Alexander the Great, the dahlia, and the tortoise

Some of the problems of establishing the cause of the death of Alexander the Great are like the attempts to find causes other than hysteria for Anna O.'s symptoms. The more general problem of using plausibility as a criterion of the truth of such reconstructions are illustrated by the arguments embedded in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia.

Forward gaily together : the school music compositions of Samuel McBurney

As one of the leading figures in nineteenth century school music in Victoria and more widely in Australia, Samuel McBurney contributed significantly to the promotion of Tonic Sol-fa as a music teaching method as well as to supporting the role of music as a subject in the school curriculum. However his role also extended to that of composer of vocal and choral works for both adults and children. Although largely conforming to the established genre of choral writing of his time, McBurney’s compositional output nevertheless represents a variety of styles ranging from lieder to school and popular songs, and from children’s cantatas to celebratory and patriotic anthems.

This paper considers a representative sample of McBurney’s compositional output in the light of both its musical and extra-musical content. It is argued that his compositions represent several important themes that emerged in Australian colonial society during the latter part of the nineteenth century. His music contributed not only to the moral and aesthetic development of school children but also supported the growing tide of nationalism (which resulted in Federation in 1901) in adult choral music making. Moreover, particularly in relation to his school cantatas, McBurney continued the tradition established by earlier school music composers in Australia - such as James Fisher in New South Wales - by providing a repertoire of choral music for use in schools which, to the present day with the current vogue for school musical productions, continues to be a source of enjoyment, celebration and 'healthful recreation' for young people.

Contemporary poetry and the sacred: Vincent Buckley, Les Murray and Samuel Wagan Watson

VINCENT Buckley's Golden Builders and Other Poems (1976) is an important poetic experiment in its direct and exulted address to the city and to the sacred. The city is Melbourne in which Buckley lived, worked and wrote for forty years. In the original volume, the epigraph to the twenty-seven part sequence 'Golden Builders' is from William Blake's Jerusalem, a profound and idiosyncratic yoking together of the corporeal and the sacred

Bioinformatic workflows : G-PIPE as an implementation

We present G-PIPE, a graphic pipeline generator for PISE that allows the definition of pipelines, parameterization of its component methods, and storage of metadata in XML formats. Our implementation goes beyond macro capacities currently in PISE. As the entire analysis protocol is defined in XML, a complete bioinformatic experiment (linked sets of methods, parameters and results) can be reproduced or shared among users. We also discuss the role of ontologies as as guidance systems in order to provide users with the possibility to define abstract work-flows, and execute them. A relevant baseline ontology is presented. Availability: http://if-web.imb.uq.edu.au

Growing community : the impact of the Stephanie Alexander kitchen garden program on the social and learning environment in primary schools

This article presents results from a mixed-method evaluation of a structured cooking and gardening program in Australian primary schools, focusing on program impacts on the social and learning environment of the school. In particular, we address the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program objective of providing a pleasurable experience that has a positive impact on student engagement, social connections, and confidence within and beyond the school gates. Primary evidence for the research question came from qualitative data collected from students, parents, teachers, volunteers, school principals, and specialist staff through interviews, focus groups, and participant observations. This was supported by analyses of quantitative data on child quality of life, cooperative behaviors, teacher perceptions of the school environment, and school-level educational outcome and absenteeism data. Results showed that some of the program attributes valued most highly by study participants included increased student engagement and confidence, opportunities for experiential and integrated learning, teamwork, building social skills, and connections and links between schools and their communities. In this analysis, quantitative findings failed to support findings from the primary analysis. Limitations as well as benefits of a mixed-methods approach to evaluation of complex community interventions are discussed.

Promoting appreciation of cultural diversity and inclusion with the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen garden program

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present emergent findings from an evaluation of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden (SAKG) Program showing that the program promoted appreciation of cultural diversity and inclusion of culturally diverse groups. Design/methodology/approach – The findings reported here are from the qualitative component of a mixed-method, nonrandomized, pre- and post-comparison evaluation study. Focus groups and interviews were held with school principals, teachers, program specialist staff, parents, volunteers and children at the program schools. Findings – In a culturally diverse school, the program enhanced the school’s capacity to engage and include children and families from migrant backgrounds. In less diverse settings, the program provided opportunities for schools to teach children about cultural diversity. Research limitations/implications – Assessing the program’s impact on multicultural education was not a specific objective of this study, rather these findings emerged as an unanticipated outcome during interviews and focus groups that explored participants’ views on important changes to schools associated with the program. Thus, the quantitative component of the evaluation did not assess the extent of this program impact and further research is recommended. Practical implications – The program may have particular value in culturally diverse schools, providing benefits in terms of engagement of children and families and potentially, in the longer term, associated improvements in learning outcomes. Social implications – These findings suggest that the program can help to promote social equity and inclusion for culturally diverse groups. Originality/value – This paper highlights critical equity implications associated with school-based programs’ capacity to include culturally and linguistically diverse groups.