Syllogism is a rhetorical device that starts an argument with a reference to something general, and from this it draws a conclusion about something more specific.  We start with a general argument “All men are mortal.”  We know that John is a man, so John is mortal.  It is a deductive approach to reason, and is based on deducing specific conclusions from general facts.  We notice in the example that syllogism is a three-part set of statements:  a major statement or premise; a minor statement or premise; a conclusion that is deduced.  Therefore, “All men are mortal” is a major statement or premise, which stands as a general fact.  “John is a man” is minor statement or premise that is specific, and “John is mortal” is the logical conclusion deduced from the two prior statements.  Syllogism takes the form of enthymeme when it is compressed.  Enthymeme combines the minor premise and the conclusion, omitting the major statement.  For instance, a syllogism “All dogs are canine.  Tommy is a dog.  Therefore, Tommy is a canine,” can be compressed in an enthymeme as “Tommy is a canine because it is a dog.”  The major premise remains implied or hidden.  Syllogism may also be used to form incorrect conclusions that are odd.  For instance, “All crows are black, and the bird in my cage is black.  So, the bird in my cage is a crow.”  This is a false argument, as it implies a conclusion that “all blackbirds are crows,” which is incorrect.  It is known as “syllogism fallacy.”  Another example of syllogism fallacy is “Some televisions are black and white, and all penguins are black and white.  Therefore, some televisions are penguins.”  You can easily see that the conclusion is practically impossible, and in fact has a comical outcome.  See examples of syllogisms in literature at https://literarydevices.net/syllogism/  See also https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/medieval-syllogism/ 

6/21/18   RAPID CITY, S.D. — Two lawsuits filed by South Dakota inmates allege the state Department of Corrections’ tablet computers are blocking access to the courts.  Rex Gard, an inmate at Mike Durfee State Prison, filed the second tablet-related lawsuit in federal court on June 19, 2018, the Rapid City Journal reported.  Gard alleges that the tablet software is prone to malfunctions and doesn’t provide access to legal databases as promised.  South Dakota opted for the tablets in lieu of paying legal aides and furnishing a law library last year.  The Corrections Department insisted that inmates could access the necessary legal documents to help in filing appeals and other civil documents through their tablets.  “The Lexis/Nexis application has been, despite frequent assurances that repairs were underway, only intermittently active since 2017, leaving many inmates with no access to the case law and statutes theoretically available on the tablets,” Gard’s lawsuit stated.  Another inmate at the same prison filed a similar federal lawsuit in May 2018.   Inmate Winston Brakeall claims the shuttering of the law library and the canceling of legal aid contracts left him unaware he had improperly filed a grievance.  Brakeall had filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act protesting prison conditions.  The state’s decision to deliver legal access through tablet computers will be contested Oct. 30 in the trial for Brakeall’s case.  States must guarantee inmates the right to “adequate, effective and meaningful” access to the courts under the 14th Amendment, but the definition of access varies by state.

http://www.therepublic.com/2018/06/21/sd-prison-aides-lawsuits/  Information from:  Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com  FILED June 19, 2018  United States District Court, District of South Dakota, Western Division  Rex Gard, Petitioner, V. Brent Fluke, Warden, Mike Durfee State, Prison, Marty Jackley, Attorney General, Respondents  Civ. 5:18-CV-5040  Subsequent Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus  Thank you, Muse reader!

Westminster Abbey filled with music, laughter and solemn reflection as 2,000 people gathered to celebrate the contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants.  On June 22, 2018, 70 years after the MV Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury in Essex in 1948, carrying about 500 hopeful migrants, a service was held to recognise the contribution of the Windrush generation to British society–and acknowledge the difficulties they had overcome.  Many Windrush settlers applied to job adverts with the hope of finding long-term employment in the UK, having gained a type of citizenship under the British Nationality Act of 1948, but faced racism, discrimination and distrust.  The congregation heard original testimonies.  Some made them laugh (“Why is it so cold? Why is everything in tins?”), others were met in solemn silence as they heard of people being told “Blackies should be seen and not heard” and of the hurt caused by signs saying:  “No dogs, no Irish, no blacks.”  Under her breath, a guest said:  “I remember that. It was awful.”  The government announced earlier this month that it would celebrate Windrush Day every 22 June.  This announcement came weeks after the Guardian reported that members of the Windrush generation and their children had been wrongly detained and deported and others denied access to healthcare, work, housing benefits and pensions.  “It is alright for those of us that are here today, but there are people who went home to a funeral and were not let back into the UK,” said Gloria Whyte, 73, who came unaccompanied from Trinidad when she was 16.  “It is an honour to be here, but they should be here with us.  There is a sadness, too.”  Alexandra Topping  https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jun/22/windrush-service-celebrates-generations-contribution-to-britain

I am raising my daughter to speak three languages.  A stranger demanded I 'speak English' to her by Esmerelda Bermudez   Your newborn’s mind will be wide open.  She will tune herself to any language she’s exposed to by those who care for her.  She will know when to switch based on the sounds she picks up from each individual voice.  The key, I was told, was for each parent to stick to one language.  I committed to speaking only Spanish to our daughter.  My husband committed to Armenian.  The evening we brought our newborn home was one of the most awkward nights in our marriage.  We settled into our king-size bed to caress our baby and cuddle.  David spoke softly to her. I did, too.  But we couldn’t understand each other’s words.  It felt lonely.  And it would feel that way, off and on, for years.  Still, we knew if we held fast, our efforts would pay off for our child.  Her world would be infinitely bigger.  Read much more and see pictures at http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-speak-english-20180616-story.html

Geraldine McCaughrean has won the CILIP Carnegie Medal for the second time, 30 years after winning for Pack of Lies.  The British author's latest winner, Where the World Ends, follows men and boys stranded on a sea stack after their rescue boat fails to arrive.  The judging panel, comprised of librarians, described the novel as "hugely deserving" of the award.  The ceremony, hosted at the British Library in London, also saw Canadian illustrator Sydney Smith honoured with the Kate Greenaway Medal for his contribution to Town Is by the Sea.  Authored by Joanne Schwartz, the picture book depicts the daily routine of a young boy growing up in a coal mining town in the 1950s, contrasting a child's life of play with the adult world of work.  As winners, both McCaughrean and Smith will receive £500 worth of books to donate to a library of their choice, a specifically commissioned golden medal and a £5,000 cash prize from the Colin Mears Award.  The medals are awarded annually to books for young people by CILIP:  the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.  The Carnegie Medal honour went to Angie Thomas for her debut novel The Hate U Give, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.  Levi Penfold secured the Kate Greenway Medal equivalent for his black and white illustrations in The Song from Somewhere Else by AF Harrold.  https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-44520819

June 23, 2018  The latest episode of Carpool Karaoke got emotional, as James Corden was joined by Paul McCartney for a tour of locations that inspired The Beatles' music.  The Late Late Show host was led around Liverpool by McCartney as they tore through some of his most famous songs, including “Blackbird,” and “Drive My Car.”  They even stopped off at McCartney's childhood home--now a National Trust tourist attraction--to the surprise of fans.  Inside, McCartney reeled off anecdotes about his fellow Beatles members John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr before performing a rendition of the Sgt. Pepper's track “When I'm Sixty-Four” on the piano.  Clarisse Loughrey  Link to 23:42 music video at https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/carpool-karaoke-paul-mccartney-james-corden-cry-late-show-a8413061.html

Donald Hall, a prolific and award-winning poet and man of letters who was widely admired for his sharp humor and painful candor about nature, mortality, baseball and the distant past, died  June 23, 2018.  He was 89.  Hall was US poet laureate in 2006 and 2007.  Starting in the 1950s, he published more than 50 books, from poetry and drama to biography and memoirs, and edited a pair of influential anthologies.  He was a baseball fan who wrote odes to his beloved Boston Red Sox, completed a book on pitcher Dock Ellis and contributed to Sports Illustrated.  He wrote a prize-winning children’s book, Ox-Cart Man, and attempted a biography of Charles Laughton, only to have the actor’s widow, Elsa Lancaster, kill the project.  The greatest acclaim came for his poetry, for which honors included a National Book Critics Circle prize, membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a National Medal of Arts.  Although his style varied from haiku to blank verse, Hall returned repeatedly to a handful of themes:  his childhood, the death of his parents and grandparents and the loss of his second wife and fellow poet, Jane Kenyon.  https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/24/donald-hall-us-poet-laureate-dies-aged-89

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1908  June 25, 2018