During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work comes to fruition on July 16, 1945, as they witness the world’s first nuclear explosion, forever changing the course of history.
Dutch coach Thomas Rongen attempts the nearly impossible task of turning the American Samoa soccer team from perennial losers into winners. A documentary film by our very own Taika Waititi.
To access eTV just add your Ara email address in to box that pops up and wait for the Green SSO button to appear and click this and add your Ara network password when prompted and you will be able to watch eTV content at your leisure. Find eTV instructions here also. If you have any issues with access email library@ara.ac.nz
At 3.20am this morning my bed began to shake. An earthquake I pondered. No, it was Evie my rescue cat pretending to be Spiderman on the bottom of my mattress. She gets locked in at night and routinely punishes me for this restriction on her freedom. Despite broken sleep, I do absolutely adore her. As I was bending down at the SPCA to look at cats she hooked my hair with her claws and pulled me up to eye level. She picked me. I was deemed worthy of her attention, and I have been making sure I am up to her standards ever since.
Evie!
The 8th of August is International Cat Appreciation Day (though if you own a cat, you are under obligation to appreciate them every day without exception!) and I am happy to encourage the love and support for these glorious creatures. Not everyone is taken with the cat’s regal and mysterious ways or their hunting abilities (put a bell on it!) but where would we be without silly cat videos to get us through the working day?
When I come home from a bad day at work, I pick Evie up and bury my head in her soft fur and breathe in her warmth and relax to the sound of her purring. She gives me the side eye and relaxes as this form of worship is only her due. We need cats with their contradictions of grace and goofiness, their athleticism and sloth. Let us appreciate that their behaviour is something we can all learn from – stay curious and elegant and if it all gets too much find somewhere warm and nap.
Have you heard of Virginia Woolf’s essay called “A Room of One’s Own”? It was published in 1929 and I confess I’ve never read it, but I have always loved its title.
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Wolfe
Having a room—or even a wee space—of my own was always something I longed for as a child. My big family lived in a very small house: the three older girls shared a bedroom, the boys lived in a caravan out the back, and the little ones (including me) slept in bunks in a cupboard-sized “sunroom”.
Virginia Woolf wasn’t talking about shared rooms and caravans—she was arguing that “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction” (Woolf, 1929, p. 4). That is, women could write extraordinary literature if they had the same resources as men (access to education, independent incomes, men’s social advantages etc). I certainly don’t disagree with her argument, but as a child I knew nothing of Virginia Woolf or early feminist theory—I had somehow just heard the title “A Room of One’s Own” and desired the concept.
I loved reading as a kid (still do) and so finding a quiet undisturbed reading spot was a high priority. If you’ve ever tried sitting up in the bottom bunk in a shared room, you know it’s neither comfortable nor quiet! So eventually I found a high tree branch where I could sit hidden for a couple of hours with a library book and, if lucky, a snack stolen from the kitchen.
When I left home, it was to the glorious experience of a room of my own, even if these were in a series of old cold flats. Now I have my own home and have created a few little spaces of my own around the house, most recently a mini library. (See photos.) I use these spots mainly for reading—but sometimes I find myself just sitting gazing or thinking.
Maybe one day I will even read Virginia Woolf.
Lis Roche
Learning Advisor
Reference:
Woolf, V. (1929). A room of one’s own. Hogarth Press.
Did you know that World Ocean Day is on June 8, 2023?
Many of us enjoy our kai moana (seafood) like shellfish, smoked fish, fish and chips and sushi. We also love fish for its healthy protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Our kai moana is nature’s taonga (treasure) from the ocean. Therefore, it is important for everyone to protect the oceans. Let’s learn more about the oceans.
Why are the oceans important?
Seafood is a significant part of the diet of three billion people around the world (World Benchmarking Alliance, n.d.).
The oceans support life on our planet through photosynthesis. Plant plankton such as algae use carbon dioxide and produce oxygen (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, n.d.).
Half the earth’s oxygen is from the oceans (National Ocean Service, n.d.).
The oceans support 80% of our planet’s biodiversity (Jaksha, n.d.).
A calm day on the Tasman Sea at Hokitika
What are the major threats to our oceans?
Overfishing threatens the oceans’ biodiversity and the sustainability of seafood harvesting.
Acidification caused by air pollution makes the oceans increasingly less able to support marine life.
Pollutants such as plastics, abandoned fishing nets, rubbish, sewage and industrial waste harm the marine ecosystem and kill aquatic life.
Brine discharged by desalination plants kills sea life (Omerspahic et al., 2022).
What are some actions to save the oceans?
The Ocean Cleanup (n.d.) is a non-profit organisation that is removing (to recycle) the floating plastic waste in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This patch has about 100,000,000 kilograms of plastic.
Floating waste in certain rivers in Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and California is regularly removed by The Ocean Cleanup’s autonomous solar-powered barges.
There are public education campaigns in many countries to reduce water pollution.
Organisations like Greenpeace and the United Nations have campaigned for legislative protections for vulnerable marine areas.
Totaranui Beach from Skinner Point, Abel Tasman NP
Takeaway
Given how important the ocean is, every one of us needs to do all we can to help safeguard it.
Omerspahic, M., Al-Jabri H., Siddiqui, S. A., & Saadaoui, I. (2022) Characteristics of desalination brine and its impacts on marine chemistry and health, with emphasis on the Persian/Arabian Gulf: A review. Front. Mar. Sci. 9:845113. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.845113
Have you discovered the joys of finding out about your heritage?
Perhaps you wonder where your name came from. Perhaps you hope to find more about your heritage. Perhaps you wonder if anyone in your whānau/family had similar talents to yours.
My husband’s birth mother passed away when he was a young child, so he didn’t get the chance to know her. He asked his aunts, uncles, and friends of the family to write/tell him their memories of his mum. He heard some funny stories, some hard times that she got through, what she liked and didn’t like, and a got a few photos of her. He is grateful that he asked, because now he knows his mum a lot better. Plus, he can share that information with our children.
My friend felt alone struggling with money and trying to care for her family. She found out about her great grandmother who had similar struggles living through World Wars and the Great Depression. My friend felt that even though it was hard, she could keep going and even smile more, knowing that she was descended from a strong capable woman.
When we know more about our heritage it can give us strength and a better understanding of who we are. Life is challenging – when we find out what tough times our ancestors faced and lived through, we can be inspired and gain courage to keep going too. We may find we have an easier life after all!
How do you start? Begin with what you know and any documents you have. Ask others in your whānau and family friends to fill in more detail. Look online for information about the areas your ancestors lived in too.
The Coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort takes place in May. A long weekend of celebrations and events are planned including the Coronation ceremony and procession, a celebratory concert and street parties across the United Kingdom.
King Charles III Coronation and procession
King Charles III is the head of state of New Zealand and is due to be officially crowned as the King this week. It has been over 70 years since the last coronation when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in June 1953.
Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953
The Coronation of King Charles III occurs on Saturday 6th May 2023 at Westminster Abbey, London. During the ceremony, the King will take the Coronation oath, receive the orb and sceptre with St Edward’s gold crown placed on his head. The Queen Consort will also be crowned Queen.
Official portrait of King Charles III
The Coronation will be followed by The King’s Procession with a larger Coronation Procession involving other members of the Royal Family afterwards. The day’s ceremonial events will conclude with the Royal Family standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Official King Charles III Coronation emblem
There is some New Zealand involvement in the Coronation with a contingent of Kiwi military personnel taking part in the Coronation Procession. We will also be represented by senior politicians, government officials and the Governor General who will be on their way to take part while you are reading this.
Among the superstitions that have lasted for decades, if not centuries, despite the evolution of modern science is Friday the 13th. Though not believed everywhere, people in the West consider Friday the 13th to be unlucky as they associate it with bad luck, death and deceit.
It is not uncommon for 13 and Friday fall on the same day in the Gregorian calendar. It happens every year and sometimes even two or three times in the same year.
It is unclear how Friday the 13th started carrying negative connotations, but there have been various recorded instances throughout history where something ominous has taken place.
Biblical roots of Friday the 13th
The fear seems to have stemmed from the story that Jesus Christ’s last supper and crucifixion took place on Friday.
The Last Supper painting by Leonardo da Vinci shows 13 people gathered on the night before Good Friday – the date of Christ’s death – with Judas the 13th member of the party.
Leonardo Da Vinci: The Last Supper
The superstition has resonance with the Norse folklore as well which claims that when 12 gods were partying in Valhalla, Loki arrived uninvited as the 13th guest, and got Balder killed.
Friday 13th in the literature and popular culture…
The first recorded mention was found in a biography of Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, who died on Friday the 13th.
‘Friday the Thirteenth’, a 1907 book by American businessman Thomas Lawson, also used this premise. It is believed that the book popularised the superstition.
In the novel, an unscrupulous broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th.
Friday the 13th has also been popularised by the 1980’s movie franchise featuring the villain Jason Voorhees causing mayhem in his infamous hockey mask.
Jason Veerhees in the ‘Friday the 13th’ slasher movie series
It was also mentioned in the Dan Brown book the Da Vinci Code associated with the arrest of most of the Knights Templer Order on Friday, October 13th in 1307.
What about other countries?
In Spanish-speaking countries, Tuesday the 13th (or Martes Trece) is considered a day of bad luck, occurring in months that start on a Thursday.
Greek people also believe Tuesday, and especially Tuesday the 13th, to be unlucky.In Greek mythology, Ares, the god of war, is associated with Tuesday.
Historic depiction of Ares…the Greek God of war
Apart from that, there are many unfortunate historical events that have taken place on Tuesday 13th, like the fall of Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade on Tuesday, April 13, 1204.
Italy, on the contrary, considers 13 to be a lucky number, which was also the case in ancient Egypt and China.
For Italy, Friday 17th rather than the 13th is the day of bad luck as it has links to Roman numerals (XVII).
According to local beliefs, if one re-arranges the Roman numerals, you will get the word VIXI, which means ‘I have lived’ in Latin, implying death in the present and an omen of bad luck.
I came across this item when I was placing some books back on the shelves. It is a book with a hunting theme called The Game Butcher by Darran Meates.
The Game Butcher by Darran Meates
I know the idea of hunting and gathering your own meat is probably foreign to most of us but it is a well established type of outdoor activity here in New Zealand.
The book is filled with interesting and useful tips about preparing wild game for use. It covers the full gambit of this skillful job including field butchery, preservation of hides, processing game into useful meat cuts and even some recipes.
Contents page from The Game Butcher
Ara once trained local butchery apprentices and though this is not a study stream anymore we still have books in the library about these skills.
Back cover of Darran Meates book
I imagine there will be a few staff and students here at Ara who enjoy gathering their own wild meat and I am sure they would find this off great assistance. You can find it in the Library at shelf location TS1960MEA.
Continuing with recipes for the festive season…one of the things I like to make at Christmas are Cherry Pies. Cherry pie was a staple dessert when I was a child as my family comes from the United States. I have made Cherry Pies many times and I have recipes for both large pies to share and individual pies.
A larger family sized Cherry Pie
The recipe below is for easy individual cherry pies. These are very simple to make as they use commercial puff pastry sheets for the crust. These pies can be baked and eaten cold or served hot preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Use commercial puff pastry sheets as the crust…
The cherry pastry pies turn a beautiful golden brown as they bake. Before going into the oven, brush them with a little egg wash, which gives the tops a beautiful sheen. A sprinkle of coarse sugar adds a little sparkle.
Cover the pie filling and crimp the edges…
Ingredients
This recipe is for 6 individual pies but you can double the ingredients for 12.
Crust
1 box or 4 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator
egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 2 teaspoons milk
coarse sugar for garnish
Filling
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons room temperature water
2 and 1/4 cups (500g) commercial pitted cherries or fresh cherries, pitted and stemmed. I like to use the jars of cherries by Delmaine and available at supermarkets.
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoonsalt
1 teaspoonpure vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the filling: Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until combined and milky. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, cook over medium heat until the cherries begin to release their juices– about 4-6 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, then bring to a boil while stirring often. Once boiling, remove from heat then stir in the vanilla. Allow to cool completely at room temperature. The filling can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. On a lightly floured surface, lay out one pastry sheet. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut sheet into 6 rectangles. 3 of these rectangles will be the bottom pastry pie crust, 3 will be the top. Transfer the 3 bottom rectangles to the prepared baking sheet. (Make sure there will room for all 6 pies– if not, use a second baking sheet.) Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the bottom rectangles with the egg wash. Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of cooled cherry mixture onto each of the 3 bottom rectangles. Place the top rectangles over the cherry filling, lining up the edges as best you can. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal shut. Repeat this entire step with 2nd pastry sheet so you have a total of 6 pies. Slice 2-3 slits in the tops for air vents (use a super sharp knife to do that).
Brush the tops of the pastry pies with egg wash, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Chill the pies in the refrigerator for at least 25 minutes or up to 1 day.
During the last few minutes of chill time, preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
Bake the pastry pies for 30-35 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Make sure to rotate the baking sheet once or twice during bake time. Remove pies from the oven and allow to cool on the pan or serve hot with a sprinkle of icing sugar on top and cream or ice cream on the side.
Wrap cold leftover pastry pies up tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The finished Cherry Pies ready for serving…
Feel free to make these for your loved ones this Christmas…they are delicious!!!
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