2016年3月31日 星期四

week 5: 神鬼獵人

What “The Revenant” Tells Us About Hollywood’s Attitude to Franco-Americans

While much of the Internet has been discussing #OscarsoWhite, French Canadians and Franco-Americans have been airing their own concerns about one particular movie, The Revenant.  The plot of the film centers on Hugh Glass, an American fur trader in the 1830s, who seeks revenge on his former comrades after he is left for dead following a bear attack.  The controversy centers on one particular scene in which Glass, played by Leonardo DiCaprio (a role for which he received the best actor statuette on Sunday), comes to a Native American village and witnesses the rape of an Indian woman by French-Canadian traders.
There are plenty of unsavory characters in The Revenant – an attitude summed up by the words nous sommes tous sauvages which appears in one scene (the phrase loosely translates to “we are all savages”, although the French wordsauvage is closer to “a man of the wilderness”, and was commonly used to refer to American Indians in the colonial period).  The portrayal of French Canadians in the movie is particularly troubling, however, for a couple of reasons – firstly, there are very few depictions (and fewer accurate ones) of French Canadians or Franco-Americans in American television or Hollywood, so a negative depiction unfairly tips the balance.  Secondly, many English-speakers don’t know that attitudes towards the indigenous population in New France were much different than in New England or New Spain.  While British officers like Lord Jefferey Amherst sent smallpox-infected blankets to Native American villages, French officials generally respected the rights of their Indian neighbors.  The Great Peace of Montreal (1701), is an example of the mutual respect between the French and Native Americans.
So what does the history tell us?  To start with, it’s important to remember that the intentions of governors and superintendents didn’t always translate into the actions of individuals – especially fur traders (voyageurs) on the frontier:
It should be the duty of the Commandant to employ [the French colonial garrisons] in behalf of the missionaries; on various occasions when the latter are frequently obliged to go to beg the officials to be pleased to repress the misconduct and public acts of Insolence of the dealers in brandy, and of the fugitive voyageurs — who go from one mission to another, making the [Indians] drunk and seducing the women in all the Cabins where they lodge; or they go to visit them, entertain them, Caress them, solicit them, and purchase the enjoyment of their Bodies. The only answer to these prayers that we get from the Commandants is, that they have not enough men to allow of their doing so, — either because the garrisons are not sufficiently numerous; or, even if they were larger, they would not be of much more help to the Commandants, because the voyageurs and the garrisons have an understanding together, to support one another against the missionaries both in their common misconduct, and in Evading all the orders that the Commandants might give them, should the latter choose to take the Missionaries’ part.
Jesuit Relations, Fr. Etienne de Carheil to Gov. Louis-Hector de Callières, Michilmakina, August 30, 1702. Trans. R. Thwaites, 1899
 What about the events upon which the Revenant is based?  Hugh Glass himself didn’t write an account of the expedition or the attack (he may even have been illiterate), but others did.  As is the nature of such things, the story of the man who survived a bear attack and travelled hundreds of miles quickly became a legend and embellished in different retellings.  The earliest account, published in 1825 (two years after the bear attack), does indeed mention a group ofvoyageurs, but in a different light than the movie:
 Before his wounds were entirely healed, the chivalry of Glass was awakened, and he joined a party of five engagés [men under contract with a fur company] who were bound, in a piroque [a pirogue, or riverboat] to Yellow Stone River…when the party had ascended to within a few miles of the old Mandan village…On the following days, all the companions of his voyage were massacred by the Arickaw Indians.
Letters from the West, No. XIV, “The Missouri Trapper”, The Port Folio, Philadelphia, March 1825
 Far from being villains, the French encountered by Glass in this account help him on his way.  The use of French words throughout the piece is typical of writings of this time.  The French had been so instrumental in the western fur trade, and continued to be so throughout the early 19th century, that not only were French Canadians still heavily involved in the trade, but they lent their terminology to the profession, and the landscape.   Elsewhere in this particular account, Glass survives by eating grains des boeufs – known in English as buffaloberries.  The chief of the Arickaws has a French name – Lange de Bicke (Elk-Tongue).  And the characters encounter landmarks like the Cotes Noires (the Black Hills) and the Platte River.  Glass and his companions set out from Fort Kiowa, which had been constructed in 1822 by Joseph Brazeau, Jr., of the Berthold, Choteau and Pratte Company.  Berthold, Choteau and Pratte was known as “the French Company” and owned by three French Creole families based in St. Louis.
So in the balance of history, The Revenant gives French Canadians the short straw.  They appear in the movie only as marauding villains; yet in the historic narrative, French fur traders were both more visible and more complex.  The simplistic treatment in The Revenant is typical of the way in which the French-Canadian history is either ignored or given only the most cursory nod, and Hollywood is as guilt of this as most US textbooks.  It wouldn’t be a huge stretch to say #OscarsoWhiteAngloSaxon.
By the way, there was one prominent award that went to a Franco-American, born in California to French-Canadian parents – Brianne Desaulniers.  You may know her by her stage name – Brie Larson, which she chose because her birth name was “too difficult to pronounce.”
Thanks to Rhea Côté Robbins for the information on Brie Larson, and to the Museum of the Mountain Man for its copious historical information on the real Hugh Glass.
http://myall.bangordailynews.com/2016/03/01/south-dakota/what-the-revenant-tells-us-about-hollywoods-attitude-to-franco-americans/
  • what: much of the Internet has been discussing #OscarsoWhite, French Canadians and Franco-Americans have been airing their own concerns about one particular movie
  • why: not given
  • how:not given
  • where: not given
  • when:not given
  • who:Leonardo DiCaprio

vocabulary

  • revenge 復仇
  • comrades  同志
  • controversy  爭議
  • rape 強姦
  • traders 貿易商
  • unsavory  難吃的
  • savages 野人
  • depiction 描繪
  • indigenous  土著
  • mutual 相互
  • governors 州長
  • superintendents 管理者
  • misconduct 處理不當
  • fugitive 逃亡
  • expedition 遠征
  • retellings 附述
  • instrumental 儀器的
  • terminology 術語
  • copious 豐富

2016年3月24日 星期四

week four: 茲卡病毒

ZIKA VIRUS IN THE U.S.: NEW REPORT SUGGESTS THE MOSQUITO-BORNE ILLNESSES POSES A THREAT TO AT LEAST 50 CITIES
Despite reassurance from U.S. health officials that the Zika virus doesn’t pose a serious threat to the U.S., a new report suggests that as many as 50 cities in the country are at risk for local transmission this summer.
The report, published in PLOS Currents Outbreaks on March 16 by the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research (UCAR), finds factors such heat, humidity and heavy rains in the summertime will provide an ideal climate for the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to thrive in the States. UCAR is a nonprofit consortium of more than 100 colleges and universities in North America that focus research and training on the atmosphere and related earth system sciences.
For the report, researchers from  NCAR and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center analyzed travel patterns from countries with current outbreaks in Latin America and the Caribbean. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued travel notices for at least 40 countries and territories in these regions of that world that have reported local transmission of the Zika virus.
They concluded that cities in southern Florida (Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Tampa, Orlando and Miami) and Texas (Brownsville, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio) are at especially high risk for local transmission of the virus. Additionally, summertime weather along the East Coast—all the way up to New York—as well as cities in the southern region (including New Orleans, Charleston and Savannah) could cause a potential public health problem. Cities along the eastern seaboard, such as New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., may see cases of the virus though the threat is much smaller there, the report says.
“While there is much we still don’t know about the dynamics of Zika virus transmission, understanding where the Aedes aegypti mosquito can survive in the U.S. and how its abundance fluctuates seasonally may help guide mosquito control efforts and public health preparedness,” Andrew Monaghan, NCAR scientist and lead author of the study, said in a press statement.
This analysis doesn’t provide estimates for this year specifically. However, meteorologists predict this summer is set to be as much as 40 to 45 percent warmer than average across the entire country, making it a perfect climate for the bugs to thrive.
The authors say that should Zika make its way to U.S. shores, outbreaks here would never rise to the magnitude of what has occurred in Latin America and elsewhere. This is because common residential living conditions in the U.S., especially amenities like air conditioning and window screens, create an inhospitable environment indoors for mosquitoes. But mosquitos also proliferate in densely populated areas, because there’s always a human nearby to bite.
http://www.newsweek.com/zika-virus-us-new-report-suggests-mosquito-borne-illnesses-poses-threat-least-437568?piano_t=1
  • Who: not given
  • When: not given
  • Where: in the USA
  • What: Despitreassurance from U.S. health officials that the Zika virus doesn’t pose a serious threat to the U.S., a new report suggests that as many as 50 cities in the country are at risk for local transmission this summer.
  • Why: local transmission this summer.
  • How: not given
Vocabulary
  • reassurance 放心
  • transmission 傳輸
  • Corporation 公司
  • humidity 濕度
  • Aedes aegypti mosquitoes 埃及斑蚊
  • consortium 財團
  • outbreak 爆發
  • potential 潛在的
  • abundance 豐富
  • meteorologists 氣象學家
  • magnitude 大小
  • proliferate 增生

2016年3月10日 星期四

week 3: 日韓慰安婦協議

week two: 深圳廢土場崩塌

Shenzhen landslide disaster: 11 arrests for negligence

  Eleven people in China have been arrested for their alleged role in the Shenzhen landslide disaster.
Shenzhen prosecutors, late on Thursday, said a dispatcher and supervisor of the landfill, the chief and deputy manager of a company in charge of it, and seven other people were arrested.
They said they have been charged with negligently causing a serious accident.
The landslide happened when a hill of construction waste collapsed, leaving 74 people either missing or dead.
The formal arrests come three days after the police took what Chinese media called "coercive measures" against 12 people. It is thought the 11 arrested today were among those.
  Officials have described the 20 December disaster as man-made, raising the possibility of severe punishments for those they consider responsible.
One official, whose job involved regulating construction sites, apparently jumped to his death a week after the landslide. It is not clear if he was being investigated for his role in it.
Officials have appealed for police and the public to help them find other suspects apparently on the run.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-35208881
  • who:  prosecutors
  • when: on Thursday
  • why: Shenzhen landslide
  • what: dispatcher and supervisor of the landfill, the chief and deputy manager of a company in charge of it, and seven other people were arrested.
  • where: Shenzhen in Chain
  • how: not given


vocabulary
  • negligence 疏忽
  • alleged 所謂的
  •  prosecutors 檢察官
  •  negligently 疏忽地
  • dispatcher 調度員
  • deputy manager 副經理
  •  arrests  逮捕
  • coercive 強制
  • regulate 調節
  •  apparently 顯然地


2016年2月25日 星期四

week1: 福斯汽車排氣造假 Volkswagen, emissions sandal

Volkswagen: The scandal explained

What is Volkswagen accused of?

It's been dubbed the "diesel dupe". In September, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that many VW cars being sold in America had a "defeat device" - or software - in diesel engines that could detect when they were being tested, changing the performance accordingly to improve results. The German car giant has since admitted cheating emissions tests in the US.
VW has had a major push to sell diesel cars in the US, backed by a huge marketing campaign trumpeting its cars' low emissions. The EPA's findings cover 482,000 cars in the US only, including the VW-manufactured Audi A3, and the VW models Jetta, Beetle, Golf and Passat. But VW has admitted that about 11 million cars worldwide, including eight million in Europe, are fitted with the so-called "defeat device".
The company has also been  by the EPA of modifying software on the 3 litre diesel engines fitted to some Porsche and Audi as well as VW models. VW has denied the claims, which affect at least 10,000 vehicles.
In November, VW said it had found "irregularities" in tests to measure carbon dioxide emissions levels that could affect about 800,000 cars in Europe - including petrol vehicles. However, in December it said that following investigations, it had established that this only affected about 36,000 of the cars it produces each year.

This 'defeat device' sounds like a sophisticated piece of kit.

Full details of how it worked are sketchy, although the EPA has said that the engines had computer software that could sense test scenarios by monitoring speed, engine operation, air pressure and even the position of the steering wheel.
When the cars were operating under controlled laboratory conditions - which typically involve putting them on a stationary test rig - the device appears to have put the vehicle into a sort of safety mode in which the engine ran below normal power and performance. Once on the road, the engines switched out of this test mode.
The result? The engines emitted nitrogen oxide pollutants up to 40 times above what is allowed in the US.

What has been VW's response?

"We've totally screwed up," said VW America boss Michael Horn, while the group's chief executive at the time, Martin Winterkorn, said his company had "broken the trust of our customers and the public". Mr Winterkorn resigned as a direct result of the scandal and was replaced by Matthias Mueller, the former boss of Porsche.
"My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group - by leaving no stone unturned," Mr Mueller said on taking up his new post.
VW has also launched an internal inquiry.
With VW recalling millions of cars worldwide from early next year, it has set aside €6.7bn (£4.8bn) to cover costs. That resulted in the company posting its first quarterly loss for 15 years of €2.5bn in late October.
But that's unlikely to be the end of the financial impact. The EPA has the power to fine a company up to $37,500 for each vehicle that breaches standards - a maximum fine of about $18bn.
The costs of possible legal action by car owners and shareholders "cannot be estimated at the current time", VW added.

How widespread are VW's problems?

What started in the US has spread to a growing number of countries. The UK, Italy, France, South Korea, Canada and, of course, Germany, have opened investigations. Throughout the world, politicians, regulators and environmental groups are questioning the legitimacy of VW's emissions testing.
VW will recall 8.5 million cars in Europe, including 2.4 million in Germany and 1.2 million in the UK, and 500,000 in the US as a result of the emissions scandal.
No wonder the carmaker's shares have fallen by about a third since the scandal broke.

Will more heads roll?

It's still unclear who knew what and when, although VW must have had a chain of management command that approved fitting cheating devices to its engines, so further departures are likely.
Christian Klingler, a management board member and head of sales and marketing is leaving the company, although VW said this was part of long-term planned structural changes and was not related to recent events.
In 2014, in the US, regulators raised concerns about VW emissions levels, but these were dismissed by the company as "technical issues" and "unexpected" real-world conditions. If executives and managers wilfully misled officials (or their own VW superiors) it's difficult to see them surviving.

Are other carmakers implicated?

That's for the various regulatory and government inquiries to determine. California's Air Resources Board is now looking into other manufacturers' testing results. Ford, BMW and Renault-Nissan have said they did not use "defeat devices", while other firms have either not commented or simply stated that they comply with the law.
The UK trade body for the car industry, the SMMT, said: "The EU operates a fundamentally different system to the US - with all European tests performed in strict conditions as required by EU law and witnessed by a government-appointed independent approval agency."
But it added: "The industry acknowledges that the current test method is outdated and is seeking agreement from the European Commission for a new emissions test that embraces new testing technologies and is more representative of on-road conditions."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34324772
  • Who:German
  • When: September
  • Why: not given
  • What: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that many VW cars being sold in America had a "defeat device" - or software - in diesel engines that could detect when they were being tested, changing the performance accordingly to improve results.
  • Where: Germany
  • How: not given
Vocabulary:
  • diesel (n.) 柴油機
  • dupe (n.) 欺騙
  • emission (n.) 排放
  • campaign (n.) 活動 運動
  •  trumpet (v.) 宣告
  • be fitted with 配有
  • modify (n.) 修改
  • irregularitie (n.) 違規行為
  • sophisticated (adj.) 複雜的
  • sketchy (adj.) 概略的
  • stationary (n.) 靜止的
  • emit (v.) 發射
  • nitrogen (n.) 氮
  • no unturned 千方百計 
  • shareholders  (n.) 股東
  • legitimacy (n.) 合法
  •  regulators (n.) 監管機構
  •  fundamentally (adv.) 從根本上



2015年12月24日 星期四

Week six: 歐洲難民潮

Hungarian reporter who tripped migrants apologises for her actions

The Hungarian video journalist who was caught on camera tripping up and kicking migrants at a refugee shelter has written a letter of apology.
Petra Laszlo was fired by her news organization, N1TV, after the footage emerged of her tripping up a man carrying a child while filming her report in Roszke.

Laszlo wrote her apology in a letter to Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet. She wrote:
“I sincerely regret what happened. Only now have I been able to gather myself together enough to write about what happened. In fact I am in shock from what I have done and what was done to me.
“I was shooting with the camera when hundreds of migrants broke out, came through the police cordon, one of them rushed at me and I got scared. I was afraid when I saw the crowd coming towards me, and then something snapped in me.
“With the camera in my hand, I didn’t see who was coming towards me, I just thought that I was being attacked and that I had to protect myself. It’s hard to make good decisions at a time when people are in a panic and hundreds of people are rushing at you. I failed at that moment to make the right decision.
I’m very sorry about what happened and as a mother I especially regret that due to an unfortunate coincidence there happened to be a child crossing my way. I did not realize it at that time.
I was in a panic; when I watched the footage, I just could not recognize myself, like it had not been me.
“I sincerely regret what happened and I take responsibility for it. I’m not a heartless, racist, child-kicking cameraman.
“I do not deserve either the political witch-hunt against me or the nasty messages – and even death threats – I have since received. I’m just a woman, since then, an unemployed mother of a small child, who made a bad decision in a chaotic situation. I am truly sorry.”

 http://www.euronews.com/2015/09/11/hungarian-reporter-who-tripped-migrants-apologises-for-her-actions/

Structure of the lead:

  • What: r has written a letter of apology.
  • Where: not given
  • When: not given
  • Who:The Hungarian video journalist
  • Why:was caught on camera tripping up and kicking migrants at a refugee
  • How: not given


Vocabulary:

  •  trip 絆倒
  • migrant 移民者
  • footage 鏡頭
  • cordon 警戒線
  • snap 捕捉
  • panic 恐慌
  •  unfortunate  不幸
  • coincidence 巧合
  •  heartless 狠心
  •  racist 種族主義者