"Scientifically Based Reading Research" -- Some Thoughts

Recently, as I was reading through a summary of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), I came across the peculiar phrase "scientifically based reading research" and had the following thoughts:

I get concerned when I see phrases like "scientifically based reading research".  Pretty much anything these days can be "scientifically based," as any corporation with the money can fund a "research" study and get results that -- shockingly! -- scientifically validate that the program they have for sale does indeed 'get results'.

In terms of the idea of "reading research," why do we constantly seem to need some new and innovative program to teach students how to read?  Did no one in the history of humanity ever learn to read until these programs were developed, beginning in the 20th century? (Yes, that's a smart-aleck question.)  Whatever happened to the 'old-fashioned' ways of learning to read just by working directly with kids and helping them to do it and to learn to read on their own?  Of course, that kind of old-fashioned method cannot be patented, copyrighted, or sold for a significant profit.  And it also tends to work better in smaller class-size situations where one-on-one instruction is more feasible, but this of course would mean that money must be spent on actually hiring more teachers and not on the latest fad-of-the-month/year program.

"Scientifically based reading research" -- Savior or Snake Oil?

Kindle Content Distribution via the Kindle Web Browser

For anyone interested in making their own content / ebooks / documents downloadable directly on the Kindle through the Kindle web browser, try the 4-step method I used for my Catholic Resources for Kindle project:

1. Convert content / ebooks / documents into the Kindle-friendly MOBI format using an ebook conversion tool such as the free, open-source Calibre.

-- MOBI (.mobi) = Retains basic formating & images; text is reflowable

-- TXT (.txt) = Plain text only, no formating or images; text is reflowable

-- PDF (.pdf) = Maintains exact layout of page text and images, but text is NOT reflowable, and may be too small to read easily on the Kindle screen

[UPDATE 29-November-2010: The Kindle web browser will only download MOBI files to the Kindle device, and will save them on the device as an ebook.  TXT files will be displayed in the browser, and not saved to the device as an ebook.  PDF files cannot be downloaded at all with the Kindle web browser.]

2. Host your content / ebooks / documents somewhere on the Internet.

A free and easy-to-use solution is the Public folder option at Dropbox.com (Signup here for 2GB of free online file storage):

-- Upload your content to the Public folder (or a sub-folder in the Public folder)

-- Right-click on the uploaded file and select "Copy public link" to get a link/URL directly to that file

-- [Note: You do not need to install the Dropbox software onto your computer in order to use the service.  Dropbox can be used to share files entirely through the web interface.]

3. Link to the location/URL of the content / ebook / document that you have hosted on the Internet.

-- If you are using Dropbox to host your files (see step 2, above) then the link obtained through the "Copy public link" step will be what you use.

-- Collect the links and put them on your webpage, blog, course page, etc. -- anywhere your audience or potential audience may find them directly or through a search engine.

4. Kindle users can download your content / ebooks / documents directly onto their Kindle using the Kindle web browser.

-- Once Kindle users have navigated on the Kindle web browser to your web page with the links to your content, they can follow these simple downloading instructions (from my Catholic Resources for Kindle project):

Instructions for downloading eBook files to your Kindle with the Kindle web browser:
1. In the Kindle web browser, click on the link for the eBook you want to download.
2. Confirm that, "Yes," you want to download the file.

3. Wait for confirmation that the file has been successfully downloaded.

-- [Note: Make sure to test this process yourself on your own Kindle to make sure everything is working.]
-- [Note: I know that this process works for downloading .mobi files, but I have not tested it with .txt or .pdf files.  I suspect that it may not work for .pdf files given the way the Kindle web browser is configured.]


Advantages:
-- You can make your content available directly through an Internet-connected Kindle device, thereby bypassing the need for a computer + USB cable as an intermediate step to copy the files onto the Kindle.
-- Bypasses the Amazon distribution channel, leaving control of content distribution in your own hands.

Disadvantages:
-- Kindle users must manually navigate in the Kindle web browser to the web page with the content links, and then download each file they want onto their Kindle.
-- If you want to control access to your content, such as limiting it only to paying customers or a specific group of people, the method described above won't allow for any such restrictions.


Please leave a Comment if this method works for you, or if you have any useful modifications or suggestions!

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UPDATE (26-JAN-2011): Web Interface for Copying Files to Your Kindle
If you are looking for a personal / private web-based interface for storing ebooks & documents online in order to copy them to your Kindle directly via the Kindle web browser, note that the Dropbox.com (Signup here for 2GB of free online file storage) web interface works well with the Kindle web browser (tested on Kindle 3 / version 3.0.3 software).  The same file type / extension restrictions as listed above in  "1. Convert" apply.

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(Originally Posted: 14-November-2010)

TwitterArchive: Corporate EdReform - Motivations?

TwitterArchive: Corporate EdReform - Motivations? (from 26-November-2010, 28-November-2010):

RT: W/the US DOE's budget on steroids & venture 'philanthropists' dangling $, are we moving towards a nationalized education system? #edchat


Billionaire Boys' Club & #EdReform: What's in it for them? What's their real motivation? /cc @DianeRavitch #edchat #education


Billionaire Boys' Club #EdReform Motivations: Privatization/Profit? Destroying (Teacher) Unions? Nationalization? /cc @DianeRavitch #edchat


[DianeRavitch]
@jmvarner #1 destroy teachers unions (see W4S); #2 private sector always knows best; #3 it's good to be the king (Mel Brooks).


Do #EdReform-ers want real #Education & Learning or just Training for Subservience & Order-taking? /cc @DianeRavitch @TeacherReality #edchat

Movies & TV shows about Teachers & Students

Below is a short list of movies and TV series about teachers and students that I have watched and recommend.  Note that many of these may be difficult to obtain in the US, as they are either International productions or are otherwise not "mainstream" -- but they all have very good messages about education, schooling, teaching, or the social relationships among students. Enjoy!

Movies/TV series about Teachers:

The Class (2008)  (French)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1068646/

High School (1968)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064429/

Please Sir! (TV Series 1968–1972) (United Kingdom)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063941/

Movies/TV series about Students:

Aliens in America (TV Series 2007–2008) (US)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790603/
Episode Summaries: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliens_in_America

For You in Full Blossom (TV Series 2007) (Japanese)
(Original Japanese Title: Hanazakari no Kimitachi e)
(Closing Theme Song -- "Peach": http://youtu.be/47yK8VOHQ0s )

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1067118/

Once Up on a Time in High School (International English title) (Korean)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390205/

Mean Girls (2004) (US)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377092/

"Slumdog Millionaire," Education, and the Standardized Test

The story of the film “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008) is structured as a back-and-forth juxtaposition between the informal, non-standardized “life” learning of the central character and the concept of objective, multiple-choice 'testing' as a criteria for success in an economy characterized by a neo-liberal ideology. The reward for passing this test – which, in the film, is the Indian version of the game show Who Wants to Be A Millionaire – is a literal fortune in cash, enough to raise even the poorest "slumdog" Indian out of poverty and into a life of meaning and value.

Analysis of the film really gets interesting when we ask the following question: What form of education has the greatest capacity for preparing someone (e.g. the film's protagonist) to correctly answer the multiple-choice style “exam” questions that comprise the heart of Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? Is it a focused program of formal study of the types of material likely to come up on the exam/game show? Not in the case of the film, which suggests that the life story, or "life learning" of the main character -- the formative experiences that he had throughout his childhood and teenage years -- had a powerful impact on how he learned to make meaning of the world as he experienced it in the flashback scenes. It is these "life learned" meanings that, at crucial moments (such as the unlikely scenario of being a contestant on a game show!) are what we will remember and what will best equip us to deal with the situations of life that we face as these situation arise. Our formal educational experiences (as with those of the young protagonist and his brother, briefly depicted in the film) are often memorable for the sense of incompleteness, confusion, and unanswered questions that they leave behind (e.g. "What is the name of the third Musketeer?").

An additional message can also be found in a careful analysis of “Slumdog Millionaire,” regarding the role of motivation and reward in relation to high-stakes standardized testing (which, in the film, is represented by the questions on the game show, and the million-dollar prize that is at stake for answering them all correctly). The “reward” offered for answering the questions correctly – in both the game show and, in big-picture terms, (arguably and ultimately) with high-stakes standardized testing in our schools – is material comfort through financial security in an economic system dominated by the need to have monetary resources to represent one's value to society. The film's protagonist, however, in addition to having a radically different form of 'exam preparation' (as discussed above), also has a radically different motivation for wanting to take the exam (i.e. participate in the game show) and to progress as far as he can and answer correctly as many questions as possible. His motivation is not the financial security represented by the reward offered in the game show's title. Rather, the protagonist's motivation transcends the immediate reward structure of the game show, replacing it with and using it as a vehicle for reaching a more personal, and more 'human' goal -- reaching out to a long-lost lover. In this regard, he subverts the formal, stated objectives of the game show/high-stakes standardized test, and uses the structure and “space” that the game show offers as a platform for acting on his own values and internal motivations.

Question for Reflection and Application: In regards to schooling and high-stakes standardized testing, how can we apply the messages of “Slumdog Millionaire” to our own practice in the field of education?

(Edited and Revised on 14-November-2010)

TwitterArchive: EdReform by the Numbers

TwitterArchive: EdReform by the Numbers (from 10-November-2010):

Business's bottom line=Numbers ($). Corporate #EdReform's bottom line=Numbers (Test Scores). Coincidence? I think not! #edchat @DianeRavitch


.@EdReformPR: If it can't be counted, then it doesn't count! Numbers -- cold, hard numbers, like 17 or 92 -- THAT is the heart of #EdReform!


.@EdReformPR: #EdReform is abt respecting Numbers.If my thermometer reads 43,I don't ask, "Yah, but on what scale?" It's 43,darn it! #edchat


#EdReform is about respecting Numbers: Test scores & data. Bigger = Better. Who wants 1 measly dollar bill when you can have *99* pennies?!

TwitterArchive: "The Social Network" (2010)

TwitterArchive: "The Social Network" (2010) (from 28-October-2010):

#MovieReview: "The Social Network" (2010) [3.5/4] College life. Elitism/$. Real "education". Some great/funny dialog. 3D characters. #movies


After watching "The Social Network," I have more sympathy for Mark Zuckerberg (couldn't stand him b4) &yet even less desire 2 use @Facebook.


"The Social Network" portrays @Facebook as what I ultimately think it is: An unhealthy tool 4 social status competition. #Facebook #college


The rapid growth of @Facebook as depicted in "The Social Network" reminds me of the rapid spread of an infectious virus ("viral"). #Facebook


By opening up @Facebook to virtually everyone, it is no longer the "exclusive" club it's portrayed as in "The Social Network". #Facebook #FB

TwitterArchive: Charter Parenting & Charter Family (Parody)

TwitterArchive: Charter Parenting & Charter Family (Parody) (from 19-October-2010):

#EdChat Friends: Act now & get in on the latest wave of the "charter" mvmnt - Charter Parenting - by opening your own CharterFamily! #parody


Manage a dynamic Charter Parenting operation & implement innovative - not band-aid - solutions (except for w/real booboos)! #edchat #parody


Develop your CharterFam manifesto, hire your team, assert your dominance thru fear,& be on your way to Excellence & Success! #edchat #parody


CharterFamily CEO starting salary: $200k+ | Act NOW to get in on the latest wave of the "charter" mvmnt - Charter Parenting! #edchat #parody

TwitterArchive: EdReform, Bill Gates, & NBC's School Pride

TwitterArchive: EdReform, Bill Gates, & NBC's School Pride (from 16-October-2010):

I'm a little disturbed by the premise of this @NBCSchoolPride TV show -- "Extreme Makeover" meets "Waiting for Superman"? #edchat #education

In re @NBCSchoolPride: School "makeovers" lead to "a renewed sense of school pride & an increase in student achievement scores"? #edchat

Am I missing something, or is this @NBCSchoolPride show trying to make some TV ad revenue off of the #EdReform circus? #edchat #education

Let's follow the money trail 2the sponsors of the @NBCSchoolPride show: Walmart & - wait for it - Microsoft! #edchat #ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmm

Let's be real: I don't know anything abt @BillGates' bio,but was he bullied in school? Would that explain his meddling in #EdReform? #edchat

Seriously, if @BillGates was bullied in school, that could provide motivation for him 2want to "fix" things now that he has $/power. #edchat

I'm not trying to be mean to @BillGates; trying to understand his motivation & why he can't just donate $$ w/o strings attached. #edchat

TwitterArchive: The Sources of EdReform

TwitterArchive: The Sources of EdReform (from 15 October 2010):

Are #EdReform -ers (adults) trying to make their name in #education & forgetting that it is about the young people, not the adults? #edchat

Are so-called #EdReform -ers (Gates,Oprah...) remaking #education to serve adult needs,instead of its real purpose of serving kids? #edchat

In regards to all of the #EdReform initiatives: Did it ever occur to anyone to *ask kids* what they think would improve their educ.? #edchat

In re #EdReform: If non-educator business ppl can be #education experts, then why not also the *kids* who are being educated?! #edchat

#EdReform: If business ppl can B #education experts by nature of their bank accounts,why not students by nature of their experience? #edchat

#EdReform: Are the rich & powerful COLONIZING authentic #education & learning for their own benefit (profit?)? #edchat /cc @DianeRavitch

We need post-"colonization" approaches to #EdReform to take back the issue frm the rich&famous(Gates et al.). Step 1: Student input. #edchat

TwitterArchive: Olaudah Equiano & Slavery

TwitterArchive: Olaudah Equiano & Slavery (from 15 October 2010):

#Reading autobiography of 18th C. African slave Olaudah Equiano ( http://goo.gl/xlgu ), & his vivid descriptions of the horrors of slavery.

Olaudah Equiano on slavery: Slaves "toil for [the] luxury and lust of gain" of their masters. (Full text: http://goo.gl/pp5F ) #p2 #NoAgenda

Olaudah Equiano on slavery: Slaves' "every tender feeling" are "sacrificed to [their masters'] avarice".( http://goo.gl/pp5F ) #p2 #NoAgenda

School Teachers, Morality, and Social Networking: A Reflection on “Moral Spaces in MySpace”

School Teachers, Morality, and Social Networking: A Reflection on “Moral Spaces in MySpace”

In response to:

Foulger et al. (2009). Moral spaces in MySpace: Preservice teaches’ perspectives about ethical issues in social networking. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(1), 1-28.

The topic discussed in this journal article is particularly relevant in terms of the confluence of ethical issues, new social media, and professional expectations. This is an issue that I have a strong opinion about, and my opinion is rooted in the perspective that a teacher (especially a public school teacher) is a professional and therefore subject to a somewhat higher set of expectations than might be in place for the general public.

As an initial comment on the research design of this article, I am a little bit concerned about the sample ratio of female:male – 44:6 – (p. 7). While indeed it is a general trend in higher education in the US to have a majority female student population, the ratio of the sample in this study seems a little too one-sided. As such, it may be more realistic to confine the results of this discussion to the (primarily) 18-25 female undergraduate demographic.

In regards to the general issue of teacher-professional's (pre-service or otherwise) use of social media and the issue of privacy, it needs to be noted that traditional understandings of privacy do not apply in a digital world designed around an architecture that by its very nature is intended to support the wide distribution of information (text, images, video, etc.). Also, as we are all aware of from stories of media piracy over the Internet, within the digital realm, nothing “stays put”. The basic ability to make perfect 1-for-1 copies of any digital information (text, images, video, etc.) means that once someone places something “out there” in the digital realm, it is practically impossible to know who will create their own copy of it, where they will place that copy, and what other things they might do with it. [If you're not convinced, log into your Facebook account and find the most embarrassing photo of a friend that you can locate. Then Right-click and “Save-As” that image. It is now yours and you can do with it as you wish.]

The notion of teacher-as-professional is a broader issue than cannot be fully discussed here, but if one accepts that a teacher is a professional and therefore subject to a different, stricter set of standards (including moral standards), then the preceding paragraph should offer a substantial body of reasoning for why teacher-professionals should be especially careful in the digital realm (including, but not limited to, social networking services).

As for myself, I recently abandoned and deactivated my personal Facebook account. Although – given what has been said above – I was always very careful as to what I posted, it eventually became more trouble than it was worth, and I decided to walk away from it. I do, however, use Twitter as a primarily professional (and partially personal) tool to communicate and interact with others. The difference with Twitter, from my perspective, is that whereas with Facebook and MySpace there is a sense of privacy (false, in my opinion), with Twitter, everything is available publicly to anyone, even those who do not have a Twitter account.

Fixing Audio Issues with Skype 2.1 for Linux

Problem:

* Massive audio delay (several seconds) / lag with Skype 2.1 (beta) for Linux

* Echo problem / echo cancellation not working

* Recording/microphone not working

My Setup:

* Ubuntu 9.04 (Netbook Remix)
* Acer Aspire One Netbook

* Static version of Skype 2.1 (beta) for Linux from Skype.com [2.1.0.81]

My simple fix / work-around - Initial steps:

- Install package: 'padevchooser'

- Run [from Sound & Video]: 'PulseAudio Device Chooser'

- Run [from Sound & Video]: 'PulseAudio Volume Control'

-----

- Verify settings: 'PulseAudio Volume Control' > 'Input Devices' tab > 'HDA Intel - ALC268 Analog'

* Channels unlocked/unlinked; Front Left @ 0%; Front Right @ ~99%

* Volume Meter should move to register sound levels being picked up live by microphone

-----

- Run: 'Skype 2.1 (beta)'

-----

- Verify settings: 'Skype 2.1 (beta)' > 'Options' > 'Sound Devices'

* 'Microphone' & 'Speakers' & 'Ringing' = 'PulseAudio server (local)'

* 'Allow Skype to automatically adjust my mixer levels' = Deselected/Off

-----

- Skype should now work as expected:

* Recording/microphone working

* No echo problem / echo cancellation working

* No noticeable audio delays/lag (not including delays due to poor network conditions)

Normal sequence for using Skype after following the above "Initial steps":

- Run [from Sound & Video]: 'PulseAudio Device Chooser'

- Run [from Sound & Video]: 'PulseAudio Volume Control'

- Run: 'Skype 2.1 (beta)'

Comments:

* Verifying the above settings under 'PulseAudio Volume Control' seems to make recording/microphone work as expected

* Preventing Skype from mucking with mixer settings should leave the desired 'PulseAudio Volume Control' settings unaltered

* When 'PulseAudio Device Chooser' & 'PulseAudio Volume Control' are running, one / both (neither / background process related to installing 'padevchooser' package?) solve the audio delays/lag

* While not fully understood, and potential for redundancy does exist, the relatively simple-to-implement solution of running the two PulseAudio utilities along with Skype offers an easy way to solve the maddening issues that made Skype practically unusable

To Do:

* Work out a solution to allow audio recording of live Skype conversations with Audacity

[Last modified: 9 June 2010]

Bibliography: Education & Society

A short list of resources on Education & Society:

Dewey, John. (1938). Experience and education. New York: Collier Books.

Freire, Paulo. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed. (M.B. Ramos, Trans.). New York: Continuum.

Gatto, John Taylor. (2009). Weapons of mass instruction: A schoolteacher's journey through the dark world of compulsory schooling. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers.

Holt, John C. (1981). Teach your own: A hopeful path for education. New York: Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence.

Illich, Ivan. (1971). Deschooling society. New York: Harper & Row.
[Full text available online in HTML and PDF formats.]

Parsons, Talcott. (1959). The School Class as a Social System: Some of Its Functions in American Society. Harvard Educational Review, 29(4): 297-318.

Reimer, Everett. (1972). School is dead: Alternatives in education. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books.

See also: Other books by John Taylor Gatto and John C. Holt.

TwitterArchive: Kevin Acklin's "Public Safety Plan"

In response to Pittsburgh mayoral candidate Kevin Acklin's "Public Safety Plan":

@KevinAcklin: Not comfortable w/all the emphasis you place on beefing up police forces. People = Center of community; Police = Derivative

@KevinAcklin: Your "Public Safety Plan" has a confused understanding of the role of police in society. >

@KevinAcklin: > RE "Public Safety Plan": Protect neighborhoods by investing in their people, w/jobs, community resources. >

@KevinAcklin: > RE "Public Safety Plan": Police can do nothing to *build* neighborhoods/community; only react to failures/breakdowns. >

@KevinAcklin: Sorry, but I think your ideology RE [role/function of] police [in society] is backwards. [...]

TwitterArchive: "Why I Hate Barack Obama" "pastor" Steven L. Anderson

AUDIO: "Pastor" Steven L. Anderson abuses the #Christian gospel to promote his gospel of #hate: http://is.gd/2GBh4 #p2 #topprog #rebelleft

Should the "Faithful Word Baptist Church" in Tempe, AZ have tax-exempt status? http://is.gd/2GBh4 #p2 #topprog #rebelleft #tcot #hate #fear

Should #p2 #topprog start a vers. of @mmfa 2monitor "right-wing terrorist" propaganda "preached" in so-called "churches"? http://is.gd/2GBh4

Audio (MP3) of more "sermons" from "Why I Hate Barack Obama" "pastor" Steven L Anderson: http://is.gd/2GCc5 #p2 #topprog #rebelleft #hate

Police narrative of strange behaviour leading to arrest of "Why I Hate Barack Obama" "pastor" Steven L Anderson: http://is.gd/2GCrM #p2

Twitter account for "Why I Hate Barack Obama" "pastor" Steven L Anderson = @sanderson1611 #p2 #topprog #rebelleft

"Why I Hate Barack Obama" "pastor" Steven L Anderson attempts to Biblically justify his #hate speech: http://is.gd/2GCGA #p2 #topprog

Bio for "Why I Hate Barack Obama" "pastor" Steven L Anderson: http://is.gd/2GCRE #p2 #topprog #rebelleft

More insight into the ideology of "Why I Hate Barack Obama" "pastor" Steven L Anderson, via his essays: http://is.gd/2GD7G #p2 #topprog

VIDEO: #MSNBC discussion of "Why I Hate Barack Obama" "pastor" Steven L Anderson: fomenting terrorism? http://is.gd/2GDqo #p2 #topprog

It's amazing just how much info on "Why I Hate Barack Obama" "pastor" Steven L Anderson is provided by him on his own website/etc accts! #p2

All persons of faith, regardless of what that faith is, should be disgusted by attempts to misuse religious doctrine 4 personal agendas #p2

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RT @sanderson1611: Check this video out -- Pastor Wants #Obama To Die Of Brain Cancer: "Like #TedKennedy" http://bit.ly/tLWCI #p2 #topprog

Video: This past Sunday was "Bring your gun to church day" at Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, AZ. Watch: http://bit.ly/tLWCI #tcot

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RT @CelluloidBlonde: [...] Homophobic/Obamaphobic Pastor Steven L Anderson facing poverty as clients flee http://is.gd/30AP0

RE "Pastor" Stephen L Anderson: The real loosers in his #hate filled, anti- #Christian rants? His wife & children. #p2 @sanderson1611

RE "Pastor" Stephen L Anderson: Tempe, AZ folks: Pls step in & make sure his wife/children don't suffer. Donate food, etc #p2 @sanderson1611

#Tempe, #AZ #p2 #topprog: Pls donate food/clothing 4 wife/children of "pastor" Anderson-Don't let them suffer 4 his hate. http://is.gd/31czw

"Towards a Philosophical Understanding of the 'Birther' and 'Deather' Movements"

Like many Americans tuned into current political debates, I have been attempting to figure out just what is going on behind the “Birther” and “Deather” movements. It was Sarah Palin's recent Facebook comments, however, that finally provided some breakthrough inspiration as to the reality behind both movements:

Sarah Palin: “The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's 'death panel' so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their 'level of productivity in society,' whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil...”

Ms. Palin's comments contribute directly to building up the “Deather” movement, and provided inspiration for the following working definition:

"Deathers"

Definition: Factually deficient, fear-mongering "critics" who "criticize" imagined things that don't exist in reality; things that only exist in a conjured-up fantasy realm of abstract emotions. Statements are usually delivered through the spoken word, on radio or television. These statements from the Deather movement are laden with an ontological / existential weight of fear/terror/angst, but are devoid of any epistemically rooted 'facts,' as facts are commonly understood. Deathers often confuse statements saturated with the emotion of fear as being "the truth" – a failure to distinguish between an ontological / existential notion of "truth" (i.e. “it's true because it feels so true”) and an epistemic notion (i.e. evidence is available to support a claim).

While on the subject of definitions, let's also put on the table a working definition of the “Birther” movement:

"Birthers"

Definition: People who cannot / refuse to accept that a person with a multi-faceted personality and a multi-positional identity (Barack Obama) could actually rise to a position of prominence and power in their conception of the United States of America. The president is the political leader of America; they are Americans; but yet they cannot accept a Barack Obama as a leader – their leader. The reality of the President's identity threatens the deep rooted (but out of touch with the contemporary world) individual and collective identities of the Birthers. The resultant cognitive dissonance is too much to maintain; the only options for moving forward are to either assimilate or deny the identity of Obama. Birthers, by definition, choose to deny the reality of Barack Obama as president by denying the validity of one of the most basic facts of his identity, his place of birth, which Birthers claim is not America. This, in a subjective sense, is true, for the Birthers' abstract, idealized, and – dare I say – 'bleached' concept of America could not possibly have a President Barack Obama as its native son. However, a substantial degree of disconnect exists between Birthers' subjective conceptualization of "America" and concrete historical and geographical fact.

(Note: The term 'bleached' as used above does not exclusively refer to skin color or race. Rather, it refers to an idealized conception [of something] that is impoverished, deficient, blanched, non-holistic, and selectively reduced from the thing as it exists in the fullness of its reality.)

How do these working definitions help us to deal with the reality of the “Birther” and “Deather” movements as we encounter them in current political debate? My initial response is to charitably consider Birthers and Deathers as people in need of further development through gentle yet increasing exposure to epistemically-grounded facts and the reality of America as it exists today. On the other hand, however, I am reminded of another small, yet significant fact connected to the reality of life in contemporary – and historical – America: Some Americans possess weapons. As a subset of America, some adherents to the Birther and Deather movements also, naturally (and legally) possess weapons. My concern is that the constant drum beat artificially (re)produced by the voices on corporate talk radio and cable talking-head shows might unnaturally contribute to the over-inflation of the emotional state of some Birthers and Deathers – particularly those in possession of weapons. A new question now arises: Should these voices on radio and television be held morally and legally accountable for any role they play in pushing a Birther or Deather “over the edge,” into violent action?

A healthy, functioning democracy requires open discourse of epistemically-grounded ideas, not endless shouts of fear-inducing 'preaching to the choir'. Fear and anger, as emotions, are things experienced by all of us. But as we know, for healthy adults, fear and anger usually run their course and then subside. My concern is that the constant chatter of voices (and notice that it primarily is “voice” – spoken on radio and cable TV – rather than the printed word) from the corporately-funded mouthpieces on the self-proclaimed “conservative right” daily (re)produce and maintain a state of perpetual fear and anger in Birthers and Deathers. No person can live in a state of constant fear and anger without eventually suffering serious psychological and emotional consequences. So we must ask: Are these voices, through the amplification of their media megaphones, responsible for committing mass emotional and psychological abuse, on a scale of which has never been seen before?

It is not enough to merely sit back and, in a detached way, analyze the philosophical aspects of the Birther and Deather movements. If the extent to which each of these movements exists is a result of mass media inflicted abuse, do we not have a responsibility to intervene in healthy and helpful ways? The wide-spread presence of this type of abuse in our society is not healthy for any of us.

So what healthy and helpful methods of intervention exist? A top-down, end-product focused, extreme version of a “Fairness Doctrine” that determines who can speak on the airwaves and what they can and cannot say? I would reject such a notion, for its potential for abuse is far too great. Rather, a different approach might be found in bottom-up, process oriented critical media education. All “consumers” of media messages should have some background in deciphering the content and broader context of the messages that are delivered to their ears (and eyes), and an ability to sort out messages of dubious validity. Let me be absolutely clear: this is not about telling people what to think; that would be an end-product (the “what”) centered approach. Rather, this type of approach would center on educating people in healthy, constructive, and well-rounded means of how to think (the “how” is the procedural aspect). The end goal would be to equip each individual person with a means of understanding and interpreting the fullness of meanings behind messages that appear very (emotionally) appealing on the surface. People would, in a sense, be “inoculated” from the direct reception of the fear contagion as it is transmitted through mass media mouthpieces.

In sum, the existence of the Birther and Deather movements can be understood in educational terms as the result of a mass media delivered pedagogy centered on the (re)creation of perpetual emotional states in its 'students'. It is only fitting, then, that an alternative educational approach be offered as a more healthy way forward.

TwitterArchive: Twitter #Healthcare #Debate Guidelines from August 5-6, 2009

#Healthcare #Debate: 1. If you're going to call someone an 'idiot' for linking to something, be sure to actually read the link 1st.

#Healthcare #Debate: 2. Calling someone an 'idiot' might be a sign that your emotions are ruling your reason. Stop, relax, tweet.

#Healthcare #Debate: 3. Insulting someone & then blocking them when called on it is passive-aggressive #bullying. Go to bed w/o supper.

#Healthcare #Debate: 4. Mocking these guidelines is a sure sign that they hit their intended mark. Fire away #patriot.

#Healthcare #Debate: 5. Consider the #Aristotelian components of #ethos, #pathos, & #logos when debating. Refresher: http://is.gd/25zEu

TwitterArchive: Breaking #Birther News from August 5, 2009

Breaking #Birther News: Jesus not valid Jewish Messiah b/c Father not an Israelite. Petition made to BV Mary for birth certificate.

Breaking #Birther News: Presidential numbering system skewed from the beginning: G. Washington not born in the United States of America.

Breaking #Birther News: #Birthers responsible for partial abortion of #democracy at town hall meetings. #satire #gop #hcr #healthcare

Breaking #Birther News: #Birthers anxious to see Joe Biden sworn in as President. #satire #updatedfromoriginal

Breaking #Birther News: #Birthers theme song: |Bing Crosby - Mele Kalikimaka| VS |Baltimora - Tarzan Boy| VOTE NOW! #satire #music

Breaking #Birther News: #Birthers theme song: |Toto - Africa| VS |Gloria Gaynor - I Am What I Am| VOTE NOW! #satire #music

Breaking #Birther News: #Birthers urban theme song: |Dolla ft T Pain & Akon - Who The F- Is That?| VS |Beenie Man - Who Am I?| #satire

TwitterArchive: #FakeNews from August 5, 2009

#FakeNews: European billionaires visit US on fact-finding mission 4 adopting American for-profit insurance-based #healthcare sys. #satire

#FakeNews: For-profit hospitals feat. new version of #Bible in patient rooms, inc. passages from Malthus, H. Spencer. #satire #updated

#FakeNews: New #GOP #healthcare #HCR plan: Free iTunes download of "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House for every American. #satire