■ Wednesday, the author’s
works will be examined in
terms of environment.
ByQukiiMcCoy
Sfaffwriter
Willa Catheys work brought the
grasslands of Nebraska to life for the
rest of die United States. In' all of her
books, her love for die state has been
evident.
This Wednesday, the Paul A. Olson
' Seminars, part of the Great Plains
Studies program, will present an open
discussion using one of Cather’s most
recognized works, “O Pioneers!,” as a
reference.
The seminar, titled “Willa Cather’s
Sense of Place: A Multidisciplinary
Panel Presentation,” will cover
Cather’s work in terms of the environ
ment and how she paid tribute to the
principles of ecology and aesthetics in
her fiction.
The discussion will be lead by Ann
Billesbach, head of reference services
at the Nebraska State Historical
Society; James Estes, director of the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln State
Museum; Steven Ryan, director of
education and outreach at the Willa
Cather Pioneer Memorial and
Education Foundation; and Susan
Rosowski, an Adele Hall
Distinguished Professor of English at
UNL and organizer of the seminar.
Estes said part of the discussion
will involve looking at how Cather
viewed Nebraska as a whole.
“Part of this discussion will look at
Cather’s weak to show what it’s like to
be a Nebraskan,” he said. “Cather was
a key person in putting this state in per
spective.”
Cather was influenced by the work
of botanist Charles Bessey as well as
the founder of modern ecology,
Frederic Clements.
Though she was not born in
Nebraska, Cather lived most of her life
in the state and attended UNL as an
undergraduate.
“Willa Cather’s Sense of Place”
will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the Great
Plains Art Collection gallery in Love
Library, 13th and R streets. It is open to
the public.
Children’s film reigns at box office
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The big
screen adventures of Pikachu had
children and parents shelling out
about $32.4 million to enter the fanta
sy world of Pokemon, making it the
No. 1 film at the weekend box office,
according to industry estimates
released Sunday.
“Pokemon: The First Movie” con
tinues to ride a wave of popularity
among elementary school-aged chil
dren. _ . *
' The animated Warner Bros, film,
which follows Pikachu and friends as
they battle a bio-engineered foe, has
earned $52.1 million since its debut
Wednesday, a new five-day record for
animated features.
“Pokemon couldn’t be hotter than
it is right now,” said Paul
Dergarabedian, president of
Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc., which
tracks the box office. “Kids are insa
tiable for entertainment, and they’ll
consume everything that comes out
in a big way.”
The film has been helped by an
ongoing fervor among children for
Pokemon trading cards and a tie-in
promotional campaign with Burger
King. For the uninitiated, Pokemon is
a blend of the words “pocket mon
6i
Pokemon couldn t be hotter than it is right
now. Kids are insatiable for entertainment.”
Emjl Dergarabedian
Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. president
star.” It started as a Japanese cartoon
and caught on in the United. States as
a Nintendo game and trading-card
series.
Last week’s top film, “The Bone
Collector,” took the No. 2 spot with
an estimated $12 million in ticket
sales. The movie stars Denzel
Washington as a bedridden New Yotk
cop who tries to track down a serial
killer.
The debut of director Kevin
Smith’s controversial film “Dogma”
ranked third with $8.8 million. The
movie has raised the ire of some
Roman Catholics for its irreverent
look at the nature of faith.
“Sometimes there’s no such thing
as bad press,” said Dergarabedian.
“Film recognition and awareness by
an audience are really important, and
the director has been pounding the
pavement pretty hard.”
Moviegoers benefited from a
wide range of choices this weekend
with films for all ages and back
grounds, Dergarabedian said.
Audiences, for example, contin
ued to spook themselves with “The
Sixth Sense ” starring Bruce Willis.
The movie finished 10* in the week
end tally with $2.7 million and has
earned $267.8 million since debuting
15 weeks ago.
The film could reach the $300
million plateau if it receives a Golden
Globe or Oscar nomination, said
Chuck Viane, president of distribu
tion for Disney’s Buena Vista
Pictures.
Estimated ticket sales were from
Friday through Sunday at North
American theaters, according to
Exhibitor Relations.
_ ...... • A
Radio is king of media in Jamaican life
KINGSTON, Jamaica.(AP) —
Like many other Jamaicans,
Christopher Castriota spends his
afternoons listening to die radio.
But he gets paid for it: As director
of community relations at the
Ministry of Water, Castriota monitors
radio talk shows to find out where taps
are dry.
“On many occasions when people
have problems with their water, they
don’t call the ministry or the water
commission,” Castriota saldLwith a
sigh. “They jump on the phone and
caU a talk show!” v
11’s not surprising. While other
media may rjile elsewhere, these are
still radio days in Jamaica. V
.A strong oral tradition brought
over by. African staves, low incomes,
v love of music and distrust efauthority
*11 cpnsHfcfed'&ctyrs inradio’s
popuUraty in Jamaica. . J -
These days, the freewheeling
medium mpreasingiy is an outlet for
frustrations with politicians’ misdeeds
• and die government’s inability to stem
violence and crime or ease poverty.
“In the field, on the bus, in the
office, in cars, in factories, in market
places^ people listen to the radio all
day,” said talk show host Barbara
Gloudon. “It is more accessible than
die television.”
The island of about 2.5 million
people has 1.9 million radios — the
highest ratio in the Caribbean and
much higher than in many developed
countries. By contrast, government
figures showonly 330,000 television
sets. Newspaper readershq> is relatives
ly low, and Internet useis limited.
Radio’s power was highlighted
during a recent uproar avk the politi
cal violence of the l970s, a ti&eytfeen
Jamaica’s two main political pities
gJe. a^ow^rtrqg
Atjout of national soul-searching
was set in motion when former politi
cians confessed on the radio to then
misdeeds during that era.
“The talk shows have acted like a
safety valve,” said Aggrey Brown, a
communications professor at the
University of the West Indies. “People
get to vent their frustrations, whether
at the water commission, the condi
tion of the roads or the politicians ”
Particularly popular is Winston
“Baba Urnde” Whitter, who skewers
the country^ leaders as corrupt and is
die only major radio personality who
uses Jamaican “patois” instead of
standard English.
- Jt*oi everyone is impressed with;
“We are trying to monitor the
cprije programs for libel and sedition," l
saidRalston Smith, an aide to Prime,
*he point ofactuafy incitingrebeflidn,
we’ll have to do something about
that”
Joe Didn’t
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to the Signs...
■
Until he hit one.
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. s.. %■, .rSr.'fii- •
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