el cuento
• El hijo – Horacio QUiroga
• Mi caballo mago – Sabine R. Ulibarrí
• No oyes ladrar los perros – Juan Rulfo
• La siesta del martes – Gabriel García Márquez
• ¡Adiós, Cordera! – Leopolda Alas, “Clarín”
• Las medias rojas – Emilia Pardo Bazán
• Las ataduras – Carmen Martín Gaite
• El alacrán de fray Gómez – Ricardo Palma
• El Sur – Jorge Luis Borges
• La muerte y la brújula – Jorge Luis Borges
• Continuidad de los parques – Julio Cortázar
• La noche boca arriba – Julio Cortázar
• Chac Mool – Carlos Fuentes
• Un señor muy viejo con unas alas enormes – Gabriel García Márquez
• El ahogado más hermoso del mundo – Gabriel García Márquez
• Dos palabras – Isabel Allende
• Un día de éstos – Gabriel García Márquez
• La viuda de Montiel – Gabriel García Márquez
<span style="font-weight:bold;">el poesía
• Romance del rey moro que perdió Alhama (¡Ay de mi Alhama!) – Anónimo
• Romance del conde Arnaldos – Anónimo
• Romancero gitano – Federico García Lorca
o Romance de la luna, luna
o Romance de la pena negra
o La monja gitana
o Prendimiento de Antoñito el Camborio en el camino de Sevilla
o Muerte de Antoñito el Camborio
o Romance sonámbulo
• Soneto XXIII (“En tanto que de rosa y azucena”) – Garcilaso de la Vega
• Soneto CLXVI (“Mientras por competir con tu cabello”) – Luis de Argote y Góngora
• Un Soneto, dos versiones – Francisco de Quevedo y Villegas
o Salmo XVII, de Un heráclito cristiano (“Miré los muros de la patria mía”)
• En una tempestad – José María Heredia
• Canción del pirata – José de Espronceda
• Poemas de Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
o Rima IV (“No digáis que agotado su tesoro”)
o Rima XI (“Yo soy ardiente, yo soy morena”)
o Rima LIII (“Volverán las oscuras golondrinas”)
• Poemas de José Martí
o Versos sencillos, I (“Yo soy un hombre sincero”)
o Dos patrias (“Dos patrias tengo yo: Cuba y la noche”)
• Poemas de Rubén Dario
o A Roosevelt
o Cancióñ de otoño en primavera
o Lo fatal
• Poemas de Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
o Quéjase de la suerte: insinúa su aversión a los vicios, y justifica su divertimiento a las Musas (“En perseguirme, Muno, ¿qué interesas?”)
o Sátira filosófica: arguye de inconsecuencia ele gusto y la censura de los hombres que en las mujeres acusan lo que causan (“Hombres necios que acusáis”)
• Poemas de Alfonsina Storni
o Tú me quieres blanca
o Peso ancestral
• A Julia de Burgos – Julia de Burgos
• Autorretrato – Rosario Castellanos
• Poemas de Antonio Machado
o Soledades, II (“He andado muchos caminos”)
o Galerías, XXV (“La primavera besaba”)
o Proverbios y cantares, XXIX (“Caminante, son tus huellas”)
• Poemas de Pablo Neruda
o Poema 15 (“Me gustas cuando callas porque estás como ausente”)
o Walking around (“Sucede que me canso de ser hombre”)
o Oda a la alcachofa
• Poemas de Nicolás Guillén
o Balada de los dos abuelos
o Sensemayá
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Sp6 - Poetry Vocab. (midterm)
La poesía
licencias poéticas
• sinéresis – se unen dos vocales que generalmente no forman diptongo
• diéresis – separar dos vocales que generalmente forman diptongo
• hiato – pronunciar separadamente dos vocales que, aunque pertenciendo a pal\abras diferentes, deberían pronunciarse juntas por sinalefa
figuras patéticas (grupo de figuras de pensamiento) – despertar emociones
• hipérbole – exagerar las cosas aumentando o disminuyendo la verdad de lo que se dice
• personificación (prosopopeya) – atribuir cualidades propias de los seres aimados y corpóreos a los inanimandos y, en particular, atributos humanos a otros seres animados o inanimados
• apóstrofe – el escritor dirige a una determinada persona o a otros seres ya sean animados o inanimados
figuras lógicas (grupo de figuras de pensamiento) – relieve una idea
• símil (comparación) – explícita la semejanza entre dos ideas valiéndose de las partículas “como” y “cual”
• antítesis (contraste) – una contraposición de conceptos; una asociación de conceptos por contraste
• paradoja – una antítesis superada
• sinestesia – una experienceia sensorial en términos de otra
• clímax (gradación) – una cadena o serie de pensamientos que siguen una progresión ascendente o descendente
figuras oblicuas (intencionales) (grupo de figuras de pensamiento) – expresar los pensamientos de un modo indirecto de acuardo con la intención del autor
• perífrasis (circulocución) (rodeo de palabras) – mencionar una persona o cosa cualquiera no dándole su propio nombre, sino el de alguna cualidad o circunstancia suya a fin de que podamos reconocerla
añadiendo palabras (figuras de lenguaje o de dicción)
• epíteto – expresa una cualidad de alguna persona o cosa; [el terrible Caín]
suprimiendo palabras (figuras de lenguaje o de dicción)
• asíndeton – omitir las conjunciones para dar a la frase mayor dinanismo
repitiendo palabras (figuras de lenguaje o de dicción)
• anáfora – una repetición de palabras al principio de un verso o al principio de frases semejantes
• polisíndeton – usar más conjunciones de las necesarías para dar a la frase una mayor solemnidad
combinando las palabras (figuras de lenguaje o de dicción)
• aliteración – una repetición del sonido inicial
• onomatopeya – imitir sonidos reales por medio del ritmo de las palabras
• hipérbaton – invertir el orden acostumbrado de las palabras en la oración
los tropos (lenguaje figurado)
• metonimia – dar a un objeto el nombre de otro por una relación de causa u origen; [“cuna” = “nacimiento”]
• sinécdoque – designar un objeto con el nombre de otro debido a que hay una relación de coexistencia; más usada es la que designa el todo por la parte; es, por lo tanto, una especie de metonimia
• metáfora – el tropo más común; una identificaión de un objeto con otro en virtud de una relación de semejanza que hay entre ellos, es decir, una comparación
• alegoría – una metáfora continuada a lo largo de una composición literaria o parte de ella
• parábola – una narrative que tiene intención didáctica (una enseñanza o lección moral)
• símbolo – una relación entre dos elementos, unos concreto – sensorial – y otro abstracto, de talk manera que el elemento concreto revele lo abstracto; ciertos símbolos usados con frecuencia se convierten en emblemas fácilmente reconocibles; [“la rosa” = “amor”]
licencias poéticas
• sinéresis – se unen dos vocales que generalmente no forman diptongo
• diéresis – separar dos vocales que generalmente forman diptongo
• hiato – pronunciar separadamente dos vocales que, aunque pertenciendo a pal\abras diferentes, deberían pronunciarse juntas por sinalefa
figuras patéticas (grupo de figuras de pensamiento) – despertar emociones
• hipérbole – exagerar las cosas aumentando o disminuyendo la verdad de lo que se dice
• personificación (prosopopeya) – atribuir cualidades propias de los seres aimados y corpóreos a los inanimandos y, en particular, atributos humanos a otros seres animados o inanimados
• apóstrofe – el escritor dirige a una determinada persona o a otros seres ya sean animados o inanimados
figuras lógicas (grupo de figuras de pensamiento) – relieve una idea
• símil (comparación) – explícita la semejanza entre dos ideas valiéndose de las partículas “como” y “cual”
• antítesis (contraste) – una contraposición de conceptos; una asociación de conceptos por contraste
• paradoja – una antítesis superada
• sinestesia – una experienceia sensorial en términos de otra
• clímax (gradación) – una cadena o serie de pensamientos que siguen una progresión ascendente o descendente
figuras oblicuas (intencionales) (grupo de figuras de pensamiento) – expresar los pensamientos de un modo indirecto de acuardo con la intención del autor
• perífrasis (circulocución) (rodeo de palabras) – mencionar una persona o cosa cualquiera no dándole su propio nombre, sino el de alguna cualidad o circunstancia suya a fin de que podamos reconocerla
añadiendo palabras (figuras de lenguaje o de dicción)
• epíteto – expresa una cualidad de alguna persona o cosa; [el terrible Caín]
suprimiendo palabras (figuras de lenguaje o de dicción)
• asíndeton – omitir las conjunciones para dar a la frase mayor dinanismo
repitiendo palabras (figuras de lenguaje o de dicción)
• anáfora – una repetición de palabras al principio de un verso o al principio de frases semejantes
• polisíndeton – usar más conjunciones de las necesarías para dar a la frase una mayor solemnidad
combinando las palabras (figuras de lenguaje o de dicción)
• aliteración – una repetición del sonido inicial
• onomatopeya – imitir sonidos reales por medio del ritmo de las palabras
• hipérbaton – invertir el orden acostumbrado de las palabras en la oración
los tropos (lenguaje figurado)
• metonimia – dar a un objeto el nombre de otro por una relación de causa u origen; [“cuna” = “nacimiento”]
• sinécdoque – designar un objeto con el nombre de otro debido a que hay una relación de coexistencia; más usada es la que designa el todo por la parte; es, por lo tanto, una especie de metonimia
• metáfora – el tropo más común; una identificaión de un objeto con otro en virtud de una relación de semejanza que hay entre ellos, es decir, una comparación
• alegoría – una metáfora continuada a lo largo de una composición literaria o parte de ella
• parábola – una narrative que tiene intención didáctica (una enseñanza o lección moral)
• símbolo – una relación entre dos elementos, unos concreto – sensorial – y otro abstracto, de talk manera que el elemento concreto revele lo abstracto; ciertos símbolos usados con frecuencia se convierten en emblemas fácilmente reconocibles; [“la rosa” = “amor”]
Monday, November 24, 2008
Ponting 12 - The Weight of Numbers
• Europe – period of dramatic growth in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries… followed by a period of much slower growth
o period of rapid growth in population after the mid-eighteenth century largely the result of a decline in mortality levels
o subsequent slackening in growth was result of a fall in birth rates, altering a pattern that had been established for hundreds of generations
• Asia and Africa – story has same start but different ending: period that has seen the highest rates of growth = the twentieth century
• in the Third World – 20th century growth rates on average over 2% a year (far higher than in 19th century Europe)
o fertility higher due to young age and high rate of marriage
• Americas and Oceania – more complex… result of a different series of developments
o sharp rise due to immigration from Europe (especially in 19th century) then by natural increase
• unprecedented rise in human numbers – profound consequences for environment
o increase in number and size of human settlements
o more resources consumed… pollution increased
• until about 1800, traditional limits on food supply set by amount of suitable land available, level of agricultural productivity, amount of trade, social and political factors, and climate
• agriculture of the industrialized world was transformed by increases in productivity
• period after 1850: mechanization of agriculture and the adoption of high input farming
• during 20th century – animal rearing systems more intensive (rather than traditional methods of raising domesticated animals)
• much of large increase in agricultural output in the industrialized world in the last 50 years has come about as a consequence of government intervention
• Third World countries: increasing amounts of land devoted to growing cash crops for export (due to European political control), cultivation more intensive
• “Green Revolution” – ‘solution to the problem of growing enough food to support the expanding population of the Third World’
o not the solution. (has since become apparent)
o combined effect of the extension of the cultivated area and use of more artificial inputs was to increase food production
o gains have been unevenly spread and inadequate to cope with a rapidly increasing population… worst affected area = Africa
• all these changes in food production, trade, and population growth created an unbalanced world agricultural system
• estimated that a quarter of all the food produced in the United States goes to waste at some point in the production, distribution, and consumption chain
• about half the world’s population are undernourished
• massive loss of natural ecosystems in last two centuries because… huge increase in the amount of land under cultivation, the extension of pasture land into new areas, and the intensification of agriculture
• much of the destruction concentrated on the easiest way of obtaining new agricultural land – clearing the natural forests
• scale of forest destruction has been growing since the Second World War as population in the Third World has risen sharply and the demand for more land has similarly increased
• destruction of tropical forests only offers a short-term solution to the problem of finding more land for agriculture… can alter climate
• in every part of the world, modern agriculture has led to severe soil erosion in the wake of deforestation, ploughing up of grasslands, and the cultivation of steep slopes
• intensification of food production has led to a vast increase in the amount of irrigated land in the world
• Agriculture has always meant disrupting natural ecosystems, but the growing weight of numbers has in many areas turned it into a positively destructive force, threatening ever more marginal and delicate ecosystems with increasingly damaging environmental effects.
o period of rapid growth in population after the mid-eighteenth century largely the result of a decline in mortality levels
o subsequent slackening in growth was result of a fall in birth rates, altering a pattern that had been established for hundreds of generations
• Asia and Africa – story has same start but different ending: period that has seen the highest rates of growth = the twentieth century
• in the Third World – 20th century growth rates on average over 2% a year (far higher than in 19th century Europe)
o fertility higher due to young age and high rate of marriage
• Americas and Oceania – more complex… result of a different series of developments
o sharp rise due to immigration from Europe (especially in 19th century) then by natural increase
• unprecedented rise in human numbers – profound consequences for environment
o increase in number and size of human settlements
o more resources consumed… pollution increased
• until about 1800, traditional limits on food supply set by amount of suitable land available, level of agricultural productivity, amount of trade, social and political factors, and climate
• agriculture of the industrialized world was transformed by increases in productivity
• period after 1850: mechanization of agriculture and the adoption of high input farming
• during 20th century – animal rearing systems more intensive (rather than traditional methods of raising domesticated animals)
• much of large increase in agricultural output in the industrialized world in the last 50 years has come about as a consequence of government intervention
• Third World countries: increasing amounts of land devoted to growing cash crops for export (due to European political control), cultivation more intensive
• “Green Revolution” – ‘solution to the problem of growing enough food to support the expanding population of the Third World’
o not the solution. (has since become apparent)
o combined effect of the extension of the cultivated area and use of more artificial inputs was to increase food production
o gains have been unevenly spread and inadequate to cope with a rapidly increasing population… worst affected area = Africa
• all these changes in food production, trade, and population growth created an unbalanced world agricultural system
• estimated that a quarter of all the food produced in the United States goes to waste at some point in the production, distribution, and consumption chain
• about half the world’s population are undernourished
• massive loss of natural ecosystems in last two centuries because… huge increase in the amount of land under cultivation, the extension of pasture land into new areas, and the intensification of agriculture
• much of the destruction concentrated on the easiest way of obtaining new agricultural land – clearing the natural forests
• scale of forest destruction has been growing since the Second World War as population in the Third World has risen sharply and the demand for more land has similarly increased
• destruction of tropical forests only offers a short-term solution to the problem of finding more land for agriculture… can alter climate
• in every part of the world, modern agriculture has led to severe soil erosion in the wake of deforestation, ploughing up of grasslands, and the cultivation of steep slopes
• intensification of food production has led to a vast increase in the amount of irrigated land in the world
• Agriculture has always meant disrupting natural ecosystems, but the growing weight of numbers has in many areas turned it into a positively destructive force, threatening ever more marginal and delicate ecosystems with increasingly damaging environmental effects.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
HG - Culture Vocabulary Word List - Stanley
1. acculturation
2. artifact
3. carrying capacity
4. contagious diffusion
5. cultural convergence
6. cultural divergence
7. cultural ecology
8. cultural integration
9. cultural lag
10. cultural landscape
11. culture
12. culture complex
13. culture hearth
14. culture realm
15. culture region
16. culture trait
17. diffusion barrier
18. environmental determinism
19. expansion diffusion
20. hierarchical diffusion
21. hunter-gatherer
22. ideological subsystem
23. independent invention
24. innovation
25. mentifact
26. multilinear evolution
27. possiblism
28. relocation diffusion
29. sociofact
30. sociological subsystem
31. spatial diffusion
32. syncretism
33. technological subsystem
34. cultural geography
35. cultural imperialism
36. denomination
37. diaspora
38. ethnic cleansing
39. ethnic neighborhood
40. evangelical religions
41. fundamentalism
42. genocide
43. global religion
44. Indo-European family
45. language group
46. literacy
47. local religion
48. minority
49. missionary
50. animism
51. Buddhism
52. caste
53. Christianity
54. Confucianism
55. Creole
56. dialect
57. ethnic religion
58. geographic (regional) dialect
59. Hinduism
60. Judaism
61. language
62. language family
63. lingua franca
64. linguistic geography
65. monotheism
66. multilingualism
67. official language
68. pidgin language
69. polytheism
70. protolanguage
71. religion
72. Secularism
73. Shamanism
74. Shinto
75. social dialect
76. speech community
77. standard language
78. syncretism
79. Taoism
80. toponym
81. toponymy
82. tribal (traditional) religion
83. universalizing religion
84. vernacular
85. Islam
86. isogloss
87. Romance languages
88. Sino-Tibetan family
89. tradition
90. build environment
91. folk culture
92. folkways
93. nonmaterial culture
94. popular region
95. custom
96. folklore
97. material culture
98. pilgrimage
99. acculturation
100. amalgamation theory
101. assimilation
102. behavioral assimilation
103. chain migration
104. charter group
105. cluster migration
106. colony
107. culture rebound
108. ethnic enclave
109. ethnic geography
110. ethnic group
111. ethnic island
112. ethnic province
113. ethnicity
114. ethnocentrism
115. first effective settlement
116. genetic drift
117. ghetto
118. host society
119. race
120. segregation
121. social distance
122. structural assimilation
123. adaptation
124. popular culture
125. multicultural
126. core
127. domain
128. Ecological Trilogy
129. formal region
130. functional region
131. perceptual region
132. region
133. vernacular region
134. regional identity
135. sphere
136. barriers to diffusion
137. biased innovations
138. contagious effects
139. urban hierarchy
140. cultural extinction
141. cultural imperialism
142. local religion
143. Shaman
144. tipping point
145. vernacular house
146. language extinction
147. hearths
148. relocation diffusion
149. British Received Pronunciation (BRP)
150. Ebonics
151. ideograms
152. oral tradition
153. fundamentalism
154. global religions
155. centrifugal forces
156. province
157. irredenta
158. irredentism
159. shatterbelt
160. custom
161. habit
162. taboo
163. terroir
164. extinct language
165. Franglais
166. isolated language
167. language branch
168. literary tradition
169. Spanglish
170. Vulgar Latin
171. autonomous religion
172. cosmogony
173. diocese
174. hierarchical religion
175. sect
176. solstice
177. apartheid
178. balkanization
179. blockbusting
180. centripetal force
181. multi-ethnic state
182. multinational state
183. nationalism
184. nationality
185. nation-state
186. racism
187. racist
188. self-determination
189. sharecropper
190. triangular slave trade
2. artifact
3. carrying capacity
4. contagious diffusion
5. cultural convergence
6. cultural divergence
7. cultural ecology
8. cultural integration
9. cultural lag
10. cultural landscape
11. culture
12. culture complex
13. culture hearth
14. culture realm
15. culture region
16. culture trait
17. diffusion barrier
18. environmental determinism
19. expansion diffusion
20. hierarchical diffusion
21. hunter-gatherer
22. ideological subsystem
23. independent invention
24. innovation
25. mentifact
26. multilinear evolution
27. possiblism
28. relocation diffusion
29. sociofact
30. sociological subsystem
31. spatial diffusion
32. syncretism
33. technological subsystem
34. cultural geography
35. cultural imperialism
36. denomination
37. diaspora
38. ethnic cleansing
39. ethnic neighborhood
40. evangelical religions
41. fundamentalism
42. genocide
43. global religion
44. Indo-European family
45. language group
46. literacy
47. local religion
48. minority
49. missionary
50. animism
51. Buddhism
52. caste
53. Christianity
54. Confucianism
55. Creole
56. dialect
57. ethnic religion
58. geographic (regional) dialect
59. Hinduism
60. Judaism
61. language
62. language family
63. lingua franca
64. linguistic geography
65. monotheism
66. multilingualism
67. official language
68. pidgin language
69. polytheism
70. protolanguage
71. religion
72. Secularism
73. Shamanism
74. Shinto
75. social dialect
76. speech community
77. standard language
78. syncretism
79. Taoism
80. toponym
81. toponymy
82. tribal (traditional) religion
83. universalizing religion
84. vernacular
85. Islam
86. isogloss
87. Romance languages
88. Sino-Tibetan family
89. tradition
90. build environment
91. folk culture
92. folkways
93. nonmaterial culture
94. popular region
95. custom
96. folklore
97. material culture
98. pilgrimage
99. acculturation
100. amalgamation theory
101. assimilation
102. behavioral assimilation
103. chain migration
104. charter group
105. cluster migration
106. colony
107. culture rebound
108. ethnic enclave
109. ethnic geography
110. ethnic group
111. ethnic island
112. ethnic province
113. ethnicity
114. ethnocentrism
115. first effective settlement
116. genetic drift
117. ghetto
118. host society
119. race
120. segregation
121. social distance
122. structural assimilation
123. adaptation
124. popular culture
125. multicultural
126. core
127. domain
128. Ecological Trilogy
129. formal region
130. functional region
131. perceptual region
132. region
133. vernacular region
134. regional identity
135. sphere
136. barriers to diffusion
137. biased innovations
138. contagious effects
139. urban hierarchy
140. cultural extinction
141. cultural imperialism
142. local religion
143. Shaman
144. tipping point
145. vernacular house
146. language extinction
147. hearths
148. relocation diffusion
149. British Received Pronunciation (BRP)
150. Ebonics
151. ideograms
152. oral tradition
153. fundamentalism
154. global religions
155. centrifugal forces
156. province
157. irredenta
158. irredentism
159. shatterbelt
160. custom
161. habit
162. taboo
163. terroir
164. extinct language
165. Franglais
166. isolated language
167. language branch
168. literary tradition
169. Spanglish
170. Vulgar Latin
171. autonomous religion
172. cosmogony
173. diocese
174. hierarchical religion
175. sect
176. solstice
177. apartheid
178. balkanization
179. blockbusting
180. centripetal force
181. multi-ethnic state
182. multinational state
183. nationalism
184. nationality
185. nation-state
186. racism
187. racist
188. self-determination
189. sharecropper
190. triangular slave trade
Friday, September 19, 2008
VA - So You Want to Write a Letter to Your Member of Congress...
So You Want to Write a Letter to Your Member of Congress?
Writing letters to your representative or senator can influence how that person will vote on a particular issue. Although many political organizations do rely on sending out mass form letters, personalized letters get the attention of the politician’s staff much more often. Here are some tips for writing such letters.
• Make sure to include your address. In the top right corner of the page, print your full address, and phone number, so that you can be contacted if necessary. This is especially important if you are asking for a reply from this member of Congress. You can also include the date below your phone number. It’s important to always date the letter when you write it..
• After writing your address, write the address of the person to whom you are sending the letter. First write his or her full name (including title, ex. “The Hon….”), followed by his or her full address.
• Use proper salutations. (“The Honorable” for judges and representatives, etc.).
• It is often a good idea to start off with “I am writing as a constituent..."(or some similar phrase). Writing to your senators/representatives is significantly more effective than writing to other members… if you’re not in their district, your opinion on an issue won’t matter to them.
• Present the issue – the reason you’re writing this letter – at the very beginning of the letter.
• Focus only on one issue in a letter. If there are multiple issues you would like to bring to this representative or senator’s attention, you can send additional letters.
• Be specific about what action you want him or her to take. Express your concern, but make sure that it is a simple request – voting for a particular bill, co-sponsoring a bill, etc. Don’t just say that you want them to “do something.”
• The second paragraph should give some brief background of the issue, and tell why it is important to you that he or she acts on the matter in a particular way.
• Next, your third paragraph should reiterate your request. If you want him or her to vote for/against an issue, remember to say that again here.
• Accountability is important! Here at the end is a good place to put something along the lines of “I would appreciate it if you would let me know your action on this matter” or something similar.
• Finally, make sure that you end your letter correctly, with a phrase such as “Sincerely.” It’s also important to note that you should type your name, but also make sure to sign the letter as well.
• Make the letter brief and to the point. Avoid excess information and comments. A letter should be no more than one printed page.
• Send your letter as soon as it is finished – don’t put off mailing it!
• Be polite!! Use respectful language. Never make any threats or insults. Don’t use profanity.
• Make sure that it is readable! The letter should be legible and neat in appearance. There should be no spelling or grammatical issues. If possible, try to re-read the letter aloud several times (not all in a row), to make sure that it sounds appropriate and understandable.
In addition to letters, you can always send an e-mail, fax, postcard, etc. If you would like to make a telephone call to a member of Congress, you can call the Capitol Switchboard at 1 (202) 224 – 3121 to get his or her telephone number.
Writing letters to your representative or senator can influence how that person will vote on a particular issue. Although many political organizations do rely on sending out mass form letters, personalized letters get the attention of the politician’s staff much more often. Here are some tips for writing such letters.
• Make sure to include your address. In the top right corner of the page, print your full address, and phone number, so that you can be contacted if necessary. This is especially important if you are asking for a reply from this member of Congress. You can also include the date below your phone number. It’s important to always date the letter when you write it..
• After writing your address, write the address of the person to whom you are sending the letter. First write his or her full name (including title, ex. “The Hon….”), followed by his or her full address.
• Use proper salutations. (“The Honorable” for judges and representatives, etc.).
• It is often a good idea to start off with “I am writing as a constituent..."(or some similar phrase). Writing to your senators/representatives is significantly more effective than writing to other members… if you’re not in their district, your opinion on an issue won’t matter to them.
• Present the issue – the reason you’re writing this letter – at the very beginning of the letter.
• Focus only on one issue in a letter. If there are multiple issues you would like to bring to this representative or senator’s attention, you can send additional letters.
• Be specific about what action you want him or her to take. Express your concern, but make sure that it is a simple request – voting for a particular bill, co-sponsoring a bill, etc. Don’t just say that you want them to “do something.”
• The second paragraph should give some brief background of the issue, and tell why it is important to you that he or she acts on the matter in a particular way.
• Next, your third paragraph should reiterate your request. If you want him or her to vote for/against an issue, remember to say that again here.
• Accountability is important! Here at the end is a good place to put something along the lines of “I would appreciate it if you would let me know your action on this matter” or something similar.
• Finally, make sure that you end your letter correctly, with a phrase such as “Sincerely.” It’s also important to note that you should type your name, but also make sure to sign the letter as well.
• Make the letter brief and to the point. Avoid excess information and comments. A letter should be no more than one printed page.
• Send your letter as soon as it is finished – don’t put off mailing it!
• Be polite!! Use respectful language. Never make any threats or insults. Don’t use profanity.
• Make sure that it is readable! The letter should be legible and neat in appearance. There should be no spelling or grammatical issues. If possible, try to re-read the letter aloud several times (not all in a row), to make sure that it sounds appropriate and understandable.
In addition to letters, you can always send an e-mail, fax, postcard, etc. If you would like to make a telephone call to a member of Congress, you can call the Capitol Switchboard at 1 (202) 224 – 3121 to get his or her telephone number.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
HG - Reading Assignments - Stanley
The formatting won't work here at all, but I have the reading assignments on a chart with the dates and all the books listed so it's easy to see what is "due" on what parts of each book we're reading. I have this as a nice chart on Microsoft Word, if anyone wants me to send it to them.
Also, this is for her B day class, but A day would be the first day before that mentioned that we have school.
Also, this is for her B day class, but A day would be the first day before that mentioned that we have school.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
AaP - Basic Chemistry - Wise
Basic Chemistry
• Acid/Base Chemistry
o Acids are proton donors. They release hydrogen into a solution.
o Acids are hydrogen donors. They release protons into a solution.
o Bases are hydrogen acceptors.
o Bases are proton acceptors.
o as the pH increases, a substance becomes more basic
• pH scale
o the pH scale is an inverse log scale
- pH is a measure of the hydrogen ion concentration
- the greater the pH, the fewer H+
- the Richter and decibel scales are also log scales
o each whole number represents the number of hydrogen ions divided by 10 (H+ / 10)
- for example…a substance with a pH of 1 has 10x more H+ than pH 2
- for example…pH 1 has 100x more H+ than pH 3
- for example… a substance with a pH of 12 has a H+ concentration that is 100x that of a substance with a pH of 14
- pH 0 = 1 [H+]
- pH 1 =1 / 10 [H+]
- pH 2 = 1 / 100[H+]
- pH 5 = 1 / 100000[H+]
- pH 14 = 1 / 100000000000000[H+]
- pH of saliva = 6.5
- pH of blood = 7.4
- most foods we eat are neutral or acidic. Why? Stomach is acidic… thus the food is in balance with stomach physiology. Basic substances often have an unpleasant taste.
• enzymes
o enzymes lower the activation energy of a reaction
• organic compounds
o protein
o carbohydrates
o lipids
o nucleic acids (DNA, RNA, ATP…)
• Acid/Base Chemistry
o Acids are proton donors. They release hydrogen into a solution.
o Acids are hydrogen donors. They release protons into a solution.
o Bases are hydrogen acceptors.
o Bases are proton acceptors.
o as the pH increases, a substance becomes more basic
• pH scale
o the pH scale is an inverse log scale
- pH is a measure of the hydrogen ion concentration
- the greater the pH, the fewer H+
- the Richter and decibel scales are also log scales
o each whole number represents the number of hydrogen ions divided by 10 (H+ / 10)
- for example…a substance with a pH of 1 has 10x more H+ than pH 2
- for example…pH 1 has 100x more H+ than pH 3
- for example… a substance with a pH of 12 has a H+ concentration that is 100x that of a substance with a pH of 14
- pH 0 = 1 [H+]
- pH 1 =1 / 10 [H+]
- pH 2 = 1 / 100[H+]
- pH 5 = 1 / 100000[H+]
- pH 14 = 1 / 100000000000000[H+]
- pH of saliva = 6.5
- pH of blood = 7.4
- most foods we eat are neutral or acidic. Why? Stomach is acidic… thus the food is in balance with stomach physiology. Basic substances often have an unpleasant taste.
• enzymes
o enzymes lower the activation energy of a reaction
• organic compounds
o protein
o carbohydrates
o lipids
o nucleic acids (DNA, RNA, ATP…)
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
HG - Introduction Vocabulary - Stanley
AP Human Geography Vocabulary Words – Introduction
• anthropogenic
o human-induced changes on the natural environment
• cartography
o the production of maps, including construction of projections, design, compilation, drafting, and reproduction.
• cultural ecology
o the study of the interactions between societies and the natural environments
they occupy
• cultural landscape
o the natural landscape as modified by human activities and bearing the imprint of a culture group or society
o the built environment
• earth system science
o systematic approach to physical geography that looks at the interaction between the earth’s physical systems and processes on a global scale
• environmental geography
o the intersection between human and physical geography, which explores the spatial impacts humans have on the physical environment and vice versa
• Eratosthenes
o the head librarian at Alexandria during the third century BC
o one of the first cartographers
o performed a remarkably accurate computation of the earth’s circumference
o credited with coining the term “geography”
• Fertile Crescent
o name given to crescent-shaped area of fertile land stretching from the lower Nile valley, along the east Mediterranean coast, and into Syria and present-day Iraq where agriculture and early civilization first began about 8000 BC
• Geographical Information Systems
o integrated computer programs for handling, processing, and analyzing data specifically referenced to the surface of the earth
o (GIS)
• Global Positioning System
o a set of satellites used to help determine location anywhere on the earth’s surface with a portable electronic device
• idiographic
o pertaining to the unique facts or characteristics of a particular place
• George Perkins Marsh
o inventor, diplomat, politician, and scholar
o his classic work, Man and Nature, or Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action, provided the first description of the extent to which natural systems had been impacted by human actions
• natural landscape
o the physical environment unaffected by human activities
o the duration and near totality of human occupation of the earth’s surface assure that little or no “natural landscape” so defined remains intact
o opposed to cultural landscape
• nomothetic
o concepts or rules that can be applied universally
• W.D. Pattison
o claimed that geography drew from four distinct traditions: the earth-science tradition, the culture-environment tradition, the locational tradition, and the area-analysis tradition
• physical geography
o the study of the structures, processes, distribution, and change through time of the natural phenomena of the earth’s surface that are significant to human life
o one of the two major divisions (the other is human geography) of systematic geography
• Ptolemy
o Roman geographer-astronomer
o author of Guide to Geography which included maps containing a grid system of latitude and longitude
• qualitative data
o data associated with a more humanistic approach to geography, often collected through interview, empirical observations, or the interpretation of texts, artwork, old maps, and other archives
• quantitative data
o data associated with mathematical models and statistical techniques used to analyze spatial location and association
• quantitative revolution
o a period in human geography associated with the widespread adoption of mathematical models and statistical techniques
• region
o any earth area with distinctive and unifying physical or cultural characteristics that set it off and make it substantially different from surrounding areas
o may be defined on the basis of its homogeneity or its functional integration as a single organizational unit
o regions and their boundaries are devices of areal generalization, intellectual concepts rather than visible landscape entities
• regional geography
o the study of geographic regions
o the study of areal differentiation
• remote sensing
o observation and mathematical measurement of the earth’s surface using aircraft satellites
o the sensors include both photographic images, thermal images, multispectral scanners, and radar images
• Carl Saucer
o geographer from the University of California at Berkeley
o defined the concept of cultural landscape as the fundamental unit of geographical analysis
o this landscape results from interaction between humans and the physical environment
o he argued that virtually no landscape as escaped alteration by human activities
• sense of place
o feelings evoked by people as a result of certain experiences and memories associated with a particular place
• spatial perspective
o an intellectual framework that looks at the particular locations of specific phenomena, how and why that phenomena is where it is, and, finally, how it is spatially related to phenomena in other places
• sustainability
o the concept of using the earth’s resources in such a way that they provide for people’s needs in the present without diminishing the earth’s ability to provide for future generations
• systematic geography
o a division of geography that selects a particular aspect of the physical or cultural environment for detailed study of its areal differentiation and interrelationships
o branches are labeled according to the topic studied (e.g., recreational geography) or the related science with which the branch is associated (e.g., economic geography)
• thematic layers
o individual maps of specific features that are overlaid on one another in a Geographical Information System to understand and analyze a spatial relationship
• absolute distance
o the shortest-path separation between two places measured on a standard unit of length (miles or kilometers, usually)
o a.k.a. real distance
• absolute location
o the exact position of an object or place stated in spatial coordinates of a grid system designed for locational purposes
o in geography, the reference system is the globe grid of parallels of latitude north or south of the equator and of meridians of longitude east or west of a prime meridian
o absolute globe locations are cited in degrees, minutes, and (for greater precision) seconds of latitude and longitude north or south and east or west of the equatorial and prime meridian base lines
• accessibility
o the relative ease with which a destination may be reached from other locations
o the relative opportunity for spatial interaction
o may be measured in geometric, social, or economic terms
• Azimuthal projection
o (planar projection)
o a map projection employing a plane as the presumed developable surface
• breaking point
o the outer edge of a city’s sphere of influence
o used in the law of retail gravitation to describe the area of a city’s hinterlands that depend on that city for it’s retail supply
• cartogram
o a map that has been simplified to present a single idea in a diagrammatic way
o the base is not normally true to scale
• choropleth map
o a thematic map presenting spatial data as average values per unit area
• cognitive map
o (mental map)
o the maplike image of the world, country, region, city, or neighborhood a person carries in mind
o the representation is therefore subjective
o it includes knowledge of actual locations and spatial relationships and is colored by personal perceptions and preferences related to a place
• complementarity
o the actual or potential relationship of two places or regions that each produce different goods or services for which the other has an effective demand, resulting in a n exchange between the locales
• connectivity
o the directness of routes linking pairs of places
o an indication of the degree of internal connection in a transport network
o more generally, all of the tangible and intangible means of connection and communication between places
• contagious diffusion
o a form of expansion diffusion that depends on direct contact
o the process of dispersion is centrifugal, strongly influenced by stance and dependent on interaction between actual and potential adopters of the innovation
• coordinate system
o a standard grid, composed of lines of latitude and longitude, used to determine the absolute location of any object, place, or feature on the earth’s surface
• distance decay effect
o the declining intensity of any activity, process, or function with increasing distance from its point of origin
• dot maps
o thematic maps that use points to show the precise locations of specific observations or occurrences, such as crimes, car accidents, or births
• expansion diffusion
o the spread of ideas, behaviors, or articles through a culture area or from one culture to neighboring areas through contact and exchange of information
o the dispersion leaves the phenomenon in tact or intensified in its area of origin
• friction of distance
o a measure of the retarding or restricting effect of distance on spatial interaction
o generally, the greater the distance, the greater the “friction” and the less the interaction or exchange, or the greater the cost of achieving the exchange
• Fuller projection
o a type of map projection that maintains the accurate size and shape of landmasses but completely rearranges direction such that the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west – no longer have any meaning
• geoid
o the actual shape of the earth, which is rough and oblate, or slightly squashed
o the earth’s circumference is longer around the equator then it is along the meridians, from north-south circumference
• Gravity model
o a mathematical prediction of the interaction between two bodies (places) as a function of their size and o the distance separating them
o attraction (interaction) is proportional to the product of the masses (population sizes) of two bodies (places) and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them
• hazards
o anything in the landscape, real or perceived, that is potentially threatening
o usually avoided in spatial behavior
• hierarchical diffusion
o a form of diffusion in which the spread of an innovation can proceed either upward or downward through a hierarchy
• International Date Line
o by international agreement, the designated line where each new day begins, generally following the 180th meridian
o compensates for accumulated 1-hour time changes for each 15 degrees of longitude by adding (from east to west) or subtracting (from west to east) 24 hours for travelers crossing the line
• intervening opportunity
o the concept that closer opportunities will materially reduce the attractiveness of interaction with more distant – even slightly better – alternatives
o a closer alternative source of supply between a demand point and the original source of supply
• isoline
o a map line connecting points of equal value
• large-scale
o a relatively small ration between map units and ground units
o these maps usually have higher resolution and cover much smaller regions than small-scale maps
• latitude
o angular distance north or south of the equator
o measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds
• law of retail gravitation
o law that states that people will be drawn to larger cities to conduct their business because larger cities have a wider influence on the hinterlands that surround them
• location charts
o on a map, a chart or graph that gives specific statistical information of a particular political unit or jurisdiction
• longitude
o angular distance of a location in degrees , minutes, and seconds measured east or west of a designated prime meridian given the value of 0
• map projections
o a systematic method of transferring the globe grid system from the earth’s curved surface to the flat surface of a map
o automatically incurs error, but an attempt is usually made to preserve one or more (though never all) of the characteristics of the spherical surface: equal area, correct distance, true direction, proper shape
• Mercator projection
o a true conformal cylindrical projection first published in 1569
o useful for navigation
• meridian
o a north-south line of longitude
o on the globe grid, all meridians are of equal length and converge at the poles
• parallel
o an east-west line of latitude indicating distance north or south of the equator
• preference map
o a map that displays individual preferences for certain places
• Prime Meridian
o an imaginary line passing through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England, serving by agreement as the 0 line of longitude
• proportional symbols map
o a thematic map in which the size of a chosen symbol – such as a circle or triangle – indicates the relative magnitude of some statistical value for a given geographic region
• reference map
o a map type that shows reference information for a particular place, making it useful for finding landmarks and for navigating
• relative distance
o a transformation of absolute distance into such relative measures as time or monetary costs
o such measures yield different explanations of human spatial behavior than do linear distances alone
o distances between places are constant by absolute terms, but relative distances may vary with improvements in transportation or communication technology or with different psychological perceptions of space
• relative location
o the position of a place or activity in relation to other places or activities
o implies spatial relationships and usually suggests the relative advantages or disadvantages of a location with respect to all competing locations
• relocation diffusion
o the transfer of ideas, behaviors, or articles from one place to another through the migration of those possessing the feature transported
o spatial relocation in which a phenomenon leaves an area of origin as it is transported to a new location
• resolution
o a map’s smallest discernable unit
o if, for example, an object has to be one kilometer long in order to show up on a map, then that map’s resolution is one kilometer
• Robinson projection
o projection that attempts to balance several possible projection errors
o it does not maintain completely accurate area, shape, distance, or direction, but it minimizes errors in each
• scale
o in cartography, the ratio between the size of area on a map and the actual size of that same area on the earth’s surface
o in more general terms, scale refers to the size of the area studied, from local to global
• site
o the absolute location of a place or activity described by local relief, landform, and other physical (or sometimes cultural) characteristics
• situation
o the relative location of a place or activity in relation to the physical and cultural characteristics of the larger regional or spatial system of which it is a part
o implies spatial interconnection and interdependence
• small-scale
o map scale ration in which the ration of units on the mpa to units on the earth is qute small
o usually depict large areas
• spatial diffusion
o (diffusion)
o the spread or movement of a phenomenon over space or through time
o the dispersion of a culture trait or characteristic or new ideas and practices from an origin area
o recognized types include relocation, expansion, contagious, and hierarchical diffusion
• thematic map
o a map depicting a specific spatial distribution or statistical variation of abstract objects (e.g., unemployment) in space
• time-space convergence
o the idea that distance between some places is actually shrinking as technology enables more rapid communication and increased interaction between those places
• topographic maps
o maps that use isolines to represent constant elevations
o if you took a topographic map out into the field and walked exactly along the path of an isoline on your map, you would always stay at the same elevation
• topological space
o the amount of connectivity between places, regardless of the absolute distance separating them
• transferability
o acceptable costs of a spatial exchange
o the cost of moving a commodity relative to the ability of the commodity to bear that cost
• visualization
o use of sophisticated software to create dynamic computer maps, some of which are three-dimensional or interactive
• aggregation *
o the process by which data values are collected with the intent to manage the collection as a single unit
• geographic information *
o any information that can be geographically referenced
o i.e., describing a location or any information that can be linked to a location
o (a.k.a. spatial information)
• human/environmental interaction *
o all the effects (positive and negative) that occur when people interact with their surroundings
• Human Geography
o the spatial analysis of human populations, their cultures, their activities and behaviors, and their relationship with and impact on the physical landscapes they occupy
o one of two major divisions (the other is physical geography) of systematic geography
• isolines map *
o a map with continuous lines joining points of the same value
o used to interpret the information on some thematic maps
• legend *
o a key to what the symbols or pictures in a map mean
• location *
o deals with the relative and absolute spatial position of natural and human-made phenomena
• map *
o a graphic representation of the earth’s surface
• movement *
o deals with the migration, transport, communication, and interaction of natural and human-made phenomena across the spatial dimension
• place *
o describes the factors that make the location of natural and human-made phenomena unique
• primary data *
o data that was collected specifically for the purpose of a researcher’s particular study
• secondary data *
o data that was not specifically collected for the purpose of a researcher’s particular study
• simplification * *
o make a geographical map less complicated and complex
• spatial data *
o the data or information that identifies the geographic location of features and boundaries on Earth
o usually stored as coordinates and topology
o is data that can be mapped
o often accessed, manipulated, or analyzed through Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• absolute direction
o direction with respect to cardinal east, west, north, and south reference points
• concentration
o in spatial distributions, the clustering of a phenomenon around a central location
• density
o the quantity of anything (people, buildings, animals, traffic, etc.) per unit area
• dispersion
o in spatial distributions, a statement of the amount of spread of a phenomenon over area or around a central location
o dispersion in this sense represents a continuum from clustered, concentrated, or agglomerated (at one end) to dispersed or scattered (at the other)
• formal region
o a region distinguished by a uniformity of one or more characteristics that an serve as the basis for areal generalization and of contrast with adjacent areas
• functional region
o a region differentiated by what occurs within it rather than by a homogeneity of physical or cultural phenomena
o an earth area recognized as an operational unit based upon defined organization criteria
o the concept of unity is based on interaction and interdependence between different points within the area
• mental map
o (cognitive map)
o the maplike image of the world, country, region, city, or neighborhood a person carries in mind
o the representation is therefore subjective
o it includes knowledge of actual locations and spatial relationships and is colored by personal perceptions and preferences related to a place
• model
o an idealized representation, abstraction, or simulation of reality
o designed to simplify real-world complexity and eliminate extraneous phenomena in order to isolate for detailed study causal factor and interrelationships of spatial systems
• nodal region
o (functional region)
o a region differentiated by what occurs within it rather than by a homogeneity of physical or cultural phenomena
o an earth area recognized as an operational unit based upon defined organization criteria
o the concept of unity is based on interaction and interdependence between different points within the area
• pattern
o the design or arrangement of phenomena in earth space
• perceptual region
o a region perceived to exist by its inhabitants or the general populace
o has reality as an element of popular culture or folk culture represented in the mental maps of average people
• projection
o (map projection)
o a systematic method of transferring the globe grid system from the earth’s curved surface to the flat surface of a map
o automatically incurs error, but an attempt is usually made to preserve one or more (though never all) of the characteristics of the spherical surface: equal area, correct distance, true direction, proper shape
• regional concept
o the view that physical and cultural phenomena on the surface of the earth are rationally arranged by complex, diverse, but comprehensible interrelated spatial processes
• relative direction
o a culturally based locational reference, as the Far West, the Old South, or the Middle East
• spatial distribution
o the arrangement of things ion the earth’s surface
o the descriptive elements of spatial distribution are density, dispersion, and pattern
• spatial interaction
o the movement (e.g., of people, goods, information) between different places
o an indication of interdependence between different geographic locations or areas
• spatial system
o the arrangement and integrated operation of phenomena produced by or responding to spatial processes on the earth’s surface
• uniform region
o (formal region)
o a region distinguished by a uniformity of one or more characteristics that an serve as the basis for areal generalization and of contrast with adjacent areas
• anthropogenic
o human-induced changes on the natural environment
• cartography
o the production of maps, including construction of projections, design, compilation, drafting, and reproduction.
• cultural ecology
o the study of the interactions between societies and the natural environments
they occupy
• cultural landscape
o the natural landscape as modified by human activities and bearing the imprint of a culture group or society
o the built environment
• earth system science
o systematic approach to physical geography that looks at the interaction between the earth’s physical systems and processes on a global scale
• environmental geography
o the intersection between human and physical geography, which explores the spatial impacts humans have on the physical environment and vice versa
• Eratosthenes
o the head librarian at Alexandria during the third century BC
o one of the first cartographers
o performed a remarkably accurate computation of the earth’s circumference
o credited with coining the term “geography”
• Fertile Crescent
o name given to crescent-shaped area of fertile land stretching from the lower Nile valley, along the east Mediterranean coast, and into Syria and present-day Iraq where agriculture and early civilization first began about 8000 BC
• Geographical Information Systems
o integrated computer programs for handling, processing, and analyzing data specifically referenced to the surface of the earth
o (GIS)
• Global Positioning System
o a set of satellites used to help determine location anywhere on the earth’s surface with a portable electronic device
• idiographic
o pertaining to the unique facts or characteristics of a particular place
• George Perkins Marsh
o inventor, diplomat, politician, and scholar
o his classic work, Man and Nature, or Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action, provided the first description of the extent to which natural systems had been impacted by human actions
• natural landscape
o the physical environment unaffected by human activities
o the duration and near totality of human occupation of the earth’s surface assure that little or no “natural landscape” so defined remains intact
o opposed to cultural landscape
• nomothetic
o concepts or rules that can be applied universally
• W.D. Pattison
o claimed that geography drew from four distinct traditions: the earth-science tradition, the culture-environment tradition, the locational tradition, and the area-analysis tradition
• physical geography
o the study of the structures, processes, distribution, and change through time of the natural phenomena of the earth’s surface that are significant to human life
o one of the two major divisions (the other is human geography) of systematic geography
• Ptolemy
o Roman geographer-astronomer
o author of Guide to Geography which included maps containing a grid system of latitude and longitude
• qualitative data
o data associated with a more humanistic approach to geography, often collected through interview, empirical observations, or the interpretation of texts, artwork, old maps, and other archives
• quantitative data
o data associated with mathematical models and statistical techniques used to analyze spatial location and association
• quantitative revolution
o a period in human geography associated with the widespread adoption of mathematical models and statistical techniques
• region
o any earth area with distinctive and unifying physical or cultural characteristics that set it off and make it substantially different from surrounding areas
o may be defined on the basis of its homogeneity or its functional integration as a single organizational unit
o regions and their boundaries are devices of areal generalization, intellectual concepts rather than visible landscape entities
• regional geography
o the study of geographic regions
o the study of areal differentiation
• remote sensing
o observation and mathematical measurement of the earth’s surface using aircraft satellites
o the sensors include both photographic images, thermal images, multispectral scanners, and radar images
• Carl Saucer
o geographer from the University of California at Berkeley
o defined the concept of cultural landscape as the fundamental unit of geographical analysis
o this landscape results from interaction between humans and the physical environment
o he argued that virtually no landscape as escaped alteration by human activities
• sense of place
o feelings evoked by people as a result of certain experiences and memories associated with a particular place
• spatial perspective
o an intellectual framework that looks at the particular locations of specific phenomena, how and why that phenomena is where it is, and, finally, how it is spatially related to phenomena in other places
• sustainability
o the concept of using the earth’s resources in such a way that they provide for people’s needs in the present without diminishing the earth’s ability to provide for future generations
• systematic geography
o a division of geography that selects a particular aspect of the physical or cultural environment for detailed study of its areal differentiation and interrelationships
o branches are labeled according to the topic studied (e.g., recreational geography) or the related science with which the branch is associated (e.g., economic geography)
• thematic layers
o individual maps of specific features that are overlaid on one another in a Geographical Information System to understand and analyze a spatial relationship
• absolute distance
o the shortest-path separation between two places measured on a standard unit of length (miles or kilometers, usually)
o a.k.a. real distance
• absolute location
o the exact position of an object or place stated in spatial coordinates of a grid system designed for locational purposes
o in geography, the reference system is the globe grid of parallels of latitude north or south of the equator and of meridians of longitude east or west of a prime meridian
o absolute globe locations are cited in degrees, minutes, and (for greater precision) seconds of latitude and longitude north or south and east or west of the equatorial and prime meridian base lines
• accessibility
o the relative ease with which a destination may be reached from other locations
o the relative opportunity for spatial interaction
o may be measured in geometric, social, or economic terms
• Azimuthal projection
o (planar projection)
o a map projection employing a plane as the presumed developable surface
• breaking point
o the outer edge of a city’s sphere of influence
o used in the law of retail gravitation to describe the area of a city’s hinterlands that depend on that city for it’s retail supply
• cartogram
o a map that has been simplified to present a single idea in a diagrammatic way
o the base is not normally true to scale
• choropleth map
o a thematic map presenting spatial data as average values per unit area
• cognitive map
o (mental map)
o the maplike image of the world, country, region, city, or neighborhood a person carries in mind
o the representation is therefore subjective
o it includes knowledge of actual locations and spatial relationships and is colored by personal perceptions and preferences related to a place
• complementarity
o the actual or potential relationship of two places or regions that each produce different goods or services for which the other has an effective demand, resulting in a n exchange between the locales
• connectivity
o the directness of routes linking pairs of places
o an indication of the degree of internal connection in a transport network
o more generally, all of the tangible and intangible means of connection and communication between places
• contagious diffusion
o a form of expansion diffusion that depends on direct contact
o the process of dispersion is centrifugal, strongly influenced by stance and dependent on interaction between actual and potential adopters of the innovation
• coordinate system
o a standard grid, composed of lines of latitude and longitude, used to determine the absolute location of any object, place, or feature on the earth’s surface
• distance decay effect
o the declining intensity of any activity, process, or function with increasing distance from its point of origin
• dot maps
o thematic maps that use points to show the precise locations of specific observations or occurrences, such as crimes, car accidents, or births
• expansion diffusion
o the spread of ideas, behaviors, or articles through a culture area or from one culture to neighboring areas through contact and exchange of information
o the dispersion leaves the phenomenon in tact or intensified in its area of origin
• friction of distance
o a measure of the retarding or restricting effect of distance on spatial interaction
o generally, the greater the distance, the greater the “friction” and the less the interaction or exchange, or the greater the cost of achieving the exchange
• Fuller projection
o a type of map projection that maintains the accurate size and shape of landmasses but completely rearranges direction such that the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west – no longer have any meaning
• geoid
o the actual shape of the earth, which is rough and oblate, or slightly squashed
o the earth’s circumference is longer around the equator then it is along the meridians, from north-south circumference
• Gravity model
o a mathematical prediction of the interaction between two bodies (places) as a function of their size and o the distance separating them
o attraction (interaction) is proportional to the product of the masses (population sizes) of two bodies (places) and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them
• hazards
o anything in the landscape, real or perceived, that is potentially threatening
o usually avoided in spatial behavior
• hierarchical diffusion
o a form of diffusion in which the spread of an innovation can proceed either upward or downward through a hierarchy
• International Date Line
o by international agreement, the designated line where each new day begins, generally following the 180th meridian
o compensates for accumulated 1-hour time changes for each 15 degrees of longitude by adding (from east to west) or subtracting (from west to east) 24 hours for travelers crossing the line
• intervening opportunity
o the concept that closer opportunities will materially reduce the attractiveness of interaction with more distant – even slightly better – alternatives
o a closer alternative source of supply between a demand point and the original source of supply
• isoline
o a map line connecting points of equal value
• large-scale
o a relatively small ration between map units and ground units
o these maps usually have higher resolution and cover much smaller regions than small-scale maps
• latitude
o angular distance north or south of the equator
o measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds
• law of retail gravitation
o law that states that people will be drawn to larger cities to conduct their business because larger cities have a wider influence on the hinterlands that surround them
• location charts
o on a map, a chart or graph that gives specific statistical information of a particular political unit or jurisdiction
• longitude
o angular distance of a location in degrees , minutes, and seconds measured east or west of a designated prime meridian given the value of 0
• map projections
o a systematic method of transferring the globe grid system from the earth’s curved surface to the flat surface of a map
o automatically incurs error, but an attempt is usually made to preserve one or more (though never all) of the characteristics of the spherical surface: equal area, correct distance, true direction, proper shape
• Mercator projection
o a true conformal cylindrical projection first published in 1569
o useful for navigation
• meridian
o a north-south line of longitude
o on the globe grid, all meridians are of equal length and converge at the poles
• parallel
o an east-west line of latitude indicating distance north or south of the equator
• preference map
o a map that displays individual preferences for certain places
• Prime Meridian
o an imaginary line passing through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England, serving by agreement as the 0 line of longitude
• proportional symbols map
o a thematic map in which the size of a chosen symbol – such as a circle or triangle – indicates the relative magnitude of some statistical value for a given geographic region
• reference map
o a map type that shows reference information for a particular place, making it useful for finding landmarks and for navigating
• relative distance
o a transformation of absolute distance into such relative measures as time or monetary costs
o such measures yield different explanations of human spatial behavior than do linear distances alone
o distances between places are constant by absolute terms, but relative distances may vary with improvements in transportation or communication technology or with different psychological perceptions of space
• relative location
o the position of a place or activity in relation to other places or activities
o implies spatial relationships and usually suggests the relative advantages or disadvantages of a location with respect to all competing locations
• relocation diffusion
o the transfer of ideas, behaviors, or articles from one place to another through the migration of those possessing the feature transported
o spatial relocation in which a phenomenon leaves an area of origin as it is transported to a new location
• resolution
o a map’s smallest discernable unit
o if, for example, an object has to be one kilometer long in order to show up on a map, then that map’s resolution is one kilometer
• Robinson projection
o projection that attempts to balance several possible projection errors
o it does not maintain completely accurate area, shape, distance, or direction, but it minimizes errors in each
• scale
o in cartography, the ratio between the size of area on a map and the actual size of that same area on the earth’s surface
o in more general terms, scale refers to the size of the area studied, from local to global
• site
o the absolute location of a place or activity described by local relief, landform, and other physical (or sometimes cultural) characteristics
• situation
o the relative location of a place or activity in relation to the physical and cultural characteristics of the larger regional or spatial system of which it is a part
o implies spatial interconnection and interdependence
• small-scale
o map scale ration in which the ration of units on the mpa to units on the earth is qute small
o usually depict large areas
• spatial diffusion
o (diffusion)
o the spread or movement of a phenomenon over space or through time
o the dispersion of a culture trait or characteristic or new ideas and practices from an origin area
o recognized types include relocation, expansion, contagious, and hierarchical diffusion
• thematic map
o a map depicting a specific spatial distribution or statistical variation of abstract objects (e.g., unemployment) in space
• time-space convergence
o the idea that distance between some places is actually shrinking as technology enables more rapid communication and increased interaction between those places
• topographic maps
o maps that use isolines to represent constant elevations
o if you took a topographic map out into the field and walked exactly along the path of an isoline on your map, you would always stay at the same elevation
• topological space
o the amount of connectivity between places, regardless of the absolute distance separating them
• transferability
o acceptable costs of a spatial exchange
o the cost of moving a commodity relative to the ability of the commodity to bear that cost
• visualization
o use of sophisticated software to create dynamic computer maps, some of which are three-dimensional or interactive
• aggregation *
o the process by which data values are collected with the intent to manage the collection as a single unit
• geographic information *
o any information that can be geographically referenced
o i.e., describing a location or any information that can be linked to a location
o (a.k.a. spatial information)
• human/environmental interaction *
o all the effects (positive and negative) that occur when people interact with their surroundings
• Human Geography
o the spatial analysis of human populations, their cultures, their activities and behaviors, and their relationship with and impact on the physical landscapes they occupy
o one of two major divisions (the other is physical geography) of systematic geography
• isolines map *
o a map with continuous lines joining points of the same value
o used to interpret the information on some thematic maps
• legend *
o a key to what the symbols or pictures in a map mean
• location *
o deals with the relative and absolute spatial position of natural and human-made phenomena
• map *
o a graphic representation of the earth’s surface
• movement *
o deals with the migration, transport, communication, and interaction of natural and human-made phenomena across the spatial dimension
• place *
o describes the factors that make the location of natural and human-made phenomena unique
• primary data *
o data that was collected specifically for the purpose of a researcher’s particular study
• secondary data *
o data that was not specifically collected for the purpose of a researcher’s particular study
• simplification * *
o make a geographical map less complicated and complex
• spatial data *
o the data or information that identifies the geographic location of features and boundaries on Earth
o usually stored as coordinates and topology
o is data that can be mapped
o often accessed, manipulated, or analyzed through Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• absolute direction
o direction with respect to cardinal east, west, north, and south reference points
• concentration
o in spatial distributions, the clustering of a phenomenon around a central location
• density
o the quantity of anything (people, buildings, animals, traffic, etc.) per unit area
• dispersion
o in spatial distributions, a statement of the amount of spread of a phenomenon over area or around a central location
o dispersion in this sense represents a continuum from clustered, concentrated, or agglomerated (at one end) to dispersed or scattered (at the other)
• formal region
o a region distinguished by a uniformity of one or more characteristics that an serve as the basis for areal generalization and of contrast with adjacent areas
• functional region
o a region differentiated by what occurs within it rather than by a homogeneity of physical or cultural phenomena
o an earth area recognized as an operational unit based upon defined organization criteria
o the concept of unity is based on interaction and interdependence between different points within the area
• mental map
o (cognitive map)
o the maplike image of the world, country, region, city, or neighborhood a person carries in mind
o the representation is therefore subjective
o it includes knowledge of actual locations and spatial relationships and is colored by personal perceptions and preferences related to a place
• model
o an idealized representation, abstraction, or simulation of reality
o designed to simplify real-world complexity and eliminate extraneous phenomena in order to isolate for detailed study causal factor and interrelationships of spatial systems
• nodal region
o (functional region)
o a region differentiated by what occurs within it rather than by a homogeneity of physical or cultural phenomena
o an earth area recognized as an operational unit based upon defined organization criteria
o the concept of unity is based on interaction and interdependence between different points within the area
• pattern
o the design or arrangement of phenomena in earth space
• perceptual region
o a region perceived to exist by its inhabitants or the general populace
o has reality as an element of popular culture or folk culture represented in the mental maps of average people
• projection
o (map projection)
o a systematic method of transferring the globe grid system from the earth’s curved surface to the flat surface of a map
o automatically incurs error, but an attempt is usually made to preserve one or more (though never all) of the characteristics of the spherical surface: equal area, correct distance, true direction, proper shape
• regional concept
o the view that physical and cultural phenomena on the surface of the earth are rationally arranged by complex, diverse, but comprehensible interrelated spatial processes
• relative direction
o a culturally based locational reference, as the Far West, the Old South, or the Middle East
• spatial distribution
o the arrangement of things ion the earth’s surface
o the descriptive elements of spatial distribution are density, dispersion, and pattern
• spatial interaction
o the movement (e.g., of people, goods, information) between different places
o an indication of interdependence between different geographic locations or areas
• spatial system
o the arrangement and integrated operation of phenomena produced by or responding to spatial processes on the earth’s surface
• uniform region
o (formal region)
o a region distinguished by a uniformity of one or more characteristics that an serve as the basis for areal generalization and of contrast with adjacent areas
HG - Geographical Themes - Stanley
GEOGRAPHICAL THEMES
There are 5 themes that geographers use to organize space:
1. location (where?)
2. places (what is it like?)
3. human and environment interaction (relationship?)
4. movement (of ideas, people, goods)
5. regions (how/why an area is similar to another)
3 important questions about a space:
1. Where is it?
2. Why is it there?
3. What are the consequences of it being there?
Location
• absolute location – latitude/longitude – coordinates?
• relative location – in relation to other areas – how is this location relative to other places?
• How does the importance of this location change over time?
Place
• characteristics of this place that make it different from other places
• physical characteristics
o the natural environment
o examples…
- green areas
- creek
- large body of water (river)
- animals (indigenous, usually)
- vegetation
• human characteristic
o ideas (naming something) and actions (building something)
o examples…
- baseball field, football field
- parking lot, bridges, roads
- language, religion, political ideas
- architecture
- population density
- named both the physical and human characteristics
• man’s names = political (can be changed)
- “no human characteristics”… is a characteristic
• How would you describe it physically?
• What are some of the human characteristics that describe the place?
Human/Environment Interaction
• environment: all living and nonliving things
• humans weaker than the environment
• the environment provides everything
• How has man interacted with the land he’s decided to live on?
• examples…
o added important facilities…
- hospital, school
- church, cemetery = some kind of established religion
- factories
- shopping center = big enough area, money-wise
- tried to even out areas (not all clumped on one part of the land)
o farming – near water
o reservoir
- power?
- steady water supply
o neighborhoods
- organized enough – some kind of town plan
• man can deal with the environment in 3 ways:
o depend on it
- for food, shelter, clothing
o modify it
- for their needs
- example – damming the river to make a reservoir; bridges on creek
o adapt to it
- example – heavy coat for cold weather; lighter or darker cars; air conditioning or heating; how they build their homes (chimney inside or outside, etc.)
Movement
• How/why places are connected
o roads, railroads, airports
o power lines, satellite dishes, radio towers
o creeks, rivers
• people, goods, ideas
• constant!
• a place without good movement will not survive
• Examples of movement in the area?
• Forms of transportation in the space?
• How does the movement affect immigration?
Regions
• no definition until located around something else
• different types/examples…
o town, part of a town
o type of housing, education
o industrial areas
o “Rocky Mountains”
o “Bible Belt”
• can be named by human characteristics
o “Big Apple”
- skyscrapers, tourist areas, Broadway, the subway, taxis, shopping, museums, sports, etc.
• boundaries are usually vague… moveable
• a place can be in multiple regions at one time (has to be in at least one… but can be in many, many more): every area is in a region
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sp6 - Mi Caballo Mago text - Calvar
Probably accurate?
Mi caballo mago
por Sabine R. Ulibarrí
Era blanco. Blanco como el olvido. Era libre. Libre como la alegría. Era la ilusión, la libertad y la emoción. Poblaba y dominaba las serranías y las llanuras de las cercanías. Era un caballo blanco que llenó mi juventud de fantasía y poesía.
Alrededor de las fogatas del campo y en las resolanas del pueblo los vaqueros de esas tierras hablaban de él con entusiasmo y admiración. Y la mirada se volvía turbia y borrosa de ensueño. La animada charla se apagaba. Todos atentos a la visión evocada. Mito del reino animal. Poema del mundo viril.
Blanco y arcano. Paseaba su harén por el bosque de verano en regocijo imperial. El invierno decretaba el llano y la ladera para sus hembras. Veraneaba como rey de oriente en su jardín silvestre. Invernaba como guerrero ilustre que celebra la victoria ganada.
Era leyenda. Eran sin fin las historias que se contaban del caballo brujo. Unas verdad, otras invención. Tantas trampas, tantas redes, tantas expediciones. Todas venidas a menos. El caballo siempre se escapaba, siempre se burlaba, siempre se alzaba por encima del dominio de los hombres. ¡Cuánto valedor no juró ponerle su jáquima y su marca para confesar después que el brujo había sido más hombre que él!
Yo tenía quince años. Y sin haberlo visto nunca el brujo me llenaba ya la imaginación y la esperanza. Escuchaba embobado a mi padre y a sus vaqueros hablar del caballo fantasma que al atraparlo se volvía espuma y aire y nada. Participaba de la obsesión de todos, ambición de lotería, de algún día ponerle yo mi lazo, de hacerlo mío, y lucirlo los domingos por la tarde cuando las muchachas salen a paseo por la calle.
Pleno el verano. Los bosques verdes, frescos y alegres. Las reses lentas, gordas y luminosas en la sombra y en el sol de agosto. Dormitaba yo en un caballo brioso, lánguido y sutil en el sopor del atardecer. Era hora ya de acercarse a la majada, al buen pan y al rancho del rodeo. Ya los compañeros estarían alrededor de la hoguera agitando la guitarra, contando cuentos del pasado o de hoy o entregándose al cansancio de la tarde. El sol se ponía ya, detrás de mí, en escándalos de rayo y color. Silencio orgánico y denso.
Sigo insensible a las reses al abra. De pronto el bosque se calla. El silencio enmudece. La tarde se detiene. La brisa deja de respirar, pero tiembla. El sol se excita. El planeta, la vida y el tiempo se han detenido de una manera inexplicable. Por un instante no sé lo que pasa.
Luego mis ojos aciertan. ¡Allí está! ¡El caballo mago! Al extremo del abra, en un promontorio, rodeado de verde. Hecho estatua, hecho estampa. Línea y forma y mancha blanca en fondo verde. Orgullo, fama y arte en carne animal. Cuadro de belleza encendida y libertad varonil. Ideal invicto y limpio de la eterna ilusión humana. Hoy palpito todo aún al recordarlo.
Silbido. Reto trascendental que sube y rompe la tela virginal de las nubes rojas. Orejas lanzas. Ojos rayos. Cola viva y ondulante, desafío movedizo. Pezuña tersa y destructiva. Arrogante majestad de los campos.
El momento es eterno. La eternidad momentánea. Ya no está, pero siempre estará. Debió de haber yeguas. Yo no las vi. Las reses siguen indiferentes. Mi caballo las sigue y yo vuelvo lentamente del mundo del sueño a la tierra del sudor. Pero ya la vida no volverá a ser lo que antes fue.
Aquella noche bajo las estrellas no dormí. Soñé. Cuánto soñé despierto y cuánto soñé dormido yo no sé. Sólo sé que un caballo blanco pobló mis sueños y los llenó de resonancia y de luz y de violencia.
Pasó el verano y entró el invierno. El verde pasto dio lugar a la blanca nieve. Las manadas bajaron de las sierras a los valles y cañadas. Y en el pueblo se comentaba que el brujo andaba por este o aquel rincón. Yo indagaba por todas partes su paradero. Cada día se me hacía más ideal, más imagen, más misterio.
Domingo. Apenas rayaba el sol de la sierra nevada. Aliento vaporoso. Caballo tembloroso de frío y de ansias. Como yo. Salí sin ir a misa. Sin desayunarme siquiera. Sin pan y sardinas en las alforjas. Había dormido mal y velado bien. Iba en busca de la blanca luz que galopaba en mis sueños.
Al salir del pueblo al campo libre desaparecen los caminos. No hay rastro humano o animal. Silencio blanco, hondo y rutilante. Mi caballo corta el camino con el pecho y deja estela eterna, grieta abierta, en la mar cana. La mirada diestra y atenta puebla el paisaje hasta cada horizonte buscando el noble perfil del caballo místico.
Sería mediodía. No sé. El tiempo había perdido su rigor. Di con él. En una ladera contaminada de sol. Nos vimos al mismo tiempo. Juntos nos hicimos piedra. Inmóvil, absorto y jadeante contemplé su belleza, su arrogancia, su nobleza. Esculpido en mármol, se dejó admirar.
Silbido violento que rompe el silencio. Guante arrojado a la cara. Desafío y decreto a la vez. Asombro nuevo. El caballo que en verano se coloca entre la amenaza y la manada, oscilando a distancia de diestra a siniestra, ahora se lanza a la nieve. Más fuerte que ellas, abre la vereda a las yeguas. y ellas lo siguen. Su fuga es lenta para conservar sus fuerzas.
Sigo. Despacio. Palpitante. Pensando en su inteligencia. Admirando su valentía. Apreciando su cortesía. La tarde se alarga. Mi caballo cebado a sus anchas.
Una a una las yeguas se van cansando. Una a una se van quedando a un lado. ¡Solos! El y yo. La agitación interna reboza a los labios. Le hablo. Me escucha y calla.
El abre el camino y yo sigo por la vereda que me deja. Detrás de nosotros una larga y honda zanja blanca que cruza la llanura. El caballo que ha comido grano y buen pasto sigue fuerte. A él, mal nutrido, se la han agotado las fuerzas. Pero sigue porque es él y porque no sabe ceder.
Encuentro negro y manchas negras por el cuerpo. La nieve y el sudor han revelado la piel negra bajo el pelo. Mecheros violentos de vapor rompen el aire. Espumarajos blancos sobre la blanca nieve. Sudor, espuma y vapor. Ansia.
Me sentí verdugo. Pero ya no había retorno. La distancia entre nosotros se acortaba implacablemente. Dios y la naturaleza indiferentes.
Me siento seguro. Desato el cabestro. Abro el lazo. Las riendas tirantes. Cada nervio, cada músculo alerta y el alma en la boca. Espuelas tensas en ijares temblorosos. Arranca el caballo. Remolineo el cabestro y lanzo el lazo obediente.
Vértigo de furia y rabia. Remolinos de luz y abanicos de transparente nieve. Cabestro que silba y quema en la teja de la silla. Guantes violentos que humean. Ojos ardientes en sus pozos. Boca seca. Frente caliente. Y el mundo se sacude y se estremece. Y se acaba la larga zanja blanca en un ancho charco blanco.
Sosiego jadeante y denso. El caballo mago es mío. Temblorosos ambos, nos miramos de hito en hito por un largo rato. Inteligente y realista, deja de forcejar y hasta toma un paso hacia mí. Yo le hablo. Hablándole me acerco. Primero recula. Luego me espera. Hasta que los dos caballos se saludan a la manera suya. Y por fin llego a alisarle la crin. Le digo muchas cosas, y parece que me entiende.
Por delante y por las huellas de antes lo dirigí hacia el pueblo. Triunfante. Exaltado. Una risa infantil me brotaba. Yo, varonil, la dominaba. Quería cantar y pronto me olvidaba. Quería gritar pero callaba. Era un manojo de alegría. Era el orgullo del hombre adolescente. Me sentí conquistador.
El Mago ensayaba la libertad una y otra vez, arrancándome de mis meditaciones abruptamente. Por unos instantes se armaba la lucha otra vez. Luego seguíamos.
Fue necesario pasar por el pueblo. No había remedio. Sol poniente. Calles de hielo y gente en los portales. El Mago lleno de terror y pánico por la primera vez. Huía y mi caballo herrado lo detenía. Se resbalaba y caía de costalazo. Yo lloré por él. La indignidad. La humillación. La alteza venida a menos. Le rogaba que no forcejara, que se dejara llevar. ¡Cómo me dolió que lo vieran así los otros!
Por fin llegamos a la casa. “¿Qué hacer contigo, Mago? Si te meto en el establo o en el corral, de seguro te haces daño. Además sería un insulto. No eres esclavo. No eres criado. Ni siquiera eres animal.” Decidí soltarlo en el potrero. Allí podría el Mago irse acostumbrando poco a poco a mi amistad y compañía. De ese potrero no se había escapado nunca un animal.
Mi padre me vio llegar y me esperó sin hablar. En la cara le jugaba una sonrisa y en los ojos le bailaba una chispa. Me vio quitarle el cabestro al Mago y los dos lo vimos alejarse, pensativos. Me estrechó la mano un poco más fuerte que de ordinario y me dijo: “Esos son hombres.” Nada más. Ni hacía falta. Nos entendíamos mi padre y yo muy bien. Yo hacía el papel de muy hombre pero aquella risa infantil y aquel grito que me andaban por dentro por poco estropean la impresión que yo quería dar.
Aquella noche casi no dormí y cuando dormí no supe que dormía. Pues el soñar es igual, cuando se sueña de veras, dormido o despierto. Al amanecer yo ya estaba de pie. Tenía que ir a ver al Mago. En cuanto aclaró salí al frío a buscarlo.
El potrero era grande. Tenía un bosque y una cañada. No se veía el Mago en ninguna parte pero yo me sentía seguro. Caminaba despacio, la cabeza toda llena de los acontecimientos de ayer y de los proyectos de mañana. De pronto me di cuenta que había andado mucho. Aprieto el paso. Miro aprensivo a todos lados. Empieza a entrarme el miedo. Sin saber voy corriendo. Cada vez más rápido.
No está. El Mago se ha escapado. Recorro cada rincón donde pudiera haberse agazapado. Sigo la huella. Veo que durante toda la noche el Mago anduvo sin cesar buscando, olfateando, una salida. No la encontró. La inventó.
Seguí la huella que se dirigía directamente a la cerca. Y vi como el rastro no se detenía sino continuaba del otro lado. El alambre era de púa. Y había pelos blancos en el alambre. Había sangre en las púas. Había manchas rojas en la nieve y gotitas rojas en las huellas del otro lado de la cerca.
Allí me detuve. No fui más allá. Sol rayante en la cara. Ojos nublados y llenos de luz. Lágrimas infantiles en mejillas varoniles. Grito hecho nudo en la garganta. Sollozos despacio y silenciosos.
Allí me quedé y me olvidé de mí y del mundo y del tiempo. No sé cómo estuvo, pero mi tristeza era gusto. Lloraba de alegría. Estaba celebrando, por mucho que me dolía, la fuga y la libertad del Mago, la transcendencia de ese espíritu indomable. Ahora seguiría siendo el ideal, la ilusión y la emoción. El Mago era un absoluto. A mí me había enriquecido la vida para siempre.
Allí me halló mi padre. Se acercó sin decir nada y me puso el brazo sobre el hombro. Nos quedamos mirando la zanja blanca con flecos de rojo que se dirigía al sol rayante.
Mi caballo mago
por Sabine R. Ulibarrí
Era blanco. Blanco como el olvido. Era libre. Libre como la alegría. Era la ilusión, la libertad y la emoción. Poblaba y dominaba las serranías y las llanuras de las cercanías. Era un caballo blanco que llenó mi juventud de fantasía y poesía.
Alrededor de las fogatas del campo y en las resolanas del pueblo los vaqueros de esas tierras hablaban de él con entusiasmo y admiración. Y la mirada se volvía turbia y borrosa de ensueño. La animada charla se apagaba. Todos atentos a la visión evocada. Mito del reino animal. Poema del mundo viril.
Blanco y arcano. Paseaba su harén por el bosque de verano en regocijo imperial. El invierno decretaba el llano y la ladera para sus hembras. Veraneaba como rey de oriente en su jardín silvestre. Invernaba como guerrero ilustre que celebra la victoria ganada.
Era leyenda. Eran sin fin las historias que se contaban del caballo brujo. Unas verdad, otras invención. Tantas trampas, tantas redes, tantas expediciones. Todas venidas a menos. El caballo siempre se escapaba, siempre se burlaba, siempre se alzaba por encima del dominio de los hombres. ¡Cuánto valedor no juró ponerle su jáquima y su marca para confesar después que el brujo había sido más hombre que él!
Yo tenía quince años. Y sin haberlo visto nunca el brujo me llenaba ya la imaginación y la esperanza. Escuchaba embobado a mi padre y a sus vaqueros hablar del caballo fantasma que al atraparlo se volvía espuma y aire y nada. Participaba de la obsesión de todos, ambición de lotería, de algún día ponerle yo mi lazo, de hacerlo mío, y lucirlo los domingos por la tarde cuando las muchachas salen a paseo por la calle.
Pleno el verano. Los bosques verdes, frescos y alegres. Las reses lentas, gordas y luminosas en la sombra y en el sol de agosto. Dormitaba yo en un caballo brioso, lánguido y sutil en el sopor del atardecer. Era hora ya de acercarse a la majada, al buen pan y al rancho del rodeo. Ya los compañeros estarían alrededor de la hoguera agitando la guitarra, contando cuentos del pasado o de hoy o entregándose al cansancio de la tarde. El sol se ponía ya, detrás de mí, en escándalos de rayo y color. Silencio orgánico y denso.
Sigo insensible a las reses al abra. De pronto el bosque se calla. El silencio enmudece. La tarde se detiene. La brisa deja de respirar, pero tiembla. El sol se excita. El planeta, la vida y el tiempo se han detenido de una manera inexplicable. Por un instante no sé lo que pasa.
Luego mis ojos aciertan. ¡Allí está! ¡El caballo mago! Al extremo del abra, en un promontorio, rodeado de verde. Hecho estatua, hecho estampa. Línea y forma y mancha blanca en fondo verde. Orgullo, fama y arte en carne animal. Cuadro de belleza encendida y libertad varonil. Ideal invicto y limpio de la eterna ilusión humana. Hoy palpito todo aún al recordarlo.
Silbido. Reto trascendental que sube y rompe la tela virginal de las nubes rojas. Orejas lanzas. Ojos rayos. Cola viva y ondulante, desafío movedizo. Pezuña tersa y destructiva. Arrogante majestad de los campos.
El momento es eterno. La eternidad momentánea. Ya no está, pero siempre estará. Debió de haber yeguas. Yo no las vi. Las reses siguen indiferentes. Mi caballo las sigue y yo vuelvo lentamente del mundo del sueño a la tierra del sudor. Pero ya la vida no volverá a ser lo que antes fue.
Aquella noche bajo las estrellas no dormí. Soñé. Cuánto soñé despierto y cuánto soñé dormido yo no sé. Sólo sé que un caballo blanco pobló mis sueños y los llenó de resonancia y de luz y de violencia.
Pasó el verano y entró el invierno. El verde pasto dio lugar a la blanca nieve. Las manadas bajaron de las sierras a los valles y cañadas. Y en el pueblo se comentaba que el brujo andaba por este o aquel rincón. Yo indagaba por todas partes su paradero. Cada día se me hacía más ideal, más imagen, más misterio.
Domingo. Apenas rayaba el sol de la sierra nevada. Aliento vaporoso. Caballo tembloroso de frío y de ansias. Como yo. Salí sin ir a misa. Sin desayunarme siquiera. Sin pan y sardinas en las alforjas. Había dormido mal y velado bien. Iba en busca de la blanca luz que galopaba en mis sueños.
Al salir del pueblo al campo libre desaparecen los caminos. No hay rastro humano o animal. Silencio blanco, hondo y rutilante. Mi caballo corta el camino con el pecho y deja estela eterna, grieta abierta, en la mar cana. La mirada diestra y atenta puebla el paisaje hasta cada horizonte buscando el noble perfil del caballo místico.
Sería mediodía. No sé. El tiempo había perdido su rigor. Di con él. En una ladera contaminada de sol. Nos vimos al mismo tiempo. Juntos nos hicimos piedra. Inmóvil, absorto y jadeante contemplé su belleza, su arrogancia, su nobleza. Esculpido en mármol, se dejó admirar.
Silbido violento que rompe el silencio. Guante arrojado a la cara. Desafío y decreto a la vez. Asombro nuevo. El caballo que en verano se coloca entre la amenaza y la manada, oscilando a distancia de diestra a siniestra, ahora se lanza a la nieve. Más fuerte que ellas, abre la vereda a las yeguas. y ellas lo siguen. Su fuga es lenta para conservar sus fuerzas.
Sigo. Despacio. Palpitante. Pensando en su inteligencia. Admirando su valentía. Apreciando su cortesía. La tarde se alarga. Mi caballo cebado a sus anchas.
Una a una las yeguas se van cansando. Una a una se van quedando a un lado. ¡Solos! El y yo. La agitación interna reboza a los labios. Le hablo. Me escucha y calla.
El abre el camino y yo sigo por la vereda que me deja. Detrás de nosotros una larga y honda zanja blanca que cruza la llanura. El caballo que ha comido grano y buen pasto sigue fuerte. A él, mal nutrido, se la han agotado las fuerzas. Pero sigue porque es él y porque no sabe ceder.
Encuentro negro y manchas negras por el cuerpo. La nieve y el sudor han revelado la piel negra bajo el pelo. Mecheros violentos de vapor rompen el aire. Espumarajos blancos sobre la blanca nieve. Sudor, espuma y vapor. Ansia.
Me sentí verdugo. Pero ya no había retorno. La distancia entre nosotros se acortaba implacablemente. Dios y la naturaleza indiferentes.
Me siento seguro. Desato el cabestro. Abro el lazo. Las riendas tirantes. Cada nervio, cada músculo alerta y el alma en la boca. Espuelas tensas en ijares temblorosos. Arranca el caballo. Remolineo el cabestro y lanzo el lazo obediente.
Vértigo de furia y rabia. Remolinos de luz y abanicos de transparente nieve. Cabestro que silba y quema en la teja de la silla. Guantes violentos que humean. Ojos ardientes en sus pozos. Boca seca. Frente caliente. Y el mundo se sacude y se estremece. Y se acaba la larga zanja blanca en un ancho charco blanco.
Sosiego jadeante y denso. El caballo mago es mío. Temblorosos ambos, nos miramos de hito en hito por un largo rato. Inteligente y realista, deja de forcejar y hasta toma un paso hacia mí. Yo le hablo. Hablándole me acerco. Primero recula. Luego me espera. Hasta que los dos caballos se saludan a la manera suya. Y por fin llego a alisarle la crin. Le digo muchas cosas, y parece que me entiende.
Por delante y por las huellas de antes lo dirigí hacia el pueblo. Triunfante. Exaltado. Una risa infantil me brotaba. Yo, varonil, la dominaba. Quería cantar y pronto me olvidaba. Quería gritar pero callaba. Era un manojo de alegría. Era el orgullo del hombre adolescente. Me sentí conquistador.
El Mago ensayaba la libertad una y otra vez, arrancándome de mis meditaciones abruptamente. Por unos instantes se armaba la lucha otra vez. Luego seguíamos.
Fue necesario pasar por el pueblo. No había remedio. Sol poniente. Calles de hielo y gente en los portales. El Mago lleno de terror y pánico por la primera vez. Huía y mi caballo herrado lo detenía. Se resbalaba y caía de costalazo. Yo lloré por él. La indignidad. La humillación. La alteza venida a menos. Le rogaba que no forcejara, que se dejara llevar. ¡Cómo me dolió que lo vieran así los otros!
Por fin llegamos a la casa. “¿Qué hacer contigo, Mago? Si te meto en el establo o en el corral, de seguro te haces daño. Además sería un insulto. No eres esclavo. No eres criado. Ni siquiera eres animal.” Decidí soltarlo en el potrero. Allí podría el Mago irse acostumbrando poco a poco a mi amistad y compañía. De ese potrero no se había escapado nunca un animal.
Mi padre me vio llegar y me esperó sin hablar. En la cara le jugaba una sonrisa y en los ojos le bailaba una chispa. Me vio quitarle el cabestro al Mago y los dos lo vimos alejarse, pensativos. Me estrechó la mano un poco más fuerte que de ordinario y me dijo: “Esos son hombres.” Nada más. Ni hacía falta. Nos entendíamos mi padre y yo muy bien. Yo hacía el papel de muy hombre pero aquella risa infantil y aquel grito que me andaban por dentro por poco estropean la impresión que yo quería dar.
Aquella noche casi no dormí y cuando dormí no supe que dormía. Pues el soñar es igual, cuando se sueña de veras, dormido o despierto. Al amanecer yo ya estaba de pie. Tenía que ir a ver al Mago. En cuanto aclaró salí al frío a buscarlo.
El potrero era grande. Tenía un bosque y una cañada. No se veía el Mago en ninguna parte pero yo me sentía seguro. Caminaba despacio, la cabeza toda llena de los acontecimientos de ayer y de los proyectos de mañana. De pronto me di cuenta que había andado mucho. Aprieto el paso. Miro aprensivo a todos lados. Empieza a entrarme el miedo. Sin saber voy corriendo. Cada vez más rápido.
No está. El Mago se ha escapado. Recorro cada rincón donde pudiera haberse agazapado. Sigo la huella. Veo que durante toda la noche el Mago anduvo sin cesar buscando, olfateando, una salida. No la encontró. La inventó.
Seguí la huella que se dirigía directamente a la cerca. Y vi como el rastro no se detenía sino continuaba del otro lado. El alambre era de púa. Y había pelos blancos en el alambre. Había sangre en las púas. Había manchas rojas en la nieve y gotitas rojas en las huellas del otro lado de la cerca.
Allí me detuve. No fui más allá. Sol rayante en la cara. Ojos nublados y llenos de luz. Lágrimas infantiles en mejillas varoniles. Grito hecho nudo en la garganta. Sollozos despacio y silenciosos.
Allí me quedé y me olvidé de mí y del mundo y del tiempo. No sé cómo estuvo, pero mi tristeza era gusto. Lloraba de alegría. Estaba celebrando, por mucho que me dolía, la fuga y la libertad del Mago, la transcendencia de ese espíritu indomable. Ahora seguiría siendo el ideal, la ilusión y la emoción. El Mago era un absoluto. A mí me había enriquecido la vida para siempre.
Allí me halló mi padre. Se acercó sin decir nada y me puso el brazo sobre el hombro. Nos quedamos mirando la zanja blanca con flecos de rojo que se dirigía al sol rayante.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)