Rice Burroughs
Rice Burroughs
How to make language teaching in the U.S. dramatically more effective
by Philip Yaffe
"Why are Americans so poor at learning to speak other languages?" is asking the wrong question, because the answer is obvious. They don't learn to speak other languages because they don't need to. Or more pertinently, they have little or no opportunity to do so even it they want to.
The real question is: "Why does language teaching in the U.S. continuing aiming at a virtually unattainable objective rather than accepting the reality of the situation and adapting to it?"
When l was growing up in Los Angeles in the 1950s speaking another language (with the possible exception of Spanish) was hardly an option. Even hearing another language was hardly an option. If you turned on the radio, there was only one Spanish station, but certainly no German, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, or any other language stations. And of course television was worse, because there even Spanish was absent.
When I enrolled as a math and physics student in the early 1960s, I was required to take a language course, so I chose German, a language of science. This was a mistake. Of all my classes, German was the one that demanded the greatest investment of time and energy for the least return, including quantum mechanics and differential topology.
I graduated with a bad taste in my mouth for German or any other language. The proof that the time spent in the class was largely wasted occurred about a year later when I was confronted with a German. I could still say "Guten Morgan" (good morning), but that was about all. To communicate, we resorted to grunts, groans, and sign language.
I have since become fluent in two languages and have a working knowledge of three others. So what changed? Two things;
1. I got over my ingrained distaste for language learning.
2. I discovered a much more efficient way of going about it than what I had been subjected to as an adolescent.
I would therefore like to make a modest proposal: Language teaching in the United States should be completely overhauled. In particular, in the early stages the virtually unattainable objective of learning to speak a language should be scrapped.
Clearly, if students never have any opportunity to speak the language outside the classroom, then the chances of their learning to do so become infinitely slim. On the other hand, the same time and effort could be profitably turned to learning to reading and understand it.
Most people can master enough of the fundamentals of a language to be able to speak (poorly but nevertheless coherently), and to understand what is being said to them, within only a few months. The trick is to recognize that the major obstacle to language acquisition is not grammar. It's VOCABULARY.
If you don't know the verb you need, it doesn't matter that you know how to conjugate verbs; you still cannot speak. If you don't know the adjective you need, it doesn't matter that you know how to decline adjectives; you still cannot speak. And so on.
Since vocabulary is crucial, then the largely unrecognized key to mastering another language is: first learn to READ it.
This, of course, may sound like heresy. But it is really common sense. There is nothing like being able to sit down with a newspaper, magazine, or even a novel in the language to reinforce both grammar and vocabulary. The more you read, the more your vocabulary will expand. And the more some of the language's apparently bizarre ways of doing things will become increasingly familiar.
Once you arrive on site where the language is spoken, all the grammar and vocabulary you have stored up in this way will rapidly show its worth.
I am not a pedagogue, so I offer no definitive plan for implementing this idea in the classroom. But here are a few thoughts on the matter.
In the first year of the course, do not discourage students by testing them and grading them. The objective is to get them involved in the language, not to frighten them away from it. The more tests they take and the more they fail, or at least struggle with, the less involved they are going to be.
This does not mean no testing at all. However, this should not be to determine how much students know at a certain point, but to encourage them to learn more. I would therefore propose banishing tests that require students to translate from English into the target language, which almost invariably results in numerous mistakes.
Preferably, tests should be multiple-choice, asking students to recognize the grammatically correct sentence among three or four incorrect ones. At a slightly more advanced stage, they could be shown an incorrect sentence and asked to correct it, or to determine the infinitive of irregular verb contained in it.
Putting the emphasis on reading rather than speaking does not preclude an oral part to the course. It in fact requires it. However, during the first year, this would not be to master simple phrases such as "good morning", "what is your name?", "how old are you?", "the post office is around the corner". Instead, it would be to perfect pronunciation.
Students would be asked to read passages in the target language, with the teacher demonstrating the correct pronunciation. This would be particularly important with a language such as French, where virtually every word is pronounced differently from how it is spelled.
By the end of the first year, and probably before, students could start reading in the language, as much for pleasure as for tuition. These readings might include articles from newspapers or magazines, and even novels. For best results, the novel should contain a maximum of dialogue and a minimum of description. With dialogue, you can frequently anticipate and interpret what the characters are saying; with description you haven't a clue.
When I was learning French, I used novels by Agatha Christie and the adventures of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs, because they are about 90% dialogue and 10% description. Hardly my favorite literature, but they served the purpose. I would also suggest Animal Farm by George Orwell and Candide by Voltaire. However, any novel with a high ratio of dialogue to description will do.
The purpose of reading in the language is to learn vocabulary. However, constantly looking up unfamiliar words would reading rhythm and damage enjoyment. Consequently, once students have learned enough basic vocabulary, their use of a dictionary should be kept to an absolute minimum.
In fiction, very few words are crucial for understanding the story line. Do you really need to know precisely what a room looks like? It's enough to know that is large and elegantly furnished. Do you really need to know precisely what a landscape looks like? It is enough to know that it is isolated and windy. Moreover, words repeat. You will certainly see an unfamiliar word many more times throughout the text. At least one of those times, the way it is used will tell you exactly what it means, with no effort at all.
As a rule of thumb, once they have mastered basic grammar and vocabulary, students should be encouraged to use the dictionary no more than 2 - 3 times a page. Any more than this will make the exercise too tedious. They should just read and enjoy!
When they leave the course, chances are most students will not have any immediate need or opportunity to speak the language. But as long as they can enjoyably read it, they may very well continue to do so. The effort that went into the course will not be lost.
While living in Los Angeles, I taught myself to read French, with no idea that I would ever have any need to speak it. I maintained my reading knowledge of French for five years before coming to live in Belgium, where I began speaking it almost immediately. What a gratifying experience! Certainly much better than if I had gone through a traditional language course, only to discover that on arriving I had to start all over from scratch.
Philip Yaffe is a former reporter/feature writer with The Wall Street Journal and a marketing communication consultant. He currently teaches a course in good writing and good speaking in Brussels, Belgium. His recently published book In the "I" of the Storm: the Simple Secrets of Writing & Speaking (Almost) like a Professional is available from Story Publishers in Ghent, Belgium (storypublishers.be) and Amazon (amazon.com).
For further information, contact:
Philip Yaffe
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)2 660 0405
phil.yaffe@yahoo.com, phil.yaffe@gmail.com
About the Author
Philip Yaffe is a former writer with The Wall Street Journal and international marketing communication consultant. Now semi-retired, he teaches courses in persuasive communication in Brussels, Belgium. Because his clients use English as a second or third language, his approach to writing and public speaking is somewhat different from other communication coaches. He is the author of In the “I” of the Storm: the Simple Secrets of Writing & Speaking (Almost) like a Professional. Contact: phil.yaffe@yahoo.com.
Stories like the Tarzan series?
As a fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs work I have read a good portion of his books my personal favorite being Tarzan. I know that there have been countless ripoffs like Bomba the jungle boy but I can not seem to find any actual stories/authors. If someone could point me to a particular story/series id be appreciative Id also like to know where I might be able to find said works preferably to read online since they are most likely very old and out of print.
I'm assuming you've read, or know about, the various series that ERB wrote (Tarzan, Pellucidar, Mars, Venus...). Some other authors you might like:
Robert E. Howard (wrote Conan and other similar fantasies, plus in every other genre published in the pulps);
Leigh Brackett;
Arthur Conan Doyle (besides Sherlock Holmes, wrote several books and stories about Professor Challenger, including The Lost World);
Henry Kuttner;
C. L. Moore;
Edmond Hamilton;
Jack London;
Jules Verne;
L. Sprague de Camp;
Lin Carter.
Oooh, while researching the above names, I came across an interesting Wikipedia entry on the "sword and planet" subgenre of SF. Check it out. It has a lot of names I either forgot, didn't read, or never heard of.
Enjoy!
edit:
also lists of "sword and sorcery" and "heroic fantasy".
Rice Burroughs
Audiobook: The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs
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A Treasury of Edgar Rice Burroughs $47.44 Collected here in this oversized omnibus edition are nine novels of adventure by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Burroughs was the undisputed master of pulp fiction. His characters Tarzan and John Carter are still household names today. Now you can thrill to his other fine novels which include At the Earths Core, Pellucidar, The Outlaw of Torn, The Efficiency Expert, The Monster Men, The Oakdale Affair, The Land That Time Forgot, The Lost Continent, and The People that Time Forgot. Buckle up and enjoy the ride Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 524 Publication Date: 2007/02/28 Language: English Dimensions: 8.26 x 11.02 x 1.05 inches |
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The Gods of Mars By Burroughs, Edgar Rice $13.25 Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Publication Date: 1991/01/01 Binding Type: Paperback Language: English Depth: 0.50 Width: 4.25 Height: 6.75 |
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A Princess of Mars By Burroughs, Edgar Rice $12.6 Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Series Title: John Carter of Mars Publication Date: 2011/06/07 Number of Pages: 204 Binding Type: Paperback Language: English Depth: 1.00 Width: 5.50 Height: 8.25 |
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Tarzan of the Apes By Burroughs, Edgar Rice $20.14 Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Publication Date: 2008/11/30 Number of Pages: 218 Binding Type: Paperback Language: English Depth: 0.50 Width: 5.75 Height: 8.50 |
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The Return of Tarzan By Burroughs, Edgar Rice $12.6 Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Series Title: Adventures of Lord Greystoke Publication Date: 2011/10/04 Number of Pages: 274 Binding Type: Paperback Language: English Depth: 1.00 Width: 5.50 Height: 8.25 |
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Warlord of Mars By Burroughs, Edgar Rice $13.25 John Carter risks everything to travel to the frozen tundra of Polar Mars where he is reunited with love, Dejah Thoris. Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Publication Date: 1992/07/01 Binding Type: Paperback Language: English Depth: 0.50 Width: 4.25 Height: 6.75 |
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Pellucidar by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Paperback] $20.66 Edgar Rice Burroughs Pellucidar is the second in his series about the fictional hollow earth land of Pellucidar. In the incredible world inside the Earth, David Innes discovers a new frontier for mankind. He strove to carve a civilization out of its Stone Age perils. But the kidnapping of the beautiful cavewomenempress, Dian, made him drop his fight for advancement enter into a still greater battle against all the primitive monsters of Pellucidar Emerging in Pellucidar at an unknown location, David frees his captive. He names the place Greenwich and uses the technology he has brought to begin the systematic exploration and mapping of the unknown land while searching for his lost companions, Abner, Ghak, and Dian the Beautiful. He soon encounters and befriends a new ally, Ja the Mezop of the island country of Anoroc.Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan, Lost worlds and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter. Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 142 Publication Date: 2011/09/01 Language: English Dimensions: 9.00 x 6.00 x 0.30 inches |
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Edgar Rice Burroughs Tells All $43.5 Best known as the creator of Tarzan of the Apes, John Carter of Mars, and many other fictional characters, Edgar Rice Burroughs was also a prolific writer of nonfiction articles and poetry. This book contains the vast majority of his published, public domain nonfiction works. Author: Schneider, Jerry L. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 396 Publication Date: 2008/02/01 Language: English Dimensions: 9.00 x 6.00 x 0.88 inches |
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The Mucker by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Paperback] $25.99 The poor woman, lying upon the floor, was quite conscious. Her eyes were wide and rolling in horror. She struggled with her bonds, and tried to force the gag from her mouth with her tongue; but her every effort was useless. She had heard every word that had passed between the two men. She knew that they would carry out the plan they had formulated and that there was no chance that they would be interrupted in their gruesome work... Edgar Rice Burroughs created one of the most iconic figures in American pop culture, Tarzan of the Apes, and it is impossible to overstate his influence on entire genres of popular literature in the decades after his enormously winning pulp novels stormed the publics imagination. The Mucker is considered by some to be Burroughs finest novel, and its hero, Billy Byrne, his greatest character. An actionpacked indictment of the economic ruin of America in the postWorld War I period, it follows the misadventures of Byrne as he is forced into a life of crime that takes him from the slums of Chicago all the way to piracy and adventure in the South Seas. Originally serialized as The Mucker and The Return of the Mucker in AllStory Cavalier Weekly in 1914 and 1916, it was first published in one volume in 1921. Also available from Cosimo Classics: the sequel, The Oakdale Affair. American novelist EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS (18751950) wrote dozens of adventure, crime, and sciencefiction novels that are still beloved today, including Tarzan of the Apes (1912), At the Earths Core (1914), A Princess of Mars (1917), and Pirates of Venus (1934). He is reputed to have been reading a comic book when he died. Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 432 Publication Date: 2005/11/01 Language: English Dimensions: 8.00 x 5.00 x 0.96 inches |
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The Eternal Lover by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Hardcover] $68.35 Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Hardcover Number of Pages: 336 Publication Date: 2011/06/18 Language: English Dimensions: 9.02 x 5.98 x 0.88 inches |
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The Eternal Lover by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Paperback] $47.79 Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 336 Publication Date: 2011/10/15 Language: English Dimensions: 9.02 x 5.98 x 0.70 inches |
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The Dream Weaver: An Edgar Rice Burroughs Chapbook $30.89 Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 24 Publication Date: 2011/10/15 Language: English Dimensions: 9.02 x 5.98 x 0.05 inches |
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The War Chief by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Hardcover] $72.38 The War Chief (1927) was one of four western novels penned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of Tarzan. The other three are Apache Devil (1933), The Bandit of Hells Bend (1926), and The Deputy Sheriff of Comanche County (1940). Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Hardcover Number of Pages: 390 Publication Date: 2011/07/09 Language: English Dimensions: 9.02 x 5.98 x 1.00 inches |
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The Son of Tarzan by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Hardcover] $47.39 The Son of Tarzan is the fourth in Edgar Rice Burroughs series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was originally published in 1914. This edition includes the interior illustrations by J. Allen St. John. Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Hardcover Number of Pages: 404 Publication Date: 2008/05/30 Language: English Dimensions: 5.51 x 8.50 x 1.06 inches |
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The Mucker by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Hardcover] $54.81 BILLY BYRNE was a product of the streets and alleys of Chicagos great West Side. From Halsted to Robey, and from Grand Avenue to Lake Street there was scarce a bartender whom Billy knew not by his first name. And, in proportion to their number which was considerably less, he knew the patrolmen and plain clothes men equally as well, but not so pleasantly. His kindergarten education had commenced in an alley back of a feedstore. Here a gang of older boys and men were wont to congregate at such times as they had naught else to occupy their time, and as the bridewell was the only place in which they ever held a job for more than a day or two, they had considerable time to devote to congregating. Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Hardcover Number of Pages: 504 Publication Date: 2006/02/01 Language: English Dimensions: 8.50 x 5.50 x 1.25 inches |
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The Lost Continent by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Paperback] $20.74 The Lost Continent is one of the leastknown of Burroughs thrilling sciencefiction tales. In the year 2137, civilization has been in decline for nearly two centuries, and wartorn Europe is but a distant memory to the inhabitants of the isolated United States. But an American adventurer rediscovers the Old World, which has become a strange and savage land. Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 108 Publication Date: 2008/07/01 Language: English Dimensions: 9.00 x 6.00 x 0.26 inches |
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Apache Devil by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Hardcover] $40.31 Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hardtofind books with something of interest for everyone Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Hardcover Number of Pages: 150 Publication Date: 2010/09/10 Language: English Dimensions: 7.01 x 10.00 x 0.38 inches |
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Apache Devil by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Paperback] $25.44 Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hardtofind books with something of interest for everyone Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 148 Publication Date: 2007/03/01 Language: English Dimensions: 7.51 x 9.25 x 0.31 inches |
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The Mad King by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Paperback] $33.96 This clear print title is set in Tieras 13pt font Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 364 Publication Date: 2003/07/01 Language: English Dimensions: 9.00 x 6.00 x 0.81 inches |
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Tarzan the Untamed by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Paperback] $41.5 This large print title is set in Tieras 16pt font as reccomended by the RNIB. Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 604 Publication Date: 2006/05/01 Language: English Dimensions: 9.00 x 6.00 x 1.34 inches Large Print |
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Warlord of Mars by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Paperback] $29.8 This clear print title is set in Tieras 13pt font Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 220 Publication Date: 2003/07/01 Language: English Dimensions: 9.00 x 6.00 x 0.50 inches |
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The Outlaw of Torn by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Paperback] $33.96 This large print title is set in Tieras 16pt font as reccomended by the RNIB. Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 372 Publication Date: 2006/05/01 Language: English Dimensions: 9.00 x 6.00 x 0.83 inches Large Print |
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People Out of Time by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Paperback] $29.8 This large print title is set in Tieras 16pt font as reccomended by the RNIB. Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 204 Publication Date: 2006/05/01 Language: English Dimensions: 9.00 x 6.00 x 0.47 inches Large Print |
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The Monster Men by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Paperback] $32.92 This large print title is set in Tieras 16pt font as reccomended by the RNIB. Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 328 Publication Date: 2006/05/01 Language: English Dimensions: 9.00 x 6.00 x 0.73 inches Large Print |
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The Son of Tarzan by Burroughs, Edgar Rice [Paperback] $39.42 This large print title is set in Tieras 16pt font as reccomended by the RNIB. Author: Burroughs, Edgar Rice Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 524 Publication Date: 2006/05/01 Language: English Dimensions: 9.00 x 6.00 x 1.17 inches Large Print |
Development Economics - Shrink people to bonsai size
Development Economics
shrinks people to bonsai size
Wendell W. Solomons
Though cultivated as a bonsai miniature, a little flowering tree must sprout blossoms. An azalea or frangipane tree when grown as a bonsai needs nutrition, water and sunshine but less than a tree of normal growth. To make a bonsai, a sapling tree has its little branches clipped. Yet, the greatest effect in shrinking is achieved below the surface by using a shallow pot or tray that will restrain the growth of roots.
Grow more food experience also retained low productivity in agriculture
Can people be shrunk like bonsai?
Plato (c. 428-c. 347 BC) served Greece as a political philosopher. In his work ‘The Republic’ he presented a theoretical development of a perfect city. He exclaims in the latter work, “Oh, for a beautiful myth that everyone would believe!”
Plato was aware that myths could affirm or shrink nations.
Myths are created massively in modernity. For instance, we are accustomed to commercial superlatives generated in advertising. Notably for this account, it was an ad copywriter out in Chicago, Edgar Rice Burroughs, who was contracted by publishers to create stories to mythologise for children, through pictures of Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle - born Lord Greystrokes - an Anglo-Saxon supremacy in the world.
Intensify
In the 19th century, psychologists, writers and statesmen came to intensify myth-generation for behaviour adjustment. The generating of myths was to accelerate rapidly in the 20th century with the World Wars. We know Nazi leaders, for instance, created a myth of Jews as the ‘Evil Other’. The purpose of this myth was to make a powerful nationalist, military machine by mustering German citizens around the Nazis.
One of the responses to the Nazi war machine on the British side was a mustering by PM Winston Churchill of his own countrymen. He declared:
“So let us brace ourselves and do our duty. So bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say: ‘THIS was their finest hour.”
With its Commonwealth, Britain was the largest empire the world has seen. The Churchills were informed, dynastic courtiers but does the allusion to ‘a thousand years’ appear mythical to you?
During the war, PM Winston Churchill cruised out to sea claiming with aplomb for media - a fishing trip. In mid-Atlantic and not on British shores Churchill signed a charter on August 14, 1941 with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. PM Churchill agreed Britain would liberate colonies (Churchill did this to add US aid to his war chest). Later, to Britain as a nation, Churchill left the fulfilling of obligations under the Atlantic Charter with the grant of Independence in 1947 to India, after which followed Burma, Ceylon and other colonies. Churchill’s “thousand years” ended formally in less than a decade.
However, if not under a formal name, might the Churchill-reasoned “thousand years” persist?
At the end of World War II, a large number of disciplines became available to study and to adjust human behaviour.
These disciplines include anthropology, management, marketing and advertising, political science, educational psychology, general psychology and social psychology.
Could these disciplines be applied in all or in chosen countries?
We might observe that after Independence, a remarkable division of countries ensued. Previously, children were just born in the world.
In the post-Independence period they might be born in a “Third World.” This turned out to be a label for those nations that were specially cordoned off to be shrunk to bonsai proportion.
During the 20th century, the financial city of London was activating its affiliates in New York such as the Schiffs and Warburgs to buy holdings, capitalise and influence US policy. American and British country shareholdings alone would guarantee finance capital a voice in the World Bank and IMF. Perhaps the shareholdings might support a “thousand years” of profit for finance capital houses, successors to the pawn trade against which the Buddha spoke in the times of the Silk Route? We must not underestimate the Churchills for grasp of ancient and contemporary history. They were schooled, elite intimates rendered dynastic through Arabella Churchill, 1648-1730, the mistress of King James II of England and the mother of at least three of his children.
Peasant agriculture
Soon after Independence, the World Bank and the IMF were used for Trojan horse attacks on new statesmen of emergent countries. This was originally planned for Germany in 1945 by US official Henry Morgenthau Jr. After the war Morgenthau had proposed dividing Germany into a handful of de-industrialised, agrarian states. However, that had to be set aside in 1947 for the Marshall Plan to industrialise Germany because neighbouring Eastern Europe was seen taking off faster.
Elite statesmen used Morgenthau in Asia for a three-way split of India. These elites traditionally bank on a capacity to reign in countries by activating bigots, fundamentalists and war-mongers.
In the case of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) colonisation had lasted almost half a millennium and had repressed its school for statesmen; this in a nation where written chronicles reach 200 BC. Finance capital, through its fronts (a key architect of the World Bank and the IMF was the same Morgenthau) browbeat the nation’s new leaders into the original plan for Germany: Invest resources in extending agriculture. In 1952 experts of the World Bank wrote up this fable in hundreds of pages and so the report had to emerge in hard cover. Following this behaviour-adjustment attack, country Treasury’s reserves were invested in bulldozing virgin hardwood forests and making allotment of 5-acre plots of land. In these farmsteads, wooden ploughs of an era not too distant from the Silk Route were to be used.
So, a frontier of mind instilled in the 1950s by Western experts in many post-colonial countries was opt for agriculture instead of industry.
In Sri Lanka in May 1995, Mahathir Mohamed expressed an opinion in speaking on “Beyond Existing Frontiers,” a related theme. He explained that one acre of land would support one farmer but if the country made a choice of manufacturing industry, the same acre of land would support 500 workers.
Industry
Worldwide, the 20th century had seen farm mechanisation continue to release people from agriculture and Dr. Mahathir Mohamed noted that those countries that managed to develop successfully in modern Asia had relied on manufacturing industry to employ the working hands released by agriculture.
So 50 years of the experiment “Grow More Food” retained low productivity and therefore Sri Lanka remains a food grain importer. Though the tropical country has grasslands unaffected by winter, it also imports milk products from colder zones.
During the half century, people released from agriculture swelled the ranks of the unemployed and many veered towards liberationism. Why was this fable for investment in low productivity agriculture ingrained in poor countries? Wasn’t it finance capital using spin doctors to protect for a “thousand years” the Western industries that it owned through mammoth holding companies?
Time saw this finance capital tactic lay waste many a small country in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Yet, through industrial growth seen for instance in China and India, the agriculture myth is being rolled into history’s attic.
About the Author
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Prehistoric Monsters Photo Mugs THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (Edgar Rice Burroughs) The travellers submarine is attacked by prehistoric monsters.... |
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Greystoke: Legend of Tarzan Lord of Apes [VHS] $5.95 One of those legendary missed opportunities, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes is a movie that should have been great but wound up the victim of conflicting egos and wrong-headed choices. Based on a screenplay by Robert Towne (who took his name off it when he wasn't allowed to direct) and directed by Hugh Hudson (riding high on the basis of Chariots of Fire), the film tried to ret... |
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Tarzan and His Mate [VHS] $7.00 ... |
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Tarzan The Ape Man (1943) [VHS] $7.75 "Me beefcake. You bossy." That kind of sums up the dynamics of 1932's Tarzan, the Ape Man, which stars an incredibly hulking Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan and Maureen O'Sullivan as the gorgeous accidental feminist who finds true love with you-know-who in the jungle. Some of the footage in the first Tarzan talkie is comically dated--scenes of the British adventurers seem superimposed over stock foot... |
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John Carter (Four-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy) $29.96 Disney's megabudget foray into a new CGI franchise of epic sci-fi mythology arrives with a massive marketing push and an interesting pulp pedigree that will probably inspire as many fans as it will naysayers. This impressively crafted piece of escapist fantasy is based on a character and series of books by Edgar Rice Burroughs that is runner-up to his primary creation, Tarzan, and the 20-plus volu... |
Rice Burroughs
