All posts by Jeremiah Edwards

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National Women’s Month Profile: Albion Fellows Bacon

Photo caption: Albion Fellows Bacon is referred to as Indiana’s Municipal Housekeeper.

By Jeremiah Edwards

The Progressive Era, from the 1890s to the 1920s, was an era of intense social and political reform aimed at making progress towards a better society. During this era issues such as labor rights, women’s suffrage, economic reform, environmental protections, public housing reform, and the welfare of the poor were all addressed. Indiana had its own reformer, someone who wanted to better the spaces people lived in, a woman who would become Indiana’s Municipal Housekeeper: Albion Fellows Bacon.

Bacon was an American reformer and writer. She’s largely remembered for her efforts to improve public housing standards. Bacon was very involved in tenement reform and was vital in the passage of legislation to improve housing conditions in Indiana in 1909, 1913, and 1917. 

 Bacon was born on April 8, 1865, in Evansville Indiana. She was the youngest daughter of Reverend Albion Fellows and Mary Fellows and a younger sister to writer Annie Fellows Johnston. 

After the passing of Bacon’s father a few weeks before her birth, Albion’s mother Mary returned to her hometown of McCutchanville, Indiana. Bacon would attribute her early life in a small, rural town as her motivation for her efforts to achieve urban reform. 

Bacon would go on to graduate from Evansville High School in 1883, she would then work for her sister, Annie Fellows Johnston, who would become a professional writer, as her secretary during her tour in Europe. 

On October 11, 1888, Bacon would marry Hillary Bacon, the owner of Woolworth’s shop in Evansville. The couple would have four children together. 

At the turn of the century, Bacon would become very concerned about the effects of industrialization and urbanization. Her main interest was improving living conditions in Evansville. Bacon then became active in her community; she volunteered as a “friendly visitor” for local charities. She helped organize a Flower Mission group, which donated and distributed flowers to poor working girls.  She formed an Anti-Tuberculosis League that would help with preventing the development of tuberculosis, and also a Working Girls’ Association, that helped young women that were working in factories and mills. The association would later affiliate itself with the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) in Evansville. Bacon was also a part of the Monday Night Club, a group of influential individuals interested in charitable work, her focus being its housing committee. 

Bacon showed her dedication and determination to achieve her goals by attending every session of the Indiana General Assembly from 1909 and 1917 due to her agreement with the Indianapolis Commercial Club. The Indianapolis Commercial Club would sponsor her legislation if she attended sessions of the Indiana General Assembly. During her time attending these assemblies, Bacon would garnish support for her legislation from other groups.

Even after achieving her primary goal of establishing a state-wide  law, Bacon would continue working as a social welfare activist. In 1917 she became chair of the Child Welfare Committee, a part of the Women’s Section of the Indiana State Council of Defense. She would then work on the passage of school attendance laws and establish a juvenile probation system.

An organization was named in her honor, Albion Fellows Bacon Center, located in Evansville. The organization currently provides such things as residential and non-residential services, community outreach, primary abuse prevention, sexual assault help, legal advocacy, as well as children’s and crisis response programs.

Bacon would die of heart failure on December 10, 1933, at her home in Evansville. She is praised as a symbol of the housing reform movement and Evansville’s best known and most loved woman. 

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Albion-Fellows-Bacon

Women’s History Month: Albion Fellows Bacon
feature, opinion

No Time to Die: Bond movie reaches Thrilling Conclusion

by Caleb Curry/Staff Writer

James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Paloma (Ana de Armas) share a drink in Cuba in No Time to Die.

The 2021 film No Time to Die is the 25th James Bond movie to hit the big screens. Daniel Craig plays the British spy James Bond once again. Craig is seen as one of the series’ best Bond actors, and has acted out Bond for the new age.

No Time to Die is Daniel Craig’s fifth James Bond movie. The film takes place five years after the end of 2015’s Spectre. The film’s main cast include: Daniel Craig as James Bond, Lashana Lynch as Nomi, Léa Seydoux as Madeleine, Rami Malek as Safin, and Ana de Armas as Paloma. The director, Cary Joji Fukunaga, was tasked with the job of closing out the Craig Bond series in an epic way. The movie was filmed all over the world with locations such as Cuba, Jamaica, London, and Italy. The score of the movie is done by the award winning Hans Zimmer. The film began production in 2019 and was set to release fall of 2020; however with the pandemic going on the studio made the decision to delay the film’s release until 2021.

Overall in my opinion the film No Time to Die is a well-made enjoyable film. That being said there are some flaws in the way the story is told, but overall is fun to watch. The problems with the movie come in the length and the characters. The film’s runtime is 2 hours and 43 minutes making it the longest James Bond movie ever. The film however feels about an hour too long; the movie would be much more enjoyable had it only gone for 1 hour and 40 minutes. The other problem with the movie are some of the characters. The antagonist Safin has virtually no development and is thrown into the plot seemingly at the last minute. Nomi is a character that I feel is unnecessary in the movie, her character is not very likeable and in the end does not serve a point in the climax of the movie. The other character that is a problem is Ana de Armas’ character Paloma. Paloma is a well done character; however, the biggest problem is she isn’t in the movie for longer. Although Bond does not need a sidekick or partner the writers gave him one in Nomi, and I think this role would be much better if it was Paloma.

The plot of the movie takes too long to develop. Due to the runtime of the movie, the overall plot of the story takes too long to develop. We know there is a bioweapon, and James Bond needs to stop it, but a true structural antagonist is not made clear until very late in the film. The plot is not a unique idea, it is the typical action hero needs to stop the villain from trying to commit some crime. It is a plot formula that is not original; however, in a movie like No Time to Die it does not detract from the entertainment value the acting and choreography bring.

Despite the flaws in the movie the good far outweighs the bad. The movie is beautifully shot and the plot, while not incredible, is enough to keep the viewer entertained. Daniel Craig gives an incredible portrayal of James Bond. Craig brings a certain aspect to the role that leads to why he is considered by some to be the best Bond yet. Every action scene in the movie is well done with excellent fight choreography. One of the staples of a Bond movie is the song that is written for the opening credits. This film’s song was No Time to Die by Billie Eilish which, like the movie, is not a masterpiece, however it is enjoyable. I think the best part of the movie is the closure it gives for 2015’s Spectre. No Time to Die is built as a finale to the 2015 film, bringing back multiple characters while also introducing new ones. Spectre left so much still to be explored with closure still not given. No Time to Die answers those questions that were left unanswered.

The score is a key aspect in a movie that often goes unappreciated. Hans Zimmer has worked on movies such as The Lion King, Inception, and The Dark Knight. He is well respected and very well known across the film industry, and his work on this movie shows why. The score is upbeat and fast during chase scenes and slow and solemn during serious scenes. The film’s score can give you insight into what is going on in Bond’s head, when he is smooth and in control the score tends to be the typical fun sounding 007 theme. To contrast that, when Bond is out of control and chaotic the score shifts into more of a fast-paced music. When you are watching a movie you often don’t realize how important a score is in the success of a movie. In No Time to Die the score, while subtle, remains to be one of the most impressive aspects of the film.

No Time to Die is far from a perfect film, however it is still good. The movie bodes well for the future of James Bond in the years to come. I would recommend watching the movie in theaters if you get the chance, and definitely as it becomes accessible digitally.

opinion

Have we lost the true meaning of thanksgiving?

by Jeremiah Edwards/Staff Writer

Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans celebrating thanksgiving Photo from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thanksgiving-Day

A holiday and tradition held by many in the United States and Canada, dating all the way back to its start in 1621: Thanksgiving. The Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans would come together to celebrate one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies, though many claim to have had the “first” Thanksgiving. This day is heavily regarded by historians as the first true celebration of gratitude. Now, in the present day, it’s a good question to revisit : Do we still value the meaning and purpose of Thanksgiving, or are they buried by the excitement of the Christmas season? 

A time to give thanks for all the fortunes obtained in the past year has now turned into a rush to purchase gifts for the holiday season. Black Friday completely overshadows Thanksgiving. Once the clocks hit 12am, it seems everything about Thanksgiving is lost in memory. In a survey taken by finder.com, 28% of the surveyed American adults will participate in deals on Black Friday in 2021, while 58% say they’ll participate in other holiday deals. Countries all over the world are prepared for Christmas even before the start of December. It’s starting to seem like an obligation for some people to host a Thanksgiving dinner. 

Whether you’re religious or not, there’s still a spiritual aspect of Thanksgiving. If you just flip flop the two words that make up “Thanksgiving” you have your answer: giving thanks. In better terms, gratitude. Remember the Gratitude song from the beloved show “Spongebob Square Pants.” Yeah, that’s what it’s all about: being grateful for all the good things life’s handing you on a silver platter, though when the last Thursday of November comes people only see it as a day for a big feast and to eat as much as they want. “Turkey Day” is a nickname for the day held by many, presenting the possibility that maybe it’s the only reason they celebrate Thanksgiving. How could you show gratitude in the spirit of thanksgiving? Donating to a food pantry or charity, or inviting those who may not have anyone to spend Thanksgiving with to spend it with you is a great way to give to those who are less fortunate.

Why should you give thanks and show gratitude about the people or things around you? According to Harvard Health, showing gratitude actually makes you happier. A study carried out by Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, the leading scientific expert on gratitude, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami put people into three groups to see what happened when people thought about their blessings. The first group would write about things that occurred in their week that made them grateful. The second group would write about things that irritated or displeased them during the week. The third group would write about events that affected them with context on whether or not the events were positive or negative. After 10 weeks, the first group proved to be more optimistic and felt better about their lives.

Thanksgiving is meant to give you a dose of optimism about your life, a chance to reflect on all the good present in your life, not to be the kickstart to the shopping season or being stressed about what you’re going to get someone that you only see once or twice a year. Thanksgiving is more than just a feast

feature

Students discuss GC publication classes

by Zero Dailey/Staff Writer

Photo Caption: Lauren Blasko and Ben Brunsting, 11, discuss the finer aspects of journalism. Photo by Zero Dailey

Greenfield-Central offers multiple classes such as journalism, newspaper, and yearbook for any student interested in writing. For those who want to learn more about these classes, Benjamin Brunsting, junior, Lauren Blasko, junior, and Hayley Herrin, sophomore, share their experiences in these classes.  

Benjamin Brunsting, a newspaper and journalism student, said he has learned useful information and good life skills from taking this class. 

“I did learn how to be more productive which has and will continue to help me throughout my life,” he said. “I learned how to be productive from being a procrastinator and putting my story off till the last week and then rushing around to get everything ready.”

Brunsting has inspirations of his own to continue this class. He said what got him into newspaper class was a desire to grow as an editor. 

“After high school I plan to go to school for Radio/TV and experience with news and editing could help me become better for the sake of accomplishing that goal,” he adds. 

For many students in these writing classes, coming up with something to write about or how to go about writing it can be difficult. Brunsting said that something that helps him stay on task and complete stories is “caffeine.” 

“For me personally the hardest part is coming up with a topic because once I have one I can use it as a goal to reach,” said Brunsting. 

Brunsting has a certain preference when writing stories. His topic of choice lets him have fun with his writing and makes it easier to enjoy the process. “My personal favorite type of news story to write is closer in nature to being a research paper,” Brunsting stated. 

For Brunsting, the writing process can be a very satisfying experience once it all comes together. 

“The feeling of creating a story and spinning words to create that story is wonderful to me,” he said. “I enjoy the feeling of having an idea go from just a couple of words to several full length paragraphs.”

Lauren Blasko, a journalism student, said she really enjoys being a part of the class. Her favorite part of the class is the freedom of writing about what you want and expressing yourself through the pieces of writing she does. 

“I like how freely I am able to write about subjects, and every time I write when I get criticism about it, I always want to improve,” Blasko said. 

What helps Blasko write her stories is finding information about things most students don’t know about, “especially behind the scenes of something.”

“I’m a person that really enjoys talking to people and debating things so when it came to the creative project I really liked the idea of arguing something,” said Blasko. 

She said she likes talking to people, and with that she likes finding out new information from teachers and other students that she’s close to. 

“My inspiration is to give people different perspectives of people. For example Mr. Wing is only really known as the band director but most people don’t know he has four children,” Blasko added.

She said she wants to show other students that teachers and staff have a life just outside of just school.

Blasko stated that sometimes she finds writing or coming up with news stories to be a little challenging. She added that the topics are mostly serious, so she find that it can be difficult to find a subject that people would be interested in.

Hayley Herrin, a sophomore in yearbook, said that the class is always a fun environment. She said, “It is a class where you get to be creative, and have your own ideas.”

    “My inspiration for writing is I love writing about all of the events and memories we make throughout the school year. I love seeing the smile it puts on the students’ faces,” Herrin said, “when I got my yearbook at the end of each school year, I remembered how much it put a smile on my face. So, I wanted to be a part of that, and help put together our school memories.”

    Herrin talked a little bit about how she prepares for writing and editing by getting all the necessary material she needs to begin writing.

“I like to have everything organized, and ready to go by the time it comes to actually editing the yearbook,” she said. 

She said she comes up with the things she writes by remembering it all needs to circle around the theme for the Greenfield yearbook for the year.

Herrin said, “Being in yearbook class has changed my perspective on life so much. Putting the yearbook together has shown me how one picture can really tell a story.”