reasons to love teaching

1. A few weeks ago I spoke with a student whose friend had recently passed away. She came to ask if the eulogy she had started working on was good enough--we'd been learning different rhetorical devices, and I had mentioned that I had used them to craft something beautiful in memory of my grandfather. She had two paragraphs done, and her last words were "We had so many good times together." That's where you have to go next, I said. Tell the stories of the good times. She came back the next week to thank me, tell me how it went, how all her friends and family had been moved by what she said. Such moments are humbling.

2. Yesterday I read "We drove in snow tonight" to my ninth grade classes. When finished, I thanked them for the privilege of knowing them. Some applauded. Some cried.

3. Last night I printed out five letters of recommendation.

4. Today I gave a second opinion to a student whose college application essay needed surgery. Too much talking about the lesson, not enough of the story that is the lesson, I cajoled. He'd be in the operating room all night, he responded. I smiled.


[forty-sixth in a series]

divining design: part III

In two previous entries, I gave evidence that ID proponents contradict themselves by conflating cosmological and biological design. I thought my reasoning was solid and my inferences sound, but I could have saved much time if I'd known of this Dembski quote, as cited by Ed Brayton:

"The fine-tuning of the universe, about which cosmologists make such a to-do, is both complex and specified and readily yields design. So too, Michael Behe's irreducibly complex biochemical systems readily yield design. The complexity-specification criterion demonstrates that design pervades cosmology and biology. Moreover, it is a transcendent design, not reducible to the physical world. Indeed, no intelligent agent who is strictly physical could have presided over the origin of the universe or the origin of life."

hunker down

It's finals week. (We're one of six or seven schools in the state running on trimesters, and word is that won't last beyond this year.) I'm buried under piles of book reviews, journals, and presentations, but I'll try to come up for air at some point, blog a little, keep myself sane.

we drove in snow tonight

We drove in snow tonight. The wipers batted feebly at snowflakes glowing in halogen beams. I hunched over the wheel, staring at diminishing ruts in the slush, distracted by sopping whiteness that kept coming and coming and drawing my gaze from the road, nursing the accelerator, trying to stay ahead of approaching headlights and behind nearing taillights. Branches laden with early snow jutted out of the darkness. My wife sang along with the CD over the noise of the road and the sound of splashing tires.

This morning, fifteen minutes before the first bell, the staff met in the library to hear bad news. Usually I stand on the margin unaffected, unaware of the loss, but not this morning. This morning they said Brittany's name. Car accident, life support, brain dead, words that swirled in a snowy blur, dazzling, blinding.

In my memory: a persistent smile. A wicked grin, sometimes. A hello in the hall, a chat every week or so. Laughing about last year's class. Trying to predict the future. Fidgeting, shaky confidence, typical for a junior. Slight hesitation. Looking for approval. Tossing out big plans of school overseas, community college first, though. Running Start. Maybe soon, maybe later.

What should I do, Mr. Anderson? Don't wait, Brittany--sign up now. You never know how life could change, what'll happen in days or months. Yeah, she says, unsure but sympathetic. I dunno. A goofy grin. Take your chance while you've got it. Circumstances change. You'll change. You never know.

I said that. A day before the crash, I said that.

We drive in snow, searching the darkness for the road ahead, looking for the friendly glow of taillights, spurred on by the headlights behind us. We take our chances, we guess, we stray. We smile and press on until our moment comes and the snow and the darkness swallow us up and we are but shadows of ourselves in the memories of those who drive in snow.

post hoc ergo propter hoc

It's about 5:00. I've been shivering in a sixty-degree classroom, grading papers (well, trying to grade papers) as the Seahawks battle the Giants in overtime. Every time Feely misses a field goal, the Hawks choke on offense and give him another chance--but not a good chance, because the defense miraculously holds, even when Tiki Barber appears to have busted a big one.

But I can't take it--I'm hungry, I'm cold, I need to go home. I gather up my gear and run out the door. In the time it takes to get from my classroom to the car, Feely has missed his third consecutive attempt, and the Hawks finally put together a drive and win it on the strength of Josh Brown's leg.

I should have left much, much earlier.

dubious meets credulous

His nom de guerre was Curveball, but it could have been Nutball.

Curveball's German handlers for the past six years said his information was often vague, mostly secondhand and impossible to confirm. "This was not substantial evidence," a senior German intelligence official said. "We made clear we could not verify the things he said."

The German authorities, speaking about the case for the first time, also said that their informant had emotional and mental problems. "He is not a ... psychologically stable guy," said a BND official who supervised the case. "He is not a completely normal person," a BND analyst agreed.

Perhaps it's time Bush pulled a Monty Burns. "Ooh, the Germans are mad at me. I'm so scared! Oooh, the Germans!"

Oly picante

I've just added OlyBlog to the roll. Highlight: a recent trivia series revealing strange Evergreen facts and factoids.

genuine, bona fide, electrified

The monorail is pushing 44. Time for early retirement.

for those who like lists

I'm no numerologist, but a seven-by-seven meme is just too righteous. So, perversely, I'm going to make it six-by-six. You'll see why at the end.

Oh, and thank Mark, and a turkey-based stomachache, for what follows.

Six things to do before I die
1. Run for office.
2. Climb Mount Rainier. (Maybe right before I die, if the weather goes sour.)
3. Write a novel. I have some ideas, but no words, yet.
4. Really learn Spanish and go back to Mexico, maybe even retire there.
5. In my acceptance speech for Disney's Teacher of the Year award, lambaste the corporation for everything they've done except purchasing ESPN. That was a smart move.
6. Break this blogging habit.


Six things I cannot do
1. Swim. I am a drowner. I am also lazy, and what are life jackets for, anyway?
2. Crochet.
3. Diagnose a car problem by listening.
4. Ice-skate backward.
5. Snowboard.
6. Telekinetically move stuff. I would if I could.


Six things that attract me to my wife Melissa
1. Her mind, which is simultaneously inscrutable and comprehensible.
2. Her elbows. They are small, pointy, and cute.
3. Her eyes, which, in combination with #4, storm my heart like a Mongol horde.
4. Her smile.
5. Her laughter. I covet it.
6. Other things too poetic to mention.


Six things I say most often
1. If you're not finished writing, that's okay... (when journal time is done)
2. Any questions?
3. Am I making sense?
4. I love you. / I love you, too.
5. Please take us off your call list. Thanks.
6. Good morning! / Good afternoon!


Six books I love
1. The Dream of Scipio, Iain Pears
2. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Oliver Sacks
3. Awakenings, Oliver Sacks
4. Forty Stories, Donald Barthelme
5. Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe
6. Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Gabriel Garcia Marquez


Six movies I watch over and over again
1. Yojimbo
2. Amores Perros
3. The Godfather I and II
4. The General (both this one and this one)
5. Kill Bill I and II
6. Shaolin Soccer

The seventh category is supposed to be the seven people I'd like to obligate to fill out the list, but I'm not going to. If you're so moved, claim it as your own and pass it along.

Christmas survives another bout

Idiocy comes in waves. More "War on Christmas" nonsense from a hyperactivist.

As has been her custom for as long as I can remember, my mom prepares her Christmas cards over the Thanksgiving weekend in order to have them ready to mail the first week of December. She enjoys purchasing beautiful cards, writing notes, addressing them by hand and affixing whatever Christmas stamp the USPS issues that year. So she stops by her local US Post Office a few days ago then asks the man behind the counter for this year's Christmas stamps. He pulls out a sheet of something called Holiday Cookies. To know my mom is to know that she has never indulged in cutesy stuff. Every year she always selects the Christmas stamp that features a classic painting of Madonna and Child. She asks if they have any classic Christmas stamps and the man pulls out a couple of sheets of last year's Madonna and Child. Mom notices he doesn't seem happy and he says to her, "These are all I have and they'll be the last you ever see." Mom asks, "What do you mean?" He explains the USPS will not be issuing any more "religious" stamps.

Ever.

Mom is momentarily stunned. She then raises her eyebrows a bit and asks, "Are you allowed to say 'Merry Christmas' to us?"

The man's face falls and he lowers his voice in answer, "No. We can only say 'Happy Holidays,'" he tries to smile at her, "But if you say 'Merry Christmas' to me directly I will respond in kind."

Word to the wise: never trust a low-level employee to give you the straight dope, okay? The salesman at the counter of your local post office does not run the company, repeat, does not run the company.

But that's not enough: our righteous warrior is "...annoyed at the tortuous language used in an effort to avoid the dreaded 'C' word."

Meanwhile, back in reality-land, the US Postal Service notes,

Cookies and other edible treats were used to decorate Christmas trees long before glass ornaments were used. Today, cookies are still used for that purpose. You may find cookies beautifully gift-wrapped under the tree - on a feast-laden table, as perennial favorites of holiday guests.... Five additional stamps from the Holiday Celebration series are currently available nationwide as well: Kwanzaa, the celebration of family, community and culture; Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights; EID, the Muslim Holiday; Madonna and Child, the Christmas stamp; as well as last year's Holiday Ornaments.

Two--count 'em--C-words! Heaven forfend!

Even when commentators point to credible links that wash away any hint of conspiracy to deny the Christ child his proper due, Darleen still can "neither confirm nor deny" that she's tilting at a windmill.

Check out the links offered: Virtual Stamp Club, Scott's Online Catalog. Only if you're frothing at the mouth will you miss the obvious implication: the stamps aren't going out of production.

(Blame PZ Myers.)

Happy Thanksgiving

A quick jaunt through the blogroll, and what do we find?

Ed Brayton's stuck at home due to nasty weather. (A rockslide achieved the same end in these parts.) PZ Myers is collecting weird and terrifying creatures that will liven up any after dinner conversation. Jason Kuznicki has found a particularly egregious member of a dying breed--the blinking website--that revels in poor logic. The TeacherRefPoet wants us to name bad holiday songs fit for destruction. (There are so many.) Tim Cavanaugh's hosting a quiet and peaceful open forum. Joe Carter is overrating and underrating movies, and needs your help. Jason Rosenhouse is out of town. Bora Zivkovic is "huddling with [his] histones."

Yours truly? I'm just trying to stay healthy and get in a little blogging before turkey dinners and English papers run off with my time.

is it hot in here, or is it just the deep fryer?

A construction workers' tradition of cooking a turkey for an early Thanksgiving celebration went awry when the oil in their deep fryer caught fire burning the house they had just finished building.

Whatever you do this Thanksgiving, be careful.

a question regarding the tragedy at the Tacoma Mall

Since I am no lawyer, and certainly no legal scholar, forgive my ignorant question. Everybody knows that the Tacoma Mall shooter, Dominick Maldonado, is guilty as all hell--including Dominick Maldonado. So what's the advantage of a not guilty plea?

twenty-second Skeptics' Circle: now available

A conversation with a yeti, tabloid-style. It's quality reading--after all, I'm included!

an obstacle by definition

I read this,

"...[T]hose who practice homosexuality, present deeply rooted homosexual tendencies or support so-called gay culture... find themselves, in fact, in a situation that presents a grave obstacle to a correct relationship with men and women."

and immediately think, isn't that what celibacy is all about?

fantastic opportunity for aspiring punditocrats

From the email:

In honor of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Felix Morley, the Institute for Humane Studies awards $5,000 in cash prizes to outstanding writers whose work reflects the principles of individual and economic freedoms including the First Amendment, voluntarism, the rule of law, and inalienable individual rights.

The competition is open to young writers (25 years of age or younger as of December 1, 2005) and all full-time students. Articles published July 1, 2004 through December 1, 2005 are eligible for consideration. For more information or to apply online, please visit the contest website at www.TheIHS.org/morley or apply directly at apply.theihs.org.

Deadline: December 1, 2005

Shucks. I'm ineligible. But maybe you're not.

spanking can lead to bad behavior

It certainly can.



[Forty-fifth in a series]

if I may offer an "Idiot of the Season" award

Ho-ho-ho, Santa's got a big bag of shhh for a bozo.

Here you go, Tim Wildmon:

That's not good enough for American Family Association President Tim Wildmon, who wants to see "Merry Christmas" signs displayed prominently "if they expect Christians to come in and buy products during this so-called season."

And he isn't worried if they offend people who aren't Christian.

"They can walk right by the sign," Wildmon said. "It's a federal holiday. If someone is upset by that, well, they should know that they are living in a predominantly Christian nation."

Where's Wildmon shopping next weekend? "Wal-Mart," he said.

That chain was briefly the target of a boycott called by the Catholic Rights League after an employee described Christmas in an unflattering way in a company e-mail. The employee has since left and the boycott is off, though the Catholic Rights League still criticizes Wal-Mart for tellings its employees to say, "Happy holidays."

Wal-Mart spokesman Dan Fogleman said the "Happy holidays" greeting is "more inclusive. With 130 million customers walking through the door and 1.3 million employees, it's safe to say there are a lot of different faiths out there."

That's right: the guy who's advocating a boycott of Target, which doesn't have an official "only 'Happy Holidays!'" policy, is going to shop at Wal-Mart, which does.


First Runner Up: Jerry Falwell, who advocates bullying tactics to counter "bullying tactics of the ACLU."

Second Runner Up: Mat Staver of the Liberty Counsel. "'We'll try to educate... [b]ut if we can't, we'll litigate.'"



[Link thanks to Obscure Store. Apologies to Ed Brayton.]

necessary, justifiable, and entirely proper

Naomi has a recommendation for a verbose Canadian scholar:

... I move we put the following proposition to a vote: before your essays are published and distributed to bleary-eyed college seniors across the globe, you will be required to don a chicken suit and read your paper aloud before a panel of editors. Every time you use a word of more than five syllables, spontaneously generate a term entirely outside the parlance of political science when an established one will do just fine, or find you've turned blue in the face before you can finish reading a sentence, you must drink a single shot of tequila. If you are still ambulatory when the paper's finished, it goes to press. If not, we mass-produce the videotape and sell it in college bookstores nationwide.

But why limit punitive measures to Mr. Gill? Academics everywhere need strong medicine.

building democracy from the top down

James Gavrilis's account of establishing a workable government in an Iraqi town on a $3000 budget is worth reading.

Reflecting on it now, and on so much of what has happened in Iraq since we left, I can point to the reasons we succeeded so early on where many others have not. First, we lived modestly, and we did not occupy any private houses or regime buildings. We did not limit ourselves to certain functions or tasks, or fail to adjust to the realities on the ground such as stopping looting, providing electrical power, and other nation-building tasks. When nation-building became our mission, we performed without any hesitation. In addition, our immersion in the city fostered mutual understanding. Because we worked with and through Iraqis in all endeavors, they had a sense of ownership toward the new Ar Rutbah, and our success became their success. We behaved as if we were guests in their house. We treated them not as a defeated people, but as allies. Also, our forces ensured that political decisions were binding. Anyone that interfered with any part of government, public works, or a supply delivery was considered an enemy, just as if they had threatened security. In that environment, security and governance were intertwined at every level....

For the brief time I was mayor of Ar Rutbah, I knew we were the real revolutionaries there. Change had to come from the top down. Because we didn’t receive any guidance for governance or reconstruction, and certainly not for spreading democracy, I had to make up everything as I went, based on the situation on the ground and what I remembered from my Special Forces training and a handful of political science classes. I entered the city with only our strategic objective for Iraq in mind: to establish a free, democratic, and peaceful Iraq without weapons of mass destruction. And that is what I tried to achieve in my own microcosm of the war.

One wonders what could have been accomplished if Gavrilis's ad hoc method had been armed forces strategy before the invasion.