Race hate in Tulsa, a lesson for us all

May 31, 1921. Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1921, Greenwood (a community in Tulsa) was one of the most prosperous African-American communities in the U.S. Serving over 8,000 residents, Greenwood’s commercial district was known nationally as the ‘Negro Wall Street’. The community boasted two newspapers, over a dozen churches, and hundreds of African-American-owned businesses. (2) On the evening of May 31, 1921, the African-American Greenwood community of Tulsa, Oklahoma was ravaged by a White mob. By the conclusion of the riot at midday, June 1, virtually every building in a 42-square-block area of the community--homes, schools, churches, and businesses--was burned to the ground and thousands were left homeless. Over 1,200 homes were destroyed. Every church, school, and business in Greenwood was set on fire. Approximately 8,000 African-Americans were left homeless and penniless. Unable to rebuild, thousands of residents spent the winter of 1921-1922 in tents.  Credible evidence supports the belief that up to 300 African-Americans were killed during the riot. As many victims were buried in unmarked graves, an exact accounting is impossible. Text above from the H.R. 5593: John Hope Franklin Tulsa-Greenwood Race Riot Claims Accountability Act of 2012, submitted by Congressman John Conyers, Jr. Full bill: http://bit.ly/LWdKVu PLEASE READ AND SHARE the lesson/article by Rethinking Schools editor Linda Christensen called "Burning Tulsa: The Legacy of Black Dispossession" on CommonDreams.org: http://bit.ly/13heifI and/or GOOD: http://bit.ly/12Lb7w6 and/or The Huffington Post: http://huff.to/19narT4 Photo: Documenting damage. Courtesy of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Fully-funded PHD studentship on Scotland’s Early Stone Castles, c1050 - 1350 (opportunity)

Scotland’s Early Stone Castles PhD

Fully-funded AHRC PhD Studentship
Scotland’s Early Stone Castles, c1050 - 1350

The University of Stirling and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) are pleased to invite applications for a three-year Collaborative Doctoral Studentship, fully funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK/EU rate) with additional associated expenses from RCAHMS, to commence on 1 October 2013, or as soon thereafter as can be arranged.

This studentship will be a collaboration between the School of Arts and Humanities, Division of History & Politics (http://www.stir.ac.uk/arts-humanities/about-us/history-and-politics/) and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) (http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/).

The project will focus on Scotland’s Early Stone Castles, c1050 – 1350 with the aim of exploring the physical impact of castle building on Scotland’s landscape and their historical and sociological impact within the time period identified, and in their wider international context.

The successful applicant will spend some of their time based at RCAHMS, working alongside RCAHMS staff on fieldwork and with the archives, liaising closely with Dr Piers Dixon, an Operational Manager in Survey and Recording.

Download full details about the studentship and application procedure.

Potential applicants are welcome to contact Dr Piers Dixon (piers.dixon@rcahms.gov.uk) or Professor Richard Oram (r.d.oram@stir.ac.uk) with any questions they may have.

Closing date for applications: 12 noon on 10 June 2013
Interviews on: Tuesday 25 June 2013

Downloads

• Full details and application procedure PDF

Stone Age to 18th-c Tsunamis helped form the British and Ireland, Thames Barrier? London Floodplains?

Last night Channel 4 broadcast a film on the Mesolithic Tsunami that swamped "Doggerland" and helped form the North Sea "4OD telly programme" 

from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/doggerland/spinney-text

the refugees from the disaster may have increased populations so that they intensified exploitation by buirning scrub to increase hazel (nut) growth, for instance. The size of the wave -estimated 21m in Scotland- would have devastated communities and traumatised survivors.

The origins of the flood that finally made the English Channel are more contentious, see http://www.qpg.geog.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/englishchannelformation/ for a different view to that expressed in the programme .

However the tsunami that swamped Doggerland was one of many that have helped mould the land-and-seascapes of the Britain and Ireland. For instance, it is said that the island of Aughinish on the west of ireland, was formed by the tsunami following the1755 Lisbon Earthquake

View Larger Map

With another devastating tsunami in 1761, the Clare town of Milltown Malbay got its second name (meall-bhaigh approximates to treacherous coast)

Two layers of peat formed in the dunes of Spanish Point, one dates to the 18th-c tsunamis (by carbon date), another to the early 9th century - which would tally with an account of the division of an island or peninsula of Fitha to form a series of islands in 804


Other possible tsunamis occured in 1014, 1580, 1607 and in the North Sea in 1858  A witness stated that at 9.15 am the sea in Pegwell Bay, North Kent, "suddenly receded about 200 yards and returned to its former position within the space of about 20 minutes" - a possible "meteotsunami".

So is the Thames Barrier - or future larger barriers - capable of withstanding a catastrophic event? or should we plan to remove homes and businesses from the Thames Floodplain? If done over an extended period - by using strict planning criteria - it might act greatly to enhance the quality of life in London, increasing planning ratios in places like Croydon, Stratford, Ilford, Romford, and Hammersmith, but creating a network of green infrastructure at the heart of the city, parks and woods thast would absorb atmospheric pollution and a corridor for nature. That might guarantee London as a locus for high-value jobs as a desirable place to live and work. Just an idea

Thames floodplain fropm http://walbrookriver.org/?page_id=5

Steve McGhee's flooded London from http://www.itv.com/news/london/update/2013-08-15/artist-depicts-london-in-natural-disaster/

Match Women's Festival and Chainmaker's Festival - East London and Black Country united

NEW EVENTS ADDED -- See http://londonlandscapeobservatory.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/more-matchwomens-festival.html 
Two disputes changed the world - both have festivals (Chainmakers 7th-8th June and Matchwomen 6th July)....
In July 1888, several hundred women walked out of an East London match factory.. The strike was a reaction to management bullying and terrible conditions, and it should have failed. Bryant & May were powerful and prosperous, with friends in government. The women were mere ‘factory girls’, and even worse, mostly Irish. But their courage, solidarity and refusal to back down impressed all who saw it. What they revealed about conditions inside the factory, including the horrors of the industrial disease ‘phossy jaw’, shamed Bryant & May, and their shareholders, many of whom were MP’s and clergymen. In just two weeks, the women won better rates of pay and conditions, and the right to form the largest union of women in the country. Their victory was remarkable, but until now, rarely acknowledged as the beginning of the modern trade union movement. Following the Matchwomen’s victory a wave of strikes, including the 1889 Great London Dock Strike, swept the nation. Multitudes of the most exploited workers formed new unions, sowing the seeds of the modern labour movement, and Labour Party. The Dock Strikers never denied the Matchwomen’s influence. In the throes of the Dock Strike, leader John Burns urged a mass meeting of tens of thousands to ‘stand shoulder to shoulder. Remember the Matchwomen, who won their fight and formed a union.’

During the 19th century the Black Country, in particular the Cradley Heath area, became the centre for chain making in Britain. Heavy to medium chains were produced by men in factories, however the smaller chains (often known as 'hand-hammered' or 'country-work' chains) were often hand-worked by women or children in small cramped forges in outbuildings next to the home. The work was hot, physically demanding and poorly paid. Like other homeworking, chainmaking was an example of a "sweated" trade, where workers (often women) were paid a pittance to produce cheap goods at home.

At the start of the 20th century the campaign to end the exploitation of "sweated" labour gained increasing popular support. In 1909 the Liberal government passed the Trade Boards Act to set up regulatory boards to establish and enforce minimum rates of pay for workers in four of the most exploited industries - chain-making, box-making, lace-making and the production of ready-made clothing. In the Spring of 1910, the Chain Trade Board announced a minimum wage for hand-hammered chain-workers of two and a half pence an hour - for many women this was nearly double the existing rate. At the end of the Trade Board's consultation period in August 1910, many employers refused to pay the increase. In response, the women's union, the National Federation of Women Workers (NFWW), called a strike.

The strike lasted 10 weeks and attracted immense popular support from all sections of society - nearly £4,000 of donations were received by the end of the dispute from individual workers, trade unions, politicians, members of the aristocracy, business community and the clergy. The founder of the NFWW, Mary Macarthur, used mass meetings and the media - including the new medium of cinema - to bring the situation of the striking women to a wider audience and the strike became an international cause célèbre. Within a month 60% of employers had signed the 'White List' and agreed to pay the minimum rate, the dispute finally ended on 22 October when the last employer signed the list. It established the first sectoral Minimum Wage.Eighty-eight years after the strike, in 1998,the Labour government passed the National Minimum Wage Act which extended minimum pay protection to all industries and raised the wages of an estimated 1.5 million people

The two disputes are linked by the issue of Homeworking http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/people-and-places/womens-history/visible-in-stone/mary-macarthur/

Saturday July 6th 2013 11:00
***CELEBRATE THE 125th ANNIVERSARY OF THE MATCHWOMEN'S STRIKE***
You are cordially invited to a right old knees up in London!
*STRIKING a LIGHT - FIRST ANNUAL MATCHWOMEN'S FESTIVAL*
 http://www.matchwomensfestival.com/

Bishopsgate Institute near Liverpool Street, on Saturday 6th July 2013.
11am - midnight

Across four rooms and halls we will have children's entertainment, speakers, workshops and in the evening, bands and comedians. And all FREE!

Michael Rosen, no less, will be reading for younger children; older ones can use Wii, and anyone can make matchboxes against the clock (at the end we'll tell you if you would have earned enough to eat and pay your rent!) and make a matchwomen's hat with our very own milliner.

Tony Benn, Frances O'Grady of the TUC, Atilla the Stockbroker and the band that rocked Tolpuddle, Steve White and the Protest Famly, will inform and entertain the grown ups.
Matchwomen's descendants will also be there as VIP guests.

Sponsors include Labour History Publications: www.labourhistory.co.uk,/
the GMB, Unite Brighton Branch, NUT Tower Hamlets and the RMT.


Saturday 8th June 2013, the ninth FREE TUC Chainmakers’ festival in Bearmore Mound Playing Fields, Cradley Heath, B64 6DU

official faceBook page https://www.facebook.com/events/492361420824072/



http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/explorefurther/images/cradleyheath/
Announcing Friday Night at The Chainmakers
Friday night at The Chainmakers is to be held at the festival site, Bearmore Park, Cradley Heath, from 7.00 p.m. until 11.00 p.m. This is a free event and forms part of the Women Chainmakers festival which takes place on Saturday 8th June.

http://www.teachers.org.uk/files/Chainmakers-A4-24pp.pdf

Estuary - exhibition

Estuary

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Docklands/Whats-on/Exhibitions-Displays/Estuary.htm

Ken Worpole -environmentalist -  visited the Estuary exhibition which opened last week at the Museum of London Docklands (from http://www.caughtbytheriver.net/2013/05/estuary-museum-of-london-docklands/) : 

This is a terrific exhibition: a must for all who love the Thames. Not surprisingly, for a museum based in the capital’s former docklands, the focus of the permanent collection – as well as this bold excursion into the contemporary arts – is the river east of Tower Bridge, recording the remnants of the industrial and imperial history of the Thames as it winds and widens out to join the sea. There’s a real feel for the wind and the waves, and the smack of saltwater in nearly every contribution. Its success may encourage the transformation of the Docklands Museum into a major new public gallery for contemporary work about this great historical mind-altering space. Let’s hope so.

No expense has been spared promoting ‘Estuary’. The opening night was jam-packed with people and awash with beer, champagne and oysters. Happily the exhibition remained the star: the crowds appeared galvanised by the vitality of the work and the way it had been curated and presented. Two large panoramic canvases by Jock McFadyen, of the river at Purfleet and at Dagenham, are hung to perfection – his work has never been exhibited so strongly. They hang beside canvases – one large and one small – by Michael Andrews, a major artist who died before his time and whose work is still too little known: both paintings are suffused with the browns, greys and greens of the estuary. Close by are two series of photographs of the Thames shoreline, one by Peter Marshall and the other by Gayle Chong Kwan, animated by enigmatic detail. A large photograph of Southend Pier by Simon Roberts mysteriously seems to detach the historic pier from its funfair hinterland, part of a long term project by the photographer to document Britain’s historic piers using a traditional 4” X 5” plate camera.

If you intend to visit – and you would miss something quite moving and profound if you don’t – allow plenty of time. At least half of the contributions are in the form of film, slide-show or digital installation. The longest of these, Portrait of a River (2013) by Nikolaj Bendix Slyum Larsen, at just under an hour long, is worth watching from start to finish: a lovely piece of beautifully structured social documentary. John Smith’s digital film installation Horizon (Five Pounds a Belgian) (2012), a wall-to-wall screening with haunting tidal roars and retreats, portrays views of the sea close to Margate, and is equally mesmerising. And there are at least three other film/slide installations to keep you occupied for another hour and a half at least. So give over an afternoon for a visit.

Too often when confronted with challenging landscapes, contemporary artists resort to trickery or kitsch. Fortunately, there seems to be something about the Thames as a working river which demands respect and honesty. There isn’t a trivial or pretentious piece to be found in ‘Estuary’, a muscular and eloquent triumph of commissioning and curating which subtly challenges the values of the surrounding corporate skyline. In the 1970s people turned their backs on the rivers and canals of Britain as somehow belonging to a grim, redundant past. The revival of interest in shoreline life and aesthetics is growing fast, and this exhibition consolidates a welcome return to the sea.

17 May – 27 October 2013

Estuary brings together the work of 12 artists who have been inspired by the outer limits of the Thames where the river becomes the sea. The exhibition marks the 10th anniversary of the Museum of London Docklands, a converted Georgian warehouse on West India Quay. 

With its dramatic landscape – desolate mudflats and saltmarshes, vast open skies, container ports, power stations and seaside resorts – the Estuary has long been a rich source of inspiration for artists and writers. Through film, photography, painting and printmaking, the contemporary artists featured in this exhibition offer new insight into this often overlooked, yet utterly compelling, environment and the people that live and work there.

Featured artworks:

• Thames Film, William Raban
• Seafort Project, Stephen Turner
• Thames Painting: The Estuary and Study for The Estuary, Michael Andrews
• Purfleet: from Dracula’s Garden and Dagenham, Jock McFadyen
• Horizon (Five Pounds a Belgian), John Smith
• Southend Pier 2011, from the series Pierdom, Simon Roberts
• Medway, Christiane Baumgartner
• 51º 29'.9" North - 0º11' East, Rainham Barges, Bow Gamelan Ensemble
• The Golden Tide, Gayle Chong Kwan
  Jaunt, Andrew Kötting
• Thames Gateway, Peter Marshall
• A new film commission by Nikolaj Larsen

FREE entry

Groups of 10 or more people should book their visit in advance on 020 7001 9844. Groups can also book an exclusive curator talk to discover more about the artworks on display and learn how the Estuary has inspired historical and contemporary artists and writers (£10 per person for groups of 20 or more or a £200 flat fee for groups of less than 20).

Take a look at our Museum of London Docklands events inspired by Estuary

Media partner

New commission in partnership with

Pink Granite of Mull in London.... and Iona Abbey and Robert Louis Stevenson

The granite pillars on Blackfriars Bridge...

....are made of Mull granite....

...as are elements of Holborn Viaduct...

....as is Iona Abbey....
..
Robert Louis Stevenson sets part of the story of Kidnapped on the Isle of Erraid, where his father (noted lighthouse builder) worked and who was involved in quarrying the granite.....

Large Parks in Large Cities - Conference In Stockholm, September 2-4, 2015

In Stockholm, September 2-4, 2015

Visions and Governance in the context of green infrastructure, ecosystem services and landscape analysis...

...organized by World Wide Fund for Nature, Sweden (Världsnaturfonden, WWF) and Association for Ekoparken (Förbundet för Ekoparken)

---of interest to folk dealing with Phoenix Park, Dublin and Hyde Park (and others) London----

 

Background

Urbanization continues all over the world, pressing on and transforming ecosystems. In 40 years the urban population will double. We need to take stock of the consequences and seriously judge the value of green cities and, in this conference, focus on large parks.

There are large parks in many large cities in many parts of the world, even larger than well-known parks such as Central Park in New York and Hyde Park in London. Sometimes they are not recognized as parks, but are left-over-land that one day may be exploited. Or they may be national parks right on the border of the city, as in Nairobi and in Cape Town. Or they may be planned green wedges or belts around a city. Nevertheless, they serve as lungs of the city, recreational areas for its population and nature’s reminder of the foundations of city life and the history of the city.

In central Stockholm an area of 27 km² in 1995 was designated a national city park by the Swedish parliament, the first national park in a city in Sweden (www.ekoparken.org and www.nationalstadsparken.se ). The park, named “The Royal National City Park”, since it to a large extent has a history as a royal leisure and hunting ground, is one of the few urban areas investigated in the United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Twenty years after its inception, in 2015, we will stage a conference in Stockholm to assess the importance of large parks in large cities.

Aim and theme of the conference

The aim of the conference is to highlight large parks in metropolitan areas and to discuss their importance and role in the future, taking into account the enormous development of townscapes that is foreseen. We will also discuss status, protection and maintenance – in short the governance of large parks in large cities. This will be done within the context of overall green infrastructure, ecosystem services and sustainable cities. Large parks at the same time constitute a basis for understanding the landscape in which the city is set. Another goal is to create a network of people working with large parks around the world.

Themes we like to address are:

·  visions of large parks in large cities

·  the specific aspects of large parks and nature reserves in townscapes in contrast to urban greening in general

·  the role of large parks in urban ecology

·  the role of large parks as a source of biodiversity in cities

·  ecosystem services from urban green areas and specifically from large parks in large cities

·  the role of large parks when building the sustainable city and mitigating climate change

·  the role of large parks when integrating – functionally and architecturally – the city in the landscape

·  large parks in understanding  the  history of the landscape

·  the establishment and legal status of large parks

·  urban planning for large parks – threats and conflicts

·  governance of large parks in large cities

These themes can be addressed through case studies, research and practical applications of planning and nature conservation. We strongly encourage presentations of large parks in metropolitan areas and large cities at this conference. We ask for contributions from both practitioners and researchers. There are bound to be conflicts concerning large parks in metropolitan areas and town planning perspectives differ widely regarding ecological values. We therefore encourage contributions setting out such conflicts, either in the particular case or in general.

Invitation

With this first call we invite you to a conference on large parks in metropolitan areas and large cities. WWF ask you, therefore, to state your interest in participating in such a conference and whether you might contribute with a paper or a poster on a specific large park or one dealing in a general way with any of the themes mentioned above.

In case you would like to propose a workshop or symposium on a specific subject – one of the above mentioned or a related subject – please let us know.

The conference is to be held in Stockholm, in the first week of September,  a very beautiful time of the year in the Royal National City Park, between the 2^nd and the 4^th of September 2015.  The program will include keynote presentations, invited and contributed conference papers and posters, panel discussions, workshops and excursions in and around Stockholm. There will be a welcoming reception and a banquet dinner.

WWF anticipate a registration fee of about €350.

Please state your interest to participate as soon as possible and preferably before the 30^th of June 2013.

WWF would like you to indicate whether you would be interested in attending and whether you would want to contribute a paper or a poster (please state a tentative subject), or if you wish to organize a workshop or symposium (please state a tentative subject). WWF would like to hear from you preferably before July 31^st  2013. (Please use the separate form for doing so at the conference website www.largeparks.se .)

Conference organization

The conference is organized by World Wide Fund for Nature, Sweden (Världsnaturfonden, WWF) and Association for Ekoparken (Förbundet för Ekoparken), in cooperation with Stockholm University (Stockholms universitet), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet), Stockholm Environment Institute, Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities (Kungliga Vitterhetsakademien), Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Art (Kungliga konstakademien), Royal Swedish Academy of Science (Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien), Royal Academy for Forestry and Agriculture (Kungliga Skogs- och Lantbruksakademien), Swedish Museum of Natural History (Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet), Swedish Association for Nature Conservation in Stockholm (Naturskyddsföreningen i Stockholms län), Royal Djurgården Administration (Kungliga Djurgårdens Förvaltning), Samfundet S:t Erik,  Stockholms läns hembygdsförbund and Kommittén för Gustavianska Parken.

For further questions please contact:

Henrik Waldenström  (henrik.waldenstrom@wwf.se, mobile +46(0)705367314)

Richard Murray           (richard.murray@comhem.se, mobile +46(0)768016897)

Conference website:    www.largeparks.se

Organizing committee

·         Peter Westman, World Wide Fund for Nature, Sweden (Världsnaturfonden, WWF), chairman

·         Henrik Waldenström, World Wide Fund for Nature, Sweden (Världsnaturfonden, WWF), vice chairman, conference secretary,

·         Richard Murray, Association for Ekoparken (Förbundet för Ekoparken), vice chairman, conference administrator

·         Monica Andersson, Samfundet S:t Erik

·         Stephan Barthel, Department of History, Stockholm University (Historiska institutionen, Stockholms universitet)

·         Thomas Elmqvist, Stockholm University, Department of System Ecology, Stockholm University (Systemekologiska institutionen, Stockholms universitet)

·         Clas Florgård, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences  (Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet)

·         Gunnar Haeger, Royal Administration of Djurgården (Kungliga Djurgårdens förvaltning)

·         Maria Ignatieva, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet)

·         Margareta Ihse, Department of Physical Geography and Quarternary Geology, Stockholm University (Institutionen för naturgeografi och kvartärgeologi, Stockholms universitet)

·         Bengt OH Johansson, Kommittén för Gustavianska Parken

·         Lars Nilsson, Department of History, Stockholm University (Historiska insitutionen, Stockholm universitet)

·         Bengt Rundquist, Stockholms läns hembygdsförbund

·         Ulf Sporrong, Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities  (Kungliga Vitterhetsakademien)

·         Lennart Tonell, Department of Human Geography, Stockholm University  (Kulturgeografiska institutionen, Stockholms universitet)

·         Mårten Wallberg, Swedish Association for Nature Conservation in Stockholm (Naturskyddsföreningen i Stockholm)

·         Jan-Olof Westerberg, Swedish Museum of Natural History (Naturhistoriska riksmuseet)

Sugar Bakers Lutherans Germans of Whitechapel (not Huguenots)

The Huguenots of Spitalfields have had a consistent lobby for many years championing the historic significance of that community and area. However the German community lived the other side of Whitechapel High Street, on the same side as St Mary's (the white chapel). Unlike the huguenot community, the German Catholic and Lutheran faith communities still operate churches, even though they have long dispersed throughout London and Beyond. The Germans played a particular role in "Sugar Baking" (making sugar). An exhibition and events at the Lutheran Church will highlight their role in local landscape character

From http://www.mawer.clara.net/eastend.html
WHITECHAPEL  &  ST. GEORGE IN THE EAST.

For an interactive map with details of Sugar Bakers families go to http://www.mawer.clara.net/eastend.html

The length of this map represents 0.8ml / 1.25km.

see http://www.panoramio.com/photo/76991412 for location

Friday 19th July 6.00pm to 8.00pm    -Exhibition to mark the 250th  Anniversary of the opening of the church and of the history of the German community in East London.

Saturday 20th July Midday to 5pm     Exhibition Open. 

Monday 22nd July 6.30pm.  Tony Tucker will give a talk about The origins of the German sugar bakers in East London - tickets £5 on the door

St Boniface German Catholic church (the original was bombed by Hitler)_http://www.flickr.com/photos/76315200@N02/8182208665/

Landscape Heritage and Grants Officer, Up on the Downs Landscape Partnership

Salary band H £24,514 - £28,232 (pro rata)

3 year fixed-term contract (secondments will be considered)

18.5 hours per week

The purpose of this post is to actively encourage, promote, assess and process applications to the Up on the Downs Landscape Partnership’s Landscape Heritage Grants Scheme. The post will also take the lead role in managing the logistics of the scheme’s conservation grazing project, including building productive relationships with landowners and farmers.

We are looking for someone with:

• Experience of grant distribution in an environmental conservation or heritage management setting
• Experience of engaging individuals and community groups in environmental conservation or heritage related activities
• Knowledge and understanding of methods for community engagement and increasing access to heritage
• Excellent communication skills, able to work in an integrated way beyond immediate programme delivery responsibilities

Some work outside of normal office hours will be required.

For more information and to apply visit www.dover.gov.uk

For an informal discussion please contact Richard Haynes, Scheme Manager, Up on the Downs Landscape Partnership on 01304 872130

Closing date: Friday 31 May 2013

Interview date: Friday 5 July 2013

Resilience in East African Landscapes: Identifying critical threshold and sustainable trajectories – past, present and future (REAL) Early-Stage Researcher (Doctoral Scholarship) Marie Curie ITN, £37,831 gross per annum

Job posted by University of Warwick, UK (15/05/2013 11.54)

Early-Stage Researcher (Doctoral Scholarship) Marie Curie ITN Project: Resilience in East African Landscapes: Identifying critical threshold and sustainable trajectories – past, present and future (REAL)

The History Department at the University of Warwick is able to offer a 3-year doctoral scholarship for research on the Environmental History of Africa, commencing in October 2013, under the supervision of Professor David Anderson.

Description

Historical change in the wider Kilimanjaro lowlands (Amboseli-Pangani-Challa-Pare), c.1830 to the present Kilimanjaro has always had an iconic status among travellers to and cultures of East Africa, resulting in a rich archive of information on landscape dynamics and human-environment interaction. Colonial archival sources and topographic maps, travellers accounts and other forms of printed evidence, historical (aerial and landscape) photographs, local knowledge accumulated from field interviews with farmers and pastoralists, and remote-sensing data available for more recent years, will all be synthesized to give a coherent picture of what is known about landscape change, and its proximate causes, on the Kilimanjaro lowlands over the past two centuries. The project will require archival research in east Africa (Tanzania and Kenya), along with extensive fieldwork in the study area. Knowledge of KiSwahili will be an advantage.

It is the aim of the wider REAL programme to combine the findings of this historical component with palaeoecological data gathered by other researchers to provide a longer historical perspective within which to frame the current rapid transformation of the area, characterized by pastoral communities switching to sedentary agriculture, partly in response to recent decimation of pastoral herds by drought and the ready availability of pumped groundwater. These changes may be indicative of adaptability and long-term resilience to shifting environmental regimes; however, they also resulted in enhanced local human disturbance and human-wildlife conflicts, and may represent an unsustainable trajectory. The comparative and collaborative aspects of the programme will address these broader questions in a multidisciplinary way.

The wider comparative REAL project focuses on the temporal, spatial and social dynamics of human-landscape interaction in East Africa over the last millennia, with particular reference to the Ewaso Basin and Eastern Rift Valley in central Kenya, and the Pangani Basin & Amboseli catchment in north-eastern Tanzania & south-eastern Kenya. These two areas cover a range of environments, presenting a mixed topography between the Rift Valley and adjacent uplands. A core consideration of the project will be on how societies, landscapes and ecosystems have responded to climate change both currently and in the past under different conditions, so as to better understand how they may respond to future climate change.
Nr of positions available : 1

Research Fields

History

Career Stage

Early stage researcher or 0-4 yrs (Post graduate)

Research Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Benefits

The scholarship will cover fees (paid directly) and a living allowance to the value of £37,831 gross per annum, provided through an employment contract adhering to standard FP7 Marie Curie guidelines. The scholarship will also provide an additional monthly mobility allowance depending on family situation. Project funds will also cover field costs and travel.

Comment/web site for additional job details

To fulfill Marie Curie mobility requirements applicants must at the time of recruitment by the host organisation not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc) in the country of their host organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the commencement of the award in October 2013. (Compulsory national service and/or short stays such as holidays are not taken into account.) Further details of the requirements of the Marie Curie scheme can be found at - http://www.ukro.ac.uk/mariecurie/schemes_orgs/Documents/120710_2013_gfa_itn.pdf

---

Requirements

Required Education Level

Degree	Master Degree or equivalent
Degree Field	History

Degree	Primary Degree or equivalent
Degree Field	History

Additional Requirements

Who is eligible to apply? Applicants will hold a First Class or Upper Second class BA or BSc degree, and a Masters degree in History, Environmental Studies, Geography, African Studies, or in a cognate subject, the latter to have been received no earlier than October 2009. Applications will be assessed based on the following criteria: • practical experience and academic background of relevance for the project, e.g. experience of work with archives relevant to East Africa, and/or interview based fieldwork in East Africa or in a comparable rural environment, • knowledge of scientific theory and method of relevance to the research project (i.e. environmental history of Africa), • analytical ability and skills in writing, as demonstrated by the submission of written work for assessment by the appointments panel, • the applicants personal references.

Applications, including a cv, covering letter, and the names of two referees, must be received 21 June 2013 How do I apply? The application must include the following documentation: • Curriculum Vitae • a short (1–2 pages) personal presentation (letter of intent) that explains why you are interested in studying for a doctorate in History, and describes your suitability for and interest in this specific research project • one example of an independently written paper or thesis authored by the applicant within the framework of his/her bachelor or masters level university education • references from two university lecturers or professors (with telephone numbers and e-mail addresses) who have taught the applicant and who have a good knowledge of the applicant’s academic achievements Interviews with shortlisted candidates are expected to be conducted between 1 – 5 July 2013, via skype or google hangout.

"CONSULTATION" (sic) on the HS2 till 11th June - HAVE YOUR SAY

The long-awaited Draft Environmental Statement has been published and you have until June 11th to get your comments in - respond via the ES website
http://www.hs2.org.uk/draft-environmental-statement/


see also the Design Refinements Consultation http://www.hs2.org.uk/design-refinement-consultation

In London a number of wildlife sites are likely to be damaged by HS2 including the country’s second oldest nature reserve, Perivale Wood.

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400th Anniversary of the New River

Telford's map of the New River from the British Library
Zoomable copy, click link below
 http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/crace/m/zoomify88385.html

2013 is the 400th anniversary of the New River's construction, which brought fresh water to London at a time of booming population. Below are details of a talk and walks for you to explore..

The New Gauge House (1856) where water leaves the River Lea at the start of the New River




The New River in Enfield Town Park



The New River in Clissold Park, Stoke Newington.

Guide to a walk along the new river - click on
http://shelford.org/walks/newriver.pdf   

For a google maps version see http://www.wayfaring.com/maps/show/34074

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/6584367019/efbevent  Talk about the New River

Discovering London at The Step -The New River's 400th Anniversary

Discovering London with Peter Berthoud

Thursday, 23 May 2013 from 19:30 to 21:00 (BST)

London, United Kingdom

Ticket Information

TICKET TYPE	SALES END	PRICE	FEE	QUANTITY
Full Price	23 May 2013	£7.00	£0.83	0                1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
Concessions	23 May 2013	£5.00	£0.78	0                1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20

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Event Details

Last year The Step launched a series of London talks with Peter Berthoud, a London Guide and Writer where he will look at unusual aspect of London’s history in this relaxed North London cafe, bar and gallery.

The next talk will be on London's New River which celebrates its 400th birthday this September.

This incredible four hundred year old artificial waterway was designed to bring fresh water from Hertfordshire into London and is still doing so today.

Originally nearly forty miles long the New River’s path meandered from Chadwell (via Bowes Park!) to The New River Head near Sadler’s Wells. 

The illustrated talk will last an hour including an opportunity to ask questions and to look at some rare books. You can also enjoy a drink or a snack during or after the talk if you like.

The Step is located in the Bowes Park conservation area. They serve delicious locally sourced food and tasty drinks and sell handmade gifts by the best designer-makers.

The price for the talk is £7.00 or £5.00 for concessions.

To book a place for the first Discovering London at The Step please use the booking form above or simply pop in or contact The Step by phone or email.

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When & Where

Map data ©2013 Google - Terms of Use

Map

The Step
101 Myddleton Rd N22 London
United Kingdom 

Thursday, 23 May 2013 from 19:30 to 21:00 (BST)

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Organiser

Discovering London with Peter Berthoud

I am an award winning,  fully qualified and fully insured City of Westminster Guide and a member of the City of Westminster Guide Lecturers Association.

My tours are informative, fun, flexible and inclusive. I offer some public walks (such as this one) but the majority of my time is spent writing and delivering  personalised tours, for families, companies and educational organisations.

My walks are all available for booking by private groups or individuals. I can tailor any tour to your requirements, make them shorter, longer, include pub stops or finish near a restaurant in the area for example.

I offer many other tours throughout the City, from the Royal Parks to Paddington and Little Venice, Pimlico, Regency London, Political Westminster, Westminster Highlights, Art Tours and Historic Pub Tours. These can all be adapted to suit first time visitors or keen London enthusiasts.

The shortest bookings I generally accept are for one hour, the longest for one week.

I can help you to plan tours in minute detail weeks beforehand or I love nothing more than working with a brand new group, on the day itself, to develop a truly unique and spontaneous tour!

For a free initial discussion about how I might be able to help you plan a perfect tour in London please email me at walks@peterberthoud.co.uk .

  Contact the Organiser

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http://www.peterberthoud.co.uk/

facebook.com/DiscoveringLondon

@PeteBSW1

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