’” (Freud 31). Freud points to the Kantian theorem because it draws between unconscious mental thought and conscious mental thought. One the one hand, it suggests that unconscious mental thought is “timeless . . . not ordered temporally” (Freud 31). However, on the other, it indicates that conscious mental thought relies on “our abstract use of time” (Freud 32). The implication seems to be that excitations exist externally as well as internally. The delineation between unconscious and conscious thought indicates the sources of stimuli – two separate plains – outside and inside.

The function of internal stimuli – stimuli from inside the living organism – differs greatly in comparison to external stimuli – stimuli from outside the living organism. The crust shelters the innermost layers from exorbitant amounts of excitations from the external world. In Matthew, Christ comes to embody the external stimuli. By contrast, the household comes to connote the internal stimuli. Freud argues that, “towards the inside there can be no such shield” (Freud 32). Excitations from the inside wounds the living organism unhampered by the crust. For this reason, internal stimulation is much more intense than external and “give[s] rise to the pleasure-unpleasure series” (Freud 32). The pleasure-unpleasure series causes internal stimulation to reign over external simulation because internal stimulation guides the interior of the living organism. What’s more, there is no barrier between the living organism and internal stimulations – no crust. Therefore, “there is a tendency to treat them as though they were acting, not from the inside, but from the outside” (Freud 33). For this reason, through the scope of the Kantian theorem, the stimuli from the household are far worse than the stimuli from Christ.

In the context of the Bible – more specifically, the book of Matthew, Freud’s notions of the outside and the inside are hard at work. There are a number of passages in Matthew that point to Beyond the Pleasure Principle and the Kantian theorem. The first, and most glaring, connection can be found in chapter ten - Christ says, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and one’s foes will be members of one’s own house hold” (10.34-10.37). Although at first glance this quote may seem a wee bit farfetched, it is indeed applicable through the scope of the Kantian theorem – from 10.35 to 10.36, Christ simply outlines the volley of comparison between man and father, daughter and mother, and daughter-in-law and mother-in-law. In addition, verses 10.36 to 10.37 are no doubt a reference to the previous section. Indeed the final portion seeks to unite man and father, daughter and mother, daughter-in-law and mother-in-law as foes under the “household.” Simply put, Christ warns of an impending threat from one’s own family – household. Through lines 10.34 to 10.37, the threat shifts from Christ to family – from the sword to the household – outside to inside. The passage at large tends to rhyme with the Kantian theorem. The excitation in this case is the threat – from Christ or family – from the outside or the inside. Christ comes to represent the external stimuli and the household comes to represent the internal stimuli. The pervasive undertones at play are doubtlessly the external and internal excitations inherent to the Kantian theorem.

What’s more, in addition to internal and external stimuli, the Kantian theorem accounts for trauma as well. Trauma is characterized as, “any excitations from outside which are powerful enough to break through the protective shell” (Freud 33) and occurs when the excitations moves from the external to the internal - when the crust is broken. When the outer layers yield to stimuli from the exterior world, the living organism attempts to defend itself by “mastering the amounts of stimulus which have broken in and binding them” (Freud 33). It appears “binding” allows the living organism to dispose of the stimuli through what Freud calls “cathexis.” Cathexis is linked to binding – the higher the rate of cathexis, the greater the binding force. In the quote from the book of Matthew outlined in the preceding paragraph, trauma occurs when the threat shifts from Christ to family – external to internal. Trauma – more importantly, cathexis plays an increased role when Christ says:

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous (10.37-10.42).

Assuming Christ as an external excitation and family as an internal excitation - in this particular passage, those who love their mother and father more than Christ have a lower rate of cathexis because they are unable to reconcile the stimulus that has pierced their specific crust. In other words, they are unable to master the external stimulus. Whereas those who welcome Christ have a higher rate of cathexis because they are able to accept the external stimulus – successfully “binding” it – uniting external and internal excitations.

Certainly trauma lends itself to the playing-out of internal and external forces. When a living organism is unable to master external stimuli that have breached the crust, it experiences trauma. For this reason, internal stimuli are far worse than exterior stimuli – the lack of protection breeds “projection.” For Freud, projection disavows internal excitation – seeking to shield the innermost layers, not unlike the crust. Projection seeks to defend the innermost layers from internal stimuli just as the crust seeks to defend the innermost layers from external stimuli. According to Freud, “a failure to effect this binding would provoke a disturbance analogous to a traumatic neurosis” (Freud 41). If the individual cannot sustain cathexis, he cannot effectively champion the pleasure principle. Until the trauma is mastered, the individual repeatedly returns to it – attempting to overcome it. Repetition appears to be pleasurable on one level or another. However, it ultimately suggests that the individual continues to struggle – unable to jettison excess excitations. Freud postulates that in response to repetition – the compulsion to repeat – “instinct is an urge inherent in organic life to restore an earlier state of things which the living entity has been obliged to abandon under the pressure of external disturbing forces” (Freud 43). Through the inability of the living organism to master stimuli, it repeatedly returns to the trauma and seeks to express excess excitations via projection – in short, it projects its lack, desire, or grief.

Drawing on the book of Matthew once again, the notion of grief surfaces a number of times. Perhaps the most articulate evocation of grief comes in chapter 27 when Judas, Christ’s betrayer, tries to repent. The story of Judas is tragic. However, it lends itself to Mourning and Melancholia. Freud points to two competing manifestations of mourning in Mourning and Melancholia – grief and melancholia. Generally, both conditions develop in response to loss of a loved person – object. In Matthew, the loved object for Judas is Christ. The two are characterized by “a profoundly painful dejection, abrogation of interest in the outside world, loss of the capacity to love, inhibition of all activity . . . and culminates in a delusional expectation of punishment” (165). According to Freud, grief – unlike melancholia – does not imply a “morbid pathological disposition” (164) or call for medical treatment. Melancholia – on the other hand - denotes a sharp drop in self-esteem. This seems to be the paramount difference between the two. Grief runs its course in a fairly straightforward fashion – the subject recognizes the loss of the loved object and the need to remove the libido from it. The mourning takes a great deal of time – pain. In the end, the subject is free. By contrast, melancholia elects an “unconscious loss.” Simply put, the subject “knows whom he has lost but not what it is he has lost in them” (166). Judas knows he has lost Christ. Though he does not know what it is he has lost in him. For this reason, Judas stands as a classic melancholic. Moreover, mourning - in grief - accounts for the bruised ego. The “unknown loss” in melancholia functions in a similar fashion. It is invisible – elusive. In grief, the subject projects his mourning on the world. In melancholia, he projects his mourning on himself – his ego. Simply put, the chief difference between grief and melancholia is the role of self-esteem. In grief, the loss of self-esteem apparent in melancholia is absent. Thus the subject is free to detach his libido – preserve his ego. The melancholic – Judas – on the other hand, is a slave to his broken ego.

In the opening lines of chapter twenty-seven, the affect of Judas’s melancholia becomes increasingly apparent:

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself (27.1-27.6)

In these verses, Judas appears at his breaking point. He is ruined by his betrayal of Christ. For Judas, his self-incrimination and eventual suicide are the only solution. Freud points out the importance of taking the self-accusations of the melancholic seriously – to avoid contradicting them. The self-deprecation of the subject is, according to Freud, linked to his perception of himself. For better or worse, the subject truly believes in his lack – whatever it is. Thus, the self-incrimination of the melancholic is linked to his weakness – he crucifies himself in order to mask his inhibitions. Freud suggests this may be because he has “come very near to self-knowledge,” and that “there can be no doubt that whoever holds and expresses to others such an opinion of himself . . . is ill” (167). Judas no doubt attempts to express his perception of himself to the chief priests and elders when he says, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” Sadly, his words go unheeded. Had they been willing to listen to him, he may have overcome his melancholia and defeated his mourning.

There is doubtlessly any number of passages that can be applied to Freud. Not just Beyond the Pleasure Principle and Mourning and Melancholia, but nearly all Freud’s works can serve to interpret the books of the Bible through the psychoanalytic lens. For me, Matthew sticks out the most because it tells the story of Christ –a wonderful story in its own right. Not only that, it is the first of the gospels. For that reason, for me, it holds a bit more water than the others – being the first in line – ahead of the others. That is not to say, however, that the others are not without their charm. What I find most fascinating about Matthew is how well it works with Freud. Upon first reading it, I couldn’t help but consider the implications of Beyond the Pleasure Principle and Mourning and Melancholia. It would certainly be interesting to read the entire Bible though the scope of Freud – rather than simply a handful of verses from Matthew. Ultimately, however, the two works of Freud surface in Matthew through the interplay of the internal and external excitations, the functions of grief and melancholia, and the all-too-human sense of lack. From Christ’s threat of the sword and the household, to Judas untimely suicide – Matthew stands as one of many examples of Freud in the books of the Bible.

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:53:24 GMT

Jono Benoit
Basic Video
M / W 3:00 – 4:50
Paper

Zabriskie Point: Peace, Love, Neo-Realism
Antonioni, Fellini, Renoir

I can say without a doubt that I enjoyed every single film we screened – from the use of lighting in the Cloud to the locations of Medium Cool, from the political undertones in Hate to the camerawork of Zabriskie Point. Even the shorts and TV shows were not without their charm – the social commentary of Grant Munro and his influence on the makers of South Park. Even the production value of the original Land of the Lost bares witness to the possibilities for amateur video production. Without editorializing this paper too much, the one film that spoke loudest was Zabriskie Point. This was my favorite film for a number of reasons. Namely, it focuses on a period of American history with which I am fascinated: the 60s – more specifically, the late 60s. Perhaps its because my father was an American History teacher for 39 years or because he was my age in 1968. Not to mention just as pissed off, depressed, fed up. At the risk of sounding trite, I feel a strong connection to the ideals, principles, and values captured by my father and the scope of Zabriskie Point – anti-establishment, free love, music. More than the message of the film, Zabriskie Point bares a strange resemblance to early Italian Neo-Realist films such as Boudu Saved from Drowning, 8 ½, or Nights of Cabiria. Between the portraits it paints and its inherent connection to the Italian Neo-Realist, Zabriskie Point stands out in my mind more than any other film we screened.

What gets me most about this film beyond the setting is its apparent extension of the Italian neo-relist scene. Perhaps its because the director Michelangelo Antonioni was Italian - it could be that he felt compelled to pick up where other Italian neo-realist filmmakers like Frederico Fellini and Jean Renoir left off. Many of the techniques indicative of the Italian neo-realist movement show up in Zabriskie Point, whether intentional or not. It seems Antonioni has more in common with Fellini than any other Italian neo-realist – particularly Fellini’s 8 ½. For Fellini, much the same as Antonioni, 8 ½ is his most intuitive, warmest, and least cerebral work. He uses music as Hollywood directors would - whereas most other Italian neo-realists used music sparingly arguing that music often did the work of the storyteller. In other words, a good visual artist doesn’t need the aid of music. However, Antonioni picks up on Fellini’s liberal use of music through his employment of Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, the Youngbloods and other popular bands of the time.

In spite of his use of music, Antonioni does draw on more traditional Italian neo-realist tropes. For example, he allows shots to play out, uses non-actors, and a great deal of natural light. Moreover, he doesn’t use a studio – most if not all the shots are real locations. But perhaps the most apparent link between Antonioni and his forbearers is his placement of the socio-political realm. Not unlike Renoir’s Boudu Saved from Drowning, Zabriskie Point has a great deal to say about political plight. In Boudu Saved from Drowning the main character - Boudu - is a homeless man who tries to kill himself by jumping off a bride into the water. He is rescued by a middle class shop keep and taken in. Over the course of the film, Boudu comes to embody the disenfranchisement of the poor. Renoir’s look at the socio-political realm mirrors Antonioni’s. Though the two attempt to tackle different issues, their respective attention to the political plight is no doubt indicative of the aims of the Italian neo-realist scene. Unlike Antonioni and Renoir, Fellini is not so much concerned with politics – this is where he parts from more traditional neo-realists. Though from different times, the three have a great deal in common not only with one another but also with the Italian neo-realist scene at large. The links between Antonioni and his predecessors makes watching his film all the more interesting, provocative, enjoyable.

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:29:38 GMT

Jonathan Benoit
Basic Video
M / W 3:00 4:50
Script

EXT. OF HOUSE – MORNING
WIDE-SHOT – EXT. OF HOUSE
Oblique shot of the pitch of the roof of the house. Fade from black to time-lapse of sunrise as “Stay Free” by Black Mountain kicks in – a light comes on in one of the rooms.
INT. OF HOUSE – MORNING
WIDE-SHOT – LIVING ROOM
The camera cuts to the living room and slowly pans from left to right to reveal Mike asleep on the couch – fully clothed and clutching a pillow to his chest.
CLOSE-UP
Beer bottles on the coffee table.
MEDIUM-SHOT – MIKE
The camera pans from right to left starting at his feet and ending just beyond his head.
CAMERA FADES TO BLACK
WIDE-SHOT – BEDROOM
The camera fades from black to Amy’s bedroom. The camera slowly pans from right to left to reveal her asleep in her bed.
CLOSE-UP
Stack of books on the floor by Amy’s bed.
MEDIUM-SHOT – AMY
The camera pans from left to right starting at the foot of her bed and ending at the head. She wakes up, squints, and rolls over.
CAMERA FADES TO BLACK
MEDIUM-SHOT – LIVING ROOM
The camera fades from black back to the living room. The camera pans from the wall to the couch where Mike is awake. Hunched over with his head in his hands; he is clearly (tired) or (unhappy) or both. He stands up.
CAMERA FADES TO BLACK
WIDE-SHOT – BEDROOM
Camera fades from black back to Amy’s bedroom where she is making her bed and wearing an oversized t-shit, underwear, and socks.
MEDIUM-SHOT – BATHROOM
The camera cuts to a static shot of the bathroom.
CLOSE-UP – SINK
The camera cuts to a static shot of the sink.
CLOSE-UP – DRAIN
The camera cuts to a close up of the drain where water is slowing dripping into the drain. Amy’s hand comes into the shot as she turns the water on. She rinses her toothbrush in it.
MEDIUM-SHOT – AMY
Amy is standing at the sink brushing her teeth.
CLOSE-UP – DRAIN
She spits the toothpaste into the sink and rinses her toothbrush once again.
MEDIUM-SHOT – AMY
She brushes her hair and takes a long (melancholic) look in the mirror before exiting the shot.
WIDE-SHOT – BEDROOM
The camera cuts back to Amy’s bedroom. Amy is getting dressed. She puts on her scarf, a winter hat, and a warm jacket.
CLOSE-UP – BACKPACK
The camera cuts to a close up of her purse. She puts various items in it – a notebook, a camera, a book, her iPod etc.

WIDE-SHOT – KITCHEN
Mike is sitting at the kitchen table hunched over a bowl of cereal. Amy walks by. Without looking at one another, the camera fallows her out the kitchen.
EXT. OF HOUSE – MORNING
MIDIUM-SHOT – FRONT DOOR
The camera cuts to Amy exiting the house. WE SEE her walk down the sidewalk into the distance as the song ends.
EXT. OF LIBRARY – AFTERNOON
WIDE-SHOT – MAIN ENTRANCE OF LIBRARY
AMY walks into the library.
INT. OF LIBRARY – AFTERNOON
WIDE-SHOT – AMY
AMY is standing in an aisle in the library.
MEDIUM-SHOT – AMY
She leafs through a book before putting it back on the shelf and picks another one.
WIDE-SHOT
Leafing through another book, ROBIN approaches AMY.
MEDIUM-SHOT – ROBIN
ROBIN (Quietly)
Amy I haven’t seen you here in a million years! How have you been?
MEDIUM-SHOT – AMY
AMY (Unenthusiastic)
I’ve been okay. What about you?
ROBIN
Busier and busier every day. What’s new?
AMY
Believe it or not I’m moving in two weeks.
ROBIN (Surprised)
No kidding. What are you doing here then? Shouldn’t you be packing?
AMY (Hesitantly)
Well… I needed to get out of the house. Besides, two weeks gives me just enough time to read another book before I move.
ROBIN
I suppose it does. Where are you moving?
AMY
New York
ROBIN
City?
AMY (Nodding)
Mhm
ROBIN (In a rush)
Listen, I have to get back to work. Stop by the circulation desk on your way out. I want to talk to you a bit more.
AMY
Sure.
WIDE-SHOT – AMY & ROBIN
ROBIN exits the scene while AMY puts the book back on the shelf.
EXT. OF THE LIBRARY – AFTERNOON
WIDE-SHOT – MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE LIBRARY
Amy leaves the library as “Lorelei” by the Cocteau Twins kicks in.
WIDE-SHOT – AMY
The camera remains fixed on Amy as she walks down the sidewalk into the distance.
THE CAMERA FADES TO BLACK
CREDITS

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:33:39 GMT

"I beg you…To have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer..."

- Rainer Maria Rilke

"Unborn yesterday and dead tomorrow. Why fret about them if life be sweet? Right now is the only moment there is."

- Groucho Marx

"Go placidly amid the noise and haste, & remember what peace there my be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly & clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud & aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain & bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of aridity & disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years; gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the tress and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors & aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery & broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."