imponderable thoughts

"Oh! how immaterial are all materials! What things real are there, but imponderable thoughts?"

--Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

www.TheSteppe.com

"Calvin and Hobbes": a Critique of Society's Values

"Although ethical discussions are not a particularly popular subject for the mass media, many people who might rarely, if ever, have been exposed to ethical arguments (much less challenged by them) were exposed to them through this comic strip."

--Alisa White Coleman, "'Calvin and Hobbes': a Critique of Society's Values," Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 2000

New Blog by a Badger in a Buddhist Center in Bozeman, Montana

Bitterroot Badger's Bozeman Buddhist Blog

Charismatic Cults

In defining Max Weber's concept of "Charismatic Authority," you cannot go wrong in providing Jesus and Hitler as your only two visual examples:

"From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"In his writings about charismatic authority, Weber applies the term charisma to 'a certain quality of an individual personality, by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities. These are such as are not accessible to the ordinary person, but are regarded as of divine origin or as exemplary, and on the basis of them the individual concerned is treated as a leader...' (Maximilian Weber, Theory of Social and Economic Organization, 1922, translated by A.R. Anderson and Talcott Parsons, 1947)

"Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader.

"Hitler is also considered to be an example of a charismatic leader."

will one day cause great changes in the world

“Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labours and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world. Americans are the western pilgrims, who are carrying along with them that great mass of arts, sciences, vigour, and industry which began long since in the East; they will finish the great circle.”

--Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, “What is an American?”, Letters from an American Farmer, 1782

Myths and Legends of the Swahili

My favorite stories from Myths and Legends of the Swahili by Jan Knappert, copyright 1970, published by Heinemann Educational Books: London, Nairobi, Ibadan, Lusaka:


THE RIVER SPIRIT
A man was travelling along a river; when evening came he sat down for a rest. Suddenly, a spirit flew down from a tree and knocked him on the head. The spirit lifted him up like a dead branch and carried him across the river. There he put him down. The man found himself in a city where all the houses were made of gold. In one of these houses the door was open and a beautiful girl was awaiting him. She welcomed him and he had a wonderful time with her. After some days he felt dizzy in the head. He went to a doctor who gave him medicine to drink. He fell asleep, and when he woke up he was again sitting near the bank of the river.


THE WOMAN IN THE BUSH
A certain traveller was on safari in the wilderness, and when night fell he saw no town or village. So he decided to sleep in the bush. As soon as he was asleep, a hyena arrived and started to drag him away by his cloak. He woke up, and when he saw the hyena he leapt up and ran away. He saw a house, went in and shut the door. At first it was dark, then he saw two little flames, then a woman with two candles. She was very beautiful, she smiled and bid him welcome. She gave him a copious meal of meat and fruits; then they slept. The traveller spent many weeks with the good woman and they were very happy. At last the traveller had to go back to his town and his business. He said good-bye to his hostess, and asked her what her name was, so that when he wanted to come back he could ask the people on the road how to find her house. She said: “I am the Hyena.”


THREE DREAMS
Three men were travelling in the wilderness when they discovered they had only one loaf of bread left. They decided it would not be enough for the three of them, so they made an agreement that one man would have all the bread. After much discussion they decided it should be the one who would have the best dream that night.

They settled down for the night, and two of them slept at once. The third one could not sleep as he was plagued by hunger. So he got up and ate the bread. All of it. The next morning his companions rose early and he pretended to be emerging from profound dreams. He asked them at once what dreams they had had.

The first one said: “I dreamt that I saw a golden ladder rising up into the sky. I climbed it, up and up and up, until I reached the gate of Paradise. The gate was at once opened by a beautiful angel who took me by the hand and led me to a hall where there was music and food and feasting. And I was told I could stay there for ever. Alas, it was only a dream.”

The second one said: “I dreamt that an ugly devil arrived, seized me and dragged me down into Hell through a hole in the ground. There, I was locked in chains and shackles and beaten with iron rods. Oh, it was horrible. Thank God it was only a dream. The worst was that I was told I would stay there for all eternity.”

Now the man who had eaten the bread told his companions: “I dreamt that an angel came to me and asked me: 'Have you seen what has happened to your friends?' I said no, I have not. So the angel took me by the hand and flew with me, up towards the stars and into Heaven. There we entered a hall where musicians were playing and where people were eating and feasting, and there I saw you, my friend, sitting on a golden throne and surrounded by beautiful angels. I was then told that you would be staying there until the end of time.

“Next, the angel took me down, down, past the stars and the clouds and into the ground through a narrow passage, until we arrived in Hell. There I saw you, hanging in chains and shackles and being beaten by ugly devils. And I was told you would stay there and never get out. So when I came back here, knowing that neither of you would return, I ate the bread.”

The Dukes of Hazzard at Cracked

"The Dukes of Hazzard was a long-running CBS television show starring a 1969 Dodge Charger and Catherine Bach's ass in short shorts....

"The Duke boys were constantly involved in car chases with the law, even though the authorities chasing them knew exactly who they were and where they lived....

"Sorrell Booke graduated from both Yale and Columbia universities, served the U.S. during the Korean War as a counterintelligence officer, fluently spoke five languages, and once conducted the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Naturally, he is best known for playing Boss Hogg, a greedy fatass in white polyester."

--http://www.cracked.com/funny-526-dukes-hazzard/

Health Care

"What Americans often consider a single unique system of health care is an illusion: we exist in a sea of not-so-unique alternatives. Like the citizens of Germany and Japan, workers in the United States share insurance premiums with an employer. Like Canadians, our older, destitute and disabled citizens see private providers with the government paying. Like the British, military veterans and Native Americans receive care in government facilities with the government paying the tab. And like the poor around the world, our uninsured pay cash, finagle charity care, or stay home."

--Abigail Zuger, "One Injury, 10 Countries: A Journey in Health Care," New York Times, 2009 September 14, review of The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care by T.R. Reid

Lovecraft Film Festival

Oregon, Portland, Hollywood Theatre

2009 October 2-4

Founded in 1995, the "H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival promotes the works of H.P. Lovecraft, literary horror, and weird tales through the cinematic adaptations by professional and amateur filmmakers."

www.hplfilmfestival.com

"The only festival that understands."

if you ponder

"You can't appreciate the beauty of a rose if you ponder that the color red is just the brain's interpretation of a specific wavelength of light with crests that are roughly 700 nanometers apart."

--Joel Achenbach, "The Power of Light," National Geographic, 2001 October

photograph by jules

one must be

"To cut oneself entirely from one's kind is impossible. To live in a desert one must be a saint."

--Joseph Conrad, Under Western Eyes, 1911

www.TheSteppe.com

a spiritual culture

"'Art is a spiritual culture whose best conceptions are never brought down to the physical plane.' This may have been esoteric philosophy, or it may have been an excuse for indolence--of that intellectual kind that often accompanies great powers."

--Julian Hawthorne, "The Delusion of Ralph Penwyn," 1909

American Samoa

"From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"In March 1889, a German naval force invaded a village in Samoa, and by doing so destroyed some American property. Three American warships then entered the Samoan harbor and were prepared to fire on the three German warships found there. Before guns were fired, a typhoon wrecked both the American and German ships. A compulsory armistice was called because of the lack of warships."

Songs entitled "North Dakota"

"North Dakota" by Lyle Lovett, U.S.A.
album: Joshua Judges Ruth, 1992

The boys from North Dakota
They drink whisky for their fun


"North Dakota" by Thrush Hermit, Canada
album: Sweet Homewrecker, 1997

If it makes you sad
It makes me sadder
If you ever miss me
I will always miss you more
In North Dakota we can only waste our time


"North Dakota" by Kris Delmhorst, U.S.A.
album: Appetite, 1998

And I'm watching your goodbye and I'm trying to cry
Guess I'm not built for this load, guess it's back to the road

So now Delaware is tollbooths, Virginia is twilight
and Michigan's beef jerky in a small boy's hand
and Arkansas's a skinny cop, Oregon is purple hands
and Flagstaff, Arizona is delirium at night

And I love North Dakota 'cause you have never been there
and the days go on for hours and the towns all look the same
and I can ride the back roads and I can walk the main streets
and I could show everyone your picture but they would not know your name
I love, I love, I love
North Dakota


"North Dakota" by Chris Knight, U.S.A.
album: A Pretty Good Guy, 2001

I never should have brought her here
Living’s rough this time of year
Trying to keep food and fire till winter's done
Sometimes she gazed across the plains
With a look that I couldn’t name
And I’d wonder if she’d stay till springtime come

I found her on the first warm day
The rain had washed the snow away
Went for wood and lost her way back home
And I ain’t the kind believes in ghosts
But some nights I get pretty close
When the North Dakota winter moans


"North Dakota" by Hold On Kid, Australia
album: Just For The Record - Demo, 2008

Maybe we should get away
Be ourselves, just the two of us
In your car, we'll drive till the road runs out
We can run forever

Hey and when we get there
We can find a cheap hotel
Where we can hide from the world
We can pretend that we're all alone
And no one else exists

your notion

The girl wept. Through her tears she said, with a knife for a voice: "If you are a man, you will do it."

"Oh no, lady. Only if I am your notion of a man."


--Tanith Lee, Cyrion, 1982

spiritual over-lord

"The Buddhism of Tibet is not the pure original doctrine of the gentle Indian prince who lived and died six centuries before the birth of Christ. It is the usual degenerate form, full of devils and spooks, and it has forgotten a great many of the noble teachings of the founder of that great Asiatic faith. But Tibet has been a bulwark of Buddhism which has been of great help in preserving that religion against the attacks of the Mohammedans from the west and the pagan creeds of southern India....

"During the reign of Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan and an ardent convert to Buddhism, the abbots of an important Tibetan monastery were recognized as the political rulers of all Tibet. In return for this favor, the new Dalai Lama, in his quality of spiritual over-lord of the whole Buddhist world, officially crowned the Tartar Khan Emperor of Mongolia, just as Pope Leo III had crowned Charlemagne."


--Hendrik van Loon, Van Loon's Geography: The Story of the World We Live In, 1932

An American Clipper Ship in a Chinese Port (detail)

Anton Otto Fischer

1882-1962 American

the ontological argument

"I have never seen anyone die for the ontological argument. Galileo, who held a scientific truth of great importance, abjured it with the greatest ease as soon as it endangered his life.... Whether the earth or the sun revolves around the other is a matter of profound indifference. To tell the truth, it is a futile question. On the other hand, I see many people die because they judge that life is not worth living. I see others paradoxically getting killed for the ideas or illusions that give them a reason for living (what is called a reason for living is also an excellent reason for dying)."

--Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus, 1942, translated by Justin O'Brien

Mongolian Music

www.ZaluuS.cc

Causality Loopy

"Many years from now, a transgalactic civilization has discovered time travel. A deep-thinking temporal engineer wonders what would happen if a time machine were sent back to the singularity from which the big bang emerged. His calculations yield an interesting result: the singularity would be destabilized, producing an explosion resembling the big bang. Needless to say, a time machine was quickly sent on its way."

--Barry Dainton, Time and Space, 1958

a millisecond prior to impact

"From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The nictitating membrane (from Latin nictare, to blink) is a transparent or translucent third eyelid present in some animals that can be drawn across the eye for protection and to moisten the eye while also keeping visibility....

"Woodpeckers tighten their nictitating membrane a millisecond prior to their beak impacting the trunk of a tree in order to prevent their eyes from leaving their sockets."

Freedom Parade 2009

"I wanna invite you to FREEDOM PARADE 2009 on 12th September on Freedom Square.

"I'm working for MONFEMNET as information manager. We have a youth campaign for Human Rights. The campaign name is "Hands Up 4 Your Rights" (http://www.monfemnet.org/en_hands_up.php) Our campaign has a lot activities. One of them is FREEDOM PARADE. If u wanna to see last year's parade pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/handsup4yourrights/FREEDOMPARADE2008?feat=directlink#

"I hope that you'll participate in our FREEDOM PARADE, and support activity that promotes Human Rights, Freedom, Gender Equality, and Democracy in Mongolia.

"Sincerely, Zola"

Dharma Bums VII

"We gotta go to Berkeley after this and attend a lecture and discussion at the Buddhist Center."

"Aw I don't wanta go to no such thing, I just wanta drink in alleys."

He was really sad about it, and worried about me, but I just went on drinking.

When we got to Alvah's cottage and it was time to leave for the Buddhist Center lecture I said "I'll just sit here and get drunk and wait for you."

"Okay," said Japhy, looking at me darkly. "It's your life."

He was gone for two hours. I felt sad and drank too much and was dizzy. But I was determined not to pass out and stick it out and prove something to Japhy. Suddenly, at dusk, he came running back into the cottage drunk as a hoot owl yelling "You know what happened Smith? I went to the Buddhist lecture and they were all drinking white raw saki out of teacups and everybody got drunk. All those crazy Japanese saints! You were right! It doesn't make any difference! We all got drunk and discussed prajna! It was great!" And after that Japhy and I never had an argument again.


--Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums, 1958

Dharma Bums VI

"I saw there was nothing to do because nothing ever happened, nothing ever would happen, all things were empty light."

--Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums, 1958

to treat mental diseases

"While investigating Tibetan books in the library of a former lamaistic university of Gandan, I found a book, by Lovsan-Yondon and Tsend-Otcher, entitled in free translation Anatomical Dictionary for Recognizing Various Diseases. It was a typical Tibetan book, printed from woodcuts on long, narrow strips of paper. Each leaf was printed on both sides and each page was from a separately cut wooden plate. In the systematic discussion of the fauna of Tibet and adjacent regions I found on p. 24, in a group of monkeys, an illustration of a wild man. This illustration shows a biped primate standing erect on a rock, with one arm stretched upwards....

"While studying the literature in the central library of the Scientific Committee in Mongolia I found, in the Tibetan department, another, more recent, edition of the above book, printed a century later in Urga (now Ulanbator). The author of this edition was Jambaldorje. An illustration of the above biped primate, along with monkeys, appears in this book also as part of a systematic discussion of Tibetan natural history on p. 119....

"Left of the picture there is a Tibetan text which in free translation runs: 'The wild man lives in the mountains, his origin is close to that of the bear, his body resembles that of man and he has enormous strength. His meat may be eaten to treat mental diseases and his gall cures jaundice.'"


--Emanuel Vlcek, "Old Literary Evidence for the Existence of the 'Snow Man' in Tibet and Mongolia," Man, volume 59, 1959 August, pages 133-134

Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus)

"ARCTIC KILLER

"In Lapland, herds of reindeer on migration swim between the islands, and some never reach the shore. Largest of the species of dogfish that live in the cold oceans near the poles, the giant Greenland shark often exceeds 20 feet in length and frequently weighs over a ton. Fishermen seek it out for the valuable oil found in its liver -- over 30 gallons in a really big one. Though this ferocious predator can swallow a seal or reindeer whole, when caught by man it gives itself up with the meekness of a lamb."

--Animal World in Color, Volume 8 - Hunters: Birds, Fish, and Amphibians, edited by Maurice Burton, Childrens Press: Chicago, 1969

finally, an epiphany

I have identified what it is that bothers me about the portrayal of gay people in contemporary American comedic movies and television programs. It is straight people pretending to be gay people for a straight audience; it is the emphasizing and exaggerating of stereotyped traits of gay people for the amusement of straight people. It is equivalent to the American minstrel shows of not very long ago, in which white people pretended to be outlandish caricatures of black people for the amusement of white audiences.

It will not be very long before these comedies are looked back upon with the same distaste and shame with which the old minstrel shows are currently looked back upon.

perception of the universe

"Much of both modern fantasy and modern horror, it seems to me, still deals with the relationship of the ordinary human world with Faerie, the Land Beyond the Hill, the World Beyond the Wood, that land of ghosts and shadows and unearthly Powers that still flickers just beyond the periphery of our bright, tidy, rational modern world... The major difference between the two, I think, is not so much subject matter as Attitude, the prevalent emotional weather or coloring of each....

"Much of modern horror has succumbed to--in fact, wholeheartedly embraced--a numbing sort of nihilism and fashionable designer despair, the message of which seems to be: you can't win, nothing matters, neither ethics nor morals nor religion are an effective guide to behavior, and none of them will save you; you can survive for a while by turning yourself into a savage predator, devoid of remorse or compassion or pity, but there's always a bigger predator in wait somewhere; in the end, the grave will get you, and sometimes you will continue to be flayed and tormented even beyond death. The house always wins, you always lose, and nothing you can do has any significance at all.

"This perception of the universe may be closer to 'reality' than that of fantasy..."


--Gardner Dozois, Modern Classics of Fantasy, 1997

to be an American

“Sarah!” she called. “Sarah, do come and meet young Mr. Mathews, who wants to be called Warren.”

A tall, pretty girl turned from a group of other drinkers to smile at him, extending her hand, but when Marjorie Blaine said “He’s an American,” the girl’s smile froze and her hand fell.

“Oh,” she said. “How nice.” And she turned away again.

It wasn’t a good time to be an American in London. Eisenhower had been elected and the Rosenbergs killed; Joseph McCarthy was on the rise, and the war in Korea, with its reluctant contingent of British troops, had come to seem as if it might last forever.


--Richard Yates, “Liars in Love,” 1981

Ethics with Calvin and Hobbes

excerpted from Open Questions: Readings for Critical Thinking and Writing edited by Chris Anderson and Lex Runciman, copyright 2005, pages 413-414:

“BILL WATTERSON
‘Today at school, I tried to decide whether to cheat on my test or not.’

“The creator of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Bill Watterson (b. 1958) refused to merchandise his characters. Calvin and Hobbes appeared in more than 2,300 newspapers around the world, and ran from November 1985 through December 1995.


“Calvin: Today at school, I tried to decide whether to cheat on my test or not.
Calvin: I wondered, is it better to do the right thing and fail...or is it better to do the wrong thing and succeed?
Calvin: On the one hand, undeserved success gives no satisfaction. … But on the other hand, well-deserved failure gives no satisfaction either.
Calvin: Of course, most everybody cheats some time or other. People always bend the rules if they think they can get away with it. … Then again, that doesn't justify my cheating.
Calvin: Then I thought, look, cheating on one little test isn't such a big deal. It doesn't hurt anyone. … But then I wondered if I was just rationalizing my unwillingness to accept the consequence of not studying.
Calvin: Still, in the real world, people care about success, not principles. … Then again, maybe that's why the world is in such a mess. What a dilemma!
Hobbes: So what did you decide?
Calvin: Nothing. I ran out of time and I had to turn in a blank paper.
Hobbes: Anymore, simply acknowledging the issue is a moral victory.
Calvin: Well, it just seemed wrong to cheat on an ethics test.

“What does it say?
1. There are two figures in this comic strip, Calvin and his tiger, Hobbes. Track what each one says. Calvin obviously does most of the talking. What does Hobbes say and when does he say it? What is your reaction to Hobbes's final statement? How does Hobbes's body language—his facial expressions, his gestures—contribute to your understanding of what he says?
2. It doesn't take long to read a comic strip like this, and first reactions are usually quick, too. Describe yours. As soon as you stop reading, jot down a quick four sentence response. Did you laugh? Why? What made this funny? If you didn't laugh, what was your reaction and why?

“What do you think?
3. Bill Watterson, the cartoonist, doesn't come out and say what he wants this comic to mean. He is neither Calvin nor Hobbes. What do you think Watterson is getting at? Write a brief essay that presents your understanding of the thesis statement of this cartoon, and explain the evidence that supports your analysis.
4. Though Watterson is neither Calvin nor Hobbes, one of these characters may serve as his spokesperson. Which do you think does? Which of these characters comes closest to representing Watterson's own views, and how do you know? What details in the comic lead to this conclusion? Or do you think that neither character represents Watterson?
5. People often send their friends and families copies of cartoons they like. Who would you send this cartoon to, and why?
6. Hobbes says that ‘Anymore, simply acknowledging the issue is a moral victory.’ Write an essay agreeing or disagreeing with that statement, explaining your position.

“What would they say?
7. Read Lawrence Hinman's ‘Virtual Virtues: Reflections on Academic Integrity in the Age of the Internet.’ How would Watterson have to adapt this particular cartoon to reflect Hinman's analysis of ethical behavior and the Internet? Would the cartoon have to be any different? Is there something about cyberspace that changes the ethical dilemma that Calvin is describing?
8. Based on your reading of Hinman's ‘Virtual Virtues: Reflections on Academic Integrity in the Age of the Internet,’ do you think he would put a copy of this cartoon on his office door or on his syllabus for one of his courses? (Hinman is an ethicist who teaches courses in ethics and ethical reasoning.) Explain why or why not.
9. Write an essay explaining how you think Stephen L. Carter, in ‘The Best Student Ever,’ and Donald McCabe and Linda Klebe Trevino, in ‘Honesty and Honor Codes,’ would respond to this cartoon. What would they say? Would they agree with its premise? Why or why not?
10. Out of all the essays you've read in this book, which writer comes closest to embodying Calvin's position in this comic? Which writer comes closest to embodying Hobbes's position? Explain.”

*John Dies at the End* by David Wong

"It’s a drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit. On the street they call it Soy Sauce, and users can drift across time and dimensions. But some who come back are no longer human.

"Suddenly a silent, otherworldly invasion is underway, and mankind needs a hero. What it gets instead is John and David, a pair of college dropouts who can barely hold down jobs.

"Can these two stop the oncoming horror in time to save humanity?

"No. No, they can’t.

"John Dies at the End is coming to book stores and everywhere else September 29th, 2009 from St. Martin’s Press."

http://www.johndiesattheend.com/updates/?page_id=10

The website includes a characteristically entertaining and lucid explanation by Wong of pareidolia:

http://www.johndiesattheend.com/updates/?p=22

"Everything you need to know about the universe, you can learn from this picture of Captain Kirk holding a rock shaped like a boner."

Delaying not, hurrying not, low and delicious

O give me the clew! (it lurks in the night here somewhere);
Oh, if I am to have so much, let me have more!

A word then (for I will conquer it),
The word final, superior to all,
Subtle, sent up--what is it?--I listen;
Are you whispering it, and have been all the time, you sea-waves?
Is that it from your liquid rims and wet sands?

Whereto answering, the sea,
Delaying not, hurrying not,
Whispered me through the night, and very plainly before daybreak,
Lisped to me the low and delicious word death,
And again death, death, death, death,
Hissing melodious, neither like the bird nor like my aroused child's heart,
But edging near as privately for me rustling at my feet,
Creeping thence steadily up to my ears and laving me softly all over,
Death, death, death, death, death.

--Walt Whitman, "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking," Leaves of Grass

"Mongolia: Surviving the Winter" by Richard Wainwright

"Under the streets of Ulaan Baatar, the coldest capital city in the world, many children struggle to survive the bitter winter.... Munkhbat (15) & Altangeret (15) have lived down this manhole in Unur district of Ulaan Baatar for over 3 years."

http://www.gaia-photos.com/mongolia-surviving-the-winter/

Buddha.mn

www.Buddha.mn
Mongolian Buddhist Information and Education Network

Dharma Bums V

"Sociability is just a big smile and a big smile is nothing but teeth."

--Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums, 1958

are ambiguous

"Real moral dilemmas are ambiguous, and many of us hike right through them, unaware that they exist. When, usually after the fact, someone makes an issue of them, we tend to resent his or her bringing it up."

--Bowen H. McCoy, "The Parable of the Sadhu," Harvard Business Review, 1983 September/October

Happy Independence Day

propaganda poster
Harald Damsleth
1906-1971 Norwegian

a better world flag

The Flag of Earth
James W. Codle

Cat in the Rain

"Hemingway has succeeded in rendering an immensely poignant human experience with all the poetry that pure prose can achieve. The simple language and brittle style simultaneously conceal and reveal a powerful emotional situation without the least trace of sentimentality. The delicacy and accuracy of the achievement are magnificent."

--John V. Hagopian, "Symmetry in 'Cat in the Rain,'" College English, 1962 December

Bonne Fête du Canada.

Happy Canada Day.