The Turkish viewpoint story of the Battle of the Dardanelles is the main focus of this book. The first three chapters of the book deal with the awful battle of the Gallipoli and the effect that the battle had on the people of Turkey and Australia. It is one of the few historical perspectives from the viewpoint of the Turks by giving the military point of view from World War I, telling the "Turkish story”. The book is published in Australia, which was a little questionable as to why the Australians would want to read about the Turkish point of view. It is amazing that at the Battle of Anzac wants to be remembered, as it was turning point in the campaign. It was a very bloody battle and the attacks were on land and near the shore. Out of the first 200 soldiers to disembark in the first of the battles only 21 men reached the shore.
The battle itself plays to the characters of the book with no particular person portraying the main character. The aftermath of the Battle is a much discussed portion of the book and leaves the reader encouraged about the relations between Australian and Turkey after the WWI. The book contains many of the battle scenes in black and white, of course. They are graphic in nature, as a war photo is, and they we have all seen too much of the pain and suffering. For instance, one photo depicts some Greek children standing over the bones of the soldiers in Anzac Cove in 1915. The Battle is considered by both countries as the baptism of fire as it affected both countries so much.
On a positive note, the Australian identity takes root in the aftermath of the War. Anzac Day which is the day of the battle, April 25, remembers to this day the men that lost their lives on the beach and inland. Australia emerged, though, as a unique and surprisingly different country. In Turkey, the battle is remembered on March 18 in which special thanks are given to those who fought for them in the battle. Of course, none of the originals are able to tell the story at the memorial but it is important to remember history and learn from it so as not to repeat it.
Interview with Author Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird.
This is a rare interview for two reasons, Ms. Lee has recently died at the age of 89, and secondly, that she rarely gives interviews. She was a private women who worked diligently to keep her life private and even in death the reading of her will is designated as private, and the public will not have access to her disposition of her many manuscripts or estate .
Announcer: Thank you for joining us today, Ms. Lee, as I am grateful that you accepted our invitation. The purpose of this interview is to speak about the prejudices that you wrote about in your best seller, To Kill a Mockingbird. You were one of the first writers to bring out the unfair legal punishments against many black men in the South.
Ms. Lee: Yes, this is rare for me and I do not like the public eye. Since I am dead, I guess that it will not be the same. Yes, as you know, my dad was a Southern attorney and much of the story came from watching him in the courtroom for all those years.
Announcer: The movie shows a scene in which the jury is all white deciding on the fate of a black man accused of raping a white girl. There is a lynch mob outside which does not seem to care about the court trial going on inside.
Ms. Lee: Unfortunately, this was the scene in many trials in the South in this time period. The right course of justice, which would be to try a black man with a jury of his peers, was not followed. Nor was waiting for all the evidence to be heard before discussing punishment was not standard procedures and is a black mark on the American justice system. My dad was not like Atticus Finch though; I only wished that he were.
Announcer: Thank you for sharing that. I love some of the quotes from the book. Two in particular are my favorites: "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up other people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That is why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird" This is the quote that I am sure you got the name of the book from. And the second is about racial relations: "You are not a nigger lover are you? Why, yes I am, I love everyone"!
Ms. Lee: Yes I did use the first quote to name the book. Truman Capote and I used to study the birds in our yards and that is how I was familiar with them. And the second, actually, is my feeling regarding race relations.
Announcer: Thank you Ms. Lee. To my audience, please feel free to view the YouTube video of Atticus Finch. https://youtu.be/44TG_H_oY2E
Ms. Lee: Thank you and I will not be doing this again.
Bias news reporting is evident in stories about the Zika virus. A common solution is available and only one news source recommended its use. There is repellent called DDT, which had almost eradicated the Zika virus in the 1950’s and 1960’s . The Environmental Protection Agency, the Association of Physicians and Surgeons, along with other sources have praised the use of DDT in the past and highly recommend it now. The Zika virus spread among pregnant women is getting much more evident.
The pesticide was banned based largely on the work of one man, William Ruckeshaus, former head of the EPA. The use of DDT is important to kill the widespread mosquito infestations that are spreading since there are no interventions to stop it. Millions of African babies are dying of the Zika virus and others surviving but deformed.
The bias in this reporting comes from the news channels only presenting one side of the story. There is an easy and effective way to eliminate the dreaded Zika virus from coming into the other areas and infecting millions of pregnant women. The health risks of Zika to the women and babies have been well documented. It seems like the reason that this has not been reported is a loyalty to the former head of the EPA, which makes it a political reason. The pesticide is not banned by the current EPA, and, is even suggested as a cure to the infestation.
One would hate to think that there is a gender bias. The fact that the Zika virus does not affect men should not be a consideration. That would be a sad commentary on the state of news reporting in general.
Works Cited
Aspinall-Oglander, C. F. Military Operations. Gallipoli. London: W. Heinemann, 1929.
http://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/military-operations.author
Dorman, Sam. "Evening News Left Out Coverage od Zika Epidemic." MRC-TV 23 Feb 2016
March 2016 http://newsbusters.org/blogs/business/sam-dorman/2016/02/18/evening-news-ignores-ddt-98-percent-zika-epidemic-coverage.
Fewster, Kevin. Gallipoli: The Turkish Story. Allen&Unwin, 2003. Accessesd March 8, 2016.
http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=17545002181&searchurl=kn%3D
Howard, Jennifer Crossley. “Judge Seals Harpers Will.” The New York Times 2016. March 2016.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/05/books/judge-seals-harper-lees-will-from-publics-
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. First Perennial Classics: New York, 1968. March 2016
https://books.google.com/books?id=PGR2AwAAQBAJ&printsec=copyright&source=gbs_pub_info_r#v=onepage&q&f=false Accessed March 2016
