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Festivals, Special & Seasonal Events
Macon County Gemboree in Franklin. July 22-25. Fine jewelry, rough and cut gemstones, minerals, fossils and more. Adults $3, Children 12 and under free. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. 888.337.7529.
Folkmoot USA in Waynesville and throughout WNC. July 22-Aug. 1. North Carolina's Official International Festival held each summer across Western North Carolina, Folkmoot features performances, a parade and workshops by performers from 10 to 12 countries. For a complete list of events and performances and for tickets, visit www.folkmootusa.org or call 452.2997.
Mountain street dances in downtown Waynesville. July 23, Aug. 6. Old-fashioned mountain hoe down with live music, demonstrations and instruction by local clogging teams. Bring a chair or blanket to the front of the historic courthouse. 6:30 to 9 p.m. No pets allowed. 828.456.3517.
Folkmoot Parade of Nations in downtown Waynesville. July 23. International parade that helps start off the Folkmoot USA Festival. 1 p.m. on Main Street. 452.2997, www.folkmootusa.org.
Folkmoot International Festival Day in downtown Waynesville. July 31. International festival featuring performances, crafts, music and food from around the world. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 452.2997.
Sylva After Dark. First Friday of every month through Dec. Take an evening stroll through downtown Sylva to enjoy a night of arts, dining, music, refreshments, shopping and more. 6 to 9 p.m. www.downtownsylva.org/sylva-after-dark.
83rd Annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival. Aug. 5-7. The nation's longest running folk festival. The best of the region's old-time and bluegrass musicians, mountain dance groups, and more. 7 p.m. nightly at Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place in downtown Asheville. Tickets: Regular $20; Children 12 and under $10; Adult 3-night package $54. 257.4530 or www.folkheritage.org.
Annual Mountain Mater Fest. Aug. 6-8. A festival in historic downtown Canton 6 p.m. Friday, all day Saturday. A celebration of summer's tomato harvest. A fun weekend of food, crafts, antiques, live music and dancing. 648.8275
Asheville Antiques Fair. Aug. 6-8. The 64th Asheville Antiques Fair is the oldest Antiques Fair in the South. Held at the Asheville Civic Center. For more information visit, www.ashevilleantiquesfair.com
Mountain Street Dance in Waynesville. Aug. 6. An old fashioned mountain hoe down with clogging and square dancing. 6:30 to 9 p.m. 456.3517.
Mountain High BBQ & Music Festival. Aug. 13-14. The festival was selected as one of 25 stops for the Kansas City Barbeque Society Great American BBQ Tour. The two-day event features authentic, mouth-watering BBQ, live entertainment, a crafters village and tastin' tent. Held at the Wayne Proffitt Agricultural Center located at 1436 Georgia Road, Franklin. 524.3161 or visit www.MountainHighBBQFestival.com.
Mountain Heritage Day 2010 is seeking vendors for its 36th annual Mountain Heritage Day on the campus of Western Carolina University on Saturday, September 25. Information may be found at www.mountainheritageday.com.
Opportunities for Artists
Craft artists are invited to submit digital images of their work by July 19 to be considered for inclusion in The Bascom's juried exhibition "American Craft Today." This national competition and exhibition will feature original works in all craft media. Cash awards will be made for various categories including best in show. Guidelines available at www.thebascom.org/exhibitions. 526.4949.
The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will hold auditions for its fall production of the Broadway musical "Buddy Holly" July 25, 26 at 6:30 p.m. The production is being directed by Steve Lloyd and will open on Sept. 24. Singing and non-singing roles are available.
The deadline for submission to the Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary ColorFest, Art of the Blue Ridge is July 31. Regional arts are encouraged to submit their applications early to be a part of the event scheduled for Oct. 23. Go to www.spiritofappalachia.org to download applications or call 293.2239.
On Stage & In Concert
Ultimate Elvis Competition at Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel Entertainment Lounge. July 22-24. Finals are July 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ballroom. 497.7777.
Folkmoot USA Gala Preview Performance. July 22. Performance by Folkmoot participants exclusively for festival donors. 7:30 p.m. at Eaglenest Entertainment in Maggie Valley. For more information on being a donor, call 452.2997.
Mountain dulcimer concert. July 22. A group of award-winning mountain dulcimer players, including several national champion musicians, will present a concert of at WCU's Fine and Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults, $7 for students and children, available at www.wcu.edu/fapac. 227.2479.
The Andrews Brothers at the Highlands Playhouse. July 22-Aug. 8. Comedic musical theater performance. 526.2695.
The Marianna Black Library will present the Celtic band Bean Sidhe on July 22 at 7 p.m. 488.3030 or www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.
Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival concert at the Highands Performing Arts Center. July 23, 25. "All in the Family," performances by the sibling team the Ransoms and the Albers Trio. 6 p.m. on July 23, 5 p.m. on July 25. Ticket information available at 526.9060.
Concerts on the Creek in Sylva. July 23. Concert features The Smoky Mountain Brass Quartet. Musicians are invited to bring along brass instruments and join in for two songs. Concerts are held every Friday through Sept. 3. Free, live music performed outdoors at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva from 7 to 9 p.m. 586.1577, www.downtownsylva.org.
Grovin' on the Green Friday night concert series at the Village Commons in Cashiers features Hurricane Creek on July 23. 226.3175.
Play: "12 Angry Jurors" at the Smoky Mountain Community Theater in Bryson City. July 23, 24, 25 and 26. Written by Reginald Rose and Directed by Toby Allman. All performances at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students. 488.8103.
Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center presents "An Appalachian Evening" featuring The Dismembered Tennesseans. July 24. Show at 7:30 p.m. Roasted Pork Loin Dinner at 5 and 6:15 p.m. Reservations required at 479.3364 or www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.
Music in the Mountains in Bryson City features the Caribbean Cowboys on July 24. Series runs Saturday nights through Aug. 28. Regional talent is showcased in a relaxed, outdoor venue at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot, Everett Street, Bryson City. Bring a chair or blanket and settle in for an evening of great music. Free admission. 6:30 to 8 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com.
Laura Boosinger will perform music of the Southern Mountains July 25 as part of the Songcatchers Music Series at the Cradle of Forestry in the Pisgah National Forest, Highway 276 near Brevard. 4 p.m. $6 for adults, $3 for youth ages 4-15. 877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.org.
Folkmoot USA will have performances July 27 by the "The Folklore Group of Faro" from Portugal and the "Absolutely Legless" Irish dancers at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center. Tickets are $16 for adults, half price for 12 and under. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com or 479.3364.
Grovin' on the Green Friday night concert series at the Village Commons in Cashiers features Nikki Talley on July 30. 226.3175.
Concerts on the Creek in Sylva. July 30. Concert features Angela Faye Martin and the Scarlet Oak Sway. Concerts are held every Friday through Sept. 3. Free, live music performed outdoors at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva from 7 to 9 p.m. 586.1577, www.downtownsylva.org.
The Liquid Ginger Band will perform July 30 on the deck of the Wildwood Grill at Fontana Village Resort. 7 to 10 p.m.. 498.2106.
The Angie Toomey & Friends "Make-A-Wish" Benefit Show will be held July 30 at Carolina Nights Dinner Theatre in Maggie Valley Dinner at 6 p.m., show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets $25. 926.8822. or 627.9310.
Terry Lee and the GT's will perform July 30 in the Entertainment Lounge at Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel. 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. 497.7777.
Live music by MacKenzie Wilson at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. July 31 at 6:30 p.m. 456.6000.
Music in the Mountains in Bryson City features the Carolina Bluegrass Band on July 31. Series runs Saturday nights through Aug. 28. Regional talent is showcased in a relaxed, outdoor venue at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot, Everett Street, Bryson City. Bring a chair or blanket and settle in for an evening of great music. Free admission. 6:30 to 8 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com.
Folkmoot Candelight Closing at Stuart Auditorium at Lake Junaluska. Aug. 1. 7 p.m. performance. Call 452.2997 for ticket information.
The Haywood Arts Regional Theater presents the musical "Chicago" on weekends through Aug. 1. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $22 for adults with discounts for students and seniors. 456.6322 or www.harttheatre.com.
An Evening with the Cherokee. Through Aug. 15. Gather at the Square Grounds inside the Oconaluftee Indian Village for an exclusive limited ticket event where you will see traditional dancing, story telling and music. Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 adults, $10 for children. 866.554.4557.
Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center presents "An Appalachian Evening" featuring Dehlia Low. July 31. Show at 7:30 p.m. Fried Catfish Dinner at 5 and 6:15 p.m. Reservations required at 479.3364 or www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.
The popular play, "The Prince of Dark Corners," by famed local author and story teller, Gary Carden, will be showcased in a special performance on July 31 at the historic Rickman Store in Macon County's Cowee Valley at 7 p.m. Tickets are limited and are $15, available at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce and at the Rickman Store on Fridays and Saturdays.
Music in the Mountains in Bryson City features The Rye Holler Boys on Aug. 7. Series runs Saturday nights through Aug. 28. Regional talent is showcased in a relaxed, outdoor venue at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot, Everett Street, Bryson City. Bring a chair or blanket and settle in for an evening of great music. Free admission. 6:30 to 8 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com.
WCU's Ramsey Regional Activity Center will host a concert by modern country artist Corey Smith Sept. 9 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Aug. 16. Advanced ticket prices for non-students are $20 for floor seats and $15 for arena seating. 227.7722 or www.wcu.edu/ramsey.
Groovin' on the Green in Cashiers. Free summer concert series held Friday evenings at the Village Commons in Cashiers through the summer months. 6:30 to 8 p.m. 743.1630.
Music in the Mountains in Bryson City. Saturday nights through Aug. 28. Regional talent is showcased in a relaxed, outdoor venue at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot, Everett Street, Bryson City. Bring a chair or blanket and settle in for an evening of great music. Free admission. 6:30 to 8 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com.
Pickin on the Square is held in downtown Franklin on Saturdays from through Oct. Area of Main Street is closed off with mountain music and dancing. Bring a lawn chair. Open Mike begins at 6:30 p.m. with main entertainment at 7:30 p.m. 349.1212.
Spring Street Café will offer live music on Friday and Saturday nights through the summer months. Fridays will feature bluegrass and Saturdays acoustic, jazz, blues and others. See www.springstcafeofsylva.com for a music schedule.
Live performances are held in the Hummingbird Lounge at Old Edwards Inn in Highlands on Friday and Saturday Evenings beginning at 6 p.m. Open to the public. 526.8008 or visit www.oldedwardsinn.com.
Live entertainment at Fontana Village continues through the summer with a full line up of regional favorites. A complete list of current entertainment is listed at www.FontanaVillage.com. 800.849.2258.
The Diamond K Ranch in Maggie Valley offers live music Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays are ladies nights. 926.7735.
The Entertainment Lounge at Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel will host live Karaoke every Wednesday night from 8 p.m. to midnight. 497.7777.
The Entertainment Lounge at Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel will host Dueling Pianos on Thursday nights from 8 p.m. to midnight. 497.7777.
Art/Gallery Events & Openings
Art After Dark in downtown Waynesville. Aug. 6. More than a dozen fine galleries and studios remain open until 9 p.m. offering demonstrations, special showings, refreshments and music. Main Street and historic Frog Level section of Waynesville. 6 to 9 p.m. 456.3517.
The Haywood County Arts Council's Gallery 86 will hold an exhibit by faculty members in the Professional Crafts Department at Haywood Community College through July 31. Free and open to the public. www.haywoodarts.org.
Community art exhibit at the Swain County Center for the Arts. Through July 28. Western North Carolina artists and artisans will exhibit their work ranging from paintings to pottery and more. For hours and additional information, call 488.7843.
The recent works of North Carolina potter Sid Luck will be on display in The Bascom's Balcony Gallery through Aug. 8. Exhibits are free and open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.thebascom.org or call 526.4949.
The graduating class of Haywood Community College's Professional Crafts department will exhibit their best work through Sept. 5 at the 2010 Graduate Show at the Folk Art Center located off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville. For more information visit www.southernhighlandguild.org.
The Bascom is open for the 2010 season with five new exhibits. Open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday afternoons from 12 to 5 p.m. Exhibition admission is always free. For more information, call 526.4949 or visit www.thebascom.org.
Exhibit: "Motoring the Blue Ridge Parkway." Now open at the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley. 926.6266, www.WheelsThroughTime.com.
Acorn's Boutique at the Old Edwards Inn and Spa in Highlands will host artist David Arms in a special art showing July 30 through Aug. 1 as part of Old Edwards Inn and Spa's Season of the Arts. 526.8008 or visit www.oldedwardsinn.com.
Quilt Show: "Quilting New Trails." Aug. 19-21. Quilt show presented by the Smoky Mountain Quilters Guild at the Communities Facilities Building in Franklin. Event will include door prizes, guild member's boutique, vendors, silent auction, scholarship quilt fund raffle. 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Aug. 19 and 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 21. Admission is $5 per day or $10 unlimited access. www.smokymtnquilters.org.
"Art After Dark" in Downtown Waynesville. Galleries and studios remain open late the first Friday evening each month with demonstrations, artist's receptions, music and more. 6 to 9 p.m.. Call 456.3517.
Outdoor Sculptures at the N.C. Arboretum. On display through Feb. 2011. The North Carolina Arboretum will host a new series of outdoor sculpture installations by artists Jason S. Brown and Elizabeth Scofield. The exhibit is titled "Inflorescence," and is inspired by the botanical world. For information, call 665.2492 or visit www.ncarboretum.org.
Classes, Programs & Demonstrations
Close-Up Photography workshop. July 22. This program, designed for the advanced beginner, focuses on equipment and techniques that can help you become more aware of the fascinating world of tiny plants and animals. 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Pisgah Forest. Register at 877.4423.
Potter Nick Joerling will be the featured artist at a mixer and public reception July 22 in the Atrium at the Bascom in Highlands. Reception at 4:15 p.m. followed by an artist slide lecture at 5 p.m. in The Bascom Library. 526.4949.
Bascom workshop: "Pots - Possibilities." July 22-24. Nick Joerling, artist-in-residence, Push, will help students cut, coax and stretch forms and discover various ways of making handles, lids and spouts. Tuition: $325 Bascom members/ $350 non-members (all materials included). Pre-registration is required at 526.4949 or www.thebascom.org.
Class: "The Eyes Have It." July 24. Half day of discovering new tools and tricks while producing a pencil rendering of a dog. Held at the Uptown Gallery in Franklin All supplies furnished. $15 members/$30 nonmembers. 349.4607.
The Art League of Highlands will host a program July 26 at the Civic Center Recreation Park featuring award-winning Greenville photographer Diane Hughes beginning with a social half hour at 5 p.m. 743.7673.
The Asheville Chapter of Ikebana International will present a program on Contemporary Ikenobo Freestyle Design on July 27. Program will include a demonstration and workshop with Japanese instructor Emiko Nishiwaki Suzuki. Plan to bring materials such paper, wire, plastic or other mixed "debris" to combine with a few flowers from your garden. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the auditorium at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. 645.6633.
Art Class: "Journaling for the Artist." Through July 29. Offered by Haywood Community College Continuing Education program. Taught by local artist Lillian Parks. $60 for the sis-week class. For more information call 565.4244. To register, call 627.4505 or visit www.haywood.edu/continuing_education.
Art Class: "Finishing Your Masterpiece." Through July 29. Offered by Haywood Community College Continuing Education program. Taught by local artist Lillian Parks. $60 for the sis-week class. For more information call 565.4244. To register, call 627.4505 or visit www.haywood.edu/continuing_education.
The Bascom's workshops and the Art Academy second session runs through July 31. The programs offer educational opportunities that will stimulate creativity and inspire the artist in everyone. The cost per course (four classes per course) is $120 Bascom members/ $125 non-members. For more information, visit www.thebascom.org/artacademy. 526.4949.
The Waynesville Recreation Center will host a field photography program every other Tuesday evening through Aug. 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. Field shoots will be take place every Wednesday at 8 a.m. The Tuesday evening programs are $10 each. The Wednesday field trips are $30 each. Each participant will need to bring their own personal camera of any type. Information and registration available at 456.2030.
Penland School of Crafts has open spaces in several of its fifth summer session classes available at half tuition to residents of Western North Carolina. The session runs July 25-Aug. 10 with openings in clay, drawing, glass, metals, printmaking, wood, and a special class for artists in any media. Complete details are available in the summer classes section of the Penland website: www.penland.org. 765.2359, ext 15.
Beginning Basket Weaving Workshop. July 29. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center. Call 479.3364 to register. More information at www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.
The Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center will offer a one-day workshop on July 31 on the basics of quilt piecing and machine quilting while making an easy tote bag. A sewing machine in good working condition, preferably with a "walking foot," is required. Cost is $20 if you bring your own materials, or $55 including the fabric and pattern. A material and supplies list will be provided upon registration at 479.3364.
International Plein Air Paint Out. Sept. 11. Join other artists to paint on The Bascom campus all day. The day will conclude with an informal (on the easel) exhibition and wine reception in The Bascom's Dave Drake Studio Barn at 4 p.m. For more information, call 526.4949 or visit www.thebascom.org.
Film & Screen
Movies at the Cashiers Library. The library shows movies throughout the month. The movies and popcorn are free, but donations are appreciated. For titles and times, visit www.fontanalib.org/cashiers.
Movies at the Marianna Black Library. Family movie days are Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m. Classic movies are shown the second and fourth Saturday of each month at 4 p.m. Other films are also shown throughout the month. Movies and popcorn are free to the public. For titles and times, call 488.3030 or visit www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.
Movies at the Macon County Library. The library shows new movies, documentaries and foreign films every Wednesday at 4:30 and again at 7 p.m., and Classic Matinees at Fridays at 2 p.m. The movies and popcorn are free, but donations are welcome. For movie titles, call 524.3600.
The Jackson County Public Library shows free movies on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. Please call the library, 586.2016 for more information.
Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville shows free family movies on Tuesday and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Cinema is located at 235 Waynesville Plaza. 452.9091.
Poetry reading by Brent Martin at the Macon County Library. July 22. Martin will read from his new book of poems "A Shout in the Woods." Presented by the Thursdays at the Library program at 7 p.m. 524.3600 or website at www.fontanalib.org.
Seekers of Spirit book club will meet July 22 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss "The Testament of Gideon Mack" by James Robertson at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. 456.6000.
Local storyteller, Gary Carden, will tell his famous Sylva-based story, "Blow the Tannery Whistle" July 27 at the Jackson County Public Library at 7 p.m. 586.2016.
Dr. Barbara Carlton will autograph copies of her book, "This Nearly Was Mine: A Journey Through Carlton Country" on July 28 at 2 p. m. in the Friendship Garden at the Albert Carlton - Cashiers Community Library.
The Haywood County Public Library used book sale will be July 29-31 at the Waynesville branch. Over 60,000 books of all types will be available for sale. Sale hours are: July 29, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; July 30, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and July 31, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bring your own bags and boxes. 456.5311.
Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville will host a 2010 DK Star Wars Event on July 31. Activities include games and crafts for children, a trivia contest for all ages, free Star Wars souvenirs for the first 100 participants, and a costume contest. Star Wars characters will be on hand, so bring a camera. 2 p.m. 456.6000.
A Haywood county non-fiction book club meets the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at various locations. Call 456.8428 for meeting location.
"Thursdays at the Library" is an eclectic mix of programs by authors and musicians on topics designed for enjoyment and education held at the Macon County Library Thursdays at 7 p.m. 524.3600 or www.fontanalib.org.
Food & Drink
SCC Class: Fun with Fondant and Gumpaste. Thursdays through July 22. This class is designed to teach the more advanced students how to create flowers and accents with detail. Class will meet from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Jackson Campus. Class is limited. Pre-register at 586.4091, ext. 4426.
Every Friday during the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, which runs through Aug. 15, guests can join concert performers for a prix fixe dinner after the performance at Wolfgang's Restaurant and Wine Bistro in Highlands. $60 per person. 526.9060.
Feast to support the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival: "An Evening with Julia." July 31. An unforgettable celebration of the works of Julia Child Cost is $125 per person. 7 p.m. at a private home. Make reservations at 526.9060.
Food and Beer Pairing Sessions are held on the first Friday of each month at Heinzelmannchen Brewery in Sylva. 5 to 8 p.m. Each month a restaurant is invited to share a sample from their menu selections.
The Pisgah Promenaders Square Dance Club will celebrate summer with a western style square dance July 24. The dance will feature guest caller Jim Cosman. Round dancing will begin at 6:45 p.m., square dance from 7:15 to 9:30 p.m. Held at the Old Armory Recreation Center in Waynesville. 631.0683.
Class: Beginning Clogging. Thursdays through July 29. Offered as a personal enrichment class by Southwestern Community College. Class will meet from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Swain center. Class is limited and cost is $29. 488.6413.
Ballroom Dancing is held every Monday with a beginner class at 6 p.m. and intermediate class at 8 p.m. $15 single, $20 couple. Smoky Mountain Dance Center in Waynesville. 734.8804.
Salsa Dancing is held on Thursday nights at Ceviche's on Main Street in Waynesville. 6:30 p.m. introductory lesson, dance from 7 to 9 p.m. 734.8804.
Arts Group Meetings
Extension and Community Association group Craft Club Workshop: Chairbottoming and Chair Caning. July 22 and 23. 9 a.m. in the Conference Room of the Community Service Center in Sylva. 586.4009.
The Anime club will meet July 24 from 11 .m. to 3 p.m. at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. The group meets on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. Several anime shows are featured each week. 488.3030.
Sew Easy Girls Extension and Community Association group meeting. July 26. 1 p.m. in the Conference Room of the Community Service Center in Sylva. 586.4009.
The Art League of Highlands monthly meeting will be held on July 26 featuring photographer Diane Hughs. Program begins at 5 p.m. at the Civic Center Recreation Park in Highlands. 743.7673.
Thursday Painters meet at the Uptown Gallery in Franklin every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bring your project and a bag lunch and join us for a day of creativity and fun.
All artists are welcome. 349.4607.
Plein Aire painting group. Macon Co Art Association and Uptown Gallery in Franklin invites all artists to join their Plein Aire painting group. Meet at the gallery, bring your lunch, and paint the beautiful gardens in downtown Franklin. Call 369.0356 for more information.
Music Jams
Music Jams at the Rickman Store. Friday afternoons through the summer months. Everyone is invited to join and enjoy the tunes of the talented local musicians. Held from 3 to 7 p.m. at the historic Rickman Store, located in the heart of the Cowee-West's Mill Historic District, seven miles north of Franklin by Hwy. NC 28, next to Cowee Elementary School.
Community Drum Circle and Music in Dillsboro. Second Saturday of each month through Nov. Join at the Dillsboro Depot for live music. 5 to 9 p.m. 586.5700.
Community music jams are held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. the first and third Thursday of each month at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. All are invited to come with anything unplugged. 488.3030.
Old-Time and Bluegrass Jam Session Series at Western Carolina University are held the first Thursday of the month. Performers of old-time and bluegrass music are invited to bring their instruments and take part in the jam session that will follow the group's performance. 7 to 9 p.m. 227.7129.
Pickin' In The Park in Canton. Live music every Friday from June through Sept. at the Canton Recreation Park at 7 p.m. 646.3412.
Music Makers
A new signing choir begins rehearsals from 3:30 to 4 p.m. Sign language used in connection with song. Open to all willing to learn. 476.4231.
Haywood Community Band meets from 7 to 8:30 p.m. every Thursday at Grace Episcopal Church. 452.7530.
Karaoke is held at 7 p.m. every other Friday at the American Legion Post 47 in Waynesville. Open to all members and their guests. 456.8691.
Karaoke is held at 8 p.m. every Thursday at the Tap Room at the Waynesville Inn. 800.627.6250.
Men Macon Music, barbershop singing, meets at 5:30 p.m. every Monday in the Chapel of First Presbyterian Church, 26 Church St., Franklin. Visitors welcome. 524.9692.
Mountain Dulcimer Players meet from 3 to 5 p.m. on the first and third Sundays of each month at the Bryson City United Methodist Church. Knowledge of music not required, tablature method used. 488.6697.
Music in the Mountains is held at 6:30 p.m. every Saturday at the train depot in Bryson City. 488.3681.
Old Timey Bluegrass Jams are held at 7 p.m. every Tuesday at Spring Street Cafe in Sylva.
Open Mic Night is held at 7 p.m. each Thursday at Shot in the Dark Café on Main Street in Sylva.
Open Mic Night is held from 6 to 8 p.m. each Friday at Mountain Perks in Bryson City. 488.9561.
Pick and Play Dulcimer Group of Sylva meets at 1:30 p.m. on the first, third and fifth Saturday of every month in the fellowship hall of St. John's Episcopal Church. 293.0074.
The Franklin Early Music Group meets every Monday at 9 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church. 369.5192.
The Nikwasi Dulcimer Players meet every Thursday afternoon at First United Methodist Church in Franklin. All are welcome. 349.3170 or 524.2294.


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Futuremark PCMark Vantage Benchmark Overview
PCMark Vantage Overview
The new PCMark Vantage benchmarking application was released just this past week in its inaugural 1.0.0 version. This new software was developed with Vista at its heart and actually requires it to run – sorry XP users. This iteration of the software is very different than the previous PCMark05 that we have come to utilize here at PC Perspective. This time around the Futuremark team focused mainly on consumer scenarios rather than just pure hardware performance. Think of this as move away from synthetic testing to a more application-driven testing model.
The Futuremark team sums it up best:
Since this is our first time using the PCMark Vantage software, I'm going to include descriptions of each and every test that the software runs through along with the benchmark results for it. This way, you can see how the results are derived and what tests you are going to particularly interested in.
PCMark Suite
The PCMark Suite is a collection of various single- and multi-threaded CPU, Graphics and HDD test sets with the focus on Windows Vista application tests. Tests have been selected to represent a subset of the individual Windows Vista Consumer Scenarios. PCMark Suite includes CPU, Graphics, Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and a subset of Consumer Suite tests. Note: Only the PCMark Suite will provide a PCMark Score.
Our computers play an important role in our lives these days. We rely on them to store and help us relive our memories as digital photos. We use them to watch the latest high definition TV broadcasts and movies. They entertain all ages with exciting, graphically detailed games. When we play today's games, high performance graphics cards, CPUs and HDDs help us avoid irritating delays and sluggish performance. Online music shops have changed the way we purchase music, letting us buy exactly the tracks we want, right from home. Transcoding our audio files from one format to another is much quicker and easier using high performance CPUs. Cataloguing our music library is a breeze for fast and powerful HDDs. As we spend more time online, and share music and files, security is more important than ever before. To minimize our security maintenance tasks, high performance CPUs and HDDs are recommended. Our busy lives find us hard at work, balancing multiple tasks; with little time for breaks. It's the same for our computers.
PCMark Suite includes the following tests:
- Suite Tests
- Memories 1 & 2
- TV and Movies 1 & 2
- Gaming 1 & 2
- Music 1 & 2
- Communications 1 & 2
- Productivity 1 & 2
- CPU Test
- Data encryption, Data decryption, Data compression, Data decompression
- CPU image manipulation (compression/decompression/resize)
- Audio transcoding
- Video transcoding
- Text editing
- Web page rendering
- Windows Mail
- Windows Contacts
- CPU game test
- Graphics Test
- Video playback
- GPU game test
- HDD Test
- 6 HDD Tests total
- HDD Tests use new 4K block size*
- All HDD Tests use RankDisk using Intel's IPEAK Storage Performance Toolkit
* WinTrace is used to record the HDD traces
* AnalyzeTrace is used to analyze precisely what the traces are doing
* RankDisk: a Futuremark modified version that it is non-destructive and runs in a temporary sandbox file.
We are starting with a completely new metric here, so the scores are just starting to filter in. So far, in our first run of the default PCMark Vantage test suite the winners and losers might be a bit surprising. At the top of the list is the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 with a score of 5413; that's 23% faster than the next competitor. As the only quad-core processor in our testing for this initial article we can see that multi-threaded applications are a big part of the new testing software.
Looking at the other processors, the E6750 and X6800 match up pretty well against AMD's 6000+ and 5600+ AM2 processors. You might be surprised to see the 2.66 GHz E6750 with a better result than the 2.93 GHz X6800 CPU – I know I was. Obviously the 1333 MHz front-side bus that the E6750 sports is helping it out in multiple areas.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Before he ultimately got booked for a fight with Alistair Overeem at UFC 160, the UFC planned to match up former champion Junior dos Santos with Josh Barnett.
But with the UFC unable to secure Barnett (32-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) to a contract following the recent closing of Strikeforce, his former ahead, UFC officials instead booked dos Santos (15-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) vs. Overeem (36-12 MMA, 1-1 UFC) for May 25 pay-per-view event.
Earlier this month, Barnett's manager, Leland LaBarre, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that "a sticking point" had spoiled the negotiations. Neither side has completely closed the door on a potential deal, but both Barnett's camp and UFC President Dana White have suggested the fighter won't be competing for the UFC anytime soon.
Had they reached a deal, which officials said was held up for reasons other than financial ones, Barnett would have gotten a high-profile fight against dos Santos, who lost his title to Cain Velasquez during a December rematch.
But, "I'm sure Josh Barnett doesn't care," White said. "Josh Barnett's a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants type guy, beats to his own drum. He said if he stayed in the UFC all this time, what could he have accomplished or whatever.
"But Josh Barnett's never been a guy to say 'I don't want to fight this guy' or 'I don't want to fight that guy.' He's not that type of person. He likes to fight."
That's actually high praise from White, who's sometimes quick to criticize fighters when deals can't be worked out.
Barnett, an early-UFC champion who's also dabbled in pro wrestling during his 16-year pro MMA career, hasn't indicated where he could end up next. LaBarre said they've talked to "every major organization you've heard of and some you haven't."
"I was excited to fight JR. (sic)," said Barnett in a written statement obtained today by MMAjunkie.com. "I thought he was a very favorable matchup for me, but Zuffa was unwilling to give me something that they gave Eddie Alvarez. No disrespect to Eddie, but I felt it was fair to give it to me as well."
LaBarre declined to elaborate on the sticking point that led to the impasse. Alvarez, however, was offered a variety of sweeteners by UFC parent Zuffa following the expiration of his Bellator contract. They included a $250,000 signing bonus and a cut of pay-per-view profits should he fight for the UFC title or capture the belt. (Bellator and Alvarez currently are locked in a legal dispute over the Zuffa offer and a subsequent match by the tournament-based promotion.)
Barnett, who's 9-1 over the past five years, is arguably the only non-UFC fighter in the heavyweight division's world top 15, so quality of competition could be an issue going forward
For the latest on UFC 160, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
(Pictured: Josh Barnett)
* * * * *
Story updated at 4:35 p.m. ET on 2/18/13 with statement from Barnett.


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Long Description: We Three Kings of Orient Are 0:14, Christmas Music, Christmas Piano, music for film, stock music tracks and flash music
Keywords: We Wish You A Merry Christmas music festive music holiday music seasonal music christmas backing music christmas instrumental music festive backing music festive background music Roaring fireplace wrapping presents hanging mistletoe kids playing carving the turkey passing the cranberry sauce. Holiday traditional music flowing Merry Christmas Glorious Warmth Heartening Holidays Bright Joyful Fun Santa Claus Celebrations Family Time Families Special Occasions Sleigh Rides Traditions Celebrate Family Boys Girls wholesome beautiful parents children Christmas music heartfelt nostalgic familiar Christian warm Christmas feeling. Mellow soothing serious melodic sweet minimalist simple nostalgic Christian religious Sweet dreamy and delicate lovely tender and elegant Santa St Nick on his way families and children traditional heartwarming and touching festive music holiday music seasonal music backing December 25 Three Wise Men caroling fireplace stockings.


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>Look What I Can Do!>1st 30K--check
I did it. It wasn't pretty. Pacific Coast Trail Runs Sequoia Summer. It was held in a beautiful park with hilly trails. I brought my ipod but ran without it on since it was mostly on single track. This wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, since the serenity of the forest was entrancing early in the morning.
The problems came later when it started to heat up. I did not bring a water bottle and the distance between aid stations was a bit long. This was even after reading the course information "It is recommended that runners carry at least 20 oz fluid between stations." What a dope I am! Of course I got very dehydrated and was really suffering towards the end and forced to walk -walk I tell you!
It didn't help that I took a wrong turn at the beginning of the race and probably ran an extra mile. But hey, it was the first time I've ever attempted a run much over 16 miles ever so overall I'm happy. Does make me want to go out again and do it right, though.
Get Lost :)
Thanks. I do wish that I had some photos because the park is absolutely gorgeous. Just imagine giant redwoods and over 3000' of elevation gain. Some hills were so steep they were of the hikable variety.
I do think that dehydration got in the way of achieving any sort of runner's high...or perhaps I just needed to run oh say 50 or more miles longer like you did. Great job to you at Vermont.


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I'm looking for some help and figured you were the best people to ask.These past few days I've been finding these bugs crawling on me, specifically whilst in my room (pic related).
There aren't any bite marks that I'm aware of, so it kind of rules out bed bugs and i haven't found any evidence of it being a bed bug on my bed. The only significant event I can think of to cause these to appear on me was when I took a tree down the same day I started spotting them.
Any help, or information would be appreciated.
It looks like a mite.
There are lots of different ones, both vegetarian and carnivorous. They occur on lots of different plants/shrubs/trees, so there's a good chance you inadvertently 'collected' some during your lumberjacking operations. They may have moved from you to your room, and some of them may be moving back onto you, so it seems. If they aren't biting or otherwise causing problems (eg. rash), you're probably OK to ignore them; they should eventually die of starvtion, find their way outside again, or find a pot plant to their liking.


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Bestop Headliner
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The Bestop Headliner is a great add-on for your Jeep factory soft top, Bestop Replace-A-Top or Supertop. This one-piece headliner acts as a barrier to block summer heat and winter cold for a more comfortable ride in every season. It also cuts down on interior noise, making your Jeep quieter and enjoyable.
The Bestop Headliner is made from vinyl backed with a high-density foam. The foam acts as an insulation for your Jeep, keeping it from broiling under the sun or getting too frosty in the winter. It's easy to install, too. The Bestop Headliner mounts to your soft top bows and windshield header, without any drilling or other modifications.
Choose from Black, Charcoal, and Black Denim for the Bestop Headliner that matches your OE top and interior. Your Bestop Headliner is backed with a 1 Year Warranty.


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Why Electric Cars Are Safer
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Tesla Motors' recent five-star sweep in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety ratings shed light on an important aspect of electric cars: They're inherently safer than vehicles powered by internal combustion engines.
Tesla's Model S served as a prime example of those safety advantages, recording the highest (five-star) ratings in frontal, side, rollover, and overall crash categories. The Model S joined the 2013 and 2014 models of the Ford Focus EV, which also captured five-star NHTSA safety ratings across the board.
Experts said that the performance by both vehicles was not surprising. "There are some very inherent safety dimensions to the design of an electric vehicle," David Cole, chairman emeritus of The Center for Automotive Research, told Design News. "The design may have had more to do with energy storage and powertrain issues, but the safety advantage is a gift that comes along with it, and it's very real."
To read the rest of the story, please click here.


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From Suffering to Action, From the Individual to the Collective
Examine inter-generational relationships among Jewish immigrants, and the role of work and workers' youth culture in the Americanization process. Use art and writing to explore your own identity formation.
Enduring Understandings
- Articulating the circumstances of one's own suffering is a first step in taking power to change those circumstances.
- Creating change is a social process done in community with others.
- There are many different models for creating social change (e.g, collective action, legislation).
Essential Questions
- What are various ways in which people respond to suffering and inequality?
- When does suffering/injustice become a catalyst for change?
- Why were Jewish women in particular involved in organizing the garment industry?
- What was the role of young women in organizing the garment industry?
Materials Required
- Copies for each student of the "Fact, Feeling, Idea, Question" chart
- Copies for each student or a projected display of the photos in the Photographic Impressions document study
- 8 ½ x 11" signs that read AGREE and DISAGREE
- Rope that stretches from one end of the room to the other and the list of "Walk the Line" statements
- document studies on [lightbox:15082]working conditions[/lightbox], [lightbox:15085]hours and pay[/lightbox], and [lightbox:15084]organizing[/lightbox] for three groups OR enough multiples of sets to have approximately three to six students in each group
Notes to Teacher
Teachers may want students to read the [lightbox:14850]Background Essay for the Lesson[/lightbox], but students should not encounter this information until they have finished the Walk the Line activity in Part 2 of the lesson. You may choose to incorporate the Background Essay in Lesson 4 to share more information about how the workers and those helping them transformed the injustices discussed in this lesson into better working conditions.
In Part 1 of the lesson, students are asked to look at two photos, one of a typical tenement "sweatshop" and the other of a factory floor, both typical garment industry workplaces at the turn of the 20th century. Students will share what they notice in each picture under the categories of "fact, feeling, idea and question" to get at both intellectual and emotional responses to the photos and to activate their thinking about what propels individuals to become part of a collective effort to make change.
In Part 2 of the lesson, students will engage in an activity called "Walk the Line." They will hear statements that imply a range of values about labor and appropriate responses to workplace injustice, and they will place themselves on a continuum from Agree to Disagree with opportunities to explain their positions.
Part 3 of the lesson invites students to write their own, personal work manifestos after they have examined primary sources from the early 20th century period in the categories of "working conditions," "hours and pay," and "organizing."
The following biographies can be used in connection to this lesson:
Introductory Essay(s)
From Suffering to Action, From the Individual to the Collective: Introductory Essay
The American labor movement was shaped by the activism of immigrant workers, and few played as prominent a role as the young Jewish women who worked in the garment industry of the early 20th century. On November 23, 1909, between 20,000 and 40,000 girls and women working in the 600 shirtwaist (blouse) factories in New York City got up from their machines in factories and sweatshops, walked out onto the city's streets, and went on strike. In what became known as the "Uprising of the 20,000"—still the largest strike of women workers in American history—girls and women from diverse backgrounds came together to demand their rights to better working conditions, better pay, and union membership. Risking their jobs, arrest and possible deportation, rough physical treatment on the picket line at the hands of thugs hired by their bosses to teach them a lesson, and the scorn and wrath of their families, these women, nevertheless, went out on strike.
Working conditions in sweatshops and garment factories at the turn of the 20th century were brutal in the worst cases, dangerous and demeaning in the best cases. The forty hour work week did not exist at this time; garment industry laborers regularly worked fourteen hour days, six days a week, and hours could be added on Sundays during peak work seasons. There was neither a minimum wage nor overtime pay, and girls and women were regularly paid less than men were paid for doing the same jobs. Wages were deducted for late arrival, broken machinery, going to the bathroom without permission, not completing enough work in the time allotted even when the workers were forced to produce at a break-neck pace, and for other reasons beyond the control of the worker. Despite their meager wages, workers often had to provide their own machinery and supplies (such as thread).
There were no laws to protect children in the workplace. Little ones as young as six years old could be found snipping loose threads and sewing labels into finished garments. The Department of Labor was only created in 1913, and there was no Occupational Safety and Health Administration overseeing conditions in the workplace. Lighting was poor. Sanitation was poor. The heat was unbearable in the summer, and the shops and factories were cold in the winter. Exits were locked. The noise was deafening. Sexual abuse was common but rarely reported and even more rarely punished.
These were all good reasons to go out on strike, but the reasons not to strike were equally as compelling. How would the girls and women feed themselves and help to support their families if they were not working? If the strike did not succeeed, they might be fired from their jobs, and they might earn a reputation as a troublemaker and be blacklisted or prevented from working in other shops and factories. They could be arrested, labeled "radical," and even deported! If their parents or husbands disagreed with the strike, they could risk losing their families. Yet they went out on strike not just in 1909, but repeatedly in the first and second decades of the twentieth century.
For some, the lack of respect they received from the bosses was what pushed these women to go out on strike. In some shops, they were not allowed to talk to each other while they worked. They were allowed to go to the bathroom only during formal breaks. They were searched on their way out of work each day to be sure they hadn't stolen anything. These humiliations endured day after day wore down the workers.
The Jewish girls and women connected their oppression in the workplace to the political oppression that had inspired their families to leave Europe and come to America, believing that in America they would experience greater freedom and better conditions. Some immigrants had already encountered radical political movements in Europe and were therefore already open to ideas like unionization and Socialism when they arrived in America. Some garment workers from other ethnic groups shared this background of political oppression in their countries of origin. Jewish women also carried the collective memory of the history of Jewish oppression to which they connected their own suffering. Many of the strikers believed in the possibility of change in America, and they believed they could help bring about the betterment of their conditions through labor activism.
Before the Uprising of the 20,000, Jewish women had organized boycotts and rent strikes to protest hikes in food prices and living expenses. Some of the women learned organizing skills from their involvement in the Socialist or Communist Party. Women in the garment shops began to talk with one another about their plight and about ways the union could help them. The labor unions were not interested in helping the women workers and did not take them seriously, assuming they were not invested in their work because they would soon leave the factory to marry and have families. So, without much support from the union leaders, the women began to organize themselves into "locals," or trade and area-specific groups that would speak to shop and factory bosses and owners about working conditions for all the workers.
The garment workers were also supported by the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL), an organization founded in 1903 by middle- and upper-class women interested in helping working-class women improve their lives. The WTUL hired the young garment worker Rose Schneiderman to organize women workers. During strikes, members of the WTUL also joined the girls and women on picket lines, since the police and hired thugs were less likely to beat up a well-dressed woman, and their presence—and the media attention it drew—helped protect the working class women from violence.
The Jewish press also supported the workers during the strike. Articles in the Forward, a Socialist Yiddish paper, for example, underscored the strikers' courage and exposed the harsh treatment they were receiving from the police.
The garment workers' strike of 1909-1910 was not a spontaneous uprising. Rather, it grew out years of organizing women in the garment industry, as well as a series of smaller strikes throughout the summer and fall of 1909. By early November, it was unclear if and how the strikes would go forward. International Ladies Garment Workers' Local 25 called for a general strike to shut down the entire shirtwaist industry, and on November 22, thousands of garment workers attended a meeting at Cooper Union to discuss this recommendation. After many labor leaders spoke without advocating for a general strike, 23-year-old Clara Lemlich—one of the strike leaders and a member of the Local 25 executive committee—took the stage and declared, "I am a working girl, one of those who are on strike against intolerable conditions. I am tired of listening to speakers who talk in general terms. What we are here to decide is whether we shall or shall not strike. I offer a resolution that a general strike be declared—now." Her bold words energized the women in the crowd, and they pledged to strike.
The strike lasted 11 weeks, and while it was not a complete victory, it did win some significant demands. Most of the garment shops agreed to a 52-hour-week, at least four holidays with pay per year, no charge for tools and materials, no discrimination against union members, and the right for unions to negotiate wages with employers. By the end of the strike, 85% of all shirtwaist makers in New York had joined the ILGWU, and Local 25 had grown from 100 members to more than 10,000. Perhaps most importantly, the uprising proved that women workers could be organized into a powerful force, and it sparked five years of strikes that turned the garment industry into one of the best-organized trades in the U.S. For the young women involved in the strike, it was a powerful experience that proved their worth and mettle; many of them considered it one of the defining moments of their lives.
Unfortunately, one of the factories that did not meet the strikers' demands for better working conditions was the Triangle Waist Co., and on Saturday, March 25, 1911, it became the site of one of the worst industrial disasters in New York's history. Near the end of the work day, a fire broke out in the factory and spread quickly. Although the (Jewish) owners of the company had been cited several times for violation of the city's fire safety code, they had simply paid the fines and continued operating. On the day of the fire, about 500 workers were present. Most of the escape exists were locked, in order to prevent theft and walkouts and to keep out union organizers. The fire engine ladders were not tall enough to reach the top floors on which workers were trapped, and blankets and nets held by bystanders collapsed under the weight of the many workers who jumped. Others simply burned to death inside the factory. Of the 146 victims, most were Jewish immigrant women between the ages of 16 and 23.
The scale of the tragedy provoked widespread grief and outrage and galvanized the Jewish community and the progressive public into action. In the wake of public protest, the New York State Committee on Safety was established. Among its participants were forerunners of the New Deal, including Frances Perkins, Henry L. Stimson, and Henry Morgenthau, Sr. Following the committee's recommendations, the New York State Legislature set up a Factory Investigating Commission which investigated work conditions in shops, factories, and tenement houses, and was instrumental in drafting new factory legislation. These measures limited the number of occupants on each factory floor relative to the dimensions of staircases, prescribed automatic sprinkler systems, and drafted employment laws to protect women and children at work.
The trial of the factory owners resulted in acquittal, and after collecting their insurance they soon reopened their shop at a new address and offered to pay one week's wages to the families of the victims. In 1914 they were ordered by a judge to pay damages of seventy-five dollars to each of the twenty-three families of victims who had sued.
In the century since the Triangle Fire, it has remained a focus for labor activity. The tragedy is still being commemorated by annual demonstrations, by gatherings of women workers, and by union events, emphasizing the importance of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Considered the worst disaster in New York City until the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire remains one of the most vivid symbols for the American labor movement of the essential need to ensure a safe workplace environment.
Lesson Plan
Photographic Impressions
(15-20 minutes including individual work and group sharing)
- Distribute copies of the "Fact, Feeling, Idea, Question" chart to each student. You may choose to distribute copies of the photographs to individual students or project these photos one-at-a-time for students to view together.
- Ask students to look carefully at the picture. Encourage them to notice isolated parts of the picture as well as the scene as a whole. They should then write a fact, feeling, idea and question inspired by each picture in the appropriate spaces in the chart. After students have had time to do this, invite them to share their responses, which you can write on the projection below the picture or on a sheet of newsprint that you can save. It's important to acknowledge and accept each response and not to evaluate the students' observations, except to correct obvious errors in the "fact" category. (To track common responses, we suggest you put check marks next to comments already made that come up two or more times.)
Walk the Line
- Prepare the space by moving desks and chairs to the edges of the room, placing the rope down the center of the room from the front to the back, and hanging the "AGREE" and "DISAGREE" signs on the sides of the room parallel to the rope. Ask students to line up along the line facing the front of the room. Explain that students will hear a statement read and they will then move toward the "AGREE" and "DISAGREE" signs that best represent their own values about the statement. They can move all the way to the wall, stay as close to or even on the middle line, or place themselves anywhere on the continuum between the two, extreme positions regarding that statement.
- It's important to stress to students that they interpret the statements in whatever way makes sense to them. Answer questions by saying "whatever that means to you," rather than interpreting the statements for the students.
- After students have placed themselves, invite up to three students to "speak their truth" about why they have positioned themselves where they are. It's important to emphasize that they are only speaking their own truths, not having a debate or responding to what others say. Stress to students that they can change their place on the continuum if they are persuaded by what their classmates share.
After speakers have spoken, ask students to return to the center line and read the next statement. Repeat for as many statements as you have time.
- No one should ever endure oppression.
- You can't fight oppression on your own.
- There are times when the only thing to do is fight.
- Only those with power or money can change society.
- Even when conditions are terrible, it can be hard to believe that things could ever change.
- Not everyone is capable of social action.
- Everyone should have the opportunity to do work that is meaningful to them.
- All work is dignified.
- Work just has to pay the bills and doesn't have to fulfill me.
- Give the students the Introductory Essay to read individually, in small groups or together in the whole group. To help guide and focus their reading, you may want to ask them the following questions: What conditions motivated immigrant workers to protest? What challenges did they face in their attempts to unionize and to strike? What support did immigrant workers receive and from whom? Answer any factual questions that arise.
Break students into groups of 3-6 students to examine one set of the following documents: Working conditions, Hours and Pay, and Organizing. Have students read the documents and answer the questions that accompany each document set. Ask students to prepare a presentation to summarize the contents of their document sets for their classmates with the following information and analysis:
- A general description with one or two specific examples illustrating what the documents say about working conditions, hours and pay, and organizing in this early period.
- A description of the overarching feeling the documents convey about working conditions, hours and pay, and organizing.
- Ideas about how the speakers/writers thought about the meaning of work.
- When all the groups are ready, have each one present its document set to the whole class.
Explain that now that students have had the chance to place themselves on the continuum and speak their own truths, they will read about the historical circumstances that gave rise to women organizing in the needle trades.
Personal Work Manifestos
Explain the concept of a manifesto to the students: a manifesto is a statement declaring one's principles and intentions, which can be political or religious in nature. Tell students that they will write their own, personal manifestos declaring their principles and intentions for their work lives. The manifestos should include the following:
- a "mission statement" that explains the student's overarching belief about what work in general means to them;
- a set of principles or values to guide the student's decisions about what work s/he is willing and not willing to do;
- a set of intentions about how the student will achieve their employment goals. What will it take for them to achieve these work goals? What obstacles might stand in their way?
Though the manifestos are meant to be personal, encourage the students to think about how their individual work goals relate to the larger community—in what ways might they be part of a collective? How does their work relate to the work of others? Who might they turn to if they needed to make change in their work conditions?
View some example manifestos.
Document Studies
Photographic Impressions
Photographic Impressions
Look carefully at the first picture. Ask yourself: What is going on? Take note of the different parts of the picture, the background and the foreground. Notice the different people and objects. Look at it up close and from farther away to see if you notice different things.
Next, fill out the chart "Fact, Feeling, Idea, Question."
Now look at the second picture. Again, notice the different people, the setting, and what relationships or interactions may be taking place. Fill out the second space in the chart.
Finally, look at the third picture. What do you notice about the people? The place where the photograph takes place? What might these people be thinking? Complete the chart by filling in "Fact, Feeling, Idea, Question" for the last picture.
Now that you have finished, wait for the rest of the students to be done, and discuss your reactions with the class.
Working Conditions
Working Conditions
Excerpt from Pauline Newman's unpublished memoir, in which she describes the monotony and hardships of garment work.
… The job I found next was to sew buttons on shirtwaists. The shop was located in an old walk-up building on Jackson Street, near the East River and facing what was then called Jackson Street park. From where I sat I could see children playing there, hear them singing "all around the mulberry bush." As I mentioned before, it was summer and the air in the shop [was] stuffy and hot. Often I longed to join the youngsters in the park and to breathe the cool fresh air. After all, I was not much older than they were! At the end of my first day's work I was handed a slip of paper showing that I had earned thirty-five cents! I considered myself rich!...
One day a relative of mine who was employed by the now infamous Triangle Shirt Waist co., the largest manufacturers of shirt waists in New York City, got me a job with that firm. The day I left the Jackson Street shop the foreman told me that I was very lucky to have gotten a job with that concern because there is work all year.
As I said before, the job was not strenuous. It was tedious. Since our day began early we were often hungry for sleep. I remember a song we used to sing which began with "I would rather sleep than eat." This song was very popular at that time. But there were conditions of work which in our ignorance we so patiently tolerated such as the deductions from our meager wages if and when you were five minutes late – so often due to transportation delays; there was the constant watching you, lest you pause for a moment from your work; (rubber heels had just come into use and you rarely heard the foreman or the employer sneak up behind you, watching.) You were watched when you went to the lavatory and if in the opinion of the forelady you stayed a minute or two longer than she thought you should have you were threatened with being fired; there was the searching of your purse or any package you happen to have lest you may have taken a bit of lace or thread. The deductions for being late was stricktly [sic] enforced because deductions even for a few minutes from several hundred people must have meant quite a sum of money. And since it was money the Triangle Waist Co. employers were after this was an easy way to get it. That these deductions meant less food for the worker's children bothered the employers not at all. If they had a conscience it apparently did not function in that direction. As I look back to those years of actual slavery I am quite certain that the conditions under which we worked and which existed in the factory of the Triangle Waist Co. were the acme of exploitation perpetrated by humans upon defenceless [sic] men, women and children – a sort of punishment for being poor and docile…
Despite these inhuman working conditions the workers – including myself – continued to work for this firm. What good would it do to change jobs since similar conditions existed in all garment factories of that era? There were other reasons why we did not change jobs – call them psychological, if you will. One gets used to a place even if it is only a work shop. One gets to know the people you work with. You are no longer a stranger and alone. You have a feeling of belonging which helps to make life in a factory a bit easier to endure. Very often friendships are formed and a common understanding established. These, among other factors made us stay put, as it were…
When I got home I sat down and wrote:
"In despair I ask – 'dear God will it ever be different?' And on my way home from work I see again those lonely men and women with hopeless faces, tired eyes; harassed by want and worry – I again ask 'will it ever be different?'"
The Factory Girl's Danger
On Friday evening, March 24, two young sisters walked down the stairways from the ninth floor where they were employed and joined the horde of workers that nightly surges homeward into New York's East Side. Since eight o'clock they had been bending over shirt-waists of silk and lace, tensely guiding the valuable fabrics through their swift machines, with hundreds of power driven machines whirring madly about them; and now the two were very weary, and were filled with that despondency which comes after a day of exhausting routine, when the next day, and the next week, and the next year, hold promise of nothing better than just this same monotonous strain.
They were moodily silent when they sat down to supper in the three-room tenement apartment where they boarded. At last their landlady (who told me of that evening's talk, indelibly stamped upon her mind) inquired if they were feeling unwell.
"Oh, I wish we could quit the shop!" burst out Becky, the younger sister, aged eighteen. "That place is going to kill us some day."
It's worse than it was before the strike, a year ago," bitterly said Gussie, the older. "The boss squeezes us at every point, and drives us to the limit. He carries us up in elevators of mornings, so we won't lose a second in getting started; but at night, when we're tired and the boss has got all out of us he wants for the day, he makes us walk down. At eight o'clock he shuts the doors, so that if you come even a minute late you can't get in till noon, and so lose half a day; he does that to make sure that every person gets there on time or ahead of time. He fines us for every little thing; he always holds back a week's wages to be sure that he can be able to collect for damages he says we do, and to keep us from leaving; and every evening he searches our pocketbooks and bags to see that we don't carry any goods or trimmings away. Oh, you would think you are in Russia again!"
That's all true; but what worries me more is a fire," said Becky, with a shiver. "Since that factory in Newark where so many girls where burnt up there's not a day when I don't wonder what would happen if a fire started in our shop."
"But you could get out, couldn't you?" asked the landlady.
"Some of us might," grimly said Gussie, who had been through last year's strike, and still felt the bitterness of that long struggle. "What chance would we have? Between me and the doors there are solid rows on rows of machines. Think of all of us hundreds of girls trying to get across those machines to the doors. You see what chance we have!"
"Girls, you must leave that place!" cried the landlady. "You must find new jobs!"
"How am I going to find a new job?" demanded Gussie. "If I take a day off to hunt a job, the boss will fire me. I might be out of work for weeks, and I can't afford that. Besides, if I found a new job, it wouldn't be any better. All the bosses drive you the same way, and our shop is as safe as any, and safer than some. No, we've got to keep on working, no matter what the danger. It's work or starve. That's all there is to it."
The next morning the two sisters joined their six hundred fellow-workers at the close-packed, swift machines. All day they bent over endless shirt-waists. Evening came; a few more minutes and they would have been dismissed, when there was a sudden frantic cry of "Fire!" - and what happened next all the country knows, for it was in the Triangle Shirt-Waist Factory that Becky and Gussie Kappelman worked. The fire flashed through the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors of the great building like a train of powder; girls were driven to leap wildly, their clothes afire, from the lofty windows; and in a few brief moments after the first cry one hundred and forty-three workers, the vast majority young girls, were charred bodies heaped up behind doors they had vainly tried to beat down, or were unrecognizable pulp upon the street far below.
And as for Gussie and Becky, who had gone to work that fatal day knowing their danger, as all the workers knew it, but helpless in their necessity what of them? Gussie was one of those who met a horrible death. Becky, in some way unknown to herself, was carried down an elevator, and to-day lies in a hospital, an arm and a leg broken and her head badly bruised. Frequently the young girl calls for her older sister, but her condition is too precarious for her to stand the shock of the awful truth, and the nurses have told her that Gussie is injured in another hospital. And so Becky lies in the white cot waiting until her wounds and Gussie's shall have healed and they can again be together.
Excerpt from "Out of the Shadow" by Rose Cohen
"There was one man in the shop, the designer and sample maker of the cloaks, to whom the other men looked up…Whenever he was not busy he would come and amuse himself by telling obscene stories and jokes. He did not like me, for when I had first come I had managed to gather the courage to ask the boss whether we girls could not sit at a separate table. The news of this unusual request soon spread and I began to be looked at as one who put on airs…He talked of the most intimate relations of married people in a way that made even the men exclaim and curse him while they laughed. We girls as usual sat with our heads hanging."
Preliminary Report of the Factory Investigating Commission
Our system of industrial production has taken gigantic strides in the progressive utilization of natural resources and the exploitation of the inventive genius of the human mind, but has at the same time shown a terrible waste of human resources, of human health and life.
It is because of this neglect of the human factor that we have found so many preventable defects in industrial establishments, such a large number of workshops with inadequate light and illumination, with no provision for ventilation, without proper care for cleanliness, and without ordinary indispensable comforts such as washing facilities, water supply, toilet accommodations, dressing-rooms, etc. It is because of utter neglect on the part of many employers that so many dangerous elements are found in certain trades. These elements are not always necessary for the successful pursuit of the trade, and their elimination would mean a great improvement in the health of the workers, and would stop much of the misery caused by the occupational diseases incident to certain industries.
Discussion Questions
- What working conditions do the speakers/writers of these documents describe as being unjust? What conditions do you think were unjust but the speakers/writers don't describe as such?
- What reasons do the speakers/writers give for putting up with the conditions about which they complain?
- How do the working conditions they describe make the speakers/writers feel about themselves and about their lives?
- How did the injustice they experience lead to change in working conditions?
Excerpt from Pauline Newman's unpublished memoir, in which she recalls the beginning of the 1909 garment workers' strike
Despite these inhuman working conditions the workers – including myself – continued to work for this firm. What good would it do to change jobs since similar conditions existed in all garment factories of that era? There were other reasons why we did not change jobs – call them psychological, if you will. One gets used to a place even if it is only a work shop. One gets to know the people you work with. You are no longer a stranger and alone. You have a feeling of belonging which helps to make life in a factory a bit easier to endure. Very often friendships are formed and a common understanding established. These, among other factors made us stay put, as it were…
During the early part of November an unknown (to me) source provided the money for calling a mass meeting of the shirt waist makers in the historic Cooper Union hall. The place was packed. There were many prominent speakers among them the President of the American Federation of Labor – Samuel Gompers, and Mary Dreier of the Women's Trade Union League. The workers were urged to join the union and put an end to their exploitation. In the midst of all the admirable speeches a girl worker – Clara Lemlich by name, got up and shouted "Mr. Chairman, we are tired of listening to speeches. I move that we go on strike now!" and other workers got up and said "We are starving while we work, we may as well starve while we strike." Pendimonium [sic] broke lose [sic] in the hall. Shouts, cheering, applause, confusion and shouting of "strike, strike" was heard not only in the hall but outside as well. There were many workers who could not get into the hall. There were no loud-speakers in those days, but word was carried to them and they joined in the cry for a strike. As one of them said, "Why not, we have nothing to lose and we may have something to gain."
It was the 22nd of November when the strike was called. I remember the day – a grey sky, chilly winds and the winter just around the corner. However, neither the cold wind nor the cloudy sky prevented the strikers from cheering their own courage and daring as they left shop after shop to join their co-workers on the streets of New York. Despair turned to hope – marching from virtual slavery to the promise of freedom and decency. Five thousand, ten thousand, twenty thousand filled every hall available. That day was indeed a red letter day for the strikers and for the union. On this day young women laid the foundation for the powerful, constructive and influential union in the American Labor Movement, the ILGWU. As women they never did get the credit for what they contributed to the building of the present structure known all over the world as the most progressive labor organization in existence. That, however, did not prevent them from proving (and in those days to prove was essential) that women without experience can and did rise from their slumber to fight for a happier existence with determination and without fear.
During the weeks and months of the strike most of them would go hungry. Many of them would find themselves without a roof above their heads. All of them would be cold and lonely. But all of them also knew and understood that their own courage would warm them; that hope for a better life would feed them; that fortitude would shelter them; that their fight for a better life would lift their spirit. They were ready and willing to endure hardship of any kind until victory was in sight. And fight they did.
Rose Schneiderman's Women's Trade Union League Report
I commenced my work as East Side organizer on the 1st of April, 1908, and for a period of four months felt that I had attempted one of the most difficult industrial problems, in a most critical time of the struggle of the working class. For a time I felt that all was hopeless and dark, and that it were better for me to return to the factory. It is a very difficult thing to tell people who are starved for the lack of work, "Organize now as you never did before and endeavor by the might of your numbers to prevent industrial panics in the future!" The answer comes, "I am hungry! Give me work, and then we will speak of what is to be done." I therefore began to visit East Side unions which had women in them and simply stated that the Women's Trade Union League had put an organizer into the field and that she was always ready to do all in her power to help to bring the girls of the trade into the organization; also, that the League was prepared to open English classes, where trades-unionism would be taught together with the English language.
The White Goods Union
I visited the White Goods Union which, twenty-eight months ago had a membership of three hundred, and found that all that they were left with, were the officers. We conferred together, and they asked whether the League would assist them financially in holding mass-meetings. I said that it would, and we decided that a concert be arranged. This was a failure, as very few of the girls attended. We then decided to have a May Dance for the East Side women unionists, and invitations were distributed among the unions…Thought the attendance was not as large as we anticipated, good work was done, as those who came listened to the gospel of trade unionism from the lips of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, John Dych and Jacob Pankin, and when the girls left, they were much wiser as to woman's place in industry….
The Dress Makers' Strike
In the beginning of November last, the League was called to assist the dress makers of a Fifth Avenue shop, who were striking to resist a change of system from "piece work" to "week work." The girls were alone, inexperienced and without any reserve funds. Brother Pine of the United Hebrew Trades, to whom they applied for assistance, was not in the position to give them all the aid they needed…The first thing we did, was to organize the girls into a Union. We found that the girls of other factories understood that the fight was theirs as well, as a principle was involved which would have a vital effect upon them. They, therefore, responded to an appeal for assistance by making collections among themselves…Little by little the girls found employment at other shops and the strike gradually dwindled away. At present, we have a Dressmakers and Costumers' Local #60 of the Garment workers, of which I have the honor of being president, and there is good promise for the development of a big, strong organization in the near future….
In conclusion, I would say that the organization of women with its many difficulties – the different nationalities and the passive toleration of many wrongs – is a great problem, which requires constant vigilance and attention besides personal labor of everyone interested in the movement, for its solution. I would also suggest that perhaps, we, who are trying our best to solve this problem, have not considered seriously enough the joyless life of the working woman, and that, perhaps, wee have not done all that is necessary to make the labor organization a social as well as an economic attraction. We have insisted on the business-side of labor organization, forgetting the while, that women are not as yet wholly business-like, thank goodness! Let us idealize more the trade union movement, show that it is the way towards the emancipation of the worker, and with that aim in view and a great deal of hard, earnest, perservering [sic] work, the victory will be ours. Respectfully submitted, Rose Schneiderman
Sarah Rozner discusses striking and making a living
The three of us were striking, my brother Dave, my sister Fanny, and me. Fanny was 15 and she'd be on the corner selling papers for the strike. She had a good time; she was young and gay and singing. My brother's first wife was my girlfriend, and we had one good skirt between us. If she went on the picket line, we raised the hem, because she was much shorter than I; when I went on the picket line, I'd let the hem down. That's the way we lived.
Fanny got a couple of pennies from selling the socialist papers, enough for a couple of loaves of bread. But we were hungry. They didn't feed us in the strike hall. Sedosky, a Jewish writer, had a restaurant where for 15 cents they used to get some strike tickets for a full meal. But that was only for single men. They finally did give us some tickets to a storehouse. It was on Maxwell or Jefferson Street and was a storehouse for strikers who had family responsibilities. They had food of various sorts: bread, herring, beans, rice. None of the family wanted to go there, so I went alone. I brought home the "bacon."
Discussion Questions
- What were the conditions that caused workers to organize?
- Why did the speakers/writers decide to join a union? Give specific examples from the documents.
- How do the writers/speakers describe the feeling of working collectively with others to demand changes in their working conditions?
- Look at the picture. What do you see going on in the picture? Based on the accounts given in this document study, what conclusions can you draw about these women?
- What kinds of activities did the labor organizers engage in to get women workers to join unions? What kinds of arguments did they make?
Hours and Pay
Hours and Pay
Rose Schneiderman describes her experience as a department store errand girl
I got a job as an errand girl [at Hearn's Department Store] and was stationed on the first floor where tables were laden with sales merchandise…My weekly salary was $2.16 for a sixty-four-hour week. The sixteen cents was supposed to cover the weekly cost of laundering the over-all apron I was required to wear on the job. It was navy blue muslin with white polka-dots and it was most unattractive, but I saved the sixteen cents by laundering it myself…
After working at Ridley's for three years, my salary was all of $2.75 a week!
Ann, who worked in a factory making artificial flowers and feathers, was earning much more than I, and more than Martha Apple [who had worked there for 14 years], who still made only $7.00 a week.
Rose Schneiderman describes her work as a lining maker
Like all lining-makers, I had to furnish my own sewing machine. One could be bought from Singer on the installment plan for one hundred dollars. But since Mother had been able to save a little money, how I'll never know, we bought a Wilcox and Gibbs one-thread machine for thirty dollars cash. I also had to furnish the thread I used. And not just one color either. You had to have several colors handy to mach the colors of the lining. The cost ran up to at least fifty cents a month.
I learned to use the machine in three or four weeks and after a trial period with Cornelia, I was on my own. The first week on the job I earned six dollars, more than twice as much as I had earned at Ridley's. However, Mother was far from happy. She thought working in a store much more genteel than working in a factory. But we needed that extra money.
Pauline Newman describes working at the Triangle
… The job I found next was to sew buttons on shirtwaists. The shop was located in an old walk-up building on Jackson Street, near the East River and facing what was then called Jackson Street park… At the end of my first day's work I was handed a slip of paper showing that I had earned thirty-five cents! I considered myself rich!
The day's work was supposed to end at six in the afternoon. But, during most of the year we youngsters worked overtime until 9 p.m. every night except Fridays and Saturdays. No, we did not get additional pay for overtime. At this point it is worth recording the generocity [sic] of the Triangle Waist Co. by giving us a piece of apple pie for supper instead of additional pay! Working men and women of today who receive time and one half and at times double time for overtime will find it difficult to understand and to believe that the workers of those days were evidently willing to accept such conditions of labor without protest. However, the answer is quite simple – we were not organized and we knew that individual protest amounted to the loss of one's job. No one in those days could afford the luxury of changing jobs – there was no unemployment insurance, there was nothing better than to look for another job which will not be better than the one we had. Therefore, we were, due to our ignorance and poverty, helpless against the power of the exploiters.
As you will note, the days were long and the wages were low – my starting wage was just one dollar and a half a week – a long week – consisting more often than not, of seven days. Especially this was true during the season, which in those days were longer than they are now. I will never forget the sign which on Saturday afternoons was posted on the wall near the elevator stating – "If you don't come in on Sunday you need not come in on Monday!" What choice did we have except to look for another job on Monday morning. We did not relish the thought of walking the factory district in search of another job. And would we find a better one? We did not think so. So we came in to work on Sundays, tho we did not like it. As a matter of fact we looked forward to the one day on which we could sleep a little longer, go to the park and get to see one's friends and relatives. It was a bitter disappointment.
Rose Cohen recalls her first day on the job in a piecework shop
All day I took my finished work and laid it on the boss's table. He would glance at the clock and give me other work. Before the day was over I knew that this was a "piece work shop," that there were four machines and sixteen people were working…
Seven o'clock came and everyone worked on. [She had arrived at the shop at 7:00 in the morning.] I wanted to rise as father had told me to do and go home. But I had not the courage to stand up alone. I kept putting off going from minute to minute. My neck felt stiff and my back ached. I wished there were a back to my chair so that I could rest against it a little. When the people began to go home it seemed to me that it had been night a long time.
The next morning when I came into the shop at seven o'clock, I saw at once that all the people were there and working steadily as if they had been at work a long while. I had just time to put away my coat and go over to the table, when the boss shouted gruffly, "Look here, girl, if you want to work here you better come in early. No office hours in my shop."
From this hour a hard life began for me. He refused to employ me except by the week. He paid me three dollars and for this he hurried me from early until late. He gave me only two coats at a time to do. When I took them over and as he handed me the work he would say quickly and sharply, "Hurry!"…Late at night when the people would stand up and begin to fold their work away and I too would rise, feeling stiff in every limb and thinking with dread of our cold empty little room and the uncooked rice, he would come over with still another coat.
"I need it the first thing in the morning," he would give as an excuse. I understood that he was taking advantage of me because I was a child.
[Cohen's father] never came home before eleven and he left at five in the morning. He said to me now, "Work a little longer until you have more experience; then you can be independent."
"But if I did piece work [getting paid by finished piece rather than by the week], father, I would not have to hurry so. And I could go home earlier when the other people go."
Father explained further, "It pays him better to employ you by the week. Don't you see if you did piece work he would have to pay you as much as he pays a woman piece worker? But this way he gets almost as much work out of you for half the amount a woman is paid."
I myself did not want to leave the shop for fear of losing a day or even more perhaps in finding other work. To lose half a dollar meant that it would take so much longer before mother and the children would come.
Discussion Questions
- Do the speakers/writers believe they are paid fairly for the work they are doing? Provide quotations to back up your response.
- Do the speakers/writers believe the hours they worked were reasonable? Provide quotations to back up your response.
- What kinds of trade-offs do the workers talk about making in choosing to work where they did? What did they lose? What did they gain?
- Why did these young people have to work?
Example Work Manifestos BY eTTA kING, 2012
Teacher Resources
I had so much fun reviewing the Lessons in Unit 1 and assembling an adult education class for my shul "Ethics of Work" as part of my ongoing "Jewish Ethics" series. I created the list below of what I used for the class--but with a full class of highly-engaged religious school parents and empty nesters, I could hardly get a word in! All loved the primary documents and the Traditional Jewish Sources. It inspired much spirited debate and listening. Thanks to JWA for all you do!!
Discussed facts in Introductory Essays for Lessons 1 and 2. Photo regarding Garment workers eating together before union-sponsored class Photo regarding Social Psychology Lecture outside Unity House Discussed analogy to 2012 Bangladesh factory fire, comparing to the Triangle Shirt Waist Co. as discussed in comments to Lesson 2 (Thanks to comment-er, and to Etta for cite to NYTimes for facts and photos!) Traditional Jewish Sources from Lesson 1 Deuteronomy, Pirkei Avot Bread and Roses Poem (which makes a wonderful complement to Pirkei Avot passage) Excerpt from the Living Wage Teshuvah by Rabbi Jill Jacobs in Unit 1 Lesson 8
I loved this lesson, and used the Triangle Waist Factory info to connect to the recent fire in Bangladesh, where workers died in a factory there. Found that to be a good way to bring students into the modern era with timeless messages.
Thanks for your comment, Emilia. For educators interested in bringing these issues into current events, the fire in Bangladesh is a very relevant tie-in. The New York Times has several articles on its site (I've included one link below that has links to related articles).
If you are an educator working with adults or older teens, many of the pictures from the NYT site about the fire in Bangladesh are very reminiscent of the photos of the Triangle fire and its aftermath. Could be an interesting entry point for discussion, though probably not appropriate for all audiences.
Bangladesh Factory Fire Caused by Gross Negligence
Thanks again for posting! -Etta King, Education Program Manager
We have also covered this on our blog. This post from April 2013 has additional information about the current proposals for addressing this problem in the comments section. http://jwa.org/blog/tragedy-in...
How to cite this page
Jewish Women's Archive. "From Suffering to Action, From the Individual to the Collective." (Viewed on January 24, 2018) <https://jwa.org/teach/livingthelegacy/labor/from-suffering-to-action-from-individual-to-collective>.