Society Of Burned Lives

Excursus: The Pipe as Rhetorical Artifact

2011-12-23T11:32:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you may have noticed that smoking pipes are cropping up more lately in film and public consciousness. To be fair, pipes enjoyed a similar resurgence when Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings first came out ten years ago and many current, younger pipe smokers trace their initial interest to this film series. Still, I recently watched Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows during which I noticed more pipes than in the previous film. In the first film, Sherlock is the only pipe smoker but in the second film, Sherlock not only is a prominent pipe smoker but he smokes three different pipes. Also, other characters and random people passing by are smoking pipes throughout the film. Why is this? Why now?

The Three Pipe Problem

Of course pipe smoking is a significant part of both the Sherlock Holmes and Lord of the Rings (LTOR) canons. Still, with the anti-smoking gestalt today, why are movies including pipe smoking in the modern depictions? Certainly traditional pipe smokers identify with the Sherlock Holmes stories and many pipe smokers become "Holmesians" or those who study the Holmes cannon. Many pipe clubs, like the Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club of Boston, tie their identity to Holmes and Watson as the define themselves as pipe smokers. Some even emulate Holmes when they describe the severity of problems as taking one, two or three pipes to solve:

“As a rule,” said Holmes, “the more bizarre a thing is the less mysterious it proves to be. It is your commonplace, featureless crimes which are really puzzling, just as a commonplace face is the most difficult to identify. But I must be prompt over this matter.”
“What are you going to do, then?” I asked.
“To smoke,” he answered. “It is quite a three pipe problem, and I beg that you won’t speak to me for fifty minutes.” He curled himself up in his chair, with his thin knees drawn up to his hawk-like nose, and there he sat with his eyes closed and his black clay pipe thrusting out like the bill of some strange bird. I had come to the conclusion that he had dropped asleep, and indeed was nodding myself, when he suddenly sprang out of his chair with the gesture of a man who has made up his mind and put his pipe down upon the mantelpiece.[1]

Perhaps fans of both Sherlock Holmes and LOTR represent niche groups or subcultures of geekdom (a collection of people who avidly follow and/or consume a certain genre or hobby) that have simply edged closer to mainstream consciousness. In order to attract the longterm fan of these stories, these movies use pipes as rhetorical touchstones to identify the film adaptations with these enthusiasts. Certainly pipes are identified with other subcultures of geekdom.

The Steampunk Pipe

Recently, the steampunk aesthetic is gaining in popularity. This genre has been showcased on episodes of Castle and many consider the recent Sherlock Holmes movies to be part of the steampunk movement. Definitions of steampunk are contested but overall it seems to be a retro-futuristic sub-culture of science fiction that focuses on an alternate Victorian Era history and steam power. A good explanation of this definition problem is found on Steampunk.com:

To me, Steampunk has always been first and foremost a literary genre, or least a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy that includes social or technological aspects of the 19th century (the steam) usually with some deconstruction of, reimagining of, or rebellion against parts of it (the punk). Unfortunately, it is a poorly defined subgenre, with plenty of disagreement about what is and is not included. [2]

Because steampunk identifies with Victorian England, many people who participate in this aesthetic use pipes to represent steampunk. Certainly many people smoked pipes during this era; in fact the Sherlock Holmes stories took place in Victorian London. Yeah, it was a good time to be a pipesmoker and many of the pipe styles we see today were originally shaped and defined during this time.

Often steampunk participants will use traditional briar, meerschaum or calabash pipes to define their characters but some pipe makers are experimenting with the genre in their pipecraft. For instance, this pipe was made by Nate King who enjoys the steampunk genre. Although he designed this pipe earlier, a steampunk author purchased this pipe and is going to incorporate it into his illustrations [3]. Nate is now looking at expanding his steampunk pipes into other styles and shapes; personally, I am looking forward to see how he incorporates gears into his designs.

Steampunk pipes seem to function in a similar manner to that of those portrayed in Sherlock Holmes and LOTR movies: they function as rhetorical touchstones that point the attention of the observer to those worlds created by the participants of the respective worlds. However, pipes are appearing more often in movies outside of these genres. Why is this?

The Hipster Pipe

Hipsters are becoming more popular in the USA. This group, once seen as a small sub-culture, is growing. More movies are being made depicting hipsters as mainstream or at least equal to being a young adult today. Hipsters are considered easy to recognize and are defined as:

America does have a long love affair with being hip — not only up to date and au courant, but ahead of the curve. The Urban Dictionary defines hipsters as "a subculture of men and women typically in their 20s and 30s who value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter." [4]

Apparently, many feel that hipsters are rejecting cigarettes and turning more and more to pipes. Pipes are turning up more and more in pictures of hipsters found at various websites like LATFH. Certainly "drug-treatment" organizations are taking notice:

While parents were busy warning against the dangers of cigarettes, two new dangerous habits have snuck in, drawing the attention of teens and young adults. Hookahs and pipes are finding popularity among a new generation of hipsters who think the habits are less dangerous. [5]

Traditionally, many pipe smokers can identify with some elements of the hipster. Pipe smokers are often seen as being more intelligent, independent, and even counter-cultural. However, many hipsters may be adopting pipe smoking because it is "so not cool it is cool." In this way, the pipe serves as a rhetorical touchstone that invokes images of Ward Cleaver or even Hugh Hefner circa 1960 but in ironic ways. In other words, the hipster pipe may serve as an ironic iconoclast to modern pop culture by reframing past cultural memory of 1955 in ways that are seen as individualistic or independent rather than collective norm.

The Rhetorical Pipe

Certainly pipes and pipe smoking is increasing in the public awareness through film. Whether or not these appearances are tailored for specific sub-cultures within American pop culture, pipes do serve as rhetorical artifacts within film, literature, and other media today. Pipes can set the mood of a scene, sell the authenticity of a character, identify with a specific genre or world, or even serve as a way to reject modern culture. It can invoke a sense of nostalgia or fantasy for the observer. For many, it is a defining characteristic of a chosen lifestyle. When you, O' Gentle Reader, see a pipe or pipe smoker, what do you think? What do you feel? How does it affect your life?

-Safari Bob

References
[1] The Red Headed League by Conan Doyle
[2] http://www.steampunk.com/what-is-steampunk/
[3] http://www.natekingpipes.com/2011/12/13-11-gear-punk/
[4] http://www.npr.org/2011/11/16/142387490/the-hipsterfication-of-america
[5] http://www.thecyn.com/drug-treatment/hipsters-turn-to-hookahs-pipes.html

Book Review: Writing with Authority by David Foster

2011-11-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

In Writing with Authority: Student’s Roles as Writers in Cross-National Perspective, David Foster centers the question of how students develop as writers within a cross-national context by comparing American and German student writing processes. American undergraduate student writers tend to operate under a semester-long deadline while German students often develop longer research agendas due to fewer writing timetables. American students operate in a highly regulated environment controlled by institutional administration while German students are given more freedom and forced to take a more active role in education—even to the point of being responsible for recording the amount of credits they earn each semester.

Foster’s goals in this book are (1) to identify crucial differences between German and American students’ development as academic writers, (2) to determine what this comparison suggests about American students’ roles and practices as academic writers, and (3) to propose how American undergraduate writing can be altered by integrating self-directed, goal-driven, knowledge-based writing into curriculum from the onset of college study. Ultimately, he argues that values of setting long-term goals, self-directed planning and writing, and interactive participation in knowledge communities be incorporated into student writing through changes in undergraduate American curriculum.

In order to better gauge the writing of American students, Foster compares the writing process of American students with that of German students. He conducted five case studies where he compares pairs of students, one from Germany and one from the United States, enrolled in similar programs and in a similar year of study. The participants represent four different disciplines: History, Religious Studies, Political Science, and English/Journalism. Foster clearly articulates his methods of research that include (1) interviews and student descriptions of educational backgrounds, literacy histories, and ongoing writing activities; (2) interviews with teachers to determine descriptions of pedagogical goals and practices towards writing; and (3) Foster’s personal observation of classroom and individual activities.

Foster describes himself as a participant/observer and strives for transparency by providing complete copies of interview questions administered to students and teachers in his research. Also he attempts to establish context for his research by divulging how he identified and analyzed specific sources of data including (1) his personal narrative as to how he became involved with both American and German students, (2) his analytic strategy for coding transcripts, and (3) descriptions of both universities and participant biographies.

The heart of Foster’s argument is that student writers should be challenged by academic institutions to write as transformative knowledge-makers through extended, goal-driven writing projects. This endeavor is woven throughout the book as he demonstrates how German students tend to write in this manner. In chapter 5, Foster offers a portfolio-based model course outline for a semester-long writing course as well as two models for project-based yearlong writing assignment. These models rely on establishing writing goals, peer critiques, recursive revision, and reflection—all valuable but hardly new.

The true innovation and difficulty of Foster’s pedagogical model is to establish writing projects across semesters and across disciplines. He argues for three goals of change: (1) to develop seminar-like courses at all levels of study that focuses on the student’s extended research goals, (2) to build extended writing expectations that support cumulative writing projects that incorporate courses across programs and disciplines, and (3) to encourage faculty to shape student roles as self-directed, long-term planners, researchers, and writers. These are all worthy goals but difficult to implement.

Writing with Authority constitutes a solid approach to analyzing student writing through case study. The book contributes to the field of Composition and Rhetoric by comparing the writing strategies of students from two different cultures and by providing some insight into how to research writing through case study as a participant/observer. Foster’s conclusions are hardly revolutionary or expeditious; this book may best serve as a text for an introductory Qualitative Field Research Methods class.

-Safari Bob

Foster, D. (2006). Writing with Authority: Student’s Roles as Writers in Cross-National Perspective. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press, 193 pp.

Book Review: Starring the Text by Alan G. Gross

2011-10-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

In Starring the Text: The Place of Rhetoric in Science Studies, Alan G. Gross examines the role of science texts as persuasive communication by applying the traditions of rhetorical analysis to the writings of science greats such as Copernicus, Darwin, and Newton. Scientific advancement is expressed through written communication including texts, tables, and visual representations of explanation and argument. Gross asserts that “the texts of science are not just texts; they are what the Bible once was: revealed truth about the causal structure of the universe” (p. ix).

To accomplish his analysis of scientific communication, Gross conducts a series of case studies centered on specific scientific texts to demonstrate the use of rhetorical conventions, by the authors, to argue for their findings and persuade their peers to accept their positions. In doing so, Gross implements rigorous rhetorical analysis to illuminate how the writers of scientific texts discovered, presented, and contested the results of their search for understanding. In this book, Gross presents his findings in four major sections.

In Part One, Gross defends the necessity for a rhetorical analysis of science writing. He explores the history of rhetoric of science and exposes how rhetoric is used to promote scientific writing and the techniques of persuasion used to sway audiences to accept findings and theories. Specifically, Gross provides an excellent brief history of rhetoric of science in Chapter 1 that demonstrates a personal knowledge of how this valuable academic discipline developed a critical voice within scientific writing.

Gross then turns his attention to explore the limits of rhetorical analysis of science. In Part Two, he explores the rhetorical construct of taxonomy as persuasion to accept evolutionary theory and how both Newton and Descartes used rhetoric to each promote their own theories of optics. Although Gross does not assert that a full rhetorical description of scientific texts is possible, he does use these case studies to suggest that “rhetoric is a discipline; moreover, its disciplinary status entitles us to speak of all written and visual records of the scientific from a rhetorical perspective” (p. 78).

In Part Three, Gross explores the range of rhetorical analysis of science by examining how evolution evolved in Darwin’s notebooks, articulating the importance of peer-review in certifying consensus within a scientific community, and tracing heliocentricity as the origin of rational conversation which Gross asserts was an essential ingredient to the spread of Copernicanism in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. In all, Gross conducts five case studies in this section not to demonstrate that science is rhetoric but that no one discipline “can be relied on to provide a fully adequate explanation of what science is and how it works” (p. 141).

Finally, Gross attempts to place rhetoric within scientific inquiry by exploring the compatibility of rhetoric and sociology as well as psychology and the history of science. Of particular value in Part Four is Chapter 11 where Gross analyzes the Newton-Leibniz debate to demonstrate the role of priority in the social invention of scientific history. Because scientific advancements may happen nearly simultaneously, “the actual effect of an emphasis on priority may undermine its intended effect, the encouragement of scientific advance. Every scientific paper instantiates the tension created by these opposing tendencies” (p. 178).

Starring The Text represents a major re-tooling of Gross’ earlier book, The Rhetoric of Science and constitutes a shift from arguments anchored in the rhetorical to the philosophical. This book offers a major contribution to the field of rhetoric of science and is a must read for both students and scholars of this field as well as technical communicators who specialize within this context. In addition, this book offers and excellent history of rhetorical scientific criticism and should be considered as a text for the classroom.

-Safari Bob

Gross, A. G. (2006). Starring the Text: The Place of Rhetoric in Science Studies. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press, 216 pp.

2011 Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association Conference

2011-10-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

On 8 October 2011, I was fortunate enough to present a paper at the 2011 Rocky Mountain Modern Languages Association in Scottsdale Arizona. I had never been to Scottsdale but I found it beautiful. The weather was perfect and I had a great time wondering around the Old Town district. Unfortunately, I did not get to visit The Poisoned Pen; an independent bookstore that specializes in crime fiction, carrying British and Canadian as well as American titles. I love mysteries and I would have spent way too much time and money there. Still, I would that I could have visited; next time!

At least the conference was great! Here is my proposal:

Mining YouTube to Research “Real-World” Intercultural Communication Contexts for the Service-Level Technical Writing Classroom
Abstract
Analyzing and articulating different audiences is a significant challenge for students of technical communication. Teaching intercultural writing to beginning technical communication students can often seem manufactured and artificial. By exploring cultural expectations in “real-world” contexts, instructors of technical communication can provide these future practitioners of technical writing the tools necessary to identify and articulate specific targeted audiences within a global environment.
This paper/presentation examines how to best use YouTube, a popular video sharing website on which both companies and consumers can upload and view videos, to study and identify differing intercultural “real-world” communication contexts. To do so, I will first explore Edward Hall’s heuristic of High- and Low-context cultures and how culture is manifested in his “situation frame”, the smallest identifiable unit of culture. Next, I will demonstrate where to find and how to use videos posted on YouTube to provide insight to technical writing students into the cultural norms and expectations of a given, targeted, cross-cultural audience. Finally, I will explore how to synthesize the cultural research conducted by students on YouTube with Hall’s heuristic of High- and Low-context into explicit writing strategies to a targeted, “real-world” audience.

Essentially, I introduce Edward T. Hall's heuristic of High/Low Context and demonstrate how students can collect data from cultures by analyzing primary sources: TV commercials. Using Hall's model, students can conduct analysis on these commercials and construct rhetorical strategies--based on Hall's model--to reach their targeted audience. For instance, this commercial is targeted to Americans:

Here you can see how the authors demonstrate the features, explain the rationale behind everything, and privilege the technology--all signs of a Low Context culture. Now look at this commercial for French consumers:

This commercial is different in that it focuses on human relations, unspoken rules of behavior, and the technology is not privileged--all signs of a High Context culture. Although this is a simplistic example, students can learn more by searching more commercials or focusing on one product and researching how this product is marketed to different cultures.

Here are my slides:

If you are so inclined, or if you suffer from insomnia, you can read more about my conference presentations at Academia.edu.

-Safari Bob

Presentation to The TTU Secular Student Society

2010-11-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

On Monday, 15 November 2010 I had the honor to address the TTU Secular Student Society concerning the topic "Is science a religion?" This event was open to the public and took place in Holden Hall on campus. The lecture hall was full and I was expecting a good mixture of those in both the skeptic and religious camps. Unfortunately, not as many pro-religion people attended but it was till a good discussion. Here are my thoughts on the talk which certainly could have been much clearer that night.

In this presentation I argued four main points: (1) Both camps use similar (or even the same) terms but with different meanings, (2) neither camp is composed solely of idiots, (3) each camp privileges different kinds of evidence and (4) decision makers of education policy are not really stakeholders in the debate (or do not really see themselves as such).

Both camps use similar (or even the same) terms but with different meanings.

Consider the four reasons that Carl Sagan proposed for studying science:

These are all great reasons to study science but if one were to replace "science" with "religion", one could make the same argument. In the past, Christianity was seen (especially in the colonial powers) as a means to escape poverty. Most any religion argues that it best explains the "deeper mysteries of life" while warning of the technological perils created by modern society. Most religions also see themselves as compatible to democracy; only some few religious fundamentalists would quibble with that. For someone not in the debate, this looks similar.

Also, for most scientists, religion is not seen as falsifiable; this is in some ways a mistake. True, no one has devised a means to test for God but religion is flexible and does correct itself to adapt to cultural norms. Once, the Quakers did not use cars because it was deemed "worldly". Now, they do as long as it is simple, black, and with no radio. This is but one example of how religion adapts and morphs to the current needs of its members. For many people, this is quite similar to the notion of science changing through evidence. Although the change may be slower, change does happen and, to the outsider, this is similar to falsification.

Neither camp are idiots.

This should be obvious. Many pro-religion and pro-science people are highly educated and intelligent. What constitutes as evidence, however, is what is different. One may not agree but this does not mean that they are ignorant sheep, heathens who "God has darkened their intellect", or idiots. They simply believe differently (and with good reasons) according to their world views. If each side cannot summon respect, each should, at least, be gracious.

Both religion and science do study similar social effects, teleology, and cosmology. This desire to understand the world may incubate competing dialectics which seem similar to the outsider:

Both camps are interested in understanding the world but go about it in different ways.

Each camp privileges different kinds of evidence.

One aspect that religion and science have in common is that they both are built on underlying assumptions, albeit they are different ones, i.e., each discipline has its own set of assumptions. Not only do religion and science rest on differing underlying assumptions, only one -- science -- goes about rationally testing its assumptions.

- Gottlieb, S. (1997, April 8). Religion & Science: The Best of Enemies, The Worst of Friends. The Harbinger.

When one asks "What is the evidence?" during this debate, each camp believes that they have overwhelming evidence for their position. This is because each camp privileges what kinds of argument constitutes evidence. Both camps may use various methods of evidence, but each camp privileges what is the best kind of evidence as rational. This is confusing for people who are trying to understand the debate.

In general, science prefers inductive reasoning. Most people see a simplistic example of this in police procedure TV shows such as Sherlock or CSI. Certainly the scientific method uses this line of reasoning in order to present evidence of a scientific or empirical understanding of nature. This line of reasoning is contingent on observation and extrapolation based on empirical evidence. This lies at the heart of science and may seem to be unfair to religious thinkers; after all, who has observed anything beyond 100 years ago? How can tradition be understood using this line of reasoning?

Religion, on the other hand, tends to prefer deductive reasoning in its investigation of reality. Most people would equate deductive reasoning as a series of "if/then" statements. Scientists may use this reasoning to create a hypothesis but certainly not to argue conclusions. For religious thinkers, however, this line of reasoning tends to be acceptable to discover understanding about God, social practice, and the world. Of course scientists may concede that this may be a good start for investigation but how can one say its definitive?

My point here is that both systems of evidence are rational--from each perspective. Science is based on observations of nature while religion is based on deductions from tradition. This needs to be understood, articulated, and defined before a meaningful debate can occur with any hope of resolution.

Decision makers of education policy are not really stakeholders in the debate.

Most people in the United States are woefully educated in both science and religion. Even people who practice a given religion really know little about the religion they practice--let alone any other religion--and have difficulty in conversing in even their own practices. For many people, religion is more of a social institution where practitioners simply attend occasional services and celebrate life goals, such as marriage or baptism, or holidays. This is lost in the cacophony of fundamentalist voices who often speak the loudest--regardless of religious or atheistic worldview--but most people view themselves outside of the battle. To these people, scientism and religion look quite similar so why not teach both? For many people, the big bang and the Genesis account are separated by context, one in church and one in the classroom, but both are just as unlikely or inscrutable. After all, how does this effect real day-to-day life?

Religion has the advantage of tradition and that it does impact (albeit occasionally) their lives in a more visible way. Science is often understood in terms of technology--most of which is hidden--and in the form of the high-paying jobs that "may exist" in the future. Eventually, if proponents of science education do not change their tone and tactics, these decision-makers will eventually elect to just teach both views because it is simply easier.

Also, we live in a postmodern world, like it or not. In the modern era, science was king and empirical evidence was privileged over philosophical conclusions. This has changed. Most people are accustomed to considering competing ideas and weighing the "pros and cons" of both based on what they believe is true. Decision-makers will have no trouble presenting both and letting students decide for themselves.

Conclusion

Science and religion are conceptually similar. They both seek to explain the world, through an ill-defined ideology, in which their participants exist. However, they are functionally dissimilar because of potential empirical falsification. In short, religion seeks truth from which to identify laws. Science seeks to identify laws from which to garner truth. Because of empirical falsification, science is not a religion within the context of a science classroom.

Still, they do seem similar to outsiders. This must be taken into account for advocates of science if they truly want to keep science out of the classroom. Pejorative attacks will only harm their cause. This is the classic emic/etic debate. Of course there are identifiable differences when one is in one camp or the other but, from the outside looking in, decision-makers will have difficulty in seeing just what the big fight is all about.

-Safari Bob

2010 Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association Conference

2010-10-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

On 14 October 2010, I was fortunate to present a paper at the 2010 Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association (RMMLA) conference in Albuquerque, NM. Now I love Albuquerque and I have attended some conference there every year since 2006 (5 total) so I was really hoping to get to participate. Once I got there, however, I could little believe how friendly and open the other conference attendees were both at my presentation and out by the coffee/tea bar. In addition, I listened to some fine papers in both Technical communication and literature. I hope that I will be able to attend next year in Scottsdale, AZ and, if you study literature, writing, or technical communication, you should too. Here is a snapshot of my presentation:

Multi-dimensional Audience Analysis: Synthesizing Technical Expertise and Cultural Dimensions as Audience Heuristic

Abstract
Analyzing and articulating different audiences is a significant challenge for students of technical communication. Instructors of technical communication can provide these future practitioners with the tools to accurately identify and profile specific audiences by introducing heuristics that synthesize dimensions of technical expertise and culture. By practicing how to use this heuristic in ‘real-world’ contexts, instructors can provide students the tools necessary to identify and articulate specific targeted audiences within a global environment.

In this presentation, I first briefly examine two common audience analysis heuristics: technical expertise and dimensions of culture. Both approaches can provide valuable guidelines for practitioners of technical communication to assemble effective audience analyses for their writing projects.

Next, I articulate how technical communicators can benefit from incorporating these heuristics into the classroom. Specifically, technical communication students can function as symbolic-analytic workers and information architects as they synthesize technical expertise with cultural dimensions in order to analyze a specific audience for a deliverable such as technical instructions.

Finally, I offer a pedagogical approach to introducing heuristics of technical expertise and cultural dimensions into the service-level technical communication classroom. Specifically, I introduce my heuristic approach to audience analysis in the classroom: The Technical Frame.

Presentation Slides

If you are so inclined, or if you suffer from insomnia, you can read more about my conference presentations at Academia.edu.

-Safari Bob

Dreadnought by Cherie Priest

2010-10-09T20:48:00.001-07:00

Dreadnought is the second book by Cherie Priest in the steampunk Clockwork Century series. The first book in the series, Boneshaker, was quite well received and features a strong female protagonist with memorable characters. She continues that tradition in this book.

As the story begins, we find the heroine of the story, Vinita "Mercy" Lynch, working in Virginia as a nurse in a war hospital that serves the South during this alternate history of America. She soon receives news that her husband, who was fighting for the Union, has died in a POW camp. Soon after, she learns that her estranged father, who she has not seen since she was very young, is deathly ill and he requests that she come to see him--in Seattle, WA. Having no reason to stay in Richmond, she decides to travel alone through the war, across a dangerous and unincorporated western prairie and over the Rocky Mountains to a strange city on the other side of the continent.

Along the way, she travels by dirigible, steam boat, and the infamous Union-operated steam engine Dreadnought, a terrifying weapon of war that often transports the dreadful steam-powered "walkers" of mass martial destruction. She also becomes involved in a political struggle between the Union, the Confederacy, the Texan Republic and Mexico--all seeking the answer to this question: What happened to a lost legion of Mexican soldiers and why are they eating people in Utah?

I quite enjoyed this book. I love the steampunk genre but Priest does a good job of writing her protagonist as an ordinary human being just doing her best to survive the strange circumstances in which she finds herself. Her narrative is tight, descriptive and introspective. For instance:

She felt alone, in the middle of everybody--even the other civilians who hunkered in the ceter passenger car and read books or played cards or sipped out of flasks to pass the time. She was the only medical professional of any sort on board, which meant that every stubbed toe, every rheumy eye, and every cough gravitated her way for analysis and treatment. It was the nature of the beast, she supposed, but even these small ailments did little to punctuate the wary boredom [1, p. 296].

This humanizing, descriptive prose also extends to action passages:

The hum started slow, and low; it began distant, and thundering, and rough. A cloud clearing its throat, or a mountain shrugging off a small avalanche. A windmill caught in a gale, shuddering and flapping. The conductor called for it, saying, "More hydrogen! Divert it from the secondary boiler! Just power the plow first--we won't move without it!" With more fuel, the hum came louder, and steadier. It went from the crooked fan blade, unbalanced and wobbling, to a smooth and vocal growl that rose up so loud that it almost (not quite, but almost) dampened the sound of Theodora Clay and the men in the passenger car firing; the Mexican inspector, still upright, still shooting, and now openly crying; and the undead hoards oncoming [1, p. 356].

Overall, this is a good, solid read that delivers action, adventure and dirigibles. What is not to love about that? It also touches on race relations, class distinctions and gender roles but all in the modern understanding of each. Still, if you enjoyed Boneshaker, this novel does provide a less pessimistic view of the world (even though its troubles deepen for the entire continent) while continuing the overall tale. I recommend it.

-Safari Bob

[1] Priest, C. (2010). Dreadnought. New York: Tom Doherty Associates. ISBN: 978-0-7653-2578-5

Postmodern Ethnography in Standing Ground by Thomas Buckley

2010-09-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

In his book, Standing Ground, Thomas Buckley uses postmodernist methods to understand and explain the culture of the Yurok Indians of Northern California. Central to his methodology is “the most ancient of intellectual strategies, storytelling” (Buckley 2002: 23). By privileging the stories told by native authors involved in the Yurok culture he was describing, Buckley allows the reader of this ethnography to wade through a larger pool of voices through which the reader may emerge with a changed understanding of the culture being investigated and explained. For Buckley, this approach “is, if nothing else, a more modest undertaking than constructing a line of data and argument...along which the reader is marched toward a foreordained, explanatory conclusion: ‘I have shown that….’” (Buckley 2002: 23).

By privileging storytelling as ethnographic strategy, Buckley embodies three postmodernist concepts of ethnography: (1) Ethnography as ‘Thick Description,’ (2) Ethnography as Discourse, and (3) Ethnography as a Process of Knowledge. This paper will examine how Buckley uses these three approaches in his ethnographic work.

Ethnography as ‘Thick Description’

Clifford Geertz, in his essay “Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture,” argues that the concept of culture is essentially semiotic or shaded by nuances of multiple possible meanings (1973: 5). For Geetrz, an ethnographer is faced with a “multiplicity of complex conceptual structures, many of them superimposed upon or knotted into one another, which are at once strange, irregular, and inexplicit” (1973: 10). The ethnographer must first understand and then render these conceptual structures through a ‘thick description’ or narrative that allows for the multiple meanings that are present during observation. Geertz argues that the whole point of his semiotic approach to culture is “to aid us in gaining access to the conceptual world in which our subjects live so that we can, in some extended sense of the term, converse with them” (1973: 24).

Buckley acknowledges that his work is influenced by Geertz (2002: 21) and that he feels the best way to achieve a ‘thick description’ is to “let everyone tell stories” (2002: 23). Buckley uses this strategy throughout his ethnography but his treatment of the stories of “men doctors” may best exemplify his understanding of thick description.

According to Buckley, A. L. Kroeber insisted that the Yuroks always took for granted that a sucking doctor (kegey) was a woman (2002: 162). Kroeber seems to have disregarded the information provided to him by Native Authors such as Fanny Flounder and Robert Spott and in his quest to reconstruct Yurok culture, he negated the significance of men as kegey for five possible reasons ranging from a limited understanding of the word kegey to a predisposition to creating a hypothetical ethnographic present and a disregard for an emergent regional culture (2002: 162-163). In fact Buckley asserts: “I believe that Kroeber was wrong on several accounts and that his errors resulted precisely from his conception of cultures in northwestern California as having segregated ‘compartments’ of traits and his consequent failure to appreciate the complex integration of various domains and associational spheres in those cultures” (2002: 164).

In contrast, Buckley weaves the narratives of Lucy Thompson, Robert Spott, Fanny Flounder, and others to demonstrate that the kegey also included anyone, male or female, that “drew spiritual power from the upper world and applied it to the well-being of individuals and communities” (2002: 163). Kroeber expressed dismay at the term kegey being applied to men that contributed to the deerskin dance because he viewed the world renewal and doctoring activities as occupying separate compartments of culture. For Kroeber, culture was segmented and compartmental while Buckley understands that culture is a multiplicity of complex structures that are knotted and messy.

Ethnography as Discourse

James Clifford, in his essay “Partial Truths,” asserts “[e]thnography is actively situated between powerful systems of meaning. It poses its questions at the boundaries of civilizations, cultures, classes, races, and genders” (1986: 2). Because ethnography is inscribed as text, it is constructed, objectified, and subject to “the powerful lies of exclusion and rhetoric” (1986: 7). In order to accommodate native speakers, culture needs to be seen as “an interplay of voices, of positioned utterances” (1986: 12) and ethnographers should move towards a specification of discourses that addresses who is speaking and writing, who they are speaking with, and under what institutional and historical constraints (1986: 13). For Clifford, ethnographers no longer hold “unquestioned rights of salvage” (1986: 16) but must include native informants as co-authors while recognizing their own role as interpreting observer (1986: 17). In other words, cultures are not scientific objects but “contested, temporal, and emergent” (1986: 19).

Buckley recognizes Clifford’s call for a dialogical ethnography but struggles with the fact that an ethnographer acts as a final editor (2002: 22). Still, in his analysis of the Jump Dance, he opposes the scientific objectivism of the ‘world renewal cult’ by Kroeber and his student Gifford and casts world renewal as cultural discourse. He criticizes the ‘totalizing approaches’ of Kreober as excluding both individuals and history from ethnographic analysis by creating systems that are closed to individuals and change (2002: 266-267). Buckley argues that world renewal cannot be reduced to elements or structures but that fixing the world “is also the goal of a discourse into which these elements enter as central motifs or themes and is thus a process, something emergent, rather than a reduced ‘system,’ ‘pattern,’ or ‘organization.’” (2002: 267). For Buckley, although discourse theory may provide an interpretive mode for understanding what people do, “what they do is a mode of discourse, of oppositions simultaneously yearning toward wholeness” (2002: 268).

By listening to the dialogue of story telling, Buckley illustrates his point by using Kroeber’s own recorded narratives of two myths surrounding the deerskin dance (2002: 272-273). In both myth narratives, the parties involved negotiate on how and where to perform the dance and “[t]hus these myths suggest that the constant effort to get it right is of equal importance and interest to getting it right” (2002: 273). Kroeber, in order to classify a timeless closed system, missed the important evidence of an emergent, living process of negotiation into a native understanding of world renewal.

Ethnography as a Process of Knowledge

George E. Marcus and Michael M. J. Fischer, in their book Anthropology as Cultural Critique, summarize interpretive anthropology as operating on “two levels simultaneously: it provides accounts of other worlds from the inside, and reflects about the epistemological groundings of such accounts” (1986: 16). In other words, “the effort to conceive of culture primarily as systems of meaning has come to focus on the process of interpretation itself, that is, on ethnography as a process of knowledge” (Ibid.).

Buckley casts himself as a witness with political, moral, and ethnographic commitments to his academic readers (2002: 20). Throughout his book, Buckley steps back to allow native authors to tell their own stories before stepping back into the narrative to explain the significance of those stories.

An excellent example of this strategy is in Chapter 4 (“Seeing With Their Own Eyes”) when Buckley explores the physical aspect of Yurok spirituality (2002: 90-101). Throughout this section Buckley weaves the words and perspectives on ‘training’ supplied by native peoples like Frank Douglas, Philip Drucker, Dewey George and others into a process of understanding how Yurok men trained both as an individual and as an actor community life (2002: 91). This training enabled those who practiced to achieve the social ideal of male (2002: 91), commune with past traditions of daily life (2002: 92), compete in the stick game in lieu of warfare (2002: 95), and compile spiritual power that may result in supernatural feats of strength, endurance, or mien (2002: 96-101). By weaving the narratives as seen through the eyes of multiple native informants, Buckley demonstrates that the distinctions of mind, body, and spirit within Yurok spirituality is a process that is messier and more interwoven than any closed classification can reflect in reality.

-Safari Bob

References Cited

Buckley, Thomas
2002 Standing Ground: Yurok Indian Spirituality, 1850-1990. Berkley: University of California Press.

Clifford, James
1986 Introduction: Partial Truths. In Writing Culture: The Poetics and Politics of Ethnography. James Clifford and George E. Marcus, Eds. Berkley: University of California Press, pp. 1-26.

Geertz, Clifford
1973 The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books, Inc.

Marcus, George E. and Fischer, Michael M.
1986 Anthropology as Cultural Critique: An Experimental Moment in the Human Sciences. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Daughters of the Dreaming: A Précis

2010-08-29T12:31:00.000-07:00

In the book Daughters of the Dreaming, Diane Bell examines the lives of Aboriginal women in Central Australia by focusing on the nature and structure of women’s ritual in the region. Her observations challenge the popular anthropological characterizations of women’s lives as male-dominated and centered in the life of the camp with small religious ceremonies of little community importance (229). Bell explores “women’s rights and responsibilities in land, the nurturance themes celebrated in ritual, and women’s power to exclude men” (230) and finds that they are not fantasies or lost positions of autonomy and independence. Rather, women operate as their own agents within the structure of all Aboriginal society. Central to her analysis is the Law of Dreamtime (or jukurrpa), the rituals used by women to maintain social structure through jukurrpa, and the complexity of social relations within the structure of Central Australian Aboriginal society.

The idea of jukurrpa is vast, subtle and complex as well as way beyond the scope of this précis to articulate. In short, it is The Law that all the social factions revere as authoritative and through the dreaming, each generation interacts with the past—and each other (91). Through the jukurrpa, women keep the land alive and nurture the relationships of the living within their society (94). In fact, for Bell, the land is truly the power base of women and through the maintenance of responsibilities and the exercise of the rights to maintain the land (via jukurrpa), women have long enjoyed autonomy within their society (59, 95). Important locations, such as ‘ring places’ (110), are sites located at intersecting ‘dreaming tracks’ (138) at which rituals can be preformed that reflect the authority of women to try social offenders and resolve disputes, to offer healing and refuge, and to discuss matters of importance or give and receive counsel (124).

If the land provides the power base of autonomy for women within the Aboriginal social structure, it is through ritual that this autonomy is expressed and reified—all within the context of jukurrpa. For instance, when the yawulyu, a ceremony comprised of ‘women’s business’ (11), is preformed no men are allowed to observe; in fact they fear it. This ritual affords a time for “distant people [to] come together to exchange and assert their common bonds of responsibility to country” (126). Women lead the ritual, through the positions of kirda (who is responsible for certain knowledge encoded in the various aspects of the ritual) and kurdungurlu (who is responsible for the safety of the ritual objects; 139), informing the participants of the country and enacting the dreaming story through dance and visual markers displayed on the sacred painted boards. These visual cues may instruct observers about the country but only if the observer in schooled in the dreaming (127). This ceremony embodies three major themes: land, love and health—all within the context of jukurrpa (128). Here, fat is the central symbol that links these three themes as the past heroes rubbed the fat on their bodies to inspire beauty and demonstrate ‘glowing health’ (130). Through ritual and women’s interaction with the land, the jukurrpa is reaffirmed and reactivated.

Through the social links established by women, knowledge of the jukurrpa is transmitted and ritual reciprocity is established. Yilpinji, or ‘love rituals’ (162), are means in which women may influence marriage arrangements and find a husband. Missionaries have maligned these complex rituals (such as Phillip Creek) as ‘love magic’ and some Aboriginal men have continued this hegemony in order to defuse the influence of yilpinji (162). Bell explores two inter-related myths that embody the yilpinji: the kurinpi (or old women dreaming) and the ngapa (or rain) dreamings (164). Both dreamings consist of the exploration of the fears of women as they marry: (1) the loss of autonomy and (2) the desire for social intercourse (174). In both dreamings, women are either seduced or compelled into leaving their land and becoming isolated from family. Yilpinji is preformed to establish correct unions between men and women “and this is why it is feared by men: it impinges upon the set relationships which men claim to control through marriage alliances” (176). Through this ritual, women can overturn the plans of men and establish male-female relationships deemed legitimate by their society (177). Bell argues that this ritual should be understood within the context of land and as achieving socially approved ends (178). “In acting out the responsibilities the Law confers upon them as women, women engage in work which is distinctly theirs” which also allows them “to control this world and exclude men from this domain” (179).

Although men and women do compete in displays of knowledge of the jukurrpa, Bell argues that both men and women are united in the maintenance of their society in accordance with the Dreamtime Law and each maintains both a symbolic and a physical presence in each other’s rituals (183). Ceremonies known as yungkurru enable men and women to “make public statements about their own rituals and to allow the other to approach and to handle ritual objects” (184). This forum allows women to demonstrate their knowledge of the jukurrpa without providing men the opportunity to gain control of women’s autonomous world. Each group is allowed to demonstrate their unique contribution to the jukurrpa while also being able to monitor the content of the other’s ritual world (191). Each prepared songs, boards, and designs but only brought a fraction of the knowledge they had prepared to the yungkurru. However, each knew something of what the other had practiced in their respective work areas. Bell observed that during this ritual, women were not only able to direct men but were often the initiators of ritual action (193). Each was afforded opportunities to observe the ritual activities of the other.

In addition to coeducational ceremonies within a given community, Bell observed a yungkurru in which “the dreaming was extended to the east” (195) and another community was invited to participate. The women navigated the complex structure of Aboriginal society in order to ensure that men from both communities were included in the yawulyu (or women’s business) component of the Neutral Junction gathering. This joint ritual allowed people to exercise their responsibilities in the jukurrpa and this make public their rights in country (198). Although women took a decisive roll in choosing how much knowledge was displayed, women celebrated the interdependence of the roles of kirda and kurdungurlu as well as the inter-relations of the dreamings of ngapa, wardingi and yawakiyi while sharing knowledge with another group—and receiving instruction in a different understanding of the jukurrpa (201).

By extending their dreaming range and organizing ritual relationships with one another, women attempt to consolidate their position within the structure of Central Australian Aboriginal society at large (231). For Bell, settlement life is the greatest impediment to this consolation of women’s power of autonomy within their society. In the past, women “enjoyed a complex set of rights which were validated by their direct access to the Dreamtime and the use to which they put the land” (95). As white settlers and Aboriginal peoples began competing for resources (such as water for cattle), conflict between whites and Aborigines escalated into massacre (Coniston; 67), fewer foodstuff and water resources (69), and active conversion attempts to Christianity (64). The Australian government began distributing food (65) and soon Aboriginal people found fewer opportunities to work and were forced into vocations that reflect white ideals of the roles of men and women (86). Once, women could depend on the resources provided by the land for subsistence but governmental institutions began to narrow the opportunities of women (70) and although aspects of settlement life is incorporated into the ritual lives of women (example: Warrabri dreaming; 147), the autonomy women once enjoyed is severely limited by life in the settlement.

In order to create some autonomy, Kaytei women created a jilimi (single women camps; 11) where women could escape bad marriages and socialize with other women (84). This separation of the sexes and women’s independence are no longer mutually reinforcing values (84) as women are denied the freedom of unlimited access to resources provided by the land. Shifts in marriage systems of kinship, ritual transformation and the strengthening of male links between generations result in disequilibrium whereby men’s domain intrudes into the autonomy of women. As Bell observes, “it is the shattering of the ritually maintained nexus of land as resource and spiritual essence that I have located a shift from female autonomy to male control, from independence to dependence” (247). Men and women once negotiated roles but now women’s autonomy is lessened due to the loss of land over which to forage. By looking at the historical record of the past century, Bell argues that the material conditions have changed dramatically and this change is “reflected in ritual, both in terms of the way in which ideas are incorporated within the Law of the dreaming and in terms of the opportunity to stage rituals” (249).

-Safari Bob

Bell, D. (1993). Daughters of the Dreaming. 2nd ed. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN: 0-8166-2398-8

Pareidolia, Prototype Theory and Jesus on Toast

2010-08-24T13:00:00.001-07:00

The other day I overheard a snippet of a conversation in the checkout lane of the local grocery. A group of young women were looking at a picture on their mobile phone of a slice of toast that supposedly depicted the image of Jesus. One young lady said, "That ain't Jesus! Jesus don't look nuthin' like that!"

Jesus on Toast

Of course finding an image of Jesus (or Buddha or Donovan McNabb or whoever) on a piece of toast is simple pareidolia which is a common phenomenon of perceiving random patterns as having significant meaning. So I asked the young lady, "What does Jesus look like?" Understandably, she looked away and the conversation ended (I am not pretty and she didn't know me from Adam). Still, I wonder what she sees when she thinks of Jesus.

Many people in the US, when they think of Jesus, instantly see this picture in their mind:

White Protestant Jesus

Catholic Americans are more likely to see a picture similar to this:

Catholic Jesus

Of course everyone has a slightly different image in their mind when they hear any word. Consider the word "dog." Most everyone knows what a dog is and most everyone can see a mental image of a dog when the word is understood. Of course, these images are always different (I always see my first dog, Rex, who was a black German shepherd). This phenomenon is anticipated by Prototype Theory and is just part of normal congnitive development.

Still, I wish that young lady would have described what she saw when she thought of Jesus. If she watches a lot of TV, I wonder if she saw this:

South Park Jesus

Does she like movies? If so, maybe she saw this:

Buddy Christ

Maybe she secretly likes Steampunk and saw this:

Steampunkin' Jesus

I wonder how anyone can see this:

Extreme Jesus?

The moment is past to hear from the young lady, but what do you see?

-Safari Bob

Book Review: "The Sociology of Religion" by Max Weber

2010-07-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

Central to Weber’s idea of religious and social change is “the integrations and discrepancies between expectation systems which are institutionalized in normative orders and the actual experiences people undergo" [1, pg. lvi] or, in other words, the sociological study of what people interpret to be consequences for themselves and the aspects of the human condition which they are apart in relation to conformity or nonconformity with an established normative order. This basic tension is how Weber defines and analyzes the progression of social and religious changes within a given society and the ensuing emergence of ‘breakthrough.’

At the beginning of his work, Weber is careful to state, “The essence of religion is not even our concern, as we make it our task to study the conditions and effects of a particular type of social behavior" [1, pg. 1]. He simply wishes to approach the study of religion from a ‘subjective’ standpoint or from the viewpoint of the religious behavior’s “meaning.” He posits that religion is rationally motivated by ‘the rules of experience’ and therefore should not be apart from the range of everyday conduct, “particularly since even the ends of the religious and magical actions are predominantly economic" [1, pg. 1]. Here, via perceived extraordinary powers which he describes as charisma, begins a process of abstraction based on experience in which they are rationalized, symbolized, and stereotyped into sacred law and, upon further reflection, into objective specialization of gods and numina which results in priests. These spirits reflect certain principles of order, which develop into an ethical attachment of individuals to a cosmos of obligations. Magic and adulation develop into obedience to religious law. Taboo is transformed into a systematization of ethics and the irrational immergence of hope for salvation. Prophecy and priesthood work to produce a centralization of ethics under the aegis of religious salvation.

This dynamic is played differently in divergent political, social, and economic classes. Certain religions developed in urban environments while others were mostly agrarian. Proletarian interests tend to be more irrational and display resentment while the concepts of sin and salvation tend to not be found in the political elite but are used for political control and legitimacy. The middle class tends toward a congregational rational ethical religion. Some Theodicy of disprivilege is a component of every salvation religion, which draws its adherents primarily from the disprivileged classes. Revolution may arise through the reinterpretation of stereotyped magical or ritual norms. Political and ethical communities intermingle to loose gods from political connection to become universal powers and ethical and economic rationalization clash resulting in a rejection of ‘the world’ and especially economic activities. Sex and art are also defined through ethical rationalization resulting in hostility indicative of every authentic religion of salvation.

Weber’s approach is basically evolutionary which reflects the times in which he lived and wrote. I find it notable that he, like Durkheim, both missed the influence that science would play in both society and religion even though they both used to some degree the evolutionary model provided by science. I did however find his three bases of authority or legitimization (charisma, traditionalism, and routinization) to be insightful. Although it could be seen as an oversimplification, this process does seem to be prevalent in the forms of most aspects of religion and politics. I am not so sure that “bureaucratic rule was not and is not the only variety of legal authority, but it is the purest [1, pg. 299]” but in his historical world this seemed to be the model for western society.

- Safari Bob

References

[1] Weber, M. (1991). The Sociology of Religion, E. Fischoff (Trans.). Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN: 0-8070-4205-6

Technical Communication: What is it Anyway?

2010-07-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

Behind any written document there exists a synthesis of three components: the author, the subject, and the audience (or reader). All three elements work together to create meaning and each has responsibilities in this relationship.

Different genres of writing emphasize different relationships between the three components of a document. A novel emphasizes the relationship between the author and the audience while an informative essay (like this one) concentrates on the exploration of a subject by an author. Technical writing emphasizes the relationship between the subject and the audience; the author or authors are secondary in this dynamic. In many ways, a technical document can be confusing to the reader if the author is too prominent in the text.

To illustrate how this relationship between the reader and the subject works in a technical document consider the user’s manual for you car. You may glance at it when you first buy your vehicle but most often you only refer to the manual when you want information—and usually in response to some question or problem. As the reader (or user), you require information. Perhaps your brake lights are burnt out and you need to replace the bulbs so you consult the user’s manual. Even the title of this document privileges the relationship between the subject and the audience in that no byline is found on your user’s manual for your vehicle! You don’t care who wrote it, you just need information—now!

Defining Technical Writing

This genre of writing has many nuances that are reflected in the multiplicity of terms used to label it including technical communication, professional writing, technical rhetoric, and professional communication to name a few. There are two major dichotomies at work when anyone tries to define this discipline: professional/technical and communication/writing.

Initially, technical writing evolved out of a need to transmit specific technical information to users who did not understand the jargon of engineers. Every academic discipline and industry arena possess certain terminology or uses of words that are either unique to that community or used in a unique manner that the general public does not explicitly understand. Soon after WWII, Americans were able to buy the first televisions, transistor radios, kitchen appliances, and other products of technology that were new to the thinking of the general populace. Engineers were more concerned with creating new products than to communicate to non-engineers how to use them. Someone needed to translate and thus technical writing became a recognized profession.

Soon other professions and industries began to notice that they could also benefit from this kind of specialized skill. Writers were hired to transmit information from not only scientific and electronic industries but also those of medicine, pharmaceuticals, computers, software, and education began to use specialized writers to convey instructions, write internal reports, and craft grant proposals. Technical writing soon transcended technology and pervaded other professions; in essence technical writing is now just one genre within a multiplicity of professional writing contexts.

In addition to multiple professions using specialized writing to convey specific information through print, another need was soon realized: a need to reach specific audiences through other means than the written page. More and more specific information is being disseminated orally and visually to audiences of different cultures and in different settings. Managers had to present findings to higher levels of management, new medicines had to be explained to global communities, and instructions for products and services had to be understood by customers with different expectations and learning contexts. Professional writers are moving beyond solely written media (whether printed or computer screen) to the arena of holistic communication.

In order to illustrate this point, consider our earlier example: your car’s user manual. If you were to consult the manual for directions to change a burnt-out bulb in your taillight, chances are that you will encounter other symbols than just written text. Most manuals have illustrations designed to convey information to a specific audience—you. You see pictures with step-by-step instruction including visual representations of parts and arrows that portray movement. In addition, you may encounter colors such as red or yellow, which may have other meanings in other cultures. Writing specialists now have to understand how icons or figures can transmit specific directions outside of written text.

We are now in the position to define technical (or professional) communication: to provide specific information to a specific audience for a specific purpose or use. Undoubtedly you noticed throughout this article my repeated use of the term “specific.” This qualifier is vital to our understanding of this discipline and merits a closer examination.

Specificity

If you remember, technical (and professional) writing emphasizes the dynamic between the subject of the document and the reader of that document. More than any other pairing (author/subject or author/audience), this presupposes a sense of urgency. A novel or an essay can wait; a burnt-out taillight cannot. This urgency is seldom experienced in a general way and results from a specific problem to be solved on the part of the reader. You are the one with the burnt-out taillight and you need to know how to change it. You are a specific person with a specific problem that needs a specific solution.

To solve this specific problem, you need specific information that is clear, concise, and presented in such a way that you can access and use it. If the information is crafted with technical jargon or obscure language, it is at best time consuming to translate and at worst useless to you in your situation. You are the specific user; you bought the car and they gave you that manual. Technical communicators specialize in analyzing what specific kinds of people would buy that car and in what specific contexts you would need to use the manual. Taillights burn out and clear information should be constructed in anticipation of that specific need.

Another, often unspoken, aspect of a technical document is that of a specific shelf life. Novels and essays are often written for broader audiences and with a sense of timelessness. Most genres that emphasize the author in the dynamic aim for longevity. Technical documents are tied to a specific audience with a specific purpose. When the audience is informed and the purpose fulfilled, technical documents lose urgency; they lose relevance. Cars rust and are junked, computer software quickly becomes dated, and instructions are learned and no longer needed. Technical documents form from urgency and that urgency creates contexts of specificity by which all technical documents are judged useful, confusing, or irrelevant.

Conclusion

I have defined technical communication as providing specific information to a specific audience for a specific purpose or use. Technical documents are used with urgency that creates contexts of specificity that encompass usability, clarity, audience, intent, and shelf life. In a world where the boundaries of countries, language, culture, and industry (even workscapes) continue to overlap and even, perhaps, disappear, technical communicators will become more valuable and pervasive within other contexts of specificity and utility in other professions and industry. I leave you with these questions to consider: How can technical communicators influence future conventions of technology? Paper is portable; computers are accessible through ubiquitous networks. How are future contexts of specificity going to be addressed by technical communicators in the light of future urgency?

-Safari Bob

I Write Like...

2010-07-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about this website that analyzes your writing and compares it to the writing of famous authors? As a writing teacher, I find this website, I Write Like, a fascinating (if silly) diversion and I have submitted some writing just to see the results. After I submitted a randomly selected pericope from this blog, I received this result:

I write like
David Foster Wallace

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Oh, if only it were true! Here is the results from another post on this blog:

I write like
H. P. Lovecraft

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Still, I think that I will incorporate this website into my TSI 303: Developmental Writing class. I wonder how this classification may influence beginning writers?

-Safari Bob

Book Review: "The Construction of Religious Boundaries" by Harjot Oberoi

2010-05-31T08:32:00.000-07:00

Central to the main theme of this book is the notion that there is nothing natural or self-evident about such religious categories as ‘Hindu’, ‘Muslim’, or, in particular, ‘Sikh’. Due to the nature of religion in Indian society, these categories are fluid and ambiguous in that they did not possess a pure form. “Historically, it is more precise to speak in terms of simultaneity of religious identities rather than distinct, universal, religious collectives" [1, p. 418]. By utilizing history and anthropology, Oberoi constructs an ‘ethnohistorical approach’; in which he explores the formation and distribution of ideologies which would coalesce into the Tat Khalsa episteme that would eventually be associated with the standard Sikh identity. The blurred boundaries became distinct in that the Tat Khalsa had ‘framed’ the modern Sikh community. By viewing this progression within the Sikh community, Oberoi hopes to reveal the “entire process underlying the rise and dissolution of a episteme" [1, p. 30].

He begins by recounting the first attempts by the Khalsa in the later eighteenth-century to establish boundaries by establishing concepts of self and other through life-cycle rituals, taboo behavior, transgressions, and the constitution of sacred space. Next he explores the displacement of the Khalsa episteme by the Sanatan Tradition and its transmission through the Dasam Granth; a sacred text that was used by and/or promoted the three major forces of change: guru lineage, holy men, and traditional intellectuals. The mixing of Khalsa and Sahajdhari texts, theology, and social practices formed a bricolage; which deeply transformed Sikh thinking and conduct. Whereas the Sanatan Tradition is viewed as belonging to the elite, rural Sikhs also participated in ‘popular religion’; which varied village to village and consisted of a plurality of religious beliefs and conducts. Despite the dissimilarities, these two forms of religious expression coexisted until the encroachment of Colonial Christianity forced a unification of the Sikh identity in lieu of a perceived decline of the Sikh population. In order to preserve the Sanatan Tradition from the repercussions of military defeat, the misidentification of Colonial census, and the inroads of Christian missionaries, the Singh Sabha formed to record and codify Sikh customs and practices. Most Sanatanists recognized a plurality of beliefs but in following the European logic the Singh Sabha strove to form a rational and uniform tradition. A new ‘elite sub-culture’ utilized the advantages of nineteenth-century modernization to influence the formation of the Tat Khalsa with which to purge the religious diversity within the Singh Sabha tradition. Puritanism, asceticism, and restraint were touted in the construction of a neo-Sikh moral community and the establishment of the Adi Granth as the sole religious text. In the ensuing struggle the elite Tat Khalsa and the non-elite Sanatan Sikhs demonstrated a clash of ideals reflecting divergent world-views. Faced with the prevailing attitudes that the Sikhs would not be able to compete with other religious communities for jobs and facing a possible loss of cultural independence, the neo-Sikhs established schools in which the Sikh community identified themselves with the Tat Khalsa and eventually this identity defined Sikhism.

Through this account, Oberoi demonstrates that the reification of the Sikh religion is not the simple product of British policy or the compulsions of elite politics, but rather the result of a complex evolution within religious, political, and economical domains.

-Safari Bob

[1] Oberoi, H. (1994). The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN: 0-226-61593-6

Tobacco Review: C&D Murphy's Mistake

2010-05-02T09:16:00.000-07:00

Back in the JFH days, we sold a ton of Cornell & Diehl pipe tobacco. I first met Craig and Patti at the St. Louis pipe show in 1995 (I believe--the years run together sometimes) where I first tried some of their blends. They had some great blends with such whimsical names as Bow-Legged Bear, Cross-Eyed Cricket and Junk Yard Dawg. To this day I still enjoy the Cross-eyed Cricket and Pennington Gap both of which I tried at that show. Of course I also enjoy many of their newer blends; in fact I just bought a pound of Autumn Evening.

When I decided to introduce Cornell & Diehl blends at the store, Craig and Patti were very kind and sent 10 different jars full of samples for the customers to try. There were always friendly and eager to help with any ideas or problems I had and I truly believe that they are some of the finest folks in the tobacco business. One day, I may actually get out to their new blending facilities and see what all they are blending now.

Murphy's Mistake is simply that--a mistake in a blending run. A few years earlier, Cornell & Diehl had similar batch they named "Santa's Mistake" (released around Christmas) that is now quite collectible. This time, they tinned and released Murphy's Mistake in March '09 to cater to the St Patrick's Day crowd and it is starting to be just as sought after. Here's the manufacturer's description:

We can’t tell you which blend it was supposed to be but we can say it’s a full English that’s smooth and creamy and, just like with Santa’s Mistake, while different from what it was supposed to be Murphy’s is an excellent blend in its own right. We can’t say it enough, quantities are limited so call or e-mail for yours today!

Review
This blend is attractive with black Cavendish cuts with what appears to be red and golden Virginia ribbons as well as dark latakia. The blend was a wonderful sweet-sour aroma and this flavor develops throughout the bowl. The 'baccy takes to the match and is easy to light even though it is moist. As the bowl progresses, the flavor develops a creamy, malty texture that has a sweet citrus hint that is delightful. Throughout the smoke, the lively flavors shift between sweet and sour and well a tangy, salty and creamy. As it burns down to a heavy mottled gray ash, the flavors stay lively and true to the first light while the room note reminds me distinctly of burning leaves in autumn.

This is a great, smooth, rich, full English blend that is complex and certainly keeps your interest throughout the bowl. I would recommend that you grab a tin while they are still relatively cheap. I like it!

Rating: 4 Puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob

Book Review: "Lives of Indian Images" by Richard H. Davis

2010-04-21T07:13:00.000-07:00

Central to the purpose of this book is the notion that the identities of Indian religious objects are not fixed or permanent but constructed and reconstructed by the religious, cultural, economic, and political circumstances in which they are found. Davis approaches this idea by adapting the reader-response theory of ‘interpretive communities’ into his notion of ‘communities of response’ in which one may consider “the plurality of ways viewers approach and encounter a visual object" [1, p. 9]. The location, presentation, and environment in which an object is encountered constitute a “frame” that guides the responses of a viewer in looking at and acting toward the object. The viewer also brings a second frame or “dispensation”, i.e. her own socially shared assumptions, ideas, needs, experiences, and hopes, to this encounter. This interaction between the icon and the viewer creates a series of responses or “reinterpretations” over time in which these objects may be animated as much by these encounters as by the deities they represent and support. By going beyond material creation, Davis argues for “an expanded frame for viewing Indian religious objects, one that accepts contingency, instability, and plurality in the identities of images" [1, p. 263]. This focus on the moment of creation restricts the meaningful possibilities of an object and distracts from the participation of the object in the ongoing social life of its communities.

To demonstrate his purpose, Davis examines a series of objects and sites to explore significant moments or shifts in response that affect these and other Indian objects. He begins with a bronze Siva to juxtapose how an American museum and its original temple setting would present this icon to the viewer. He then illustrates the range of rhetoric in the appropriation of select religious images such as the Calukya door-guardian by medieval Indian rulers. Next he uses Islamic iconoclasm and Hindu response to demonstrate the ways in which Indo-Muslim and Hindu texts narrated acts of image destruction and reconstruction, differing ways of interpretation and response to Indian religious icons, and the political and theological purposes behind them. After this Davis explores the transformation of Indian icons into ‘art’ vis-à-vis the acquisition of “Tipu’s Tiger” by British colonial forces and the altered political relationship of Britain and India. Next he traces the diachronical formations of meanings in relation to Somanatha and the efforts of diverse social groups to retell its story according to each group’s purpose. Finally he examines the current market in the West for ancient Indian art by following the bronze image of Siva Nataraja to illuminate the conflicting claims and views of Indian worshippers and Western collectors hold toward these objects.

In all of these “biographies” Davis demonstrates how historical, devotional, and cultural frames affect the meanings and interpretations of these objects by different viewers. I found his treatment of the bronze image of Siva Nataraja to be especially illuminating in that I also previously held the assumption with the Indian Government of “once a religious image always a religious image" [1, pg. 252]. By exploring the various layers of ‘the recovery of ritual selfhood’ he truly demonstrates the murky definitions of how we should approach these icons. The fluidity of how these ‘dispensations’ can subtly morph as well as the ever-changing environmental framework in which these icons are found truly form multiple complexities of the subjective imposed on the objective.

- Safari Bob

[1] Davis, R., H. (1997). Lives of Indian Images. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN: 0-691-00520-6

Depositum Fidei: Can Powerful Beliefs and Tolerance Coexist?

2010-04-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

As I approach this question it appears to me that two major social contexts are being contested within scope of this problem, namely that of power and identity. Certainly the social conflicts are broad between cultures in a global environment and as we enter a pluralistic or multicultural setting, boundaries defined by proximity have become tighter or of little consequence. With temporal and spatial division shrinking, soon, it would seem, we may have to stop thinking of ourselves as a multicultural environment and more as one multiethnic culture. In order to survive within this context, issues of identity and power must be defined and addressed in the hopes that common ground may be found on which to live.

Power

One could argue that the world is still languishing under the effects of colonialism, the product of the first worldwide capitalist endeavor, in that the old colonial powers still have much of the global wealth. Voices and faces, previously caricatured, imposed, and invented, are emerging to speak for themselves. The traditional centers of ‘Western’ or colonial power are becoming decentered or postcolonial. As technological advances in the transmission of ideas and transportation increase, the world seems smaller in that it now longer takes days to travel distances it now takes hours to cross. Ideas, once taking months to circulate via the printing press now take seconds via the Internet. Space and time are now of small consequence.

Still hegemony exists in the form of capitalist interests, no longer only for the colonial powers but also a possibility for territories that once were occupied by these colonial powers. By offering the Western idea of success many former colonies see the possibility of wealth and education for themselves as a viable reality. This ideological control can even be seen in the idea of tolerance, which carries with it the notion of a position of power that deigns to grant clemency out of magnanimity rather than acceptance out of graciousness as a coequal. One problem seems to be that hegemony no longer is working and control, as recent events demonstrate, must be re-exerted by means of arms. The western ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of the ubiquitous Big Mac no longer offer the same allure for those former colonies. Why not?

Identity

Although I do not accept all the finer points of Mary Douglas’ system of understanding social pressures, I do find her model of Grid/Group useful in describing and understanding the social conditions in which we find ourselves [1, p. 60]:

Within this system we can see that we have an increasingly privatized system of classification with the construction of democracy and the and an increasing amount of group as the world gets smaller and we are confronted other people’s beliefs as well as social pressures of style, consumerism, and whatnot. Those that identify with this egalitarian worldview fit in and feel accepted. Those that do not are marginalized and isolated from the culture. These isolates are unpredictable in that their voice is not heard within the context of the prevalent culture. These isolates are not necessarily counter-cultural, they are just unheard, invisible, and unpredictable. This environment of isolation, I believe, allows for the formation of views that within the prevailing social context seem counter-cultural and extremist. Here is the pool of persons waiting to be exploited as human bombs in terrorism as well as any other counter-cultural activity whether violent or not.

We are, of course, speaking in broad sweeping generalities with this or any other model but I believe that it does allow a means for study. The question now becomes what happens when different cultures compete for the same space? Or even, what happens when a new idea or personality is introduced into the grid/group ratio of a given culture?

Adversarial Mode

When different or competing cultures or systems of beliefs encounter on another, a mad scramble for power ensues, often in the form of what Bourdieu [2] would describe as ‘cultural capital’ or perhaps those items that constitute each culture’s idea of the moral high ground. This perception of risk or threat often gets focused into political and religious sayings such as “God is on our side” or “Don’t tread on me!” This heightened sense of defense allows for a period of justification, accusation and social galvanization against the other culture. This can also happen within the same culture with the introduction of a new idea into a socially charged environment ready for its acceptance to create division and social revolution.

We can certainly see this at work in the broad reformations that swept Western Europe in the sixteenth-century. The competing factions will feel threatened, defensive, and will justify acts that may not have been thinkable earlier in the name of religion or politics. This is also the context for war in an egalitarian society such as the West. Because our values, interests, and worldview are threatened, aggression can be justified even when dialogue could be able to solve matters. Liberal views, hitherto seen as socially progressive, are criticized as idealistic and weak. Conservative viewpoints, hitherto criticized as narrow-minded and mean, can be seen as practical and necessary.

Conclusion

So can powerful beliefs and tolerance coexist? I believe that they can if they exist outside of an adversarial mode under the aegis of commonality. In a religious context, I am not speaking necessarily of ecumenism or as Westhelle describes as a depositum fidei in which an imaginary cathedral works to store and display all “proofs of faith" [3, p. 7]. And politically, I am not speaking of a ‘one-world government’, of which the mere thought would inspire revolutions, both political and religious, the world over. So how do we do we provide an environment where all beliefs and cultures can coexist, perhaps even peaceably?

I believe that we have to address the notion of power to include gracious acceptance in coequal terms. A universal ‘live and let live’ must be adopted and practiced by all cultures in this increasingly shrinking world, in which all inhabitants can practice systems of belief without infringing or being infringed on by others. Within a given culture the social isolates must be given the opportunity to express their voices if they so chose. The problem is that this is practically untenable. As borders constrict conflict arises until one cultural identity is fashioned.

I suppose the only answer to this question is yes it can but not until everyone’s powerful beliefs include the notion that every person has the right to hold divergent positions and ideas. This position of difference cannot be perceived as threatening or conflict, war, and terrorism will always exist. The Catholic and Protestant institutions that battled within the reformations have made a quiet peace with only minor hostilities in the form of bigotry from the extreme fundamentalists in each camp. Each has its own identity and each respects the differences in the other. With Vatican II the Catholic Church even made major overtures toward a lasting, peaceful respect. Perhaps the rest of the competing cultures can do the same.

-Safari Bob

References

[1] Douglas, M. (1996). Natural Symbols. New York: Routledge.

[2] Bourdieu, P. (1998). The State of Nobility. Lauretta C. Clough (trans.). Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.

[3] Westhelle, V. (2003). “Multiculturalism, Postcolonialism, and The Apocalyptic” in Theology and The Religious: a Dialogue, Viggo Mortensen (ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, pp. 3-14.

Book Review: "Metaphors We Live By" by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson

2010-04-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

I have been wrestling with this question: How would a rhetorician approach Metaphors We Live By? Certainly, the various approaches possible to rhetoricians is as diverse as the number of rhetoricians who interpret. After some time, I find myself wondering about the role of rhetoric in myth construction. I wonder if rhetoric functions to shape mythos—in the construction of gestalt. The one problem I see with this book is what happens when a culture constructs competing gestalts; in other words, what happens when a culture understands a metaphor in such a way as to construct two (or more) opposed interpretations of experience?

Certainly, metaphors can allow two people or groups of people to understand individual views of reality. The essence of metaphor is to understand one concept in the light of another [1, p. 5] and this comparison is best realized within a given culture. Still, within a given culture, conflicts can arise and these conflicts can produce competing metaphors [1, p. 23]. The authors argue that although individuals and sub-groups place priority on metaphors that reflect ways that are good and virtuous to them, “individual value systems are coherent with the major orientation metaphors of the main-stream culture” [1, p. 26]. So, one way to determine cohesion in a given culture is to explore the orientation metaphors (ie active is up) and the ontological metaphors (ie entity and substance) of a given social group. Thus, metaphors tend to be coherent across social strata [1, p. 44] and reflect may reflect a common conceptual system in which metaphors grounded by “virtue of systematic correlates within our experience” [1, p. 58]. This cohesion allows metaphors to emerge naturally in a given culture because what it highlights corresponds to what the members of a given culture collectively experience [1, p. 68].

At this point in the book, the authors introduce the notion of a gestalt: a whole construct of meaning that humans find more basic than the parts [1, p. 70]. This is a basic tenant of prototype theory, which examines the way that different social groups understand or place value on the world in which they exist. For instance, when one is presented with the category of ‘snake’ people from different cultures would react differently. In some cultures a snake is a symbol of evil while in others it is a symbol of wisdom. The authors eventually complicate this idea with the notion of ‘truth’ by which they reject the ‘myths’ of objective category and subjective interpretation. Rather, they advocate that categories such as truth are best understood within the “interactional [sic.] properties that make sense only relative to human functioning” [1, p. 164]. Interaction properties and experiential gestalts form the “experientialist myth” that can best explain how humans understand and function in their world [1, p. 228]. This understanding “emerges from interaction, from constant negotiation with the environment and other people” [1, p. 230]. Meaning is negotiated and metaphor is crucial to create rapport and to communicate the nature of unshared experience [1, p. 231].

My question is still unanswered by the “experientialist myth”, however. I think that, in this theory, rhetoric is instrumental in the negotiation of meaning between competing views but I am not sure that the authors address a possibility that one culture may actually hold competing and inconsistent experiential gestalts. They seem to assume that a culture is more cohesive than a pluralistic entity like the United States. Earlier [1, pp. 22-24] they give lip service to cultural difference only to move to a more basic (or universal) understanding of metaphor. What happens when competing gestalts, within a given culture, exist (or emerge) to explain categories such as truth?

-Safari Bob

References

[1] Lakoff, G. & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors We Live By. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN: 0-226-46801-1

Tobacco Review: Vauen Black Pepper

2010-04-13T12:44:00.001-07:00

When I was at Just For Him, I actually tried to blend a black pepper pipe tobacco but I just could not get the flavor to unfold. I could get spicy, hot, and even a greenish kind of sweet pepper once (I never could replicate it, however) but I never could nail down the black pepper taste. So when I spied Vauen Black Pepper, I immediately placed an order and started counting off days on the calendar until the UPS guy showed. I don't know too much about Vauen Pipe Co. other than it is German and is purported to have been in the pipe business since 1848. I do not know who makes these tobaccos for Vauen or if they manufacture it themselves (I doubt it). Still, this blend is tasty, it is made in Germany, and does not disappoint. The tin has no manufacturer's description, but here is what SmokingPipes.com says about it:

The double-fermented Black Cavendish based on Virginia and Burley tobaccos delivers a unique smooth smoking experience with a distinct aroma of black pepper. MSRP: $14.10; 50gm tin.

Review
The tobacco is black Cavendish and stoved ribbons that burns well into a mottled gray and white ash--a hint that different kinds of tobacco are blended here. Perhaps it is a Virginia (maybe Red Virginia?) and Burley mixture. Certainly, one notices a distinct black pepper aroma as the tin is cracked and I definitely enjoyed this flavor throughout the smoke which is accompanied by a subtle sweetness, although it does fade a bit in the heel. This tobacco is not moist--maybe a shade drier than I like--nor does it feel oily. The room note seems woodsy rather than sweet and I swear I can still smell the black paper 15 minutes after the smoke.

This is a good, smooth aromatic that has some complexity in the smoke and certainly delivers a black pepper flavor without the bite. For some reason, it reminds me quite a bit of C&D Autumn Evening but with a different flavor. Interestingly, Autumn Evening is a cased Red Virgina; perhaps this is why Vauen Black Pepper reminds me of it so. I thoroughly enjoy this blend and am working on my second tin. If you like Lane's BCA, you might find it a little dry, but overall this is a great all-day blend with an unusual flavor.

Rating: 4 Puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob

Book Review: "Colors of the Robe" by Ananda Abeysekara

2010-04-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

Central to this book is a “study of the formations and deformations of contingent relations between ‘religious’ identity and difference" [1, p. 4]. Here Abeysekara seeks to demonstrate how the relation between what comes to count as religion or difference alters in varying “minute contingent conjunctures” in which diverse persons, practices, discourses, and institutions conjoin to form competing definitions of self/other identities within a period of a few years, months, or days. In order to do so, one needs to “locate the central visibility of the emergence and submergence, authorization and unauthorization [sic] of specific knowledges [sic] about what does and does not count as [identity] in conjunctures of debates" [1, p. 4]. Disciplinary deconstructions of colonial knowledge of Indian religion, culture, and difference result in a static conception of Indian identity and therefore propagate colonial assumptions. It is only “the examination of such contingent conjunctures that should form the basis for disciplinary works seeking to understand religion, identity, and difference as historically varying ideas" [1, p. 16]. In fact Abeysekara wants to demonstrate that “if we can have no a priori epistemological guarantee of, a privileged access to, the altering relation between religious identity and difference, we must explore those conjunctions of debates in which authoritative persons, practices, and institutions that counted as religious identity yesterday become vulnerable to being thwarted, deauthorized [sic], as difference today" [1, p. 25].

By exploring the volatile political landscape of Sri Lanka and the prominence of Theravada Buddhism centered there, Abeysekara explores his thesis. First he demonstrates that authoritative narratives that contend to represent Buddhism should not be used as “readily available ethnographic examples” of the relation between religion and society as they are part of “altering ideological conjunctures” by investigating competing narratives about Dhammananda. Next by using the debate surrounding the construction of the BPU he demonstrates how “different conceptions of Buddhism and politics, the religious and the secular, religious identity and difference, become authorized and deauthorized [sic], come into central sight and disappear from sight, in contingent conjuctures of debates" [1, p. 107]. Next by examining Sri Lanka’s economic relationship with Japan and the ensuing construction of a ‘new economy’ that authorized a particular image of Buddhism and monkhood, Abeysekara locates the “dynamics of a particular epistemic space" [1, p. 27] in which debate as to the relations of self (Theravada) and other (Mahayana) “came into central view and faded from view” through competing discourses. He affirms this phenomenon in his explorations of religion and violence and how these categories are “discursively produced, and hence shift within the conjunctures of different debates" [1, p. 234].

I found his argument to be compelling in that categories I had held to be, more or less, static, such as ‘Buddhism’ or more specifically ‘Theravada Buddhism’, are not self-evident but continually being contested in “specific conjunctures of debates” that define and recast these terms. His insightful use of Foucault in defining identity as not only an effect but also as an instrument of discourse/power helps in establishing the notion of movement and shifting in the meanings of identity in religion and society.

-Safari Bob

[1] Abeysekara, A. (2002). Colors of the Robe: Religion, Identity, and Difference. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN: 1-57003-467-2

Science 2.0: Open Science via Web 2.0 Technologies (Intro)

2010-04-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Last week I presented a paper at the College English Association 2010 Conference in San Antonio Texas. For some strange reason, I actually received three or four requests for copies of the paper I presented. Although I decided to not offer the full text in this forum, I have decided to publish the introduction here on the blog. If you would like to read it, I will be happy to send you a copy via the eerie power of the Internets. So if you are suffering from insomnia, here is your treatment. Enjoy!

Science 2.0: Open Science via Web 2.0 Technologies

In his article, “Science 2.0: Great New Tool, or Great Risk?” for Scientific American, M. Mitchell Waldrop (2008, January 9) experiments with ‘networked journalism’ by allowing the readers of this article to contribute to his understanding of Science 2.0. He describes this article as a “particularly apt candidate” for this kind of collaborative journalism due to the subject of Science 2.0, which he describes as “how researchers are beginning to harness wikis, blogs and other Web 2.0 technologies as a potentially transformative way of doing science” (p. 1). This iteration of his article is a draft and the contributions of readers were assimilated into the final product published in the following April edition. In other words, Waldrop (2008) is using the platforms that allow Science 2.0 to exist to inform his future article about Science 2.0.

Certainly, the World Wide Web (WWW) has transformed the ways many people today approach business, conduct journalism, connect with friends, and receive education. Web 2.0 technologies are reinventing the identity of educational institutions across the world. Social web tools, such as Weblogs, wikis, and podcasts, are changing the ways businesses, libraries and universities conduct commerce, define education and information literacy (Richardson, 2007, p. 62; Kraft, 2007, p. 34). Real Simple Syndication (RSS) tools allow users to create and subscribe to every kind of information (and misinformation) imaginable (Marsh, 2006, p. 340). As Richard Berry (2006) describes it, Web 2.0 tools “allow anyone—individual or corporate—to produce content for audiences who do not particularly care where it comes from” (p. 158).

Science, and specifically how research is conducted, has also noticed the potential and the pitfalls associated with the appropriation of Web 2.0 technologies into its processes of inquiry and publication. Advocates of incorporating these technologies into scientific research argue for “openness as cooperation” while opponents warn that this openness is dangerous: “using blogs and social networks for your serious work feels like an open invitation to have your online lab notebooks vandalized--or worse, have your best ideas stolen and published by a rival” (Waldrop, 2008, p. 2). Although these reservations in the scientific community are often understood as the conflict between “public science” and corporate “industrial profit-goals” (David, 1998, p. 15), Daryl E. Chubin (1985) warns against this over simplification of the ‘scientific community’ as ignoring “the subtleties that characterize [scientific] practice and defy ideal-types” (p. 74).

This paper seeks to examine these subtleties that characterize the practices of the scientific community by exploring this one question: How have the tools of Web 2.0 changed or influenced the way scientists conduct their research? In order to understand how these tools are used in science today, this paper will first examine the concept of Open Science and how it relates to Science 2.0. After examining the context in which Open Science operates, a set of criteria will be offered in order to describe the practice of Science 2.0. Next, this paper will examine how some practitioners of science use Science 2.0 tools to conduct research. Specifically, this paper will contain a cursory rhetorical analysis of The Mimulus Community, a discussion group in OpenWetWare—a wiki dedicated to open research using Science 2.0 tools—in order to understand how some scientific researchers are using Science 2.0 to cooperate with each other’s research and to publish their results. Ultimately, this paper seeks to provide a more complete understanding of how some scientists are shaping research through the new software technologies that enable the practice of Science 2.0.

(Copies of complete text is available upon request)

-Safari Bob

References for this Post

Berry, R. (2006). Will the iPod kill the radio star? Profiling podcasting as radio. The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 12 (2), 143-162.

Chubin, D. E. (1985). Open science and closed science: Tradeoffs in a democracy. Science, Technology, & Human Values, 10 (2), 79-81.

David, P. A. (1998). CLIO and the economic organization of science: Common agency
contracting and the emergence of “open science” institutions. AEA Papers and Proceedings, 88 (2), 15-21.

Kraft, M. (2007). Integrating and promoting medical podcasts into the library collection. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 26 (1), 27-35.

Marsh, C. (2006). Aristotelian ethos and the new orality: Implications for media literacy and media ethics. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 21 (4), 338-352.

Richardson, W. (2007). The online edge: Online-powered school libraries. District Administration, 43 (1), 62-63.

Waldrop, M. M. (2008, January 9). Science 2.0: Great new tool, or great new risk? Scientific American. Retrieved April 19, 2008, from http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=science-2-point-0-great-new-tool-or-great-risk

Waldrop, M. M. (2008, April 21). Science 2.0—Is open Access Science the Future? Scientific American. Retrieved April 23, 2008, from http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=science-2-point-0

CEA 2010 and The Alamo

2010-03-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

I attended the College English Association 41st Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas this weekend. This is the first time I attended the CEA conference but I hope that it is not the last time. The conference theme was "Voices" and I presented on Science 2.0 and how Web 2.0 tools are being used to open science to public scrutiny and enable the voices of science technicians. I met many wonderful English scholars from all across the USA who were nothing but kind to me and the panel discussions were truly engrossing.

I was last in San Antonio in 1998 for an RTDA show and I have always regretted not going to the Alamo so this time I made time to find it (and I was not alone!). That is one busy tourist destination!

Of course on trip to San Antonio is complete without a trip to the River Walk. The last time I visited, the River Walk was not so impressive. I think that half of Texas was looking for a place to eat along the waterway.

I ended up at an English pub that allowed pipe smoking and offered free WiFi. The food was not especially great and they did not offer free Diet Coke refills, but the evening was cool, the servers were friendly, and everyone was having a good time.

Good times. Now I have to finish the dissertation.

-Safari Bob

Tobacco Review: Stanwell Melange

2010-03-23T13:07:00.001-07:00

This blend arrived on the American scene after I left Just For Him (2007-2008 I believe). Stanwell pipes have long been a favorite of mine; I remember buying Stanwell Majestic pipes back in 1992 for $35. Other great finishes, like the Brazillia and the Brass Band, are no longer being made. You can find them occasionally on eBay, but for much more than the prices of the early '90's. Also, Stanwell had this weird habit of discontinuing all their best selling shapes (I never could understand that). Oh, how the times have changed! Sadly, Stanwell pipes may be going the way of the dodo.

Still, the Stanwell Melange is pretty tasty. Here is the manufacturer's description:

A modern approach to a traditional mixture. Black Cavendish, toasted Burley, Orientals and bright Virginia are gently mixed with apricot and natural sweetness. Soft and mellow with a pleasing aroma and a delicate taste. MSRP: $7.95 50gm tin.

Review
The tobacco is a mixture of bright yellow flakes, medium brown ribbons, and Black Cavendish with a wonderful aroma of apricot and caramel. It burns well into a light fluffy grey ash, although it is a little drier than I like. Certainly the fruity apricot is at the foremost in both aroma and flavor at first but this does fade throughout the smoke and a satisfying nutty-caramel emerges toward the end.

This is a good, smooth aromatic blend that offers some complexity with a stellar room note. It is sure to be a crowd pleaser but it does fade towards the end. If you like 1Q, Moontrance or some of C&D's aromatics, give it a try.

Rating: 3 Puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob

Book Review: Open Boundaries; John E. Cort (Ed.)

2010-03-22T18:48:00.001-07:00

In this collection of essays the contributing authors “seek to locate Jain materials in a more dynamic, reciprocal, and interactive relation to South Asian society" [1, p. 3]. These essays examine the Jains not in isolation, but rather in situations where they interact with “the larger non-Jain social, cultural, and intellectual world of South Asia" [1, p. 2]. The traditional boundaries of western categorization are explored within the confines of archaeology, philology, and epigraphy to expose the possible influence of Jainan thought on other South Asian cultures. In his introduction Cort posits that a “social group is never constructed in isolation, but rather is always a contextualized process, in which the sense of ‘self’ is in a dialogue, opposition, or dialectical relationship to a sense of what is ‘not-self’ or ‘other’" [1, pp. 2-3]. Here he demonstrates that there is neither a single Jain sense of self nor a single sense of other. Categories of self and other can be both contradictory and encompassing but form a fundamental dualism at the “heart of Jain ontology and soteriology" [1, p. 10]. Jainism should not be viewed as a ‘thing’ but as one style in a family of styles in South Asia, which can only be understood fully by understanding Jainism.

Explorations of the impact of Jainism on others includes Haribhdra and his juxtaposition of several forms of Yoga with key aspects of Jainism to provide a better understanding of issues under debate within the religious and philosophical communities of his time, the influence of Jain mantra experience into South Asian sanctified language, the importance of Hemacandra in the illustration and preservation of Indian literary theory, the skill of Tevar in his ‘skillfully poisonous parody’ still considered one of the great classics of the Tamil tradition and so on. All these essays seek to dissuade the reader from marginalizing Jains by demonstrating that they are a growing, changing, innovating, internally diverse religious group that has effected change in the historical circumstances and situations in which they have found themselves. As Davis says in his essay, “The challenging, borrowing, contradicting, polemicizing, appropriating, and modifying that goes on across religious boundaries, and even the constructing and subverting of these boundaries, are ongoing dynamic processes that give both form and content to the religious history of India" [1, p. 223].

Personally, I found the article by Babb on ritual culture to be the most fascinating in that he exposes the similarities of structures within Hindu and Jain ritual and posits as possible “deeper structure that is simply South Asian" [1, p. 161]. I found his idea of ‘transaction’ in ritual culture to be telling as to the nature of 'the sacred other.'

-Safari Bob

[1] Cort, J., E. (Ed.). (1998). Open Boundaries: Jain Communities and Cultures in Indian History. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. ISBN: 0-7914-3786-8

A Practice in Ethnography: Día de los Muertos 2007

2010-03-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

At 6:04pm on 2 November 2007, I arrived at the Buddy Holly Center, located in Lubbock Texas, in order to observe and participate in the local “Procesión and Celebración” of the Día de los Muertos. I have never attended any celebrations of the Day of the Dead and my exposure to this holiday was limited to Skulls to the Living, Bread to the Dead by Stanley Brandes. Before reading this book, my understanding of the Day of the Dead was that it constituted a blending of Catholicism and Mesoamerican practices to honor the ancestral dead. I assumed that the Hispanic population brought the celebration of the Day of the Dead to Lubbock as they migrated to the area.

As I first entered the building, it seemed to me that this section of the procession focused on artistic impressions of the traditions surrounding the Day of the Dead. Marigolds and candles served as decorations that lined the windows along the hallway to the exhibition hall while the art itself expressed variations of skulls and skeletons so closely associated with the Day of the Dead. Only one altar, dedicated to Buddy Holly, had been erected and it was located in the main gallery. Later, outside on the patio (or perhaps more appropriately the stoa) a performance by Ixaclli in Manantzin, a traditional Aztec dance troupe from Taos, New Mexico, was showcased for those that attended the festivities.

I had expected to meet more Hispanic people at this event and I was somewhat surprised by the diverse audience that attended. Over the next four hours I was privileged to speak with twelve different people including a Jamaican student, one of the artists whose work was showcased at the gallery, a family of three from Lubbock, and one of the ladies that prepared the food for the buffet table. All of the people I spoke with had different ideas concerning what the Day of the Dead meant to them and to the people of Lubbock but these views had little in common with what Brandes discovered in his inquiries. Overall, what I discovered can be summarized by three statements: (1) Honoring Those Who Have Gone Before Us, (2) Sweets are for Halloween, and (3) Americans Appropriate Everything.

Honoring Those Who Have Gone Before Us

I made a point to ask each person that I talked with this question: “What does the Day of the Dead mean to you?” Of the twelve people I talked with, ten responded with this exact phrase: “To honor those who have gone before us.” All of the people I talked with responded with this idea but ten of the twelve responded with the exact same phrase; I found this fascinating! It is as if these people were coached. When I asked how they honored those who went before and who they were, the responses were varied and demonstrated no cohesive collective idea. Although everyone I talked with began with a common idea that they should “honor those who have gone before us,” each had different ways to do so and different ideas of who they are (or were).

Future Akins is an artist living in Texas whose work “In My Heart Still” was on display that night. For her, the Day of the Dead provided a way for her to honor her first husband who died over twenty years earlier by “focusing her grief into art.” Her artwork is black and at the center is a heart composed of many small pieces that she indicated demonstrated how her heart was fractured when he died. This somber expression contrasts sharply with the bright marigold petals often found in the home altars[1, p. 73] or the arco, an elaborately decorated latticework structure associated with ofrendas (or offerings), found as a feature of the Night of the Dead in Tzintzuntzan [1, p. 74].

For Charles, a Unitarian minister from Lubbock who was attending with his wife Jo and daughter Shannon, the Day of the Dead afforded him the opportunity to remember “Buddy Holly and the other artists displayed here.” He enjoyed the works of art displayed at the gallery and their interpretations of the Day of the dead because “what’s art if you don’t have an observer?” Neither he nor his wife ever alluded to their families as part of this day of reflection. Later, when I asked him if he had any ways that he personally celebrated the Day of the Dead, he responded that he was “doing it vicariously” by attending the “art walk.” His wife, Jo, added, “we are doing it the way we want it done.” This sharply contrasts with events surrounding the Day of the Dead and the belief that deceased relatives are spiritually present [1, p. 20]. For Charles and Jo, dead relatives are irrelevant and all the altars and works of art are spectacles to be observed and enjoyed by the living.

Although others responded differently, all seem to interpret the Day of the Dead to be generally for the living and for them specifically. Most, like Shannon, believe that the Day of the Dead to be “a time for us to remember that we will die someday.” Kiesha, a Jamaican student at Texas Tech, noted that in her culture “we have nine days to celebrate the passing of a family member.” These nine days are passed in “eating lots of food and drinking lots of rum.” I asked her if it was common to joke or laugh about the deceased and she said yes because it made the dead happy to see that everyone is having a good time. Of all my discussions at this event, this one with Kiesha reminded me most of what Brandes discovered in his time at Tzintzuntzan: “The Night of the Dead was primarily a family fiesta” [1, p. 76]. Still, I had to introduce the deceased into the conversation before she acknowledged them in the process.

Sweets are for Halloween

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Brandes’ book for me is the role of sugar in the development of the Day of the Dead so I also made it a point to ask everyone I talked with this question: “Why do people eat sweets while celebrating the Day of the Dead?” Judy, a middle-aged hairdresser from Lubbock, looked confused when I asked her this and answered, “Why do you ask me that? Sweets are for Halloween!” I was surprised at this response but as I looked around the event I noticed that sweets were conspicuously absent from the festivities. The buffet table offered nacho corn chips, deep-fat fried ‘tacoitos’ filled with beef and chicken (I had no idea what these were until I asked but I found them quite tasty), a seven-layered dip with cheese, sour cream, and guacamole, and baked jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped with bacon (also quite tasty). The only sweets I found for people to enjoy was a little pumpkin torte, some kind of small cookie called a “pecan sandie with icing,” and a bowl of lollypops that were strangely reminiscent of something one would find next to the door of a home on Halloween.

Although I had expected to see a many calaveras, or skulls made of sugar and decorated with icing [1, p. 43], I only found four small examples resting as an ofrenda on this altar in the main art gallery. Other sweets, also on this altar, include a partial bag of Peanut M&Ms, an orange, and an apple.

Other people that I talked with also minimized the roll of sweets in the celebration of the Day of the Dead. Many thought of cookies or candy bars when I asked them why people eat sweets during the Day of the Dead. Interestingly, most thought only of their favorite sweets but not what these sweets may signify. Charles and Jo actually entered a discussion as to whether they enjoy cookies or chocolate covered strawberries more. Tom, a student from Texas Tech, told me about how he always hoped for “the big candy bars” during Halloween and how he would try to “go back again and again to houses that gave out the good candy.” Only the artist Future Akins equated the sweets of the Day of the Dead with “the sweetness of life,” although she did tell me how much she enjoyed Baby Ruth candy bars even though she no longer can eat them.

Americans Appropriate Everything

On a final note, I was surprised by how many of the people I talked with perceived why Americans celebrate any aspect of the Day of the Dead. Tom, the Texas Tech student, told me that Americans should incorporate “Native American traditions like this” into “modern-day holidays.” Future Akins told me how “Anglos co-opted many Mexican traditions such as the accordion and the cowboy.” Jo said that the Day of the Dead is “a fun way to celebrate the Spanish and have fun.” Shannon, the thirty-something daughter of Charles and Jo and aspiring artist, thought that although the “art was not so good,” she had seen Ixaclli in Manantzin dance in Santa Fe, New Mexico and could not wait to see them again.

Although the total of my field experience dealing with the Day of the Dead is limited to this one evening and is in no way definitive, I found the prevailing attitude of the people I talked with to be that Americans were appropriating customs of the Day of the Dead into mainline culture. This perception sharply contrasts to what Brandes describes in Mexico: “Halloween has become a symbol of gringo imperialism” [1, p. 128]. Although the people of Mexico may see Halloween as a threat to their celebration of the Day of the Dead, the few people I talked with see the traditions of the Day of the Dead as being incorporated into the American culture. In fact, some people in Lubbock may see the Day of the Dead as having American roots passed down through the traditions of Native Americans!

Perhaps the most poignant example of this appropriation occurred just before the Ixaclli in Manantzin dance troupe began. I was talking with Shannon when her mother, Jo, walked up to the table and declared (with a certain detached whimsy) “Honey, I accidentally spilt lemonade on Buddy Holly’s altar! See ya [sic.] later!” What could be a more American expression of the Day of the Dead than this: a tourist ‘accidentally’ spilling lemonade on Buddy Holly’s altar during an art walk in Lubbock Texas?

-Safari Bob

[1] Brandes, S. (2007). Skulls to the Living, Bread to the Dead. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN: 978-1-4051-5248-8

Science, Metaphor, and Aristotle's Informed Citizenry

2010-03-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

In the recent article “Trapped in a World View" [1], string theorists recognize that one factor that may be impairing their ability to express a grand unified theory is language. David Bohm, a leading quantum theorist, believes that European languages “perfectly mirror the classical world of Newtonian physics” while languages that are rich in verbs more closely reflect the process-based expressions of quantum effects [1. p. 43]. To compensate, quantum theorists are exploring the Algonquian family of languages that incorporate a wide variety of verb forms. This new power of expression “may give physics the inspiration to leap forward” [Ibid.].

This article got me thinking about Natalie Angier's [2] text and, more specifically, how do the conventions of the English language constrain the representation of the complex concepts that Angier is trying to popularize? Is this the reason that she chose to use flowery language to convey her subject?

As I consider these questions two ideas come to mind: (1) The metaphor may be powerful but inadequate means to express abstract concepts (however imprecisely), and (2) What is the responsibility of an ‘informed citizenry’ (I am thinking of Aristotle’s concept of audience [3, Rhetorica, Book 2, Chapter 1]) in response to scientific rhetoric to “adopt, modify, or reject it” [4, p. 41; fifth assumption of rhetoric]. Perhaps the central question is: What are the responsibilities of both science and citizenry in contributing to a forum that allows meaning to be most faithfully constructed?

Science seems to be burdened with the responsibility to convey meaning and inform its audience, although Angier seems to convey frustration on the part of scientists to reach a public audience. Craig Waddell describes how the audience was carefully selected and constrained to not “repeat the somewhat chaotic experience of the two public hearings sponsored by the city council the previous summer” [5, p. 385]. In fact, Waddell provides a convincing argument that pathos was effectively used, if not to convey understanding of the science, to influence how the audience decided to view the need for that scientific research.

Certainly the essays in Richard W. Grinnell's [6] text take pains to express the purpose, challenge and role of science in layman terms. However, Carl Sagan transcends the idea of methods for articulating scientific concepts to the public and calls for an informed citizenry to take responsibility in this dialectic. For Sagan, public understanding of science is central to national security and “the submediocre performance of American youngsters in science and math, and the widespread adult ignorance and apathy about science and math, should sound an urgent alarm” [6, p. 18]. This apathy is central to the discussion; how can scientists and laypeople converse if the public doesn’t want to listen?

Of course this apathy may lie in the inability of scientists to express complex concepts – even Sagan believed that most people have an interest in science (the driver) [6, p. 12]. What if this inability to express complex occulted concepts is endemic to the English language? Certainly mathematics can express the subtleties of quantum theory but how many people can speak ‘Math?’ If physics can better be understood in non-Western languages (such as the Algonquian family) should the public be expected to have some grasp of these other languages in order to engage in the dialogue with Science?

Frankly, I have no idea. I do find the notion of exploring other languages in scientific inquiry fascinating. When I consider the Thomas article (in Grinnell) on Alchemy, I wonder what role the various languages (Arabic, Latin, etc) played in formulating that discipline and the future discipline of chemistry? What would physics be like if it had been explored, in the West, in Chinese?

All this is moot, I suppose, as science in America continues to be pursued (presumably) by English-speaking scientists and conveyed to an (primarily) English-speaking public. Still, how can this open the potential cadre of metaphors available to express abstract scientific concepts? How will science be represented to an increasingly global citizenry?

-Safari Bob

References

[1] “Trapped in a World View.” (2008, Jan. 5-11). New Scientist Vol. 192 No. 2637.

[2] Angier, N. (2007). The Canon. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN: 978-0-618-24295-5

[3] Aristotle. (2001). The Basic Works of of Aristotle. Richard McKeon (Ed.). NY: The Modern Library. ISBN: 0-375-75799-6

[4] Lindemann (reference to come)

[5] Waddell, C. (1990). "The Role of Pathos in the Decision-Making Process: A Study in the Rhetoric of Science Making Policy." QJS 76: 381-400.

[6] Grinnell, R., W. (Ed.) (2007). Science and Society. NY: Pearson Longman. ISBN: 0-321-31811-0

Book Review: Marx on Religion by Karl Marx

2010-03-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

Central to Marx is the idea of the alienation of humanity from nature, labor, satisfaction and ultimately, from humanity itself. Humanity becomes objectified through ‘estranged labor’ which “… reduces spontaneous and free activity to a means, it makes man’s species-life a means of his physical existence” [1, p. 123] This condition is a result of global capitalism that, in the quest to find the cheapest workers, reduces all freedom to a function of itself. A dualistic class structure of bourgeoise (capitalists) and proletariat (workers) arises in the tension of labor and capital; which reduces humanity to a commodity in the formation and flow of capital. Capital is realized in money and perfected in credit with the organization of the banking system. Religion is but a reflex of reality and “[e]very history of religion…that fails to take account of this material basis, is uncritical” [1, p. 165]. Because humanity makes religion it is the “fantastic realization of the human essence since the human essence has not acquired any true reality” [1, p. 171]. History, with philosophy in its service, must unmask the self-estrangement of humanity by dismissing the ‘other-world truth’ of religion and establish the ‘truth of this world’. This will create a society “which can no longer lay claim to a historical [i.e. based in the mythical] title, but merely to a human one…” [1, p. 181]. Christianity, developed by the bourgeois, creates a society of cowardice, abasement, submission, humility which is opposite to the required attributes of the proletariat and innately hypocritical. Religion can vanish “only when the relationships of practical everyday life offer men daily visible and reasonable relationships to each other and to nature” [1, p. 196].

Marx is writing in a time when Germany was trying to validate its existence in history as a great nation. Romanticism is the backlash against the enlightenment. The brothers Grimm are codifying fairy tales into a uniquely German document of legend. Attempts are being made to connect the fair-skinned Aryan peoples of Vedic India, the ‘blonde haired’ (a mistranslation that should have been red-headed) warriors of the Teutonic woods of Germania reported by Caesar in his Commentaries and parroted by Gibbons in his Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire, and the “Indo-European” people of 19th Century Germany. This, coupled with the rise of the Industrial Revolution and the exploitation of humanity as well as the new German criticism of natural history, theology and Christianity, provides the backdrop for his arguments.

Marx utilizes the idea of the objectification of humanity, posited by Feuerbach, to apply not only to Christianity but to economics and politics as well. His weakness is in his treatment of the middle class. Although he posits that the lower middle class would be forced to adopt the views of the proletariat [1, p. 152] he declares that the middle class is based on being “the general representation of the philistine mediocrity of all other classes” [1, p. 180]. Even though the proletariat and the bourgeoisie are beginning to struggle the middle class has no concept of emancipation and antiquated. Here is the difficulty of his political views: the middle class acts as a buffer between the two poles. Instead of joining in on one side or the other, the middle class gives the laborers something to aspire to outside of revolution, and the capitalists a source of indirect (and less offensive) control with the advent of middle management. Although I will concede that greed is the basis of capitalism, the gradients are less severe than have vs. have not.

Politics has certainly used religion for its own purposes throughout history but Marx is also manipulating it for a desired effect: confrontation. Although he does not address other religious beliefs than Christianity, he, like Feuerbach, presents Christianity as and object made in man’s image. This object is used as a tool of the minority bourgeoisie to control the majority proletariat. By destroying basic social beliefs, new social structures based in communism can arise. Instead of arguing for new interpretations of Christian Theology, which may lead to gradual changes, Marx strikes at the basic belief structures of Christendom in the hopes of rapid revolution.

-Safari Bob

[1] Marx, K. (2002).Marx on Religion. John C. Raines (Ed.). Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN: 1566399408

Post-Postmodernism and Jediism

2010-03-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

Recently, I encountered an an article in which a practitioner of "Jediism" won the right to wear a "hoodie" over his head in public. According to this article, a Jedi was removed from a job center in Sussex England because he refused to expose his head at a job center. This quickly became a religious freedom issue:

Chris is a member of the International Church of Jediism - based on the sci-fi films - whose doctrine states that followers should be allowed to wear hoods [1].

Yes, there exists an International Church of Jediism that is based on the Star Wars fantasy world created by George Lucas. Their basic tenets are:

There is one all powerful force that binds the entire universe together. It is "an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together". This is a concept that most religions of the world concur with. Some refer to it as their deity, some refer to it as a life force, but the one thing nearly all religions agree with, is that there exists a single unifying force.

There are 2 sides to the force, the dark side and the light side. "Beware of the dark side... The dark side leads to fear. Fear leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering". Good versus Evil is a common element through most religions. The issues of good versus evil, right versus wrong permeate through the doctrines of all religions. Most religions attempt to state what is right and wrong, to establish their moral code. Sometimes religions make codes that don't reach a great consensus. Outsiders, and sometime insiders, begin to judge their religious code by something more powerful, something more innate, an innate ability to know what is right and wrong. This is the Jedi's belief, that morality, good and evil, are all axioms of the force, and that we must listen to the force so that we will know the right thing to do.

Can good exist without evil? The Jedi believe that good and evil are only axioms of the all powerful and unifying force. The force contains all that is good and all that is bad. We all are free and sentient beings who have the capability to do good or evil. It is our choice of direction that determines if we do good or evil. The existence of good and evil is necessary for freewill.

So in summary, listen to the force, and beware the dark side! [2]

After reading this article, I asked myself this question: How can a religion exist based solely on a fantasy universe? Is this satire like The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster? Apparently not. Mmm... spaghetti...

A Post-postmodern World?

I wonder if religions like this demonstrate that we are moving beyond Postmodernism into a new way of looking at "truth." Although "postmodernism" is a complex term to define, it is essentially a way of looking at truth--specifically that no absolute truth exists [3]. So if no absolute truth exists, competing religions, philosophies, art, and literature all express truth relative to their adherents. An expression of Christianity may be true for one person while Albert Camus can truthfully argue that it may be absurd [4]. Both positions can exist as truth in a postmodern world. Still, how can a made-up fantasy world be seen as truth--even in a postmodern context?

I wonder if we are moving beyond postmodern epistemological relativism into a new age of whatever you want to be true is true? Shows like The Ghost Whisperer are supposedly based on the "actual" experiences of James Van Praagh and Mary Ann Winkowski[5] and many viewers believe that this show is a reflection of "the real world." Should we expect more religions like Jediism?

-Safari Bob

References
[1] http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2893669/Jobcentres-sorry-for-the-spurn-of-the-Jedi.html

[2] http://www.jedichurch.org/jedi-doctrine.html

[3] http://www.pbs.org/faithandreason/gengloss/postm-body.html

[4] http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/00/pwillen1/lit/absur.htm

[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Whisperer

Tobacco Review: McClelland Frog Morton

2010-03-14T12:01:00.001-07:00

Ah yes! I remember when Frog Morton first hit the market. At the time, tinned tobacco was not the market it is today and most pipe smokers enjoyed bulk blends from the local tobacco shop. The Internet was still a novelty, although I was hard at work writing the first Just For Him website. Back then you could enter "pipe tobacco" into your Netscape Gold browser and only get three results!

Of course Frog Morton gets its name from a village in Tolkien's The Lord of the Ring Trilogy. The Pipe Rack has a great write-up about this:

The name Frog Morton comes to us from the works of JRR Tolkein Frogmorton: A village in the Eastfarthing of the Shire. It stood on the East Road, between the Three-farthing Stone (fourteen miles to the west) and the Brandywine Bridge (twenty-two miles to the east). Immediately to the north of the village, the stream known as the Water broke into two, creating a wide watery region - this feature seems to have given Frogmorton its name, which means 'frog marsh'. Until the War of the Ring, the village seems to have been most notable for its inn, the Floating Log. During the brief time when Saruman took over the Shire, though, it became the home of the First Eastfarthing Troop of Shirriffs, and it was here that the returning Ring-bearers were 'arrested' on their journey back to Hobbiton.

Manufacturer's Description:

It took Frog Morton four years to perfect this unique blend which is full and yet mild. It is his proudest achievement. MSRP: $9.50 50gm tin; $14.50 100gm tin.

Review
The tobacco is mostly dark cavendish cuts with lighter brown and red ribbons and flakes. One can certainly notice the wonderful, sour latakia aromas as one opens the tin. Sometimes, I get a slight vinegar at the initial opening but not always. The tobacco takes to the flame well and is not too moist. At once one enjoys that mouth-watering response to the malty-sour latakia while the Virginias provide sweet undertones that capture the attention of the smoker throughout the entire bowl. This blend burns well to a light, fluffy grey ash in the heel of the bowl with little or no relights.

I love this blend! It is a great medium-bodied English smoke that serves best as an all-day tobacco for the experienced latakia lover; although it may be a little light for evening contemplation. This blend will also serve well for a new English smoker looking to try a latakia treat.

Rating: 4.5 Puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob

Book Review: Bones, Stones and Buddhist Monks by Gregory Schopen

2010-03-11T19:18:00.000-08:00

In this collection of essays, Gregory Schopen strives to demarcate the “excessive focus upon the rarefied categories" [1, pg. ix] of scholastic monastic elites and the ‘popular’ or actual practices of ancient Buddhist monks. In this attempt, Schopen demonstrates the privileging of texts in the study of ancient Buddhism by western scholars over prevalent archaeological and epigraphical evidence pertinent to this field of study. He begins by exposing the ‘protestant presuppositions’ in the universal importance of the text in both study and in actual practice. He quickly contrasts the established theory, based on textual evidence, that monks and nuns did not possess property with the archaeological and epigraphical evidence to the contrary. He concludes that embedded “in apparently neutral archaeological and historical method might very well be a decidedly nonneutral [sic] and narrowly limited Protestant assumption as to where religion is actually located" [1, pg. 130]. This illumination may indicate an inherited tendency to disallow actual practice a meaningful place in the definition of religion and the devaluation of any non-textual sources that express religion.

This method of study is indicative of Schopen’s scholasticism in these essays. He continues to juxtapose literary tradition with fresh philological evidence and cursory colonial archaeology postulation with in depth epigraphical analysis. He posits that the doctrine of merit associated with later inscriptions is far older than a Mahayana idea. He uncovers the far greater roles of women in ancient Buddhist communities and in the practice of the image cult. He proposes that monks practiced and founded the relic cult in which the living presence of the Buddha is worshiped contrary to the position that laymen started this practice. He explores the funeral rites of Buddhist monasteries by monks for fellow monks, including the division of property with the brahmanical preoccupation with proper ritual treatment of the dead to avoid social censure as well as affronting the deceased. In all of these discoveries lie the undercurrents of exposing literary privilege and the promotion of archaeological and epigraphical evidence in the study and definition of religion.

Three points I found most striking in this collection of essays. First, I was impressed by his argument demonstrating the ‘protestant presuppositions’ of the privilege of literary text over other evidence. Although I would contend archaeological evidence can be obscure and just as open to interpretation, I had to recognize my own proclivities in this direction. Second, I agree that in the history of religions, more emphasis should be allowed for “religious constructions and architectures, inscriptions, and art historical remains" [1, pg. 114]. Third, I had to admit that I shared the common view of the Buddha as “a kind of sweetly reasonable Victorian Gentleman" [1, pg. 258] when I began reading this collection. After reading these essays I have a different idea of how the ancient Indian Buddhists lived and hopefully a closer understanding of their view of the Buddha.

-Safari Bob

[1] Schopen, G. (1997). Bones, Stones, and Buddhist Monks. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN: 0-8248-1870-9

How is Science Knowledge Created?

2010-03-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks, I have been musing on a question: How is science knowledge created? I suppose that one may believe that knowledge constitutes facts or (perhaps more cynically) trivia or one may espouse the Aristotelian theorem that knowledge is sui genesis and can only be discovered. Perhaps scientific knowledge can be discovered through proper classification or through replication of experiment. At the heart of this question is a comparison of competing views of how knowledge is created.

These competing viewpoints are the key; knowledge is created by consensus. Consensus is crafted from competing conversations that clash and crystallize into a common perspective. This perspective is what Kuhn [1] would call a paradigm and Gross [2] has labeled a “field of argument.” Foucault describes this process of perspective-making as competing discourses converging to reflect an “epistemic shift.” He defines the episteme as “the total set of relations that unite, at a given period, the discursive practices that give rise to epistemological figures, sciences, and possibly formalized systems…” [3, 191]. These competing dialogues essentially create a shift in thinking or in the creation of ‘truth.’ This creation of knowledge is enabled by the use of language and, more specifically, rhetoric.

Both Kuhn and Gross investigate the use of rhetoric to present new ideas and eventually establish new modes of thinking. For Kuhn the paradigm is born by anomaly and forged in crisis. For Gross, rhetoric plays a (perhaps) more prevalent role in the clashing of competing methods of inquiry. For Darian [4], rhetoric takes an active role in the creation of knowledge by actually being instrumental in the formation and definition of categories and subcategories. In all three, rhetoric is vital to construct discourse that eventually will form convention.

Baake [5] demonstrates that a chief tool of rhetoric to influence the formations of knowledge is the metaphor. When I first encountered Baake’s metaphor of harmonics I was skeptical (it reminded me of Leff’s [6] use of vibrate) but I have warmed to the usage. I especially like “an image consistent with my argument would be that of scientific knowledge as musical notes assembled into some kind of meaningful and evocative pattern” [5, p. 7]. In some ways, this view of metaphor could be consistent with Foucault’s object of formation.

Although these readings do demonstrate the important role of verbal rhetoric in shaping scientific knowledge, I do wonder about the role of diagrams and visual models in this process. For instance, Gross does note in passing: “the persuasiveness of the crucial experiment depends on its replicability; but the crucial experiment in this first paper is accompanied by neither diagram nor clear directions” [2,p. 9]. Later, in his praise of Optiks, Gross reduces the role of diagrams to only inference: “the rhetorical presence of Newton’s experimental method is enhanced by the sheer number of experiments described, and by the quantitative meticulousness with which their methods and results are reported” [2, p. 12]. What is the role of diagram in the rhetorical formation of scientific knowledge?

Certainly science communicators use diagrams to understand complex scientific ideas (the electron, proteins, and so on) but this rhetorical tool is conspicuously absent from our readings. Darian makes prodigious use of diagrams in his classification models [4, see 184 as an example] but these are little more than genealogical trees. How can visual metaphors contribute to the understanding of “complexity” or “paradigm”? A paradigm is essentially a rubric; could the notion of scaffolding better illustrate this concept? What about a Vinn diagram to illustrate the harmonics of “rules” in complexity theory?

Perhaps the lack of visuals in these readings in rhetoric demonstrates a preconception of rhetoric as speech—even though most rhetorical critics analyze texts. Most recently rhetoric is explored within the discipline of speech and yet visuals have long been a part of oration. Today PowerPoint slides are ubiquitous in all disciplines—including science. How do they contribute to the formation, explication and dissemination of theory?

I wonder if visual representations of complex concepts contribute more to a deductive (if/then) approach to investigation rather than the inductive approach that is prominent in the scientific method today. Perhaps visual representations in inductive methods are more diachronic and tend to illustrate specific steps within the process. I am not sure but this may be an interesting study.

-Safari Bob

References
[1] Kuhn, T. S. (1996). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 3rd ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN: 0-226-45808-3

[2] Gross, A. G. (1988). "On the Shoulders of Giants: Seventeenth-Century Optics as an Argument Field." QJS 74 (1): 1-17

[3] Foucault, M. (1972). The Archaeology of Knowledge. A.M. Sheridan Smith (trans.). New York: Pantheon Books. ISBN: 0-394-71106-8

[4] Darin, S. (1998). "The Language of Classifying in Introductory Science Texts." In Essays in the Study of Scientific Discourse, John T. Battalio (ed.). Stanford: Ablex Publishing Company: 181-206

[5] Baake, K. (2003). Metaphor and Knowledge. Albany NY: The University of New York Press. ISBN: 0-7914-5743-5

[6] Leff. (1980, Fall). “Interpretation and the Art of the Rhetorical Critic” WJSC: 337-349

Book Review: The Future of an Illusion by Sigmund Freud

2010-03-09T05:24:00.000-08:00

Central to the argument of Freud is that religion is an illusion born out of the wish fulfillment of humanity as it struggles to understand its place in and master the forces of nature. For Freud “illusion is not the same thing as error; nor is it necessarily an error” (pg. 39) nor does it need be false “that is to say, unrealizable or in contradiction to reality” (pg. 39) but it is enough for humanity to recognize religious doctrines as being “in their psychological nature, illusions” (pg. 40). He does not wish to remove religion forcibly but to awaken humanity from infantilism and educate humanity to reality. “Need I confess to you that the sole purpose of my book is to point out the necessity for this forward step?” (pg. 63).

He begins by positing that civilization must be defended against the tendencies of the individual by protecting everything that contributes to the conquest of nature and the production of wealth against the hostile impulses of humanity. In humanity dwells the destructive anti-social and anti-cultural impulses that remain in spite of the sacrificial instincts imposed on individuals for the sake of civilization. These instincts are determined by the experiences of early childhood in which civilization suppresses the wishes of incest, cannibalism, and lust for killing. The external coercion of cultural forces become internalized in the super-ego and transforms the individual into a moral and social being. Narcissistic satisfaction provided by cultural ideals and manifested in art combat hostility to culture and reconcile humanity to the sacrifices it has made to establish civilization. These substitutive satisfactions are expressed in illusions and most notably, religious ideas.

Religion evolves out of the need to protect the individual from the external forces of nature. Civilization provides shelter and meaning from these forces by humanizing nature; namely in the guise of a father figure. Here protection is abstractly provided by giving meaning to his hitherto helpless state by positing and expanding on the notion of benevolent Providence. God becomes a father person to recover the intimacy of a child’s relationship to her father. This rectifies the short-comings of civilization even though this personification is a following of an infantile model. “The defense against childish helplessness is what lends its characteristic features to the adult’s reaction to the helplessness he has to acknowledge—a reaction which is precisely the formation of religion (pg. 30).” The information provided by cultural assets gives humanity meaning and reconciles it to the sufferings of life but are the least well authenticated. These illusions are derived from human wishes and historical recollections and should be recognized as such. Human development parallels the development of children into adults and Freud posits that as psychology aids in the expulsion of childish neurosis so can it aid in the development of civilization past the illusion of religion toward a more adult view of the relationship between the individual and civilization. People could understand that they are made by society “not so much as to rule them as, on the contrary, to serve their interests; and they would adopt a more friendly attitude toward [civilization] and instead of aiming at [its] abolition, would aim only at their improvement (pg. 53).”

Although Freud recognizes several weakness to his argument, namely that his view could be illusion, I feel that he places too much emphasis on the supposition that humanity tends to think and feel alike in spite of a divergence of experiences. We all would like to have the illusion that all humanity is similar but empirical evidence even within a given culture demonstrates a divergence of values, tendencies, hopes, dreams, etc. When one compares different cultures (such as the much quoted Eastern/Western dichotomy) humanity is seen as diverse. In order for Freud’s vision for the civilization of humanity to have promise, it must become one culture with the same illusions, neurosis, and thinking patterns in general. We all have common needs, i.e. food, shelter, air, etc., but how we define, categorize, explain, and pursue these needs as different cultural ideals are diverse.

-Safari Bob

[1] Freud, S. (1989). The Future of an Illusion. James Strachey (trans). New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN: 0-393-00831-2

Tobacco Review: McClelland Premium Aromatic "Easy Street"

2010-03-08T13:22:00.000-08:00

I remember when the first McClelland Premium Aromatics rolled onto the retail market. To me, they seemed a little too similar to the (now defunct) Nording Huntsman series (even the packaging was similar). Still, the Easy Street came about as a later edition to the series.

Manufacturer's Description:

Cool as the coolest jazz, soft as velvet nights, rich and creamy. A whisper of English Walnut perfects this elegant Black Cavendish. MSRP: $8.50 50gm tin.

Review
One can certainly smell the walnut as the tin opens to a dark, black, irregular cavendish cut. Due to the heavy casing, the leaf is oily though not particularly moist. I chose to pack it a little looser than normal (as I do with all black cavendish smokes) and I had no difficulty getting it to light. To my pallet, the flavor is sweet with an essence of walnut - especially the slightly bitter outer cover of the nut. The ash is gray, fine, and heavy and this blend buns well to the bottom of the heel. Although each pipe-full tended to get hot about halfway through the bowl, over all it is a smooth, sweeter smoke with distinct walnut and vanilla flavors.

This is a good, steady, richer black cavendish aromatic that is, perhaps, nothing too special. I was hoping for something like C&D Autumn Evening only with walnut (rather than maple) flavors. If you like Lane BCA, then you should give it a try.

Rating: 3 Puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob

Book Review: The Sacred Canopy by Peter L. Berger

2010-03-07T14:59:00.000-08:00

In The Sacred Canopy Berger attempts to “push to the final sociological consequence an understanding of religion as a historical product (pg vi).” His argument falls into two categories he describes as systematic (or a theoretical sociological exercise in which he attempts to explain the dialectics of religion phenomenon) and historical (in which he applies his dialectical model to specific socio-historical situations).

He begins his systematic study by examining the role of religion in the construction of the social world. Here he posits a series of dialectical relationships that work toward the construction of a world-view for humanity in relation to a constructed society. People cannot exist apart from the dialectic process of society consisting of three steps: externalization, objectification, and internalization. By the ordering of experience, humanity imposes nomos (or meaningful order) upon the social world by both objective (via institutions) and subjective (via consciousness) constructs. When this nomos is instinctually assumed either cosmologically or anthropologically “it is endowed with a stability deriving from more powerful sources that the historical efforts of human beings (pg. 25).” Here religion enters the social world as a human enterprise by which a sacred world is established. Essentially for Berger, these orders all work within society to give it meaning, order, and to protect against the terror of chaos. “Religion is the audacious attempt to conceive of the entire universe as being humanly significant (pg. 28).”

Religion is instrumental to the process of legitimation by locating social institutions within the sacred and cosmic frame of reference. This ‘maintenance of reality’ integrates a comprehensive nomos of marginal situations in which the reality of everyday life is questioned and creates an all-encompassing sacred reality. Here a social base (plausibility structures) for the continuing existence of society is real to humanity. The process of the explanation is called a Theodicy, which “allows individuals to integrate the anomic experiences of his life into the socially established nomos and its subjective correlate in his own consciousness (pg. 58).” In fact anomic phenomena can be legitimized by reference to a future nominization resulting in the masochistic submission to the total other.

Religion also plays a role in the alienation of humanity to nature. A duplication of consciousness occurs when the social world is internalized and results in the privileging of one part of the consciousness over the rest. Others and ‘otherness’ is interjected into consciousness as the works of humanity become part of a reality other than itself. This alienation creates a ‘false consciousness’ in which reality is inverted and the producer of society is apprehended only as a product. Religion reinforces this falsification of humanity’s “consciousness of the part of the universe shaped by [its] own activity, namely, the socio-cultural word (pg. 90).”

In his historical model Berger uncovers a process of secularization; which he defines as “the process by which sectors of society and culture are removed from the dominion of religious institution and symbols (pg. 107).” The roots of this process is found in the Hebrew Bible with the notion of the transcendence of God and the ‘disenchantment of the world’ which opened space for both human and divine actions. Law and ethics are not grounded in timeless cosmic order but in the concrete and historically mediated commandments of the ‘living God’ (pg. 119) and this rationalizing model was effective in the formation of the modern West via Christianity and the formation of the Christian Church. In the process of secularization, the modern industrial society has produced a social area within the competing pluralities of denominations that constitutes a ‘cultural lag’ between the economy and the state and family. Individualization gives rise to privatized religion as a matter of choice or preference which leads to the ‘demonopolization’ of religious traditions and to a competitive religious market. This results in a change of location of religion within consciousness from assumption to an act of faith. Religion is discovered within the subjective consciousness of the individual (ala Kierkegaard). Protestantism works as a prototype in which its crisis of theology demonstrates the problems of legitimation in which religion no longer defines the world.

I found his argument to be encompassing and relevant to the social progression of religion in the West. I particularly found the systematic section of his argument to be thought provoking and worthy of further study. He certainly uses Feuerbach, Marx, Hegel, Durkheim, and Weber for his backdrop to construct a sociological model for the phenomenon of religion in western society. Certainly from his sociological model the importance of Theodicy in the explanation of creation and religious progression is viable and to my mind, certainly reflects historical development.

- Safari Bob

[1] Berger, P. L. (1990). The Sacred Canopy. New York: Anchor Books. ISBN: 0-385-07305-4

Edwin Black and Tech Comm

2008-07-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

Why is Edwin Black (and Neo-Aristotelian Rhetorical Criticism) not used more in Technical Communication (TC)? As I understand it, one great criticism leveled at Neo-Aristotelian (NA) criticism is that it implies an impartial and contingent audience. In order to conduct a NA criticism, the rhetorician must delve deeply into the historical context of the artifact in the hopes of understanding the audience at hand. This is also something that TC strives to do for their deliverables. In other words, can NA criticism and/or Edwin Black's method aid technical communicators to develop effective strategies for audience analysis?

Rhetorical Transaction

For Black, a rhetorical transaction is a complex and a process of three elements of rhetoric: strategies, situations, and effects. These elements are understood as the following [1, p. 133-135]:

Rhetorical Strategies: the characteristics of the discourse
Rhetorical Situations: extralinguistic influences on the audience
Audience Effects: responses to the strategies in the situations

Taken together, these three elements converge to be a complex process (or phenomenon) that can be articulated to describe the effect of an artifact (or deliverable) which he names the rhetorical transaction. Certainly, one could approach TC through this heuristic in most genres including document design, proposals, and web design.

For instance, what are the characteristics of a given deliverable? This sounds like a genre to me. A proposal should contain certain elements while a resume would include different elements. All technical communicators should thoughtfully consider the conventional elements in light of the situation and audience effects. Also, "extralinguistic" influences sounds, to me, close to document design and other strategies of visual rhetoric while Usability would address the audience responses. All three work together to adequately describe the all important context of any deliverable. How would our service-level TC classes be enhanced if we, as instructors, thought about teaching writing through the lens of Black's Rhetorical Transaction?

Of course this is not a comprehensive treatment of Black's method but simply the initial musing for me on this matter. Black's subsequent writing on "Exhortation" and "Argument" may also offer good strategies for TC. I am simply wondering at this point. Hmm.. here is another dissertation topic.

-Safari Bob

References

[1] Black, E. (1978). Rhetorical Criticism: A Study in Method. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press.

Eh... What?

2008-07-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

I ran across this article as I was traversing the 'Internets' today. Here is my favorite quote:

Then, how do we explain aliens if they are for real? The Bible teaches that Satan and his demons (the fallen angels) can take on take all sorts of shapes and perform all sorts of miracles in order to deceive mankind. In fact, some who have been claimed to be abducted by aliens say that these aliens have told them things that undermine the truth of the Christian Scriptures and the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

This is not say that God cannot create life on other planets, but the point being made here is that the supposed alien contacts popularly mentioned are not actual alien beings at all but the work of dark supernatural forces.

Eh.. What?

I love how this guy ties conspiracy theories, evolution, UFO's, and demons into a modern understanding of Christianity. This may be the most paranoid example of multi-tasking in modern theology I have witnessed. Someone needs to alert the Spanish Inquisition!

Wow.

-Safari Bob

What is the Role of Rhetoric Before a Biased Audience?

2008-07-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

My reading of Aristotle contends that he approaches argument as contingent – or happening in the moment. Ideally, the rhetor addresses an audience that chooses sides at that moment or at least within the corpus of the oration. The effect of the rhetor is judged by the choice of the audience to either accept or reject the argument en toto at the expense of the opposition. Victory and defeat both depend on the skill of the rhetor and the construction of the argument while the audience is presumed to have little or no stake in the decision. My question is this: What is the role of rhetoric if the audience is biased (or intractable) before the argument commences? How is the purpose of rhetoric different before a hostile or sympathetic group of stakeholders? What is the role of neo-Aristotelian criticism in determining the motives (hidden or declared) of the audience that sits in judgment of the efficacy of the argument?

Synthesis

Wichelns addresses the nature of the audience through the eyes of the rhetor: “Something should be said of structure, something of adaptation to the immediate audience, whose convictions and habits of thought, whose literary usages, and whose general cultural background all condition the work both of writer and speaker” (15). The function of the orator is seen as “influencing men in some concrete situation” (24) and her method of imparting these ideas to her hearers (26) is analyzed. He concludes that we “must examine more thoroughly…the interactions of the inventive genius, the popularizing talent, and the public mind” (32) but, for Wichelns, the rhetor is still privileged with if not a neutral audience, certainly a sympathetic one.

Selzer provides an excellent primer of rhetorical analysis as critical reading of texts and provides a summary of three general ideas of audience (283) but fails to address the motives for accepting or rejecting a given argument. Audience is treated as neutral to or even “implied” (294) by the rhetor and persuasion is contingent on the skills and choices of the one constructing the argument. In his example, he demonstrates that Friedman was vulnerable to counterattack by opposition through a weak metaphor rather than the opposition’s predilection to do so based on their stake in the argument. Why did Friedman’s rhetoric not persuade his opposition?

Perhaps it is unfair to ask the rhetorician – or at least neo-Aristotelian criticism - to identify the motives of the audience. In fact, Leff and Mohrmann in their analysis of the Lincoln address at Cooper Union demonstrate that Lincoln actually was not addressing a potentially hostile Southern audience (181). Hitchcock, in his analysis of Jonathan Edwards, explores a certainly sympathetic audience (I can’t help it; he was preaching to the choir) and articulates the stylistic modes Edwards used to help the congregation concentrate on his message (117 for example). Perhaps this question truly lies in the notion of ethos in that if you truly disagree with the position of the speaker, how can you see her as credible?

-Safari Bob

References

Hitchcock, Orville A. "Jonathan Edwards" American Public Address, pp. 213-237.

Leff, Michael C. and Gerald P. Mohrmann. "Lincoln at Cooper Union: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Text" in Landmark Essays on Rhetorical Criticism, pp. 173-187.

Selzer, Jack. "Rhetorical Analysis: Understanding How Texts Persuade Readers" Chapter 10, pp. 279-307.

Wichelns, Herbert A. "The Literary Criticism of Oratory" in Landmark Essays on Rhetorical Criticism, pp. 1-32.

New Creationist Ploy: Dinos Exist!

2008-06-24T15:37:00.000-07:00

This is a new (to me) tactic of creationists: Dinosaurs exist in Africa! In 2002, Dr. Richard Paley (teacher of Divinity and Theobiology!) supposedly accompanied an expedition to find dinosaurs living in Africa:

This Summer (2002), I was blessed to be able to take part in some very important fieldwork which I would like to share with my readers. In order to further support the theory of man/dinosaur contemporaneity, I and a group of fellow creation scientists mounted an expedition to the jungles of Africa to track down and bring back photographic evidence of a living dinosaur, thus proving that these Behemoths had indeed survived the Flood as scriptural analysis clearly indicates. [1]

Wow.

My favorite part of his report is when he stops an evil atheist from shooting a dinosaur:

"Put down that weapon! The power of Christ compels you!" I immediately commanded, the words flowing through me as if from Above. The power of my rebuke startled both him and the Apatosaurus, causing the former to turn toward me and issue a blasphemous curse while the latter disappeared down the trail. Before Stubbingwicke could notice that his prey was escaping, I ran to head him off. Now between him and the beast, I dropped my gear, rolled up my sleeves, put my fists up and issued a challenge: "If you want that dinosaur, you will have to get through me first!" Seeing that he had no choice but to deal with me, Stubbingwicke dropped his weapons, uttered some more blasphemies, and came at me with his fists. As I engaged him in fisticuffs, I called out to Johnny to take the camera and hurry down the path to get a photo, which the now-panicked guide nevertheless did. [1]

But wait! It gets better:

Like most Atheists, Stubbingwicke was all tough talk, but deep inside he was weak since he did not have the Love of Christ to succor him and give him strength. His cynicism and disbelief proved no match for my Faith and I eventually had him on the defensive. As my fists found their mark as if by Divine guidance, he finally fell to the ground on all fours, too tired and beaten to give any more fight. I stayed my fists and stood over his pathetic, subdued form. More curious than angry, I asked him what he hoped to accomplish by killing the Apatosaurus. His reply, snarled from a bleeding cut lip, was as shocking as it was plausible, and I can still remember it verbatim:

"Do you seriously believe that we don't already know about these dinosaurs? Why do you think I agreed to come along on this little Christian adventure of yours? To make sure you don't get what you came for, that's why!" [1]

Exciting, ain't it!

My question to you, O' gentle reader, is simply this: Do you think a dead 'dinosaur' would be more valuable to science or religion? Thank goodness that Jimmy at least got a blurry image for the website!

-Safari Bob

References
[1] Dino Expedition 2002

Monkey God Ascends to School Board

2008-06-07T09:24:00.000-07:00

CNN is reporting that a Hindu Deity has been named chairman of a school board in India: "Hanuman, the popular god known for his strength and valor, has been named official chairman of the recently opened Sardar Bhagat Singh College of Technology and Management in northern India" [1]. Apparently, after an exhaustive candidate search, all other potential administrators were found to be only human and paled in comparison to the possibility of a true deity as chairmonkey.

This could be a serious precedent for Intelligent Design proponents.

-Safari Bob

References
[1] Indian School Names Monkey God Chairman

Amy Winehouse Tormented by Ghost - WTF?

2008-05-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

eCanada.com is reporting that Amy Winehouse has fled her home because " a poltergeist – who she has named Henry – is haunting her North London flat and is trying to harm her" [1]. Apparently, the nefarious apparition has repeatedly attacked her leaving scratches on her arms. She refuses to return to her home until someone can preform an exorcism and relieve the tormented singer of these pernicious phantoms.

Right... these are ghost scratches on my arms, officer.

What kind of world do we live in where crazy pop singers can't even brood in drug-induced angst in peace? Shame on you, Casper! Don't make me get the Ghost-Whisperer on your ass!

-Safari Bob

References

[1] eCanada.com - Amy Winehouse

Are Americans Getting Dumber? DUH!!

2008-05-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

I ran across this article on whether or not Americans are foreswearing learning for TV and video games. For instance, how many Americans would have to look up the word "foreswear"? Why do Americans not have time for reading and yet plenty of time for watching reality TV or World of Warcraft?

What worries me is a seemingly prevalent mindset that learning is bad. Terms like "geek" and "nerd" have long been pervasive in schools. I remember being teased and harassed in the seventh grade because some classmates saw a book I was reading (Inside the Atom by Isaac Asimov). Certainly students that like science are often castigated for their interests [1] and this conduct seems to be spreading to all areas of education - especially to young girls. What is going on?

I have asked my students about this and they just shrug their shoulders as say, "I dunno." Does anyone out there have any ideas?

-Safari Bob

References

[1] See: Sagan, C. (1996). The Demon-Haunted World. New York: Ballantine Books, pp. 321-323.

Einstein Letter Proves that God is Worth Money

2008-05-16T17:15:00.000-07:00

The New York Times is reporting that a letter written by Einstein to a friend about God has sold for $404,000! That's alot of money for a letter by a physicist about religion. I wonder how many prayer cloths ole Robert Tilton (aka the God Shark) would have to 'schelp' in order to buy something like that? Now, don't get me wrong; I would love to own it. But I cannot help wondering if the price rose so high because of all those spurious (mis)quotations about God that are attributed to Einstein out here on the Internets.

-Safari Bob

Source

[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/17/science/17einsteinw.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

Four Common Misconceptions About Science

2008-05-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

I am a member of a pipe-smoking forum and I encountered a thread discussing Expelled--No Intelligence Allowed. On an aside, has there ever been a title more descriptive? In any event, I was not surprised to find so many misconceptions about science and evolution. In fact, most of the people engaged in the discussion loved that movie and thought that "science is too big for its breeches". Good Lord n' Butter! Frankly, this kind of talk simply makes my butt tired. I responded by listing these four misconceptions and interestingly, this killed the thread.

1. Science is a method--not a belief system per se. This method is based (since Bacon and Newton) on inductive reasoning while theology and philosophy (like Aristotle) tends to use deductive reasoning. Inductive methodology is similar to the Sherlock Holmes manner of investigation while deductive reasoning is often expressed in a series of if/then statements (like Aquinas, Aristotle, and so on down to DesCarte). ID uses a deductive method that is loved by theology but generally reviled by science.

2. Evolution does not study the origin of life--just how it proceeds. This is important to understand because starting with an observation is important to inductive reasoning while starting with a presumption is deductive. Ideally, one may start with any observation and, through testing, follow the empirical evidence back or forward as evidence permits .

3. Empirical evidence is different in humanities and science. In humanities, empirical evidence may be derived from ethnography or interviews. In science, empirical evidence must be generalizable and repeatable as well as provide direction via predictability.

4. Scientific theories must be falsifiable which means that any model, theory, or even law can be tested in some way. Some philosophical, psychological and theological (ie social sciences) theories cannot be falsified. A classic example of this is Marxism or Freudian dream analysis. A skilled debater can argue these theories in any circumstance and, instead of being proven wrong (or false), these theories tend to fall in or out of popularity--based on current thinking rather than scientific data.

-Safari Bob

My First Political T-Shirt

2008-04-14T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today I received in the mail my latest t-shirt: Darwin '08! With all the candidates scrambling to show that they are religious (ironically except McCain), I felt that it is important to remember that science education is also affected by politics. When did you last hear a candidate emphasize the importance of science education apart from economics? I am shocked at how many of my students either reject evolution out right or consider it as one of several viable possibilities to explain how life has progressed on the earth. Inevitably, these discussions lead me to sigh and admit that "I need a beer..."

In any case, the New York City Skeptics are selling these sweet t-shirts for the low, low price of only $18. Get 'em while you can!

-Safari Bob

Is Science a Religion? Three Distinctions Why it is Not.

2008-03-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

I am getting a little weary of hearing people talk of science as a religion - it is not a religion. Richard Dawkins addresses this notion as well as various religious thinkers (see this article as an example). Essentially, religious people see tenants of science as inexplicable and therefore akin to faith while scientists are consumed with evidence and therefore faith is irrelevant. In fact, Dawkins views faith as vice - in either science or religion.

For me, this question is simple because of perspective. Religious practitioners generally begin with the conclusion and then argue why this conclusion is true while scientists begin with a model (akin to the popular notion of theory) and then test it, which can lead to either validation or falsification. As evidence mounts, this model may gain more credibility and become a theory or even a law. This distinction (#1) alone convinces me.

Still, both do offer evidence to support their positions; this is to be expected and may confuse the bystander. These rules of evidence are both different and often incompatible (although I believe that any evidence that science amasses may be appropriated by a religious argument). Generally, because religion is a personal phenomenon, personal anecdote may be offered as proof for a claim while science demands evidence that is empirically verifiable and repeatable by a test or tests. Proof for a religious argument may be identified after the fact while evidence in a scientific context must be predicted before hand and demonstrated. This distinction (#2) alone convinces me.

Also, religion often uses a deductive logical structure which can be understood as a series of "if/then" statements. For instance, one may deductively reason that if God created a world and man is part of this world then God created man. This deductive reasoning was valuable to the origin of science (ie Aristotelian to Cartesian schools) but Bacon and others rejected this method in the 17th century for evidence-based inquiry. Inductive reasoning looks for evidence and, like a detective, the researcher follows the evidence to where it leads. Ironically, fictional detectives like Sherlock Holmes practice a kind of inductive reasoning although these observations are often referred to as "deductions." Essentially, religion tends to be deductive while science tends to be inductive. This distinction (#3) alone convinces me.

While these three distinctions are enough for me to decide that science is not a religion, I understand that they may not convince someone that has already decided the contrary. Feel free to leave me comments on this matter.

-Safari Bob

Tobacco Review: Planta MMVII

2008-03-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

I have little experience with the Planta Tobacco line other than the Original Danish Black Vanilla Mixture (I love the pipe rest in the top of the tin). I can find little on this company other than it is manufactured in Germany. When I was at Just For Him, we did not carry this line although I can not remember why.

Manufacturer's Description:
An all black tobacco with essence of Blueberry, smells like blueberries in the tin and leaves a blueberry scent in the air afterwards. MSRP: $25 100 gm tin.

http://www.pipesandcigars.com/plmmpito.html

Review
As one opens the tin, an aroma of blueberries is immediately noticeable. The tobacco is a black cavendish cut, drier than I like, and packs easily. Upon the initial light, the aroma and flavor of blueberries is unmistakeable and soon fills the room with a sweet smell of waffles - a sure fire crowd pleaser. The bowl does proceed quickly and the flavor, though sweet, does burn hot and unpleasant. One is left with a sweet aftertase but the pleasure is blunted by the distinguished sting left by the raging inferno. I did enjoy this blend but only after adding some Lane BCA to cool the fevered flavor.

This is the kind of blend that is best relegated to the status of a gift. The tin is beautiful and the aroma is wonderful. Unfortunately, the tobacco is too hot on the palate to smoke straight. If you are gifted a tin of Planta MMVII, add some BCA, sit back, and enjoy.

Rating: 1 Puff out of 5

-Safari Bob

New Pipe: Mark Tinsky Coral Carved Bent Ball

2008-02-18T16:47:00.000-08:00

I just ordered another Mark Tinsky pipe: a coral carved bent ball. I have two other Tinsky pipes and the Sunrise bent apple may be my best smoker. Normally I like smooth pipes but Gray Fox is having a sale. For only $113 (with free shipping) I should get a great smoking pipe for little dinero. If you like Tinsky pipes, you better get one while you can!

-Safari Bob

Tobacco Review: Samuel Gawith 1792 Flake

2008-02-09T18:10:00.000-08:00

Samuel Gawith is an older tobacco company that has been making pipe tobacco and snuff since 1792 and production continues using the original recipes. Currently, Phillips and King imports the Gawith blends including Grousemoor, Squadron Leader, and Best Brown Flake. I first encountered these blends in 1998 and the Squadron Leader was most popular. Lately I have been enjoying flakes and I decided to crack open a tin of 1792 which I have never previously smoked.

Manufacturer's Description:
A full strength, mellow tobacco, comprising a blend of dark fired leaf. Our best-selling premium grade flake starts as 7 lbs of stripped leaf going through a steaming process prior to being pressed, the "cake" having been prepared, is wrapped in a selected leaf and packed by hand into a 12sq.in.press and left for a minimum of 2 hours. The next stage is to place the pressed "cake" into a steam press where it is baked at full heat for 2-3 hours. Once baked, the "cake" has taken on cobs characteristic rich, dark colour. The "cake" is then hardened by being left to cool. The final process of cutting the flake and adding a tonquin flavouring is carried out followed by hand wrapping and packing ready for the pipe. MSR: $8.55; 50 gm tin.
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/samuelgawith.html

Tobacco Review
The tobacco is dark chocolate brown with a subtle reddish hue and is cut into 3.5 inch flakes that are moist and easily folded (I do not rub-out my flakes). I have no trouble lighting the flake, although I did have to relight several times as the bowl progressed. The "tonquin" flavor seems to remind me more of a gin or juniper that does meld well with a smokey sweetness that does fade about half way through the pipeful. The overall experience is a full-bodied smoke that has some complexity at first but dies over the span of the smoke. In some ways it reminds me of the old Robert McConnell Red Virginia - especially the last half of the bowl - as a malty flavor either develops or is revealed as the other flavors subside. After several bowls, I am not quite sure if I like it or not. It does burn cool and the flake combusts into a dark, gray ash.

Rating: 3 Puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob

Surviving 2012: Oh Please...

2008-02-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

Get ready: The world is supposed to end on December 21, 2012 (12/21/12). "According to their calendar, the Maya believed that their world would end on Dec 21, 2012. Of all the dates put forth by prophets and cultures for a doomsday, this is one with an authentic almost eerie feel to it" [1]. Why does this one have an 'authentic eerie feel' as opposed to all the other ones throughout history?

I remember back in 1988 a popular tract was circulating among the christian fundamentalists supposing that Christ was to return in September 1988. I, and an intrepid band of fellow malcontents, were busted at a Bible College during an attempt to make light of this assertion. Obviously, this prediction was erroneous and the same author revised his calculations and came out with a sequel for 1989. Of course this also was fallacious and 'Grunge' music, Starbucks, and Desert Storm (Part 1) were all allowed to transpire.

Why do these 'Dooms Day' movements exist and thrive in our culture? Certainly these movements are not unique and they have existed throughout most of recorded history. Why do we as a species seem to revel in the possibility of our destruction? I have no idea but I suspect that 'Grunge' may be a manifestation of a nihilist bent that is blunted by a good 'Frappaccino' and appeased by a good war.

Hmm.. coincidence? I think not!

In any event, some segment of humanity seems to need to have a telos and that end must be loud and explosive. I wonder if this self-destructive fantasy is indicative of the need for narrative that seems to pervade the human condition; a desire to tell a story with a beginning, middle, and ending. Frankly, I have no idea but I am sure that this fear of the end will sell lots of books.

-Safari Bob

References
[1] http://survive2012.com/

Tobacco Review: Mac Baren Navy Flake

2008-01-16T15:19:00.000-08:00

I well remember my first foray into Mac Baren tobacco and the ensuing tongue bite that savaged my tongue like Sherman across Georgia. These tobaccos always sold well in my shoppe but I never could see the allure. I wanted to like them, and this brand certainly sells well both nationally and internationally, but I never could get past the tongue-bite. Still, many of my older pipe tobacco customers kept many of the best of Mac Baren on my shelves.

I believe it was 2003 when Phillips & King International bought the rights to distribute Mac Baren Pipe Tobacco in the USA and Gene Thompson (whom I knew from Lane Ltd and Dunhill) was hired to manage the pipe tobacco division of P&K. Gene is one of the 'good guys' in the tobacco industry and I miss harassing him on Monday mornings when I ordered pipe tobacco.

In any event, Gene brought Per Georg Jensen to Just For Him that year to give a presentation on Mac Baren pipe tobacco to our staff and customers and that presentation made a big difference to me on how to enjoy these tobacco blends. His method for packing flake tobaccorevolutionized my appreciation for these blends and I recommend that all pipe smokers review this site.

Now, many Mac Baren blends are in my regular rotation including Dark Twist, Stockton, Virginia Flake, Vanilla Flake, and Navy Flake. Here is the manufacturer's description:

From the moment Navy Flake first appeared on tobacconists' shelves, pipe smokers everywhere have shown their appreciation of this mixture. There are many reasons why Navy Flake has become a true Mac Baren classic since then. When Navy Flake was developed in 1965, much work went into the composition of the raw tobaccos. Selections of Burley tobacco were made from our extensive stocks and after countless tests the right Burley content was found. Similarly, tests were then carried out on Virginia tobacco. Different qualities of Virginia tobacco were selected and test smoked. Finally, a handful of these were selected for inclusion in the mixture. Once the right basic tobaccos had been found, a final important element was added to the mixture: a small measure of original Mac Baren Cavendish was added, and it is this which gives Navy Flake its full body. SRP: $14.95 100 gm tin.

Tobacco Review
The tobacco is layered on brown flakes with mottling that ranges from black to light golden hues. I fold the flakes and twist into the pipe - I do not rub out - and the tobacco lights easily. As the flake burns into a light, white ash I get a distinct rum and raisin flavor that soon fades into the background to be replaced by an earthy burley and sweet Virginia. The flavor is not complex but some liveliness is evident as the competing factions of this flake do rise to the forefront from time to time. The flake burns evenly but thoughtless puffing can raise the temperature.

Overall, this is a good all day flake that has a wonderful aroma that is not too aromatic yet pleasant for others to enjoy. This is a great blend for the Virginia smoker that has to placate a wife who demands some sweetness for the room.

Rating: 4 puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob

References
[1] http://www.mac-baren.com/BundMenu/Products/Available-tobaccos-in-your-country/Navy-Flake.aspx

A New Semester

2008-01-12T14:02:00.000-08:00

The first week of my last semester of course work is done and I am taking a class that I have been looking forward to for some time: The Rhetoric of Scientific Literature. In this course I have the opportunity to conduct a small study of some sort dealing with some aspect of Science Rhetoric or Writing. I choose to explore the idea of Science 2.0 which is part of the Open Science movement.

Any thoughts?

-Safari Bob

Tobacco Review: McCranie's Red Flake

2007-12-26T11:03:00.000-08:00

This is my first foray into any of the McCranie's tobacco although I have always heard great things both about the tobacco and the shoppe. As I understand it, McClelland processes and tins all the house blends of McCranie's Tobacco after McCranie's acquired a quanity of the 1983 Red Virginia crop which was a particularly good year. This 1983 crop was processed into McCranie's Red Ribbon and McCranie's Red Flake. The 1983 crop is all gone and currently this tobacco consists of a 1996 North Carolina crop.

Manufacturer's Description:

A beautifully aged Red Virginia like no other. Brimming with rich, mellow flavor as only nature can provide. A special allotment of prime 1996 crop North Carolina leaf has been secured for our discriminating pipe smokers. The softest, most enjoyable straight red Virginia we've ever smoked. With a light vacuum seal, the tobacco will continue to mellow with age. MSR: $7.95 50 gm tin.

Review
This tobacco is a beautiful reddish brown with lighter mottling and cut into a moist broken flake. I was afraid of the McClelland 'ketchup' but I can smell no trace of it. Instead, I get a rich sour with a hint of vinegar. The Red Flake packs easily and burns well (one match for the whole bowl) into a light gray ash. The smoke is medium-bodied and smooth with no trace of spice or sweetness - in fact it is almost bland. The room note is light and pleasant and is a good all-day smoke.

Perhaps this is completely psychological, but this blend reminds me of red velvet cake - not in flavor but in texture. The smoke is smooth and creamy but simple and lacking complexity. Still, this is a great everyday flake that is perfect for enjoying around others where contemplation is not possible. If you enjoy McClelland 5100 then you will love this as it is much softer, drier, and cleaner. However, if you enjoy a lively or complex smoking experience then you will probably find Red Flake boring.

Rating: 3 Puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob

New Pipe: Mark Tinsky 1 Star Sunrise Prince

2007-12-25T19:25:00.000-08:00

Today I received a new pipe in the mail: a Mark Tinsky Sunrise 1 Star 5 Prince. After I smoked my first Tinsky, I knew that I wanted a seven-day set. I find the Sunrise finish most attractive and so I asked Mark to carve a prince for me. Four days after I made the request the pipe arrived at my doorstep! That is service for you!

I think the next pipe I ask Mark to carve will be a straight apple Sunrise 5 with a saddle bit. I am not sure what will be after that; I wonder if he would carve a straight bandy glass?

-Safari Bob

New Pipe: Mark Tinsky 1 Star Sunrise

2007-12-23T16:58:00.000-08:00

I broke down and finally purchased a Mark Tinsky pipe. I had been eyeing this pipe at Gray Fox and I took advantage of the Christmas sale to finally pull the trigger. I love Apple shapes, both straight and bent, and I just loved this rendition of a 1/8" bent apple.

This pipe is comfortable and well balanced, has a good draw, and the pipe cleaner passes through the draw hole perfectly. The craftsmanship is 'top-notch' in that the draft hole is centered flush on the bottom of the bowl. It does smoke well although the bowl does get a little hot. In the past, I have had pipes that have done this only to break in after a short time with no further display of this excessive heating; I think the Tinsky will as well. In any case, the smoke is cool, dry and clean with no 'woodiness' or 'stain-fumes.' Overall, I am pleased.

If you are interested in looking for a Mark Tinsky pipe, I would recommend either Gray Fox or Mark Tinsky's website. His pipes range from $100 (at Gray Fox) and up.

-Safari Bob

Why the Rest of the World Hates Americans

2007-12-22T14:53:00.000-08:00

Some media sources seem to imply that the rest of the world hates Americans. I am skeptical of such implications but I may have found evidence of why this sentiment could exist: The Gold Pill. What other culture would invent some expensive means to add 'bling' to someone's excrement? You just can not make this stuff up!

Gold Pills

By Just another Rich Kid and Tobias Wong

Pure gold passes straight through the body and ends up in your stool resulting in sparkly shit!

Gold Leaf and capsules; each approximately 1 inch long; set of three

$275.00
$247.50 Member [1]

This is the ridiculous world in which we live.

-Safari Bob

References
[1] http://www.newmuseumstore.org/viewItem.asp?ItemID=10013350&UnitCde=1

I-35: The Holy Roller's Holy Roll

2007-12-19T19:52:00.000-08:00

CNN is reporting that a group of Christians believe that I-35, which runs across the midsection of the USA, is the 'Way of Holiness' that they believe is mentioned in Isaiah 35:8 [1]. For the life of me, I cannot fathom how this kind of thought gets started (apart from copious amounts of liquor, that is) let along how upon reflection people can continue to believe it. Cindy Jones, a Texas minister with obviously too much time on her hands, received a revelation and says "she can't be sure Interstate 35 really is what is mentioned in the Bible but says she received a revelation to start this campaign after once again reading Isaiah, Chapter 35" [1].

Oh..my..God..

The verse in question says:

And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. [Isaiah 35:8; NIV]

This is a quintessential example of isogesis, or the reading in of meaning to a text. I suppose that the Reverend Jones has noticed that Isaiah 35 could be associated with I-35 - if one ignores the context of the pericope. This passage is describing Israel's triumphant return to Zion from exile: "They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them and sorrow and sighing will flee away" [Isaiah 35:10b; NIV].

Forget how this passage forms the end of First Isaiah and transitions into the exile phase of Second Isaiah [2]. Forget how Zion is a abstract concept that Eliade would refer to as an "archetype" [3]. What is more reasonable? That Isaiah 35 would refer to I-35 or that ancient Hebrews would engage in hegemony by describing a 'Way of Holiness' that led back to Israel from Babylon?

I tell you honestly that no one can make this stuff up! This is the ridiculous world in which we live!

-Safari Bob

References
[1] http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/19/btsc.tuchman.roadsideprayer/index.html?eref=rss_topstories
[2] Blenkinsopp, J. (2000). Isaiah 1-39, The Anchor Bible Vol. 19. Doubleday, New York, pp. 454-457.
[3] Eliade, M. (1996). Patterns in Comparative Religion. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, pp. 371-372.

Tobacco Review: McClelland Navy Cavendish

2007-12-18T18:35:00.000-08:00

Over the years, I have grown to respect Mike and Mary (the owners of McClelland) and I have enjoyed their blends. When I was a tobacconist at Just For Him, they were very kind to me and would spend a lot of time with me describing their blends and discussing the gossip de jour in the tobacco world. I love Arcadia and still think that the now defunct X-40 was one of the best burley flakes I have ever smoked.

Manufacturer's Description of Navy Cavendish

With this tobacco, we reintroduce the smoker to the traditional Navy Cavendish aged naturally with dark Jamaican rum to enhance its sweetness and aroma. 50 gm or 100 gm SRP: $15.95 (100 gm)

Review:
When one opens the tin, one is confronted by a sweet rum aroma and sometimes the tell-tale ketchup smell of some McClelland Virginias. The tobacco is dark brown or black with lighter cuts mottled throughout the broken flakes. I do not rub-out my flakes so I clump the pieces together and slide them into the chamber. One certainly experiences a rum sweetness upon the initial light that does fade over time. As the bowl proceeds, one gets more of the Virginia sweetness with an accompanying spice that is also pleasant. The room note is sweeter than a pure Virginia alone as the tobacco burns into a medium gray loose ash. Even with the loose ash, I only had to relight once near the heel of the smoke.

I have smoked several tins of Navy Cavendish and unfortunately this blend seems to change from tin to tin. Some have an inexplicable 'ketchup' smell and others do not. Still, it is a regular in my rotation and overall I continue to enjoy it.

Rating: 3.5 Puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob

Logical Fallacies I have Known: Ad Hominem

2007-12-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been involved in a debate when the argument turned personal? If so you have probably been the target of an ad hominem attack: an attempt to counter someone's claims or conclusions by attacking the other person instead of their position in the debate. This fallacy can take many forms and, for some reason, seems to be pervasive in American culture. Often this tactic is found on the playground but it seems to have made its way into our culture's collective consciousness as a viable strategy.

For instance, Paul Joseph Watson (InfoWars.com) is arguing for reasons that Hillary Clinton would be good for America when Watson attacks Bush:

Bush has betrayed his fake Christian ethic even more times than he's flipped off a television camera. [1]

By using pejorative terms such as 'fake Christian ethic' and 'he's flipped off' Watson is not addressing the reasons for Hillary but rather attacking Bush's character - a common tactic in political rhetoric. This tactic does bypass the issue at hand and is an ad hominem fallacy.

-Safari Bob

References
[1] http://www.infowars.com/articles/us/hillary_clinton_good_for_america.htm

Tobacco Blending: 1042

2007-12-12T17:52:00.000-08:00

I was wandering around on Gray Fox Forum (http://grayfoxonline.mywowbb.com/) when I was reminded of an old tobacco recipe that is passed down from tobacconist to tobacconist called 1042:

1042
10 oz Black Vanilla Cavendish
4 oz Light White Burley
2 oz Golden Virginia Flake

Essentially, it is RLP-6 (or Captain Black in the White Pouch) clone and it is designed to be modified. For instance:

8 oz Black Cavendish (I used Lanes Toasted Cavendish)
4 oz Light White Burley (BLWB)
2 oz Golden Virginia Flake
2 oz Latakia

This makes a good, medium-bodied English. Of course, until the last 5-10 years or so, a heavy latakia blend was 7-12%. Further modifications can be made to get a rich aromatic such as:

8 oz Black Vanilla Cavendish
2 oz Black Cherry
4 oz Light White Burley
2 oz Golden Virginia Cube Cut

The possibilities are endless.

-Safari Bob

Court Summons Hindu Gods to Testify; Monkey God Pleads 'The Fifth"

2007-12-08T20:27:00.000-08:00

The BBC is reporting that a judge in India has summoned two Hindu gods, Ram and Hanuman, to help resolve a property dispute. Judge Sunil Kumar Singh has demanded that the Hindu Gods Ram and Hanuman appear in person to settle a 20 year debate over 1.4 acres of land between two temples of the gods in question. The judge has sent letters to each deity asking them to appear to settle the dispute.

I can not make this stuff up.

My question is this: Did he send the letters postage due? Is that why the honored deities refused his summons?

This is the ridiculous world in which we live.

-Safari Bob

References
[1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7132124.stm

Tobacco Review: Samuel Gawith's Christmas Mixture 2007

2007-12-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

I remember when this blend first was offered (2004 I believe) and the storm it created. Everyone wanted it and shortages ran amok. I seem to remember that it was only available in one pound bags and that I was unable to acquire any for the shoppe. Also, we sold clove cigarettes and the rumor spread that this blend was a clove pipe tobacco. In some ways, the buying frenzy of this blend corollated with the high demand of Opus X at the time.

Manufacturer's Description:
Blended Virginias to which have been added traditional festive flavours Cinnamon, Rum, Sherry & Cherry. SRP: $8.95 50gm

Review
A distinct sweet cinnamon and clove aroma is present upon opening the tin; in fact it is highly flavored and the aroma is pervasive. The tobacco is moist and comprised of gold ribbon and crimp cuts that pack well and allow a slow burn. The tobacco burns well and combusts into a light mottled-gray ash. Initially, the cinnamon and rum comes through strongly and, as the bowl progresses, these flavors overpower the pallet and subside into a sweet, generic spice with a touch of clove. This blend is not hot - just spicy - and certainly reminds me of a Christmas flavor; in fact I swear that I tasted a hint of egg nog about midway through the pipe.

This blend reminds me of one of my blends at Just For Him: Cinnamon Cordial. Certainly SG's Christmas Mixture does not disappoint to remind the smoker of Christmas. This is a good holiday blend but I am not sure that I would smoke it any time during the rest of the year. I am curious about how this will age so I have included a tin in my cellar.

Rating: 4 Puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob

Tobacco Review: Ashton Smooth Sailing

2007-12-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

The latest Ashton blends came out in 2005, if I remember correctly, and replaced some great tobaccos that were reputedly tinned by McClelland (I still have several tins of Pebble Cut and Original Old Church that I covet). These new blends are, to me, a surprise (I particularly enjoy Winding Road) and over all I find them to be quite tasty. I can not remember who is currently blending these for Ashton and all that is found on the packaging is a cryptic: "Blended by hand in the European Union."

Manufacturer's Description:
Pleasurably palatable and wonderfully smooth, this aromatic mixture is slightly nutty, boasting flavors of maple, coconut and dark chocolate. SRP: $10.50 for 50 gm.

Review:
The dark chocolate and coconut are immediately evident when one opens the tin; it reminds me of a Mounds bar. The blend itself is an attractive mixture of black cavendish, brown ribbon, and gold flake cuts. The tobacco is on the dry side, easy to pack, and smells wonderful. It lights easily and burns into an ash that is darker gray with white speckles. The flavor is darker and less sweet than the aroma promises. Throughout the smoke the dark chocolate is present and builds as a subtle roasted nutty tone circles the edges. Overall, a surprisingly complex flavor that is not too sweet accompanies a clean burn and delicious room note that is a sure fire crowd pleaser.

This reminds me of a much more sophisticated Consolidated 333 or a lighter, more pleasant Mac Baren Honey Chocolate. It does burn a little quickly for my taste but I think that this is a good medium all day smoke for around the wife or relatives.

Rating: 3.5 Puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob

Tobacco Review: Astleys NO 44 Dark Virginia Flake

2007-12-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

Astleys Tobacco is made in Germany by Kohlhase & Kopp (K&K) since 1979 and is currently imported by XYZ Direct, LTD. NO. 44 is a square-cut dark Virginia flake that the blender describes as "full strength." I enjoy Virginia flakes and have tried my hand at blending, stoving, and pressing one in the past. K&K describes this blend as "cold pressed" (a process with which I am not familiar) and I can hardly wait to try it.

Review

The tobacco is dark brown with some yellow mottling, moist, cut into fragile 1 1/2" x 1" rectangles, and smells "malty" with a subtle sour hint. I rolled a few flakes into a tube and packed the tobacco into my pipe. The smoke is medium to rich in body with a subtle citrus tone and (thankfully) no trace of the McClelland ketchup. As the bowl progressed, I did notice the citrus subsided and a not unpleasant sour flavor emerged. I was expecting more spice but it is smooth and I experienced no tongue bite throughout the smoke. This flake burned evenly and slowly although I did have to re-light twice throughout the bowl. The ash is darker gray and the room note was present without overpowering.

Overall, this is a pleasant satisfying smoke that would be perfect for outside in the woods. The closest I can place this tobacco is either McClelland 2035 without the ketchup or MacBaren Roll Cake without a trace of topping or spice.

Rating: 4 Puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob

Tobacco Review: Former's Cross Grain Flake

2007-11-27T14:25:00.000-08:00

The tobacco is medium brown with some mottling and a little dry, perhaps. The round tin opens to reveal rectangular, navy slices that have a sweet, Virginia aroma with a touch of straw.

The tobacco lights with one match and the ash is a nice white. Initially, I get a distinct sweetness and slight spiciness that is so indicative of Virginia flake. The sweetness subsides some over the smoke but I do not get any "grassy" or straw-like flavors. I should note that I do not rub-out flakes during packing.

Manufacturer's Description:

Former's Cross Grain Flake Pipe Tobacco. A full bodied "sweet" traditional Flake tobacco prepared with only the finest grade of Virginia leaf with a pinch of Perique. Aged to perfection in order to bring out the best in this cool smoking, magnificent flake. 50g tin. Made in Germany. SRP: $9.95

I think I like this better than Escudo which is probably the closest tobacco I can think of to this flake. It is certainly lighter than Escudo but along those lines. The perique does give the smoke a thickness that I enjoy as a diversion from a straight Virginia leaf.

Rating: 3 Puffs out of 5.

-Safari Bob

A Birthday Pipe-Buying Frenzy

2007-11-25T08:13:00.000-08:00

Today I turn 40 and to celebrate, I won on eBay a collection of six BBB Christmas pipes. I first bought a BBB at the St. Louis pipe show in 1995 from out of a huge bin of pipes for $10 (those days are long gone). I was not familiar with this brand but I liked the shape. Later I was at John Denglar's pipe shop in St. Charles and I asked him about the pipe. He paused, told me to wait and then disappeared in his back room for about five minutes. He returned with a pipe catalogue from 1964 and showed me a picture of a BBB that was the same shape and finish!

Later, I traded the pipe and I always regretted it. Now I have six BBB Christmas pipes coming including the following years: 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1997. I can not wait to smoke them and I plan to display them all one one pipe rack.

-Safari Bob

Tobacco Review: Orlik Golden Sliced

2007-11-23T07:48:00.000-08:00

This morning I finally got around to trying Orlik Golden Sliced tobacco. In 2002, Peter Stokkebbye visited our shop to give a presentation on his tobaccos. As we were chatting afterwards, I asked Peter what his favorite tobacco. He responded by producing a half-empty tin of Orlik, rolling a slice into a ball, stuffing it into his pipe, and lighting up! I ordered some for the shop but I never got around to trying it.

Here is the Manufacturer Description:

This delightful blend is composed of golden and full body Virginia tobaccos with a touch of Burley. A fine natural sweetness in both taste and aroma characterizes Orlik Golden Sliced. The cut is traditional Navy Cut Flake i. e. pressed tobacco and cut into thin slices. Rub the tobacco slices gently before filling your pipe. Made in Denmark.

Review:

The tobacco is a gold navy cut slice and smells sweet out of the tin. I do not "rub-out" my flakes to smoke the tobacco; I fold and twist. The tobacco is moist (as I like) and burns easily and slowly. I enjoy Virginias and this blend does not disappoint! I sense no hints of "straw" or hay but a nice sweetness with a subtle lemon and a touch of anise. It burns well and clean leaving a mottled light to dark gray ash. The aroma is pleasant and subtle without being "perfumey." After the initial light, I have not had to re-light even once all they way to the bottom.

If you enjoy Virginia Navy Flakes I would recommend this blend for you. So if you like Peterson University or Dunhill Light Flake then this blend is for you!

Rating: 4 Puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob

New Pipe Acquisition: Two WO Larsen Straight Grains

2007-11-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

Back in the early '90's, I used to sell WO Larsen Handmade pipes. The few I smoked were among the best smoking pipes I have ever tried. I found this WO Larsen Handmade Straight Grain Smooth Straight Apple on Briar Blues and it smokes as well as I remember. I paid way too much for it, however.

This beautiful WO Larsen Straight Grain sandblast Straight Apple/Brandy is also stamped Handmade and sports a ring of what appears to be box wood or a light mahogany. It also smokes great (I am enjoying some Mac Baren Stockton in it as I type up this post) and I won it on eBay for only $66.

I remember buying WO Larsen pipes from Olie and his wife as early as 1994. They were always kind to me and I remember them with fondness.

-Safari Bob

Chaos Under the Canopy

2007-11-20T20:24:00.000-08:00

In a recent article on CNN, the Saudi Government would like us to understand why they felt the necessity to punish a woman who is a victim of rape. "The woman was originally sentenced in October 2006 to 90 lashes. But that sentence was more than doubled to 200 lashes and six months in prison by the Qatif General Court, because she spoke to the media about the case, a court source told Middle Eastern daily newspaper Arab News" [1].

Why was she sentenced to anything at all (let alone 90 lashes)? Apparently, the victim was being blackmailed by a person who had a photo - a harmless photo according to the Saudi Government - of her and she met with the man. "It is illegal for a woman to meet with an unrelated male under Saudi's Islamic law" [1]. Shortly after this meeting she was raped by seven men.

This is the danger of living in a state where religious dogma is institutionalized as public law. Why is mercy so rare from those who (1) are in the position to grant it and (2) empowered by sacred text to grant it? I believe it may be because dogma (or rigid interpretation of sacred texts) cannot be moved to exception - even in extreme circumstances - because it can lead to chaos (or anome).

Peter Berger argues that religion serves as a means to stave off the nightmare of chaos and create safe boundaries of order [2, p. 24]. It is institutionalized and endowed with "an ontological status to the point where to deny them is to deny being itself - the being of the universal order of things and, consequently, one's own being in this order" [2, p. 24]. Even if the Saudis wanted to grant mercy, it may have been outside of their power to do so because to question the institutionalization of Islamic law is to question their own being.

What a shame that a woman felt so threatened over a harmless picture that she would risk the lash and pay blackmail demands for its return. What a shame that a rigid Islamic law had no option but to punish when mercy was needed.

Chaos happens in this world; society tries to establish order in the world. One way a society does this is to establish religion to explain catastrophy (remember 9/11) or, as Berger notes, "religion is the audacious attempt to conceive of the entire universe as being humanly significant" [2, p. 28].

References

[1] http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/11/20/saudi.rape.victim/index.html
[2] Peter L. Berger (1990). The Sacred Canopy. New York: Anchor Books.

First Post: Entering the Jungle

2007-11-20T14:47:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Smoking Safari!

Why would someone blog about smoking? I was a tobacconist at Just For Him in Springfield, MO for almost 14 years and I enjoy the hobby of pipe smoking. I do view pipe smoking as a hobby - not a vice. Many people can not accept this position and I respect that. Thankfully, we live in a society that allows people to hold different views.

I envision this blog to be composed of the following: pipe tobacco reviews, pipe blending techniques, commentary on tobacco-related news, and general 'chit-chat' about pipes that I own or bought. Occasionally I may discuss places to buy tobacco and pipes, showcase pipe and tobacco sales that I encounter, and post semi-critical articles concerning some other aspect of this wonderful hobby.

For instance, my most recent pipe acquisition is a New Era Kaywoodie Prima Bent Apple ($45 with FREE SHIPPING) from Gray Fox. Currently, Gray Fox is offering a Christmas special on many of the wonderful pipes available for purchase online. I enjoy smoking the New Era Kaywoodie pipes and I think that they are a great value for your pipe smoking dollar. Check them out at http://grayfoxonline.com/

If you agree that pipe smoking is pure pleasure then please feel free to leave me a comment. Thanks for visiting!

-Safari Bob

Logical Fallacies I have Known: Ad Ignorantiam

2007-11-16T21:26:00.000-08:00

This is a rampant fallacy most commonly associated with conspiracy theorists, paranormal proponents, and creationists. Essentially, this fallacy contends that a specific belief is true simply because it is not known that it isn't true. For example, Shannon Edwards, in an article musing on why cemeteries are so haunted, argues the following:

It is my theory that the reason ghosts haunt cemeteries is not because they are buried there. In fact, the ghost haunting the cemetery might not even in fact be buried there. I think they reason they haunt the cemeteries is because of the time they spent there when they were alive. Even today, community churches in the rural south still hold church functions on the edges of or at times inside the cemeteries themselves. Teenagers go into old cemeteries at night to party. And we, as ghosthunters can often be found in cemeteries taking recordings and pictures. Who is to say that once we die, we might not haunt the cemeteries that we frequented most often? [1]

The opposite corollary is also used: A specific belief is not true simply because it isn't known how it can be true. For instance, creationists often ask these questions:

How could organs as complex as the eye, ear, or brain of even a tiny bird ever come about by chance or natural processes? (See page 8.) How could a bacterial motor evolve? How could such motors work until all components evolved completely and were precisely in place? (See page 19.) [2]

The problem with this fallacy is that the lack of evidence for an argument does not logically prove the argument - it supports the contrary position. If there is no evidence for naturally occurring purple monkeys then the reasonable position is that purple monkeys do not exist in nature. Also, just because someone cannot understand how something can work does not mean that it can't. For instance, I can not possibly understand how people watch American Idol and yet they do!

-Safari Bob

References
[1]http://www.the-atlantic-paranormal-society.com/articles/general/cemeteries.html
[2] http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/

Logical Fallacies I have Known: Tu Quoque

2007-11-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been in an argument (debate or otherwise) and the person with whom you are arguing ignores your point and responds, "Oh yeah? Well what about you?!?!?" If so, you have experienced my least favorite logical fallacy: Tu Quoque, or 'You too.' This is a common argument tactic often developed on the playground sometime around first grade. I also think of it as 'Justifying your actions through the actions of others.'

The problem with this fallacy is that it avoids the argument all together - usually in the face of a good point. Often people that employ this tactic have no reasonable response so they side-step and try to turn the argument onto the other person. Gee...does this sound like any politician you may have heard?

-Safari Bob

Tales of Abject Horror - Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

Its 31 October and I am afraid. I am not terrified of ghosts, goblins, or rampaging hoardes of Uri Gellher fans but rather the implications of what CNN is reporting: "Some Christian congregations, particularly in lower income, urban areas, are turning to an unlikely source for help -- the Church of Scientology" [1].

Good Lord and butter! The implications could truly be dire! What would happen if Pentecostalism formed an unholy alliance with Tom Cruise and his band of militant scientologists? How would 'evanglism' evolve with the perfect storm convergence of the passion and tactics employed by either group in gaining converts? How would this influence the construct of 'creationism' and pseudoscience in the science classroom? Alien visitations and Intelligent Design united to reify the Star Trek mythos of 'galactic seeding' as not only alternative evolutionary theory but also church dogma!

Oooh... Scary....

I can't wait for my copy of the Bonded Leather Deluxe Thompson Chain Reference The Chariots of the Gods (red letter edition). I wonder how this will reinterpret the famous devotional My Utmost for His Highest?

-Safari Bob

References
[1] http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/31/christian.scientology/index.html

Poll: Many Americans are Gullible

2007-10-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

CNN is reporting that in a recent poll, one third of Americans believe in ghosts [1]. "The poll, conducted October 16-18, involved telephone interviews with 1,013 adults and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points." Unfortunately, CNN did not provide the survey for scrutiny.

This poll also found "Three in 10 have awakened sensing a strange presence in the room. For whatever it says about matrimony, singles are more likely than married people to say so." This experience is known as "Hag Phenomena" and is a hypnogogic hallucination often associated with sleep paralysis [2] that, although often terrifying, is harmless and natural. I do find it interesting that more people in this poll that reported this experience are single.

Also, this poll reports that 48% believe in ESP. In fact "Those who find credibility in ESP are more likely to be better educated and white -- 51 percent of college graduates compared to 37 percent with a high school diploma or less, about the same proportion by which white believers outnumber minorities." Why, oh why would more educated people be more likely to believe in ESP? I think this is simply wish fulfillment; certainly the evidence seems to debunk ESP as a natural or existing phenomenon [3]. In fact, the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research lab closed after 28 years of investigating ESP with no evidence of ESP existing [4].

This poll does support one conclusion: Many Americans are Gullible. Turn off the the 'Ghost Whisperer,' 'Medium' and "Phenomenon" TV shows and use your imagination more creatively to enjoy life rather than the pursuit of shadows.

-Safari Bob

References

[1] http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/10/26/ghost.poll.ap/index.html
[2] http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/paralysis.html
[3] http://www.ntskeptics.org/factsheets/esp.htm
[4] http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7371765

A Suggestion to Skeptics and Creationists - Part 2

2007-10-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

In the debate between skeptics and creationists, the skeptics have it good. Not because they argue from a position of truth (or Truth) but because they assume a defensive position. The creationists attack some aspect of evolution (why I am still not sure) and the skeptics simply demonstrate that that attack is at least erroneous and often asinine. The creationists continue to win the battles in the hearts and minds of the population while the skeptics win in the courts (thank goodness!). I ask this question: why do the skeptics not attack creationism?

I certainly can understand why science does not attack creationism - this is not its concern. Skeptics, on the other hand, are in a unique position to take the battle to the creationist's arena. Many (if not most) Christians do not believe in a literal six day creation event (and for good reason). Simply stated, a literal six day creation is not proported by scripture - at least not in Genesis.

Genesis 1-11 is not written to be interpreted as literal events; it is poetry or allegory. Certainly fundamentalist hold to a literal interpretation but the majority of Christianity does not. Why not take the discussion of whether or not a possible literal six day creation event is even tenable within a scriptural exegesis?

The Amazing Randi has done an excellent job of debunking paranormal claims because (1) he studied the techniques they use and (2) he met (and continues to meet) them in their arena. Why do skeptics resist similar tactics with creationists? Why not take the debate to religious platforms such as magazines, blogs, and public lectures? I believe that, unlike creationists willing to infiltrate the science classroom, it is bad form to debate this subject in church meetings - unless invited - but there are other venues available.

So my advice is as follows:
1. Study some commentaries on Genesis
2. Look at some Hebrew poetry resources
3. Begin a dialogue in traditionally 'safe zones' of creationists (but not Sunday School)
4. Apply the same level of argumentation and reason to these dialogues

In a future blog I will address some reasons for Christians to be skeptical about a literal interpretation of Genesis 1-11.

-Safari Bob

Excursis: The Nature of Logic

2007-10-11T16:47:00.000-07:00

As I prepared a lesson plan concerning Logical Fallacy in Argument, I ran across the following article: "Atheism: An Irrational Worldview" in Answers, an online creationist magazine. Frankly, I was searching for examples of logical fallacies in argument when I encountered this article that does contain many. Still, I was shocked by the following claim:

Laws of logic are God’s standard for thinking. Since God is an unchanging, sovereign, immaterial Being, the laws of logic are abstract, universal, invariant entities. In other words, they are not made of matter—they apply everywhere and at all times. Laws of logic are contingent upon God’s unchanging nature. And they are necessary for logical reasoning. Thus, rational reasoning would be impossible without the biblical God [1].

Essentially, this article appears to argue this syllogism: (1) atheists focus on a natural or material world, (2) logic is abstract and, of course, not material, and therefore (3) materialists are irrational and illogical. What a wonderful enthymeme! Here is their assertion concerning atheists and logic:

The materialistic atheist can’t have laws of logic. He believes that everything that exists is material—part of the physical world. But laws of logic are not physical. You can’t stub your toe on a law of logic. Laws of logic cannot exist in the atheist’s world, yet he uses them to try to reason. This is inconsistent. He is borrowing from the Christian worldview to argue against the Christian worldview. The atheist’s view cannot be rational because he uses things (laws of logic) that cannot exist according to his profession [2].

I am not an atheist but to assert that because someone who looks at the natural world in order to understand how it works is irrational because logic is an abstract concept..well..frankly this position is so absurd that it really merits no response. Truly this article resembles a laughable farce! All thinking and reason is abstraction; this is one attribute that identifies humanity as unique. This article, however, may demonstrate a complete escape from reality and seems to me to be an excellent example of irrational drivel. No wonder critical thinking is at a premium today.

-Safari Bob

References
[1] http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v2/n4/atheism-irrational
[2] Ibid.

A Suggestion to Skeptics and Creationists - Part 1

2007-10-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

Why do creationists attack evolutionary theory? This may seem a silly question, at least to those embroiled in battle, but even if evolution could be debunked, this would not prove a literal creation event as recounted in Genesis. This seems to me to be a pointless exercise; after all, there seems to be enough work for proponents of literal creation to do to persuade other Christians that a literal creation event occured - let alone all the other theists (ie Jews, Hindus, Muslims, etc.). Why do they attack evolution?

Certainly proposing that creation be taught in the science classroom is asinine; even most creationist must see that it is not science. Intelligent Design theory seeks to incorporate science and religion but still cannot offer a testable hypothesis - a requirement for science. This should not be a surprise as religion and science have different methods for discovering 'truth' and both have different purposes in applying these 'truths.'

For instance, consider the category of time. Both science and religion define and struggle with such a complex human construct. In the past, the border between science and religion was more blurred in some cultures (Myan, Sumerian, etc.) but I will focus on modern science and modern fundamentalist Christianity that is most likely to assert a literal creation as portrayed by their interpretation of Genesis. Essentially, science approaches time diachronically while religion approaches time synchronically.

Synchronic time is concerned with specific events, of both the past and the future, and are tied to specific locations. This is a topic for a future post but basically this view of time conveys a sense of 'timelessness' or 'the eternal now.' The image to the left depicts an 'axis mundi' or an event in which the divine occurs and "a region impregnated with the sacred, a spot where one can pass from one cosmic zone to another" [1]. Here, a believer can often enter into an event outside of time or at one point of time that may have or may yet happen (ie Catholic Eucharist, The Great White Throne Judgement, Zion, etc.). Synchronic (eternal or sacred) time is usually seen as being recursive and outside of 'real' (diachronic or profane) time. This notion of time is central to most professions of fundamental Christianity.

Science is not concerned with sacred time but is obsessed with diachronic observation of time. The speed of light, the revolution of planets, the division of hours, and so on are defined by the direct observation of events in a natural world. Sometimes the vast periods of time boggle the mind - who can truly understand 14 billion years? - and the natural world is explained through eras. Even these are based on empirical observation and collected or demarked in such a way as to build a diachronical timeline.

My point is that science is based on the observations of a natural world while religion (in general) and fundamental Christianity (in specific) is concerned with sacred events that occur outside of diachronic time. Sacred time events cannot possibly be tested by observation - they are outside of this category. Why would creationists subject sacred ideas to profane scientific scrutiny even if this were possible? Can a literal creation event performed by a supreme being be tested and possibly falsified through direct observation?

Suggestions to Literal Creation Proponents:
1. Focus on promoting your beliefs to other theists; this is the proper arena
2. Leave science in the science classroom; it cheapens religious beliefs to center them in 'profane' time
3. Incorporate ID into religious epistemology but do not subject it to falsification

My next post will concentrate on Skeptical strategies to talk with literal creationists.

-Safari Bob

References
[1] Eliade, M. (1996). Patterns in Comparative Religion. Rosemary Sheed, trans. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, pp. 99-100.

Roberts Consults God on Legal Issues - God Councils Deny!

2007-10-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

Richard Roberts, son of Oral Roberts and President of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa OK, is accused of the misappropriation of funds and tax evasion. This is unfortunate and indicative of the conduct of televangelists in our society. At least two news agencies report that Roberts has recieved word from God to deny these allegations:

AP:

At a chapel service this week on the 5,300-student campus known for its 60-foot-tall bronze sculpture of praying hands, Roberts said God told him: "We live in a litigious society. Anyone can get mad and file a lawsuit against another person whether they have a legitimate case or not. This lawsuit ... is about intimidation, blackmail and extortion." [1]

News OK:

Saying he'd spoken with God, school President Richard Roberts told students and faculty during a weekly chapel service, "Here's what he told me to say to you, ‘We live in a litigious society. Anyone can get mad and file a lawsuit against another person whether they have a legitimate case or not." [2]

I well remember in the late '80's when Oral Roberts recieved word from on high to demand 8 million dollars from the faithful or else God would 'call him home.' In fact, I tried this approach; I informed several people that God told me that they should give me $50 or 'God would punch me in the nose.' Unlike Oral Roberts, I recieved no money and I was ducking for years.

Why, oh why, does this 'God told me therefore' approach work? Can't people see it is a ruse? This kind of conduct reminds me of an old expression: "This makes my butt tired."

-Safari Bob

References
[1] http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/ORAL_ROBERTS_SCANDAL?SITE=VOICESD&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
[2] http://newsok.com/article/3140031

ESP in the USA

2007-10-05T13:58:00.000-07:00

I was curious; is there reliable data showing how prevalient belief in ESP in the USA? Judging by new TV shows, I thought that it must be rampant. Here is what I found:

- Poll (2002): 57% Americans believe in paranormal phenomena like ESP [1]
- Poll (2005): "About three in four Americans profess at least one paranormal belief, according to a recent Gallup survey" [2].
- Article (1997?): New Poll Points to Increase in Paranormal Belief [3]

Most articles quote and compare two Gallop polls (1976 and 1986) but unfortunately I cannot get access to the actual poll numbers. USA Today and CBS seem to also have done some inquiry and then, of course, all the other non-scientific sources one can find as links to MySpace quizzes and so on. I am surprised that this data is not readily available online! I may have to investigate this phenomena myself.

-Safari Bob

References
[1] http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/04/29/opinion/polls/main507515.shtml
[2] http://home.sandiego.edu/~baber/logic/gallup.html
[3] http://www.csicop.org/articles/poll/

Contra Expanding Earth Theory

2007-10-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

Understanding and sensibility, with us, can determine objects only in conjunction. If we separate them, we have intuitions without conceptions, or conceptions without intuitions; in both cases, representations, which we cannot apply to any determinate object. [1]
Immanuel Kant

I am not a scientist; I have said this before. I am a doctoral student in Technical Communication and Rhetoric (TCR) and my Master's is in Religious Studies - not Theology. I feel that this should be understood before I examine EE Theory. TCR is concerned with Rhetoric, or the art of persuasion, in writing. As such, logic and common fallacies are of primary concern in my field. In short, I study how people construct arguments and how people convey these arguments to specific audiences. In addition, one of my concentrations is research methods and methodology. I also study the Rhetoric of Science.

My particular approach to any theory is whether or not it is reasonable; is a theory based on (1) an understanding of the field in which the theory inquires and (2) is there any empirical data to support the theory? As Kant noted, without either one has only intuition without conception [2].

Neal Adams is perhaps the leading proponet of EET [3] and even a cursory glance demonstrates (to me) that he does not seem to grasp the fields of geology, astronomy, or physics in which he centers his theory. For instance he posits, "The fact is most, if not all, the mountains on Earth were created since 200 million years ago, and most of them are 60 million years old and younger" [4]. If not all? What about the St. Francois Mountain Range in the Ozark Plateau [5], as an example, which is dated to the Precambrian Era (540 Million - 3.8 Billion Years ago) [6]?

Scientists are better equipped to debate the claims of EET than I am but this theory seems to be intuitive rather than reasonable. "It is now known, and has been discovered by seismic scanning, that only 4% of the asthenosphere (under the crust) is molten and most of that, if not all, is located under the rifts. Some is under volcanic areas, to be sure, but they are the exception that proves the rule" [7]. Current studies in the asthenosphere seem to contradict this claim [8] but my point is that Adams simply dismisses any current studies; in short his conclusions seem to be based in little understanding and even less empirical data. In other words, EET seems to me to be unreasonable.

-Safari Bob

References
[1] Kant, I. (1990). Critique of Pure Reason. J. M. D. Meiklejohn, trans. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, pp. 166-167.
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://www.nealadams.com/nmu.html
[4] Ibid.
[5] http://www.answers.com/topic/ozark?cat=travel
[6] http://www.answers.com/topic/precambrian?cat=technology
[7] http://www.nealadams.com/nmu.html
[8] http://jove.geol.niu.edu/faculty/stoddard/drag.html

Expanding Earth Theory

2007-09-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

I just encountered a new (to me) theory of existence: The Earth is Expanding. Proponents make an amazing claim that "The evidence is obvious, unmistakable and irrefutable!" [1]. What the frijoles is it?

As I understand it, proponents of this theory (EET) assert that the world was once much smaller but expanded, and continues to expand, due to two phenomena: (1) external accretion by the addition of comets, meteorites, and other space dust to the mass of the Earth, and (2) internal core expansion by gravitationally induced heating [2]. Various proofs for this position include:

The fallacy of the nebular hypothesis is shown very clearly in the physiographic cross-section of the Grand Canyon cliffs in Northern Arizona and the photo shown below (not pictured in this blog). These layers were laid down (accreted) as solid matter, and none show signs of having been melted at any time. These layers are positive evidence the Earth has grown steadily over time.

The bottom layers of the Grand Canyon, ~1.6 kilometers (one mile) down, go back in time almost a billion years to the Precambrian, leaving another ~6365 kilometers to Earth's center. This suggests the Earth could be much older than the 4.5 billion years now accepted as its age from radio-carbon dating of meteorites. [3]

EET also argues that continental drift, as understood today, did not occur by tectonic plates shifting and movement but rather by the Earth expanding and moving the continents apart. Subduction (the notion that oceanic plates move into and under continental masses) is fallacious and religated to the position of sophistry:

But the possibility of an expanding Earth raised a philosophical dilemma because cosmologists, geophysicists and marine geologists had always been taught the Earth has always been the same size since it was first created ~4.5-4.6 Ga (billion years ago). Surely, the Earth could not be expanding as Professor S. Warren Carey (1956, 1976) had argued!

So, when subduction was conceived (invented) in 1967 it was immediately perceived to be the solution to their dilemma, and the "Plate Tectonics Revolution" began, with subduction as its mechanism, powered by convection cells with hot magma rising to the surface in the midocean ridges (MOR) and older seafloor along continental margins being subducted (descending) back into the mantle to be re-melted and recycled back to the surface as new magma.

Now, thirty-five years later, subduction is accepted dogma throughout the world--to the detriment, unfortunately, for scientific progress because now subduction has been shown to be totally false! [4]

Wow. My next blog will contain my thoughts on this matter.

-SB

References
[1] http://www.expanding-earth.org/
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] http://www.expanding-earth.org/page_2.htm

Tele-Evangelists: Enter The God-Sharks

2007-09-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Why, oh why, are tele-evangelists allowed to exist? How can any reasonable person believe that tele-evangelists are anything other than predators preying on the aged, the infirmed, and the vulnerable?

Even the Christian press is critical of tele-predators and focus on how much money tele-evangelists fleece from their flocks. For instance, Robert Tilton, after a fall from grace (so to speak), is back and scamming again - and doing well. "He's doing well financially, according to the Tulsa World. The newspaper quoted records in 2003 showing he had bought a 50-foot yacht and was building a 2-story home on oceanfront property in Miami" [1]. They are like apex predators feasting with impunity on the most vulnerable; a sort of 'God-Shark' swimming through a public ocean while gobbling up as much money as they can leaving destroyed lives in their wake.

When will this foolishness stop? At least sharks serve a purpose on the food chain; what purpose do these 'hucksters' serve?

I need some mead.

-SB

References
[1] http://www.trinityfi.org/press/tilton2.html

Contra A Flat Earth

2007-09-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

I feel as a chessman must feel when the opponent says of it: That piece cannot be moved. [1]

S. Kierkegaard

Debate with such an absurd position seems, to me, to be fruitless. Certainly the scientific community (by which I mean most geologists, astronomers, physicists, etc living today) supports a theory of a round earth (or globe); in fact I could find no credible scientists that holds an alternative position. In fact the Flat Earth Society (FES) rejects scientific evidence and scientists themselves as "the same old gang of witch doctors, sorcerers, tellers of tales, the 'Priest-Entertainers' for the common people. 'Science' consists of a weird, way-out occult concoction of jibberish theory-theology...unrelated to the real world of facts" [2]. Truly I feel like Kierkegaard's chessman.

Instead of entering into a debate with the FES, I will focus on attempting to explain it. The FES has constructed a complex and convoluted rationalization to explain (1) how the world really is and (2) why everyone else is mistaken (see [3]). I think that this phenomenon may be understood in light of Weber's construct of "rationalization."

Weber's Process of Rationalization [4]
1. Rationalization comprises clarification, specification, and systemization of ideas
2. Rationalization comprises normative control or sanction
3. Rationalization comprises a conception of motivational commitment

Also, once a religion is sufficiently rationalized (systemized and unified), its core ideas come to have a logic of their own [5]. The beliefs of the FES seem, in part at least, grounded in an extreme view of Creationism. In an interview with Charles K. Johnson - The President of the International Flat Earth Society - Robert Schadewald noted "Johnson's beliefs are firmly grounded in the Bible. Many verses of the Old Testament imply that the earth is flat, but there's more to it than that. According to the New Testament, Jesus ascended up into heaven" [6].

The concept of 'A Flat Earth' seems to come out of a tradition of Creationism and is 'rationalized' by its adherents in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence and consensus. This 'rationalization' creates its own sense of logic and solidifies (or riefies) a sense of reality through repetition and participation (in the Eliadean sense [7]) in which 'profane reality' is discarded for the construct of "mythic ontology.'

In short, good luck opening their eyes to reality.

I conclude with this thought from Weber:

Prophets and priests are the twin bearers of the systemitation and rationalization of religious ethics. But there is a third significant factor of importance in determining the evolution of religious ethics: the laity, whom prophets and priests seek to influence in an ethical direction. [8]

-SB

References
[1] Kierkegaard, S. (1987). Either/Or: Part I. Hong and Hong trans. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, p. 22.
{2] http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flatearth.html
[3] http://www.alaska.net/~clund/e_djublonskopf/FlatWhyFlat.htm
[4] Weber, M. (1993). The Sociology of Religion. Talcott Parsons trans. Boston: Beacon Press, pp. xlii - xliii.
[5] Ibid. p. xiii.
[6] http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/fe-scidi.htm
[7] Eliade, M. (1991). The Myth of the Eternal Return. Princeton, NJ: The princeton University Press, pp. 34 - 48.
[8] Weber, M. (1993). The Sociology of Religion. Talcott Parsons trans. Boston: Beacon Press, p. 45.

A Flat Earth - Oh My!

2007-09-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

I was shocked to discover that there are people in this world that believe the world is flat; even the creationists do not hold this position. How can someone argue with this position? It is simply fantastic! How would someone discover if the world is indeed flat?

I am not a scientist but I have been on an airplane. The next time you fly, look at the horizon and you will notice the curvature of the earth. Look at the stars - they rotate in the sky. What about water? On a flat earth, would it not "spill off" into the ether? Here is a FES argument about water:

Water. Regardless of which train of thought you follow, it covers over seventy-five percent of our planet's surface. And the atmosphere, also a fluid, covers the entire surface. The difference is why. While flat-Earthers know that the ocean is really just a large bowl, (with great sheets of ice around the edges to hold the ocean back), and the atmosphere is contained by a large dome, the backwards "round-Earth" way of thinking would have you believe that all those trillions of gallons of water and air just "stick" to the planet's surface. [1]

Wow. I have no idea how to address this other than concepts of gravity. Here is a snippet of FES position on gravity:

Using the "round Earth" theory, setting an object on the earth would be like setting grains of sand on a beach ball. Certainly a few grains would stay - right around the top, the surface is nearly horizontal - but when you stray too far from the absolute top of the ball, the grains of sand start sliding off and falling onto the ground. The Earth, if round, should behave in exactly the same fashion. Because the top is a very localized region on a sphere, if the Earth were in fact round, there would be only a very small area of land that would be at all inhabitable. Stray to the outside fringes of the "safe zone", and you start walking at a tilt. The further out you go, the more you slant, until your very survival is determined by the tread on your boots. Reach a certain point, and you slide off the face of the planet entirely. Obviously, something is wrong. [2]

Wow. Will science be able to persuade FES with compelling evidence?

We maintain that what is called 'Science' today and 'scientists' consist of the same old gang of witch doctors, sorcerers, tellers of tales, the 'Priest-Entertainers' for the common people. 'Science' consists of a weird, way-out occult concoction of jibberish theory-theology...unrelated to the real world of facts, technology and inventions, tall buildings and fast cars, airplanes and other Real and Good things in life; technology is not in any way related to the web of idiotic scientific theory. ALL inventors have been anti-science. The Wright brothers said: "Science theory held us up for years. When we threw out all science, started from experiment and experience, then we invented the airplane." By the way, airplanes all fly level on this Plane earth. [3] emphasis mine

Perhaps I have selected a fantastic topic to first tackle in this blog. My next blog will consist of my thoughts on the matter.

-SB

Flat Earth Society Links to Pages I quoted:
[1,2] http://www.alaska.net/~clund/e_djublonskopf/FlatWhyFlat.htm
[3] http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flatearth.html

Skepticism in West Texas

2007-09-15T16:27:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Why does religion, or at least Christianity, insist on intruding into the realm of science? Why does humanity revel in conspiracy theories? What ever happened to critical thinking? Why do people believe that aliens are attempting to communicate with humanity by destroying crops? Why do people insist that magic works?

These are some of the questions that I will explore and attempt to answer for my own sanity and to appease my own curiosity. Currently, I live in West Texas, which has no skeptical society that I can find, and this blog represents my own musings on the role of science in our culture. I consider myself a skeptic in the sense that I believe that scientific thought and process is being erroded by epistemological relativism in our American culture and that the scientific method is the best method for examining a natural world.

I do not know where this blog will lead; I have no idea where I will begin. I guess that I will just start at the genesis of where my curiosity began.

-Safari Bob