A simple chat

The director of international programmes here at UWorcester invited me to give an informal talk (what we refer to as a "brown bag" presentation) on the topic of my choice.  She set the date for today--Halloween

A charming frock featuring skulls.

That's a giant stuffed tarantula on the shoulder of this outfit.

so I chose to discuss media coverage of the impending U.S. elections.  Our director had done a presentation/lunch chat in September and it was a very successful experience for her, so I felt fairly calm about what I needed to do.

The gathering was small (about 12),  intimate and comfortable.  I started by sharing with the group that as I prepared my thoughts for today, I reflected on two great American political leaders who had recently passed away--Arlen Specter and George McGovern.  These men represented a different era in U.S. politics.  Specter was a moderate Republican (who turned Democrat at the end of his career) who wasn't afraid to reach across the aisle.  McGovern, was a progressive Democrat with great integrity and a willingness to listen to those with differing perspectives. 

I noted that I came of age politically in 1972--the year of Watergate, the year George McGovern replaced frontrunner  Ed Muskie as the Democratic nominee for president after the Dirty Tricks division of the Committee to Re-elect the President (aka CREEP) had masterminded his withdrawal from the race, and the year Richard M. Nixon won reelection in a landslide.  My father had taken a sabbatical from the University of Arizona in 1972, and the whole family accompanied him to England and later to Germany; that meant I cast my first vote by absentee ballot and was part of an ex-pat community of McGovern supporters. 

I recounted my reaction to the London Times's coverage of the Watergate break-in on June 18, 1972.  I was sure the break-in was something the Republican party had orchestrated --even though that was not mentioned in the article.  I was also certain that once it became clear this was an act of political sabotage perpetrated by the Republican party against the Democratic party, the voting public would wake up and take notice.  Yeah, I nailed that one (NOT!).

I shared that I am inspired to work with students in improving their media literacy because of my belief in the First Amendment as the cornerstone of U.S. democracy.  I also referenced a concept called "cycles of salvation and despair" in regard to the introduction and dissemination of new media technologies.  I first encountered these ideas in a book by Melvin DeFleur and Sandra Ball Rokeach called Milestones in Mass Communication Research.  Technology can be a tool of democracy BUT it can also be wielded by those who would undermine it.

The application of the cycles of salvation and despair to new communication technology and our 24/7 media environment is clear.  On the one hand, the Internet, cell phones, YouTube, etc., empower people to produce their own media messages. Such empowerment suggests the embodiment of democratic ideals.  When people can produce messages independently, without the filter of professional media, they have the potential to engage in a true "marketplace of ideas".

On the other hand, new technology has the capacity to limit perspectives.  Consider Facebook.  Corporate influences conspire to narrow the perspectives one encounters.  Human nature also contributes to that narrowness.  We tend to select those friends who hold similar values and positions to our own.  We can "unfriend" those whose positions we find uncomfortable.  We end up reinforcing our own perspectives and demonizing the opposition.  The "Swift Boat" YouTube is an excellent example of the kind of momentum that can build around like-minded people bent on perpetrating a fallacious and libelous message: Kerry was not a war hero deserving of medals, and was actually disloyal to the country he served.  This viral video was blindly accepted and the Kerry campaign failed to respond to it in an efficacious manner.  The Dems definitely did not have an effective PR strategy and thus lost the race.

Old technology (newspapers, magazines, television and radio) receives pressure to take one or another positions in keeping with ones held by those who own those media properties.

Consultants from Public Relations firms have made an indelible mark on modern political coverage--and not in a way that promotes substantive discourse.  The constant pulse checking during debates snapshot polls lead to campaigns that are increasingly more vitriolic.

Last year at UMD, we had a diversity program called "How did you come to be here?"  We featured a video by Chimamanda Adichie called "The Danger of a Single Story".   Her message is that we can't allow external forces within the culture to impose a single story on us thereby defining who we are or who we can be.  I contend that the same ideas might apply to our political ideas.

I ended with a recommendation that we educate media consumers in media literacy and to use, among other tools, a variety of fact checkers.  I also recommended Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Bill Moyers as valuable resources to facilitate greater understanding of the media and of politics.

A number of people posed questions--including one about the Big Bird snafu and a request for a prediction.  All in all, I was satisfied with the way it went.

And now, for something completely different to end this post--I found a great sign for your entertainment:

Pee for pizza.  Take a Chlamydia test get a free pizza.

Witley Court

A week ago this past Sunday my friends/neighbors down the hall invited me to go on an excursion to Stokesay Castle.  They suggested we could go to Whitley Court as well.  The Stokesay trip was shrouded in fog, but that added an eerie quality to our visit.  By the time we had finished our tour of Stokesay, the fog had lifted and we were able to see the beauty of the Shropshire countryside as we drove toward Witley Court in Worcestershire.

I had never heard about this place and it was even more interesting to realize that it's only 10 miles away from Worcester.  This English Heritage site has had a manor on the property since the 11th century.  It was owned by a cousin of William the Conqueror.  The 17th century owners rebuilt the medieval home on a "grander" scale.  The grounds cover 400 acres, including  wilderness gardens, woodlands, parklands, a lake and gorgeous formal gardens.

 The house went through a number of different iterations beyond the re-build in 1610.  The property expanded in the 18th century.  The final remodelling of manor finished in 1850 under the first earl of Dudley, a major industrialist of England's West Midlands.

The ticket office cum gift shop is the entry to a number of lovely walks, some of which led to the great home.

The Victorian era remodel transformed the house into an Italianate palace. 

The opulence of this place made it a popular destination for British royalty.  Lavish weekends included coming of age parties, hunting parties and other exercises in excess. 

All that came to an end in 1937 when a devastating fire gutted the mansion.  A Stratford Upon Avon company bought the property in 1954 and sold off the remaining fixtures, leaving it a hollow shell.

Beyond the ruins, the site still boasts some real treasures.  The magnificent fountain featuring a depiction of Perseus  slaying the dragon guarding Andromeda.  The fountain goes off once an hour on the hour spewing great arcs of water.

The baroque church is also an incredible treasure.

I would have never known about this amazing property if my friends hadn't suggested the outing.  The best part is that it's only a few miles away.  My friends and I agreed that this is a great site for a day trip for the Study in England students.  Personally, I'd love to come back in the late spring/early summer to see the gorgeous flower beds in all their glory.

GUEST POST: The very best things that happened in Oxford

Wotcher, readers! This is Neenuh PPG (née Neenuh PP) creeping on me mumsie's blog to drop some truth bombs about Oxford. What follows are the Very Best Things we encountered in the city where people have been getting their learning on since about a million years before you were even born.

No. 1: The Very Best Cream Tea

If you're a regular reader of MaPP's Travels, you know her preferred form of indulgence is a lovely Cream Tea. Being somewhat of a connoisseur of foreign pastries myself, I made a point to sample this afternoon snack staple every blessed day I've been here (according to Ma's Points Plus Pedometer we've trot-trot-trotted approximately 30 miles since I've arrived, so it's allowed).

I had a feeling Oxford's offerings would be the bestest, and, dear readers, this City of Dreaming Spires did not disappoint. We chose The Grand Café on High Street as our venue based on both the classy pale blue paint and fancy gold lettering of its facade, and its sign boasting its status as the first coffee shop in the world (est. 1650). 

We ordered two cream teas, pip pip, and a pot of lavender tea, cheers. Oh My Lace Glove was it good. And fancy. And so very restorative after hours of trotting in the drizzle. We were in heaven.

No. 2: The Very Best Film Shooting

Ma P-P and I were just minding our own business, tucking into our delightful lunch at The Rose of pumpkin soup with rosemary and feta and smoked salmon sandwiches with cream cheese, cucumber and watercress, when we saw this olden carriage driving down the street atop a film rig! With footmen!

I'm pretty sure the people "driving" the carriage were celebrities, but we didn't want to ruin the shot by getting all up in their grills to see who they were. Colin Firth? Jonathan Rhys Meyers? Robert Pattinson? QUITE POSSIBLY.

No. 3: The Very Best Celebrity Sighting

Wotcher, Camilla! How lovely to see you here! Are you enjoying your new step-daughter-in-law? Would you care for a gherkin? Bought any new fascinators lately? Cheerio, darling!

No. 4: The Very Best Aerial Views

After peering through the gates of several of Oxford's colleges (they were all closed to visitors), and then peering through the windows of the Radcliffe Camera (also closed to visitors), we were delighted to actually be allowed to go in somewhere. That somewhere was The University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, where we paid 6 pounds to go up the dizzying spiral staircase and were rewarded with lovely views of the town.

No. 5: The Very Best Time with My Mama

Today is my last day before heading back to the States. I want to take the opportunity to give a shout out to Ma P-P for being a Hostess with the Mostess and helping me find a really great new hat. I love you Mumsie-Poo!

The Tailor of Gloucester

We've had a University of Minnesota Duluth delegation visiting us here over the past week.  It's been fun to have familiar faces in our midst, but they've had their work cut out for them with many, many meetings.

The friends who were still with us accompanied the SIEers to Malvern on Friday  On Saturday our friends suggested going to Gloucester.  One of our Duluth friends is an early childhood expert and had read about a Beatrix Potter site which seemed worth exploring.   We agreed to meet at the train station and headed off for Gloucester at 11 in the morning.

Similar to Worcester, Gloucester has quite a few signs indicating directions and distances to important sites in the city.

Additionally, we found a series of informational "posters" (not quite the right word, but it'll do) in an alleyway giving some interesting background about the city.

We knew the Beatrix Potter site was in the "shadows" of the Gloucester Cathedral, so once we saw the Cathedral we headed in that direction.

My husband always refers to my taste as "house in the teacup".  I wonder what he'll say when he sees these shots.

This little shop was the epitome of what he means--everything here is very, very British and very, very precious (I've actually seen the word "twee" used in conjunction with Beatrix Potter, but that's just mean).

The shop itself focuses on the The Tailor of Gloucester,

Here's a doll version of the tailor with all of his sewing accoutrement.

This is the vest the Tailor was making for the Mayor of Gloucester when he ran out of time.  The waistcoat was reproduced by the Gloucestershire Federation of Women's Institutes in 1980.  One person cut up her satin wedding dress to provide the material on which the women did this lovely embroidery.

This display features copies of the The Tailor of Gloucester in many different languages.

but all things "Beatrix Potter' are in evidence.

This is a very dangerous store to visit if, like me, you are an impulsive shopper.  My trick is to allot myself only a certain amount of money and just bring cash.  I never bring my credit card for fear I will cave in to my whims.  Looking around, all I could think of was how much I'd like to buy this or that for one child or another.  It's a good thing I do not yet have any grandchildren.  I would have had to clean floors and windows to make up for everything I would have wanted to get.

I ended up buying a little pamphlet for 50 pence which told the story of the House of the Tailor of Gloucester.

I think each of us purchased a little book (or two), and then we said goodbye to Beatrix Potter

and headed out the St. Michael's Gate to the Gloucester Cathedral.

I feel a little disloyal saying this, but I think this cathedral has my adopted hometown's cathedral beat.  For starters, this cathedral has its own gatehouse.

There's also a little animal door in the gate itself.

As one might have anticipated, the stained glass was magnificent.

My daughter's favorite part was the cloisters.

This is the monks' lavatorium (where they washed).

This is a memorial  in the cloisters is dedicated to the freemasons who fell in World War I.

This is the most colorful memorial stone I've ever seen.

There are dozens and dozens of tombs throughout the cathedral, but a few were remarkable.

The Internet says "The tomb of Abraham & Gertrude Blackleech in the south transept at Gloucester. The monument dates from 1639 and is the work of an unknown highly skilled sculptor."

This is the tomb of Robert Curthorse, Duke of Normandy, who was killed by his younger brother, King Henry II.

This is the tomb of King Edward II.

Tomb of  Thomas and Christian Machen. They had a lot of children (the little figures beneath them).  I think the smallest figures must have been children who passed away in infancy or early childhood).

There are numerous chapels around the periphery of the Cathedral.  This one was my favorite.

This is the Bridgnorth Chapel.

The Cathedral features a cross used in the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

The Mason Bracket was one of my favorite features of the Cathedral.

The Cathedral brochure says, "This is thought to be a memorial to an anonymous apprentice mason who fell from the vault above, some time in the 1300s.  The bracket is L-shaped, like a mason's setsquare.  The Master Mason looks up in horror as the apprentice falls.

This Cathedral is a real gem.  While we were there, we could hear the choir practicing.  As we left, a chamber orchestra rehearsed for an upcoming performance.  Naturally, the acoustics were terrific.

We were hungry at the end of our Cathedral tour and set off to find some lunch.  We didn't have to look far to find the Comfy Pew.

We decided not to go with the spotted dick, but decided to order cream tea.  Big mistake.  The scone was frozen, and by the time it got to me it was still cold in the middle.  Such a disappointment.

After we ate, we did a little shopping and wandered in to a terrific store with a fascinating collection of figurines.  I haven't been this tickled in a long time.

This was my favorite.

These were a close second.

My friends all graciously agreed to try my "patented" yoga pose--I tell you, it's catching on among my crowd.

A zombie pub crawl started just as we left Gloucester.

It was an odd ending to a terrific day.