V. Raymond Edman

Here's a news story a friend of mine in the Episcopal seminary here in Austin pointed out to me.

Dusty hasn't given us any Wheaton news of late, so I thoght I'd go ahead and post it.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/news/571549,3_1_EL24_A4ANGLICANS_S1.article

Alzheimer’s: Type 3 Diabetes?

I am an avid (even voracious) consumer of news and cultural commentary, much of which is daily delivered to my Google Reader. The upside of this is that I usually know a little bit about a lot of things. Emphasis on a little and a lot, in the right proportions (reverse those positions and you have a dissertation project). The downside is that few things surprise me, and even fewer make me stop everything else I'm doing to pay attention.

This story did just that. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that Alzheimer's disease has a lot to do with how the brain processes insulin, and that the disease itself may be productively considered as a form of diabetes. Add this to the nearly overwhelming incidence of Type II diabetes among the world's population, which is projected to effect nearly 1/3 of America's population in the next few decades, and you have the most pressing public health crisis of the 21st century.

In case you're too lazy to click the link (you know who you are), a few highlights:

"Now scientists at Northwestern University have discovered why brain insulin signaling -- crucial for memory formation -- would stop working in Alzheimer’s disease. They have shown that a toxic protein found in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer’s removes insulin receptors from nerve cells, rendering those neurons insulin resistant. (The protein, known to attack memory-forming synapses, is called an ADDL for “amyloid ß-derived diffusible ligand.”)

"With other research showing that levels of brain insulin and its related receptors are lower in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, the Northwestern study sheds light on the emerging idea of Alzheimer’s being a “type 3” diabetes.

"The new findings, published online by the FASEB Journal, could help researchers determine which aspects of existing drugs now used to treat diabetic patients may protect neurons from ADDLs and improve insulin signaling in individuals with Alzheimer’s. (The FASEB Journal is a publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.)"

Road Rage

Now, I get as annoyed as the next guy when traffic slows down for miles at a toll plaza. Particularly in Chicagoland. But these two took things to a new extreme...

September, September

I think this month will be hard for me for quite some time.

Six years ago. Six years ago I found myself marked, compelled to think and to speak about whatI would prefer to leave in silence. I am afraid to speak, I open my mouth in terror because my words cannot-- words cannot-- even now, here, in this sentence cannot say or be or do what is needed. I would pray for silence, but I am not allowed. I speak in terror, knowing I cannot do what I must. That I must do what I cannot.

Six years ago the eleventh of September was a Tuesday. I remember the English class I had that Tuesday, in the shocked afternoon that followed the clear, terrible morning. I sat in a classroom devoted to words on a day that words cannot approach, a day that words must approach, even when to do so is unholy.

Six years later, tommorrow, I will go to a Tuesday afternoon class devoted to words, once again on the eleventh of September, and I will teach. I was reminded today that most of my students were twelve years old in 2001-- children, only children! What do they remember, what can they remember? How do I stand before them, teaching them language, on the day I would devote to silence?

I sent the final copy of my essay on memorials and the World Trade Center to the Wallace Stevens Journal today, today the tenth of September-- that date sounds almost edenic in its innocence! But my uncle died yesterday, on the ninth, in the quietly unseen space of his own home. Et in Arcadia Ego. And my cousin's long-planned wedding follows hard behind.

The wedding will follow the funeral. My twelve year olds are now in college. I teach and publish and live.

Oh, September

I thought I'd give you fellas a personal update before the craziness that will be my fall semester totally subsumes my life. Unlike the midwest, September in Austin is still very much the summer, so this will be a quick, sweaty email sent from deep in the heart of Texas.

I started teaching a new class in a new department this week. I think it will be good and rewarding, but it's going to be a hell of a lot of work. [profanity used advisedly] I'm sort of writing the syllabus as I go along, so there's a certain seat of the pants uneasiness that I'm trying to turn into some sort of thrilling ride. I'll let you know how things go on that front.

I met two girls this week. Well, one I had chatted up several months ago and then lost track of, and she turned up again when I went for a drink with a friend of mine. The other I'd been wanting to talk to at cafe I frequent, and she showed up at a random party that another friend's roommate talked us into going to. Anyways, I guess I'm pulling that whole resilient, "get back on the horse" thing. It's either very brave or very stupid... but you've gotta try, right?

I also moved into a house with a roommate, so my old address is bad and you'll need to get my new one from me if you need it. Redundant, I know. I'd like to leave you all by pointing out that my city is better than everywhere the rest of you live, so you might as well come visit me. But not on September 17th: I'll be watching Bob Dylan play in Zilker Park that night. Bon nuit.

Lost email addresses

Hi, those who still read this. My laptop died, and it was the sold depository that I had for many of your email addresses. Please email me at my usual address at either yahoo.com or gmail.com so that I can reach you be email.

Thanks!

New city. New job?

Hi everyone (Dave, Coye, Andy, and anybody else who still reads this thing),

How is everybody? I'm breaking radio silence, because I now have a job offer in the Chicago area. And I would like prayer as to whether or not I should take it. For those of you not aware of the situation. My job in DC ends this upcoming Friday, and I'm moving to Chicago whether I have a job to start or not. I have not been as active in job searching as I wish I would have been, yet I have a job offer from a firm that does fixed-income investment software. The job sounds fairly interesting, but I'm not sure what my next step career-wise would be if I ever left it, and the commute would be over an hour long if I want to live close to Kari (my girlfriend), which is the biggest tangible reason that I'm moving out there. Prayers for wisdom, guidance, and a sense of God's will is appreciated. I'm thinking that I should maybe hold out for something more econ related with a shorter commute, but I'm unsure.

Peace.

Question about George Lakoff's Metaphors

Has anyone else read part or the whole of Lakoff's Metaphors we Live By? I remember the portions I read at Wheaton struck a chord with me, the overtones of which have never quite ceased ringing in my ears. So I've decided to go back and look at the thing again and then to try to see where it sits vis the contemporary linguistic/psychological/sociological field today. If anyone's interested in talking about it or reading it with me, that'd be awesome. Otherwise, perhaps some of you could at least tell me if they've heard anything about how Lakoff is read these days. Is he, as one Michael J Edelman (a reviewer on Amazon) claims, "the aging bad boy of structural linguistics," who has unsuccessfully tried to "recast himself in the role of a social theorist" trying to force his linguistic methodology into a new field? [1] Or is the book to be "considered to be one of the most intellectually honest of any book in print, for it unashamedly deals with commonsense notions of how the human mind deals with the world" [Carlson]? Do these somewhat pedestrian analysis equally miss the mark?

Anyway, I'm interested in understanding a bit more about the way we as humans understand the world around us via metaphor (or even if metaphor is the best way to talk about the way we understand and operate socially).

Hemingway: "The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio"

"Religion is the opium of the people. He believed that, that dyspeptic little joint-keeper. Yes, and music is the opium of the people. Old mount-to-the-head hadn't thought of that. And now economics is the opium of the people; along with patriotism the opium of the people in Italy and Germany. What about sexual intercourse; was that an opium of the people? Of some of the people. Of some of the best of the people. But drink was a sovereign opium of the people, oh, an excellent opium. Although some prefer the radio, another opium of the people, a cheap one he had just been using. Along with these went gambling, an opium of the people if there ever was one, one of the oldest. Ambition was another, an opium of the people, along with a belief in any new form of government. What you wanted was the minimum of government, always less government. Liberty, what we believed in, now the name of a MacFadden publication. We believed in that although they had not found a new name for it yet. But what was the real one? What was the real, the actual, opium of the people? He knew it very well. It was gone just a little way around the corner in that well-lighted part of his mind that was there after two or more drinks in the evening; that he knew was there (it was not really there of course). What was it? He knew very well. What was it? Of course; bread was the opium of the people. Would he remember that and would it make sense in the daylight? Bread is the opium of the people."

Inflammatory Idea of the Week

Hopefully not too inflammatory.

I decided I'd like to know who, if anyone, you guys find interesting out of the field of presidential candidates and, if anyone looks worth voting for in a way more substatial than "at least they're not...", why you find them interesting. This is, of course, just preliminary thoughts about people we won't be voting for or against for months, but I thought it would be interesting to hear what you guys think. That's how democracy is supposed to work, right? Citizens discussing their leaders in the common marketplace of ideas and all that. And since we already fight about religion, why not add politics to the mix. (It would also be a special treat for me and Andy who otherwise only see Republicans on TV or occasionally in business class when we get on airplanes.) We live in the most powerful country ever; we should be doing this kind of thing.

If you don't have any favorites at the moment, what are the factors that will determine who you vote for (or against). What do you care most about in an administration? (This really kind of sounds like an online dating survey, doesn't it?)

Crazy Idea of the Week

In classic Jonesian form, I bring you [dum da da dum]: Crazy Idea of the Week! (Coye, you're right, that font would be super sweet). As such, you can expect never to see [dum da da dumb] Crazy Idea of the Week! again; and if again, then perhaps again in a year and a half.

So without further ado, I bring you [dum da da...forget it]:
Ok, have you guys seen the current trend of video blogs popping up around cyberspace? Of particular note are Rocketboom and Mobuzz, though these both only represent a sliver of the possibilities behind the medium. Well, I was thinking how fun it would be to try our collective hand at writing and producing a little video blog of our own. What would it be and how would it be structured? I haven't a clue, but it is a crazy idea of the week, thus, this has been, [dum da da dum]Daaaaaave's Crazy Idea of the Week! [buy all our play-sets and toys!]

An Ex-Parrot?

So, inspired by Dave's latest poll (which I seem to be the only one to have voted on... even Andy is awol, apparently), I thought I'd make a little poll-like inquiry myself. Since I lack Dave's omnipotent administrative powers, this will have to be in the form of a post rather than a nifty bar graph in the margins. I take it from the occasional bursts of responses that pop up on the blog that there are still a lot of guys who check it out at least semi-regularly. So why no posts? Why such seldom comments? Is it a matter of boredom with the blog or wanting to disassociate yourselves from Coye and TEFKAMS or general bridge burning or what? Is there anything that would actually spark some renewed interest in it? More personal updates, book discussions, sociopolitical discussions, cake recipies, popular inventions, cheat codes for Metroid, the Cheat, more TEFKAMS, less TEFKAMS, more screaming in TEFKAMS posts, more inanity, less inanity, more discussions of inanity, more ex-parrots, what? Because we could just rename it "The Dave, Coye and Andy Show" but I know that the three of us don't want it to go that way. These are your friends, here, and we'd really like to hear from you. Something.

archival research and restitution

TEFKAMS said... AAAHHHH! Once my friends, long, long ago, I decided to tell you the story of my humble origins. It was an emotional story of a boy, looking for love and acceptance, who was chewed up and spit out by the cruel, cruel soul-killing machine that we call the Hollywood establishment. It was a heartrending tale, and one that I had never told. To anyone. Ever. But I once found kindness and acceptance in the halls of Traber 6, and so I shared my story and narrated how I came to be the Mr. Satan you knew and… tolerated. I was so young, so naïve.

To my chagrin and astonishment, my story did not reach sympathetic ears (or eyes, I suppose) on T611, but instead was eviscerated and torn from these pages. Dear reader, I was stripped of my voice and my dignity that day. Without a warning, without an explanation, I became the only contributor to ever have my words expunged from the blog. Flung into the ether, as if they never were. Chastened, I protested my lost voice by also giving up my name. I became TEFKAMS.

And there was nothing offensive about my posting. It was actually rather clever and amusing, if I must say so myself (and I must, since you can no longer go back and read it for yourself). So, why, I ask myself, is a posting that offends and alienates the readers here (by design, it would seem) afforded so much better treatment? Warnings. Time for consideration. I was never given any of these things. And no post of mine caused people to leave our community (except Mr. Satan, of course). AAAAHHHHH!!!

I am a fan of posting on the blog (and I’d like to see more of you write, too!) and I am as big a proponent of artistic freedom as the next disembodied entity. But if there needs to be a line drawn to distinguish acceptable content on our site, this photo helps us to see where that line might be.

AAAAHHHH!!

So, about that Einstein Fellow...

Steve came up with this fantastic idea to read some Einstein this summer and talk about relativity—that enormously interesting idea which, along with the quantum mechanics of the ensuing decades, shaped what has come to be known as the century of physics. But he followed that great idea up with a rather dumb one: outsourcing the implementation of the project to me. It has sat as a task on my iGoogle todo list for a couple of weeks with no action on my part. Sorry for dropping the ball.

But now that Steve is back from vacation (the pictures were great, by the way), and Dave should be back from Maine this weekend, and I’m still where I always am, it might be a good time to turn our attention back to Dr. Einstein. As they say, there’s no time like the present.

If you’ve forgotten, Steve provided these great links to the 1920 English translation of Einstein’s 1916 book Relativity: The Special and the General Theory: MS Word format, MP3 files, or Podcast. Or you could go to your local library.

Einstein wrote of this book in 1916 that "the present book is intended, as far as possible, to give an exact insight into the theory of Relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics.... In the interest of clearness, it appeared to me inevitable that I should repeat myself frequently, without paying the slightest attention to the elegance of the presentation. I adhered scrupulously to the precept of that brilliant theoretical physicist L. Boltzmann, according to whom matters of elegance ought to be left to the tailor and to the cobbler."

For those who are interested—and several of us have expressed some interest in this endeavor—perhaps we could spend two weeks or so on part one of the book, which encompasses the special theory from 1905, before moving on to the more comprehensive general theory that Einstein finished in 1916. Please post comments, questions, reactions, connections to other things you know in science and/or culture and history. I'll leave it to you whether we want to make observations as separate posts with comments in response, or a big, long comments thread. I don’t want to make this really formal, but I also know from experience that without some sort of framework this discussion won’t have the traction it needs. So start reading, and we’ll talk more over the next couple of weeks about Herr Einstein and his world-changing theories.

Marvin K. Mooney

I'm currently in Amarillo, staying with my folks, and I saw a Dr. Seuss book here that I bought for my niece a few years ago. The book reminded me of a quasi-parody (Geisel helped write it himself) that Art Buchwald published in the Washington Post in 1974. I will refrain from parodying the parody myself, but it would be fair to say that it reminded me of another prominent middle initial...

Richard M. Nixon Will You Please Go Now!

Memory Application Beta almost there

Hey fellas. Check out the memory application I talked about a few comments ago. Now it integrates full ESV text using my special sauce. Single click a paragraph to get scrollable text up top, double-click to see the full text of the paragraph all together. Romans 1-8 is up there as a beta. I'm hoping to talk to the ESV online folks to see if they'd want to take this thing any further with me.

If you're at all into memorizing scripture, test this out and see if it helps. any suggestions are welcomed.

enjoying a vacation in Maine-- dave

OK, I couldn't resist...

There's a pretty good chance that this will just amuse Steve and Adam, but that's worth something in my book. You might remember in college that the Star Wars Gangsta Rap started as an audio file, and then someone found it on the internet with the addition of some pretty lame animation. Well, now the animation is much better. Wait for the Storm Troopers raising the roof toward the end. It's worth it.

On this day in history...

In 1960 the Ohio Art Company took Arthur Granjean's invention--which consisted of a couple knobs, some aluminium, and a plastic screen--and turned it into the Etch-A-Sketch. Suffice it to say that the guy that drew this puts the sad little doodles of my childhood to shame.

I'm Speechless... in a good way

It did not give of bird or bush

So I have what probably qualifies as a mandatory update announcement:

I just got an email from the editor of the Wallace Stevens Journal, and they are publishing my article on Stevens, memorialization and the World Trade Center. It's not the largest journal, but publication counts as a major career milestone in the humanities, so I thought I should share it with you guys. The earliest it would be out will be Spring 2008, but I could (today, if I wanted) start putting it down as a "forthcoming" publication on my CV.

And I am still up 2-0 against Andy in the frolf books. That particular poison wasn't a banned substance until AFTER the match; it was totally legal at the time.