Sunday, October 30, 2005
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Fall Membership Drive
You may have noticed that Jacob hasn't posted anything lately. You may have thought he was just busy (or lazy) but in fact his online absence is a part of our Fall Membership Drive. Jacob's absence is a small taste of what it would be like if Of Bald Men and Bears ceased to exist. We're 100% reader-supported, which means we're also 100% ad-free. (Check out RandomShirts.com!) In order to continue bringing you our great content, like "My Tribute" and "Ewe-NL", we need you to pledge your support. Send us money and iTunes gift cards, or even cookies, and we'll keep bringing you ad-free blogging. If you pledge at the $500 level, we'll use $400 of that to buy you a crappy mug or something to send back to you. Even if you join at the seventeen-cents-or-any-other-change-I-can-find-in-my-car level, Jacob will begin posting again.
Current Pledge Members:
Jodie Foster (pledged at the Movie Star Fortune level):
"Of Bald Men and Bears provides some of the wittiest social commentary of the day. And they speak French!"
Ben Keele (pledged at the First-Born Child level!):
"I love how Of Bald Men and Bears keeps me up-to-date on the latest legal proceedings!"
Yitzhak Rabin (pledged at the I'm-dead-but-I'd-sure-pledge-if-I-could level):
"Of Bald Men and Bears has played the central role in the Middle East peace process."
Current Pledge Members:
Jodie Foster (pledged at the Movie Star Fortune level):
"Of Bald Men and Bears provides some of the wittiest social commentary of the day. And they speak French!"
Ben Keele (pledged at the First-Born Child level!):
"I love how Of Bald Men and Bears keeps me up-to-date on the latest legal proceedings!"
Yitzhak Rabin (pledged at the I'm-dead-but-I'd-sure-pledge-if-I-could level):
"Of Bald Men and Bears has played the central role in the Middle East peace process."
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Full-Length Narnia Trailer
Friday, October 21, 2005
Chasm Lake
One of my favorite places in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Labels: Nature
Rocky Mountain Breakdown
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Pack Up Your Bags!
For those of you who (like me) loved The 50 States Song at the Sufjan show, I bring you, courtesy of Cawleyblog, a live recording of The 50 States Song.
Interestingly, I noticed that the lyric following "Visit Nebraska" is "There's nothing to do." Either they changed the lyrics for the Omaha show or people were yelling so that I couldn't hear it (probably the latter), but I failed to catch that line at the show. It makes the song even better.
Interestingly, I noticed that the lyric following "Visit Nebraska" is "There's nothing to do." Either they changed the lyrics for the Omaha show or people were yelling so that I couldn't hear it (probably the latter), but I failed to catch that line at the show. It makes the song even better.
Labels: Music
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Ethnic Identity Day
I've never really thought much about my ethnic heritage. This is probably because, as a WASP living in the Midwest, there's nothing particularly unique about it. However, today as I was reveling in the cool, damp, overcast weather it occurred to me that I fit my ethnicity in a few different characteristics:
English:
-I like cool, overcast days. Today, for example, is near perfect weather.
-I like tea (especially with milk.)
-I like nature.
Danish:
-I'm not exactly familiar with the defining Danish qualities or, for that matter, many Danes. However, I do know of two Danes: Hamlet and Soren Kierkegaard. Both were plagued with melancholic introspection, to the point where it's almost funny. I feel right at home in the company of these gloomy Danes. Especially on a cool, overcast day such as today.
So, how are you like or unlike your ethnic identity? (Or, How are you not yourself?)
English:
-I like cool, overcast days. Today, for example, is near perfect weather.
-I like tea (especially with milk.)
-I like nature.
Danish:
-I'm not exactly familiar with the defining Danish qualities or, for that matter, many Danes. However, I do know of two Danes: Hamlet and Soren Kierkegaard. Both were plagued with melancholic introspection, to the point where it's almost funny. I feel right at home in the company of these gloomy Danes. Especially on a cool, overcast day such as today.
So, how are you like or unlike your ethnic identity? (Or, How are you not yourself?)
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Monday, October 10, 2005
History and Worldview
I should be writing my religion paper, but I've been thinking about this all day, and I'll try to make it fast. Also, this blog is in serious need of new material (ahem...Jacob) so I feel obligated to contribute something every now and then.
Today in my History of the Enlightenment class we were discussing the writing of history. My professor made the point that when historians have a particular agenda in their writing of history, they end up skewing the facts and giving us an inaccurate view of history. He distinguished this from merely having a point of view or thesis. One always has a thesis when writing history. One ought, he claimed, to avoid having an agenda while writing history.
I think I differ fundamentally with this understanding of historiography. (I should preface these thoughts by saying that they're heavily influenced by the first few chapters of N.T Wright's New Testament and the People of God.) All historians have an agenda. "Agenda" is really just a pejorative term for "point of view." Since all historians are writing from a particular worldview, all historians have a particular, subjective point of view. History, then, is presenting a story about the past from your point of view and using the available information to support your story. If your story of the past can make more sense of the available information than the next guy's story, others are more likely accept your story. All of our stories have an agenda or a point to them. Even the professor who's goal is to simply publish "objective" history accepts the agenda of Enlightenment rationalism which places confidence in man's ability to remove himself from his own subjectivity and disinterestedly observe history. (Perhaps he is the most endangered by his agenda because he fails to recognize that he has one.) In short, it's impossible to step out of one's worldview to write "objective" history.
What makes one person's explanation of history better than another isn't that one is more "objective" than another. Rather, it is that one story presents a more coherent picture of historical experience than another. As a Christian historian, I'm convinced that history told from a Christian perspective presents the most coherent view of our historical experience. If someone wants to challenge this, they in turn present an alternative story, and this story then interacts with/challenges mine. If it can point out incoherences in my story, then I'll be forced to reevaluate or modify my story.
That's all I can do now, although there's plenty more I could work out if anyone wishes to discuss it.
Today in my History of the Enlightenment class we were discussing the writing of history. My professor made the point that when historians have a particular agenda in their writing of history, they end up skewing the facts and giving us an inaccurate view of history. He distinguished this from merely having a point of view or thesis. One always has a thesis when writing history. One ought, he claimed, to avoid having an agenda while writing history.
I think I differ fundamentally with this understanding of historiography. (I should preface these thoughts by saying that they're heavily influenced by the first few chapters of N.T Wright's New Testament and the People of God.) All historians have an agenda. "Agenda" is really just a pejorative term for "point of view." Since all historians are writing from a particular worldview, all historians have a particular, subjective point of view. History, then, is presenting a story about the past from your point of view and using the available information to support your story. If your story of the past can make more sense of the available information than the next guy's story, others are more likely accept your story. All of our stories have an agenda or a point to them. Even the professor who's goal is to simply publish "objective" history accepts the agenda of Enlightenment rationalism which places confidence in man's ability to remove himself from his own subjectivity and disinterestedly observe history. (Perhaps he is the most endangered by his agenda because he fails to recognize that he has one.) In short, it's impossible to step out of one's worldview to write "objective" history.
What makes one person's explanation of history better than another isn't that one is more "objective" than another. Rather, it is that one story presents a more coherent picture of historical experience than another. As a Christian historian, I'm convinced that history told from a Christian perspective presents the most coherent view of our historical experience. If someone wants to challenge this, they in turn present an alternative story, and this story then interacts with/challenges mine. If it can point out incoherences in my story, then I'll be forced to reevaluate or modify my story.
That's all I can do now, although there's plenty more I could work out if anyone wishes to discuss it.
Labels: Philosophy, Theology
Thursday, October 06, 2005
A Taste
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Casimir Pulaski Day
I made a recording covering Sufjan Stevens' "Casimir Pulaski Day." It was really for my own enjoyment/practice/boredom than for the belief that anyone would want to hear me try to copy a Sufjan song in an unoriginal way. Nonetheless, here it is:
Casimir Pulaski Day
Casimir Pulaski Day
Labels: Music
Search
Blogs
Links
Labels
Last posts
Archives
- November 2004
- December 2004
- January 2005
- February 2005
- March 2005
- April 2005
- May 2005
- June 2005
- July 2005
- August 2005
- September 2005
- October 2005
- November 2005
- December 2005
- January 2006
- February 2006
- March 2006
- April 2006
- May 2006
- June 2006
- July 2006
- November 2006
- December 2006
- January 2007
- February 2007
- March 2007
- April 2007
- May 2007
- September 2007
- October 2007