“My Voice is Still for Setchell”: A Background Study of “Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog”

PMLA ◽  
1967 ◽  
Vol 82 (7) ◽  
pp. 591-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar M. Branch

For the past fifteen years scholars have examined many facets of Mark Twain's “Jumping Frog”: its narrative techniques and some of its textual history, its relation to folklore, American humor, and Clemens' theory of humorous gravity, and its political, regional, and cultural bearings. This article, by focussing on the personal background to the tale, tries to cast light on the imagination that created the famous yarn. It first relates some of the tale's narrative elements—episodes, characters, names—to Clemens' prior experience, especially to some activities reflected in newly discovered examples of his San Francisco journalism of 1864 and 1865. Then it relates the tale to strong emotional currents in his life during the fall of 1865. Finally the article proposes a date of composition for the “Jumping Frog” and a reading of the tale that emphasizes the level of personal meaning.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin C. Wilson ◽  
Christopher J. Hernandez ◽  
Susan Scheer ◽  
Dillon Trujillo ◽  
Sean Arayasirikul ◽  
...  

AbstractTransgender women face a serious risk of HIV infection. Despite this, there is limited knowledge and use of Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). We measured the continuity of prevention across services in the PrEP cascade and correlates of PrEP use among trans women in San Francisco enrolled in the 2019/20 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Study. Knowledge and use of PrEP among trans women in San Francisco increased in recent years; almost all (94.0%) had heard about PrEP, 64.7% had discussed PrEP with a healthcare provider, and 44.8% had taken PrEP in the past 12 months. PrEP use was associated with participation in a PrEP demonstration project (aOR = 31.44, p = 0.001) and condomless receptive anal intercourse (aOR = 3.63, p = 0.024). Injection drug use was negatively associated (aOR = 0.19, p = 0.014). Efforts are needed to combat the gender-based stigma and discrimination faced by trans women, which can result in avoidance and mistrust of the medical system.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2139
Author(s):  
Paul H. Hutton ◽  
David M. Meko ◽  
Sujoy B. Roy

This work presents updated reconstructions of watershed runoff to San Francisco Estuary from tree-ring data to AD 903, coupled with models relating runoff to freshwater flow to the estuary and salinity intrusion. We characterize pre-development freshwater flow and salinity conditions in the estuary over the past millennium and compare this characterization with contemporary conditions to better understand the magnitude and seasonality of changes over this time. This work shows that the instrumented flow record spans the range of runoff patterns over the past millennium (averaged over 5, 10, 20 and 100 years), and thus serves as a reasonable basis for planning-level evaluations of historical hydrologic conditions in the estuary. Over annual timescales we show that, although median freshwater flow to the estuary has not changed significantly, it has been more variable over the past century compared to pre-development flow conditions. We further show that the contemporary period is generally associated with greater spring salinity intrusion and lesser summer–fall salinity intrusion relative to the pre-development period. Thus, salinity intrusion in summer and fall months was a common occurrence under pre-development conditions and has been moderated in the contemporary period due to the operations of upstream reservoirs, which were designed to hold winter and spring runoff for release in summer and fall. This work also confirms a dramatic decadal-scale hydrologic shift in the watershed from very wet to very dry conditions during the late 19th and early 20th centuries; while not unprecedented, these shifts have been seen only a few times in the past millennium. This shift resulted in an increase in salinity intrusion in the first three decades of the 20th century, as documented through early records. Population growth and extensive watershed modification during this period exacerbated this underlying hydrologic shift. Putting this shift in the context of other anthropogenic drivers is important in understanding the historical response of the estuary and in setting salinity targets for estuarine restoration. By characterizing the long-term behavior of San Francisco Estuary, this work supports decision-making in the State of California related to flow and salinity management for restoration of the estuarine ecosystem.


2003 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-123
Author(s):  
Mahan Mirza

There has been an increasing interest in the Qur’an’s literary aspects withinthe field of Qur’anic studies over the last few years. In the past, westernscholars have devoted a great deal of energy to tracing foreign influencesin the Qur’an or reconstructing the chronology of its verses and surahs.However, the trend now is shifting toward textual studies, a developmentindicated by the proliferation of articles, anthologies, and books on theQur’an as a composed literary ornament.This shift is both refreshing and welcome, particularly for those whoare more interested in understanding the Qur’an in its present form, ratherthan learning about its textual history or compilation. Classical Islamicscholarship developed a body of exegetical material on the Qur’an’s miraculousnature (i‘jaz) from a literary perspective. This approach has taken aprimarily microscopic linguistic viewpoint (balaghah [eloquence]) ofstudying the choice of words and how the verses are constructed.Although it has always been accepted that the Qur’an’s surahs are distinctliterary pieces with their own style and content, comprehensive attemptsto present entire surahs as thematically independent entities have been rare.With increasing pressure from western scholars that the Qur’an is incoherentand haphazardly arranged, a new genre of exegetical material is developing,both in Muslim and western circles. This new genre focuses upon explainingwhy the surah should be considered as a distinctly composed piece with itsown dynamic of sound and meaning. Muhammad al-Ghazali’s work fallswithin this emerging category of Qur’anic exegesis.A Thematic Commentary on the Qur’an is a translation from al-Ghazali’s Al-Tafsir al-Mawdu‘i. The print is well typeset and easily legible,not cramped together, with a glossy green cover commanding an elegance ...


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Ovink

In the past 20 years, Latinas have begun to outperform Latinos in high school completionand college enrollment, tracking the overall “gender reversal” in college attainment thatfavors women. Few studies have examined what factors contribute to Latinas’ increasingeducational success. This article focuses on gender differences in college-going behavioramong a cohort of 50 Latino/a college aspirants in the San Francisco East Bay Area.Through 136 longitudinal interviews, I examine trends in Latinos/as’ postsecondary pathwaysand life course decisions over a two-year period. Findings suggest evidence forgendered familism, in which gender and racial/ethnic beliefs intersect to differentiallyshape Latinos/as’ attitudes, behaviors, and college choices. Gendered familism encouragedLatinas to seek a four-year degree as a means of earning independence, whileLatinos expressed a sense of automatic autonomy that was not as strongly tied to educationaloutcomes.


1992 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asya Pazy

To investigate the idea that information about relevant career experience has an effect on the degree of sex bias in promotion decisions, an analogue study was conducted in which sex of candidate and relevance of prior jobs were varied. The effect of respondent's experience of subordinacy to a female manager was also investigated. A within-subject design was used with two response formats, ranking and rating. As predicted, relevance of career experience was a primary consideration in the promotion decision. Respondents who had worked in the past under a female manager showed a profemale bias in choosing among candidates with relevant career experience. No sex-linked bias was identified in the treatment of the candidates with irrelevant prior experience. Additional results suggested that the ranking format was more sensitive to the effect of sex-linked bias than was the rating format.


2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-60
Author(s):  
Dieter T. Roth

AbstractScholarly work on Luke has often noted the significance of Marcion's Gospel for understanding the textual history of the third canonical Gospel. It is not surprising, therefore, that in the past new insights into Marcion's Gospel have led to revisions in the apparatus of the highly influential Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, now in its 28th edition. In view of the precedent for continually updating the Nestle-Aland text and apparatus, this article revisits the apparatus to Luke in the light of recent research on Marcion's Gospel in order to highlight problematic references that should be changed or removed in the apparatus of future Nestle-Aland editions.


Author(s):  
Judith Aston

This chapter discusses ways in which the database narrative techniques of virtual media can be used to explore the relationship between real-world oral storytelling and embodied performance in the cultural transmission of memory. It is based on an ongoing collaboration between the author and the historical anthropologist, Wendy James, to develop a multilayered associative narrative, which considers relationships between experience, event, and memory among a displaced community. The work is based on a substantial living archive of photographs, audio, cine, and video recordings collected by Wendy James in the Sudan/Ethiopian borderlands from the mid-1960s to the present day. Its critical context relates to the ’sensory turn’ in anthropology and to ’beyond text’ debates within the arts and humanities regarding ways in which we can capture and represent the sensory experiences of the past.


Literator ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
R. Goodman

This article deals with two texts written during the process of transition in South Africa, using them to explore the cultural and ethical complexity of that process. Both Njabulo Ndebele’s “The cry of Winnie Mandela” and Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela’s “A human being died that night” deal with controversial public figures, Winnie Mandela and Eugene de Kock respectively, whose role in South African history has made them part of the national iconography. Ndebele and Gobodo-Madikizela employ narrative techniques that expose and exploit faultlines in the popular representations of these figures. The two texts offer radical ways of understanding the communal and individual suffering caused by apartheid, challenging readers to respond to the past in ways that will promote healing rather than perpetuate a spirit of revenge. The part played by official histories is implicitly questioned and the role of individual stories is shown to be crucial. Forgiveness and reconciliation are seen as dependent on an awareness of the complex circumstances and the humanity of those who are labelled as offenders. This requirement applies especially to the case of “A human being died that night”, a text that insists that the overt acknowledgement of the humanity of people like Eugene de Kock is an important way of healing South African society.


1986 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 73-76
Author(s):  
Douglas Hensley

Douglas Hensley has been an active chamber musician ever since he took up serious study of the classical guitar. He received bachelor and master's degrees under the direction of David Tanenbaum from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and he has studied with many other musicians in private lessons and master classes. Over the past ten years he has premiered close to fifty new compositions, performed numerous U.S. premieres and the West Coast premiere of Elliott Carter's “Changes” for solo guitar. For Opus One Records in New York he has recorded Larry Polansky's “Hensley Variations” and David Loeb's “Trois Cansos” with flautist Kenneth Kramer and violist John Casten. He has also recorded a collection of duets with Japanese shakuhachi master Masayuka Koga, “Autumn Mist,” for Fortuna Records of Novato, California. His principal activities are as cofounder (with violist/violinist John Casten) and guitarist of the San Francisco-based contemporary performance ensemble ISKRA, which is made up of flute, clarinet, guitar, violin/viola, doublebass and soprano voice. Anyone with additional information about flute, viola, guitar trios (or other chamber music with guitar), or queries, is urged to contact him at 607-A Frederick St., San Francisco, CA 94117.


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivian Do ◽  
Emily Behar ◽  
Caitlin Turner ◽  
Michelle Geier ◽  
Phillip Coffin

Background: The San Francisco Department of Public Health initiated naloxone prescribing at 6 safety net clinics. We evaluated this intervention, demonstrating that naloxone prescribing from primary care clinics is feasible and acceptable. Objective: To evaluate acceptability of naloxone dispensing to patients prescribed opioids among pharmacists serving clinics participating in a naloxone intervention. Methods: We surveyed 58 pharmacists from November 2013 through January 2015 at pharmacies that serviced San Francisco safety net clinics. Surveys collected information on demographics, experiences in dispensing naloxone, and interest in prescriptive authority. We conducted descriptive analyses and assessed bivariate relationships. Results: Most respondents were staff (56.9%) or supervising pharmacists (34.5%). Most (92.9%) were aware their pharmacy stocked naloxone and 86.8% felt it should be prescribed to some or all patients on long-term opioids. Most (82.1%) dispensed naloxone at least once in the past 12 months. More than half were comfortable providing naloxone education. Nearly half (43.4%) indicated they would want authority to furnish without a prescription. Over half (55.2%) reported no problems dispensing. The common problem was insufficient naloxone knowledge. Only 12% reported more than one problem in dispensing naloxone, which was associated with being uncomfortable with educating patients ( P = .03). Conclusion: Naloxone dispensing was acceptable among pharmacists. Their most cited problem was insufficient naloxone education. This may be resolved with improved instructional materials, incentives for patient education, or mandatory training.


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