Astral Facts, December 2008
Astral: (Theosophy) Consisting of, belonging to, or designating, a kind of supersensible substance alleged to be next above the tangible world in refinement; as, astral spirits; astral bodies of persons; astral current.
Economic Bowl Out
Often we tend to dismiss cultural aspects, primarily in the fields of the Humanities Sciences, which have “entertainment value only.” The underlying message is somehow the “value” is not really so valuable after all.
This may be the case, but history shows us that the psychological benefits of “entertainment value only” help individuals cope with serious issues in their daily lives. This might explain why the movie industry is the greatest in India, where harsh conditions of poverty, homelessness, unemployment, hunger, and other indicators of human suffering have traditionally been equally high.
Likewise, we citizens of the USA also highly prize our entertainment dollar and we see intense competition in the entertainment industry to capture those entertainment dollars, especially in these current times of economic angst.
How else can we explain the recent contracts the New York Yankees have given this past week to two pitchers: $161 million for a seven-year contract and 82.5 million for a five-year contract! (That’s about $750,000 and $500,000 per game they pitch in!)
With all this in mind, we can at least assuage our anxious angst somewhat during this holiday season by escaping down the rabbit hole of the college football bowl competition. Here’s an opportunity to live your fantasy by competing in the college bowl fantasy games offered for free by ESPN on the internet. Here are the details:
This message is from Walter Lowe who is challenging you to play College Bowl Mania on ESPN.com.
This game challenges you to select the winners of each of the NCAA college football bowl games. You can play with a Confidence scoring system (assign confidence points to your picks) or Straight scoring system (just pick the winners!). Best of all, the game is FREE to play! Go to the main website, create a user name with a free account and join our group, “Washington State League” as explained below:
Get in the action now:
http://games.espn.go.com/bowlmania/group?groupID=537
Game Front:
http://games.espn.go.com/bowlmania/frontpage
Group: Washington State League
The first match takes place this coming Saturday, the 20th, so make your pick prior to that in each of the 34 games (and who cares if no one cares who wins!). You can drag each selection up or down the list (the one at the top of your list is worth 34 points if you get it right, the one at the bottom of your list is worth one point if you get it correct) and then you can have a reason to cheer on one of two teams you probably don’t really care about.
However, personal pride and self-esteem are on the line here!
Walter Lowe
Astral Facts is a monthly presentation of Humanities Science, produced in the bowels of the Humanities Science offices.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Astral Facts, November 2008
Astral: (Theosophy) Consisting of, belonging to, or designating, a kind of supersensible substance alleged to be next above the tangible world in refinement; as, astral spirits; astral bodies of persons; astral current
Immaculate Consumption
As we consider the Thanksgiving ‘break” of gorging ourselves in traditional consumption - on turkey and the trimmings, football games, early bird shopping with long lines at the malls, etc. spiced with making connections with friends and families (as well as with such flights in jammed airport terminals) - in the shadows of the celebrations we do have lurking the ogre of the current economic status.
However, things have been much worse and the spiritual strength of the nation is really rooted in how we can respond to tough times and truly give thanks for the heritage at the root of our culture.
To do this, we might want to consider some excerpts and commentary on those early struggles in the foundation and aftermath of the first Thanksgiving. The following can be found at this location: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mosmd/index.htm#part3
Part VI. STARVATION TIME & FIVE KERNELS OF CORN
The first Pilgrim Thanksgiving in the fall of 1621 was a bountiful feast, but the inventory taken afterwards in preparation for winter proved the Pilgrims had grossly overestimated their harvest. The only way they could possibly get through the winter was to cut in half the already weekly rations of food. To make matters even worse, the ship Fortune arrived shortly thereafter with 35 new settlers. Only three were women. They came empty-handed and poorly clothed; ill-equipped for the approaching winter. Bradford wrote,
Thus after a month the Fortune returned to England. The Fortune itself had to be supplied from the scant stores of the Colony for her return voyage.
Grim starvation now threatened their annihilation. The Pilgrim colonists could only tighten their belts. Many times the colonists supplied unexpected arrivals and distressed mariners, sometimes in large numbers, from their slender store.
The houses were very small, barely large enough for the families who, despite cold, hunger and sickness had built them. The new arrivals busied themselves by making additions to the seven houses where they were quartered.
From the first, the colonists had been repeatedly promised provisions from England, but the much needed relief never came.
The colonists struggled through the winter, but by May 1622 their food supply was completely gone and the harvest was four months away. According to Edward Winslow's account, the wildlife and fish were in short supply because the number of fowl decreased during the warm months and lacking the proper fishing gear they were prevented from taking advantage of the abundance of cod in the area. Winslow stated,
In desperation, Winslow was sent 150 miles up the Maine coast to buy, beg or borrow whatever provisions the English ships there could spare. All who were asked gave what they could and not one would accept payment of any kind.
By the time Winslow returned, the settlers were literally starving. The provisions were a godsend but there were many mouths to feed; when rationed out, each person received only 1/4 lb. of bread a day.
[The "Five Kernels of Corn" material is based largely on the work of Susan E. Roser of the Canadian Mayflower Society.]
1622 SUMMER HARVEST FAILS
The long awaited harvest of 1622 was a dismal failure. The Pilgrims had not yet perfected the art of growing corn. They had been busy building the fort and their lack of food that summer had left them too weak and weary to tend the fields properly. It seemed they now faced the prospect of another year with little food.
Yet another ship arrived at Plymouth, the Discovery, this one from Virginia on its way home to England. It had a cargo of what the settlers needed - knives, beads and assorted trinkets which could be traded with the Indians. Seeing how badly they needed the goods, the captain cheated them miserably, but they considered the ship's arrival a blessing - they could now trade with the Indians for food.
Corn was not known to Europeans until it was discovered in America. It is not too much to say that without the indigenous Indian corn, the Pilgrims could not have survived. None of the great variety of English garden seeds they had brought with them and planted ever produced a good harvest. Their food supply became precarious. Occasionally a deer, wild turkey, partridge or quail was bagged, if the hunters were fortunate; fish when fishermens' luck permitted, lobster, alms and eels, if and when they could be found. Wild berries, grapes, groundnuts, strawberries and such could be plucked in their season. Besides not having sufficient grain to make bread, they were also without butter, cheese and milk because they had no cattle.
By early 1623 the shallop had been rudely fitted out as a fishing vessel. It was constantly at sea, coming ashore only long enough to unload a catch and change crews. For months at a time the Pilgrims' diet consisted of fish, clams, groundnuts and whatever deer or water fowl could be hunted. Bradford wrote of this time, saying,
It was at this time, awaiting the harvest of 1623 they lived four or five days at a time on a few grains of corn.
Again their hopes rested on a good fall harvest. A six-week drought began in June and the crops turned brown and were slowly withering away. They turned to the only hope they had - intervention by God, and appointed a solemn day of humiliation and prayer. They assembled one July morning under a hot, clear sky and for nine hours prayed. Their prayers were answered by the next morning, and for the next two weeks they were greeted, in the words of Winslow with
It turned out to be a double blessing from above. That same month arrived the ships Anne and Little James with 60 new settlers which came loaded with provisions.
The harvest in the fall of 1623 proved to be the best yet. It also promised a new beginning for the Pilgrim colonists, and they never starved again.
THE FIRST DEMOCRATIC COLONY HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED SUCCESSFULLY IN THE NEW WORLD
Certainly, “food for thought”!
Until the next issue,
Walter Lowe
Astral Facts is a monthly presentation of Humanities Science, produced in the bowels of the Humanities Science offices.
Astral: (Theosophy) Consisting of, belonging to, or designating, a kind of supersensible substance alleged to be next above the tangible world in refinement; as, astral spirits; astral bodies of persons; astral current
Immaculate Consumption
As we consider the Thanksgiving ‘break” of gorging ourselves in traditional consumption - on turkey and the trimmings, football games, early bird shopping with long lines at the malls, etc. spiced with making connections with friends and families (as well as with such flights in jammed airport terminals) - in the shadows of the celebrations we do have lurking the ogre of the current economic status.
However, things have been much worse and the spiritual strength of the nation is really rooted in how we can respond to tough times and truly give thanks for the heritage at the root of our culture.
To do this, we might want to consider some excerpts and commentary on those early struggles in the foundation and aftermath of the first Thanksgiving. The following can be found at this location: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mosmd/index.htm#part3
Part VI. STARVATION TIME & FIVE KERNELS OF CORN
The first Pilgrim Thanksgiving in the fall of 1621 was a bountiful feast, but the inventory taken afterwards in preparation for winter proved the Pilgrims had grossly overestimated their harvest. The only way they could possibly get through the winter was to cut in half the already weekly rations of food. To make matters even worse, the ship Fortune arrived shortly thereafter with 35 new settlers. Only three were women. They came empty-handed and poorly clothed; ill-equipped for the approaching winter. Bradford wrote,
"They were lusty young men, and many of them wild enough, who little considered whither or about what they went.-But there was not so much as biscuit or cake or any other victuals for them, neither had they bedding, but some sorry things they had in their cabins; not a pot nor pan to dress any meat in; nor over many clothes.-The Plantation was glad enough of this strength, but could have wished that many of them had been of better condition, and all of them better furnished with provisions."
Thus after a month the Fortune returned to England. The Fortune itself had to be supplied from the scant stores of the Colony for her return voyage.
Grim starvation now threatened their annihilation. The Pilgrim colonists could only tighten their belts. Many times the colonists supplied unexpected arrivals and distressed mariners, sometimes in large numbers, from their slender store.
The houses were very small, barely large enough for the families who, despite cold, hunger and sickness had built them. The new arrivals busied themselves by making additions to the seven houses where they were quartered.
From the first, the colonists had been repeatedly promised provisions from England, but the much needed relief never came.
The colonists struggled through the winter, but by May 1622 their food supply was completely gone and the harvest was four months away. According to Edward Winslow's account, the wildlife and fish were in short supply because the number of fowl decreased during the warm months and lacking the proper fishing gear they were prevented from taking advantage of the abundance of cod in the area. Winslow stated,
"And indeed, had we not been in a place where divers sorts of shell fish may be taken with the hand, we must have perished."
In desperation, Winslow was sent 150 miles up the Maine coast to buy, beg or borrow whatever provisions the English ships there could spare. All who were asked gave what they could and not one would accept payment of any kind.
By the time Winslow returned, the settlers were literally starving. The provisions were a godsend but there were many mouths to feed; when rationed out, each person received only 1/4 lb. of bread a day.
[The "Five Kernels of Corn" material is based largely on the work of Susan E. Roser of the Canadian Mayflower Society.]
1622 SUMMER HARVEST FAILS
The long awaited harvest of 1622 was a dismal failure. The Pilgrims had not yet perfected the art of growing corn. They had been busy building the fort and their lack of food that summer had left them too weak and weary to tend the fields properly. It seemed they now faced the prospect of another year with little food.
Yet another ship arrived at Plymouth, the Discovery, this one from Virginia on its way home to England. It had a cargo of what the settlers needed - knives, beads and assorted trinkets which could be traded with the Indians. Seeing how badly they needed the goods, the captain cheated them miserably, but they considered the ship's arrival a blessing - they could now trade with the Indians for food.
Corn was not known to Europeans until it was discovered in America. It is not too much to say that without the indigenous Indian corn, the Pilgrims could not have survived. None of the great variety of English garden seeds they had brought with them and planted ever produced a good harvest. Their food supply became precarious. Occasionally a deer, wild turkey, partridge or quail was bagged, if the hunters were fortunate; fish when fishermens' luck permitted, lobster, alms and eels, if and when they could be found. Wild berries, grapes, groundnuts, strawberries and such could be plucked in their season. Besides not having sufficient grain to make bread, they were also without butter, cheese and milk because they had no cattle.
By early 1623 the shallop had been rudely fitted out as a fishing vessel. It was constantly at sea, coming ashore only long enough to unload a catch and change crews. For months at a time the Pilgrims' diet consisted of fish, clams, groundnuts and whatever deer or water fowl could be hunted. Bradford wrote of this time, saying,
"By the time our corn is planted, our victuals are spent, not knowing at night where to have a bite in the morning, and have neither bread nor corn for 3 or 4 months together; yet bear our wants with cheerfulness, and rest on Providence."
It was at this time, awaiting the harvest of 1623 they lived four or five days at a time on a few grains of corn.
Again their hopes rested on a good fall harvest. A six-week drought began in June and the crops turned brown and were slowly withering away. They turned to the only hope they had - intervention by God, and appointed a solemn day of humiliation and prayer. They assembled one July morning under a hot, clear sky and for nine hours prayed. Their prayers were answered by the next morning, and for the next two weeks they were greeted, in the words of Winslow with
"such softe, sweet and moderate showers . . . As it was hard to say whether our withered corne or drooping affections were most quickened and revived."
It turned out to be a double blessing from above. That same month arrived the ships Anne and Little James with 60 new settlers which came loaded with provisions.
The harvest in the fall of 1623 proved to be the best yet. It also promised a new beginning for the Pilgrim colonists, and they never starved again.
THE FIRST DEMOCRATIC COLONY HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED SUCCESSFULLY IN THE NEW WORLD
Certainly, “food for thought”!
Until the next issue,
Walter Lowe
Astral Facts is a monthly presentation of Humanities Science, produced in the bowels of the Humanities Science offices.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Astral Facts, October 2008
Astral: (Theosophy) Consisting of, belonging to, or designating, a kind of supersensible substance alleged to be next above the tangible world in refinement; as, astral spirits; astral bodies of persons; astral current.
Come With Us, If You Will, to the Days of …
My wife and I recently experienced something that hadn’t happened in a long time – we were part of the live audience at the recording of a radio drama.
Some of us can remember way back in the olden olden days (before not only cable TV but also reliable TV reception) when families would spend an evening together at home, in the park, at the summer cabin, etc. playing cards, putting together jigsaw puzzles, washing dishes, and even eating dinner while listening to the Lone Ranger, Jack Benny, Sgt. Preston, Chester A. Riley, and others deal with common and extraordinary situations of life.
Many of these old programs are available at a reasonable cost in MP3 format. For about $5 per disk, several seasons of such programs can be acquired. We have used these for years with our family, and our children turn on their boombox with MP3 compatibility and drift off to sleep at night listening to these programs (with the extra “G” ratings, the parents can sleep more peacefully as well!) The children and their parents’ favorites are The Aldrich Family, which covers the adolescent challenges of Henry Aldrich in small town America, and Our Miss Brooks, the situation comedy of a high school English teacher attracted to a shy biology teacher in a school run by the tyrant Osgood Conklin. They can relate to the struggles of Walter Denton, the goodhearted dunce boyfriend of Harriet Conklin, the school valedictorian.
We frequently purchase programs and episodes at http://www.otrcat.com/ where we can get about 40 episodes per disk (about 20 hours of listening for only $5!)
You can listen to a sample episode of the show here or download the file for listening later:
http://www.otrcat.com/miss-brooks-p-1701.html
Most of us may think the radio drama may have gone the way of the thingamajig used with the whatchmacallit, but a local group headed by Jim French, long time radio “disk jockey” in this area, has kept alive the art of the radio drama.
Attending a recording session is quite an experience. The sound effects team is right there on the stage, making those noises of feet walking on gravel, doors opening and closing, telephones ringing, etc. by actually walking on gravel, opening and closing doors, ringing telephones, etc. The actors and actresses read their lines and often stumble over them and then "take it from the top of page ..."
Jim French is the creator of the “Harry Nile” detective series, the adventures of a hard luck Seattle detective who has a big heart and a thin wallet. All the radio episodes were recorded in front of live audiences here in the Seattle area. In the past they were free admission at the Museum of History and Industry near the UW, but more recently the sessions have moved to the Kirkland Performing Arts Center on the eastside.
Several years ago, French and his company received permission from the estate of Sir Conan Doyle to do a few episodes and adaptations of The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. French said they envisioned possibly doing four or five such episodes before the permission ran out, but the recording session on October 6th was the 100th such episode! Usually two different half-hour programs (22 minutes of air time) are recorded at each session but for this session, they did a one-hour special Sherlock Holmes story recorded in two sessions.
Here is a link to that story, “The Two Watsons.”
http://jimfrenchproductions.com/itheater_shows/week657.m3u
As indicated by the label, such programs have been created and posted for 657 weeks (which equals to 20 years of such broadcasts!) According to the Imagination Theater webpage http://jimfrenchproductions.com/ http://harrynile.com/),
The next recording event will be on Monday, November 17th. Here’s more information:
http://www.kpcenter.org/cgi-bin/event.cgi?id=350
Walter Lowe
Astral Facts is a monthly presentation of Humanities Science, produced in the bowels of the Humanities Science offices.
Astral: (Theosophy) Consisting of, belonging to, or designating, a kind of supersensible substance alleged to be next above the tangible world in refinement; as, astral spirits; astral bodies of persons; astral current.
Come With Us, If You Will, to the Days of …
My wife and I recently experienced something that hadn’t happened in a long time – we were part of the live audience at the recording of a radio drama.
Some of us can remember way back in the olden olden days (before not only cable TV but also reliable TV reception) when families would spend an evening together at home, in the park, at the summer cabin, etc. playing cards, putting together jigsaw puzzles, washing dishes, and even eating dinner while listening to the Lone Ranger, Jack Benny, Sgt. Preston, Chester A. Riley, and others deal with common and extraordinary situations of life.
Many of these old programs are available at a reasonable cost in MP3 format. For about $5 per disk, several seasons of such programs can be acquired. We have used these for years with our family, and our children turn on their boombox with MP3 compatibility and drift off to sleep at night listening to these programs (with the extra “G” ratings, the parents can sleep more peacefully as well!) The children and their parents’ favorites are The Aldrich Family, which covers the adolescent challenges of Henry Aldrich in small town America, and Our Miss Brooks, the situation comedy of a high school English teacher attracted to a shy biology teacher in a school run by the tyrant Osgood Conklin. They can relate to the struggles of Walter Denton, the goodhearted dunce boyfriend of Harriet Conklin, the school valedictorian.
We frequently purchase programs and episodes at http://www.otrcat.com/ where we can get about 40 episodes per disk (about 20 hours of listening for only $5!)
You can listen to a sample episode of the show here or download the file for listening later:
http://www.otrcat.com/miss-brooks-p-1701.html
Most of us may think the radio drama may have gone the way of the thingamajig used with the whatchmacallit, but a local group headed by Jim French, long time radio “disk jockey” in this area, has kept alive the art of the radio drama.
Attending a recording session is quite an experience. The sound effects team is right there on the stage, making those noises of feet walking on gravel, doors opening and closing, telephones ringing, etc. by actually walking on gravel, opening and closing doors, ringing telephones, etc. The actors and actresses read their lines and often stumble over them and then "take it from the top of page ..."
Jim French is the creator of the “Harry Nile” detective series, the adventures of a hard luck Seattle detective who has a big heart and a thin wallet. All the radio episodes were recorded in front of live audiences here in the Seattle area. In the past they were free admission at the Museum of History and Industry near the UW, but more recently the sessions have moved to the Kirkland Performing Arts Center on the eastside.
Several years ago, French and his company received permission from the estate of Sir Conan Doyle to do a few episodes and adaptations of The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. French said they envisioned possibly doing four or five such episodes before the permission ran out, but the recording session on October 6th was the 100th such episode! Usually two different half-hour programs (22 minutes of air time) are recorded at each session but for this session, they did a one-hour special Sherlock Holmes story recorded in two sessions.
Here is a link to that story, “The Two Watsons.”
http://jimfrenchproductions.com/itheater_shows/week657.m3u
As indicated by the label, such programs have been created and posted for 657 weeks (which equals to 20 years of such broadcasts!) According to the Imagination Theater webpage http://jimfrenchproductions.com/ http://harrynile.com/),
[T]hese shows began airing in Seattle, Washington in 1972, with performances by major Hollywood guest stars, including John Astin, Eddie Bracken, Hans Conreid, Bob Crane, Patty Duke, Russell Johnson (the Professor on Gilligan's Island), Kurt Kasznar, Ruta Lee, Roddy MacDowall, Richard Sanders (of WKRP in Cincinatti), Tom Smothers, and Keenan Wynn. National syndication began in 1996. This led to coveted media awards and honors by BBC Radio.
The next recording event will be on Monday, November 17th. Here’s more information:
http://www.kpcenter.org/cgi-bin/event.cgi?id=350
Walter Lowe
Astral Facts is a monthly presentation of Humanities Science, produced in the bowels of the Humanities Science offices.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Highway Ethics
Astral Facts, September 2008
Highway Ethics
Astral: (Theosophy) Consisting of, belonging to, or designating, a kind of supersensible substance alleged to be next above the tangible world in refinement; as, astral spirits; astral bodies of persons; astral current.
Talking out of Hand from Both Sides of the Mouth.
One of the skills/activities in the Humanities Sciences is the definition, application and observation of ethics and moral standards. Literary and Humanties criticism comes through the discussion of how the “texts” of the culture endorse, challenge, or even protest such ethical and moral belief systems. In the olden days, these “texts” were primarily the religious writings and political documents, but these days, movies, music, cellular phones, television programs (especially the commercials), etc. that influence or reflect social behavior can be included as “texts” of the culture.
The Humanities Scientists then observe and comment on such texts, often using particular perspectives. Thus, the feminist critic would note how the text tends to affect women by imposing or challenging definition, stereotype, empowerment, oppression, etc. Other critics might use psychoanalytical constructs, Marxist thought, Islamic theology, political theory, literary techniques, etc. as the basis for critical analysis.
Here’s a case in point:
Here in the Puget Sound area, we’re trying something new to deal with the traffic congestion problems and the underutilized “Carpool” lanes. (Actually, they are “HOV” lanes, meaning “High Occupancy Vehicles.” Those who complain about the mother [or father] and baby using the lanes because having the baby in the car is not reducing traffic congestion [The baby wouldn’t be taking a solo trip in a vehicle anyhow] obviously have neglected to note the meaning of this nor apparently have they had to deal with rushing somewhere with a baby "that close" to filling the last clean diaper! Those parents have my blessings to unlimited use of the HOV lanes. Of course, others may prefer to have parent and baby sitting next to them in the bus.)
The solution now being used on Hwy 167 is to let those SOV’s (not a typo- this refers to Solely Occupied Vehicles or something like it) pay a fee to use the HOV lanes. These people get some kind of transmitter/transponder unit, charge it up with money, and then “the going rate” is deducted if the vehicle is in the HOV lanes. This “going rate” (pun intended here but not in the baby example) is adjusted up or down according to how heavy the traffic is in the other lanes.
Of course, this all seems nice because those who subscribe to the “time is money” view of life can then pay to save the time, and the money is hopefully used for the benefit of the rest of us who either conscientiously travel in high occupancies or value the relationship of time and money a bit differently.
In many ways, this seems to be a practical solution. Nonetheless, many Humanities Scientists would see a certain philosophical and ethical perspective getting privileged status in this way.
Obstensively, the main focus seems to be on environmental sensitivity. Thus, the clogged mainline highways should be an incentive for people to carpool and “HOV-it" to save time. However, the other [primary] message seems to be that the people with money don’t have to subscribe to this value system – like Donald, they can “trump” the situation because of economic status!
It seems to me that the commodity that is driving (pun intended) this situation is time. The value is being placed on the time that is being saved. Since this is the case, my modest proposal would be to let those people pay in time increments.
In other words, let community service have a value according to the time invested. So if someone spends an hour volunteering on some community project, give that person X number of credits to be added to the transponder total, say one credit for every twenty minutes spent. Then when the same person is driving as an SOV and in a hurry, that person can “cash in” whatever the “going rate” is, assuming that person has accrued that much credit.
And if some people’s time is too important to them to invest in their community, then just let them idle in traffic with those other “too important” people.
Walter Lowe
English Faculty
Green River Community College
Astral Facts is a monthly presentation of Humanities Science, produced in the bowels of the Humanities Science offices in the HS (Humanities/Science) Building.
Highway Ethics
Astral: (Theosophy) Consisting of, belonging to, or designating, a kind of supersensible substance alleged to be next above the tangible world in refinement; as, astral spirits; astral bodies of persons; astral current.
Talking out of Hand from Both Sides of the Mouth.
One of the skills/activities in the Humanities Sciences is the definition, application and observation of ethics and moral standards. Literary and Humanties criticism comes through the discussion of how the “texts” of the culture endorse, challenge, or even protest such ethical and moral belief systems. In the olden days, these “texts” were primarily the religious writings and political documents, but these days, movies, music, cellular phones, television programs (especially the commercials), etc. that influence or reflect social behavior can be included as “texts” of the culture.
The Humanities Scientists then observe and comment on such texts, often using particular perspectives. Thus, the feminist critic would note how the text tends to affect women by imposing or challenging definition, stereotype, empowerment, oppression, etc. Other critics might use psychoanalytical constructs, Marxist thought, Islamic theology, political theory, literary techniques, etc. as the basis for critical analysis.
Here’s a case in point:
Here in the Puget Sound area, we’re trying something new to deal with the traffic congestion problems and the underutilized “Carpool” lanes. (Actually, they are “HOV” lanes, meaning “High Occupancy Vehicles.” Those who complain about the mother [or father] and baby using the lanes because having the baby in the car is not reducing traffic congestion [The baby wouldn’t be taking a solo trip in a vehicle anyhow] obviously have neglected to note the meaning of this nor apparently have they had to deal with rushing somewhere with a baby "that close" to filling the last clean diaper! Those parents have my blessings to unlimited use of the HOV lanes. Of course, others may prefer to have parent and baby sitting next to them in the bus.)
The solution now being used on Hwy 167 is to let those SOV’s (not a typo- this refers to Solely Occupied Vehicles or something like it) pay a fee to use the HOV lanes. These people get some kind of transmitter/transponder unit, charge it up with money, and then “the going rate” is deducted if the vehicle is in the HOV lanes. This “going rate” (pun intended here but not in the baby example) is adjusted up or down according to how heavy the traffic is in the other lanes.
Of course, this all seems nice because those who subscribe to the “time is money” view of life can then pay to save the time, and the money is hopefully used for the benefit of the rest of us who either conscientiously travel in high occupancies or value the relationship of time and money a bit differently.
In many ways, this seems to be a practical solution. Nonetheless, many Humanities Scientists would see a certain philosophical and ethical perspective getting privileged status in this way.
Obstensively, the main focus seems to be on environmental sensitivity. Thus, the clogged mainline highways should be an incentive for people to carpool and “HOV-it" to save time. However, the other [primary] message seems to be that the people with money don’t have to subscribe to this value system – like Donald, they can “trump” the situation because of economic status!
It seems to me that the commodity that is driving (pun intended) this situation is time. The value is being placed on the time that is being saved. Since this is the case, my modest proposal would be to let those people pay in time increments.
In other words, let community service have a value according to the time invested. So if someone spends an hour volunteering on some community project, give that person X number of credits to be added to the transponder total, say one credit for every twenty minutes spent. Then when the same person is driving as an SOV and in a hurry, that person can “cash in” whatever the “going rate” is, assuming that person has accrued that much credit.
And if some people’s time is too important to them to invest in their community, then just let them idle in traffic with those other “too important” people.
Walter Lowe
English Faculty
Green River Community College
Astral Facts is a monthly presentation of Humanities Science, produced in the bowels of the Humanities Science offices in the HS (Humanities/Science) Building.
Astral Facts, April-May 2008 (Late Edition)
Astral Facts, April-May 2008 (Late Edition)
Astral: (Theosophy) Consisting of, belonging to, or designating, a kind of supersensible substance alleged to be next above the tangible world in refinement; as, astral spirits; astral bodies of persons; astral current.
Astral: (Theosophy) Consisting of, belonging to, or designating, a kind of supersensible substance alleged to be next above the tangible world in refinement; as, astral spirits; astral bodies of persons; astral current.
Delay of Game: It Happens Every Spring
********************
In spring, young men’s fancies turn elsewhere, some say to what the young girls have been thinking about all winter, but of course the correct answer is another field in the humanities science division in the entertainment bracket. Obviously, this could only refer to America’s national pastime: baseball!
As usual, one would never know it from watching the Mariners play, but it’s the science of the game that makes the humanities aspect stand out. For example, someone has sent me this simple explanation of the game:
Baseball: This is a game played by two teams, one out the other in. The one that's in, sends players out one at a time, to see if they can get in before they get out. If they get out before they get in, they come in, but it doesn't count. If they get in before they get out, it does count.
When the ones out get three outs from the ones in before they get in without being out, the team that's out comes in and the team in goes out to get those going in out before they get in without being out.
When both teams have been in and out nine times the game is over. The team with the most in without being out before coming in wins unless the ones in are equal. In which case, the last ones in go out to get the ones in out before they get in without being out.
The game will end when each team has the same number of ins out but one team has more in without being out before coming in.
If this seems overly “scientific” I would recommend the film version of this marriage of humanities and science, It Happens Every Spring, a 1949 classic in black and white starring Ray Milland as the college chemistry professor who gets distracted during baseball season every spring, complicated by a desire to marry the dean’s daughter (Jean Peters). When a baseball crashes into his laboratory, mixing the chemicals into a solution that repels wood, perhaps he can get enough money together to wed. Thus, he “moonlights” over the summer as a pitcher (for the local major league baseball team) who “doctors” the ball.
During these rainy days of a typical June in Puget Sound, find a copy and then get together some peanuts, popcorn, cracker jacks, a hot dog or two and maybe some garlic fries and enjoy!
Astral Facts is a monthly presentation of Humanities Science, produced in the bowels of the Humanities Science offices in the HS (Humanities/Science) Building.
Walter Lowe
English Faculty
Green River Community College
********************
In spring, young men’s fancies turn elsewhere, some say to what the young girls have been thinking about all winter, but of course the correct answer is another field in the humanities science division in the entertainment bracket. Obviously, this could only refer to America’s national pastime: baseball!
As usual, one would never know it from watching the Mariners play, but it’s the science of the game that makes the humanities aspect stand out. For example, someone has sent me this simple explanation of the game:
Baseball: This is a game played by two teams, one out the other in. The one that's in, sends players out one at a time, to see if they can get in before they get out. If they get out before they get in, they come in, but it doesn't count. If they get in before they get out, it does count.
When the ones out get three outs from the ones in before they get in without being out, the team that's out comes in and the team in goes out to get those going in out before they get in without being out.
When both teams have been in and out nine times the game is over. The team with the most in without being out before coming in wins unless the ones in are equal. In which case, the last ones in go out to get the ones in out before they get in without being out.
The game will end when each team has the same number of ins out but one team has more in without being out before coming in.
If this seems overly “scientific” I would recommend the film version of this marriage of humanities and science, It Happens Every Spring, a 1949 classic in black and white starring Ray Milland as the college chemistry professor who gets distracted during baseball season every spring, complicated by a desire to marry the dean’s daughter (Jean Peters). When a baseball crashes into his laboratory, mixing the chemicals into a solution that repels wood, perhaps he can get enough money together to wed. Thus, he “moonlights” over the summer as a pitcher (for the local major league baseball team) who “doctors” the ball.
During these rainy days of a typical June in Puget Sound, find a copy and then get together some peanuts, popcorn, cracker jacks, a hot dog or two and maybe some garlic fries and enjoy!
Astral Facts is a monthly presentation of Humanities Science, produced in the bowels of the Humanities Science offices in the HS (Humanities/Science) Building.
Walter Lowe
English Faculty
Green River Community College
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)