Monday, June 16, 2003: We're back. After a ride with Superman! No, it isn't really any different from any other plane. Just smaller; they feed you more, and wow! is it ever faster! Because the Concorde is going out of service, we had to leave in a hurry to be sure we could get on one. England and Scotland were just an excuse, but oh, what an excuse! And because there will soon be no more Concorde, lots of other people were going for the E-Ride, too. We actually lined up after the flight to get the pilot's autograph on the certificate they gave us to say we really flew on the Concorde! For two whole weeks I didn't give the site a thought.

We got home yesterday, and the little gray cat, King Tut, isn't letting us out of his sight. I'll turn my e-mail back on this afternoon. I know we have lots to catch up on. Hope you all had a Happy Father's Day and some fun while we were gone.

This week's issue will go up slowly, starting today.

love and peace, jeanne

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NEW for the Week of June 16, 2003
Previous Issue: Week of May 26, 2003

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Merriam-Webster Dictionary Search:

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Announcements:

Topic of the Week:
"Plus Ca Change, Plus C'est La Meme Chose"
"The more things change, the more they remain the same." (Alphonse Karr. Les Guepes, January 1849)

Monday, June 16, 2003: The quote is a well-known French saying. Seemed like a good topic for the week. I read several books while we were in England, and I was profoundly impressed with how much every discipline shares in trying to answer the really big questions: why war? why domination? why extreme poverty? and how should we live?, as Socrates put it.

I'll begin to put up notes from my readings as soon as I can unpack the books. With that in mind, my primary reaction to the Concorde was "Oh, it's an E-Ticket ride." Again, "Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose."

Wednesday, June 18, 2003: The Bishops, the Sex Scandal, and Liberation Theology As we discuss the role of organized religion in global social justice and of spirituality and morality in that social justice, we cannot avoid a consideration of how the Catholic Church is coping with the sexual abuse of children by some of its priests and the refusal to act of some of its Bishops. A new article in the New York Times led me to draw parallels with the problems of liberation theology in South America. I offer this as an example of "Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose."

On Writing

Monday, June 16, 2003: I am appalled at the scandal with Jason Blair at the New York Times. I am appalled that he is writing a book on it, as though the talk show circuit and profit were all that counted. He has hurt many people, most of them minorities, by giving the impression to a world too ready to believe it that minorities are less competent than the white male. Susan sent me a letter written by a journalism teacher to all his students about how this will affect them, and how they should brace themselves for the onslaught of insults to their competence. I'll try to get it up this week.

We'll deal more with the ethics of actually stealing someone else's work. Aside from the fact that you often get caught, as Jason Blair did, that's not an easy way to cope. Writing requires skill, and sometimes, under great stress, we all doubt our skills. OK, sometimes you doubt your skills even in an ordinary university class. You're probably sleep deprived, multi-tasking, and doing too much. So am I. So is everyone else. Adds to our stress, and may make cheating seem like a plausible way out.

I've been wondering what I should do, as a college teacher, to help you discover more effective coping patterns. My tentative solution is posting examples of how to write effectively. I've been adding lots of pieces lately on how to organize, how to cite sources, how to find additional material without padding (or bullshit, as I often refer to it). This morning the New York Times had an article on a Saudi raid on "terrorists." The brief article gives good examples of how to handle a source you do not know, while still respecting the tenets of good journalism that facts must be verified and "checked." I'll do more of these and update the index on them shortly. Hope they help.

How to Cite an Unnamed Source

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Theoretical Musings for Us by Us

• Modern Social Theory: Lived Experience

  • Health:

    Tuesday, June 17, 2003. Sleep Deprivation: Sleep Deprivation and College Students Study finds early morning is best for limited sleep. I worry a lot about sleep deprivation with our students in this fast-paced environment, where driving crowded freeways and highways is part of your daily schedule. Please take the quizzes and make yourself aware of sleep deprivation. jeanne Includes discussion questions.

    Tuesday, June 17, 2003. SARS: SARS, Folk Cures, and Illocutionary Discourse A brief look at the way folk cures start and some of the kperspectives we need to look at to understand them. Includes discussion questions and information on Internet searches.

  • Philosophy:

    • Thursday, June 19, 2003. Uncle Grumpy and Some Lay Philosophy: Folk Art on "How Shall I Live?" Notice that Mark Bletcher uses his folk art to convey his philosophy of life. Sometimes that's more effective with young people than a course in philosophy. For further exploration of his philosophy read the story, Uncle Grumpy Goes to the Farm.

  • Religion:

    • Wednesday, June 18, 2003. Liberation Theology and Sex Abuse in the Priesthood: The Bishops, the Sex Scandal, and Liberation Theology As we discuss the role of organized religion in global social justice and of spirituality and morality in that social justice, we cannot avoid a consideration of how the Catholic Church is coping with the sexual abuse of children by some of its priests and the refusal to act of some of its Bishops. A new article in the New York Times led me to draw parallels with the problems of liberation theology in South America. I offer this as an example of "Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose."

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Lived Experience: Emancipatory Narratives

• Tuesday, June 17, 2003. Homeland Security: Homeland Security: It's Not As Simple As It Seems Review of an article on the emotional consequences to Mrs. Stone, who reported her suspicions of the medical students who were later stopped in Florida under suspicion of terrorism. Discussion questions included.

• Thursday, June 19, 2003. Uncle Grumpy and Some Lay Philosophy: Folk Art on How Shall I Live? Sometimes folk art reveals a lot about our philosophy of living. Mark Bletcher's site and his work are fun. Roam the site, and enjoy his shared philosophy.

KIDS' Stuff

New for Kids

• Thursday, June 19, 2003. Folk Art: Digital Fun With Mark Betcher's Folk Art and Uncle Grumpy. The Grumpy Dance. Good interactive fun. Things only appear when you find them with your cursor and click. We show you what there is to find.

• Thursday, June 19, 2003. Folk Art: Uncle Grumpy Goes to the Farm A digital story by Mark Betcher. You have to click NEXT to turn the pages, and you have to click a little icon to the bottom right of the painting, if you want the audio. But this means kids could read it without the audio, then turn on the audio before going to the next page. Neat story about family caring for Uncle Grumpy. Reminds us that we all need loving strokes, but sometimes are afraid to show them. jeanne

Art Shenanigans

• Thursday, June 19, 2003. Mark Bletcher's Folk Art Folk art is art prepared without formal training, where the artist explores his/her own delight in media of many kinds. It's different from fine art in that it's really meant to be a part of life, not hung in a museum. Mark Betcher creates digital folk art and offers his art for sale on the Internet. He also has a nice site for exploring; and he seems to keep it free. He even includes pictures of his wife and dogs and home with a beautiful view. Explore and enjoy.