People who can see the big picture are poised to take over
Chris Cobb
Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Move over MBAs. Make way for the Masters of Fine Arts.
If author Daniel Pink is correct, right-brained creative types are poised to rule the world.
The U.S. author is not just talking about not-for-profit artistic types who write iffy poetry or eke out a living painting derivative landscapes. He's talking about conceptualizers -- people who can see big pictures and wider implications.
This right-brain crowd is not part of the left-brain crowd that screwed up the economy. Nor does it include the number crunchers whose work is being outsourced for peanuts.
"The forces of abundance -- Asia and automation -- are tipping the scales and putting a premium on right-brain abilities," explains Pink. "The left-brain abilities are essential, but they can be outsourced. You have (U.S.) bank financial analysis and financial processing that is either automatic or being sent to India at lower cost. Right-brain abilities are harder to outsource."
Pink says left-brain thinkers can take comfort because right-brainers will require a smattering of their MBA-like instincts to function. "If you've only got right-brain abilities and no left-brain abilities," he says, "you're going to be in a world of hurt."
Pink makes the argument in his most recent book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.
It's a no-brainer, he says.
"More and more you're seeing a meeting in the middle," he says. "Design schools reaching out to business schools and business schools reaching out to design schools. It used to be they didn't even know each other existed."
Right-brainers, effectively suppressed during the dot-com revolution, are now on the fast track.
"If you want to make a living as an oil painter, it's difficult," he concedes. "But there are recruiters all over design colleges. They're not recruiting people to become fine artists, they're from consumer product companies looking for good designers; electronics companies and managing consulting firms looking for people who are multi-disciplinary and who can think in a different way and who can reason not only analytically but esthetically."
Even medical schools -- "bastions of left-brain muscle flexing" -- are getting the message.
"Every medical school in North America now teaches clinical empathy, which is a very right-brain kind of capability," he says. "Harvard and Yale medical schools take students to art museums to make them better diagnosticians." Apparently, learning to observe subtleties in paintings makes physicians sharper at detecting ailments.
The economic collapse proves the need for different ways of viewing the world. "One of the aspects of right-brain thinking is the ability to stand back and see how the pieces all fit together," he says. "Nobody was taking a step back and saying, 'What happens if banks and other lenders don't pay back?"
Pink, now a writer, originally planned to be a lawyer. He graduated from law school but never practised. "It runs counter to what people of my generation -- I'm in my mid-40s -- were told to do," he says. "They were told to get good marks, go to university and master a profession like accounting and law. That gave you a very secure foothold in the middle class."
Pink found law boring. "I wanted to work where I would have more impact."
So he chose politics and decided that "getting the right people elected" was a more noble calling.
For a time, he worked as chief speech writer for U.S. vice-president Al Gore. "Election campaigns are exhilarating," he says, "but they're also exhausting."
Deciding he did not want to spend the rest of his life in politics, Pink went out on his own. "I discovered I was wired to be a writer."
Looking for a truly effective whole brain operator? "Obama is a whole-minded guy," he says of the next president of the United States.
"He obviously has very good left-brain abilities, but if you look at the design of his campaign and the graphic design of his logo, it was brilliant. His visual identity has become iconic in a way that hasn't happened with any other presidential campaign. He took a step back, looked at the big picture and realized the world had changed and decided to run his campaign in a fundamentally different way."
Compare Obama with Hillary Clinton, he adds: "Hillary is a classic left-brainer. Her campaign was caught up in the details and missed that the country was going through a sea change in attitude. They totally missed the big picture."
Saturday, November 22, 2008
The values of free speech
Multiculturalism and free speech are often at odds, but free speech can provide the best protection for minorities if they can tolerate those with whom they disagree
Barbara Julian
Special to the Sun
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Can a country reconcile the two ideals of multiculturalism and free speech, given that some of the cultures concerned not only do not value, but actively oppose, free speech?
This question received a full airing this year after the Canadian Islamic Congress lodged a complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal against Maclean's magazine. Maclean's had published online an excerpt from Mark Steyn's book, America Alone, which alleges that the global ambitions of Muslim youth, plus the West's lack of "the will to rebuff those who would supplant it," constitute a threat to liberty and democracy.
The tribunal ruled that Steyn's writings "did not violate anti-hate laws" and that his were "legitimate subjects for public discussion."
Most people in the communications professions argue that freedom of speech is the best protection minorities have and that multiculturalism succeeds only when people learn to live in peaceful proximity to those with whom they disagree.
Some religious and cultural bodies in Canada see things differently, however. Canadian children's writer Deborah Ellis, for example, examined the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in her book, Three Wishes, by asking young people on both sides three questions that adroitly teased out ideas from the dense underlying tangle of emotions that have been built into that standoff, generation after generation.
The Canadian Jewish Congress objected to a pro-Palestinian bias, which no careful reader could deny that Ellis displays. The question, however, is not whether writers have biases (of course they do), but whether they should be allowed to put them out there for others courteously to refute, should they care to take up the conversation.
Isn't that conversation what literature is for?
It was the Canadian Turkish Society that challenged U.S. writer Barbara Coloroso. In Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide, she included the 1915 killing and deportation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as an example of genocide.
Neither of these authors is a professional historian, but a culture that values free speech defends their right to research a subject and publish their conclusions. A sophisticated reader can be trusted to understand that authors' conclusions are coloured by personal preconceptions, whether acquired as a result of, or in reaction to, past conditioning.
Readers in turn bring their own attitudes, knowledge and assumptions to a text and are understood in some ways to "co-create" it with the writer. (That no two readers read the same book is a truism of postmodern reading theory.) This is precisely the skill which schools and libraries set out to teach the young.
Philip Pullman, whose book The Golden Compass was banned from school libraries by a number of Canadian Catholic school boards, is particularly unimpressed with attempts to check a book-hungry child's exploratory progress through the world of literature. "Tell your children they are not to read this book under any circumstances. What is more likely to make them go to the shelf and take it down and read it?" he asked Eleanor Wachtel in a radio interview this summer.
We must remember, however, that when it comes to books purchased by school libraries, there is a difference between censorship and selection. Budget and space limitations mean that only a fraction of available titles will be selected for acquisition in any year, and librarians have to base their choices on something. How surprised can we be if a school embracing the values of a stated world view chooses books that conform to it? The obverse of the "freedom to read" is the freedom not to read. This was the freedom the Calgary, Burlington and Peterborough Catholic school boards exercised when it came to Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, but the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver took a different path.
"We did not recommend an outright banning of the books, as done in other dioceses," says associate superintendent John van der Pauw. "We took the tack that Pullman has presented us with a 'teachable moment'."
A teachers' lesson guide was produced and the administration recommended to librarians that in elementary schools the books be borrowed only by children whose parents gave signed permission.
How appropriate is it, though, to treat the adult reader like a child? Who has the right to keep The Peaceful Pill Handbook or The Da Vinci Code or America Alone out of someone else's hands?
It seems obvious that adults must discuss public affairs if democracy is to flourish, but according to the Freedom of Expression Committee of Canada's Book and Periodical Council, the quiet removal of challenged fictional works from public library circulation often goes unnoticed.
In 2007, 42 challenges were reported in a survey, but "most library challenges go undocumented," according to the Canadian Library Association's Committee on Intellectual Freedom.
Perhaps fiction seems particularly dangerous because, as novelist Anita Desai puts it, "fiction is a way to tell the truth." That it is a subjective truth makes it more powerful and shareable.
By encompassing opposing points of view, fictional worlds force us, in George Eliot's phrase, to expand our sympathies (and explore our ambivalence).
What, then, if some historical subjects are considered no-go areas, as has happened with The Jewel of Medina, U.S. writer Sherry Jones's novel about Mohammed's wife? In a pre-publication review, a university lecturer in Texas opined that some history is "sacred history" and shouldn't be discussed or reflected in fiction.
Setting some areas of the past outside discussion is certainly censorship, and all too often the firebombs will not be far behind -- as was the case when the office of Jones's British publisher was firebombed Sept. 28. On Oct. 6, she told Britain's Telegraph newspaper: "I would urge the British public to stand up for your right to freedom of speech and not be bullied. We can't allow a small minority to dictate to the majority what we can read, write, think, say."
By Oct. 10, however, Jones had pulled out of her British tour and the novel's release in Britain was postponed, although publication went ahead in the U.S. (by Beaufort Books after the original publisher, Random House, withdrew).
When some called references to Mohammed's marriage in The Jewel of Medina "soft porn," one British journalist interpreted the controversy as being about writers' "right to offend."
Liberal MP Keith Martin used the same phrase when he filed a private member's bill in Parliament for the removal of Section 13(1) from the Canadian Human Rights Act soon after Maclean's was accused of inciting hatred with writings some considered offensive.
"We already have laws that protect citizens against slander, libel, discrimination and hate crimes," Martin said in a letter to constituents. "However, we do not have the right to not be offended."
He plans to re-introduce the bill and has also requested that the Justice Committee hold public hearings on the workings of the Human Rights Act.
Individuals and representatives of free speech and human rights groups would testify before the committee (made up of about 11 people representing the four parties) in televised hearings that would fill an educational, as well as a policy-recommending, role.
"Canadians are sensitive about offending people, and that's a good thing about us," says Martin, "but people have died fighting for freedom of conscience."
New fronts are always opening in the war against provocative utterances, and although they produce tragic casualties along the way, they eventually fail.
"In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost," Alfred Whitney Griswold wrote in the New York Times in 1959. "The only weapon against bad ideas is better ideas."
But that's not the last word, either, for someone will disagree. That's the point of free speech -- there can never be a last word.
Although his own party has been loathe to offend ethnic groups by supporting Martin's cause, most editorial boards and publishers' groups do support him, as did the Conservative Party when delegates at their policy convention on Nov. 15 passed a resolution stating that "The Conservative Party supports legislation to remove authority from the Canadian Human Rights Commission and Tribunal to regulate, receive, investigate or adjudicate complaints related to Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act."
A Victoria writer and former librarian, Barbara Julian last wrote about age labelling on children's books.
Barbara Julian
Special to the Sun
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Can a country reconcile the two ideals of multiculturalism and free speech, given that some of the cultures concerned not only do not value, but actively oppose, free speech?
This question received a full airing this year after the Canadian Islamic Congress lodged a complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal against Maclean's magazine. Maclean's had published online an excerpt from Mark Steyn's book, America Alone, which alleges that the global ambitions of Muslim youth, plus the West's lack of "the will to rebuff those who would supplant it," constitute a threat to liberty and democracy.
The tribunal ruled that Steyn's writings "did not violate anti-hate laws" and that his were "legitimate subjects for public discussion."
Most people in the communications professions argue that freedom of speech is the best protection minorities have and that multiculturalism succeeds only when people learn to live in peaceful proximity to those with whom they disagree.
Some religious and cultural bodies in Canada see things differently, however. Canadian children's writer Deborah Ellis, for example, examined the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in her book, Three Wishes, by asking young people on both sides three questions that adroitly teased out ideas from the dense underlying tangle of emotions that have been built into that standoff, generation after generation.
The Canadian Jewish Congress objected to a pro-Palestinian bias, which no careful reader could deny that Ellis displays. The question, however, is not whether writers have biases (of course they do), but whether they should be allowed to put them out there for others courteously to refute, should they care to take up the conversation.
Isn't that conversation what literature is for?
It was the Canadian Turkish Society that challenged U.S. writer Barbara Coloroso. In Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide, she included the 1915 killing and deportation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as an example of genocide.
Neither of these authors is a professional historian, but a culture that values free speech defends their right to research a subject and publish their conclusions. A sophisticated reader can be trusted to understand that authors' conclusions are coloured by personal preconceptions, whether acquired as a result of, or in reaction to, past conditioning.
Readers in turn bring their own attitudes, knowledge and assumptions to a text and are understood in some ways to "co-create" it with the writer. (That no two readers read the same book is a truism of postmodern reading theory.) This is precisely the skill which schools and libraries set out to teach the young.
Philip Pullman, whose book The Golden Compass was banned from school libraries by a number of Canadian Catholic school boards, is particularly unimpressed with attempts to check a book-hungry child's exploratory progress through the world of literature. "Tell your children they are not to read this book under any circumstances. What is more likely to make them go to the shelf and take it down and read it?" he asked Eleanor Wachtel in a radio interview this summer.
We must remember, however, that when it comes to books purchased by school libraries, there is a difference between censorship and selection. Budget and space limitations mean that only a fraction of available titles will be selected for acquisition in any year, and librarians have to base their choices on something. How surprised can we be if a school embracing the values of a stated world view chooses books that conform to it? The obverse of the "freedom to read" is the freedom not to read. This was the freedom the Calgary, Burlington and Peterborough Catholic school boards exercised when it came to Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, but the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver took a different path.
"We did not recommend an outright banning of the books, as done in other dioceses," says associate superintendent John van der Pauw. "We took the tack that Pullman has presented us with a 'teachable moment'."
A teachers' lesson guide was produced and the administration recommended to librarians that in elementary schools the books be borrowed only by children whose parents gave signed permission.
How appropriate is it, though, to treat the adult reader like a child? Who has the right to keep The Peaceful Pill Handbook or The Da Vinci Code or America Alone out of someone else's hands?
It seems obvious that adults must discuss public affairs if democracy is to flourish, but according to the Freedom of Expression Committee of Canada's Book and Periodical Council, the quiet removal of challenged fictional works from public library circulation often goes unnoticed.
In 2007, 42 challenges were reported in a survey, but "most library challenges go undocumented," according to the Canadian Library Association's Committee on Intellectual Freedom.
Perhaps fiction seems particularly dangerous because, as novelist Anita Desai puts it, "fiction is a way to tell the truth." That it is a subjective truth makes it more powerful and shareable.
By encompassing opposing points of view, fictional worlds force us, in George Eliot's phrase, to expand our sympathies (and explore our ambivalence).
What, then, if some historical subjects are considered no-go areas, as has happened with The Jewel of Medina, U.S. writer Sherry Jones's novel about Mohammed's wife? In a pre-publication review, a university lecturer in Texas opined that some history is "sacred history" and shouldn't be discussed or reflected in fiction.
Setting some areas of the past outside discussion is certainly censorship, and all too often the firebombs will not be far behind -- as was the case when the office of Jones's British publisher was firebombed Sept. 28. On Oct. 6, she told Britain's Telegraph newspaper: "I would urge the British public to stand up for your right to freedom of speech and not be bullied. We can't allow a small minority to dictate to the majority what we can read, write, think, say."
By Oct. 10, however, Jones had pulled out of her British tour and the novel's release in Britain was postponed, although publication went ahead in the U.S. (by Beaufort Books after the original publisher, Random House, withdrew).
When some called references to Mohammed's marriage in The Jewel of Medina "soft porn," one British journalist interpreted the controversy as being about writers' "right to offend."
Liberal MP Keith Martin used the same phrase when he filed a private member's bill in Parliament for the removal of Section 13(1) from the Canadian Human Rights Act soon after Maclean's was accused of inciting hatred with writings some considered offensive.
"We already have laws that protect citizens against slander, libel, discrimination and hate crimes," Martin said in a letter to constituents. "However, we do not have the right to not be offended."
He plans to re-introduce the bill and has also requested that the Justice Committee hold public hearings on the workings of the Human Rights Act.
Individuals and representatives of free speech and human rights groups would testify before the committee (made up of about 11 people representing the four parties) in televised hearings that would fill an educational, as well as a policy-recommending, role.
"Canadians are sensitive about offending people, and that's a good thing about us," says Martin, "but people have died fighting for freedom of conscience."
New fronts are always opening in the war against provocative utterances, and although they produce tragic casualties along the way, they eventually fail.
"In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost," Alfred Whitney Griswold wrote in the New York Times in 1959. "The only weapon against bad ideas is better ideas."
But that's not the last word, either, for someone will disagree. That's the point of free speech -- there can never be a last word.
Although his own party has been loathe to offend ethnic groups by supporting Martin's cause, most editorial boards and publishers' groups do support him, as did the Conservative Party when delegates at their policy convention on Nov. 15 passed a resolution stating that "The Conservative Party supports legislation to remove authority from the Canadian Human Rights Commission and Tribunal to regulate, receive, investigate or adjudicate complaints related to Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act."
A Victoria writer and former librarian, Barbara Julian last wrote about age labelling on children's books.
Letting boys be boys
A more open attitude toward teen sexuality would help reduce homophobia
Alex Sanchez
Special to the Sun
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Sex. The word elicits immediate attention. I know: I'm a novelist, a spinner of words.
My books have been challenged by parents, yanked by schools from summer reading lists, and banned by libraries because -- although my novels aren't graphic -- the teen characters I write about explore sexuality, sexual orientation and, yes, sex.
I don't write about this stuff to sell more books. Contrary to popular belief, sex doesn't always sell. In the teen fiction world, controversial issues and adverse publicity can and do limit book sales. So why continue to write stories revolving around teen sexuality?
I write the books I wish I'd had available when I was growing up, books that would've told me, "It's okay to be who you are." And one part of who I was then was a very normal teenage kid trying to sort out his sexuality.
Sexuality. It's how we experience and express ourselves as beings characterized and distinguished by sex. In the 1970s when I was a teen, sex education programs were limited to the biology of reproduction and the ravages of VD. Judy Blume's groundbreaking novels that speak openly and honestly about teen sexuality were just starting to come out.
There were no books that portrayed teenage boys like me: Struggling with same-sex attraction, questioning my sexuality, wanting to love and be loved. I thought I was the only one in the world. After school, alone in my room, I would tell myself, "Stop feeling this way! I refuse to let this happen."
Such were the dark ages before Will & Grace.
In some ways, the world has changed a lot since then. Young people today grow up watching gay and lesbian characters on TV, hear news reports of U.S. Supreme Court sodomy rulings, and engage in debates about same-sex marriage. And yet, even in today's world, I receive daily e-mails from young readers struggling to accept themselves, harassed and bullied at school, hearing ministers condemn gay people, and fearing that their parents would kick them out if they found out their secret.
Decades after I was a teen, most school sex-ed programs continue to focus on biology and reproduction. Abstinence-only programs in some schools approach sexuality in the spirit of a "Just say no" anti-drug campaign, treating sex as if it were equivalent to some illicit substance that society must control. Little -- if any -- discussion is given to gender identity or sexual orientation.
Only an exceptional few comprehensive school programs address sexuality as a fundamental part of being alive -- a human experience that entails risks but can also yield tremendous benefits, that may have painful consequences, but can also be enormously rewarding and (dare I say it) fun. Instead, we far too often abandon young people to figure it all out on their own.
In my novels, I especially focus on high-school boys because (a) I'm a guy (b) high school was a wicked-tough time for me, and (c) therefore I feel a particular empathy for the struggles of teen boys.
We know that society often imparts a message of "boys don't cry." But from what I've observed, the message is actually far broader than that: Boys shouldn't feel, period. Whereas girls are allowed a wide range of emotional expression, boys are given the message that they shouldn't show or feel any weakness, whether it be hurt, loneliness, sadness, grief, or even too much joy.
What's left? Anger -- directed either toward others or turned inward toward the self. Such is the "box" that we confine guys to. Is it any wonder that males commit suicide about four times more often than females; constitute over 90 per cent of juvenile and adult prison populations; comprise a majority of alcoholics, drug addicts, and homeless of all ages; have lower levels of university attendance and life expectancy? The list goes on, including the striking fact that nearly every school shooter has been a male.
One of the tasks of growing up male is figuring out, "What does it mean to be a man?" In our era of single moms, absent dads, latchkey kids, and an average of six hours per day spent by teen boys in front of a screen, we're largely abandoning a generation to figure out how to be a man from violent, misogynistic computer games and gangsta' rap videos, Internet porn sites, and endlessly gun-filled TV shows -- media that fuel the anger boys feel.
Accompanying the violence and misogyny is an equally strong dose of homophobia. In a majority of schools, religious and ethnic slurs are no longer tolerated, but homophobic remarks remain commonplace.
And anti-gay comments aren't limited to hurting gay and lesbian students; at some point almost every boy gets called "queer," "fag," or worse. To imply somebody is gay serves as one of the most effective and pervasive forms of bullying and harassment among boys. It's a way of keeping males inside their box.
When adults allow homophobia to persist, we're hurting the straight students alongside the gay ones -- and there are 10 times as many straight students. Homophobia hurts everybody, gay and straight.
Some individuals believe that to address homophobia would imply condoning or "promoting" homosexuality. Nonsense.
The reality is that young people today already know gay people. They have gay or lesbian friends, relatives, parents; they regularly see gay people in the media; they hear U.S. president-elect Barack Obama include gay people in his victory speech. What addressing homophobia and issues of gender and sexual identity actually promotes is a climate of inclusiveness in which all young people can feel safe to be themselves regardless of their differences.
Every one of us is different in some way, but we are all essentially the same. I've learned this from my readers, most of whom, it turns out, are straight. Each, in his or her own way, can identify with characters feeling different; wanting to love and be accepted; coming to terms with sexuality; and trying to sort it all out.
Alex Sanchez is the author of Rainbow Boys, selected as an American Library Association 'Best Book for Young Adults,' and other award-winning teen novels. To learn more or to contact him, please visit www.AlexSanchez.com
Alex Sanchez
Special to the Sun
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Sex. The word elicits immediate attention. I know: I'm a novelist, a spinner of words.
My books have been challenged by parents, yanked by schools from summer reading lists, and banned by libraries because -- although my novels aren't graphic -- the teen characters I write about explore sexuality, sexual orientation and, yes, sex.
I don't write about this stuff to sell more books. Contrary to popular belief, sex doesn't always sell. In the teen fiction world, controversial issues and adverse publicity can and do limit book sales. So why continue to write stories revolving around teen sexuality?
I write the books I wish I'd had available when I was growing up, books that would've told me, "It's okay to be who you are." And one part of who I was then was a very normal teenage kid trying to sort out his sexuality.
Sexuality. It's how we experience and express ourselves as beings characterized and distinguished by sex. In the 1970s when I was a teen, sex education programs were limited to the biology of reproduction and the ravages of VD. Judy Blume's groundbreaking novels that speak openly and honestly about teen sexuality were just starting to come out.
There were no books that portrayed teenage boys like me: Struggling with same-sex attraction, questioning my sexuality, wanting to love and be loved. I thought I was the only one in the world. After school, alone in my room, I would tell myself, "Stop feeling this way! I refuse to let this happen."
Such were the dark ages before Will & Grace.
In some ways, the world has changed a lot since then. Young people today grow up watching gay and lesbian characters on TV, hear news reports of U.S. Supreme Court sodomy rulings, and engage in debates about same-sex marriage. And yet, even in today's world, I receive daily e-mails from young readers struggling to accept themselves, harassed and bullied at school, hearing ministers condemn gay people, and fearing that their parents would kick them out if they found out their secret.
Decades after I was a teen, most school sex-ed programs continue to focus on biology and reproduction. Abstinence-only programs in some schools approach sexuality in the spirit of a "Just say no" anti-drug campaign, treating sex as if it were equivalent to some illicit substance that society must control. Little -- if any -- discussion is given to gender identity or sexual orientation.
Only an exceptional few comprehensive school programs address sexuality as a fundamental part of being alive -- a human experience that entails risks but can also yield tremendous benefits, that may have painful consequences, but can also be enormously rewarding and (dare I say it) fun. Instead, we far too often abandon young people to figure it all out on their own.
In my novels, I especially focus on high-school boys because (a) I'm a guy (b) high school was a wicked-tough time for me, and (c) therefore I feel a particular empathy for the struggles of teen boys.
We know that society often imparts a message of "boys don't cry." But from what I've observed, the message is actually far broader than that: Boys shouldn't feel, period. Whereas girls are allowed a wide range of emotional expression, boys are given the message that they shouldn't show or feel any weakness, whether it be hurt, loneliness, sadness, grief, or even too much joy.
What's left? Anger -- directed either toward others or turned inward toward the self. Such is the "box" that we confine guys to. Is it any wonder that males commit suicide about four times more often than females; constitute over 90 per cent of juvenile and adult prison populations; comprise a majority of alcoholics, drug addicts, and homeless of all ages; have lower levels of university attendance and life expectancy? The list goes on, including the striking fact that nearly every school shooter has been a male.
One of the tasks of growing up male is figuring out, "What does it mean to be a man?" In our era of single moms, absent dads, latchkey kids, and an average of six hours per day spent by teen boys in front of a screen, we're largely abandoning a generation to figure out how to be a man from violent, misogynistic computer games and gangsta' rap videos, Internet porn sites, and endlessly gun-filled TV shows -- media that fuel the anger boys feel.
Accompanying the violence and misogyny is an equally strong dose of homophobia. In a majority of schools, religious and ethnic slurs are no longer tolerated, but homophobic remarks remain commonplace.
And anti-gay comments aren't limited to hurting gay and lesbian students; at some point almost every boy gets called "queer," "fag," or worse. To imply somebody is gay serves as one of the most effective and pervasive forms of bullying and harassment among boys. It's a way of keeping males inside their box.
When adults allow homophobia to persist, we're hurting the straight students alongside the gay ones -- and there are 10 times as many straight students. Homophobia hurts everybody, gay and straight.
Some individuals believe that to address homophobia would imply condoning or "promoting" homosexuality. Nonsense.
The reality is that young people today already know gay people. They have gay or lesbian friends, relatives, parents; they regularly see gay people in the media; they hear U.S. president-elect Barack Obama include gay people in his victory speech. What addressing homophobia and issues of gender and sexual identity actually promotes is a climate of inclusiveness in which all young people can feel safe to be themselves regardless of their differences.
Every one of us is different in some way, but we are all essentially the same. I've learned this from my readers, most of whom, it turns out, are straight. Each, in his or her own way, can identify with characters feeling different; wanting to love and be accepted; coming to terms with sexuality; and trying to sort it all out.
Alex Sanchez is the author of Rainbow Boys, selected as an American Library Association 'Best Book for Young Adults,' and other award-winning teen novels. To learn more or to contact him, please visit www.AlexSanchez.com
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Lieutenant Governor’s Literacy Program
Write Me a Story: Lieutenant Governor's Literacy Program
The Lieutenant Governor of B.C. and the Government House invite students to participate in the Write me a Story literacy program. Students are encouraged to write a story based on four illustrations on the Government House website and submit it with an entry form to the Lieutenant Governor.
Each story will be read by His Honour and every participants will receive a letter of acknowledgement for their participation. The illustrations and entry form are available for download on the Government House website. Each month four different illustrations will be posted on the website.
The Lieutenant Governor of B.C. and the Government House invite students to participate in the Write me a Story literacy program. Students are encouraged to write a story based on four illustrations on the Government House website and submit it with an entry form to the Lieutenant Governor.
Each story will be read by His Honour and every participants will receive a letter of acknowledgement for their participation. The illustrations and entry form are available for download on the Government House website. Each month four different illustrations will be posted on the website.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Winners of 2008 Governor General’s Literary Awards Announced
Canada Council: Montreal, November 18, 2008
Two four-time winners are among the list of winners of the 2008 Governor General’s Literary Awards announced today by the Canada Council for the Arts. The awards are given in the categories of fiction, poetry, drama, non-fiction, children’s literature (text and illustration) and translation, in English and in French...
http://www.canadacouncil.ca/news/releases/2008/ep128714281236840064.htm
Two four-time winners are among the list of winners of the 2008 Governor General’s Literary Awards announced today by the Canada Council for the Arts. The awards are given in the categories of fiction, poetry, drama, non-fiction, children’s literature (text and illustration) and translation, in English and in French...
http://www.canadacouncil.ca/news/releases/2008/ep128714281236840064.htm
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Hurray for pictures
Graphic novels can be as rich as the best literature and are wonderfully kid-friendly. Titles with appeal for boys under 12 include Ramp Rats, Moomin, Jellaby and The Spy-Catcher Gang
Anakana Schofield
Vancouver Sun: 2008 November 15
High school English teacher Guy Demers doesn't hesitate to recommend graphic novels for young readers. "Comics are an art form, much like the novel or poetry," he says. "They offer us new ways to read and to put together meaning.
"The richness in subject matter and approach has given us a body of work that we can see as something truly rich and worth celebrating."
Demers, who teaches English at Sir Charles Tupper secondary school in Vancouver, says his goal with graphic novels is no different from with a novel or short story: He wants to challenge his students to expand and develop their literacy.
"When I suggest students read graphic novels, I don't hand them a stack of Archies or a standard superhero story. I give them a copy of a Tale of One Bad Rat, a Palestine or an American Born Chinese -- all amazing works [by Bryan Talbot, Joe Sacco and Gene Luen Yang, respectively] and all completely different."
Perhaps you recognize this drill: Your child enters the library and races to rummage the Tin Tin, Asterix, Garfield baskets or Bone shelf and returns either satisfied or dejected based on what the rummage produces. Increasingly, the demand exhausts the supply and it's time to look farther afield for graphic novels to satisfy insatiable young appetites.
In my quest to unearth diverse graphic titles, I discovered there are plenty for teenagers but not quite the same plethora for boys below age 12.
Fortunately, I got some help from the approachable lads at RX Comics and Lucky's Comics, both on Main Street, who also reminded me that many vintage comic titles (pre-1985) are suitable for all ages.
BASIC READING LEVEL
The best place to commence, if your child is an emerging reader, is with a wordless graphic novel. Together you can discuss the pictures. This will ignite interest in the format and build vocabulary.
Matthew Forsythe's Ojingogo (Drawn and Quarterly) may look simple, but the possibilities are delightful in this funny adventure of a young girl, a squid and her walking camera.
If your child is struggling with reading or not wildly interested in books, the Marvel Comics Collectible Pop-Up series (Scholastic Canada), which include titles like X-Men, may appeal. The high attraction of the pop-up format and the visual drama of the presentation will produce an instant bond. The text is not particularly simple, though, so you may need to read these books to your child.
The DK (Dorling Kindersley) Graphic Readers books have historical themes and a very low word count, with an emphasis on bright pictures and engaging themes. The Spy-Catcher Gang, a short tale set during the Second World War, has both literacy and historical merit. At the bottom of each page, descriptive prompts reinforce the storyline factually and the final pages contain a glossary of the words highlighted in bold throughout. The series covers everything from Martin Luther King to hockey.
Into the Volcano, by Don Wood (Blue Sky Press/Scholastic), is another strong choice to help readers 7 and up progress to more challenging texts. It's the dramatic story of two brothers who end up lost in the lava tube of an erupting volcano.
BASIC PROFICIENT READERS
Sardine in Outer Space, written by Emmanuel Guibert and illustrated by Joann Sfar, and Sfar's Little Vampire (both published by First Second) are collections of short tales ideal for kids who've bonded with the graphic format. The accessible language and humorous stories, with Sfar's vivid, high-energy illustrations, show the quality of what's now available in this format.
Sardine tells the story of a little girl aboard a spaceship who, with her cousin Louie and Uncle Yellow, must take on Supermuscleman. Little Vampire is spooky, with themes that will appeal to boys.
The author/illustrator duo shared a studio in Paris for four years, which gave rise to these treats.
Lewis Trondheim is a prolific French animator. My nearly nine-year-old son and I chortled our way through his Tiny Tyrant, illustrated by Fabrice Parme (First Second). This book, about a king who rules like a six-year-old, has a theme kids can relate to.
Trondheim's other well-known title is Kaput and Zösky (First Second). The interplanetary box-ups of this alien duo, who look like a bat and ball, offer a commentary on the state of the world. Most importantly, they're energetic and hilarious.
My son Cuan, my test reader, gave his overall victory card, surprisingly, to Ramp Rats, by Liam O'Donnell (illustrations by Mike Deas), from local publisher Orca's Graphic Guide Adventures series. Not only did he read it 143 times but he expressed amazement that a novel could teach you how to do skateboard tricks.
The story concerns the politics and tussles of a group of young skateboarders, both in and out of the park. We're already looking forward to Soccer Sabotage, due next spring.
The most endearing tale I discovered -- Jellaby, by Kean Soo (Hyperion) -- began life as a Web comic and is printed in a lavender hue. It tracks a secret friendship between Portia Bennett and a dinosaur-cum-gummy-bear called Jellaby as Portia tries to find his home. While so many graphic novels are scary and dark, there's something heartwarming about the Jellaby creature. You wouldn't mind looking out the window to find his donkey nose looking back at you.
The good news is that it's to be continued, so there will be more Jellaby titles.
CONFIDENT PROFICIENT READERS
My belief that graphic novels can bridge literacy gaps was strengthened when I discovered Classical Comics, a British publisher with North American distribution. Their graphic-novel adaptations of literary classics are faithful to the authors' original vision. This concept will convert even the most ardent anti-graphica parent, and Shakespeare need never elicit a teenage groan again.
Each Shakespeare play is published in three different formats based on the language: original text, plain text and quick text.
Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped (Tundra Books) was another revelation because my son, generally a classics fiend, has always had an inexplicable aversion to Kidnapped. Yet in this bold format we read the entire book in one sitting. If I now reintroduce the original novel, I'm sure his resistance will have abated.
Fortunately, the third volume of Tove Jansson's adorable Moomin (Drawn and Quarterly) -- Finland's answer to Peanuts -- has just been released. Volume Two, my favourite, includes the appropriately-themed-for-2010 Moomin Winter Follies, in which the Moomins must deal with the over-enthusiastic and emotional organizer of the Moomin Valley Winter Games, Mr. Brisk.
Tove Jannson died in 2001. These three volumes celebrate her extraordinary talents and are sure to become family favourites.
NON-FICTION GRAPHICA
Don't dismiss the role graphic works can play in the acquisition of general knowledge. One of my favourite series is Horrible Histories, written by Terry Deary and illustrated by Martin Brown (Scholastic), described as "history with the nasty bits left in." Titles such as Rotten Romans and Frightful First World War tackle history in a fun yet informative tone.
Scholastic has now added a Horrible Science series, which similarly gives kids "science with the squishy bits left in." The books exploit the yuck and goofy factor while building up interest in important basic science facts.
Dorling Kindersley continues its pioneering visual output for young folk with Take Me Back: A Trip Through History from the Stone Age to the Digital Age. Like all DK titles, it's high on visuals and design, giving kids the history of everything from Mesopotamia to the moon in small, manageable bursts. Reading it is like taking a subway ride through world history. Later, when education demands more from kids, they'll have some familiarity with the stations.
I leave the last word on the debate over the value of graphic novels to teacher Guy Demers. "There are too many startlingly good pieces being created today to ignore," he says. "Our kids deserve the best and so we, as teachers, need to be open to finding it for them, even if it means going against a bias."
Hear, hear.
Anakana Schofield credits her weekly childhood commitment to reading the comic Bunty for Girls with eventually delivering her into the novels of George Eliot.
Anakana Schofield
Vancouver Sun: 2008 November 15
High school English teacher Guy Demers doesn't hesitate to recommend graphic novels for young readers. "Comics are an art form, much like the novel or poetry," he says. "They offer us new ways to read and to put together meaning.
"The richness in subject matter and approach has given us a body of work that we can see as something truly rich and worth celebrating."
Demers, who teaches English at Sir Charles Tupper secondary school in Vancouver, says his goal with graphic novels is no different from with a novel or short story: He wants to challenge his students to expand and develop their literacy.
"When I suggest students read graphic novels, I don't hand them a stack of Archies or a standard superhero story. I give them a copy of a Tale of One Bad Rat, a Palestine or an American Born Chinese -- all amazing works [by Bryan Talbot, Joe Sacco and Gene Luen Yang, respectively] and all completely different."
Perhaps you recognize this drill: Your child enters the library and races to rummage the Tin Tin, Asterix, Garfield baskets or Bone shelf and returns either satisfied or dejected based on what the rummage produces. Increasingly, the demand exhausts the supply and it's time to look farther afield for graphic novels to satisfy insatiable young appetites.
In my quest to unearth diverse graphic titles, I discovered there are plenty for teenagers but not quite the same plethora for boys below age 12.
Fortunately, I got some help from the approachable lads at RX Comics and Lucky's Comics, both on Main Street, who also reminded me that many vintage comic titles (pre-1985) are suitable for all ages.
BASIC READING LEVEL
The best place to commence, if your child is an emerging reader, is with a wordless graphic novel. Together you can discuss the pictures. This will ignite interest in the format and build vocabulary.
Matthew Forsythe's Ojingogo (Drawn and Quarterly) may look simple, but the possibilities are delightful in this funny adventure of a young girl, a squid and her walking camera.
If your child is struggling with reading or not wildly interested in books, the Marvel Comics Collectible Pop-Up series (Scholastic Canada), which include titles like X-Men, may appeal. The high attraction of the pop-up format and the visual drama of the presentation will produce an instant bond. The text is not particularly simple, though, so you may need to read these books to your child.
The DK (Dorling Kindersley) Graphic Readers books have historical themes and a very low word count, with an emphasis on bright pictures and engaging themes. The Spy-Catcher Gang, a short tale set during the Second World War, has both literacy and historical merit. At the bottom of each page, descriptive prompts reinforce the storyline factually and the final pages contain a glossary of the words highlighted in bold throughout. The series covers everything from Martin Luther King to hockey.
Into the Volcano, by Don Wood (Blue Sky Press/Scholastic), is another strong choice to help readers 7 and up progress to more challenging texts. It's the dramatic story of two brothers who end up lost in the lava tube of an erupting volcano.
BASIC PROFICIENT READERS
Sardine in Outer Space, written by Emmanuel Guibert and illustrated by Joann Sfar, and Sfar's Little Vampire (both published by First Second) are collections of short tales ideal for kids who've bonded with the graphic format. The accessible language and humorous stories, with Sfar's vivid, high-energy illustrations, show the quality of what's now available in this format.
Sardine tells the story of a little girl aboard a spaceship who, with her cousin Louie and Uncle Yellow, must take on Supermuscleman. Little Vampire is spooky, with themes that will appeal to boys.
The author/illustrator duo shared a studio in Paris for four years, which gave rise to these treats.
Lewis Trondheim is a prolific French animator. My nearly nine-year-old son and I chortled our way through his Tiny Tyrant, illustrated by Fabrice Parme (First Second). This book, about a king who rules like a six-year-old, has a theme kids can relate to.
Trondheim's other well-known title is Kaput and Zösky (First Second). The interplanetary box-ups of this alien duo, who look like a bat and ball, offer a commentary on the state of the world. Most importantly, they're energetic and hilarious.
My son Cuan, my test reader, gave his overall victory card, surprisingly, to Ramp Rats, by Liam O'Donnell (illustrations by Mike Deas), from local publisher Orca's Graphic Guide Adventures series. Not only did he read it 143 times but he expressed amazement that a novel could teach you how to do skateboard tricks.
The story concerns the politics and tussles of a group of young skateboarders, both in and out of the park. We're already looking forward to Soccer Sabotage, due next spring.
The most endearing tale I discovered -- Jellaby, by Kean Soo (Hyperion) -- began life as a Web comic and is printed in a lavender hue. It tracks a secret friendship between Portia Bennett and a dinosaur-cum-gummy-bear called Jellaby as Portia tries to find his home. While so many graphic novels are scary and dark, there's something heartwarming about the Jellaby creature. You wouldn't mind looking out the window to find his donkey nose looking back at you.
The good news is that it's to be continued, so there will be more Jellaby titles.
CONFIDENT PROFICIENT READERS
My belief that graphic novels can bridge literacy gaps was strengthened when I discovered Classical Comics, a British publisher with North American distribution. Their graphic-novel adaptations of literary classics are faithful to the authors' original vision. This concept will convert even the most ardent anti-graphica parent, and Shakespeare need never elicit a teenage groan again.
Each Shakespeare play is published in three different formats based on the language: original text, plain text and quick text.
Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped (Tundra Books) was another revelation because my son, generally a classics fiend, has always had an inexplicable aversion to Kidnapped. Yet in this bold format we read the entire book in one sitting. If I now reintroduce the original novel, I'm sure his resistance will have abated.
Fortunately, the third volume of Tove Jansson's adorable Moomin (Drawn and Quarterly) -- Finland's answer to Peanuts -- has just been released. Volume Two, my favourite, includes the appropriately-themed-for-2010 Moomin Winter Follies, in which the Moomins must deal with the over-enthusiastic and emotional organizer of the Moomin Valley Winter Games, Mr. Brisk.
Tove Jannson died in 2001. These three volumes celebrate her extraordinary talents and are sure to become family favourites.
NON-FICTION GRAPHICA
Don't dismiss the role graphic works can play in the acquisition of general knowledge. One of my favourite series is Horrible Histories, written by Terry Deary and illustrated by Martin Brown (Scholastic), described as "history with the nasty bits left in." Titles such as Rotten Romans and Frightful First World War tackle history in a fun yet informative tone.
Scholastic has now added a Horrible Science series, which similarly gives kids "science with the squishy bits left in." The books exploit the yuck and goofy factor while building up interest in important basic science facts.
Dorling Kindersley continues its pioneering visual output for young folk with Take Me Back: A Trip Through History from the Stone Age to the Digital Age. Like all DK titles, it's high on visuals and design, giving kids the history of everything from Mesopotamia to the moon in small, manageable bursts. Reading it is like taking a subway ride through world history. Later, when education demands more from kids, they'll have some familiarity with the stations.
I leave the last word on the debate over the value of graphic novels to teacher Guy Demers. "There are too many startlingly good pieces being created today to ignore," he says. "Our kids deserve the best and so we, as teachers, need to be open to finding it for them, even if it means going against a bias."
Hear, hear.
Anakana Schofield credits her weekly childhood commitment to reading the comic Bunty for Girls with eventually delivering her into the novels of George Eliot.
Library reaches far beyond books to music, film and more
The Sun's guide to living wisely
Denise Ryan
Vancouver Sun: 2008 November 15
For anyone hooked on Google for information, Blockbuster for DVDs and Amazon for books delivered to the door, using your local library may seem a quaint idea -- like going back to elementary school, or visiting the house you grew up in to see how small its rooms look.
But libraries aren't just books any more, and a return to library use may be just what we need to shave a few line items off the budget.
Libraries are booming, partly because what they offer now is "far beyond books," said Ross Bliss, manager of lending services and popular reading at the Vancouver Public Library.
Major jumps in circulation over the last 10 years attest to the fact that libraries are more than keeping up with contemporary tastes. Circulation of books is up 24 per cent, juvenile lit is up 52 per cent and audio-visual materials have jumped up 106 per cent.
"We also have circulating magazines, current and past issues, and a vast collection of reference magazines, music CDs, spoken word, audio books, many of them in mp3 formats, language-learning kits, popular films, and instructional DVDs," Bliss said.
What many people still don't know, he said, is how incredibly easy and convenient the Internet has made public library access.
"The catalogues for all these things are all available online at www.vpl.ca," Bliss said. In addition, each library card holder has 50 free reserves a year, and whatever you order will be delivered to the library of your choice.
When you want to return something you can drop it off at any branch.
Not only that, Bliss said, but through the website you can access the library's most "unsung treasure," access to thousands of magazines worldwide.
"You get the full text and full indexing for thousands of magazines, every issue, every article is indexed and almost all of them are full text. You can read them onscreen, download them, print them. This is proprietary stuff, it's not free to the whole world, but if you have a Vancouver library card, you can log on from anywhere in the world.
"Say you like Guitar Player for example, you can go online and read every issue. Or you want to research a digital camera, you can read everything that's been published about a particular model in photography magazines."
If you want to set up a book club, the library system provides sets of books for loaning out. The sets are handed over in a tote bag, with guidelines, a set of instructions and frequently asked questions.
"Again, you can do it online, and the books would be sent to your local library," Bliss said.
The VPL offers books in more than a dozen languages, and bases its multilingual collections on local demographics.
Bliss is also excited about the VPL's genealogy data base.
The VPL subscribes to the library edition of ancestry.com, and it is available to users online. "It's a crazy resource for doing genealogical research, just fantastic, but very expensive for an individual to subscribe to," Bliss said. The library also offers the very popular Chinese Genealogy Wiki.
The search interface on the website is easy to use. Simply log in with your library card from home, request the first available copy if you want a film or book, and type in which branch you'd like to have it delivered to.
There are good reasons to make the trek to your library too. In addition to reading programs for all ages, there are musical performances, lectures and entertainment.
"It's a place to socialize," Bliss said. "It's a place to relax, there are activated spaces, quiet spaces and spaces for community use. You can even bring your coffee, as long as it has a lid."
dryan@vancouversun.com
Denise Ryan
Vancouver Sun: 2008 November 15
For anyone hooked on Google for information, Blockbuster for DVDs and Amazon for books delivered to the door, using your local library may seem a quaint idea -- like going back to elementary school, or visiting the house you grew up in to see how small its rooms look.
But libraries aren't just books any more, and a return to library use may be just what we need to shave a few line items off the budget.
Libraries are booming, partly because what they offer now is "far beyond books," said Ross Bliss, manager of lending services and popular reading at the Vancouver Public Library.
Major jumps in circulation over the last 10 years attest to the fact that libraries are more than keeping up with contemporary tastes. Circulation of books is up 24 per cent, juvenile lit is up 52 per cent and audio-visual materials have jumped up 106 per cent.
"We also have circulating magazines, current and past issues, and a vast collection of reference magazines, music CDs, spoken word, audio books, many of them in mp3 formats, language-learning kits, popular films, and instructional DVDs," Bliss said.
What many people still don't know, he said, is how incredibly easy and convenient the Internet has made public library access.
"The catalogues for all these things are all available online at www.vpl.ca," Bliss said. In addition, each library card holder has 50 free reserves a year, and whatever you order will be delivered to the library of your choice.
When you want to return something you can drop it off at any branch.
Not only that, Bliss said, but through the website you can access the library's most "unsung treasure," access to thousands of magazines worldwide.
"You get the full text and full indexing for thousands of magazines, every issue, every article is indexed and almost all of them are full text. You can read them onscreen, download them, print them. This is proprietary stuff, it's not free to the whole world, but if you have a Vancouver library card, you can log on from anywhere in the world.
"Say you like Guitar Player for example, you can go online and read every issue. Or you want to research a digital camera, you can read everything that's been published about a particular model in photography magazines."
If you want to set up a book club, the library system provides sets of books for loaning out. The sets are handed over in a tote bag, with guidelines, a set of instructions and frequently asked questions.
"Again, you can do it online, and the books would be sent to your local library," Bliss said.
The VPL offers books in more than a dozen languages, and bases its multilingual collections on local demographics.
Bliss is also excited about the VPL's genealogy data base.
The VPL subscribes to the library edition of ancestry.com, and it is available to users online. "It's a crazy resource for doing genealogical research, just fantastic, but very expensive for an individual to subscribe to," Bliss said. The library also offers the very popular Chinese Genealogy Wiki.
The search interface on the website is easy to use. Simply log in with your library card from home, request the first available copy if you want a film or book, and type in which branch you'd like to have it delivered to.
There are good reasons to make the trek to your library too. In addition to reading programs for all ages, there are musical performances, lectures and entertainment.
"It's a place to socialize," Bliss said. "It's a place to relax, there are activated spaces, quiet spaces and spaces for community use. You can even bring your coffee, as long as it has a lid."
dryan@vancouversun.com
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