From Katie Drummond article:
The $10 billion donation is being lauded by the international community, but a 2007 investigation by the Los Angeles Times concluded that the Gates' international medical aid was actually putting children at risk. At the time, efforts to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria led to highly specialized medical training and a subsequent shortage of basic-care doctors. In turn, more children died of common ailments like sepsis and diarrhea.

The disproportionate focus on certain illnesses has also meant that resources were diverted away from basic needs, like clean water and food, which, ironically, are necessary for the proper digestion of AIDS medications provided by the foundation's dollars.

And while there's no doubt that more money, and more attention, are fundamentally important in saving the lives of vulnerable children, health experts have cautioned against over-celebrating large-scale donations like this one. Source: Katie Drummond

We are living in a phenomenal age. If we can spend the early decades of the 21st century finding approaches that meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate profits and recognition for business, we will have found a sustainable way to reduce poverty in the world. – Bill Gates in his speech on “Creative Capitalism.”

This is interesting. I awakened to no music. But sitting on my desk this morning was a message that was left by one of my Master Teachers that simply has the title of the song Hey World by Michael Franti, FrantiV Haiti Version. He had apparently given it to Rainbow Princess again, which he does every so often. So this is the primary song for today. I will look it up right now, since I have never heard it before. It should be noted that the quotation for today from Joe's book correlates highly with the song (according to my teachers and as confirmed by my own analysis).

Oh, and about the Black-Eyed Peas, their song "Meet Me Half Way" and how the award was given to them and then taken away, which I discussed the other day: According to my teachers, that was all rigged. There is method behind the madness, so to speak. It is a very common tactic of those in power. In fact, their protocols call for it. Think about it. In fact think about it in terms of epistemology (knowledge), power, control, and the desire to keep us all (at the bottom) from being happy and self-sufficient -- and stuck at the bottom.

Reminder: As I have been mentioning for the last few days, my Master Teachers have asked me to take a turn in my blogs (but not a postmodern turn). So ,today  is the first day of the new format.

The Golden Chalice Award Goes To . . .

The Black Eyed Peas for winning the award for the best international group at the NRJ Music Awards Show in France and for their stellar performance! I just love this song!


Meet Me Halfway 

The Raspberry Award Goes To . . .

Vanessa’s Inbox

I’m still waiting to hear about Obama's investigation into universities that hold students’ financial aid until mid-semester or later. This is causing extreme hardship for far too many students and there is no viable justification for doing this. Some universities are even lying to students about their reasons for holding the money so long. Some heads will be rolling on this one (that means some people will be getting fired).

Joe’s Advice, Oracle-Style

  

   

      

      

      

Today finally begins the trek down Blues Highway 61.

My teachers informed me once again that we will be taking a major turn and that it will not be a “postmodern turn,” whatever that means. I have never been able to figure out what postmodernism really is, even though I have done a lot of reading about it. I suppose if there were ever to be a word that might gain a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for obfuscation, postmodernism would win. It is so curious to me why people argue, vehemently even, back and forth about it. I think Joe really cleared things up, though, in his book, Toward a Critical Politics of Teacher Thinking: Mapping the Postmodern. Apparently, we can all pick and choose whichever attributes of postmodernism fit our agenda. And of course, for Joe that always related to exposing power and alleviating suffering (whereas for others it means exerting their power and authority). Anyway, in light of this turn, for which I have no clues for the time being as to what this signifies, the song v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n was provided to me when I awakened this morning, as a representation of what is in store after the Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt winds down. The symbolism in the video is relevant and something that will be addressed in the near future. Somehow, I do not believe that my teachers are implying a vacation in the literal sense, given that they have been known to be “Hermes tricksters” but always in a very good and fun way, not like the evil Hermes trickster. It must be quite a major turn, however, since they deemed an early “warning” or preparation was needed. It sounds like we need to prepare for FUN, though, on a grand scale, given the songs for today.

v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n (originally by Connie Francis)

 

The second song provided today is interesting. The teachers ended our conversation with “have a good one.” I think the musicians in the second video are very creative in a “have a good time” sort of way. It’s too bad that so many of us in the United States are so uptight that we don’t know a good time when we see it. As Joe stressed over and over again, we really need to expose ourselves to “difference.” He wrote some really interesting articles about the power of difference. It really can open our minds up to amazing possibilities. Unfortunately, for some people the process is painful, especially if they have to give up their position of power, authority, and all of the authoritarianism that goes along with it (see yesterday’s blog about the how authoritarianism contributes to a fascist society) -- and that’s why the trip down Blues Highway 61 and Joe’s Blue Knowledge is needed at this particular juncture, apparently. Somehow it is supposed to help alleviate the suffering.

Myself, I rejoice in difference because it releases the pain for most of us. We already know how to travel down that Blues Highway 61 pretty well, although there is always room for improvement for us all. We know that when difference is celebrated we are all free to be who we wish to be and are no longer restricted by how others attempt to define us. Honoring difference helps us all learn to be more creative, loving human beings. Fully embracing difference is when we can really party, celebrate, and “have a good one” as was the message from my master teachers this morning. And as Joe stated in Critical Constructivism, "The world must change so that we can enter into new egalitarian and eroticized relationships where we can 'sock it to one another'" (p. 164).

Polysics – Pretty Good “Have a Good One”



That’s it for today. I am still wondering about all of the other music provided by one of my master teachers back on the January 16, 2010 blog. Here is the list of songs again:

Horse with no name (December 28, 3-4 PM)
How Great Thou Art (December 30, 5:30 PM)
16 Candles (December 31, 5:20 PM)
Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash (December 31, 5:25 PM)
Little Brown Church/Church in the Wildwood by Dolly Parton (January 2, 5:25 PM)
Lovely Hula Hands (January 2, 6:57 PM) Here's one version.
Hawaiian Wedding Song (January 2, 9:16 PM)
Alexander’s Ragtime Band (there are 12 versions!) (January 5, 5:27 PM)
Chatanooga Choo Choo (January 5, 10:46 PM)

The teacher who provided those songs had said that Burning Ring of Fire had a special clue just for me – I should have realized it was a warning…oh well. Only the highlighted songs have been used so far. We will see what the rest of this treasure hunt brings.

Have a good one,
Vanessa

PS Due to the virulent verbal attacks lately, my master teachers have told me to abandon the Public Service Outreach Announcements (PSOAs) on Sundays for the time being. These will all be provided in a different format sometime in the future when people are more receptive.

I keep hoping (and dreaming) that I can move on down the road – the Blues Highway 61, that is – where I can partake in that great Blue Knowledge of Joe’s and enjoy the scenery and good music. But no, the flames keep getting higher, it seems, and I keep hearing that damn song, Burning Ring of Fire!

Then I had some really bad news this morning from my Master Teachers. Seems I was making the wrong choice when I left behind my transportation – what they called the “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” but really turned out to be a Volkswagon, which I do not care for at all. They told me that “beggars can’t be choosers.” Yeah, I have heard that one a lot. Oh well, it’s better than walking. The saddest thing about having to take the Chattanooga Choo Choo is that, as I said before, Joe’s dog, Celtic, which we had picked up for comfort and company for the trip during that K12 research project we did a while back, is just too big to ride in a Volkswagon. So we had to drop him off.

So, it’s just me and the “poor boy” on his way home to the House of the Rising Sun. We are traveling down Highway 61 from Memphis, Tennessee to New Orleans where his home is, at least according to the song. I have no clue what we will find on this trip and I still don’t know who or what the “Deep Blue Mariner” is, but oh well. I get my instructions and I just follow along.

I had a rather strange set of instructions from my teachers. I was told about some various people, like Einstein who was ridiculed, Wilhelm Reich, who was a great scientist who discovered “life force energy” and did some great research but was put in prison for what he had discovered (I think until he died – and now what happens? Some other “scientists” have confirmed his findings and are taking the credit for it), and there was a Ralph Emerson and many people called him a “crazy poet” because they did not understand his beautiful work, and Michael Jackson, of course, who the media picked on remorselessly. I was told, “I’m just reminding you of these things because we are at a choice point in history where we can either continue to kowtow to such frivolity or we stand up and make it through the flames, extinguishing them behind us so that others who follow do not run up against the same firestorms.” Well, I’m not sure what that means except that it probably means I just need to remember I am not alone and should move on down the road.

What do Albert Einstein and Walt Disney have in common?

Oh, this was cool. Right along with all of that, I got this email that asked the question, What do Albert Einstein and Walt Disney have in common? So of course, I had to read it, because I love Albert Einstein and Disneyland (which I have actually had the good fortune to visit twice, although I know for many people it is only a dream) and here’s what it said:

He [Einstein] didn't start speaking until he was 4 years old and his teachers
labeled him as a "daydreamer".

Walt Disney had been bankrupt 7 times before he saw his vision
of Disneyland come to life. Despite his financial stress he would
walk around that Orange Grove and see his vision very clearly.

There was this video along with it that talks about mind movies and using them to manifest things. It seems that some people use movies and music and visualization to make their dreams come true. Oh, yes! Einstein saw in visions and music. He had commented once that if he had not been a scientist, he would have been a musician because everything comes to him in music. That’s interesting and it sure seems a lot like Joe given that he has music in all of his work. It got me to thinking, well…that’s exactly what I am doing with my blogs! There is something going on here. I do not understand it quite yet, but it’s been very good -- at least until the firestorms all started. If you read my blogs (but step out or your “one true reality” fidurodian mind when you read them and separate dreams from fiction from fact, if you are able), it is quite clear that I have “manifested” many great things. I can honestly and truly say that since I started these “treasure hunts” and documenting them, I have “manifested” some incredibly amazing things and my life has never been so rich and fulfilling, NEVER. And I have never been happier. Yes, I think if I can get through the firestorms this could be an incredible phenomenological study.

Here is the video about visualization: video. Perhaps readers can benefit from this and come up with their own idiosyncratic method of creating that will help them manifest their dreams. Joe’s theory also backs up all of this. If you are allowed to use his blue knowledge – and now I see why so many people call it “crazy wisdom” (Critical Constructivism), it opens up the doors to creating the life of your dreams. As they say, if you can dream it up, you can make it happen. For some people, making mindmovies is what makes it happen. But first things first. You have to abandon the whole notion of authoritarianism which can only lead to fascism and cause so many people horrendous suffering. People need to be free. Everyone.

Don’t You Just Hate Filling Out those Online Forms?

I finally decided to “bag” putting in job applications online. They go on for page after page. And then what happens after you submit them? Absolutely nothing. You never hear anything back. So I have decided to just copy and mail resumes. My god, I need to get work. I am not supposed to worry about that, though, so I will try not to. I guess if Walt Disney could file bankruptcy seven times, it is no big deal if I end up having to emulate him. Maybe I should bag all of my debts.

I learned another thing that might be helpful for other people at the bottom of the ladder like I am who are trying to find work. I learned this because it really is just like Joe said, “It’s who you know,” when it comes to getting a good job. We just have to take what we can get. Well, you know how they tell you to go to all this trouble of including a cover letter addressed to the exact person? You don’t need to do that. It is so much work, so if you don’t already know somebody, then just throw your resumes in envelopes and shoot them into the mail. You don’t even need to address it to someone. Why? Because almost all jobs you are gonna get (unless you know someone) will be jobs that are working for the “boss man” if you know what I mean. They want someone smart enough to be able to write a resume but not so smart that they really know how to do it all. So, if they see that you have left out these big pieces to a job application, you’re "dumb enough" for them and they are assured you will follow their every order. (Of course, we know better.)

That’s it for today, I guess. I feel like there is something else I need to say, but I don’t know what, considering all of the firestorms. I can totally understand why people would chose to speak through music, codes, and secret messages. I think I want to learn how to do that. Believe me, in my experience, it can be very painful to be stifled from free expression. Maybe Joe just put all that stuff in his books for fun; maybe he was showing us how to do it. He wanted to make learning fun for everyone. God, I hope me and the “poor boy” can finally get on the road for real tomorrow with Joe’s Blue Knowledge. Joe’s work really does provide a way out of all of this mess. It can free us all.

As usual, a song was provided by my Master Teachers. This time just in words, “Keep your hand in mine.” And once again, when I searched it on YouTube, I just took the first song that came to the top, because that is how they plan it, evidently. As I mentioned a blog or two back, they do try to present a wide variety of music.

This is good news: Internet Freedom

Have a good day,
Vanessa

Keep Your Hand In Mine

I'm sorry: I was told by one of my readers that this video is a little "dark" and honestly, I did not pick it out and I really have not even watched it. I just go along with my teachers on these things. I do know that it is some sort of game that a lot of people play and that it has a happy ending.



PS I decided to add this one last song about love. We can only make this world a better place through LOVE. Joe said it over and over again in is his work. Paulo Freire said it over and over again in his work. Joe tried hard to make it all happen. I just pray that enough people read his work and really put it into action and everyone works together to make a difference.

He did say in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction that this book would change the world. I believe in him.

Journey of Love

Oh, wow. My favorite Master Teacher reminded me that the other day he gave another Master Teacher NINE songs for me----OHHH! NINE, I GET it! OMG! (I will explain that later). Anyway, this other Master Teacher gave me the nine songs the other day and she said she had to work for hours looking up these songs for me on Google and You Tube to make sure she was giving the right songs. So last night my favorite teacher who had given her the songs reminded me I am supposed to do something with these songs. The only thing I can figure out is that they have SOMETHING (but I don’t know what) to do with this BLUE MARINER REAPS THE SOUL SURPRISE Treasure Hunt.

He told me last night he wants the song, "Ring of Fire" posted, and then this morning, he added "The Little Brown Church in the Wildwood" out of the bunch to be posted. "Ring of Fire" is supposed to have a special clue just for me….I have NOT figured it out. I think I am beginning to figure out the Little Brown Church clue, though. If you notice in the photo above, (which I took last October) and which he also asked me to post at this time, there is a "Paradise Cowboy Church." There is something goin' on here with churches and weddings and paradise...I have learned to be patient, though. It will all make sense soon enough! I wonder who the Paradise Cowboy is?

Here's Burning Ring of Fire. Normally, I don’t care much for country and western music, but I do like this song, especially with Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson singing together, so here it is:

Burning Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson

 

And here is the list of the songs and what I know about them so far, which isn’t much. Looks like I have a LOT of work to do here to figure out how ALL of the SONGS tie into this treasure hunt. I hope I don’t run out of time here. JANUARY 28 IS A VERY, VERY SPECIAL DATE for me and my favorite Master Teacher. I just hope he has something very ROYAL (blue, get it?) planned for January 28 or I will be VERY, VERY disappointed. Well, that’s personal life; I guess I shouldn’t be discussing that here. You know how guys are, at least most of them; dates for anything just don’t really matter to them all that much. OMG!!! I cannot believe I am stereotyping like this. I hope the heavens will forgive me. Seriously, I do not ever want to stereotype….my FIDURODian mind took over for just a moment. Glad I caught that, though. It happens to the best of us.

Here are the songs – and she even gave me the dates and times she received the messages:

Horse with no name (December 28, 3-4 PM)
How Great Thou Art (December 30, 5:30 PM)
16 Candles (December 31, 5:20 PM)
Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash (December 31, 5:25 PM)
Little Brown Church/Church in the Wildwood by Dolly Parton (January 2, 5:25 PM)
Lovely Hula Hands (January 2, 6:57 PM) Here's one version.
Hawaiian Wedding Song (January 2, 9:16 PM)
Alexander’s Ragtime Band (there are 12 versions!) (January 5, 5:27 PM)
Chatanooga Choo Choo (January 5, 10:46 PM)

She provided more information about How Great Thou Art being written by Carl Roberts or someone, 1859-1940. There was also a little more information about The Little Brown Church. There is a lovely story that goes along with it that dates back to 1857 and there is a REAL Little Brown Church on Highway 346 in Nashua, Iowa. William Pitts, who was a school teacher had a vision that there was a brown church in a particular place in Iowa. He left for a long time and when he came back, the church was being built right where he had envisioned it being. There is more to the story on this website my teacher gave me, which I will have to look at www.littlebrownchurch.org. Unfortunately, I did not get all of the information from this particular Master Teacher, so for now I am on my own to figure all of this out. There is one thing significant that I do know. When I was very young, I attended the white church shown in the picture above with my grandparents. This church is in Kings Valley and I took the picture when I was on the Kings Valley Treasure Hunt. We used to sing "The Little Brown Church" almost every Sunday and it was one of my favorite songs…."Oh, come, come, come, oh come to the church in the wildwood, Come to the church in the dale…no place is so dear to my childhood, as the little brown church in the vale."

Church in the Wildwood – Dolly Parton



It is interesting that another HIGHWAY appears in this treasure hunt, this time Highway 346. ANOTHER HIGHWAY? Yes, I do hope that BY NOW you have figured out the SONG in Joe’s book, Critical Constructivism, Chapter Five. It is HIGHWAY 61, Revisited by Bob Dylan. I wonder what’s with all of the Highways. I will get back to it on Monday. Today is Saturday and I have a feeling I am going to have a busy day. And then Sunday, of course, as always, there will be a Public Service Outreach Announcement (PSOA) that will, hopefully set some more people “free.” That was just one of the goals of this treasure hunt, as reported at the beginning. Something about “the truth shall set you free.” Seems that I talked about TRUTH just yesterday….many pieces to this puzzle, can they all fit together?

Well, have a good day and try to figure out where HIGHWAY 61 gets us --  more importantly, where can it get that poor boy returning to The House of the Rising Sun?
Vanessa

P.S. THIS IS EXCITING!!! This morning – just now, in fact, my favorite Master Teacher told me that there are too many people out there who are on the “wrong tracks.” Much of the work they are doing will be obsolete before it even gets done. He said that he and the “gang” are busy trying to steer people in the right direction. (See the end of this blog for what is meant by the gang).  PLUS he said to tell everyone that there’s a new girl in town and that she’s a “critical complex epistemologist” (lol). WhatEVER does it mean? Well, you can take that with a “grain of salt” if you wish or “for what it’s worth.” At least it made me feel good to say that, lol. Have a wonderful day.

I know I have been promising to get to Joe’s BLUE KNOWLEDGE and discuss a way out of this crazy hermeneutic circle. If you remember, the lesson on hermeneutics during the NEW Quest for the Golden Keys Treasure Hunt explained that we might keep spinning in circles if we did not look for ways out. (if you don’t remember or are new, please review that treasure hunt, beginning here.) As I had discussed, Joe’s theory gives us the key to getting us out gracefully by having us look for pathways that will result in the alleviation of human suffering – and if we are vigilant, we can find multiple pathways. There are always multiple pathways, and they become clear once you start spinning a bit in the circle. Of course, you don’t want to make yourself dizzy. In this case, we have been spinning around in this new treasure hunt, somewhat stuck on blue, but for good reasons. We have found multiple ways out: The Dusty Road, The Code Blue Mission, The Year of the Indigo, Blue Suede Shoes (Dancing your way to the stars, so to speak), The Blue Angel Club on the Merseyside, and, of course, what I had intended to discuss today – the special MUSIC Easter Egg in Chapter Five of Joe’s book, Critical Constructivism and his BLUE KNOWLEDGE which are critical not only for this treasure hunt, but for constructing a matrix link back to The House of the Rising Son for that "poor boy" (it will make sense later). And SOMETHING is telling me that there is a link to the Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt as well....time will tell.

Sometimes, our Master Teachers do have different ideas for the direction they want us to go on these treasure hunts. They do know how important it is to investigate those exceptional ways out of the hermeneutic circle, and they have assured me we will do this. However, after “sleeping on it” they have sent me “off the beaten path” for today. I don’t know about you, but I love to please my Master Teachers. I find when I follow their advice (and they never tell me I MUST do something; they just give me suggestions and clues which get me very curious), I get very excited about exploring what they have led me to because I always know there will be some divine surprises along the way. 

Another thing to understand about treasure hunting is that they do take diversionary routes; it is a given. We never have a “road map.” This leaves us free to explore other ideas and concepts that happen to pop up during our research, along with the amazing scenery along the way. We never know what we might find and it may even be useful for our original purpose – perhaps provide us another tool we can use when we develop our solutions for getting out of the circle we are spinning in. This is exactly how Joe's critical bricolage works for research; you take an improvisational approach and pick up whatever tools you find along the way that might provide greater insight or a pathway to alleviating human suffering. This is very important for these tumultuous times the world is in.

So today my Master Teachers have added more to the Who Let the Dogs Out? Who? Who? Puzzles we seem to be accumulating. I have really not figured out how this relates to this treasure hunt at all, but it has been very interesting. If it serves to alleviate human suffering in some way, then it's ALL GOOD in my book. This new activity is particularly useful for teaching K12 students research skills. This is our side trip today and there is a reason for making this side trip – many very important and good reasons, as a matter of fact. Here is the next part of the puzzle – and if you want to review all of the puzzles associated with it, you can review here (Scroll down to Who Let the Dogs Out? Who? Who?).

Who Let the Dogs Out? Who? Who? (Yes, the Saga Continues…) Take a Dog Home

Have you figured out how Teacher Joe picked out the names for his dogs? Yes, I think some of you think you have: I hear laughter coming through the cosmic ether. Laughter is good. It is healing. And it takes us to the next level. Joe had such a great sense of humor and almost always has at least one outrageously funny solution to his puzzzles, as you will see. Plus, he made sure no one is left out by ensuring that there are multple solutions to his puzzles. What a genius! We can all solve this particular puzzle in our own ideosyncratic way and thus, there are infinte solutions.

By the way, that’s a good word for you to look up: What is the cosmic ether? What have physicists discovered about the cosmic ether? This is science! And very, very interesting.

Well, if you are still puzzled about the names, you will have to do some research. The puzzle today is that YOU have been assigned to take home one of Joe's dogs. He knows you are up to this task. You get to choose the dog. I will give you lots of hints.

I Choose CELTIC
I would choose CELTIC because I picture him as a laid back, relaxed, very loving, cuddly sort of easy-going dog. I am not trying to stereotype here, but I do have this picture in my mind about what this dog looks like and – I don’t know if you have read this in Joe’s books or not, but it’s as he says: We create our own realities. If I were to care for one of his dogs, I would choose CELTIC.

Which dog would you choose?
This does take research. I have actually been researching CELTIC for awhile. It all began when I was on the Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt. One of my Master Teachers insisted that I buy Celtic Music and play it. When I did, all of these past memories came flooding back. It was amazing. One of the songs was my wedding song of long ago. I am of Irish-Scottish descent, so I guess it must be in my blood to love anything Celtic. It is interesting that I grew up poor and so that’s what I was all my life: poor. I had no idea that I had this rich Celtic history. No one told me. I was just poor, so what was there to research about my past history? It became so fascinating that I still research things that are CELTIC. On the treasure hunt, I happened across an IRISH SHOP where I even bought a CELTIC silver cross that has a very special symbolic meaning (click on the picture to see what it means), which I wear every day now. I know there is always much more to learn.

I am just pointing this out because side trips, or trips “off the beaten path” are always worthwhile. I know most teachers want you to FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS; that is, on one single topic, and ignore everything else that happens to come up. In fact, a lot of teachers will tell you exactly which web sites you need to go to and which questions you need to answer. Well, my Master Teachers are not like that and neither am I. Of course, we do want to keep in mind where we are heading, but when you get to researching the names of these dogs in order to decide which one you will take home, and you happen to come along something very interesting like I did on the Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt with the topic of CELTIC, then take time to explore it. Read about it and write about it in your journal. You might make a special word document in which you can copy hyperlinks, notes, and even images for future research and writing projects. And it may all be very significant in helping you decide which dog you would like to take home -- or you may want to come back in the future and explore the topic some more. Write that in your journal – what you would like to learn more about and why? It may be that your own personal Master Teachers are guiding you toward something for a reason.

So, back to the Who Let the Dogs Out? Who? Who? Puzzle. As I indicated, I choose CELTIC and I did a lot of research that backs up the reason why. Now, it’s your turn. Would you choose CELTIC, OZZY, or ALI – and why? I will give you some additional hints to help you with your research.

Clue Number One: I LOVE Wikipedia!!!
First, I highly recommend Wikipedia. GASP!! Wikipedia? Don’t teachers always tell us NOT to use Wikipedia? And what is the reason they tell you NOT to use it for your research? The excuse is that ANYONE can change or write ANYTHING for Wikipedia. Well, EXCUSE ME! Isn’t that the whole point? Have these teachers not read Joe’s work? Knowledge is socially constructed, and not only that, knowledge is EVOLVING – there are never any final truths. It is FIDUROD that expects “one true reality” (p. 23 of Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction). There may be “best truths” (with an S) for given situations, places, people, perspectives, and historical context or time - and this is what we must aim for.

Wikipedia, in my view, provides a wonderful example of socially constructed, continuously evolving knowledge. It is NOT true that “anyone can write anything.” Anyone who attempts to add garbage to the site will first find that the “wordbots” will immediately delete their entry and should they try it again, they will automatically be banned from the site. That is just a brief overview of Wikipedia. You can find some interesting answers that would be hard to find elsewhere and if you scroll to the bottom of the page you have pulled up – like MAGIC – there are many great links and sources of information in the reference section. Therefore, often Wikipedia is a great launching point for additional research and you will definitely find information that is very hard to find using a basic search on Google. In MY class, please, yes, you may start your research with Wikipedia!!! And while you are at, learn how Wikipedia REALLY works. Wikipedia needs more support from all of us if we are going to maintain this great tool.

Clue Number Two: My Previous New Year’s Blog
This is humorous, in a way. Way back on January 1, 2010, I actually dropped a clue for this puzzle in my blog, without even knowing I was doing so, because it was BEFORE my Master Teachers handed me this dog puzzle quite magically for the first time on January 6. (They slipped it in on me.)Scroll down to the end of this blog to see the first mention of this crazy, but fun Who Let the Dogs Out Puzzle. I just love it when learning and researching becomes so magical. I am not going to tell you at all where the clue is, other than it is in this blog SOMEWHERE and I had no idea I was providing a great CLUE that would be needed later. Of course, it is only one of several possibilities and if you miss it or do not want to use it, that will be fine. You will find your own path. In fact, if you are doing this as a class assignment, you may want to brainstorm ideas with others in the class and then you each can go in your own unique direction. When you are finished researching, there are a variety of ways you can present your findings and which dog you have chosen -- or you can have a discussion about all of the different perspectives among your classmates.

You Are On Your Own, But Never Alone
One more thing: There is not a right or wrong answer to this puzzle! We are all different and we will each have our own unique reasons for choosing which dog we want as our friend.You are on your own now to do your research to pick your favorite dog. But remember, you are NEVER ALONE. Some people like to say that we all have Angels by our side, like the video in yesterday’s blog explained, and that’s a good way to describe the special people in our lives. We all do have many people by our side who love us and care about us and who will guide us in subtle ways all out of their divine and unconditional love for us – even (and especially!) helping us with our research – if we just take the time to pay attention to the subtle little hints and signs. It can become very, very fun and even very funny sometimes. This leads me to the music provided for today.

The Music for Today
My Master Teacher gave me the song, “The Way We Were” by Barbara Steisand, for this morning (a routine that I now expect every morning and if I don’t awaken to music, I ask: What is the song for today?) I weakly objected to today’s song because I do not care for Barbara Streisand at all. I know: many, many people love her voice, of course, so I’m different.

I am more into ROCK and SOUL, as well as CELTIC music because it is VERY SOULFUL. My teacher was pretty persistent, explaining that this song is relevant. The only thing I can figure is perhaps it is because so many of us KNEW at one time that we have all of these special people in our lives, but we have FORGOTTEN and we have allowed ourselves to be dominated by people who keep us from remembering. With all of the world changes that are taking place so rapidly today, we will find that certain people who have served to hold us back will mysteriously drop out of our lives: they go their way and you go your way – and that’s OK. You do not want people in your life if they are bent on holding back your progress to a better way of life. I am sure you have experienced “friends” who try to get you to do something that you do not feel is right, just because they want to do it or they are engaging in the behavior already, whether it might be drinking, using drugs, or playing pranks. Don’t let these people drag you backwards! And don’t feel bad if they happen to fade from your life. This is a good sign. It is a sign of the times….and it means you are on the right path. Just let go of the past “bad stuff.” It’s ok to remember the good times and the times you laughed together, as the song points out.

There is no doubt about it: making and keeping friends – even if they are family members – is very difficult. Often we feel we are traveling the road all alone. I think Joe had it right, having three dogs. Dogs are ALWAYS your loyal friends. They didn’t earn the reputation of being “man’s best friend” for nothing. In that way, dogs are great buddies for alleviating suffering. NOW I see the connection to this treasure hunt, do you?

Have a wonderful day and good luck with your treasure hunting!
Vanessa

The Way We Were – Barbara Streisand

My heart and prayers go out to the people of Haiti following the severe earthquake there. I have brought up in these blogs several times the point that, economically, things are a nightmare in Haiti. More than 80% of the population lives below the poverty line. People are literally eating dirt cookies. It is very, very sad and I ask myself everyday: WHY??? My heart and prayers go out to the people of Haiti after this horribly devastating  Earthquake. Anyone who can help, please do so. Many hands are needed there.

There are so many naturally-caused problems and disasters in the world that I just cannot comprehend why people can be so ruthless in their day-to-day lives. What is the God Almighty Dollar in the grand scheme of things? I am unemployed and have no idea how I will continue to provide for my family. I am unemployed because someone in the university is ruthlessly focused on increasing profit. I must create my own work because I am not going to work for a corrupt educational system that is bent on maximizing profit in the same vein as Don Blankenship by which he is literally blowing up the Appalachian Mountains as I have written about here on this site. These are beautiful mountains and habitats that can NEVER be restored. These are beautiful people and communities being devastated forever.

JUST LIKE Don Blankenship, the profiteers of education are chopping down people, killing their hope, stealing their souls, programming them with nonsensical worthless garbage that will be useless in the future. Most of the education provided to the impoverished is nothing but canned programming. And how many “Billing & Coding” and “Law Enforcement” people do we need? There will certainly be a glut of them on the market; albeit, they will be very UNqualified, which will result in even more suffering. But it is all OK in the name of EVER INCREASING PROFIT. Teachers continue to get pay cut after pay cut and find themselves without work if they dare speak out or teach worthwhile knowledge. Something has got to change. What does it take for people to wake up? What does it take to get people to speak out? What are people so afraid of? FEAR=False Energy Appearing Real. It is ALL in your minds.

Don Blankenship speaks out. Many corporate and university power wielders have followed suit. We live in ruthless times:

 

And our children are asking why?

There is a Rising Sun and the hope that people will wake up. Joe’s book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction can help significantly. This is the year that it must happen. Some people call it the YEAR OF THE INDIGO – the Blue Year. There is much more to it than that.

The Code Blue Mission and Blue Suede Shoes

As I mentioned yesterday – TODAY IS WEAR BLUE DAY. Did you wear blue? I hope you did – as a call to lend a helping hand to those in Haiti. It is the mission of which I have been speaking for several months, now. The name of the mission has been classified until now.

We call it The Code Blue Mission because we literally need to rescue people on earth as we move forward -- as well as resuscitate earth itself – and it is a term that most people will recognize as serving a benevolent purpose. Look for the spaceships with the red crosses, lol. But remember, the Imperialists will try to trick you. Their tricks can no longer work unless you let them, so when you see them, just laugh.

As I mentioned in previous blogs, 2012 is NOT the end of the world, but there will be some severely destructive events. Many people are relaying this very same message. Joe talks about all of this in his books, if you just read them with an open mind: We are at the BEGINNING, as Joe has pointed out, not the end. And we will need Joe’s BLUE KNOWLEDGE for the journey ahead (Critical Constructivism, Ch. 5).

And what about those blue suede shoes? There are many meanings. The most obvious is that no one can stop us from "reaching for the stars" whether it is to fulfill our divine and, as my Master Teacher put it yesterday, "ravishing" (entrancing, delightful, very beautiful) destiny or to traverse those wormholes in space (those gates we talked about in the last treasure hunt -- more of which will be opening in 2010) to reach other places and times. EVERYONE can reach for the stars and have a ROYAL life (as my teacher put it). We just need to partake in it and not allow others the power to "step on our blue suede shoes." Dance, Baby, Dance!!!

It really helps if you have "Angels" by your side, which we all do, but you must believe. All your dreams and wishes can come true!!



Tomorrow: More about the MUSIC Easter Egg in Chapter Five of Critical Constructivism and how Joe’s BLUE KNOWLEDGE can help us. You might want to review the January 5, 2010 blog to prepare for this AMAZING journey.

Cartoon courtesy of http://webpages.charter.net/mltew2/tewsnews.htm  Check them out for some great ideas for alternative ways of schooling.

We have been on the topic of BLUE (see yesterday’s blog).

Sunday, I did that very DEPRESSING research about the MONARCH MIND CONTROL CRAP. It is UNFATHOMABLE that “people” exist in this world who can do such horrific things. They are NOT people. They are SNAKES and LIZARDS.

Still, it is UNFATHOMABLE AND ABOMINABLE what these nasty “people” do. Just reading about it is very depressing. Being a victim, of course, is even worse. It makes the job of improving education seem like an impossible feat, and the FIDURODians have us right where we are meant to be: feeling hopeless, depressed, alone, and, very, very blue.

I guess my favorite Master Teacher wanted to make me feel better. And he always knows just the right words! Out of the BLUE, yesterday, Rainbow Princess walked over to my desk without saying a word and handed me a slip of paper with a message she had received from him. All that was written on the paper was: WestLife: Us Against the World. It was a song, of course, and it cheered me up immensely and reminded me once again that I am never alone, no matter how alone I might feel sometimes. 

Us Against the World – WestLife

Tomorrow: WEAR BLUE and find out why it is “Wear Blue Day.”

Vanessa

P.S. I can imagine Joe experienced situations in which people tried to sabotage him or spoke negatively about him just because he was so brilliant. Some people would rather be destructiviely jealous than rejoice in being around someone so brilliant, kind, loving, humble, egalitarian, and generous; in fact, he wrote about these situations and people (some of it encoded; some of it is not). He definitely knew the "Stigma of Genius," which is even the title of a book he wrote about Einstein with some other people. As I have written previously, Joe was right up there with Einstein! In fact, I even wrote that "Joe was a Greater Genius than Einstein" because his theory solves Einstein's Riddle. Consider this: Einstein left us one riddle to solve. Joe left us many books with hundreds upon hundreds of riddles, puzzles, surprises and gifts! I am on a "forever treasure hunt!" Why can't people be nice like Joe was?

Critical pedagogy is supposed to be about HOPE and CHANGE, NOT gossiping or labeling people such things as "Eager Beaver Critical Pedagogues" or assaulting them through the legal system to make them feel BLUE. In the meantime, I will carry on with my mission. . . and you can just.....

I’m excited! This treasure hunt just turns up all kinds of surprises! Yesterday, I was extremely distressed about all the (as Joe would put it), well, actually as he did put it in several places in his books, “shit,” and I was begging to be rescued by the Deep Blue Mariner and Lo AND Behold, I awakened to this song this morning, "I’m a Soul Man" by the Blues Brothers!! Ya think MAYBE he (now that we know it’s a man) will come to our rescue? Maybe if we can find the “dusty road” this “soul man” is on we will have a better chance of finding him. Sumptin’ tells me that the last Easter egg I told you about that is in Chapter 5 of Joe’s book, Critical Constructivism gives a REALLY GOOD CLUE to the dusty road. Maybe if we find that road and travel it, we will run into him. But then, why would the deep blue MARINER be travelin’ on a ROAD? I wonder what’s up with that? I would expect a mariner to be on a ship. I do know that many of my friends and I have been talking about feeling like we're on "sinking ships" or boats. Will the deep blue mariner be able to find us or do we have to find him?

I will just leave ya’ll today to ponder this for a bit. You might want to review the previous blogs with the previous clues for this Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt. Tomorrow, perhaps this will begin to make sense. All I know is, I am NOT the only one who wants to be rescued by the Deep Blue Mariner. And we are all getting very desperate. Many of us are unemployed, down on our luck, stressed out, depressed, and wondering where the next rent payment is going to come from. And did you know that it’s “politically incorrect” to wish for a “savior.” At least among the elite, but then, what do THEY know about it?

Tomorrow: Reviewin’ the clues and wishes!!! Fer sure! PLUS: What’s up with the names Joe gave his dogs? (Celtic, Ozzy, and Ali). Have you solved it yet? (see yesterday's blog). Somethin' tells me there is more than one solution to this puzzle!

Wishin’ for my Soul Man,
Vanessa

I’m A Soul Man – Blues Brothers

Lyrics
Comin to ya on a dusty road
Good lovin I got a truck load
And when you get it you got something
So dont worry cause Im coming
Im a soul man
Im a soul man
Im a soul man
Im a soul man
Got what I got the hard way
And Ill make it better each and every day
So honey dont you fret
Cause you aint seen nothing yet
Im a soul man
Im a soul man
Play it steve!
Im a soul man
Im a soul man
Listen
I was brought up on a side street
I learned how to love before I could eat
I was educated from good stock
When I start lovin I just cant stop
Im a soul man
Im a soul man
Im a soul man
Im a soul man
Well grab the rope and Ill pull you in
Give you hope and be your only boyfriend
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Im a soul man
Im a soul man
Youre a soul man
Im a soul man
Im a soul man
Im a soul man

This Just In!!! Another Clue!

This song was just handed down to me and it is significant....I wonder if this has something to do with all of us finding our soul mates? Our destiny? Just a thought....
There Goes My Baby – Charlie Wilson

There is something about men walking down dusty roads, which come from the lyrics of "I'm a Soul Man." Here are some more songs that came up when I did some research. I have no clue as to what it all means....later.

Who Is that Man Walking Down that Dusty Road?

This is just notification to whomever it may concern that I did, indeed, reply in a timely manner to the request regarding Joe’s book Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. Wouldn’t you know it! The UPS Driver evidently got confused and forgot to pick up the package from the mailing office where it was waiting for him or her!!! After doing some tracking, it has been found and the package is now on the way. It appears that there are many people down here (at the bottom of the ladder where I reside), including UPS workers, in need of Joe’s critical complex epistemology so that things can operate more smoothly and efficiently in this rapidly changing, increasingly complex world.

Joe’s work simply must get out to the masses. We need it down here – and we need to do our OWN interpretation, not rely on what those at the top of the ladder think is best. What is best for them is not best for us. It is not even best for them, if they would just stop and think about it for a moment. It is sad that there are a few people who do not like fun, do not have a sense of humor, and would rather just remain an old “stick in the mud.”

I had to look up “stick in the mud,” by the way. I have never been good with idioms. Joe was very, very smart to use lots of idioms because the elite use them a lot among themselves and in front of us and us poor folk really do not know what most of them mean. In fact, they often seem to be very irrational and illogical to us. By Joe using them, and our studying his work very closely, we can learn them and it helps level the playing field and makes it easier for us to communicate back and forth and figure out what's really being said about us. Besides, Joe's work makes it really fun and even hilarious to learn them.

Sometimes, I think people just love to keep things the way they are, even when it is obviously not working (that is the most recent definition of “stick in the mud.”) Joe was not like that at all. And he wanted us to be able to read and interpret his work. Why do you think he packaged it like he did with the fun riddles, puzzles, Easter eggs, key codes, and much more which I am sure we will soon discover!? I mean really, why? He wanted us to understand what he was telling us in between the edu-jargon he had also included especially for the formal educators (although he was good at defining the terms so that we all could come to understand). Joe was a genius.

What else is there to say? My New Year has gotten off to a very bad start: harassed by someone with money who can afford to pay for a fortune 100 law firm, which seems like overkill, considering my positioning and lack of money. But I understand that attorneys do have to work, too, and as one of my master teachers told me "all money is good money." I have to agree with my teacher (I always agree with my teachers); I just wish I had more of that "good money." So, here I am broke, broken, and blue. And worst of all, I miss Joe. He would know exactly what to say and do to make everything all better. In fact, he would not have allowed this to happen at all.

Now my dream of a Mercury Mariner and all of my other WISHES really DO look like carrots on a stick and quite far out of reach at that. It’s OK, I am accustomed to this as it has been the story of my entire life. This is not a “poor me” story. Why should it be? I am only one among millions – billions if you count the whole world and, indeed, we should count the whole world -- and most of the other people are far worse off than I am. My God, people in Haiti are eating DIRT COOKIES. It is very sad. And it is very UNREAL. I want to help them and now, how can I?

What did I say in my previous blogs? There are some among the elite who LOVE to stomp on you when you are already on the ground with your face in the mud (and often they are the very ones who put you there just so they can do this). By God, if you do not do what they want you to do, the way they want you to do it, it’s the highway (or the military, or prison). I almost always take the highway before they show me the way. Even with my teaching job – in many ways, I had left it before it left me. I was teaching students to think (heaven forbid). We must never teach students to think. Joe writes all about that in Reading, Writing, and Thinking.

This situation with the Easter eggs and such is just FIDUROD once again raising its ugly head. It’s "formality," "intractibility," "decontextualization," "universalism," "reductionism," and "one dimensionality" (pp. 22-23). Just exactly what Joe wrote about in the very book that is the subject of disagreement. And what did he say? “Some of my saddest moments over the last 40 years of working toward critical goals have involved observing the pathological egocentric/merciless behavior of those who pay lip service in their scholarship and social activism to many of the values expressed here” (p. 251). It just dawned on me! Joe predicted a lot of things in his book. That would make a great activity for younger students: Find all of Joe’s predictions and see which ones come true.

At any rate, I will postpone today’s blog about all of the clues to the treasure hunt and my thoughts on them since I had to get this emergency message out. I was under a deadline to reply to this Fortune 100 law firm by January 5, 2010, and I missed the deadline all because the UPS guy/gal has not learned Joe’s complex critical thinking and he or she became sidetracked while driving the pick-up route, and totally missed the package. It is a sad, but true story. In fact, the owners of the UPS office felt so bad about it they were going to refund my money even if UPS refuses to refund it…but I told them that if UPS does not refund the money for the gaffe, I did not want to take the money out of their pockets. They are just a small “mom and pop” store. We need more of them around and we need to cover each other's backs when the going gets tough (and, yes, Joe even talked about this). 

Thus, with all of this fidurodian craziness happenin’ I do apologize for delaying the review of the clues for the Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt -- which is truly the heart of Joe’s work. He loved treasure hunting. In fact, in Reading, Writing, and Thinking, he stated, “But I’m never too far away from the postformal treasure hunt” (p. 133) and he would probably be quite appalled about the way things are being fettered with here. We were just about to launch into his incredibly brilliant and powerful “blue knowledge.” Well, tomorrow, for sure. Blue Knowledge. I can’t wait. In the meantime, I was told that one or more of my wishes will come true on this treasure hunt, so I’m gonna wish that the Deep Blue Mariner comes to my rescue!!!

Who Let the Dogs Out? Who? Who?  

Good Morning! Oh, wow, this is not good for me. A few people were complaining about me finding the great Easter eggs in Joe’s book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, so I set off in a different direction (a new treasure hunt) and a different book, and what do I find? ANOTHER EASTER EGG!!! Well, this one is not that hard to find. I would put it at approaching level 2. The caveat is in the interpretation, which is at Level 3, but I will give a hint.

Is the MATRIX BEING RE-RELOADED???
We have been studying BLUE KNOWLEDGE in Chapter Five -- the last Chapter of Joe’s book, Critical Constructivism. I might interject here that this was published in 2005 by Peter Lang Publishing. The Easter egg I found is in the chapter about BLUE KNOWLEDGE which was our assigned reading for this Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt. Can you find it?

More significantly, how does it relate to the last treasure hunt and the analysis of The House of the Rising Sun? Very, very important! I am not going to give the answer right up front, but I will come back to it later in this treasure hunt because all of a sudden I am seeing many links from this treasure hunt to the last treasure hunt. It must be related to THE MATRIX --- I know what we are doing!! We are reloading the MATRIX!!! OMG, this is going to be fun. There is actually an interview in which Joe talked about reloading the matrix – oh, wait....that was just a movie. However, Joe wrote, “While the matrix is fiction, the ‘matrix’ of constructed reality critical constructivists lay out is not” (p. 149 of Critical Constructivism). I actually wrote a previous blog about the MATRIX here:

PSOA#6  The SECRET to Reloading the Matrix: Finding the Truth Midst the Hype, Misinformation, and Obfuscation Sunday, November 22, 2009 

Yesterday, I did promise a poem from my beloved and very creative cos whose name is Ralph. So here it is:

Love Goes Underground: A Bedtime Story

(for the Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt)

I tried to warn people about the ship

I tried to save it before its last dip

Into the cold deep blue seas

Now all that’s needed is one more sneeze

Sorry folks, I loved you all

But some of you just had too much gall

If only you had listened to my pleas and cries

Each and everyone would be so wise

I am sad to see the ship sink

My heart and soul kept it on the brink

No more strength to fight the foe

Who’s determined to give it a go

One more push and it goes down

It makes me sad and I even frown

I tried so hard to make it all work

Everyone thought I was just a quirk

No one thought for even a moment

That perhaps I brought  NOT torment

But help in the form of divine intervention

Goodness is ALWAYS my true intention

So sad that people wish to see all gloom

Where there’s nothing but an open room

To grow and learn and share and love

A wooden chest and treasure trove

A special golden key for you

To open it and see the truth

All special gifts and a magical surprise

For everyone who dare open their eyes

Well, stay tuned for the next great feat

It’s a treasure hunt that will be hard to beat

It comes and goes like fickle weather

In and out of the cosmic ether

Soon to put on its fantastic show,

There’s only one way this treasure hunt will go

It will soon be in full motion

As soon as teachers have the notion

The Deep Blue Mariner is on the way

Will the Mariner be able to save the day?

Perhaps if people turn their tides around

For if they don’t , they will likely hear the sound

Of fathom measurement down to the deep

That reeks of low numbers for the peep

Too low to come out of this unscathed

Too dull to see through the thick haze

We tried with great cosmic strength

The battle went to too great length

And so we quit because we have won

And now we see the rising sun

It’s too late to turn the tide

All who are stuck will have to bide

Their time for another great chance

To participate in the sensual dance

They will have to move for years and years

They will have to stifle all their fears

The same old chore begins anew

For now it seems there are a chosen few

Goodnight folks we wish you well

We hope that life is not too much hell

The time is up, you’ve heard your cue

Will the Deep Blue Mariner rescue you?

I don’t have the answer to that query

It seems it may be on that Ferry

You know, the ferry in the treasure hunt

That will try to pull that crazy stunt

Can it cross the Mercy fast

Or will it make the trip last?
Soon the plans will unfold

The treasure hunt will be bold

It will reveal the truth of past

That was predicted in the last

Days of the unfoldment of reality

On earth of living duality

Cant really say much more

Other than you will need keys to unlock the door

Heaven forbid should you get stuck

Behind a door down on your luck

The keys are all right there if you just look

Every key you need is in Joe’s book.

And so we’re on our way back home

To our palace with many a tome

We love and read and learn and dance

We have the blissful life of romance

Forever we shall sing under the moons

Forever we shall create beautiful new tunes

Love, people, love. It’s the ONLY way

I am so sorry you just learned that today

Now it’s too late to turns things around

Love has been taken underground

Night-night.

A Note about My Great Cos (Do not confuse this with CoS!)

Ralph and I have always been really close; we love each other very much! He is quite a bit older than me, so he dabbles in being a Master Teacher and he’s getting really good! As you can see by the poem, he also has a great sense of humor. He thought the treasure hunts looked to be so much fun that he sat in on some of the meetings (the ones I am not allowed to attend since I am still in the initiation stage) and then he put together this poem especially for this treasure hunt. He said there are a lot of clues. I only recognize some of them. So, for now I will not attempt an analysis. I do not have a clue as to what it all means....speaking of clues – we are getting a LOT of clues from EVERY direction, and at some point we are going to have to figure them all out. I will review them in tomorrow’s blog and see where it gets us.

The only clue I understand so far is the MUSIC Easter egg and it is truly a saving grace, according to my interpretation. It will really help out the “Poor Boy” who was conflicted about returning to “The House of the Rising Sun” because it gives him more options (oops, I am giving too much away here). As for the other clues, I will put out some effort into deciphering them, but I am really hoping my Master Teachers will meet me halfway.

Speaking of meeting halfway, today’s song came to me by total accident when I was looking for the song I had heard yesterday sitting in the dentist chair, “Always Something There to Remind Me” (see yesterday’s blog). This song, “Meet Me Halfway” by the Black Eyed Peas just popped up in the search out of the blue!!! (WHOA! There’s BLUE again – I think it’s significant.) Anyway, my teachers do that. They like to send me on Google and You Tube searches that take advantage of the fractal capabilities of the Internet and I get “extra points” if I happen to notice these things, which I usually do (they don’t really score me, if you know what I mean) . If you do not fully understand what fractals are, I strongly urge you to look it up!!! So here is the song, I love it -- it is so beautiful. By the Black Eyed Peas!!!

Enjoy your day (and find that Easter egg!!!)
Vanessa

Meet Me Halfway – Black Eyed Peas

PS I just had to post this picture of Obama and Biden! There are HUGE arguments over what Obama’s body language is all about in the picture. These people need to read my blogs! I TOLD you here and here Obama is going to FLIP the TABLES....I can’t wait!!! Click on this link to read the article about the interpretation of this photo and all of the goofy arguing between people. It is SO hilarious! OMG Can’t people see what’s really going on, here? Obama is just “Biden” his time (LOL).

Tomorrow: A Review of the clues for the Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt

Yes, we are back on the treasure hunt…I love these roller coaster rides or as Joe called them, “theme park rides” or was it “amusement park rides?” I received another clue from my Master Teacher of Master Teachers yesterday, although it was not a very enlightening clue. I guess it must be all up to me to become more enlightened. If you are new to treasure hunts or to this treasure hunt, you may wish to review the following and get “up to speed.”

PSOA #10 Treasure Hunting: Where Are We NOW? And the Upcoming Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt

The Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt Begins – Is a NEW CAR About to be Manifested -- AGAIN???

The Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt Part 2: Travelin’ Across the Mersey

These rides travel fast and far and so you really have to “think on your feet” if you are to “get” what’s happenin’. We have to use what Joe and others have called “crazy wisdom,” or his rendition of “blue knowledge” but it does not make you feel crazy – quite the opposite. It helps you sort through the craziness of the illogical logic that is all around you, which Joe referred to as “rational irrationality.” All of this will become clearer down the road – or when we get “out to sea” for this particular treasure hunt. We will need to study Joe’s concept of “blue knowledge” and how getting into the deep “blue zone” keeps us out of FIDURODian traps (Critical Constructivism, Chapter Five). Here are the additional clues I received yesterday:

You are “right on” with deep blue knowledge for the treasure hunt. How do you reach the deep blue seas? You are laughing again?!? Didn’t I warn you early on this treasure hunt that it would be I who has the last laugh? Check out that blue knowledge again and see where it can get you.

Why was I laughing? Something tells me that this treasure hunt is going to be quite hilarious all the way through. Don’t get me wrong, though. There are going to be some amazing “manifestations” and, obviously, some “deep blue” learnin’ goin’ on.

What struck me so funny about the above clue is, as I was getting the message, I was asking myself the following questions: How do we get to the depths of the deep blue seas? (ans. fathom). And how do we get to the depths of deep blue knowledge? (ans. fathom) LOL. And so, of course, the clues play on words and meanings, making use of polysemy.

Fathom. Boy, Microsoft Word is stupid. It does not give the definition of the measurement “fathom.” It only gives the synonyms for the other definition, which it lists as “understand, figure out, work out, comprehend, grasp, make out, think through.” I wonder if it recognizes the form of fathom that is in a statement such as, the boat's anchor was one fathom below the surface of the sea? Nope….we still have the same synonyms…I really think Microsoft Word is DESIGNED for “stupidification“ (that’s a word Joe used a lot in many of his books).

Heaven help us and our teachers and students who have forgotten we need to use dictionaries and encyclopedias. And what is frightening (I know this from my teaching experience at the college level), is that so many students of all ages do not seem to realize that the Internet is a vast source of information – they are accustomed to seeking the answers from the teachers before researching it on their own. As I have mentioned, Master Teachers are very helpful, but only if they know you have made a sincere effort first….and of course, in this case, we are working on a divine mission, so it’s a little different than just acquiring and constructing knowledge. The fathoms go deeper…

In this quest for more information about fathom, given that Microsoft Word is clueless, we need to use the dictionary and encyclopedia. So how much is a fathom?

I love Wikipedia…it has a LOT to say about fathom, but here is the brief definition: A fathom is a unit of length in the Imperial system (and the derived U.S. customary units), used especially for measuring the depth of water.

It is interesting to note that we are dealing with an IMPERIAL SYSTEM here, and also interesting that, while the switch to the metric system is quite complete, the United States Hydrologic Office still uses feet and fathoms. Imperialists have a hard time with change. Learn all about fathoms at wikipedia; it is really quite interesting and will help with this treasure hunt. You will want to learn all about the Imperialism, and NEW Imperialism too.

Now, of course we do need to DRIVE in order to reach the deep blue sea....I am still wishing for the manifestation of that nice looking 2010 Mercury Mariner. I think I’m worth it. I put a LOT of time into this divine project. But, my Master Teachers seem to be enjoying dangling that vehicle like a carrot right in front of my nose....reminds me of how our Imperialist capital-driven society works. I think my Great Master Teachers are trying to make a point with this, and I have much FAITH and TRUST in them. They are only trying to make a point, not trying to destroy my hopes, dreams, and wishes. In fact, I was told that with this treasure hunt, one or more of my wishes will come true, so I will wish for the vehicle and I will be sure to make more wishes along the way.

This Just In! I just received notification that we will need to learn all about another MARINER for this treasure hunt. It seems there has been a LOT of deception surrounding this particular mariner all at the hands of the IMPERIALISTS. Worst of it is, EVEN THOUGH the lies have been uncovered and the truth has leaked out -- the Imperialists still want to teach the same garbage in schools. This is not sitting well with our NEW incoming students. They are too smart for this. Part of the Deep Blue Mariner treasure hunt, then, will require a solution to this unfolding dilemma.

Well, we will see what transpires next time for this treasure hunt. Be sure to read Chapter Five in Joe’s Book, Critical Constructivism so that you have a good understanding of how BLUE KNOWLEDGE, especially DEEP BLUE KNOWLEDGE that puts you in the BLUE ZONE can get people like me (and you) who are being stomped on while we are at the bottom of the ladder right out from under the footsteps of those big mean imperialist FIDURODians. (If you do not know what FIDUROD is, please review HERE.)

Can I Buy a 2010 Mariner or Save a Tooth? Down on My LUCK, but I have been reminded that I am NEVER ALONE!

I don’t know about you, but for me it is always traumatic to go to the dentist. Today was no different. I am not certain whether it is the trauma of the experience – or the trauma of the expense. Today was especially bad since it appears I'm REALLY DOWN ON MY LUCK. I was supposed to start teaching today and logged in to find that I have been “ALIENATED” once again!!! And what did I say before about this? Apparently people are not “getting this.” WE WHO ARE ALIENATED CANNOT BE ALIENATED. So anyway, I figure that perhaps I did just a little TOO MUCH teaching last time around and that is a BIG “NO-NO.” You see, the IMPERIALISTS (who are a part of this treasure hunt, btw), DO NOT WANT PEOPLE TO BE TAUGHT TO THINK!!! OOOPs I was doing that -- trying to slip some thinking into my teaching. And on top of that, as Joe said, "it's who you know." Unfortunately, profit and education do not mix well. I know students who are quite upset about having a degree, but not being able to pass a simple job entrance exam and so they feel very short-changed by their "education" What’s up with that? Time to move on.

What all students need is more of Joe's BLUE KNOWLEDGE....Looks like I will not get the opportunity to teach them that at this point -- ah well, as Joe would say (and he actually DID say this to me once upon a time: “Onward and Upward, lol.” Bless him. I needed to hear that at this moment.

Anyway, today I went to the dentist and found I have thousands upon thousands of dollars of work needed....almost as much as a new car would cost. The terrible thing about this is that most of the work would have been totally unnecessary if I had not been seen in the past by a “drill happy dentist on heroine.” I kid you not. He decided to do all of these unnecessary root canals and totally screwed up my teeth very badly. Little did I know and I had WELFARE insurance at the time so I am thinking I am better off not having insurance at all. (Really makes me dubious of Government Insurance.) Fortunately, I do have a good, honest dentist now, but treatment is expensive no matter what dentist you choose. All of this, when I have lost my job – I do have faith. I have noticed that my Master Teachers are really, really good at turning lemons into very delicious lemonade. I can't wait for that drink!

On a brighter note, my Master Teachers told me not to worry about my job because they have something much bigger and better planned and they knew that I was beginning to feel that teaching in the manner that I was forced to teach (i.e. being restrained from teaching too much) conflicted with my values. PLUS they told me to not even THINK that all of the fantastic treasure hunts are going to end. There will be many more happy and very amazing treasure hunts!!! I am so excited!!!

They said that this “particular treasure hunt” will be quite “intricate” and that it “centers around blue knowledge” but that they have plans so that everyone can have the opportunity to experience the truth and freedom that unleashed knowledge production provides. It has sumptin’ to do with “the truth shall set you free.” Also, what is quite amazing, more and more people are joining my “Critical Knowledge Network” (Joe defines this in the first chapter of Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. I was so happy to learn that my beloved COUSIN Ralph has joined in the fun. He wrote a poem that has all kinds of clues, which I will post tomorrow. Be sure to read about BLUE KNOWLEDGE in the meantime – last chapter of Joe’s Critical Constructivism so you are ready for this ferris wheel ride. Much like the last treasure hunt, we will be doing some loops on account of having to get inside that hermeneutic circle and trying to use Joe’s formula for getting ourselves out of it at just the right moment – for just the right purpose. Of course, there will be other theme/amusement park rides too, from what I understand.

So to conclude for today, I had to get a temporary filling replaced, which did not cost much at all; the very expensive other work will need to be done down the road.

With all of the “bad luck” I have been hit with the past few weeks, and now losing my job, I was feeling VERY ALONE and VULNERABLE sitting in the dentist chair....and Lo AND Behold, a reminder song began playing. I felt like it was just for me. It did cheer me up immensely and put me back in touch with the reality that I truly am never alone, so I will end with this lovely music I heard while sitting in the dentist chair. I included the REMAKE version also, cuz it’s pretty cool and is a reminder that we are comin’ in with the NEW.

Hoping your day is wonderful,
Vanessa

Always Something There to Remind Me – Naked Eyes

When efforts to build our social world and personal lives around qualities such as love, empathy, trust, intellectual pursuit, munificence, and the valuing of difference come to be viewed as manifestations of fatuous, immature, sophomoric, naïve ways of seeing the world, something is amiss. Yet, Western models of modernization and development continue to drive political and educational objectives – in particular the way the society constructs “higher order thinking.” (Joe Kincheloe (2006). Reading, Writing, and Thinking, p. 112).

It is true. We live in a culture, here in the U.S. and other Western societies, in which we are surrounded by people who do not value these wonderful attributes Joe speaks of in the above quotation. Not only do we put these beautiful qualities down and make fun of people for demonstrating them, we become trapped in our FIDURODian minds and we replace these values with opposing constructs. Thus, love becomes enacted as hate, empathy becomes a gross lack of compassion, trust is penalized, pursuing knowledge becomes getting “expert” opinion and we are “dowdy” if we spend too much time learning and getting enjoyment from it, munificence becomes a deceptive act of obtaining funds to use for parsimonious purposes, difference becomes a justification for labels and making fun of people.

It has become SO bad that, as Joe pointed out in the above quotation, what we call “higher order thinking” has become the ability to discern and act upon these now “politically correct” ways of being. Is this what Joe was referring to when he stated that critical pedagogy is “stuck between a rock and a hard place” as he had discussed in Critical Pedagogy: Where Are We Now? We are clearly immersed, locked in, even, in programming that begins before preschool and continues onward that does not recognize ideals or positive virtues and we are so busy trying to compete with each other or to be “politically correct” (forms of irrational rationality) that we forget what Paulo Freire and Joe demonstrated was the most essential “thing” of all -- LOVE.

There is no need to compete in order to love. This is one game where there is more than enough of everything to go around for everyone. It does require learning higher order thinking. And that means it takes soul to play the new game – and, unfortunately for some people, money cannot buy you soul. For others, well....we are on a very blissful journey and we are past the point of no return. There ain't no turnin' back -- cuz we know "we ain't seen nothin' yet!"

Groovin’ on a NEW Sunday afternoon,
Vanessa

We're all in this together -- Money Can't Buy Life's Sunny Days



Money Can’t Buy Me Love – Taking it to a Higher Level -- Blackstreet

Baby Angel
Portrait artist Joyce Birkenstock’s children-as-angels series portrays the joys, wonders, and innocence of childhood in tranquil gardens and ethereal settings. Her style of romantic realism evokes a dazzling luminous quality, created in her large light-maximizing studio in Florida. Birkenstock’s serenely beautiful works can be found in many corporate and private collections.

Today’s blog is short because I have spent much time in meetings with my Master Teachers due to some important planning for some special projects we have been working on, and they have assigned me some critical assignments I need to get out the door early next week before I get too busy with my teaching. I have had extended meetings the past few nights and then again this morning. My teachers are SO amazing though! With all that they do for me, and for which I am eternally grateful, one of them (and I don’t know who it was) took time to leave me a special MUSIC REQUEST.

I actually awakened this morning to a note that was left right on my keyboard to make sure I would not miss it when I got up this morning to write today’s blog. Apparently, they handed the music to Rainbow Princess and she left it on my keyboard. They just crack me up sometimes with their amazing creativity and loving surprises; even the little things like special songs are just so precious and meaningful. What a joy they bring me, along with their amazing knowledge.

Anyway, there was a note with two very specific songs. I have posted them below, since I gather that it was very important that I include them in today’s blog. They are both so beautiful. I hope the first song makes other people who listen to it feel great love for the loved one(s) in their lives, the way it does for me. Paulo Freire and Joe’s work really taught me what true radical, spiritual, and cosmic love is all about, and so I think of them when I listen to “Looking through the Eyes of Love.”

The second song has an interesting history. My Master Teachers have mentioned this song numerous times and I may have even posted a different version of “Somewhere over the Rainbow,” previously in one of my blogs, but I had never come across this absolutely beautiful performance by Israel "Iz" Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole that was listed in the note. It will totally alter your opinion of the song (if you had a negative opinion of it, as many people do from hearing it so many times). It was video-taped in beautiful, sacred Hawaii.

With Cosmic Love,

Vanessa

Looking through the eyes of LOVE – Melissa Manchester

Happy New Year! Today is a super special day of celebration. I call it The Fourth Month because I am on a different calendar than FIDURODians. I will not explain the mathematics or other dynamics behind it since it is very complex (think in terms of the Aztec calendar). But in FIDUROD LAND this is a VERY SIGNIFICANT DAY as well: 01/01/2010 and what do you have???

OMG it’s the SOUL MATE NUMBERS AGAIN, don’t you see? The funny thing is I would not have even noticed this had Rainbow Princess not pointed it out. She’s into adding numbers ever since she found that her boyfriend’s house address adds up to the soulmate number – 11 – and there is EVEN a wooden heart plaque hanging right beside it as if to emphasize this fact. Here again, the sum of the parts is greater than the whole (and Joe wrote that in a many of his books, so I will leave it to you to find out where and in what context and what he had to say about it). For our purposes today, it must be totally clear by now: 1+1=3. (or infinity).

As I put forth in yesterday’s blog, 2010 is going to be a profoundly exciting year for the WORLD. We will be seeing some huge changes. Even President Obama is not going to be immune to these changes, so do not be surprised when he flips some tables on some of the FIDURODians at the top.

It is a year of getting off our butts and creating change. Change in attitude: people are filled up to their eyeballs with all of the negativity that offers no solutions and instead creates discord, dysfunction, and conflict.

Instead, we will be forming all sorts of groups that are based on LOVING ACTION. Open your eyes. Look around. Joe’s PERPETUAL REVOLUTION has begun and there will be no stopping it. (I wrote about this previously in these blogs, if you wish to review).

The Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt Gets Off to a Confusing But Interesting and Exciting Start

I would like to put aside all of the negativity and just work on these exciting treasure hunts that keep coming my way. They are SUCH great learning experiences. With this latest clue I just received, while it is confusing, one thing is clear: We are traveling somewhere. As noted yesterday, there is also the hint that Mariner may be a clue for a brand new, 2010 Steel Blue Mercury Mariner – so that is VERY exciting. The clue that was handed down to me this morning is the song “Ferry Cross the Mersey” by Gerry and the Pacemakers and it appears it has something to do with “time travel” because these two songs popped up for me when I did the search for the music:

Ferry Cross the Mersey – Gerry and the Pacemakers (1965)

Ferry Cross the Mersey – Gerry and the Pacemakers (1992)

Now, what is really interesting is that, literally, we are to travel across the Mersey here (I wonder where the Mersey is and is that what I will need the NEW car for?). You might also note that this could be interpreted as “Fairy Cross the Mercy.” I am not sure what that gets us or where, but it is something to keep in the back of our minds as we do further research. Also, as noted in the music, this was actually a MOVIE. Thus, one might call this a MOVIE Easter egg embedded in a Treasure Hunt. I am into the Easter Egg concept ever since I started finding so many of them in Joe’s books.

Joe Hid MUSIC AND MOVIE Easter Eggs (Among other FUN Stuff)
I will remind readers at this point in the treasure hunt that Joe cited movies often in his work, just like he cited MUSIC, BUT and this is HUGE: He also HID MOVIE Easter eggs, and, again they are hidden at various levels of difficulty. While I have received a few complaints for identifying these features of Joe’s work, I must remind readers, Joe wrote for ALL OF US.

So, anyone who is offended by these super fun activities built into Joe’s books – well, my advice is to just pass them by, don’t worry about it. Go on with your work as you have always done and just use what works for you. Joe was such a genius that he made sure there was something for everyone in his books. No one has to read at any more than one level (one dimensional) if they do not wish to. Listen to this song again and don’t feel bad about that, either.  I, myself, have to listen to it repeatedly when I need to overcome worry. This is one of those times. I really do not mean to upset people. At the same time, I am with Joe. Education simply MUST CHANGE.

Three Little Birds – Connie Talbot



The “problem” as I see it – although, I do not see it as a problem, is that the FUN STUFF in Joe’s books will NOT go away. And let me clue people in who are interested in this: It is in MANY of his books, not just one. I guess for some reason, many people have never noticed these little treats Joe left in his work – perhaps not until I came along and began pointing them out. This is surprising to me, because he certainly left lots of clues.

Anyway, I happen to love them!!! They really make reading and studying his work a delicious treat – that layer cake I mentioned in another blog where you devour one layer and there is another delicious layer underneath it. And, IMPORTANTLY, they really do contribute to a greater understanding of his work, his messages, and how we might apply his theory, so it is not like he just randomly put stuff in his books, not at all. I guess it is my “calling” so to speak to help people get this new kind of enjoyment out of Joe’s books.

As he had stated over and over again (was anyone listening?) he wanted learning to be joyous, fun, invigorating, rigorous, funny – even hilarious at times, sensual and yes, even sexy (heaven forbid). It’s all in his books. There are no secrets here. That may be what Joe was referring to when he said that we have the “critical kitty” out of the bag now, sitting on our laps: There are no secrets. As I have pointed out, and as we began to learn from the NEW Quest for the Golden Keys Treasure Hunt, his work is like the Golden Chalice, but he did not hold back any secrets.

I do wish everyone the best and I am sorry if this new revelation about Joe’s work may be upsetting to some who wish to maintain the status quo. Change is hard, no doubt about it. We need only use Joe’s work in the way that works for us – for what we want to learn, write about, and convey to the world. That is the most important thing. And we all must stop finding fault with those around us. I think we all do this from time to time; it is perfectly natural, but it is still something we all need to learn to overcome. The key is to realize that the faults we see and point out in others are reflections of our own shortcomings. One of my Master Teachers always tells me if we point a finger at someone, we must remember there are three fingers pointing back at us. We have all worked together with our “collective consciousness” to create this current sad FIDURODian reality and we will all work together to change it. That is why, when I state we must stop complaining, get off our butts and take real, concrete actions for change – I always include myself in this equation.

I have some very exciting plans for 2010 plus the year starts with this latest and greatest treasure hunt, The Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise. Is a new vehicle going to be manifested or something else? Or will this be one of those very complex multilevel, multiperspectival treasure hunts, such as the Pacific Coast Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt where I found the Eager Beaver Quiz inside the book I found inside the Eager Beaver Thrift Store while I was on the Eager Beaver Treasure Hunt all after being labeled an “Eager Beaver Critical Pedagogue"….I just love those multidimensional treasure hunts! HowEVER do they happen?! Seems kinda like some kind of miracle or magic, but I guess it’s just synchronicity to the max. Joe did talk about that a lot in his work.

I have presented the new clue about the Ferry Cross the Mersey (or Fairy Cross the Mercy) and I will research this a bit before I ask my Master Teachers for additional guidance. Here is something I have learned that others might benefit from: All you need to do is put out a sincere effort on your own and it need not even be a huge effort, but the next thing you know, your Master Teachers will do all of the rest of the work for you almost magically – just like when the new car manifested the last time and all I had to do was put in one application for a loan (which did not get approved) and then just waited with FAITH and TRUST and less than 24 hours later with no work on my part – voila – a car! It’s like magic.

Anyway, I wish everyone a Happy New Year and let’s wish for flippin’ tables (secret code word for “the rules have now changed.”) Just so we are clear here, the old rules that favor the Status Quo will be rapidly crumbling this year. The new rules are pushing out the old. This is good news for most of us, no matter what our stations in life might be. I think all of us, even those who think they may have benefited from the status quo are really very tired of this game and seeing so many people being harmed. You will actually see these changes happening in your personal lives – old tricks are no longer effective, and ultimately, new rules (or paradigms, if you prefer) will begin to touch every segment of nearly all societies around the world. Be a part of the change.

Happy New Year!
Vanessa

My Master Teachers are SO FUNNY!! (Someday, maybe I will bring them to my seminars I will be presenting in the future, but for now they wish to remain anonymous). This was the song they handed down today. It even shocks ME, cuz I was thinking when they said “The Gang’s All Here” that they meant a subdued version of the song. They confirmed that they want THIS song. I have my own ideas, so they said it was fine to post the version which I prefer (the second song). They are very diplomatic and egalitarian and I love and appreciate them all!!!

The Gang’s All Here – Dropkick Murphy