18 pages., via online journal., This essay explores the different meanings of the 1960s’ pesticide controversy
as conveyed by the multiple representations of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring
(1962). I argue that to understand the impact of Carson’s work on a heterogeneous audience in the early ’60s, we must move beyond an examination
of the book, Silent Spring, to consider its other media manifestations, as a
serialization for The New Yorker and as a television expose for “CBS Reports.” ´
Each conveyed a unique message stylized for the audience of that particular
media. This analysis demonstrates the problems and opportunities for scholars
attempting to gauge the influence of a book on the public understanding of
science. This argument also suggests that to understand the transition of
environmentalism from a grass-roots movement to near universal consensus,
we need to examine carefully the role of media in shaping divergent messages
for different audiences—a phenomenon that assisted in transforming local
environmental issues into a matter of national concern.
search through journal, Most of the techniques necessary for the betterment of agriculture in developing countries are already available, but the necessary skills in their use are frequently lacking. The author describes a series of training courses which have been organized by Shell with the assistance of the Overseas Unit of Wolverhampton Polytechnic. The object had been to train extension workers in government service so that they can, in turn, most effectively pass on their skills to small farmers. Crop protection has been a central, but by no means the only, component of the courses.
