Musings

More on Prophets

2011-07-28T23:11:00.006-04:00

I am enjoying reading the Brueggemann book, but it has had an unexpected effect on me. It has led me completely away from, and then right back in to, my original feeling about the Hebrew Prophets.

I don't like them.

Now, I like studying them very much. I think they are astonishing case studies in history and psychology, and also to some degree in theology, but something always bothered me about them as religious role models.

Studying the Brueggemann book has shown me much of what was good about them. I appreciate that they were trying to transform the societies in which they lived, and Brueggemann makes a compelling case that we ourselves are living in royal times. Royal for Brueggemann is not a good word. It implies both complacency and despair, as well as numbness, and all of these, in his view, are deliberate on the part of the royal establishment. Hope for anything implies a need to change, and the royal establishment wants things to stay they way they are forever.

Brueggemann sees the primary mechanism of complacency to be consumerism. I have felt for many years that the modern day slave owner is the credit card. If you give people what they want temporarily, they really will sell their souls for it, and then spend the rest of their lives digging themselves out of the hole they themselves created. Credit card companies are insidious, especially in how easy they make it for college students to get credit cards, knowing they won't care about interest rates or finance charges, and are only looking for a way to live beyond the means their parents are able to give them.

So the prophet speaks against this consciousness. And the primary means available to the prophet are criticism of the establishment, and energizing people toward an alternative that they don't realize exists. However, the energizing is not based on something unheard of, but on something very traditional and grounded deeply both in the past and in the collective psyche, which is what makes it resonant. And the energizing comes from hope. Brueggemann is wonderful on this:

...we have been nurtured away from hope, for it is too scary. ... Hope, on the one hand, is an absurdity too embarrassing to speak about, for it flies in the face of all those claims we have been told are facts.

I love this, because I have often felt that facts are overrated. I believe what we call facts are really just the limits of our blinders, and we use these to confine ourselves to "possibilities." So-called "realists" urge us to live within these limitations, mocking any who would stretch outside of them. But the greatest and most essential ideas have always arisen from those who refuse to accept current limitations. Relativity and quantum physics came from a daydream about what it would be like to ride on a light beam, and this after the president of Harvard had announced that there was nothing fundamental in physics left to be discovered.

So I share the suspicion about facts. But where the prophets and I start to part company is that they seem merely to be replacing one royal mentality with another. This is something that always bothered me about the Exodus. The escape from slavery was an escape directly into a forced servitude to a new master.

Now, I understand the story psychologically, and I understand (and believe fervently) that true freedom only arises from submitting ourselves to something greater. The only way to transcend the ego is to admit our frailty. It is only through humility that we can recognize our place in creation. So understood metaphorically, I believe the Exodus is pointing us toward the universal truth that only in submission to God can we really find freedom.

But the story itself, when examined rigorously, doesn't really support this. The Israelites have not chosen this God; he has chosen them. And he is so volatile and jealous that they really are given no freedom of choice whatsoever. The list of prohibitions may indeed be a covenant, but they enter the covenant from fear rather than willingly. And they transgress these prohibitions so often that the book of Judges seems like one redundant disobedience after another.

Of course, if we go back to the metaphorical and psychological interpretation, we can see this as a simple description of the truth of how the individual ego chafes at the effort for submission. If every Israelite is seen as a cell of my body, then once my mind decides to transform, many of the cells will rebel out of habit until new habits are established. And if we saw a society in time-lapse, we could see this in the macrocosm too of how a society progresses through the civil rights era, for example, or in the current debate about gay marriage. Seen this way, the entire Bible is a guidebook for spiritual and psychological transformation - all the ups and downs and traumas and victories and defeats that can be expected on the spiritual path. And that is how the Bible has always made sense to me - as an guidebook for understanding God and our neighbors by first understanding ourselves, in all the messy complexity this necessarily implies.

But Brueggemann denies this:

The prophet employs no psychological gimmicks and no easy meditative steps because the issues are not private, personal, spiritual, or internal.

I am still working through this, but what that statement implies to me is that what the prophet is working toward is societal transformation, and specifically the dismantling of the royal consciousness which Brueggemann (and I) find so debilitating and dangerous. And again, we are still on common ground here.

But where we really diverge is on the issue of hope. Brueggemann says that the royal consciousness wants time to stop - for the emphasis to be entirely on the present so that we aren't thinking about alternative futures. The prophet, he says, is the one who "knows what time it is." And he reinvigorates hope, which is how change happens. He does this through criticism and public grieving:

The riddle and insight of biblical faith is the awareness that only anguish leads to life, only grieving leads to joy, and only embraced endings permit new beginnings.

Maybe I've spent too much time with Buddhism and Taoism, but I am more inclined to agree with Lao-Tzu when he says that hope is as hollow as fear (13). I am also inclined to agree with T.S. Eliot, when he says, "I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope / For hope would be hope for the wrong thing" (East Coker). Hope keeps the mind focused on the future, which can help us escape some of our present circumstances, but will never help us escape the present.

From one angle, it could be argued that what Brueggemann calls the royal consciousness shares a lot with Buddhism - particularly in its focus on the now. But keeping the mind trained on the present is not necessarily a form of oppression. Buddhism does not merely replace one monarch for another one. It abolishes monarchy altogether. It abolishes oppression as well, for as Thich Nhat Hanh shows in his talk to prisoners, titled "Be Free Where You Are," we are only chained to our circumstances if we give those chains our consent. This is an oversimplification, but you might say that the prophets look for ways to break the chains, while the Buddhists seek to realize that the chains do not exist. Both lead to freedom, but the freedom of the prophets is temporary, while the freedom of the Buddhists is permanent.

We can certainly see this in the way that the prohibition of false idols seems so impossible for the Israelites to obey. Asherah and Baal seem unable to be suppressed, and Jung connected this to the cult of the Virgin Mary in Hispanic countries. No matter how many times it is torn down, the mother goddess crops back up, and if it can't be an Asherah on the hill, it will sneak in as the mother of God crying tears of blood or popping up in a toaster. Even Moses created a false idol in the bronze serpent, and perhaps even in the ark of the covenant itself. The entire Hebrew Bible is an attempted genocide on all of the false gods which, like the hydra, refuse to die.

The Israelites left the chains of Egypt for the freedom of the desert, and immediately felt chained there. They transgress their covenant so many times and so quickly that it becomes difficult to believe it was entered into willingly. And then once they get into Jerusalem, they continue to worship false idols - even David and Solomon. The prophets and the rabbis see this as weakness on the part of the Israelites, who apparently lack any modicum of faith. But when it is such an epidemic, we have to start to wonder if there isn't something wrong in what is being asked.

The Israelites are going from one set of chains to another. Some break free with each prophet, but then they are enchained again. Hope is followed by despair and numbness, and then another prophet arises to offer the necessary grief, criticism and hope to break the chains again. This, surely, is what the Buddhists mean by samsara.

So the royal consciousness is indeed the poison of complacency and consumerism that leads to despair or numbness or apathy, and is the wasteland from which a hero must arise. But the hero who merely lifts the veil for a moment, only to have it descend again, is not the hero we need. What the Buddhists offer, and why I still find them more compelling, is a shift in perspective. Certainly, living in the royal consciousness does not work. And a change is vital. But when we shift our attitude toward it and realize that the "facts" of the situation are simply illusions we ourselves have created, we can escape the chains once and for all, and it won't matter what king tries to rule over us. We will have taken responsibility for ourselves rather than needing a savior.

This is all still very new, and I am grateful to Brueggemann for stirring all this up in my brain. And I still believe firmly that the Bible is one of the best spiritual guidebooks around. I just have never placed a lot of faith in its historical or sociological powers. To me, it reigns supreme in illuminating the messy chaos of personal and collective transformation. Jeremiah represents the voice of my conscience, as does Elijah. Ezekiel is a peek into my most fevered nightmares, where my subconscious is speaking to me in broken images that my conscious mind fights to understand. And of course, once the spiritual transformation has taken place, I need to take that understanding with me into my interactions with those around me, so the ethics are of supreme importance, and society can indeed be transformed at the base.

But I'll do all that without hope.

More on Prophets

2011-07-28T23:11:00.003-04:00

I am enjoying reading the Brueggemann book, but it has had an unexpected effect on me. It has led me completely away from, and then right back in to, my original feeling about the Hebrew Prophets.

I don't like them.

...we have been nurtured away from hope, for it is too scary. ... Hope, on the one hand, is an absurdity too embarrassing to speak about, for it flies in the face of all those claims we have been told are facts.

But Brueggemann denies this:

The prophet employs no psychological gimmicks and no easy meditative steps because the issues are not private, personal, spiritual, or internal.

The riddle and insight of biblical faith is the awareness that only anguish leads to life, only grieving leads to joy, and only embraced endings permit new beginnings.

We can certainly see this in the way that the prohibition of false idols seems so impossible for the Israelites to obey. Asherah and Baal seem unable to be suppressed, and Jung connected this to the cult of the Virgin Mary in Hispanic countries. No matter how many times it is torn down, the mother goddess crops back up, and if it can't be an Asherah on the hill, it will sneak in as the mother of God crying tears of blood or popping up in a toaster. Even Moses created a false idol in the bronze serpent, and perhaps even in the ark of the covenant itself. And the entire Hebrew Bible is an attempted genocide on all of the false gods which, like the hydra, refuse to die.

The Israelites left the chains of Egypt for the freedom of the desert, and immediately felt chained there. They transgress their covenant so many times and so quickly that it becomes difficult to believe it was entered into willingly. And then once they get into Jerusalem, they continue to worship false idols - even David and Solomon. The prophets and the rabbis see this as weakness on the part of the Israelites, who simply lack any modicum of faith. But when it is such an epidemic, we have to start to wonder if what is being asked is not really what is needed.

This is all still very new, and I am grateful to Brueggemann for stirring all this up in my brain. And I still believe firmly that the Bible is one of the best spiritual guidebooks around. I just have never placed a lot of faith in its historical or sociological powers. To me, Jeremiah represents the voice of my conscience, as does Elijah. Ezekiel is a peak into my most fevered nightmares, where my subconscious is speaking to me in broken images that my conscious mind fights to understand. And of course, once the spiritual transformation has taken place, I need to take that understanding with me into my interactions with those around me, so the ethics are of supreme importance, and society can indeed be transformed at the base.

But I'll do all that without hope.

The Prophetic Imagination

2011-07-24T17:39:00.005-04:00

I am currently reading Walter Bruegemann's The Prophetic Imagination at the recommendation of two priests (or one priest and one soon-to-be priest). I spoke with them about the Bible class I teach and they said he was the pre-eminent mind at work today concerning issues of the Hebrew Bible. Certainly this may be true if you look at it from a Christian priest standpoint, which both of them are, and the book is really geared toward the current church community rather than toward the secular world, as much of the work I have already done is (Karen Armstrong, Jonathan Kirsch, Elaine Pagels, Stephen Mitchell, etc.).

Bruegemann states his hypothesis in the preface:

The task of prophetic ministry is to nurture, nourish and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture around us.

And he also acknowledges his general paradigm when he says "I have brought to the text my own hermeneutic of suspicion." This is valuable to me, as is his emphasis on criticism, because it prevents the argument from becoming too dogmatic. In fact, I might argue even at this early stage that his work is the opposite of dogmatic, though, since it is concerned with modern prophecy (not equated with fortune-telling for him, though distantly related), it opposes any oppression by the status-quo.

Here are some passages I found intriguing:

...texts--in particular biblical texts--are acts of imagination that offer and purpose "alternative worlds" that exist because of and in the act of utterance. ... Imagination is indeed a legitimate way of knowing. ... biblical texts, in particular prophetic texts, could be seen as poetic scenarios of alternative reality that might lead to direct confrontation with "presumed, taken-for-granted worlds."

Since it is a book for the ministry, he brings home the current need for prophecy in America:

...consumerism is ... likely the foremost circumstance of prophetic faith in the United States.

Contrasting our situation in America to the much worse situations of torture, war, and famine in other parts of the globe:

Numbness does not hurt like torture, but in a quite parallel way, numbness robs us of our capability for humanity. ... Our consciousness has been claimed by false fields of perception and idolatrous systems of language and rhetoric. ... Our consumer culture is organized against history. There is a depreciation of memory and a ridicule of hope.

I find this personally compelling, and have often felt that the demons of our day are far more subtle than the ones of biblical times, or the ones going on in other parts of the world. The credit card is really the oppressor in America today, and politicians typically do everything they can to continue the status quo rather than effect any radical change. Bruegemann looks both forward and back here:

It is the task of prophetic ministry to bring the claims of the tradition and the situation of enculturation into an effective interface. That is, the prophet is called to be the child of the tradition, one who has taken it seriously in the shaping of his or her own field of perception and system of language, who is so at home in that memory that the points of contact and incongruity with the situation of the church in culture can be discerned and articulated with proper urgency.

The other great oppressor today (and I say this as an English teacher) is language. But my job as an English teacher is to help students examine the underpinnings of their language and recognize words for the false idols they are. Only then can language become a catapult into a deeper reality, rather than a hollow container for an even hollower fiction.

Bruegemann sees that the task of dismantling the current system of oppression will be difficult, as it always has been:

...the dominant culture, now and in every time, is grossly uncritical, cannot tolerate serious and fundamental criticism, and will go to great lengths to stop it.

He then heads into his examination of Moses. In the past, I have felt highly conflicted about Moses, since on the one hand, he liberated the Israelite slaves, but on the other hand, his compassion and sense of justice extended only to his own tribe, and even then only to the faithful. I have seen the Hebrew Bible as three main narratives that serve as a progression. Genesis charts the journey to spiritual maturity of an individual (culminating, after many mis-steps in Joseph or Judah, depending on your viewpoint), Exodus shows the spiritual journey of a tribe, and the story of David is about creating a nation. One could go one step further and see Jesus as transcending national boundaries and making spirituality something intensely personal again (as in Genesis), but extending the compassion universally. The journey for him is both inward and outward - but that's a subject for another time.

Moses - in my view a stepping stone in this process - has always been problematic since his compassion extends only to his tribe. Even in his punishment of his tribe for its manifold transgressions, he is acting from compassion since he wants to bring them closer to God.

But Bruegemann takes a different view, looking at the Exodus entirely from the point of view of the dismantling of Empire. For him, the Egyptians are equated with Pharaoh, and I suppose as long as we view the Bible as literature rather than history (which I do), then this is a useful viewpoint. In my mythology class, we study the Mahabharata, and since the work is so fantastical, it is not even tempting to discover the historical impulses behind it, so the Pandavas and Kauravas become alternative metaphors rather than individuals. The Bhagavad Gita was Gandhi's favorite book, which is mind-boggling until you realize that for him the characters are not human beings, but rather qualities within ourselves. As a spiritual seeker, nonviolence is paramount in dealings with others, but we need to attack our own inner demons with all the vehemence we can muster. As one of my favorite modern gurus - Lama Marut, who lives in Las Vegas and posts daily on twitter - once said, "We should not be playing footsie with samsara under the table. We should be kicking samsara in the groin."

So Bruegemann seems to have no problem with the destruction of the Egyptians, even the ones who weren't in the government. In addition, he sees the royal reign (Solomon in particular) as a return to the ways of the Egyptians, proving the impossibility of institutionalizing what is essentially a nomadic God. He says,

Moses dismantled the religion of static triumphalism by exposing the gods and showing that in fact they had no power and were not gods. ... Moses dismantles the politics of oppression and exploitation by countering it with a politics of justice and compassion [though again this is only for his tribe]

He makes clear why theology is important in a concise sentence that I find profoundly important:

Our sociology is predictably derived from, legitimated by, and reflective of our theology.

I can't say how often I have felt that to be true, but since we leave our theology unexamined and unquestioned, we end up being slaves to it, even though we don't really pay any attention to it. It is those who accept religion uncritically and pay lip service to it in church on Sundays who are in the most precarious position in terms of their faith and in terms of their relationship with those around them. One tragedy can destroy such an unexamined faith, but at the same time, it influences our tiniest actions, which are entirely unconscious.

Bruegemann is truly compelling in his examination of how the need for a prophet comes about.

...the real criticism begins in the capacity to grieve because that is the most visceral announcement that things are not right. Only in the empire are we pressed and urged and invited to pretend that things are all right--either in the dean's office or in our marriage or in the hospital room. And as long as the empire can keep the pretense alive that things are all right, there will be no real grieving and no serious criticism.

He brings this home to the Israelites, and makes a point that counters my traditional view of them. I had always viewed them as unbearably prone to complaining. I think perhaps the biblical authors intended it this way, but Bruegemann sees a virtue in complaining:

...it is characteristic of Israel to complain rather than lament; that is, Israel does not voice resignation but instead expresses a militant sense of being wronged with the powerful expectation that it will be heard and answered. Thus the history of Israel begins on the day when its people no longer address the Egyptian gods who will not listen and cannot answer. ,,, The grieving of Israel--perhaps self-pity and surely complaint but never resignation--is the beginning of criticism.

I wonder how the complaints of Israel against Moses and Yahweh figure in to this vision...

Jon Stewart on Healthcare Reform

2010-02-26T09:48:00.010-05:00

The whole healthcare reform thing is getting ridiculous on a number of levels. It was great to see Obama finally stand up to some of the parading and shameless tactics that have been passing for debate. I especially liked seeing him destroy Eric Cantor in this clip from John Stewart. If you're in a hurry, skip to around 6:00 in the video.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Bipartisan Health Care Reform Summit 2010

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Vancouverage 2010

And here's another moment from the summit when Obama chastises Cantor for his theatricality. I direct plays for a living, and so I recognize the difference between a prop and a reference material. Look at how the books are stacked on Cantor's table. They have nothing to do with reference or substance. They are merely a visual image to prevent the conversation from moving anywhere. I'm so sick of politicians who play to the lowest denominator without any real substance in their arguments. While I disagree with what McCain had to say, at least his arguments have substance to them and are legitimate concerns. Cantor, on the other hand, is just grandstanding. My favorite quote: "These are the kind of political things we do that prevent us from actually having a conversation."

Sidewalk Chalk Guy

2010-02-16T08:29:00.003-05:00

These photos have been circulating in an email, so I thought I'd post them in one place. Amazing!

http://bit.ly/cWS1HU

Classrooms of the Future

2009-11-08T19:15:00.006-05:00

I wrote this in response to an email from our Head of Upper School about plans for building the school's Academic Commons (our school's name for a new type of library) and classrooms of the future. The question really revolved around what technology should be included, and how to maximize innovation for teachers. What I wrote is opinionated and idealistic, and I certainly don't claim to talk for all teachers, but the issues raised are definitely worth thinking about.

***

My main feeling is that the whole thing needs to be mobile. What I love about our current Audio Nonfiction class is the flexibility of sending students out for an interview at any time, because they can carry a whole recording studio with them (they use an iPod Nano and a Belkin Tune Talk microphone). We can also listen to pieces at any time with the projection and speakers in the classroom, and the fact that everything can be stored is on a laptop. The software we use (Audacity) is free and can be downloaded on any computer. However, I wish our classrooms were more flexible. The desks in the science and math rooms help this somewhat, because they are more like tables, where things can be laid out, like you would to see the whole structure of a journalism project, and the desks can be combined to make a large table for a conference room feeling. They are conducive to work, because you can have a book, a notebook, a set of pens, and a computer on them all at once without it feeling crowded. The old desks in the English classrooms are really only good for sitting, and they're not even very good for that. The math/science desks are bulky, though, and take up a lot more space, so it's more difficult to clear out the room if you want to have space to move around. My mythology class does Budokon once a semester - a form of yoga and martial arts - and I believe this type of experiential learning will become more and more important in the future. The more flexible the spaces are, and the more adaptable the technology, the more effective the teaching can be. Projection screens are useful (I mainly use smart boards as projection screens now), and it would be interesting to explore if a single projector could project in more than one direction, with screens on each of the walls. I'm not positive how I would use this, but it would offer the type of flexibility that really lets teachers and students improvise.

That's the main word I think is necessary as we move into the future with technology and innovation - improvisation. In my opinion, the smart board is a great technology, but ultimately is more limiting than a white board and projection screen. For one thing, you can't take it with you between classrooms (most rooms in our school have them, but not all of them), and it also reduces the amount of white board space you have. I know that they make pocket projectors now that work just as well as a big projector, and maybe that's the way of the future. These can be plugged into iPhones or iPods or Netbooks. To my mind, the technology we use needs to get smaller and more personalized. For the nonfiction class, the whole recording studio fits easily in the palm of your hand. This allows a spontaneous improvisation - a student at a basketball game can suddenly interview the winning coach without having to set anything up. Teachers need to have the same freedom in their classrooms.

For the Living Epic class I'm going to do with our Academic Dean next semester, our goal is to turn the students into experts. In this case, we need maximum flexibility to create any type of space that the students may spontaneously need. Some students may want to work with blueprints, and so they need desks or tables to accommodate that. Some may want to teach the class martial arts, so it needs to be able to be completely cleared out. Some may want to build something in the room (like a huge lego tower), and some may want to create a film. It's amazing how easy green-screen technology is getting to be, so having a good video camera, a big green screen that can be pulled down on a moment's notice, and good editing software on a laptop will allow students to create the next Star Wars right in the classroom itself. But we don't need to plan for the technologies - we can presume they will be small, personalized and portable, and so what we really need to concentrate on is planning for the flexibility of the space.

I think the Academic Commons also needs a few bigger spaces as well. A space that can accommodate a true class meeting will free up the complete traffic jam that is our theater for real instruction in classes like Senior Seminar. But a room for a class meeting needs to be completely flexible as well, so that it can be transformed into a medium-sized performance space for instrumental and choral music, student-directed plays, senior project presentations, etc. Since they will be used for a variety of purposes, these spaces need to be sound-proofed and have flexible lighting - in other words, a great deal of natural light that can be blocked out completely. And these spaces need to be sacred for work with students. Our current so-called Student Activity Center is anything but. It's used for so many meetings with the Trustees and Parents' Committees that it is rarely available for classes to meet in, and almost never used by students in their spare time, as far as I can tell, which is why they spend their free time in the library, and why that space becomes a difficult place to get any studying done.

The Academic Commons also needs both quiet spaces and spaces that really encourage socializing and collaboration. The sound proofing needs to be good enough that students can hold recording sessions in small rooms - both for instrumental and choral work (to make audition tapes for colleges, for example) and for projects in classes like Audio Nonfiction and the Film course. And there need to be enough of these to accommodate multiple projects happening at the same time, with no real need to schedule the spaces in advance. What we want to capture is the ability for spontaneous improvisation. There need to be smaller spaces that are just large enough for a group of students to collaborate on a project, but which don't become too casual. Access to technology should be readily available (speakers, projectors, video cameras, laptops), but should be as hidden as possible, and again - the technology needs to be small. I think the iPod Touch is a perfect model for what the technology of the future will be, especially when the pocket projectors arrive on the mass market. Even better for me is the Android phone, which allows an overlap of applications, so that one application can piggy-back on another one. The GPS technology is especially exciting, because a teacher can plug curriculum into a set of coordinates and send the students off on a quest. The folks at MIT are already working on this.

So in my opinion, we would make a mistake if we made technology the centerpiece of the Academic Commons - especially technology that is big or expensive, or which figures into the design of the buildings or rooms in any way. It's all changing way too fast to predict what it will be, except the one trend that seems definite: technology is becoming much smaller and more personalized, and soon, everything you need will be able to be carried in your pocket, and inexpensive enough to be owned by everyone. Instead, the Academic Commons needs to be designed for maximum collaboration. It needs places where students can gather to socialize, places where they can work together on a project, places where teachers can meet with students, and places where classes can really roll up their sleeves and get to work. And there need to be enough of them that one is available in a moment of spontaneous inspiration. Horizontal space (like the math desks) is essential, but it must be easily removable so that the space can be completely clear for exercises or work on the floor. Now that Barnes & Noble is releasing its version of the Kindle with more flexibility and capacity, it's only a matter of time until textbooks will be electronic, which will not only save many adolescent backs, but will let us pick and choose the physical books that really matter. I could easily see all of my classes buying an eBook reader freshman year, and then downloading all their English books for half the price they would normally buy them for. Most classics will be free, thanks to Google, and that's a large part of what we teach. The only thing that's holding me back now is the inability to scribble in the margins, but that is only a matter of months. I strongly believe there will always be a place for a real library, but the reference section will become obsolete. To me, the library will become a center of collaboration rather than a place for reference, and we need to design the space to accommodate that. Rather than making it a place for silent contemplation (we need a different space for that, like graduate carrels), the sound in the library should be geared toward group collaboration, so that sound does not carry generally throughout the room as it does now, but also doesn't make students uneasy about their excitement.

The idea that innovation can happen in a single mind is an old fairy tale. True creativity comes from the excitement of shared ideas. A classroom of the future will require the ability to focus on a variety of different projects, the flexibility to follow the whims of spontaneous inspiration, and the feeling of freedom that is essential to a playground of the mind.

Wind Talkers

2009-11-08T09:30:00.002-05:00

I direct plays at the school where I work, and the students are always asking for clues as to what the next play will be. I put up some clues on this webpage, and thought some of you might like to try your hand at them. Two of my students cracked the clues last night. Let me know if you want any help?

The Book of G

2009-08-18T13:06:00.002-04:00

This is something I wrote a couple of years ago during a timed-writing exercise for my Bible Students. I'm just experimenting with posting directly to Blogger from Google Docs. Pretty cool.

The Book of G:
The Hebrew Bible's Jedi Training Manual

The Book of Genesis, on one level, is about the development of a nation, and that nation’s troubled and deeply conflicted relationship with the God who chose them. On another level, it can be viewed as an extended metaphor for the journey to maturity that every spiritual master must go through. If God, as Carl Jung suggests, is a name for the collective unconscious, then each of the characters can be seen as a name for the stage of development that the awakening soul travels through. From the naïve child eager to grow old too quickly to the fully developed Jedi Master, Genesis outlines a course of spiritual development that parallels that of the martial arts.

The stage of the young child – which Genesis calls Adam & Eve – is one of innocence and trusting. There were always snakes in the garden, but the child sees them as friends instead of enemies. For the child, the relationship between the conscious and unconscious is an easy one – the conflict doesn’t exist because there is no awareness of the duality. While ignorance is blissful, it is not the same happiness that accompanies spiritual mastery, because it needs only be tempted to realize how incomplete it is. The true spiritual master does not succumb to temptation (cf. Joseph and Potiphar’s wife), because he knows he is already complete and does not need anything else. The blissful child lacks this awareness, and so is simply waiting for the slightest provocation to slip into misery. If the snake hadn’t offered the apple, Eve would have found an equally appealing temptation to send her on the path to spiritual maturity. God in this case is not arbitrarily punishing them, since he obviously wanted them to eat the apple. Without the apple, there could be no Joseph. The meaning of the apple is revealed in Joseph, just as the meaning of Joseph’s slavery is revealed in the famine. God sends the serpent to help his consciousness start the journey, in the same way that we are sent nightmares to help heal us and deal with the more disturbing aspects of our lives. The logical extension of this – and one that most people don’t like making – is that evil (personified in the snake) is an agent of God’s purpose, without which God’s purpose cannot be fulfilled.

The unconscious then causes a crisis in the life of the individual which now must be dealt with. Because our hero (let’s call him G) is still spiritually immature, he looks on his punishment as a threat to his identity, and not as an opportunity for a grand adventure. Thus, G slips into the second stage: preservation of the individual ego by destroying any perceived threats. Genesis calls this stage Cain & Abel. This stage lasts a long time, both individually and globally (it’s the reason for all wars), and only perpetuates itself by bowing to the defense mechanisms and destroying perceived threats that are actually brothers. This cycle gets progressively worse until Lamech (seven times worse than Cain), and can only be solved by a complete cleansing of the psyche. The unconscious accomplishes this through the flood – a metaphor for the total spiritual cleansing that can happen after major tragedies, which Jung suggests are projections of the unconscious even if they seem to be external. The other people drowned in the story are not mentioned with much compassion, because they are simply vapors in the unconscious that continue the cycle, and therefore must be destroyed. Like in the Bhagavad Gita, we need not lament these losses – to do so would be to enable our addiction to violence and unhappiness.

But cleansing is not rebirth. Noah represents the stage when an addict enters rehab and abandons his enabling friends, but this is not spiritual maturity or healing. It is only the first step to recovery. Noah’s drunkenness shows that G still has a lot to learn, and the Tower of Babel represents how – in our desire to move quickly into maturity – we try to skip steps to get there. It will be a long, slow process, but at least the journey has begun.

Abraham represents the first conscious steps of this journey. His story is the most fully developed so far, and represents the first seeking for an explanation of the ways of the unconscious, and a means to develop a cohesive relationship with it. Abraham struggles valiantly but is still blocked by his need for self-preservation. He seeks to appease the unconscious through sacrifices that symbolize his own ego. He negotiates with the unconscious, seeking to find the line where the deity will finally be appeased. But sacrifice again is only a stage. It appeases God, because it shows the unconscious that it need not feel threatened. But legal arbitration is not the same as true communion.

In order to develop a relationship with the unconscious that goes beyond a mere standoff in which both parties agree to an uneasy truce, the awakening soul must learn to listen on a deeper level to the callings of the unconscious. This stage could be represented by Isaac, whose life is left fairly blank in Genesis. We hear about Isaac’s love for Ishmael, and his silent submission to be sacrificed, but then hear nothing from him until he is an old man. The whole middle part of his life is a blank. Later in his life, he is duped by Rebekkah and Jacob, but seems fairly distant from the affairs of the world. Looked at from a certain angle, this is the behavior of a hermit or a monk. And who can blame him? His mother banished his best friend and brother, and his father seemed ready to sacrifice him. After such traumatic childhood events, it’s only natural that he withdraw into himself. It’s this withdrawal that creates the space necessary in meditation, the whole purpose of which is to be able to listen and respond to the voice of the unconscious. Only in a focused stillness, away from the noise of the world, can we hear the “still small voice” that speaks to Elijah. We have very little information about Isaac, and so these are conjectures, but they are certainly consistent with the evidence.

And so now we arrive at a very interesting stage of spiritual awakening. Most monks spend years in this stage, and lay people look on this as the arrival of spiritual maturity. But what happens in meditation is like planting a garden. It’s the waiting for what happens in the spring. What happens in the spring is Jacob.

Jacob bursts forth as the first charming, truly likeable character who takes his destiny in his own hands. Granted, his actions are often amoral or immoral, but that’s part of his charm. Like Brer Rabbit or Tom Sawyer, he survives by his wits and bends social convention to his own purposes. His life reads like an adventure story. He is the arrival of the butterfly after a long sleep in a cocoon. Now spiritually awake, he is excited by the supernatural power that comes with deeper levels of awareness. He single-handedly lifts an enormous stone from Rachel’s well, he manipulates the breeding patterns of sheep to become rich, he does the work of many men and fathers thirteen children in one chapter. Jacob is life caught on fire – awake to his own spiritual powers and in love with life. He is the epicurean bodhisattva warrior, an unstoppable, charming and thrilling presence unencumbered by dusty morality. We won’t see his likes again until the arrival of David. No wonder God loves him.

But the journey is far from over. In the stage of Jacob, G is a sort of shaman, able to manipulate nature to his own advantage, and the unconscious now – instead of fearing him – is charmed by him. A personal relationship now becomes possible, because both sides are intrigued by the other. God even reverses the Tower of Babel by building Jacob’s Ladder. And instead of destroying Jacob from fear, as he did mankind in both the flood and Sodom & Gomorrah, he engages in that most boyish of pastimes – wrestling. What boy didn’t wrestle with his father at some point after dinner? Wrestling does not imply antagonism. It’s a splendid game.

But Jacob is spiritually awake enough now that God has to cheat to win! The conscious has developed to the point where it is a worthy opponent for the unconscious. G’s Jedi training is now complete.

And thus we come to the stage called Joseph. Joseph is the fully awakened, spiritually mature being. His early days with his brothers – which some may interpret as petulant – are actually simply the utterings of a precocious child. His statements about his dreams are not pretentious – he merely relates them, and his brothers and father draw the conclusions. He is a child prodigy – misunderstood as Mozart was – who can only come into his own by pursuing the hero’s adventure. He ends up in all the right places – prison, tempted by a seductive woman, tested for patience and forgiveness – and because he is spiritually mature, he meets all of these tests and passes them all. The genius of the Book of Genesis lies in its use of parallels, so that the temptation which destroys Adam & Eve has no effect on Joseph. The hardships that torment Job give Joseph no pause. The crimes committed by Cain, and perpetuated in Isaac & Ishmael and Jacob & Esau are finally resolved in Joseph, who finds the way out of the cycle of violence by practicing the art of forgiveness. Abraham and Sarah doubt the word of the Lord (with good reason!) and take matters into their own hands (Hagar  Ishmael), but Joseph has transcended time, so that he can step back and see the entire tapestry. He is the only character in the Bible so far who has a full understanding of God’s purpose, as he says to his brothers – God enslaved me so I could save you. God tempted Eve so I could become a Jedi Master. People suffer so that they may reach spiritual maturity, which often takes many generations, and with that maturity comes great powers and abilities, and also great responsibility.

So Joseph completes the spiritual training and solves the complex problems that Genesis raises. Of course, his maturity is an individual one, so he is not a good leader for the hundreds of thousands of Egyptians and Israelites who eventually become enslaved as a result of his public policy. His maturity is complete on an individual level, but not yet on a collective one.

God obviously still has work to do.

Arizona

2009-08-15T21:03:00.005-04:00

A great trip to Arizona with my wife for our fifth anniversary. I posted stuff on a site called On the Road. You can view it all here.

Palin Posts Healthcare Opinions On Facebook

2009-08-09T03:50:00.002-04:00

Sarah Palin (& everyone else) REALLY needs to stop lying about the health care bill. Please be intelligent about this. No bill is perfect, but spreading lies of this caliber is completely irresponsible.

Ancient Rumblings

2009-08-01T11:36:00.004-04:00

Here is an intriguing article about sin and salvation by the author of The Evolution of God, a book I would really like to read. It posits that our evolitionarily useful sense of guilt was developed by religion into the concept of sin. The need for salvation is a consequence of this, and the author implies what I have always believed - that whether or not God exists in the way that perceive or believe her or him to, the drive for salvation is a useful human urge. Therefore the belief in God is more practically useful on a general plane than not believing in God. Of course there are drastic exceptions on both sides - deeply moral atheists and unabashedly hypocritical believers.

I am reading another book right now called The Alphabet Versus The Goddess, by Leonard Shlain, which covers similar ground for different reasons. The section on human evolution is particularly fascinating. The hunter/gatherer stage lasted around 2,990,000 years (!), and so many if not all of what feel like natural human instincts were developed during this time. The right and left sides of the brain developed different tasks during this time, and this in turn was caused by the development of an opposable thumb to climb trees, a heel when the trees in the jungle parted, and then the consequent mastery of throwing things, which led to the particularly hominid means of hunting from a distance. But as hominid brains got bigger, the size of the brain was limited by the circumference of the female pelvis, which led to babies born without being fully developed, as other animals are. You then have a baby who cannot walk or even lift its head at birth and thus requires a type of nurturing that is unique among the species. Human brains continue to develop for twenty years, which necessitates a division of labor as females care for babies who cannot care for themselves or even cling properly to their mothers.

So, Shlain argues, this accounts for the division of labor in primitive societies, and the differences in the brain, which cause a huge psychological rift between men and women. Hunters survive by being analytical, thinking in a linear way, concentrating with a single-minded focus. Mothers, on the other hand, need more peripheral vision (which they have, since they have more rods in their eyes than men), to be able to care for children while simultaneously gathering subsistence food. The other duality that comes into play here is between relationship to others (gathering) and survival (hunting), which in many ways contradict each other. Survival necessitates an us vs. them mentality, leading eventually to the particularly human act of murder, even of the family. The resultant dualities in the brain (since men and women all contain all of these elements) is the split that has caused much confusion and anxiety, as well much of the ability to recognize the beauty and fragility of the world.

Shlain's thesis is that these hunter/gatherer societies were the most egalitarian in history, as well as the best balance in the brain hemispheres. But with the domestication of crops and animals, hunting was no longer necessary, and so the outlet for male aggression, previously so vital for survival, was diminished to almost nothing. This is when the era of human sacrifice began, as well as sports, battles, and wars. But where he's headed with the book is how the development of the alphabet made the left brain dominant, though it was the younger twin. Like Jacob to Esau, the younger twin supplanted the elder, which is a theme throughout the bible and all the religions and philosophies of the Axial Age. In the Hebrew Bible, true human nature begins with the murder of Abel by Cain, and Genesis is not complete until the younger brother (Joseph) not only supplants but finally learns to forgive his brothers. But that imbalance, between the twin hemispheres struggling for dominance, is what we are left struggling with today.

Of course, we have moved beyond the agrarian society (almost none of us have any real idea how out food makes it to our plates), but we are left with 10,000 years of patriarchal instincts, on top of and often in conflict with 2,990,000 years of hunter/gatherer ones. No wonder we feel alienated and confused!

I am just beginning to process a lot of this (I am familiar with most of the theories from Joseph Campbell's Primitive Mythology, a true masterwork on the topic), but I hope to write more about it, since it fascinates me so deeply and has for so many years. We have shifted so much to the left brain, with its surgical spotlight focus, but you can tell by the insistence of religion in spite of scientific evidence, by the persistence of art despite the dominance of cheap commercialism, and by the hunger for mythology as evidenced by the Harry Potter and Twilight phenomena, that the older twin is beginning to demand her birthright once again. Deep in the recesses of the psyche, the goddess is beginning to stir once again.

Sotomayor et al. v. The Old Boys Club

2009-07-16T19:43:00.007-04:00

There are some good articles coming out about Sotomayor. Let me say first off that I am glad she will be confirmed, because I have been impressed at how she is handling herself, and most importantly, impressed by her spotless judicial record. What I want to write about here are the wider social implications of these hearings. It's amazing how confronting just a little bit of diversity brings out the underbelly of society in such a profound way.

Here's an intriguing article from Slate Magazine. Favorite quotation:

Sen. Graham would never have lectured Justices Roberts or Scalia about being bullies, because he thinks it's perfectly normal when men ask tough questions. He can't even see the irony in saying he welcomes wise Latina women—so long as they don't change a thing.

And here's an article The Daily Beast that makes the case that Sotomayor is a liar. The comments are pretty rabid on this one. I think she should be confirmed because she seems to have a good judicial record, but I agree that she's lying and also agree that this is the fault of the Good Old Boys' Country Club she has to pass through to get the job. Hearing the debate about all this makes my stomach turn, especially on morning radio talk shows. I am grateful to Sotomayor and Hillary Clinton and their ilk, but deeply embarrassed for them as they have to navigate this process. I know they have weathered worse than this, and will weather worse still, and I know they are more than capable of rising to the challenge. It just saddens me that they have to deal with this at all. Obama says we are now in the Joshua Generation, and that MLK and Malcolm X, etc., were the Moses generation. I agree this seems to be true in terms of race, but in terms of gender, we haven't made it to Joshua yet. We're still in the time of Miriam.

And though I hate to hear the name Sarah Palin in the same sentence as Hillary Clinton or Sotomayor, this article makes a good point that they are just using opposite tactics in fighting the same machine.

At least the Episcopal Church has finally recognized the difference between homosexuals and pedophiles. And in a recession, no less. There is hope that they may soon recognize the God-given right to get married too. It's almost enough to make me go to church again...

SpaceX

2009-07-15T08:49:00.003-04:00

My little brother (who is at least a foot taller than I am) is an engineer on the team that designed this rocket that launched successfully this week. You can watch the launch on the website. Poke around on there if you want for more info on the company. Their goal is to increase reliability and reduce cost on space travel by a factor of 10. It's owned by the same people who created the ultimate dream car, the Tesla.

Here's the SpaceX website, and here's the launch video.

A few thoughts on Iran

2009-06-20T20:56:00.003-04:00

There are many people who are writing far more effectively on this subject than I can right now, but here are a few scattered thoughts:

Just as we did after 9/11, America stands at a major crossroads. After the World Trade Center fell, we had the goodwill of the entire world on our side, and we completely squandered it. There was a brief moment just before the Iraq war when the UN inspectors were saying they needed more time to determine if Iraq had WMD, but instead, we invaded the country before they could complete their work, and of course found no WMD. At that moment, we had the opportunity to empower the UN to do its job of peacekeeping and insuring justice between nations, just like Washington does between all the different states in America. Now, it seems (one would hope) that our new President will continue to speak out on human rights, but I am also proud so far that he is not using US military power. There are many Americans right now who are wondering why Obama is not doing more - many of these are the same people who criticized Bush for invading Iraq. Though it was a proven lie, the justification for the Iraq War was the same as the current justification for wanting Obama to do more - human rights. We must never use military might or violence to achieve the ends of human rights. Not only that, but, as the BBC points out, it would actually be harmful to the protesters for Obama to do more than he's doing. Here's a quotation from their article:

But the BBC's Jon Donnison in Washington says the president is treading a fine line - he does not want to be seen to be interfering, which could stir up anti-American sentiment within Iran and work against the protesters.

As I was thinking about this tonight (and realizing that it's 20 years to the month after the Tiananmen Square Massacre), I finally got around to watching Obama's speech in Cairo. It was wonderful, and worth watching, so I've included it below. Here's a short paragraph, but you really should watch the whole speech.

For we have learned from recent experience that when a financial system weakens in one country, prosperity is hurt everywhere. When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk. When one nation pursues a nuclear weapon, the risk of nuclear attack rises for all nations. When violent extremists operate in one stretch of mountains, people are endangered across an ocean. And when innocents in Bosnia and Darfur are slaughtered, that is a stain on our collective conscience. That is what it means to share this world in the 21st century. That is the responsibility we have to one another as human beings.

I've heard this type of thing before, in John Donne's Meditation 17.

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.

It's pretty amazing to be able to watch all this develop in the present moment on Twitter, but I think there's something to be said for the old style of journalism too - the kind that verified its facts before spreading them. Fox News and CNN are pretty much using only Twitter and Facebook as their sources, which is basically just relying on gossip. We have to be careful before we rush to action, careful about mob mentality, careful not to sacrifice our principles when we become outraged at violations of human rights. That is what led us into Iraq, and so many other atrocities throughout history. Obama is right to proceed slowly and carefully. It's what we elected him to do.

I've tried not to get my hopes up since we've stood at this same crossroads so many times before. The beginning of the Iraq War was pretty much the last blow to my optimism about this. But although it's more cautious this time, I can feel that hope starting to build again. Maybe this time we'll choose the right path...

Google Bookshelf

2009-06-15T11:52:00.002-04:00

Ok - so this is amazing. With Google Books, you can now upload the books that you have by their ISBN, which you can either enter by hand on a keyboard, or with a barcode scanner. I have a T-Mobile G1, which I was able to use to scan, and I'll be the iPhone would be able to do this too. Without a scanner, you can just type the numbers directly into the import feature. All the details are at this link, including this video which will walk you through everything you need.

The real kicker, though, which they mention at the end of the video, is that not only can you use your computer to search the titles of all your books, but because it's Google Books, you can type in any word that would be IN any of your books! If you are wondering where that quotation came from, and are just not sure which of your books has it, search your books online, and it will lead you right to the book, and in many cases, will actually show you the page number of what you're looking for. Pretty amazing!

Fluteboxing!

2009-05-11T18:10:00.001-04:00

These guys are unbelievable.

The end of Carneval, and the beginning of a long Lent

2009-04-19T10:24:00.000-04:00

Despite the pretentious demeanor and the dumb glasses, Bono sometimes
channels the muse. This one is worth a read.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/opinion/19bono.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

The Bigots’ Last Hurrah

2009-04-19T09:17:00.001-04:00

An article on the impending death of the anti-gay-marriage debate.

http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=6bbdfabc8555aee76d28fb8d216ca874

Our Very Own Mahabharata

2009-04-13T11:43:00.004-04:00

I'm teaching the Mahabharata in my mythology class now, and am amazed at how often it reads like the newspaper. Here's a review of a new book by Reza Aslan about a Cosmic War. Aslan differentiates between a global war, like the two world wars we have had, and a Cosmic War, which is described like this:

"A cosmic war," Reza Aslan writes, "is like a ritual drama in which participants act out on Earth a battle they believe is actually taking place in the heavens." Earthly wars are fought with weapons. Cosmic wars are won or lost with jihads, occupations, and forcible conversions. "There can be no compromise in a cosmic war. There can be no negotiation, no settlement, no surrender."

Sound familiar?

Apparently, the book doesn't offer a way to win a cosmic war, but does offer ways to make it more manageable. Its focus is primarily on Islam and Christianity. But with North Korea testing its missile range by shooting into the Pacific, it's obviously not limited just to those two religions.

The book also has a battle between Arjuna and Aswatthaman that sounds exactly like the last days of the cold war. Arjuna and Aswatthaman have both released weapons into the air - weapons which have the power to destroy the entire universe, but which counteract each other through their intentions - and Krishna and Vyasa try to talk them down from it. Here's the passage at length:

[Krishna said,] "Arjuna, withdraw it."

"I will," said Arjuna. Majesty, it is harder by ten million times to call back that weapon once released, and at the slightest error Arjuna and all there would have died, and Earth become a desert with no life for seven thousand years. But he did it; then weak and sick he collapsed to his knees gasping for breath.

Vyasa sat before Aswatthaman and said, "Bring it down. You will not be harmed. I protect you."

Slowly Aswatthaman's fireball turned yellow, then orange. The flames flickered and smoked. Aswatthaman perspired and said, "I cannot."

"Your heart must be at peace and not burning," said Vyasa. "You are afraid of Bhima. He lied to your father. But he cannot move. You have my protection and Arjuna's weapon is gone."

"Alright." The fire was only half as large, and dim. "Because I trust Arjuna," said Aswatthaman," I kill my fear. Because I trust you, I am not sad. Because Arjuna did not wish for my death, I let my anger go."

Like a torch in the daylight the pale flames were still there. "But I must have revenge."

Vyasa sighed. "Stop your sadness, kill revenge himself. Find that cunning ugly man who holds you tight as iron chains, aim true at him where he is hidden."

"I have no other purpose," said Aswatthaman. The fireball burst into bits in midair and was gone.

Vyasa is certainly speaking now (through Aslan, as well as others), but we will need to sharpen our hearing. As Vyasa says in another context, "Understand me; do not only agree."

Global Spirit

2009-04-11T08:25:00.001-04:00

This new show looks interesting. The first episode will have Karen Armstrong and Robert Thurman. You can watch the episodes online.

http://tinyurl.com/dnejc8

Wild Things

2009-04-08T23:34:00.001-04:00

Really hoping this will be good. Hard to tell from this trailer.

Dark Morals

2009-04-08T04:53:00.003-04:00

An intriguing article on Dark Morals, which are equated to Dark Matter.

David Plotz

2009-03-28T07:36:00.001-04:00

A review of David Plotz's book that he made from his Blogging the Bible - a wonderful and illuminating read.

http://tinyurl.com/cy9nej

Mythology in the News

2009-03-13T11:00:00.005-04:00

I teach a class on World Mythology at school, and so I naturally look for news items that correspond to what we study. Usually, they're not too difficult to find, but for some reason, this week has been even more obvious than usual. There have been three more or less astonishing events that are worth sharing here.

First, there was the amazing and bizarre story of the soldier who dressed up as the Joker from Batman - makeup and all - and had a standoff with police up on Skyline Drive in Virginia. He had been in trouble before for wearing the costume and attacking his roommate with a knife and stun gun. After a car chase, he ended up trying to shoot himself with a shotgun, but after he refused to put the weapon down, he was shot and killed by the police. More details are in the article, and we'll hear more as the investigation continues.

Then, there was the case in Texas of the Fight Club for severely mentally disabled students in Corpus Christi. Apparently, it was set up by the workers in the school, and they took videos on their cell phones, which is how the police found out about it.

And then there was the man who was apparently trying to kill himself by jumping off Niagara Falls naked, and surviving, and then spending 45 minutes in the freezing waters, trying not to be saved by rescuers. They had to use a helicopter's rotors to blow him back toward shore. You've got to wonder what story lurks behind this, and what he's running from. The whole thing sounds like the story of Jonah to me.

These stories say two things to me. First, as my Mythology students will understand, this is evidence that we are living in the Wasteland. When people lose grasp of their place in the universe, there is a need for extreme action, and these poor souls are desperate to find meaning in any way they can. The Joker is meant as an example of what happens when a fictional society's laws don't speak to a troubled but gifted individual, who then tries to expose that society's hypocrisy and annihilate any semblance of what he feels to be a false sense of righteousness. However, because our society also doesn't speak effectively to those who are troubled, the Joker becomes a philosopher to be followed and even emulated.

As Joseph Campbell has noted, when we do not have a functioning mythology to explain our existence effectively, we reach for the closest and easiest way to make sense of it, even if that way is dangerous and counter-productive. And in doing this, we resort to all sorts of bizarre and nonsensical behaviors to force meaning on the world, since we don't believe we are able to find it.

Second, these acts show how completely the symbols of our current mythology have been misunderstood. They have been concretized, so that the symbols lose their meaning in a recreation of the act itself, with only the outer shell of its meaning still alive. These three stories are all responding to a very real need, but because the people have not had any guidance about how to deal with these needs, they respond in unhealthy ways. It doesn't have to be so difficult, or so tragic.

Snow!

2009-03-02T09:35:00.000-05:00

A few pictures of the amazing snowstorm we got last night. Time to go Wandering for a bit...

Recycled Breath

2009-02-28T10:07:00.001-05:00

This is amazing. An airport is going to gather fuel from recycled carbon from the breath of passengers. It's amazing what's possible when we find the willpower to achieve it.

Your Breath Could Be Recycled into Fuel

Cheney and the Goat Devil

2009-02-20T21:23:00.004-05:00

Maureen Dowd on Will Farrell's latest - a trip to Broadway as W.

In China, Mistresses Get Pink Slips of a Different Kind

2009-02-18T07:18:00.002-05:00

Amazing. Read this story. So many complications here.

Milgram's 08

2009-01-11T10:03:00.005-05:00

This is astonishing. If you don't know about Milgram's experiment, you should read about it. Peter Gabriel wrote a song about it, called "We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37)," and here's a video someone made for it. It gives a pretty good sense of the original experiment in an artistic form.

Well, it turns out they have done the experiment again, and the results are the same! Here's the article from the NY Times. I guess given what happened at Abu Ghraib, I should be as surprised as I am. Perhaps this is a part of human nature we will never really overcome.

2009-01-10T10:23:00.003-05:00

I just discovered this guy from a recommendation from a former student. He is pretty great. This video sort of captures what I find good about him. You can check out his site at illdoctrine.com.

Atheists in Heaven?

2008-12-28T10:19:00.004-05:00

Here is follow up on a study I posted about earlier that said that the majority of Christians believe you don't have to be Christian to attain eternal life. They have now done a repeat study with more specific questions, and found that most Christians even believe Atheists can go to heaven.

This is intriguing, especially in light of Carlton Pearson, an evangelical preacher who stopped believing in hell because of a conversation he had with God, and now preaches the Gospel of Inclusion. His story was broadcast on This American Life and can be heard on their website.

Jesus and the Buddha

2008-12-23T10:18:00.005-05:00

Here's a really interesting article from the Boston Globe about Asian Christians during the Dark Ages. There's a lot in there I never knew about, and it's worth reading all the way to the end. I am surprised again and again at how what we take for the true Christian message has been distorted and re-interpreted and re-packaged and forgotten so many times. That shouldn't surprise me, but it really does. And it reminds me again how incredibly solipsistic we are to think that our interpretation of the holy scriptures is the "right" one. I am not a relativist when it comes to religion. I do not believe all interpretations are equal, and there are some that are downright silly, and others that are evil (Jim Jones comes to mind). But it is equally wrong to assume that we have a corner on God.

Here is an image of the lotus-cross mentioned in the article.

Augmented Reality

2008-12-22T15:04:00.005-05:00

I have a program on my phone called Wikitude. It's hard to describe, but what it does is take advantage of the compass and camera in the G1 (the phone with Google's Android software). It allows you to point the camera in a certain direction, and it will identify wikipedia articles about what you see through the camera. So, for instance, if you are standing on the Empire State Building and want to see what the name of that other big building is (the Chrysler building, say), it will tell you the name of the building, and link you to a wikipedia article about it.

Here is a video that will show you what I mean.

Their website has more information about it.

The educational possibilities of something like this are mind- boggling. When I was in New Orleans, I used it, and it works really well. You point it in the direction you are looking, and get all the information you want about what you see. I imagine this will soon be combined with Sky Map, which is the app that will show you what constellations are in the sky in the direction that your camera is pointing. Here's a video of that one. Not sure why the person didn't demo it outside. (!)

These things are so easy to use, I am certain they will become a regular part of our lives in the very near future.

We are living in such a different world than we did just a decade ago.

Jon Stewart & Mike Huckabee on Gay Marriage

2008-12-16T20:57:00.003-05:00

I appreciate how respectful Jon Stewart is - he provides a good model for how intelligent discussion of tense issues can be achieved. The questions he raises here about gay marriage are precisely the ones I would like answered.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 1

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Pirates

2008-11-29T08:40:00.002-05:00

I've been confused about the whole pirate situation in Somalia. I didn't know what was going on or how in the world modern day pirates could even exist. This story cleared it up for me a bit, or at least made it clear enough to make me want to learn more. Apparently, it is a protest against the lack of government in Somalia, and they seem to be treating the hostages really well. This story is also interesting because the breakthrough came when a reporter let her 12 year old daughter call the pirates on her cell phone. Lessons everywhere in this...

Angulimal & the Buddha

2008-11-28T08:53:00.003-05:00

I have been following this blog for a while now, and have enjoyed its unique perspective. This entry in particular is worth passing along not only for the insights given in the post, but for the wonderful telling of the story of Angulimal and the Buddha.

Expectations & Punishment

2008-11-15T22:42:00.004-05:00

Here is a terrific article on parenting that applies equally well to teaching, and also to how to deal with our expectations of ourselves.

I particularly appreciate the U shaped curve for expectations - that too much chaos and too much rigor have similar negative results; and also the process of shaping - allowing time for development by lowering the expectation and building it slowly over time. And I deeply appreciate the idea that when our expectations are not met, we feel it as a stress on ourselves, which causes a loop in which under-performance on the part of the child fuels negative behaviors on our part, which causes resentment and further under-performance. I have never been a real believer in punishments, because they merely serve to correct the behavior while you are present, and diminish the bond you have that could ultimately foster the shaping of behavior in a healthy and productive way.

I have said this before and been perceived as weak or naive, but there is an emormous difference between punishing and correcting. My experience in every leadership position I have had has been that a punishment is ultimately a sign of our inability to deal with our own failures, and if we want a real success, we must always think creatively and clearly about how to build confidence and character through the inner resources that already exist within the child and within every child. Every person wants to do right at his or her core, and simply needs to be reminded of this and empowered and inspired to do this. Punishment has the paradoxical effect of exacerbating the problem rather than correcting it.

It is nice to see the research supporting what is counter-intuitive to some. But all we have to do is ask when in our own lives a punishment (as distinct from a correction) ever produced a significant change for the better; and if we think of one, we have to ask ourselves if it was not accompanied or followed by an empowerment that would have worked just as well on its own.

A Pristine White House

2008-11-06T18:09:00.004-05:00

Another terrific article by Maureen Dowd about Obama moving into the White House.

The Morning Dawns

2008-11-05T11:02:00.012-05:00

This article from the NY Times expresses what is for me the most urgent outcome of this election. Here is an excerpt:

From far away, this is how it looks. There is a country out there where tens of millions of white Christians, voting freely, select as their leader a black man of modest origin, the son of a Muslim. There is a place on Earth - call it America - where such a thing happens.

Even where the United States is held in special contempt, like here in this benighted Palestinian coastal strip, the "glorious epic of Barack Obama," as the leftist editor Jean Daniel calls it, makes America - the idea as much as the actual place - stand again, perhaps only fleetingly, for limitless possibility. ...

But wonder is almost overwhelmed by relief. Mr. Obama's election offers most non-Americans a sense that the imperial power capable of doing such good and such harm - a country that, they complain, preached justice but tortured its captives, launched a disastrous war in Iraq, turned its back on the environment and greedily dragged the world into economic chaos - saw the errors of its ways over the past eight years and shifted course.

They say the country that weakened democratic forces abroad through a tireless but often ineffective campaign for democracy - dismissing results it found unsavory, cutting deals with dictators it needed as allies in its other battles - was now shining a transformative beacon with its own democratic exercise.

It would be hard to overstate how fervently vast stretches of the globe wanted the election to turn out as it did to repudiate the Bush administration and its policies.

Yes, I voted for Obama because I believe in him. And yes, I voted for him because I value his judgement and principles. And yes - damn it - I voted for him because he is an amazingly eloquently and inspiring speaker. That matters to me as an English teacher, it matters to me as a human being, it matters to me when I choose a leader that I want to represent me to the rest of the world. I heard again the other day that line from an early speech that rings in my ears every day now.

If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandmother. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It's that fundamental believe - I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper - that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as an American family.

The echoes from John Donne and Jesus are unmistakable. It is too long since we have had leaders who have understood that the true essence of Darwinism is cooperation, not dominance. A species does not survive through self-aggrandizement, but through compassion.

But most of all, I voted for Obama because America must now come out of its dark ages. The past eight years have been the most horrifying of my life - hearing grown, intelligent men and women try to say that water boarding is not torture, that we must spy on librarians to protect ourselves from terrorism, that the world is defined in black and white, and you are either with us or against us. We Americans have trampled on every sentence of our constitution, we have destoyed our credibility (and credit!) with the rest of the world, and we have actively squandered every opportunity we had to be stewards of the world rather than bullies. For me, these years have felt like Lord of the Flies, except for the unbelievable blindness we exhibited until just the last year. I do not believe Obama is perfect. I don't believe he can save us. I don't even expect him to keep most of his promises. But today, the real pride I feel is the sense that America is reawakening from its slumber.

The nightmare is ending, and we have much work to do, but - finally - that work can begin.

Friends on a Raft

2008-10-20T00:12:00.003-04:00

Here is a link to Friends on a Raft - something I wrote for our current production of Big River, the story of Huckleberry Finn, which opens on Wednesday. I am really proud of the production, and wrote this note at the request of the administration to take advantage of a teachable moment with our students on the issues of race and diversity. I'll be posting pictures when we have them.

Would love to hear any comments you may have.

Why Literature is Bad for you

2008-10-18T09:41:00.004-04:00

Here is a terrific article about why books - especially the classics - should come with warnings from the Surgeon General.

My town's smaller than yours is.

2008-10-10T08:43:00.002-04:00

As someone who grew up in an even smaller town America than Sarah Palin did, in a town that had an even smaller Main Street (2 stoplights), with a population less than 1/7 the size of doggone-it-you-betcha-ain't-we-cutesy-and-wink-folksy-by-God-wink Wasilla, Alaska, I was glad to read this article about how overrun Washington has been with 'heartlanders' for the last twenty years. There are so many virtues of a small town, as John Mellancamp wasn't the first to say, and I loved growing up there for so many reasons. But as charming as the mentality is, it has consistently proved itself to be severely limited and circular, pre-occupied with the smallest of concerns, narrowly focused on only what has a direct effect on its own citizens. But even that is too broad. The politicians in most small towns even parse up their tiny populations, making government serve their family and friends, disenfranchising those who are new to the area or whose families aren't from the 'right' side of the tracks. I would trust my life to many of the people I grew up with, but not for a second would I presume they would make the right decision for anyone but themselves. Small town politicians are the kings of earmarking and bigotry and xenophobia - truly dedicated to those they know and love and deeply viscous towards those they don't. Enough of Main Street in Washington. Let's get someone with a broader sense of perspective, who doesn't put country first (which really just means city last), but seeks to do what is right by the greatest number of citizens, both here and in the rest of the world. It is this universal thinking that Jesus taught us, and is the ultimate small town value, even though it is rarely practiced there.

Politics of Attack

2008-10-08T07:09:00.002-04:00

Paragraph 7 is particularly disturbing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/opinion/08wed1.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&oref=slogin

The Biblical Definition of Marriage

2008-10-04T20:37:00.011-04:00

In the debate the other night, both VP candidates agreed that they do not support gay marriage in terms of legal definitions, but both agreed (or seemed to) that the government should not limit any civil rights of gay couples. This is a step forward, since our government (in theory, at least) is based on the separation of church and state. I was really surprised and encouraged to hear Sarah Palin say that she does not advocate limiting any civil rights for gay couples, particularly considering how she supported a bill to deny hospital visitations (which she later was advised was unconstitutional). Palin said clearly at the debate that she would not prevent visitation rights to gay couples, but of course, she also did not say she would do anything to guarantee them, which is the government's most important job.

However, both candidates said they believe (not as a matter of public policy, but personally) that marriage should be between one man and one woman. Biden said that it was a matter for each individual religion to decide and did not identify where his personal convictions come from. We can deduce from the activities of her church, however, that Palin bases her belief on the Bible.

Since I am currently teaching the Bible, I can't help but bring up what is meant by a biblical definition of marriage. This article offers some important points that anyone seeking a biblical definition of marriage would need to address. (Numbers 3, 5 and 6 are particularly instructive.)

If one were to construct an amendment to the Constitution based on a literal reading of the Bible it might well contain the following stipulations:

1. Marriage in the United States shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women. (Gen 29:17-28; II Sam 3:2-5)

2. Marriage shall not impede a man's right to take concubines, in addition to his wife or wives. (II Sam 5:13; I Kings 11:3; II Chron 11:21)

3. A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed. (Deut 22:13-21)

4. Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be forbidden. (Gen 24:3; Num 25:1-9; Ezra 9:12; Neh 10:30)

5. Since marriage is for life, neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any State, nor any state or federal law, shall be construed to permit divorce. (Deut 22:19; Mark 10:9)

6. If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother's widow or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe, and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen. 38:6-10; Deut 25:5-10)

7. In lieu of marriage, if there are no acceptable men in your town, it is required that you get your dad drunk and have sex with him (even if he had previously offered you up as a sex toy to men young and old), tag-teaming with any sisters you may have. Of course, this rule applies only if you are female. (Gen 19:31-36)

Obviously, the question of marriage has changed drastically over the years, and the bible is no better at guiding us in this issue than in the issue of slavery, which it clearly condones. It is much better to look at the spirit of the bible here than take these laws literally. In replacing ten (and hundreds more) commandments with two, Jesus meant to offer not laws but guiding principles, which would help us to work out complex issues for ourselves rather than relying on laws that were written for people who needed them but which no longer apply. The prohibitions on shell fish and mixed fabrics, for instance, hold little sway for us today, and the word used for them (translated in KJV as 'abomination') is the same word used for homosexuality. The spirit of all the laws - Hebrew and Christian - is summed up in the two Jesus chooses: place your ego second in order to discover the ultimate reality, and let non-judgmental compassion be the guiding principle in all your dealings with other humans.

In this light, I have such a hard time denying any right or name or responsibility or legal status or religious blessing to any loving couple. It is so difficult to find love in this world. Why would we not celebrate that every time it happens? Granted, the text does say in Genesis 2:24 (and again quoted or paraphrased at Matthew 19:3-9 and Mark 10:2-12, for example) that "a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Ironically, each time Jesus referenced the Genesis passage, he was not talking about gay marriage. He was condemning divorce. If we really want to protect the biblical definition of marriage legally, we should demand that the Supreme Court outlaw divorce, not gay marriage.

Love is the great miracle, regardless of to whom it happens or how. Common sense and experience (though clearly not the Bible) dictate that monogamy is the most stable relationship in modern society because it is the only type that can last (unless you have been raised with a ploygamous consciousness, like certain sects of the Mormon or Islamic communities). But again, this is not a Biblical law, but a practical application of a spiritual principle - putting the ego second and actively caring for those around us. Surely Jesus, who hung out with thieves and prostitutes, would see that love is a miracle worth celebrating no matter where it may occur.

Palin’s Alternate Universe

2008-10-04T09:15:00.005-04:00

Here's an article that examines the real issues underlying the VP debate. We have had 8 years of "charm" instead of leadership (though I still don't get what makes Bush charming). A few quotations:

For Ms. Palin, such things as context, syntax and the proximity of answers to questions have no meaning.

As an English teacher, this is one of the aspects of her candidacy (and Bush's presidency) that bothers me most. The emphasis on charm somehow manages to negate totally any focus on substance, and the most inane answers or non-answers or deliberate dodges are forgiven because she is "folksy," which in another context, with another politician, would just come across as plain ignorant.

But the real issue here is this one.

John McCain has spent most of his adult life speaking of his love for his country. Maybe he sees something in Sarah Palin that most Americans do not. Maybe he is aware of qualities that lead him to believe she’d be as steady as Franklin Roosevelt in guiding the U.S. through a prolonged economic downturn. Maybe she’d be as wise and prudent in a national emergency as John Kennedy was during the Cuban missile crisis.

The hardest part of this for me personally is that I used to admire John McCain. I bought his storyline of being independently driven by morals and common sense. But that McCain has utterly disappeared. This total annihilation of the John McCain I once admired was complete long before he found Dick-Cheney-in-Annie-Oakley's-clothing, but choosing her is the most mind boggling and irresponsible insult to Americans I have seen in a long time.

Here's another article. In particular, this quotation strikes me as important:

The people boosting Palin’s triumph were not celebrating because she demonstrated that she is qualified to be president if something ever happened to John McCain. They were cheering her success in covering up her lack of knowledge about the things she would have to deal with if she wound up running the country.

Don't Vote

2008-10-03T20:58:00.000-04:00

Can you tell which is which?

2008-09-28T23:17:00.002-04:00

Chris Rock on David Letterman

2008-09-28T13:15:00.002-04:00

Click here for more.

Henry Kissinger

2008-09-28T12:36:00.005-04:00

I was more than a little surprised to hear Henry Kissinger's name praised so often at the debate and during the past few days. Have we forgotten his role in Watergate? In supporting nearly every fascist and communist dictator of the last century? In his disastrous involvement in the Vietnam War? It's amazing to me how everything in America can eventually be forgotten, even if our leaders continue the same path. It's like giving Elliot Spitzer his old job back as the Harvey Dent of New York corruption.

Here is an article that gives some perspective on this issue, concluding that Kissinger is neither hawk nor dove, but vulture, which I would agree with if of weren't such an insult to the vulture.

And here are a couple more editorials that do a pretty good job of summing up my feelings about the debate. Watching the backflips, cartwheels and handsprings that McCain has been doing over the past couple of weeks is entertaining, and would just be funny if it didn't remind me so much of Karl Rove.

Sound but No Fury

McCain's Suspension Bridge to Nowhere

The West Wing

2008-09-21T01:02:00.001-04:00

A terrific article that is a collaboration between Maureen Dowd of the NY Times and Aaron Sorkin, who created and wrote The West Wing. The article imagines a meeting between Barack Obama and The West Wing's president, Jed Bartlett.

Front Fell Off

2008-09-19T14:06:00.002-04:00

Church of England Apologizes to Darwin

2008-09-19T10:53:00.001-04:00

Here's a great article in which the Church of England apologizes to Darwin, having written an essay called "Good Religion Needs Good Science." Amen to that. Of course, good science may need good religion too (in my opinion), but I doubt if that realization will come any time soon.

How we got in this mess.

2008-09-17T07:49:00.002-04:00

If you are wondering why the US is in such a huge financial mess right now, what happened with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, AIG, and what will be happening with other banks and companies that are going to be closing soon, and why America, which has traditionally been seen as a beacon of stability in the financial markets now no longer holds that reputation, then you might want to listen to this radio show, which examines the origins of this financial whirlpool we seem to be caught in. It's an entertaining and often shocking story of greed gone wild.

Here's the original version from This American Life, and here's a shorter version that aired on All Things Considered.

McCain’s Health Plan

2008-09-16T21:59:00.002-04:00

This article examines some elements of McCain's health plan that have gone unnoticed by most people because of all the attention being paid to Sarah Palin. The health plan treats employer paid health plans as income that employees would pay taxes on. In addition, 20 million Americans would no longer have employer paid health insurance. McCain would also offer a tax credit to help pay for health insurance, but it doesn't look like enough to me considering how much insurance is now. Regardless of how you feel about the proposals, I think this deserves more attention and debate since it is such a sea change in terms of how we handle this important issue.

BBC NEWS | UK | Education | 'Creationism' biologist quits job

2008-09-16T13:46:00.002-04:00

I find this whole debate so mind boggling. Here is a science teacher castigated for saying that teachers should address the issue of creationism if it is brought up by a student. Sure, creationism doesn't hold up as science (Jesus taught by parables - why do we insist on trying to apply scientific principles to a series of metaphors?), but not addressing a student's curiosity on a genuine and considerate level is just rotten teaching. I also don't understand the conflict. Metaphors and parables are not less true than science - they are just less factual. Metaphors and parables can actually point to much deeper truths than fact, and science really can't prove truth anyway. They are two different domains. But what surprises me is the vehemence with which scientists attack the creationism argument. What is there to be so afraid of when the facts are on your side?

Electoral Map

2008-09-11T18:49:00.003-04:00

Here's a great resource if you're wondering how to cut through all the fogginess about this election. It's an electoral map that will let you enter projections. For instance, if you click on "2008 Swing States" under Select a Starting View, then you can see which states seem undecided. You can then click once to turn them Republican and twice to turn it Democrat. When fewer than 12 states remain, it will give probabilities below the map - such as the probability of whether in that scenario, either candidate can win, and the different scenarios needed to win by each candidate.

The problem with most polls coming out now is that they are general opinion polls. Since we have an electoral college, those opinion polls really don't mean anything. It's actually much more difficult for McCain to beat Obama than it appears in the press, especially considering that the latest poll puts Obama ahead in Pennsylvania and Ohio, while putting McCain ahead in Florida. If they win those 3 states in that way, then the likelihood that McCain can win shrinks to 7%.

I keep looking everywhere I can to find tools that help cut through the fog...

Our Amazing Congress

2008-09-06T23:11:00.003-04:00

"Suppose you were an idiot. Now suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."
-Mark Twain

The best Daily Show ever

2008-09-06T21:31:00.003-04:00

They really outdid themselves on this episode. Their use of juxtaposition is nothing short of breathtaking. Each of the segments is worth watching. Truly amazing.

John McCain's Acceptance Speech

The Reformed Maverick

Small Town Values

The Top 10 Mad Scientists

2008-09-06T21:29:00.002-04:00

I love mad scientists. This brief Top 10 does a good job of
highlighting how diverse the curiosity of a true mad scientist can be.
Translating Mayan hieroglyphics, sailing with no wind, learning
Sanskrit, inventing helicopters 500 years before the technology was
available - their imaginations are on fire.

http://www.livescience.com/history/top-10-mad-scientists.html

Daily Show Response to the Republican Convention

2008-09-04T07:49:00.005-04:00

Jon Stewart on the reactions to Sarah Palin.

Some pretty great stuff on the rest of the show, which you can find here.

And here's one more clip about the other Republicans, just for good measure. The best part starts at 3 minutes.

Palin Start in Alaska - Not Politics as Usual - NYTimes.com

2008-09-02T23:19:00.003-04:00

All the hoopla about Sarah Palin is sort of tough to sort through. The media has gone into a tail spin over it, either looking to dig up controversy or fall over themselves fawning on her. It's a bit
ridiculous.

This article from the NY Times is the first sort of clear headed analysis I've seen. Some intriguing insights both positive and negative about her actual record.

Quantum Cello

2008-08-29T08:36:00.003-04:00

Radiolab is my favorite show. They do 5 episodes per year, but in the off-time, they do shorter interest pieces, including this one, about a musician who plays the cello by looping and layering through a computer. It's really beautiful and creative stuff, and interesting to hear her talk about her stage fright as part of the reason she does this.

And the music is gorgeous. You can download the episode by clicking here, or find more information at Radiolab's website.

A Cosmological Kick in the Head

2008-08-14T15:40:00.002-04:00

Here is a link to an interview that Robert Krulwich did with Brian Greene, a professor of physics and author of The Elegant Universe, among other books on physics. If you listen to this and don't feel your head has been expanded 3-4 times by the rapidity of the neuron firing in order to keep up, I'll be honestly surprised. Greene talks about the different explanations of the cosmological data that has been collected, and the implications, which range everywhere from the idea of the "Multiverse" - a collection of universes all of which are infinite (!) to the place of determination and free will in modern-day physics. Honestly, since I'm gearing up to teach courses in the bible and world mythology, this seems like a conversation I've heard many times before, just with vastly different data. In some ways, it's the oldest conversation there is - where did we come from, are we alone, are we in control of what we do? - with just a different vocabulary, substituting words like scientific words for literary or religious ones.

It's fascinating, but will require your attention. Download it and play it in your car or while you run. I love the way these two talk about science. Pretty awe-inspiring stuff.

Plastic Bags

2008-08-05T23:30:00.005-04:00

A powerful slideshow that offers some important information about plastic bags. It's sort of annoying how they have formatted the slideshow, but please do read it. And if you're interested in a solution, my wife and I have some awesome reusable bags that are so tiny when folded up that I can fit them in a pocket, and she can fit several in her purse. Here's a video of them.

Solar Revolution

2008-08-05T23:05:00.003-04:00

This is awesome. A professor at MIT has discovered a way to mimic the way that plants store food, which could make it possible to power your house all day and all night, plus charge your electric car, just with the light that hits your roof. Check out the video here. Very cool!

Fallen Idol Worship

2008-08-04T00:07:00.005-04:00

I still haven't seen The Dark Knight (I'm dying to), so I can't comment on the film, but I really did think Heath Ledger was enormously talented (particularly in Brokeback Mountain), but this article brings up some really important and interesting issues about how we make excuses for those who are talented, and thus enable celebrities in their addictions. Worth a read.

Bohemian Astrophysics

2008-08-03T23:57:00.002-04:00

Gotta love this. Queen's guitarist, Brian May, has just finished his doctoral thesis in Astrophysics after taking 30 years off to "play some guitar.

Wordle

2008-07-23T23:09:00.005-04:00

This is cool. You just paste a bunch of words or a website in, and it creates a Wordle. I made these from Mumon's Comments. Mumon was a Zen Master who commented on each of the koans in The Gateless Gate, one of my favorite books of all time. They are easy and fun to do.

More Ecology

2008-07-23T17:48:00.004-04:00

Here's an interesting article about how we may eat in the future. The article has some fascinating points in it, including the fact that the average American eats 1200 calories more than recommended each day, and that a single hamburger takes 1300 gallons of water to create. There are lots more good facts on this, in case you're interested. Some of the ones I have collected are here.

And in case you didn't see the full version, here are the highlights of Al Gore's Challenge. It's just 5 minutes long, so give it a quick watch - time to get on board and sign up with the We campaign!

The Ecological Benefits of Vegetarianism

2008-07-22T23:06:00.001-04:00

I have played with being a vegetarian several times in my life, and have usually gone back because I just haven't taken the time to eat healthily enough and end up losing weight or getting deficiencies. But after watching a 30 Days episode about animal rights, I decided to go back, and have been consistent now for a while. I do feel healthier, and have discovered quite a few good vegetarian options.

Animal rights aside (since, as Joseph Campbell says, life lives on lives, and vegetarians are just eating something that can't run away), there are powerful ecological reasons to be a vegetarian. This article from The Green Lantern at Slate Magazine mentions a study that determined that the switch from carnivore to vegetarian is the equivalent in terms of environmental impact of trading in a Chevy Suburban for a Toyota Camry. Being a vegan is a bit more ecologically friendly, but I still haven't done that, because protein is more difficult to find without cheese, etc., and soy ice cream just doesn't taste as good. But here's another article about the ecological difference between dairy milk and soy milk, and I've definitely made that switch, since in some ways I like soy milk better.

I've never been a missionary, since I don't believe in converting others, but I do think the information is fairly compelling and worth spreading.

Our Brilliant Government

2008-07-21T20:47:00.001-04:00

Amazing. This story is about how supplies intended for Katrina and
Rita victims were estimated at $85 million actually just cost $18.5
million and many of the supplies arrived at all, since they just sat
in a big warehouse in Texas. Yay Government competence.

Climate Change Challenge

2008-07-18T23:48:00.017-04:00

In case you didn't see it, here's Al Gore's speech challenging us to go to non-carbon-based, renewable energy sources in the next ten years, equivalent to Kennedy's challenge to get to the moon within a decade, which of course America accomplished ahead of schedule. All of the technology is available now, but the political willpower is not. I think this is one of the most urgent (and blatantly obvious) issues of our day. If you agree, you can sign the petition and find out how to do more at the We Can Solve It website.

No matter what your political persuasion, and no matter whether you actually believe in global warming or not, these proposals make absolute sense. Getting rid of carbon-based fuel will also restore clean air and water, and cut the funding off from terrorists who get their money from oil-rich countries. Other than economics, I can't see any reason not to do this. And as Gore points out, it also makes economic sense.

As a teacher in a new home, I can't afford this right now, but if anyone else who lives in Virginia is interested, you can opt to get your power from renewable sources through Dominion. It costs about 5 cents per kilowatt hour more right now, and your power can come from a combination of wind and solar, or from methane recollection over landfills. Here's the site for changing over if you think you can afford it. It doesn't actually change where you get your electricity, but Dominion then purchases the amount of power you use each month from a renewable resource supplier, so it effectively works out though not actually. I'll certainly be doing that as soon as we can afford it. And for those of you in NC, here is there FAQ for Green Power down there.

Here's the video of his speech - quite clear, enormously compelling, and really worth watching. One of my favorite quotations: "We should tax what we burn, not what we earn."

In case you are interested, here's an editorial from the NY Times about the speech. My favorite passage:

When exactly was it that the U.S. became a can’t-do society? It wasn’t at the very beginning when 13 ragamuffin colonies went to war against the world’s mightiest empire. It wasn’t during World War II when Japan and Nazi Germany had to be fought simultaneously. It wasn’t in the postwar period that gave us the Marshall Plan and a robust G.I. Bill and the interstate highway system and the space program and the civil rights movement and the women’s movement and the greatest society the world had ever known.

When was it?

Now we can’t even lift New Orleans off its knees.

Again, the website to join the campaign is wecansolveit.org. And here is a link of action steps you can take.

Electricity from Garbage

2008-07-18T00:40:00.004-04:00

I thought this was an interesting article about a technology that would allow us to use garbage to create electricity - with very little byproduct. It would create about as much carbon dioxide as natural gas does, but it gets rid of many tons of garbage a day, converting it into energy and into a slag that can be used for asphalt. It looks like an intriguing technology, and one I hope more places will try. Apparently, New Orleans is looking into it.

More on 411

2008-07-16T22:59:00.004-04:00

Here is a video that details 3 more free information services for cell phones (no iPhone necessary). You can get answers to anything that Google could find an answer for on Cha-Cha, get 411 information from Google (similar to the texting service, but voice activate), or send text messages on Jott. Check out the video. Pretty useful stuff.

Human Mirror

2008-07-13T12:51:00.005-04:00

Some people from my old theater department are in charge of Improv Everywhere. They do cool and fun stunts - their latest is a Human Mirror on the subway, where they found 16 pairs of identical twins to ride all together in a subway car. Check it out here.

Their complete mission list is here - all worth watching. My favorite is Anton Chekhov.

Here's the video of the Human Mirror, but be sure to check their website too.

Anonymous

2008-07-11T20:31:00.000-04:00

Maybe you have heard about this - I didn't know anything about it until I saw it tonight. Anonymous is a group that is organizing a series of protests against Scientology. Their PR is pretty intense - a computerized voice with pictures of clouds and cities. Here's one of the videos they released.

They have been called domestic terrorists, most notably by a KTTV Fox 11 News report, and were accused of quite a few things, from the serious (bomb threats) to the fairly serious (hacking into MySpace pages and posting gay porn) to the ludicrous (trying to spoil the ending of Harry Potter before it was published). You can see where the fear would come from in the video above, as well as the fact that many of the protesters for their mass demonstration on Feburary 10th wore the masks used in V for Vendetta. But they also released this video with the rules for their protest, which seems like a pretty excellent list, including respect for police and private property and acting sensibly so as not to taint or distort the message by doing dumb things.

That video is also done in a sort of scary way, but it did make me more interested in researching their particular grievances. I had not known anything about Lisa McPherson, or James Hester. Lisa McPherson was a Scientologist who died under unusual circumstances, though the court findings were inconclusive. Certainly, any large organization is going to have suicides or unusual deaths, and from an outside perspective, there's no way to verify whether the church had anything to do with it, or whether those who died would have died anyway. So I'm not at all sure how I feel about either group, but I do find it all pretty fascinating.

The group also made headlines for outing a sexual predator - Chris Forcand - before he was able to do any damage. They got him to proposition them, and then reported him to the police, who then arrested him. The police reported that it was the first time an "Internet vigilant group" had ever helped with the arrest of an internet predator.

Prime Minister Heathcliff!

2008-07-10T10:06:00.004-04:00

Wow. This should interest my former students. The current prime minister of Britain is comparing himself to Heathcliff! It's now being used in Parliament as a mark of derision against him. One minister said, "It's time for Heathcliff to come down from dithering heights."

Check out the video on the website. It's why British people are such better public speakers than Americans - their parliament requires it! The video shows a relatively calm day. Here's a more typical day, where you can actually see Heathcliff in action.

Collegiate Play Photos

2008-07-09T01:19:00.003-04:00

Just put this together. It's a collection of photos of plays at Collegiate since I've been here. They look pretty impressive when all put together. Check it out!

You can also feel free to poke around the rest of the site while you're there. I'm putting all my classes online, and I'm pretty happy with it so far (though it will be tested in the fall...).

Hannah's Lunchbox

2008-07-07T23:52:00.005-04:00

No doubt many people think this family is crazy. I think if more people in our culture had conversations about need vs. want, we'd live in a very different world. Click here for the CNN video and article.

Here's the video Hannah's brother made about it.

Google 411

2008-07-06T20:08:00.003-04:00

This has been around for a while, but I had no idea how versatile and easy it is. You can get the address and phone number of any business or restaurant, driving directions, sports scores, movie listings, product prices, or even flight information for a specific flight.

Watch the video below, and if you're interested, check out this website for all the different things you can do with it. It's much cheaper and more efficient than a phone call!

Kinetic Sculpture

2008-07-06T11:41:00.003-04:00

This guy is amazing.

glumbert - Kinetic Sculpture

Boston and Journey

2008-07-05T15:42:00.002-04:00

Maybe I'm behind in hearing about this. The bands Boston and Journey both have new lead singers, and both of them were discovered through MySpace and YouTube. It's a completely new paradigm! Here are the stories.

Tommy DeCarlo with Boston

And here's Arnel Pineda with Journey

I'm not sure how I feel about the emphasis on sounding exactly like the original singers. Musically, it seems like we're labeling everything now. But these guys are pretty amazing technical singers, and it does show that we're living under an entirely different set of rules these days.

From Juba to Hoofin' and Beyond

2008-07-04T17:34:00.005-04:00

One of the primary projects I'm working on this summer is revamping my classes. British Literature is no longer offered, and so I'm teaching semester-long courses in the Hebrew Bible, World Mythology, and Literary Nonfiction. I taught the Bible and Myth courses once 2 years ago, but the Nonfiction course is entirely new. Allen Chamberlain and I received an innovation grant to work on the course this summer, and I've been having a pretty amazing time with it. The course will deal with both written and audio nonfiction, and the preliminary ideas are on a wiki I'm developing over the summer, which will eventually become a platform for the whole class to work in.

Today, I was reading one of the essays in our textbook, and got really excited about a possible project that I may work on while the students work on their own individual projects. The essay mentioned Juba dancing, and since I didn't know what that was, I looked it up. It's a form of dance that slaves did on plantations when slave owners outlawed any musical instruments, thinking music would cause unrest and riots among the slaves. In 1848, "Master Juba" (William Henry Lane) was taken to London by P.T. Barnum to dance before Queen Victoria. While he was there, he combined Juba dancing with traditional Irish dancing to create tap dance. Reading this reminded me of one of the most astonishing Broadway shows I've ever seen - Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk - starring Savion Glover. The rest of the brainstorm - and several videos - are on the wiki, which you can check out here. It's still in rough form, but I think the videos are sufficiently amazing to justify the incompleteness of the thought process.

But just in case you don't know Savion Glover, here's a 2 minute video that ought to inspire you to look at the rest of it. But if you have time for nothing else, watch the video of him and his group (Not Your Ordinary Tappers) at the White House, which is the 2nd from last on the page.

Shifty Obama

2008-07-04T08:11:00.005-04:00

Here's a good editorial today from the NY Times about Obama's recent shifts toward the center. I agree with the ending, where they say that a candidate's shifts toward center in an general election are expected and necessary, but I do find some of them distressing, particularly the one about gun control in DC and illegal wiretapping. I have mixed feelings about the public financing issue (he could have worked within the system and then fixed it...but his denial of lobbyist funds is encouraging...but the hunt for high rollers is dismaying), and I have no problem with the faith-based initiatives - as long as they are carefully chosen, churches are often in a good position to provide aid to those who need it, and are better organized for that than the government is. I don't agree with him about the death penalty, but I understand why he holds that position. In a presidential race, I'm not looking for a candidate who agrees with me on every topic, but for someone whose judgment I feel I can trust. In the past, I have sometimes felt shaky on that with Obama, but he has usually risen to the occasion, particularly with the Reverend Wright affair and with the issue of negative campaigning. Here's a good article where he acknowledged some missteps in a rough week of the primaries. I would never expect a candidate to be perfect all the time, but the acknowledgement of missteps goes a very long way in my estimation of him.

He is of course a masterful and crafty politician (and not at all naive, as some would paint him). The fears on the right about his Chicago politics are not entirely unbased, but he'll have to play the game to the hilt in order to win, so I don't grudge him the occasional shifting positions, but I am a bit concerned over the gun control and wiretapping issues. The pattern in the past has been that he gets bogged down in the system (which anyone would), but then manages to rise above it (most clearly in the negative campaigning issue), and I hope that will prove to be the case here too.

General Clark

2008-07-04T07:53:00.004-04:00

I've followed General Wesley Clark for several years now, and have been impressed in many ways. He was the Supreme Commander of the NATO forces in Kosovo, and ran for president in 2004. The recent fallout over his off-hand remark about John McCain - saying very clearly that he is a hero to Clark himself and to hundred of thousands of other soldiers who fought in Vietnam, but that getting shot down in a plane and serving in a prison isn't necessarily qualification for high office - has caused a great deal of controversy. Paul Krugman has an editorial about this today which I believe puts the situation in proper perspective, but I do regret that public opinion is following the same path it did with the Swift Boat situation in '04. One of McCain's most vocal aides is Colonel Bud Day, who is outraged that Clark would "insult" McCain in this way. Colonel Day was one of the primary Swift Boaters, who actually did question and insult John Kerry's Vietnam service, though that's clearly not what Clark did. The original interview is here, and you can see for yourself how even-handed he is.

I had hoped (and still hope) that Obama would choose Clark as his vice-president. That would have been unthinkable when Karl Rove was still in charge, but Krugman seems to suggest that the days when his tactics worked automatically on an unsuspecting America are now over, and that we are now in an era where trumped up smears are outshined by real issues.

God, I hope so.

The Biker Brotherhood

2008-07-03T19:16:00.012-04:00

I know I'm opening myself up to serious charges of nerdiness here, but I've been a nerd pretty much all my life, so I'll just plow ahead.

Last year, horrified not only by global warming but by the fact that the oil crisis is the primary cause of our involvement in Iraq, I decided to get a scooter. I believe that the only way to defeat terrorism is to cut off what's important about them, and as soon as we go to electric cars, powered by wind, solar and methane collection, the entire Middle East will be just a sterile desert, and our planet can begin to heal itself. I researched different options, and bought a Genuine Buddy 125 (see photo). It gets 100 miles to the gallon, so I fill up about once a week, and the gas tank holds about 1.5 gallons, so I never spend more than $6 (usually more like $3.50). It also comes with a 2 year warranty and 1 year road-side assistance, which I've never needed, because it has run like a dream ever since I got it. People like to make fun of it, but today, I took it for my first time on the interstate, and clocked 74 miles per hour.

The added benefit I didn't expect was that I would become part of the brotherhood of bikers. If you haven't ridden a motorcycle or scooter before, you probably don't know about this brotherhood. I was surprised at first to see everyone on a bike wave at me as I passed them. The first time it happened, it was a group of Harleys, and I was sure I'd offended them in some way. I kept checking in my rear-view mirror to see if they were following me to beat me up. But it kept happening, and before long, I realized that scooters are also a part of the biker brotherhood. Every time I pass a bike, I get the trademark left-handed wave, sometimes varied as a point or a head nod, especially at stop lights. The only people I've ever passed who don't wave or nod are the people on the rocket bikes whose jackets and helmets match their cycles, usually in black and electric blue or canary yellow. But every Harley rider of every age (the old Hell's angel, the dissatisfied yuppie, the young rebel without a cause) solemnly recognizes my part in the brotherhood, as does every other bike rider out there. It's a completely different experience than you get in a car, which is so isolated. That may be connected to how different riding a bike on the highway is. You are always aware of your surroundings. Even when I listen to my iPod, I am keenly aware of the rhythm of the road, of where every car around me is, of which drivers are paying attention and which ones are not, of whether it looks like rain, or whether the wind picks up on a bridge. This hyper-awareness is something all bikers share, and the wave may be simply a tribute to that common understanding, that no matter the cool factor of the bike, we can admire each other and connect to each other through a common experience.

I've also noticed that my bike is probably the most consistent conversation starter I've ever had. It's typically middle-aged men who catch me in parking lots, to ask about what type of mileage it gets, to complain about oil prices, to reminisce about the days when gas was cheap, and to commiserate about wives who won't let them get the bike they've always dreamed of. There's a type of freedom that comes with the risks a bike entails, and that feedom is apparently quite attractive to men of a certain age. Today, I got in a conversation for about 45 minutes in a parking lot with a man who believes that oil should not cost above $65 a barrel (it passed $145 today), and that the entire gas crisis is a product of speculators - a few Ivy league graduates who have learned how to manipulate the situation. "America doesn't make anything," he fumed, "we just invent ways to get rich off of nothing. Nothing at all. Get rich off of people's fears, off of their stupidity, off of other people's work." Just the simple fact that I was riding a bike made me a confidant to this stranger, and a sort of icon of a way to stick it to the man. I didn't get into the fact that I can't really afford another car right now, and that I'd probably buy the Tesla Roadster if I were rich, rather than this scooter, because I didn't want to spoil his view of the situation. It helped him to have someone to blame, and it helped him to see a different way of approaching the situation, rather than just complaining. He asked me where I got the bike, and I told him, so maybe he'll go check it out. When I told him what part of town it was in (a pretty rough section), he laughed and asked if this is what all the drug dealers are driving now. I don't know, but I certainly am curious about the limo that is always in front of Ed's Seafood and Produce (click on street view on the link - it's even there on google maps!).

I'm rambling now, but while part of the decision to get the bike was a practical one, I'm also quite convinced that it's one minor way to start saving the planet. The number of scooters on the road has more than tripled since I bought mine last year, and I see one every time I ride now, as opposed to seeing one only every month or so when I first bought it. It's definitely tough to ride in the winter, or in the rain, but the weather here has been perfect recently, and I do love the sense of freedom it provides.

The Disadavantages of an Elite Education

2008-07-02T11:09:00.003-04:00

This was brought to my attention by our Academic Dean. It's an amazing article written by a Yale professor about the problems of an elite education, including that it is (counter-intuitively) anti-intellectual. The article is long, but really worth taking the time to read.

Meditation & Genetics

2008-07-02T10:33:00.003-04:00

Here is a new study on how meditation can actually alter genetic responses in the body. People have known this for millenia, but it is nice that science is catching up...

Mandela, the terrorist

2008-07-01T21:58:00.003-04:00

Amazing. Today, Nelson Mandela was removed from the US terror watch list. It reminds me of when Pope John Paul II pardoned Galileo...

An invisibility cloak

2008-07-01T14:27:00.003-04:00

Here is an article about the possibility of actual invisibility cloaks that proves that whatever you imagine will one day become a reality. Of course, they are a long way off, but the mathematical models are there, and that's the beginning. I sometimes wonder if that is how the world is created. We imagine something, give it some time and space and plenty of our attention, and eventually it materializes.

Tesla's new sedan

2008-06-30T18:42:00.005-04:00

If you haven't heard me obsess about the Tesla Roadster, you haven't been around me much recently. Here's a video.

Now Tesla has announced the new sedan - the Model S - which will cost around $60,000 (as opposed to $109,000 for the roadster). They promise a model under $30,000 within 4 years. I'll definitely be getting one as soon as I can!

Matt Dancing

2008-06-30T10:34:00.006-04:00

The perfect example of someone following his dreams.

It seems silly at first, but watch it all the way through, and see if you aren't impressed on multiple levels. He's a bit of a modern-day Richard Halliburton.

Check out his full website here.

Virginia rape law

2008-06-29T22:33:00.004-04:00

I saw this on TV tonight, and was floored. It reminds me of the rape of Dinah in Genesis - where Dinah (one of Jacob's daughters) is raped, and the assailant offers to marry her, which was an acceptable solution at that time. Well apparently, that is currently also an acceptable solution in Virginia! - at least until tomorrow, when it will finally be removed from the books. Under the current law, if a girl aged 14-16 is raped, the man is not allowed to face criminal charges if he offers to marry her.

The law goes off the books tomorrow - nearly 4000 years after Dinah. Of course, the rapist in Dinah's day was not really protected. Dinah's brothers tricked him by saying that he could marry her as long as he and all of his extended family and servants were circumcised. On the day of circumcision, when they were still weak, they were slaughtered by Simeon and Levi - every last one of them. Jacob (God's favorite), who had been quiet about the rape, was upset with his sons because he thought it would cause trouble for them, and later, on his deathbed, he cursed the two who had done it. The curse was that their tribes would eventually be scattered, which of course did happen, though the Levites would become the tribe of the high priests, with Moses as their most distinguished member.

There are many outdated laws on the books, but this one caught me particularly off guard.

Atheists who believe in God

2008-06-25T17:12:00.004-04:00

Now this is amazing. It's a set of statistics published by beliefnet, including these:

21% of atheists say they believe in God.

The group that answered the questions in the most similar way to Evangelicals was Muslims.

57% of Evangelicals believe that many different religions can lead to eternal life.

Check out the rest of the stats here.

Remote Control Face

2008-06-25T13:49:00.003-04:00

Here's an interesting development in technology. It's still really rudimentary, but it seems that it will have profound consequences once they start refining it. This guy created a computer program that recognizes facial expressions and will send computer commands based on what it sees. This has to do with the possibility of robot teachers (not sure how I feel about that!), but I could see this being applied into cars, computers, etc. For instance, if a sound is too loud, perhaps a future version of the software could recognize the facial expression that says it's too loud and adjust it accordingly - the same with brightness. It will also allow better communication once the voice recognition software is more developed.

There is a video of him demonstrating and talking about the software here.

The other thing this reminds me of is the new surface computer that Microsoft is working on. They say the keyboard may be completely obsolete in the next 15 years!

30 Days

2008-06-24T22:57:00.000-04:00

This is one of my favorite shows. If you don't know about it, it's Morgan Spurlock, who made the film Supersize Me. For each episode, a person goes to live for 30 days with a person or family who has a completely different experience from what they have lived. Some of my favorite episodes have included living on minimum wage, spending 30 days in a prison as an inmate, working in a coal mine for 30 days, and my personal favorite from this year - an avid hunter who lives with vegan animal rights activists. There are certainly people who believe that Spurlock has a slant, but from my perspective, he's pretty even-handed. It's amusing that shoppers rated Season 1 3/5 stars in the Fox Store, but 4.5/5 on amazon.com.

It's on during the summer on FX - Tuesdays at 10. The first two seasons are also on DVD. Really worth checking out! Here's a trailer for the show, and here's the main website.

Here's the trailer for Supersize Me, which won him Best Director as Sundance.

Octopus Camoflage

2008-06-23T15:05:00.000-04:00

Nature again - so astonishing. Check out this video of the camouflage techniques of the octopus.

And here's another, simpler, one, but which seems even a bit more amazing.

I found these while reading this article on Slate.com.

Picturing Excess

2008-06-23T09:42:00.001-04:00

This is a pretty great talk by Chris Jordan, who does artwork to picture statistics. He'll do things like illustrate the number of teenagers who start smoking every month by putting that many cigarettes in a painting, or having one prison uniform for every prison inmate in the US today, etc. It's extremely thought-provoking stuff. Check out the video - it's short and quite moving.

Here's just one of the pictures - the number of cell phones that are retired daily in the US (426,000)

Religion in the classroom

2008-06-21T11:12:00.002-04:00

Here's an example of rather extreme religion in the classroom - a middle school science teacher who burned a cross into a students arm. Yikes.

Musings

More on Prophets

More on Prophets

The Prophetic Imagination

Jon Stewart on Healthcare Reform

Sidewalk Chalk Guy

Classrooms of the Future

Wind Talkers

The Book of G

Arizona

Palin Posts Healthcare Opinions On Facebook

Ancient Rumblings

Sotomayor et al. v. The Old Boys Club

SpaceX

A few thoughts on Iran

Google Bookshelf

Fluteboxing!

The end of Carneval, and the beginning of a long Lent

The Bigots’ Last Hurrah

Our Very Own Mahabharata

Global Spirit

Wild Things

Dark Morals

David Plotz

Mythology in the News

Snow!

Recycled Breath

Cheney and the Goat Devil

In China, Mistresses Get Pink Slips of a Different Kind

Milgram's 08

Atheists in Heaven?

Jesus and the Buddha

Augmented Reality

Jon Stewart & Mike Huckabee on Gay Marriage

Pirates

Angulimal & the Buddha

Expectations & Punishment

A Pristine White House

The Morning Dawns

Friends on a Raft

Why Literature is Bad for you

My town's smaller than yours is.

Politics of Attack

The Biblical Definition of Marriage

Palin’s Alternate Universe

Don't Vote

Can you tell which is which?

Chris Rock on David Letterman

Henry Kissinger

The West Wing

Front Fell Off

Church of England Apologizes to Darwin

How we got in this mess.

McCain’s Health Plan

BBC NEWS | UK | Education | 'Creationism' biologist quits job

Electoral Map

Our Amazing Congress

The best Daily Show ever

The Top 10 Mad Scientists

Daily Show Response to the Republican Convention

Palin Start in Alaska - Not Politics as Usual - NYTimes.com

Quantum Cello

Top Ten Psychology Videos

A Cosmological Kick in the Head

Plastic Bags

Solar Revolution

Fallen Idol Worship

Bohemian Astrophysics

Wordle

More Ecology

The Ecological Benefits of Vegetarianism

Our Brilliant Government

Climate Change Challenge

Electricity from Garbage

More on 411

Human Mirror

Anonymous

Prime Minister Heathcliff!

Collegiate Play Photos

Hannah's Lunchbox