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  Early America’s Most Important...

  Editors Charles River

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  Throughout his presidency at the beginning of the 19th century, Thomas Jefferson had worried about the future of the western U.S., seeing that settlements in the Ohio Valley and lower South relied upon the Mississippi River. France’s controls over the region, in his estimation, put the U.S. at a severe disadvantage. His solution proved successful beyond his wildest imagination, for Napoleon did not only sell New Orleans to the U.S, the portion that Jefferson instructed his ministers to make an offer on, but all of “New France,” the entire area of Louisiana. Jefferson might have said later that his purchase of the territory “strained” but did not “break” the Constitution, but also should have boasted that, with one stroke, he had removed one less obstacle to American expansionism. The Louisiana Purchase encompassed all or part of 15 current U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, and it allowed Jefferson to plan something he had talked about since taking office: an expedition deep into the unmapped and largely unknown continent with the final destination being the Pacific Ocean. This could prove the most significant of the goals that Jefferson - a person who thought of himself as a scientifically-minded thinker - wanted to accomplish as president. 
  	In the aftermath of the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition was a much-heralded blow for American rights in the face of international competition, but that was only one of four expeditions authorized by Jefferson. Four years before Lewis and Clark set off, an army officer from New Jersey led two long-distance treks, one northward to the headwaters of the Mississippi River and the other to the Southwest. These were the only expeditions authorized by Jefferson while they were already en route, planned and launched by subordinates within the military. Indeed, the career of Zebulon Pike was “dominated by ambiguously motivated explorations of the American West.”

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  Cinema's Original Sin - DW...

  Paul McEwan

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  For over a century, cinephiles and film scholars have had to grapple with an ugly artifact that sits at the beginnings of film history. D. W. Griffith's profoundly racist epic, The Birth of a Nation, inspired controversy and protest at its 1915 release and was defended as both a true history of Reconstruction (although it was based on fiction) and a new achievement in cinematic art. Paul McEwan examines the long and shifting history of its reception, revealing how the film became not just a cinematic landmark but also an influential force in American aesthetics and intellectual life. 
   
   
   
  In every decade since 1915, filmmakers, museums, academics, programmers, and film fans have had to figure out how to deal with this troublesome object, and their choices have profoundly influenced both film culture and the notion that films can be works of art. Some critics tried to set aside the film's racism and concentrate on the form, while others tried to relegate that racism safely to the past. McEwan argues that from the earliest film retrospectives in the 1920s to the rise of remix culture in the present day, controversies about this film and its meaning have profoundly shaped our understandings of film, race, and art. 
   
   
   
  Contains mature themes.

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  Triggered Literature - Triggered...

  John Sutherland

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  Amid the flames of the culture wars, politicians have taken up arms over controls on literary culture, spurred on in part by universities 'triggering' canonical texts. Jonathan Swift's 'Battle of the Books' has flared up again. But is 'triggering' utter wokery or responsible pedagogic practice?
  Through dozens of case studies of triggered works, from Romeo and Juliet to Gender Queer, John Sutherland explores the recent phenomenon of triggering and its consequences for university English departments and literature itself. He maintains that what is routinely overlooked in the heat of polemic is that triggering is categorically different from traditional institutional (religious, educational, dictatorial) controls on literature. Triggering is in essence an alert. Done responsibly it does not erase or meddle; it stimulates curiosity and thought. It honours the fact that great literature is great because it is, as Franz Kafka says, powerful.
  In this characteristically nuanced and calmly objective study, the witty literary critic guides us through the increasingly rocky terrain of triggering. His advice rings clear: literature matters, to us and what we make of our world, and it must be handled with critical care.

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  First Time Gay - His Cellmates...

  Ricky Hard

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  Steve’s relatively cushy existence in prison changes when he’s informed a new inmate has been assigned to share his cell. His despondency about the arrangement changes when the man arrives.  
  Instant attraction wasn’t what he expected, but there’s no ignoring it, and he can’t resist the dominance of an older man who wants to play with his nubile young body. 

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  Crazy Town - The Rob Ford Story

  Robyn Doolittle

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  His drug- and alcohol-fueled antics made world headlines and engulfed a city in unprecedented controversy. Toronto mayor Rob Ford’s personal and political troubles have occupied center stage in North America’s fourth-largest city since news broke that drug dealers were selling a videotape of Ford appearing to smoke crack cocaine.  
  Reporter Robyn Doolittle was one of three journalists to view the video and report on its contents in May 2013. Her dogged pursuit of the story has uncovered disturbing details about the mayor’s past and embroiled the Toronto police, city councillors, and ordinary citizens in a raucous debate about the future of the city. 
  Even before those explosive events, Ford was a divisive figure. A populist and successful city councillor, he was an underdog to become mayor in 2010. His politics and mercurial nature have split the amalgamated city in two. 
  But there is far more to the story. The Ford family has a long, unhappy history of substance abuse and criminal behavior. Despite their troubles, they are also one of the most ambitious families in Canada. Those close to the Fords say they often compare themselves to the Kennedys and believe they were born to lead.  
  Fast paced and insightful, Crazy Town is a page-turning portrait of a troubled man, a formidable family, and a city caught in an astonishing scandal.

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  The Future of Xi's China -...

  Alessia Amighini

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  At the upcoming 20th Party Congress, which opens Sunday in China, Xi Jinping is expected to be confirmed as the country's Secretary General for an unprecedented third term. At a time of international instability caused by the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine, as well as rising competition between international superpowers, the Chinese leadership is called to increase the country's international standing, while ensuring economic growth at the domestic level. However, achieving these goals will not be without challenges.
  This Report analyses China's hard road to international prestige and development. Which prospects for China's economic growth? Which obstacles to its rise at the global level? To which extent can the Party steer the country's direction?

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