VAN DRIVERS WANTED...

Anybody van-certified to drive on Tuesday to the SeaDogs? Lemme know!!

Ali G & David Beckham ("Mr. Mohawk"), Taoist Quotes (and Final Exam Suggestions!)

Firstly, FYI... speaking of soccer, there's an interview out there of David Beckham and Posh Spice by Ali G (AKA Sacha Baron Cohen, AKA Borat). It's rude, but Ali G's improv'ed interview with the Beckhams can be a scream... "Respect!" :-)

Then, just a couple of things I didn't get a chance to quote tonight...

Re: simplicity and what Kate was trying to say about the paradoxical difficulty of living simply: "Govern a nation as you would cook a small fish." - Lao Tzu :-)

"To remain whole, be twisted!
To become straight, let yourself be bent.
To become full, be hollow.
Be tattered, that you may be renewed.
Those that have little, may get more,
Those that have much, are but perplexed.
Therefore the Sage
Clasps the Primal Unity [tao],
Testing by it everything under heaven.
He does not show himself, therefore he is seen everywhere.
He does not define himself, therefore he is distinct.
He does not boast of what he will do, therefore he succeeds.
He is not proud of his work, and therefore it endures.
He does not contend,
And for that reason no one under heaven can contend with him.
So then we see that the ancient saying 'To remain whole, be twisted!' was no idle word; for true wholeness can only be acheived by return." - Tao Te Ching

"Do or do not. There is no try." - Tao Master Yoda

(and I found more on the Tao of Star Wars here!)

BTW, the most recent estimates of people worldwide who espouse Taoism as their religious belief [which is slightly different from Taoism purely as a philosophy] range from 20 million to 50 million. (from Adherents.com)

As for the Final Exam, finish reading Pooh and review the notes and articles from the class presentations. I personally envision an essay question that mixes the two (like applying one to the other, for example...)

Just for fun... "Overheard at the Bookstore"

Tao of Pooh, Part Deux

"This is a well known Taoist symbol. 'It represents the balance of opposites in the universe. When they are equally present, all is calm. When one is outweighed by the other, there is confusion and disarray." (from Religious Tolerance)

More on "pu"...






Taoism was never a unified tradition, but generally speaking...

"The Way" is important both in Confucianism and Taoism, but the former stresses the 'way of humanity', while the latter focuses on harmony which ensures proper conduct. (from Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs and Religions)

"The Tao regulates natural processes and nourishes balance in the Universe. It embodies the harmony of opposites (i.e. there would be no love without hate, no light without dark, no male without female.)" (Religious Tolerance)

Hence, Tai Chi (video 1, video 2, plus "Wu Jing, Master of Tai Chi" and more info at Kung-Fu Cinema)

"Tao Te Ching" was written at a time of warring states in China, with the idea of educating rulers that creative inactivity (wu-wei) is better than frenetic activity. (I.e., "Bisy Backson")

"It advocates naturalness and spontaneity and the idea of yielding ground in order to advance. Central to it is the notion of the Tao which cannot be named but is the sources of all that is and the unchanging principle behind the universe. The secret of life is to live in accordance with the Tao which 'never acts, yet nothing is left undone." (Larousse)

"In ancient Taoist texts, wu wei is associated with water through its yielding nature. Water is soft and weak, it is noted, but it can move earth and carve stone. Taoist philosophy proposes that the universe works harmoniously according to its own ways. When someone exerts his will against the world, he disrupts that harmony. Taoism does not identify man's will as the root problem. Rather, it asserts that man must place his will in harmony with the natural universe." (from Wikipedia)

Lao Tzu (sixth century B.C.) historical or legendary? (Means "Old Philosopher" or "Old Guy")

Not "the dry-as-dust absentminded professor"! Why not? ("Spelling Tuesday")

Not cleverness or "working the problem", either... Why not?? ("Cottleston Pie"/"The Pooh Way")

Taoism Cartoons

Bonus Question: What does the Tao of Pooh have to do with the Myth of Progress??

Last Installment of Schedule for Capstone

We're fortunate that the "Rachel Carson" lecture has been rescheduled for our meeting night (yes, we are!) So, that's going to be the game plan for tomorrow night.

Tuesday, April 24:

• Instead of our usual class meeting, attend the 2nd Annual Rachel Carson lecture by Tom Wessells about "the Myth of Progress" at 7 pm in the Auditorium. Post a comment here (or email me your comments) about what you thought was particularly compelling about his argument and what may have been weaker, in the context of your newly-broad understanding of contemporary global issues. Alternatively, you could ask in person an analytical question of the speaker, and not have to post anything here!
• Lastly, if you simply cannot attend at that time, I will post an alternative assignment for you... Here it is: with some jockeying around (they don't make it easy!), you can manage to read the entire first chapter for free online on Amazon.com. Follow this link... Start on page 1 and go to page 21. Any time the reader window won't let you page forward anymore, refresh the search results' link above and click on the page you need to continue with, until you get to page 21. At that point, post an analytical comment here (or email me with it). I think you'll find "emergence" a pervasive topic here! :-)
• TAKE THE POLL BELOW!!!

Thursday, April 26:

• "Soccer vs. McWorld" presentation by Joanna & Sarah B.
• Discussion of Pooh... READ UP THROUGH "BISY BACKSON"! (Quiz???)

Tuesday, May 1:

• Sea Dogs! Meet in our classroom at 5 pm and we'll drive down to the 6 pm game!

Thursday, May 3:

• First Annual "Capstone Awards Dinner" (tassels, anyone?) at my house! (I want to cook gourmet Italian for you, but Johnson wants a cookout. A food poll is being taken below... Be sure to vote!!)
• POLL:

Sea Dogs Postponed...

Copied from Facebook...


Michelle Laughran wroteat 2:21pm
Not to mention that the weather looks extraordinarily iffy for that day... I think we're currently looking at Pat's as a plan b, and then maybe trying a Sea Dogs game the first week of May.

Heidi Cheek wroteat 2:07pm
Are we still seeing a baseball game Tuesday? Kate and I will most likely not attend due to the demands of our senior sem papers.
Wall-to-Wall - Write on Heidi's Wall - Message - Delete

Take Action Online for Darfur!

Today's Fun with English!

Nothing important... Just saw this in an eBay listing, and it drove me so nuts about the principle of the thing that I thought I'd share it with ya'll... (And that at least Jackie would empathize with me!!)

"ALL MY BOOKS ARE USED SOME MORE THAN OTHERS. THERE NOT ALL TORE UP BUT USED SOME LOOK LIKE THERE BRAND NEW."

AAIIIIEEEE!!!