⁹ But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9 (KJV)

Vanessa’s In Box

Conan O’Connor, Springer Science + Business Media, and I: We Are All “On the Same Page”

Just a few days ago, on Tuesday, January 26, 2010, in fact, I started the “ORACLE Readings” of Joe’s book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. That’s where I just randomly open the book up anywhere each day and pick just one sentence (the very first sentence I see) and provide an interpretation or illustrate an application of that sentence. Lo AND Behold! I just received a letter from Conan O’Connor yesterday and SURE ENOUGH!! That is exactly what Springer Science + Business Media is requesting – that I just use one sentence “where possible.” I could hardly believe it! We are all on the same page!

Anyway, I do appreciate the attorneys getting back to me, finally, with more precise obfuscated details and giving me time to figure out how to kowtow to Springer (that just means to make them happy). I thought it was nice that they are willing to work with me and give me time to decipher what they want. What is not so nice is 1) the demands are still not clear, which is beginning to make it look like they are playing a “cat and mouse game” and 2) that they ignored my question: Where is Joe's paperback version of the book? And their instructions are still filled with obfuscation which tells me they really do not know me. Generally, if something is obfuscated, people will bend over backwards trying to please or satisfy the request. With me, obfuscation is like a “free-for-all.” It means I am free to interpret it however I choose – or not.

The sad thing is that it was Joe’s wishes that the masses be able to afford to buy his book. He had expressed throughout all of his work that he wanted his theory applied to ALL LEVELS OF EDUCATION FOR ALL PEOPLE. So the masses are being ripped off as long as this book remains unavailable in the $30 paperback version which was to be published 6 months after the library edition – which Joe had negotiated for 12 years to get included in the contract. Who changed the contract? Why is my question being ignored? Are we censoring here? Or are we banning books for certain populations? Are we in the DARK AGES again? What’s going on?

Or is the book being published in paperback form and will be released soon? At least my question should have been answered.

I am amazed that they didn’t even take me up on my offer to write a workbook that they could sell along with the paperback, which I offered to do just in case money is the issue and they want to increase their profits. It can’t get better than that. This is a book that the masses will buy along with the workbook. It will be less than $150, but it is destined to be on the BEST SELLER LIST and the quantities sold will more than make up for the lower price….this book is just destined for a worldwide impact. Joe said so in the book, and Joe always told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Springer is losing out big time by passing this up.

On to other topics…

This article is a MUST READ!! Has Forbes Gone Psychotic or Taken the Blue Pill?

I love the conclusion:

Dr. Mercola states, “Congressman Ron Paul said the following in one of his speeches before Congress earlier this year, and it sums up my sentiments exactly:”

"Is this a dream or a nightmare? Is it my imagination or have we lost our minds? It is surreal. It is just not believable. A grand absurdity. A great deception. A delusion of momentous proportions based on preposterous notions and ideas whose time should never have come.

Insanity passed off as logic. Evil described as virtue. Ignorance pawned off as wisdom. Slavery sold as liberty. The philosophy that destroys us is not even defined. We have broken from reality, a psychotic nation. Ignorance with a pretense of knowledge replacing wisdom." (Congressman Ron Paul).

And what are my thoughts? When it comes to FIDURODians, you just have to act CRAZIER than they do….it really throws them out of kilter!
Reference: throw out of kilter

And so, that’s my Sunday….maybe tomorrow I will start on a book review, if I feel like it. One of my master teachers told me yesterday to just enjoy each moment of my life. He said, “Don’t think about the ‘shoulds’ and ‘oughts.’ If it is meant to be, it will be. Never feel guilty about taking some time for yourself to relax and rejuvenate. Be in the moment; enjoy it and don’t think about what you should be doing. For this is the greatest key to ensure you have a happy, blissful life. Everything else will fall in place as it will and you shall be fully blessed. You need not worry. I am here for you – always.”  (which turned out to be yesterday’s song, “Here I Am” by Leona Lewis, upon plugging the phrase into YouTube.

Today’s “Oracle” Reading; I mean, One Random Sentence from Joe’s Book

It is time for my favorite part of the blog. I should note that soon the blogs will be very reduced in length. I think I already mentioned that this directive has come down to me from my Master Teachers, although they always leave it to me and my discretion if I want to add anything above and beyond the daily reading from Joe’s book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction and the Specially Selected Music for the day -- and soon, the book reviews.

So, here goes, right now. I will just open up the book and see what comes up.

Here it is: “In this conceptual context the traditional notion of truth and certainty is fundamentally questioned by a critical epistemology” (p. 29).

Clearly, this is a prime example of the disadvantage of being “allowed” to use only one sentence. We have to now ask, What conceptual context? This is standard for Joe’s work; it is very, very complex and rarely do sentences out of context have much meaning unless you really know his work.

What Joe was referring to was a dialectical interchange between us as the “knower” and what it is that we think we “know.” I put of those words in quotation marks because both of them change. We are never the exact same person we were yesterday (or even moment by moment), nor will we be the exact same person tomorrow. It is an illusion and a huge misconception as well as a form of imprisonment to box people in that way. We are not the same person in different contexts or environments. Who we are and how we define ourselves is always a moving target due to our interrelationships with everything and everyone around us. Likewise, what we know is also dynamic. Seems obvious, and yet in 3D FIDUROD land it is quite amazing how people get so hung up on “writing in stone,” so to speak. That may have worked in the past, but it is a source of extreme distress to those today who still want to operate out of that paradigm. It is just one of the paradigms that is crumbling today. If we adopt Joe’s critical epistemology, we fully understand that everything is continuously changing. Therefore, we do not get so locked in and bogged down where we maintain a habit of reacting a certain way according to an unchanging definition of what we "know" or act as if everything was occurring outside of ourselves and as if our own actions and thoughts do not have an influence on what is happening around us. We need to seek a greater and more in depth understanding of the complex interrelationships so that we are never thrown off guard. If we expect anything and everything we are prepared for anything. As we expand in our ability to see possibilities, we become less restricted and more creative in ways to create the outcomes we prefer. We realize there is never just one single “truth” but there are multiple truths and often these truths are all occurring simultaneously. Once one becomes skillful in recognizing and evaluating the various truths, it is easier to find creative actions and solutions that work for everyone. Eventually this will lead to freedom for us all. Of course, let me remind readers: this is just one interpretation of what Joe has lined out here. There are also more concrete explanations which he covers in this particular subchapter, so I encourage you to read pages 29-30 for several “takes” on these ideas.

Joe’s Single-Authored and Co-Authored Books Are Now Listed on His Special Page, About Joe Lyons Kincheloe.

I am going to start my reviews with his single-authored books, beginning with the oldest and working up the list to the newest. Thus, my first review will begin with:

Understanding the New Right and Its Impact on Education.  (1983). Bloomington, Indiana: Phi Delta Kappa. 

Please have a great Sunday and take my Master Teachers’ advice: Don’t worry, don’t stress. It isn’t worth it in the long run. Focus on enjoying each moment of the day. Close your eyes and envision the violet flame (which is VERY beautiful, if you can see it) and let it transmute all of the negative stuff. It really works! Believe me I have had a lot of negative stuff to transmute and I have more still, no doubt. The weird thing was, I did not know anything about the violet flame at all (or any of this esoteric stuff). It just started appearing several months ago whether I closed my eyes or not and it was so beautiful and relaxing that I was pretty much awestruck by it. I saw it as a gift that someone was giving me from some other realm. In fact, I did not know it was even called a violet flame; I just called it a purple light. It appeared for months upon months and then I happened to come across a reference to the “purple flame.” As I looked closer at this purple light, I could see that it really does look like purple flames. I finally thought to research what it was all about and I learned more about the violet flame and found that many people have this powerfully healing experience. Most people have to meditate and work at it to make it appear. I have been fortunate in that it just seems to be automatically “sent” to me with no effort at all on my part. I guess one would call it a “phenomenological experience.” I asked one of my Master Teachers about it finally, and she said that it means my “third eye is beginning to open.” Whatever does that mean? Whatever will I get to see? I have not had a chance to discuss this in detail with her yet or research it in depth; I hope to soon….She told me to read The Third Eye by T. Lobsang Rampa and then we will talk about it some more. So, that's what I am doing. She is such a great teacher! I just really love her...I love all of my Master Teachers and I reallly seem to have a lot of them. What is that saying? Something about when you are ready to learn, your teacher will appear. I have been abundantly fortunate by being blessed with many, many Master Teachers.

Have a great Sunday.

Peace, Love, and Joyful Abundance for us All (there REALLY is enough to go around; I do not understand why so many people buy into the unreality of scarcity),
Vanessa

P.S.This morning, I awakened to “Put Your Head on My Shoulder.” When I researched You Tube, the version that came to the top was this one by Paul Anka. It is significant, which I will explain later…the next song was given to me right after this one, again significant. There are clues in both songs. I will explain tomorrow. In the meantime, the songs are dedicated to all people who believe in love.

Put Your Head On My Shoulder – Paul Anka



Still the One – Shania Twain

Has Bill Gates Gone Mad?
                                                                                                                                             
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

Is the Decade of the Vaccine “the answer?”

The Issues with Vaccines 

What’s In It for Bill Gates? Here's What He Says:

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.”

Bill Gates Has Big Dreams, But Are They Good Dreams?

You be the judge….read, research, and try to figure out what is in between the lines, if you can.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation  

Random Quote for today from Joe’s Book 
Well, I will open the book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, right now and see what comes up. Ah, it is one of the attributes of those nasty FIDURODians. Here’s what I read immediately when I opened up the book to a random page, which turned out to be page 22. Here, Joe is talking about the FIDURODian-enforced form of knowledge: 

Formal – produced by rigid adherence to a particular research methodology that never changes no matter what new circumstances are encountered, no matter how much these new circumstances might lend themselves to rethinking the mode of inquiry one is using. (page 22).

Very interesting. This is why I will not pay the money to join the American Educational Research Association. Not only are they rigidly stuck on positivistic research (as funded by the government, of course), they remain Janus two-faced in their call for people to “get along.” This obfuscated position by which they appear to support all forms of research and yet fund positivistic research is a recipe for disharmony and worse; it will keep education stuck in the dinosaur ages while people continue to suffer.

Here’s what I’m talking about.
 
Obfuscation – Understanding complex ecologies in a changing world
Carol D. Lee, AERA 2010 President
Ronald Rochon, AERA 2010 General Program Chair 

This is my favorite quote even though I don't understand it: 

Finally, examining learning within and across the complex ecologies of peoples’ lives inevitably requires that we address how political and economic factors create inequities in opportunities to learn. Such inequities are exacerbated when the dominant discourse of education research articulates hierarchies of particular constellations of ecologies as inherently deviant and pathological or when such research views understanding the diverse ecologies of peoples’ lives as a purely political social good and not as a scientific enterprise of fundamental importance aimed at articulating generative theories of human learning. 

Strictly Formal and Quantitative Research Anybody?
 
AERA Research Grants          
AERA Dissertation Grants 

WhatEVER is a new scholar in education to do? I am SO CONFUSED. (Looks like we are on our own, unless we want to support the status quo along with the continuing suffering all over the world.)

The Music for Today

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.

Hey World (Haiti Version) Michael Frant, FrantiV 

 

The second song was given to me last night at our meeting. One of my teachers told me, “I am here for you always.” That is a clue to the song. I searched it on YouTube and this very beautiful song by Leona Lewis came right to the top. This is a beautiful love song. In spite of the horror and tragedy going on around us, and in tune with the blues and Joe's Blue Knowledge in his book, Critical Constructivism, we must keep LOVE in the forefront at all times.
 
Here I am – Leona Lewis

Vanessa’s Inbox (Trivia, I know: bear with me)

What is Barack Obama's karmic role in leading the U.S. at this time?

Barack Obama's karmic contract is to be a leader for the world, not just a leader for the U.S.  His legal contract is to lead the U.S, but his karmic contract is to be a leader for the world.  His karmic contract is to be a catalyst for enlightening change in the world.  A catalyst is a substance or an object that facilitates change.  It does not make the change occur – instead, it initiates and enhances a process and that is precisely what his role is to be. Source: Jen Arameth, MA

Mutual of Omaha is Pestiferous
I thought it was quite weird that I received THREE “second chances” from Mutual of Omaha Life Insurance all in one day in my snail mail. In large type on the front of each very large envelope: “Here’s that second chance you hoped for,” I wonder if it crossed their minds that perhaps if I didn’t take them up on their first offer for life insurance that I would not be interested in THREE second chances….or do they know something I don’t know? Is it an omen? On the same day, I also received an offer for life insurance from AARP. I "get it" it now. It is not what I first thought at all....I am recreating my life; it is my "second chance." I wondered why they named that big massive virtual reality game "second life." You can either do it virutally or in real life (which is also virtual, according to some interpretations).

Doreen Virtue’s Daily Card Reading for January 29, 2010

I am including this because so many of us are experiencing financial difficulties right now and this is such a positive, affirming and hopeful message: ”As you honor and follow the guidance of your heart prosperity is coming to you now.” This has been an especially big issue for me since I am unemployed and looking for work, but also working on projects that I hope will make a difference in the world, but I am feeling very restricted financially.

Follow your guidance and you will be supported every step of the way. Yes, you are on the right path and you will be supported as you follow that path. As you give you will receive. Allow yourself to trust. Allow yourself to receive. Pay attention to your ideas. Trust in the validity of those ideas. Put them into action. Take one step in the direction of your dreams. Everything else falls in place automatically. Focus on your divine direction.



Random Quotation from Joe’s Book 
In the same way we have entered a dangerous ecological era, we have also entered a precarious epistemological epoch – and the two domains are not unrelated. (Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, p. 48)

Most of us are highly aware of the dangerous ecological era we live in. The poorest among us live in highly toxic environments. On this web site I have presented the issues surrounding the Appalachian Mountains in which ruthless corporations such as Massey Energy are blowing up the mountains to extract the coal. This has created an ecological disaster and this is only one example. American Indian sacred lands are being permanently destroyed by using them as nuclear waste sites in spite of agreements that had been made. If you read http://www.mercola.com/ which is written by a licensed medical doctor, you will see that our food is literally comprised of nonfood ingredients as well as thousands of toxic chemicals, many of which are known carcinogens. The food that is most targeted is the food that the poor can afford to buy. It is very difficult to find affordable food that is not laden with high fructose corn syrup, which is known to cause all kinds of health effects from diabetes, to weight gain, and even heart disease. Why do these corporate moguls want us unhealthy? Of course, so that we have to buy their crazy pharmaceuticals. Medication, anyone? Now, there is even a pill to take to make sure your antidepressant works (never mind that one of the side effects is death). You can read about it on Dr. Mercola's website.

How does this relate to epistemology? Epistemology is knowledge….the masses must be kept stupid. And for the most part, this is sadly true. Most of us are ignorant about truth. What Joe is calling for here is that we unite education and the knowledge of politics behind that education. We expose the motivations behind the knowledge that we are spoon fed. If we do not, freedom, democracy and liberty will be forgotten concepts.

We must not forget yesterday’s quotation in this quest for knowledge. All knowledge is worthy of considering. The educational elite will object to such things as Doreen’s oracle readings. Why? Ask yourself why. Personally, I find the positive words of her reading today very empowering. I do not listen to her readings daily, but I just happened to today and it was very relevant to my life right now and I enjoyed the positive words that give me hope and strength.

Of course, this knowledge would not be acceptable in school. We have to ask ourselves why would the educational elite object to any of the knowledges that people at the bottom who are struggling might find empowering? Who are they working for?

Joe was very clear in yesterday’s quotation that our epistemological (knowledge) foundation include ”worldwide input.”  Doreen Virtue is a licensed, practicing psychologist. She has found something that is very powerful and empowering.

Upcoming Book Reviews
Well that’s it for today. I will be starting the book reviews soon. Of course, I will begin with Joe’s books since this website is about his work. Other than the fact that I would like to provide the information about Joe’s work for other people to reference, as is one of the goals of this website, I also have some very important reasons for reviewing his books. And they are all 10-star books on the 5-star scale, so I will start with the best books and work my way down.

Today’s Music
I awakened this morning to “She’ll Be Coming around the Mountain.” Strange, even by my standards. But I never question my Master Teachers. When you are provided a lighted pathway, you just take one step at a time in trust, faith and love, knowing that you are progressing toward your own divine purpose.
Vanessa

She’ll be coming around the mountain

 
OH!! I know what this is about. I LOVE my teachers. They are so funny and so sweet. It's about me traveling around mountains while I am at my computer in my pink pajamas....lol.

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 . . .
The host of the NRJ Music Awards for taking it upon himself to steal the award and give it to another group. And what did he have to say for himself? “It happens.”  What a JERK.  Source: Oliver Miller  [Just to be perfectly clear: This is satirical and I don't know French. Oh, and congratulations to Tokio Hotel.]

The "Crime" 


Vanessa’s Inbox
On Obama!  Well, I finally heard back regarding the email I wrote to Obama. I asked him to do an INSTANT MONETARY RESET. What is that? It’s when all of us peons have gotten our tax refunds and immediately after all taxes have been paid in Obama signs an executive order wiping away all debt. No one owes anyone anything and we own our houses, cars, and everything else free and clear. We start all over again. Sure enough, in his speech the other night he said he will issue an executive order to create a commission that "will provide a specific set of solutions by a certain deadline.” It’s looking good. As I have said several times, Obama will be flipping some tables.  The day is approaching. April is the time to really be watching Obama and by midsummer there will be no doubt Obama is in there for the people, not those global elite (he sure is good at fooling them, though).

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).

And -  from the New York Times today – It looks like Obama is planning ahead for the BIG PARTY! Remember, I talked about the big 11-11-11 party in an earlier blog. Check out these headlines:
“Obama to Party: ‘Don’t Run for the Hills’”

My Horoscope for Today: Scorpio - Jan 28, 2010
Do your best to make some positive fresh starts today, and try not to let anything stand in your way right now. (I thought that was interesting since today is the first day of my “NEW Blogs.”) Today is a special day, too…I wonder what surprises are in store.

Five Ways for Teachers to Quit Taking it Personally: #1 Don’t Read Into Things
The problem: Teachers are always thinking about things, sometimes too much. Don’t add extra words or tone that isn’t in correspondence. The solution: Take things at face value. If you don’t understand the point someone is trying to make, ask for clarification. Don’t assume anything.   (Source: Jill Hare)

Last, But Not Least: Sage Advice from Brian Kim Today
Think back to your chemistry high school class.
You put one chemical in a beaker.
What happens?
Not much.
You put another chemical in that beaker, you might get a reaction.
If you don't put other "chemicals" in your beaker of life, there's not going to be a reaction.
Nothing will change.
It helps to constantly add new "chemicals" in your beaker, such as different places to eat, hike, other people, books, movies, etc.
Sooner or later, the chemicals WILL react in interesting and surprising ways.
In your favor.  Source: http://www.briankim.net

Contest Up Ahead! Prizes! Money!
One of my readers has graciously donated some prize money, $200 bucks so far, for this new contest. We are having a word creation contest (also called a neologism contest if you want the big word for it). You will have to read my blog about how this works right here. So, what you have to do is either: 1) Take an existing word and give it a new and funny definition; or 2) take an existing word and change, add, or subtract one letter to make a new word and give it a funny definition.

In my blog the other day, I created haverdash (from haberdash) and gave it the definition, “the race to keep up with the Joneses.”

Today, I came up with another one. I am always feeling somewhat destitute these days. Change the d to p and what you have is pestitute – that’s when you have one of those defective car alarms that go off incessantly. Someone just walks by your car and that blasted horn toots.

Send me your words! I will keep a database of all of them and I will publish them right here on this web site. Then we can all vote for our favorites. Maybe by the end of the contest the prize money will be bigger… You can email your words to me, Vanessa.

Joe’s Advice, Oracle-Style
Using a book as an “oracle” simply means you just open it up and see if it has something to say to you. I discovered that Joe’s book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction is great for this. This is not minimizing his work by any means. Again, I must reiterate that this book is so profound and world-changing, and it has so many applications that I have yet to discover them all. I discussed some of them in yesterday's blog. Still, it is quite magical and amazing how many times I have opened up his book and found the perfect quotation for whatever happened to be important for the moment. So today, I will just open up his book, oracle-style (and this way I only use one sentence from the book and will not be criticized by the powers that be for using too many citations or words from his book) and we will see what pops up. So here goes ….

This is the very first sentence that came to me on the page I opened up:

Thus, to build a critical complex epistemology we use critical theory with indigenous and worldwide input as our foundation, add feminist theory, complexity and chaos theory, a significant sprinkle of cultural studies, and our own pedagogical and hermeneutic (the study of interpretation, meaning making) insights. (page 61).

I find this quotation very interesting for a number of reasons. First, here Joe has given us his formula for how he constituted his theory and has essentially defined for us a critical complex epistemologist; that is, he has given us all of the ingredients that went into his theory and what we need to do as critical complex epistemologists. At the same time, he clearly has left doors open for us all to reconstitute his theory in ways that work in different contexts and for different teachers, researchers, learners, etc. As can be easily seen NO ONE is left out of the picture – he calls for “worldwide input.” In other words, everyone everywhere provides input. We do not shut down anyone even if they do not communicate in the traditional formal way that is so often required by educators or if their knowledge happens to be vastly different than Westernized "traditional" knowledge.

There is so much more to say about this quotation, but it is beyond the scope of this short blog. As is always the case, Joe has put so much depth into even one mere sentence that we could literally write an entire book based on this one sentence alone. I will have to cover it in another format. Suffice it to say: All knowledges of all peoples need to be factored into our foundation for education along with the other elements Joe has specified in this sentence. What this means is, we do not discount any knowledge, no matter how it might seem to be evaluated as "trivial" by some people. Clearly, Joe is advocating here that we can learn from virtually all perspectives. Sadly, discounting most forms of knowledge is exactly what education today seems to be about. Again, this is an indication that we need to make some drastic changes in the way we teach and learn today and the sooner we all realize this and take actions toward this, the better and happier we can all be.

Good to Go!  My Master Teachers just checked over this blog and said it’s good to go except they wanted me to add one “last song,” and just before they left I was told, “We shall meet again.” I will look these up on You Tube.   

The Last Song
       

I’m sorry, I rarely tell my Master Teachers no. But even I have limits on what I will post on my blogs. The very first video that popped up when I searched on “We shall meet again,” is simply not one that I will publish and corrupt my blogs with. I don’t know where my teachers are coming from sometimes. They should know by now I do have limits to what I am willing to do, and I really never cared for Shakespeare, anyway. Thank God for free will and for teachers who are always willing to meet me halfway. Instead of their choice, I went down the list of music videos and made MY choice.      

We Shall Meet Again      



Until tomorrow,
Vanessa

This treasure hunt has been long and winding. Truth be told, all treasure hunts can be long and winding because there are so many different directions they can go; there are so many choice points along the way with infinite choices. There is no right way or wrong way to go. Each person who embarks on a specific treasure hunt is likely to take a different route and end up in a different place.

Review of the Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt

When this Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt began, I thought I would be manifesting a 2010 Steel Blue Mercury Mariner (and the “soul” surprise was me inside the mariner). You will have to read from Part 1 to see how this treasure hunt started, how it merged with the NEW Quest for the Golden Keys Treasure Hunt, and all of the places it has been. As it turns out, there are so MANY ways just the title of the treasure hunt alone can be interpreted. For example, we have the vehicle, we have the “soul man” who travels on the dusty road, we had the blocked bridge guarded by the “epistemological trolls” (Joe’s words) so we took the Ferry cross the Mersey and found the site of a musical explosion in Liverpool – a sort of phoenix rising midst the blues which is worth studying more so that we can learn how to repeat it in other places; we have Blues Highway 61 and Joe’s Blue Knowledge that helps alleviate suffering; and now we are traveling down Highway 61 over to Route 66 to head up to “Sweet Home Chicago,” along the way paying tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan a blues musician who was tragically killed in a helicopter crash on the way to perform at a second blues venue back in 1990. The last song he sang was “Sweet Home Chicago.”

The important thing to remember about treasure hunting  is that we are seeking ways to alleviate human suffering. This was always Joe's mission. Uncover the source of our pain and search for ways to alleviate it. What is so interesting about the concept of treasure hunting, in my view, is that it brings right to the forefront the fact that there are many ways we can get out from under our captors (the elite power wielders) and we have so many choices. This is a huge revelation! So often, those of us who are vicitimized by the people above us on the hierarchical ladder get to feeling we are stuck and forever destined to be abused, misused, and violated by those above us for their own narcissistic and greedy purposes. This is just not true! We do not have to stay frozen in time and feel that we have no options. I encourage everyone to take some of my past treasure hunts on these blogs and go off in other directions with them. Or create your own new treasure hunts. Find solutions to your pain that will work for you and solutions to the pain of others who are less fortunate that will work for them. Don't accept the lies fed to you that severely limit your possibilities and make you feel trapped. And don't dwell on the pain; that will only lead to what the power wielders have dubbed "learned helplessness," just another tactic for blaming the victim and keeping them stuck. Experience your pain and move on. Dwell on the solutions and taking concrete actions! Rejoice in the fact that there are many choices and infinite opportunities. The magic of "treasure hunting" is that we can become more aware of what those opportunities are. This is just one of the beautiful gifts that Joe left us in his work. There are many more waiting to be discovered.

Those are just some highlights of this long, winding treasure hunt and there are more interpretations of just the title of this hunt alone, but one of them is so sad that I will not discuss it here. It is quite strange how this particular interpretation manifested in my life in a rather peculiar way, but by now I expect almost anything while being guided by the best master teachers of the universe. As I have said before, I am holding someone’s hand who shines the light on the path “just in time,” so to speak. I cannot see up ahead or where we are going, and I go pretty much on “blind faith,” as some people might call it. More accurately, it is surrender and trust in the process of living life to its fullest. In my personal interpretation, and again, everyone will have their own interpretations, it is total trust in the process with the knowledge that there will always be divine guidance, I am never alone, and it is all for a beautiful purpose out there ahead. Perhaps in a future book I can go into more detail.

There have also been many threads to this particular treasure hunt: some fun puzzles were discovered in Joe’s book (has anyone decoded the Secret Agent dogs’ message yet?). There have been bogus letters and emails sent to me along with fires and flames along the trail putting demands on me that are impossible given that I am not the one calling the shots here. If I were calling the shots, I would have graciously bowed out long before this. These sorts of things cannot be done if you are all alone. No, I am guided due to the importance of standing up for our rights -- our freedom in both action and speech. Freedom to dance. This is only part of what I have been told. It goes much beyond that, even.

What’s Coming Up the Pike?

I received a most excruciatingly beautiful message yesterday. I would love to publish it in my blogs, but I know most readers are stuck in fidurod land and would not really get that much out of it and figure that I was just making it all up. I am saving it for a book in the future when more people are receptive to these sorts of messages. Why “excruciatingly” beautiful? Because it is such a beautiful message that it literally makes me cry to read it – not out of sadness, but rather out of joy from realizing the significance of its meaning for setting people free. That was one of the goals of this treasure hunt, by the way: The truth shall set you free. But as we have also learned there are steps involved in accepting truth and we are stuck on step two:

Truth is Violently Opposed Before It is Accepted as Self Evident
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was a German philosopher known for his philosophical clarity. In my view he has made one of the most valuable observations on the shifting of human views on truth as he stated that all truth goes through three steps:
1.    First, it is ridiculed.
2.    Second, it is violently opposed.
3.    Finally, it is accepted as self-evident
(Reference: Dr. Mercola, www.mercola.com)

So, since very few people are really ready to be set free, The Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt goes “on suspension” according to my Master Teachers for the time being. (Interesting play on words, here.)This was mentioned a day or two ago. Today is the day. I am sad about that because I really enjoy this treasure hunt. They have told me that I have plenty to pick up on and put into a book now. This is what they wish for me to do. As I mentioned a couple of days ago, they said the blogs would be taking a “turn” and that it would not be a “postmodern turn.” They have added some new elements to my blogs: Vanessa’s Mailbox and they have added book reviews along with a five star rating system, which I discussed a couple of days ago. I have not received the criteria for the book reviews yet. I expect that these will be starting tomorrow, although you can read more about them in yesterday’s blog.

One thing will not change. The blogs will still demonstrate Joe’s theory. In fact, I have been asked to do a sort of “Oracle Reading” each day. This is not what one might think. Oracles can be divine, but they do not necessarily have to be. Since there were complaints about me “stealing words” from Joe’s book, I will just be using one sentence only, which is a highly acceptable way of using quotations. So, each day I will just open up the book anywhere, pick a sentence off that page and write an interpretation. Note that I said “an” interpretation. This implies that there will, of course be many other possible interpretations and I will simply be presenting my own interpretation on any given day (which might be different on a different day). I just want to make sure everyone is clear about that. There are ALWAYS multiple ways one might interpret something.

The last book Joe wrote is a prime example. Obviously, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction is a textbook, and a damned good one. I will be using it in my teacher courses so I am still hoping that Springer will print the more affordable paperback version (see yesterday’s blog) since most of my students are not rich enough to pay $150 for a textbook. In addition to a textbook, I have shown how it can be used for lifetime quests to “find the golden keys” as well as a sort of golden chalice that holds many great secrets. It is also a puzzle book. We have barely scratched the surface as far as all of the great puzzles and word games he has hidden within. Joe was big into words and there is a logical reason for that. The better handle we can get on language, the more successful learners we are and the less likely those elite power wielders can pull a “fast one” on us. His book is also a history book, a music book, a mass media analysis book, a social studies book, a guidebook for successfully reaching 2012 and beyond, a psychology book, a science book, and more! I am still working on decoding and identifying all of the possible interpretations and uses for Joe’s book. He was truly a multiperspectival person and his bricolage research methodology is what allowed for the creation of the knowledge enclosed in the pages of this book that can be so widely applied.

Future Treasure Hunts

My Master Teachers wanted me to remind people that the treasure hunts never really end. We will be picking up with them once again about Spring or Summer and along with them will a brand new, very exciting Treasure Hunting Adventure. You will see many wonderful things manifest during the treasure hunts coming up the pike.  For now, I have a TON of work to do. It is good work. It makes me happy, so my Master Teachers chose the song “Whistle While You Work” for today’s music.

However, they also thought this happy song should be balanced with “something dark.” Don’t ask me why. I do not question these things because they have far superior knowledge as compared to me. We will see what they meant by that on You Tube. Here’s the song that came right up to the top when I searched on “something dark”:

Something Dark Is Coming




Wow, Battlestar Galactica. I wonder what it means. Oh well, my teachers reassured me, saying that they are “Always there for you” so I’ll see if that brings up something more positive….

Always there for you - Stryper

    

LYRICS

Now, that is sweet. Check out the lyrics…

Bye for now. I am going to go whistle for awhile,
Vanessa

Whistle While You Work – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Vanessa’s Inbox

This is a new feature I am just beginning today in my blogs. I get some really interesting email as well as snail mail from my students, friends, and other places, so I thought I would share some of them here on a regular basis (the public ones, that is; I would never share private emails, of course). You can see that we love playing with words by this interesting chain letter I received yesterday in my email inbox (I get a lot of these).

I think we really need and want Joe’s book Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction in paperback form so that we can all afford it and have the opportunity to find Joe's great puzzles, riddles, hidden messages, and predictions. We would all just love it! Joe knew what those of us at the bottom of the ladder would enjoy and he made sure he included plenty of it in his books! Here's what we are playing right now:

Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly neologism contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.

The winners:1. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs. 
2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
3. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.
6. Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
7. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle (n.), olive-flavoured mouthwash.
9. Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller. 
10. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam. 
12. Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon (n), a Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism (n.), (back by popular demand): The belief that,when you die, your Soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent (n.), an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.

The Washington Post's Style Invitational also asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

This year's winners:
1. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future 
2. Foreploy (v): Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
3. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
4. Giraffiti (n): Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
5. Sarchasm (n): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
6. Inoculatte (v): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
7. Hipatitis (n): Terminal coolness.
8. Osteopornosis (n): A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
9. Karmageddon (n): it’s like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
10. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
11. Glibido (v): All talk and no action.
12. Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
13. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
14. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out. 
15. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you're eating.

And the pick of the literature:

16. Ignoranus (n): A person who's both stupid and an asshole.

My Teacher Helped Me Play This Game; He’s So Nice

It is so cool because right now I have a lot of very special teachers providing me support. I call these extra special teachers my Master Teachers. They support my ongoing phenomenological research. One of my Master Teachers is just SO CUTE. I really love him and he kinda likes me…a little bit taboo for a teacher-student relationship, but we don’t care, which is why I can write about it in my blog. Yesterday, I told him, “You’re too cute for me.” And he just said “Haberdash!”

I had no idea what haberdash means so I had to look it up in an online dictionary (I think there was strategy involved in the word he selected - just like a teacher; he's "bad to the bone"). Haberdash means “dealing in small wares.” For some reason, that struck me as being very funny. It’s more original than saying something like “Nonsense!” or saying “oh, no, that’s not true,” or "it doesn't matter" and it has so much more meaning. So then I got the idea of turning haberdash into one of those new and creative words like I received in my email yesterday – my first try at this game. Here’s what I ended up with:

Haverdash (n) – the race to keep up with the Joneses

For those who do not know about the Joneses, wikipedia comes to the rescue again:

" Keeping up with the Joneses " is a catchphrase in many parts of the English-speaking world referring to the comparison to one's neighbour as a benchmark for social caste or the accumulation of material goods.”  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeping_up_with_the_Joneses

I think it’s not too bad for my first try. This game is kind of fun. You should try it! If you’re a teacher, give your student a break from all of those BORING vocabulary worksheets and let them try this one. Perhaps you might suggest some big words for them to change. Better still would be to let them peruse the dictionary, find a big word, learn its definition and then create something new. They could draw pictures - or they could make a class video demonstrating their new words…what a party that would be!

Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy in Paperback Form?

Oh yes! Now, here is something most people probably do not know; I am not sure how many people Joe shared this information with, but he did share it with me. It took him 12 years to get the Springer contract that specified that within 6 months of publication of his book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, an inexpensive paperback version would be printed so that we ALL can afford to buy it. It is quite clear that he wanted this book to reach the masses, not just those who can afford a college education and expensive textbooks.

What I would like to know is whatever happened to the paperback version? I actually asked this question to the attorney from Cozen O’Connor who represents Springer in my response to their December 15, 2009 "cease-and-desist letter" (which had some bogus requests as far as I can ascertain, although I did express my willingness to "work with them") but I am still waiting on an answer.

I hope that Joe’s greatest wish comes true. He did say, at least twice in the book that Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction was going to change the world. I am sure that was based on the fact that the book was going to be affordable and widely available. 

Joe worked so hard on this book, stating,

I profoundly believe such understandings about knowledge can lead to world changing social action. If I didn’t believe this, I would certainly not be spending all this time and effort writing this damned book (p. 197). 

For Joe to have spent 12 years negotiating for a contract that specifies this paperback version of his book signifies just how important it was to him. The right thing to do – to honor him and his wishes – would be to get that book published in paperback form as soon as possible. It has now been nearly a year and a half since the book was first published – three times the length specified in the contract, according to what Joe had said -- and I have seen no sign of the paperback version. This is a shame. It is a travesty.

Today’s blog is short. Just call it a brief stop-off in one of our forgotten rural communities on the way down Blues Highway 61 where people have to use the tools they have at hand to try to move their knowledge forward in more creative ways than their technocratic teachers with their mindless worksheets will allow. We know we can do better even than this. We want Joe’s book and we want it now! Sorry if we seem a little déclassé from the perspective of the elite. See what Joe says about that on page 58.

Waiting patiently for Joe’s paperback,
Vanessa 

P.S. I received the title of the song for today in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, I didn’t get up and write it down immediately, so I have forgotten what it was. Always write down special messages you receive in your dreams, if they are important like this. I learned this from reading Joe's books. 

Now, I will have to “wing it” for today’s music. I will see what my master teachers have for me today at our morning meeting. Oh wait, here’s the clue they gave me last night: “Shall we? ‘Shall we dance?’” I’ll see what YouTube pulls up to the top of the search…

Shall We Dance? #1




Shall We Dance? #2 The King and I




I think I will need assistance with a legal battle. 
More information can be found here.

One of my master teachers is just so damn smart and I am really happy I have him as a teacher. We usually meet quite early in the morning and he provides me with a song for the blog of the day. This morning he was not available, although when I called
him and I asked him about the song, he just quickly said “Route 66” and I have no idea what that means. It seems to have something to do with travel plans rather than a song. Then he told me he was in a meeting, so we would have to get together a little later today. I felt bad about bothering him during his meeting, but he’s so kind he always answers when it is me calling, no matter what he is doing. Anyway, he didn’t tell me this, but all of a sudden it dawned on me: he gave me the song last night. He did not remind me of that because he was very busy at the meeting and he probably wanted me to figure it out on my own, anyway. It was not that obvious he had given me a song; it was just a phrase that he gave me just before he left, “your ‘pride and joy’” so I will see what YouTube pulls up with ‘pride and joy.’ No song comes immediately to mind.

Well, look at this…the song that came to the top is Pride and Joy by Bonnie Raitt. She sings it as a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan. I am not familiar with this artist, but it turns out he made it to Carnegie Hall and he had played with some great musicians such as Buddy Guy, who Joe had mentioned in one of his interviews as being a great Blues artist. I pulled this off Wikipedia (as I have said, Wikipedia is so great! And they don’t care if you use their text – it’s in the public domain). This is very sad:

To complete the summer portion of the 1990 "In Step" tour, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble played two shows on August 25 and 26 at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin, while on tour with Eric Clapton. The show was a blues lovers dream come true with performances from Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Jimmie Vaughan. The last song Vaughan ever played was "Sweet Home Chicago" with Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, and Jimmie Vaughan.^{[citation needed]}

For travel to the next venue, the tour manager reserved four helicopters to circumvent congested highway traffic. The helicopters, not certified for flight under instrument flight rules, lifted off in dense fog at 12:40 A.M. on August 27. Just past the lift-off zone was a 300-foot hill. Vaughan's pilot, unfamiliar with the area, did not climb to sufficient altitude immediately after take-off, and the helicopter crashed into the hill. Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevie_Ray_Vaughan

Well, I will post the song, Pride and Joy at the end of today’s blog. It always amazes me at how good my teachers are at picking the perfect song for the blogs each day. This seems appropriate today, since we are traveling down Blues Highway that we end up with a Blues sort of song. Like Joe said in Critical Constructivism (and he had said similar things in many of his other works), “the blues aesthetic works to keep the blues away in the very act of acknowledging that there is good reason for particular individuals to feel the blues” (p. 162). That is the power of blues music. And blues is the music we hear as we travel down Blues Highway 61. I still don’t know what “Route 66” means….

This Is Interesting

I was asking my teachers what in the heck am I supposed to do with all of the thousands of dollars of books that I bought that were written by critical pedagogues. Of course, some of them are good and very useful. Without a doubt, all of Joe’s books get a 10-star rating on a 5-star scale (what can I say?). When I think of all of the books, and there must be several hundred, one that stands out in my mind (besides Joe’s books) is bell hooks’ book, Teaching to transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. I just loved this book and I was so happy to discover that like me, bell hooks LOVES to dance! Thus, in her book, it is perfectly fine for teachers and students to dance together. It enhances the learning process immensely. This book definitely gets a 10-star rating right up there with Joe’s books. She puts it out there like it is and there is no obfuscation or hidden agenda. In fact, when I had to write my philosophy of education for my Comp Exam, it was influenced by Joe (of course), John Dewey, bell hooks, and my absolutely fav scientist, Albert Einstein.

Oh, back to the other books. Like I said, some of them are useful to varying degrees, but most of them I wonder why I bought, and when I asked my teachers What am I supposed to do with all of these books? -- which they undoubtedly had asked me to buy for a purpose, they said I had just figured out the new direction (the new TURN?) the blogs are going. As I mentioned yesterday (see yesterday’s blog), they told me that after this Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt (which is about to go on suspension), that they would like for me to REVIEW all of these books and give them star ratings. They said they would give me the criteria soon. I’m thinking OMG, I have to read and review all of these books? “You got it, Cookie,” I was told. And to think that I thought my job was going to get easier….
Pride and Joy – Bonnie Raitt

>


Original Pride and Joy – Stevie Ray Vaughan    

OOOH I LIKE THIS VERSION THE BEST!!!  LYRICS

 

Oh, wow. Route 66 IS a song! Hmmm…. Route 66 – Nat King Cole  LYRICS
“Get Your Kicks on Route 66”



I wonder if Route 66 and Blues Highway 61 connect somewhere or if I have to make a major turn somewhere…I will just have to use Google Maps … this is interesting: Route 66 is called “The Mother Road” and it is an historic route. I will have to learn more about that.  Check out this Route 66 Website – “Turn by Turn” http://www.historic66.com/description/

The highways seem to run parallel for awhile.  I wonder if THAT’s the TURN my teachers were talking about yesterday when they said there will be a major turn we will be taking and that it will not be a “postmodern turn.” Maybe we will turn off and travel Route 66 instead of heading all the way down to New Orleans. That might provide the "poor boy" relief to know he has other options besides returning to The House of the Rising Sun where he has to wear the ball and chains. (If this does not make sense to you, you will need to review this Treasure Hunt from the beginning, Part 1.) Of course, "kicks on Route 66" might not be such a good thing either -- just depends on what kind of kick we are talking about here. I know! Maybe we are supposed to head over to Route 66 from the Blues Highway 61 in Memphis and head up to Sweet Home Chicago! That was the last song Stevie Ray Vaughan sang at that special Blues concert. I'll bet that's it. I love Chicago.
 
However, I do think my teachers speak "doublespeak" when they speak of taking a "turn." Maybe we are reloading the matrix somehow just like Joe talked about in Critical Constructivism (p. 149) and we need multiple options. Perhaps tomorrow we will learn more. For now, I have a ton of projects on my plate. My master teachers have loaded me down with work (and you thought this blog took all my time? No way....)

Have a great day,
Vanessa

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.

My Good Friend Detective Looney

Well, well, it is Saturday. That’s a deep subject for this Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt (or is it SOLE Surprise? – you just never know with these treasure hunts how you are supposed to interpret the words). Anyway, as I was saying I should take Saturdays and Sundays off from writing these blogs, but that ain’t gonna happen. If it does happen, that means there is problem, so please call Detective Looney for me. If you recall, I wrote several blogs about a neighborhood issue that I was hoping Detective Looney would help me out with (that’s his real name and as Joe would say, reality is stranger than fiction). I had reservations about someone with a name like Looney giving me much help. And as it turned out, the DROID got away (although he’s still gonna pay, on account of karmic law), but I do have to say that Detective Looney gave it his best shot and he said he learned a lot in the process, so I am very grateful for that.

Fascism 101. What is Fascism?

I was supposed to clarify fascism. Fascism, as many people know, is very sneaky and insidious. What many people don’t realize is that its attributes or warning signs are entwined in our entire social system. The most common, and unfortunately, very accepted attribute is in the way we raise our children under authoritarian rule rather than embracing a loving, egalitarian relationship. This has been very harmful for our children and has caused them much suffering. As preschoolers, they look forward to school because they know learning is fun. They put their hopes in school being a place of refuge from authoritarian rule, and what do they find? They find that it is even much worse in school. I realize many people do not view this as fascist, but it is indeed an element of fascism if you take a look at Joe’s F-Scale on pages 115-116 in the book Reading, Writing, Thinking: The Postformal Basics (Thomas & Kincheloe, 2006). He has based this on Adorno's F-Scale, which many of us are familiar with -- but have we really looked at it closely in light of how our society operates?

Some of the attributes of fascism included enforcing “obedience to the conventional and customary,” “authoritarian submission” (compliance), “authoritarian aggression” toward people who attempt to work outside of the “long-established ideals,” “anti-intraception” which means things like if the elite use quotations in their work it is called using “citations,” but if a poor country girl uses quotations in her work, it is called “copyright infringement” and “stealing words” (those are real complaints I have received, believe it or not). It also means that expressing complex educational theory in creative and new ways is “poppycock.” Of course, this all demonstrates the next attribute relating to stereotypes.

And, interestingly, there are always a few who fall into that “power and toughness” category whereby compliant people tend to rely on the more “egocentric” among them to “exercise power.” This is all in Joe’s F-Scale list, by the way. He was so smart. And don’t forget the “discomfort with difference.” You know, I am perfectly happy (even if different) and it is surprising that I was told by someone who is on medication and in counseling that I needed to do the same. It is quite baffling. The last two items on Joe’s list here, include “projectivity” and the obsession with sex. Projection is like I said in one of my previous blogs. If you point a finger at someone, for example, and call them “crazy,” then it’s just like my master teacher told me, you also have three fingers pointing back at you. I think yesterday’s discussion of how those two professors called Ralph Emerson a “crazy poet” is great example of how that works. I think those professors will soon be looking for work. People did not like their expose disguised as something of educational value in a highly acclaimed and widely distributed education tabloid such as The Chronicle of Higher Education. And last, but not least is sex. Fascism is just so focused on sex that if there is even a hint of sexuality in educational expression (which, incidentally, Joe strongly advocates for if you were to read his work thoroughly), well then these things end up drawing “obsessive attention” and get blown way out of proportion from those who operate out of this fascist mentality.

Well that’s my interpretation of Joe’s F-Scale and how I see it operating in our society, from the home to school to freedom of expression on the Internet. It is definitely not limited to our political leaders, as so many would have us believe. In fact, it is very dangerous for the future of our society if we think fascism only comes from the very top. We need to look at ourselves, too. Wow, Joe was so smart. We really need to abandon all of these fascist ways as we move down that Blues Highway 61. I do hope that more people will examine their own behaviors in light of what Joe has lined out here. He was right on. As long as people operate out of authoritarianism, whether a parent, a teacher, an expert, a friend, an elite educator, a political leader, whatever, or if we, as victims, succumb to such authoritarianism, then we are supporting and perpetuating a true fascist society. It is a short downhill ride to hell.

Tomorrow for sure: We are moving down the Blues Highway 61 no matter what!

Have a good Saturday,
Vanessa

PS One of my master teachers gave me two songs today. He felt I needed cheering up for various complex reasons (thus, "You Raise Me Up") plus he wanted to ensure that we all know that we must do things from our heart for the "greater good" of all.

You Raise Me Up - Westlife



For the Greater Good of God - Iron Maiden

Well, I was hopin’ to “ease on down the road” today –  you know, continue with my treasure hunt on that Blues Highway 61 with Joe’s Blue Knowledge that is guaranteed to alleviate my suffering (“it burns, burns, burns, that ring of fire”). My teachers informed me that, indeed, this treasure hunt is almost over for the time-being, but before moving down the road, they wanted me to tie up some loose ends and clarify some things. So here we go.

What Is Treasure Hunting, Anyway, and Did Joe REALLY Treasure Hunt?

I think the best definition I have come across in Joe’s work so far is that treasure hunting is a form of, what he refers to as looking for “cognitive treasures” (p. 132 of Reading, Writing, and Thinking: The Postformal Basics). He has, of course changed his terminology in his newest book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, dropping the  term “postformal” and instead refers to this learning and research process in terms of critical complex epistemology and taking “epistemological road trips” (p. 19-21). Please read these citations for a better understanding. What are these cognitive treasures and how do we find them? They are themes, patterns, and relationships that emerge as we are on our quest for any kind of knowledge, whether in texts, on the Internet, or in “everyday life” (p. 132). They are actually everywhere, once a person becomes aware of them and they have significant meanings for many of us and can take us to entire new and higher levels of understanding or as Joe said, “new mind spaces” as we come to understand the significance of their interrelationships. He goes on to say, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m a phenomenologist that values an experience for its own sake and I think it’s essential that I go along with the existential ambience of the moment. . . . But I’m never too far away from the postformal treasure hunt” (pp. 132-133).

So there you have it. Joe really loved treasure hunting, in my interpretation. I have been engaging in these treasure hunts for a few months now and they are absolutely the most fun I have ever had. Joe really knew how to make learning fun, funny, and very productive as far as taking us to new levels of knowledge. You might also want to read pages 126-127 of Reading, Writing and Thinking, where Joe defined the type of humor he felt was necessary in our debilitating social and educational environments.

I am totally shocked by The Chronicle of Higher Education: Emerson a “Crazy Poet?”

Just yesterday my teachers were telling about some of the historical figures who really had a difficult life just because they were a little different in the way they produced knowledge or demonstrated creativity, but they were totally brilliant and ahead of their times. There was Einstein, Michael Jackson, Wilhelm Reich, and of course Ralph Waldo Emerson mentioned by my teachers. It’s one thing to have to experience the humiliation when you are on this 3D Earth plane and an entirely different matter when it continues even after you step off the earth plane and you cannot not defend yourself. I was very shocked to come across, right after my lesson in fact, a horrible article calling Emerson a “crazy poet.” My teachers knew what they were talking about. Giving Emerson the Boot.

This is an example of the ways power wielding educators are able to manipulate, divide and conquer students all in the name of whatever ulterior, narcissistic, perhaps greed-motivated, corporate-pleasing reasons they may have in the background. This demonstrates once again that Janus Two Face that Joe talked about a lot in his work. Put an article out to divide those students who are locked into their fidurodian, closed boxed minds (they believe the article to be true) and those students who either happen to love Emerson and those who believe the article is all just a hoax. No matter what perspective these students fall into, they are divided by disagreement (Emerson is good or bad) and lack of tolerance for other views. Mission Accomplished. The discourse provoked by such trivial presentations revolves around egocentric and narrowly defined positions and rarely indepth discussions, although an occasional reader "gets it" and responds with something worthwhile.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was a very, very brilliant poet and there is much society today can learn from his work. That the Chronicle of Higher Education is wasting space for such drivel is just another indication of a “world gone mad” (see Joe’s poem/song lyrics on pages 138-139 of Reading Thinking and Writing). It is another indication that we really need Joe’s Blue Knowledge to reunite us all. We need a special Hall of Shame for Professors -- for those professors who choose to divide through a demonstration of zero tolerance for difference rather than unite people. Déjà vu.

Tomorrow: Getting Clearer on Fascism as we travel down Blues Highway 61. (And the children wanted to know about Celtic. Of course, we do not just drop our dogs off on the side of the road. Well, some people do, and this is a terrible thing to do. Or if they get tired of their dogs, they just drop them off at the Humane Society and forget them. Celtic has a good home, so no worries.)

Back On the Road Again….
Vanessa

P.S. I came across this quote and I just love it.

Be willing to become the artisan of Love’s Magic.

When Love’s Magic is art, it matures with enchantment and self-knowing, and it deepens with beauty and grace. When Love’s Magic is art, your life becomes a slow dance, both elegant and majestic. Your creations, forged with fiery passion, manifest with beauty and wonder. Be an artisan of Love’s Magic. Initiations of grandeur can unfurl. — Lazaris

Sacred Love  Lyrics

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

In Chapter Six of Reading, Writing and Thinking: The Postformal Basics (Thomas & Kincheloe, 2006), Joe expresses his deep concern about the horrific rate of suicide – the third leading cause of death. He asks why has happiness, enjoyment and fulfillment devolved  in concert with a bifurcation of logic and emotion? And he expresses the need to address the depressive tendencies of our society with a “postformal cognitive insurrection’s creation of excitement, opportunity for creative expression, comfort with libidinal energy, and transgressive jouissance” (p. 113). He defines these quite thoroughly in Chapter One, so I will encourage readers to get a deep understanding of what he means by all of this. As one might imagine, it requires allowing learners to find their own transgressive paths for learning and it totally flips the tables on a teacher’s role in guiding the learning process.

The way we teach in America, and indeed, the way many of the educational institutions are structured today utilize authoritarian methodologies. As teachers we tend to dictate what students should learn. We are the boss. And as Joe has clearly expressed in many of his works, teachers are handed down their instructions from the elite power wielders at the top. The teacher’s role has turned into nothing more than a technician as both Paul and Joe describe in this book. They are technicians and the power wielders of the classroom, thus creating an atmosphere of imprisonment rather than an atmosphere in which learning can occur spontaneously. “Teachers,” Joe explains, “and in turn their students in the imperial education of the new order are being trained to shape their minds in ways that serve the purposes of the power wielders.” This is not education at all, but rather a process by which people are “lobotomized” (p. 113).

When a few people at the top, whether an elite power wielder, a so-called “expert,” and elite academic, or anyone else for any reason dictates to those “below” them how they should learn, create knowledge, and express themselves, it is a classic example of exactly what Joe is talking about here. It is a classic example of what Theodor Adorno described as an “authoritarian personality.” More frightening, is his recognition that, as Joe has described, “Such authoritarian personalities were necessary cogs in the social mechanism that we call fascism” (p. 115). I encourage everyone to read pages 115-116 and consider how they might be contributing to a frightening manifestation of fascism in our country today.

This simply cannot be allowed to continue in the classroom, in the university, on the job, or as a method of attempting to curtail freedom of expression on the Internet. Again, I will encourage people to read Joe’s work and use it as a compass in their own behavior to ensure that they do not step over the F-Scale Line that Joe has outlined in this book. Joe promoted a “rigorous erotic postformalism” to counteract the depression-invoking tendencies when people become the target of these authoritarian personalities. He concludes his analysis, stating, “Returning to our eroticism of Chapter 1, understanding the contemporary manifestations of the authoritarian personality and the ways it undermines the jouissance of spontaneity and creativity is central to our search to find a more intellectually intoxicating way of being human and educating students. It is a key to unlocking our cognitive handcuffs” (p. 116).

So here, today, in our travels which are just beginning, we learn that authoritarianism is a major factor in constraining people from freedom of expression – thus keeping them in cognitive handcuffs. This of course, relates to the “poor boy” in the NEW Quest for the Golden Keys Treasure Hunt who is depressed about having to return to The House of the Rising Sun where he must wear the “ball and chains.” I had made the association in a previous blog between the cognitive handcuffs and the ball and chains. For this particular treasure hunt, we and the poor boy (who got off the chantanooga choo, choo), along with Joe's dog, Celtic, are now are embarking on a journey down Blues Highway 61 with Joe’s Blue Knowledge. We must have our freedom to continue our journey.

I took a side trip because it is very important that we all have a greater understanding of what contributes to feeling so blue. This is a monumentally important issue to understand because so many people are affected by it. It is why we see (or at least one of the major reasons) we see so many people using mind altering substances, whether it be illegal drugs, prescribed medications for depression or “ADHD,” alcohol, and numerous other destructive behaviors as people attempt to alleviate their suffering by artificial means. Joe was adamantly against the use of these substances. With the cognitive handcuffs removed, there is absolutely no need whatsoever for mind altering drugs or other self-destructive behaviors.

Fortunately, there are many people who recognize the danger for our society to continue down this authoritarian, fascist pathway. For example, there are many laws in effect now that protect freedom of expression on the Internet and so I have decided that since I am still feeling “blue” and still hearing the song “ring of fire” due to efforts that have come my way to restrict my expression (expression, which totally comes from my interpretation and application of Joe’s brilliant theory). Fortunately, more and more people recognize the debilitating and chilling effects such regulation has on natural, erotic, transgressive expression that is necessary to keep society moving forward toward more democratic and egalitarian goals. And fortunately, the courts also recognize this and are increasingly paying attention to safe guarding the freedom our founding fathers had envisioned for us. The following information comes from the Chilling Effects web site:

Should I publicize cease-and-desist letters?

You betcha! Unwarranted cease-and-desist letters chill perfectly legitimate speech. The Chilling Effects Clearinghouse is collecting a database of cease-and-desist letters to document the chill. Chilling Effects also annotates the notices to help you understand your legal rights.

Don’t get your name in The Hall of Shame

One more thing before we move on down the great Blue Highway 61. I just love Dr. Mercola. He is totally up on everything medical and so much more. He is another one of those people who, like Joe, (OH! And his name is Joe, too!), is way ahead of the times. I love progressive thinkers. Anyway, seeing that I have been getting so many flames over my presentations of how I interpret my “truths,” which I have clearly indicated are just interpretations, nevertheless, I thought I would share a little quote from the email I received from Dr. Mercola yesterday. I think we must just about be reaching step 2, so that is a hopeful sign:

Truth is Violently Opposed Before It is Accepted as Self Evident
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was a German philosopher known for his philosophical clarity. In my view he has made one of the most valuable observations on the shifting of human views on truth as he stated that all truth goes through three steps:
1.    First, it is ridiculed.
2.    Second, it is violently opposed.
3.    Finally, it is accepted as self-evident
(Reference: Dr. Mercola, www.mercola.com)

I hope everyone has a great Wednesday.

Peace & Love,
Vanessa

P.S. I was given two songs today. I was informed: “I’m ‘always right beside you’ and we are ‘in this together.’” I have no idea what these songs are, so I will look them up on You Tube right now….ok, here they are (they came right to the top when I searched on the words that were provided to me in quotation marks, so that is a clear indication that these are the songs that were intended for today). I am so grateful and relieved that I am not alone. I would never be able to do this work alone.

Always Right Beside You



We’re in this together – Nine Inch Nails (I couldn't understand all of the words for this song, so I looked up the lyrics).



Reference: Thomas, P. & Kincheloe, J. (2006). Reading, Writing, and Thinking: Postformal Basics. Sense Publishers.

When I awakened this morning, all I could hear playing was “Burning Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, one of the nine songs I was given the other day by one of my Master Teachers. Of course, I did not want to hear this song given the trials and tribulations that seem to have come along for the ride on this treasure hunt. Sometimes on treasure hunts we do go through various difficult initiations. It is not fun. Not fun at all. But I guess I should have expected it since we are bumping up against the actual kick-off date of The Code Blue Mission which I mentioned back on the day of the earthquake in Haiti, and apparently since we are so close to starting the mission, I will have to go through my most difficult initiations. This is just the way this form of treasure hunting works, although, when I began receiving email flames, I was reassured that I can drop out of this game if I choose and there would be no penalty at all. But what happened instead was that all of my Master Teachers got together and they are going to provide even more assistance.

Treasure Hunts always evolve and are totally improvisational, there is no planning, and at any given time when one reaches “choice points” there are multiple options or directions the treasure hunt can take. We are building the matrix – just as Joe had explained in his book, Critical Constructivism. Again, this all relates to the fact that everything is constructed of fractals or repeating patterns, but you can change the pattern at the various choice points. There are infinite choice points along the way and infinite directions that you can take when you encounter a choice point. I know this is a very complex concept for most people to grasp, but it is all in Joe’s books, which is why I keep encouraging people to read them. We are entering an extremely complex era of human history and it does take some stretching of the mind to avoid being left behind.

Where do I even begin today? There are always people who just do not “get” the fact that there are multiple realities and that if we restrict ourselves to a one “true” reality, it is harmful for us all. This is the contrast between the beginning of Joe’s book, Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction, and the end of Joe’s book: You start with what he calls FIDUROD, which is one true reality and all of its painful, restricting attributes, but by the end of the book your mind expands to accepting that there are many realities and infinite possibilities. Of course, I have been told by my Master Teachers there will be many who will not grasp these concepts that we need in order to move forward in our human evolutionary development and these people will stay painfully locked into their own one “true” reality and try to force that reality on others. Since we do not wish to be pulled backward and imprisoned in someone else’s reality, all we can really do is send these people our love, which I, indeed do. So to make a long story short, I was ordered to take down this web site. But as far as I can see, what is really needed here is a better understanding of Joe’s Blue Knowledge and how continuing the treasure hunt by proceeding down Highway 61 can help us all. If I shut down the web site, I will be circumventing putting forth the very information that we all need.

Tomorrow: Blue Knowledge and Highway 61. I apologize for the delay to those who are really ready to move on now. I, more than anyone, perhaps would like to see how Joe's Blue Knowledge and traveling down Highway 61 can get us out of the flames.

Since there have been complaints about the music on this site, I would just like to clarify that the music is selected for a diverse audience. You will find all varieties of music on this site. We respect that people have different tastes in music and we also bring in music from outside Western culture. While there has been a focus on Western music and there is a reason for that (Westerners are the ones who need to do the most work), there will be a greater variety of music when the Mission Project gets into full swing, especially when we reach the celebrations.

Here is today’s song. Please do understand it is not from or to anyone specifically. I have many Master Teachers (“The Gang’s All Here”) and they usually work together to determine the music, especially on this particular treasure hunt, which they warned ahead of time was going to be very complex. This is simply the song that I awakened to this morning and I was not happy about it, given that I currently feel like I am the one who is in a “burning ring of fire” but it is what they chose for today and it evidently serves some sort of purpose. I just keep my faith in the greater good of the evolution of these treasure hunts.

Love & Peace,
Vanessa

Burning Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson

 

My master teacher never ever fails me – every morning there’s a song. I had to request it this morning, though. The immediate answer was (even before I finished asking the question), “Chatanooga Choo Choo” and this is great for a couple of reasons. First, it was one of the songs he had given to my other Master Teacher (who had no clue what the song was for), which I posted in the list of NINE songs a couple of days ago – (remind me to address the 9s soon). The second good thing about this song is that it allows me to build that MATRIX or, another way to put it is to “reload the matrix,” as I brought up back on January 5. The MATRIX is important because even though I have left the NEW Quest for the Golden Keys Treasure Hunt behind for now, I am still concerned about that poor boy who was stuck with one foot on the train and one foot on the platform. He was very distressed about having to return to “The House of the Rising Sun” where he would have to wear that “ball and chain.” If you have not read that last treasure hunt, you may find it interesting. Some of the golden keys were identified in Joe’s book that could help the poor boy. You can review it here.

At the very least, you will want to review the song “The House of the Rising Sun” or its lyrics. Of course, there were discussions about the FIDURODian literal meaning and more textured and deeper meanings. In fact, it is clear that because the poor boy is very deeply blue, and right in the middle of making a decision about whether to return, that this provides a “choice point” for connecting the matrix. The matrix can be compared to fractals (I hope you did your homework on fractals) in that choice points are places where evolution can head off in different directions. There are infinite choices, which we explore through Joe’s critical bricolage. We look at what has caused him to be so oppressed and kept him poor. We examine and compare the various factors that have led up to this poor boy’s deep suffering. In other words, we gain a thorough understanding of his situation. We will probably find that his is “between a rock and a hard place” which is why it is difficult for him to decide to go back. This is where critical complex epistemology is a must. It really helps us understand what knowledge is being forced down our throats (in this case, the poor boy’s throat) and why. As we bring in other knowledges by exploring many other perspectives, new alternatives are almost magically revealed (and as we have seen in the treasure hunts, there are always multiple choices) that provide a way out from the suffering. Here, we can take Joe’s critical constructivism and Blue Knowledge to actually take the action to move on down the road (dancing down the road is good). In this treasure hunt, we will literally be moving down the road as we create a strong, brand new link within the matrix. As I had mentioned previously, with Joe’s Critical Constructivist Blue Knowledge, we can reload the matrix. In fact, Joe said that: “While the matrix is fiction, the ‘matrix’ of constructed reality critical constructivists lay out is not” (Critical Constructivism, p. 149).  

What does Joe mean by this? If you read Chapter Five of Critical Constructivism about Blue Knowledge, you will see that critical constructivists explore knowledge widely, gaining many perspectives (this should include DIVERSE perspectives and not be restricted to Western knowledge). Next, they juxtapose opposing viewpoints so that the extreme contrasts between them, in a sense, “shake out” new ways of seeing and being in the world. It can be very effective in consciousness-raising or for provoking evolutionary advances in consciousness; thus, you end up with things like “evocative narratives” such as I produce on this site (which so many people are simply not ready for; but on the other hand, many people are ready for it and we are not going to leave those who are ready behind). These types of narratives and “performance texts” were covered quite well in the book, Representation and the Text: Re-Framing the Narrative Voice, edited by William G. Tierney and Yvonna S. Lincoln. I bought the book because Joe has a great article in it called “Fictive Formulas: Critical Constructivism and the Representation of Reality.” Unfortunately, much of the book (although there are exceptions) was written from the perspective of elite academics and is full of edu-jargon and obfuscation such that those of us at the bottom of the ladder have a difficult time relating to it. It is amazing that so many works out there are meant to address oppression and yet by their presentation, continue to create the very oppression and pain they purport to be alleviating. Something is wrong with this picture. Well, Joe, bless him, knew very well what was wrong with the picture and he laid it all out there in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction as well as in his other books.

The treasure hunts on this web site are different. They are devised so that we, at the bottom, can begin to truly understand and apply tools such as evocative narratives in concert with Joe’s critical complex epistemology so that we are then able to effectively reconstruct the matrix. And importantly, they are FUN!!! We do not have time or the desire to learn all of the edu-jargon and their hidden meanings which are not likely to be revealed to us anyway, as it is clear to us that certain knowledges are reserved strictly for the elite. This is where Joe broke ground. He held back nothing and he wrote multidimensionally, ensuring that he included several dimensions that we are able to understand, even if we do not have an expensive, elite education.

Back to the treasure hunt! Here we are now, with some interesting clues. The Chatanooga Choo Choo given to me just this morning for this new treasure hunt might help the poor boy decide whether or not to go back to “The House of the Rising Sun.” Check out these lyrics: 

Hi there Tex, what you say
Step aside partner, it's my day
Bend an Ear & listen to my version
Of a really solid Tennessee excursion

Wow, I think this is significant! We must really pay attention to Joe’s theory. That is CLEARLY what the lyrics are telling us, given that the clues led to Joe’s Blue Knowledge and given that he was from Tennessee. Is that a coincidence or what? It sounds like it's dancing time, from the lyrics (I always loved dancing with Joe). We must heed this advice now as these two treasure hunts meet up: The Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise and The New Quest for the Golden Keys. We are connecting the matrix our way! The clues we need to take a really close look at now are Joe’s Blue Knowledge and Highway 61.

Clearly, our choice for getting to New Orleans where that poor boy is headed will be to travel down Highway 61. Why? For several reasons. First, we have a dog now. Remember a few days back, we were asked to pick which of Joe’s three dogs, Celtic, Ozzy, or Ali, we wanted to take home as our friend. Well, I chose Celtic and Celtic is a very large dog. I don’t think he would be allowed to travel on the Chatanooga Choo Choo. Let’s see: What does the song say? (And, honestly, I don’t know: I have not looked up the song yet, other than the lyrics above, so here goes.)

OMG! You just NEVER know what will show up in these treasure hunts! My Master Teacher says THIS is the Chantanooga Choo Choo – he is SO funny!

Chatanooga Choo Choo

 


Now, he KNOWS I do NOT like Volkswagons and that I had my heart set on the brand new 2010 Steel Blue Mercury Mariner that this treasure hunt had hinted at much earlier….oh well. At any rate, as I said, Celtic would not be comfortable traveling in such a small car given that he is such a large dog, lol. So we will pass up the Chatanooga Choo Choo. That was an interesting video about the history of the Volkswagon and was worth watching. My Master Teacher is really good at sneaking in history lessons.

So, where are we now? We are still traveling down Highway 61, which was one of the clues given for this treasure hunt – the Easter egg on page 165 of Joe’s book Critical Constructivism that I have been urging you to find. If you check out the map (or Mapquest), Highway 61 runs from Memphis, Tennessee, all the way down to New Orleans – just exactly to where the poor boy needs to head to in order to get back to The House of the Rising Sun! And I have heard many good things about traveling down the Blues Highway 61. How amazing is that? But I passed up the Volkswagon. Gosh, I hope this doesn’t mean we have to walk!

Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan



We’ll see what happens next time. How am I supposed to buy a new vehicle when I am unemployed, broke, and deeply blue? How am I going to get Celtic? How am I ever going to travel Road 61- the Great Blues Highway?…. I guess we will just have to wait and see next time, or whenever this all evolves. As I said, wishes are allowed. I wish for a miracle.

Still Blue, but hanging in for the Treasure Hunt (Wild Horses Couldn’t Drag Me Away!)

Vanessa

P.S.
I keep getting hints of parties and weddings and going home...more lyrics from the Chantanooga Choo Choo (whatever does it mean?)

There's gonna be
A certain party at the station
Satin and lace
I used to call "funny face"
She's gonna cry
Until I tell her that I'll never roam
So Chattanooga choo choo
Won't you choo-choo me home?

Doggy and Dance images courtesy of Microsoft

Please see the P.S. at the end of this entry before reading. I do not want to upset people unnecessarily. Thank you and God Bless you.

It is really the “sign of the times” that many soul mates are matching up today. It is part of the divine alignment of the planets and the increase in energy that accompanies it as well as love “contracts” made long ago. And once the love vibrations begin spreading across the planet, consciousness expands, opening up the way for more and more soul mates to unite.

It’s a part of that “perpetual revolution” Joe spoke of. Now, before discrediting this whole concept, think about the effects a small planet such as the moon has on the ocean tides, our moods, even. For those who are skeptical, I strongly urge that they do some research on the topic. The planets are in a special, divine and very rare alignment. I will not go into the technical or scientific details here, but there is ample information for people who are interested.

There is so much information on the Internet and in published books about soul mates, and particularly, twin flame soul mates. I will leave it to readers who are interested to research this. I covered some information in some of my previous blogs as well. I do urge readers to gain many, many perspectives. That way, much like Joe’s bricolage theory promotes, you will be able to construct your own personal view of this phenomenon, and the process will help you sort through the obfuscation and misinformation.

Take time to reach out to your soul mate. They will respond, perhaps in a dream or perhaps they will just magically pop into your life, or maybe they are already in your life and your divine connection will be strengthened.

The following poem, as so often happens, came to me this morning automatically when I awakened, so I quickly wrote it down. I hope as you read it you will feel the magic and power of knowing that you have a twin flame soul mate who is just waiting to unite with you soon. It is the most powerful love you will ever experience.

Have a great Sunday,
Vanessa

My Twin Flame (True Blue) Soul Mate
 
Dedicated to my twin flame soul mate
Wherever you may be
I look upon the distant, dancing stars
Searching for you looking back at me 

I know the time is rapidly nearing
For us to have a special date
A rhapsody, a tender melody
Tells me I am not too late 

Forgive me if I’ve ever forsaken
Or called your name in vain
Earthly life, the strife and grief
Has often caused me pain 

You have always been there, patient and kind
And right beside me when I call
I wish I’d known it much sooner
Consciousness would not allow 

I do know now, our permanent connection
It never has been, never can be broken
Even though many people still deny
Now the words are often spoken 

Too many know the truth these days
Too many experience the bliss
Of knowing their one and true soul mate
And the tenderness of the first kiss 

It is the time of miracles and magic
The era they call Golden
You are always here for me
For that I’ll always be beholden 

Please know that in my thoughts and dreams
You are most loved and revered
My one true love, my soul mate
Divine, sublime, and eternally near  

Our ties can never ever be broken
It’s not possible to sever love
It matters not where we reside
Down here or up above

You are my special "God of Love"
My one and only Royal King 
Through my eyes and vibrant, violet flames
I can see the glistening of our wedding ring

A symbol of our deep devotion
A commitment for eternal service
We both know our sacred mission
Neither of us are nervous

And so each day is filled with ecstasy
My fondest dreams come true
Each day is joyful existence now
Because I am always joined with you

I love you

PS (added on Jan 18, 2002). I guess there has been a gross misunderstanding about this poem. As I stated, it was merely handed down to me as a general poem for anyone who believes in sole mates, and that would be many people these days. I was not in any way implying here that Joe is my soul mate. I apologize for the confusion and if this has caused anyone distress.

Home Again – Blackmore’s Night



Under a Violet A Moon – Blackmore’s Night

 

Crowning of the King - Blackmore’s Night



IMAGE CREDITS: The images link to the associated websites. For more information, see our Copyright Page.

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.

This morning I received official notification that it’s ok to release the “true” information about me and Joe, how it was that we really knew each other, why we could read each other’s minds, how it was that Joe was able to predict the future (it’s all in his book), why in the hell he was SO DAMN SMART etc., etc., except that it was decided that the public is just not ready to hear the TRUTH. So, my favorite and very funny Master Teacher gave me these videos instead, which he said the public will be able to relate to just fine. Myself, well . . . I just wonder what it all means…maybe someone can give ME a clue, this time. . .

Beverly Hills



In the Beginning:




A Puzzle for You: How many times did Joe refer to himself as a “hillbilly” in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction? What was he REALLY saying on those pages?

Speaking of tellin’ the truth, I was tellin’ the truth about Obama. He’s already “flippin’ the tables!.” Check this out: WE WANT OUR MONEY BACK!!! Yeah! Go, Obama! Get us ALL of our money back!

That’s all for today. I do have some more information on that MUSIC Easter egg in Chapter Five of Critical Constructivism and I will give everyone ONE MORE DAY to NAME THAT TUNE. Hey, remember that game show? I bet Joe loved that show.

Have a great and unconditional-love-filled day,
Vanessa

PS Once again, one of my Master Teachers gave Rainbow Princess a special song to pass it on to me. This is a very lovely song, and perhaps you can share it with the love of your life and contribute to raising those wonderful love vibrations across the planet. I am SO Amazed (one of my Master Teachers seems to be watching me).

Amazed by Lonestar




P.S. Ever since I've read Joe’s books, my imagination just runs away from me.

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.....

PS - I AM from the BEAVER state!!! OSU (the Beavers), my alma mater!

A PUZZLE FOR YOU: Joe wrote about the television program, "Leave It to Beaver." Which book and on what page, and what did he say about it? What is the LESSON, here? Hint: The book was NOT Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction.

Ask and ye shall receive. This morning when there was no music to awaken me and I asked what the song was for today, the answer was immediately, “Blue Suede Shoes.” Hmmm….I wonder what this means. As I am sitting here writing this, I can only speculate and hope that as my research on this project continues, the significance of Blue Suede Shoes becomes more evident. Well, there was that Blue Angel Club on Merseyside after taking the ferry across the Mersey River in last Friday’s blog. Maybe someone wants to go dancing there. Or perhaps it is just an indication of how important dancing is. I think dancing is great for the soul. I will see what today’s blog brings me.

There is definitely a lot of BLUE in this treasure hunt. We have the DEEP BLUE MARINER, yesterday we had the BLUE MONARCH BUTTERFLY, we have had the BLUES BROTHERS with their song, I’M A SOUL MAN, the 2010 STEEL BLUE MARINER, BLUE COLUMBUS because we are about to reveal more truth about that history which will not make him such famous MARINER after all, the many CLUES provided by a TRUE BLUE SOUL MATE, THE BLUECOATS (IMPERIALISTS) – or were they the REDCOATS? AND, of course, the STAR of this treasure hunt, JOE and his BLUE KNOWLEDGE. And now we have BLUE SUEDE SHOES.




WhereEVER does that lead us? I am SO CONFUSED. I will have to think about this. Maybe one more dream and I will have it figured out. It MUST have SOMETHING to do with EDUCATION.

In the meantime, I keep getting more information about Joe’s Dog Riddle, so I will relay what I have learned so far. This will be the updated version of the riddle and I am not sure this is all there is. I was AMAZED to find I could make more than 70 words just from the letters of his dogs’ names and this is without using a letter twice (unless it was included twice, such as ZZ). There may be over 100 words before I am finished finding all of them. Of course, this includes 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-letter words and even higher.  

I have a feeling I have not discovered all of the levels of this puzzle yet. What have I been saying all along in these blogs? Joe’s work is multidimensional and can be interpreted on multiple levels. Apparently, he has included many puzzles and riddles throughout his work that are also multilevel. This puzzle is just one of them. It seems to be given to me in phases, in levels, so here is what I have so far and I will update it as I learn more. I love the title of the puzzle – with all of the levels, it is appropriate and descriptive.

Who Let the Dogs Out? Who? Who?
(An assortment of learning activities for all ages)

Where In the World Did this Puzzle Come From?
In which book and on what page did Joe write about his three dogs, CELTIC, OZZY, and ALI? What was he explaining? (I might provide a hint later.)

Man’s Best Friend: What’s In A Name?
Joe had three dogs named CELTIC, OZZY, and ALI. How did he choose these names for his dogs?
Clue: Joe was very funny and he loved words and their multiple meanings and interpretations, so you can figure that he gave some serious thought to choosing these names for his dogs since they were going to be his “best friends” for a few years. Isn’t that what people say: “A dog is a man’s best friend.” So, perhaps, he chose names that matched the personality of these dogs. Knowing Joe, there were multiple reasons he chose these names for his dogs. Can you think of three? One of them is right here on this page.

A Dog’s Name is Worth 1000 Words (this puzzle is good even for very young learners)
Teacher Joe had three dogs.  Their names were CELTIC, OZZY, and ALI. See how many words you can make using only the letters in his dogs’ names. Each letter can only be used once unless it appears more than once in the names, such as ZZ. I have found more than 70 words so far! See how many 1-,2-,3-,4-,5-letter words you can find. Can you find any words with more than five letters? Also, abbreviations, slang, and proper names can be used, for example, CIA.

Make some sentences with the words and/or write a story. If you don’t know what a word means, be sure to look it up in a dictionary or online dictionary. Draw a picture to go with the words and/or story.

Dog Days Crossword Puzzle
Now that you have found all of these words, write definitions for them (use a dictionary or online dictionary) and make a crossword puzzle! Or make any or even several of the cool puzzles at http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/. Solve it and then share it with your friends and family so they can solve it. Give prizes (just kidding).

Secret Message from the Secret Agent Dogs
Joe did not stop there. He also encoded a secret message within his dogs’ names, but it is all scrambled up and obfuscated. Be sure to look up the word, obfuscated in the dictionary to see what it means. Teacher Joe loved that word and he was always looking for obfuscated messages so that he could decipher them and make these fun puzzles, among all of the other very important work he did to make the world a happier, better place for everyone.

Here’s how this puzzle works. You have to unscramble the letters to get to the message. Each letter is used just once. I have a sneaking suspicion that Teacher Joe had some “tricks up his sleeves” with this one. I know for example, you can use the SOUNDS of the letters to make words. For example, you can use EZ to represent the word EASY. So this is really a hard puzzle and I have not solved it yet, myself. Again, the letters are provided by his dogs’ names, CELTIC, OZZY, and ALI.

HINT: It might be helpful to write each letter in capitals on little square pieces of paper and rearrange them until you discover the hidden message. So far, the closest I have come to any sort of message is TIZ LAZY CLEO I C, but that is not THE Message. It is just an example of one way to solve this puzzle (Joe always had multiple solutions to his puzzles so that EVERYONE can solve them). This solution that I have found uses all of the letters once and it does say something, but it is not the Secret Message. Good Luck!

You might enjoy this short video along with this puzzle:



Well, that’s all for today. I hope tomorrow brings me a true blue meaning of all of the blue clues. Have a great Monday – oh, and here is Elvis and his Blue Suede Shoes!

Vanessa

Blue Suede Shoes – Elvis Presley


P.S. This is cool. I just now heard from one of my Master Teachers and he gave me some more clues: 

My day is going fathomly well (is that deep or what?) Didn’t you wanna know about the blue suede shoes, or were you afraid to ask? Ah well, tomorrow, love. It will become crystal clear. Don’t miss it!

Photo credits: Blue suede shoes, Bluecoats, Education Not Profit, Puppies

I finally figured out what my problem is: I’m NOT an “Eager Beaver Critical Pedagogue” (as I have been labeled in the past, which I knew, anyway) -- I must be a Monarch Slave. That might explain the blue monarch butterfly I use on this website, why my name is Vanessa, which means butterfly, and why I am obsessive about writing a blog every single day. I am under total mind control. According to this article, it must have all started when I watched the Wizard of Oz. All children who watch the Wizard of Oz, especially if they suffer abuse, neglect, or poverty are ultimately Monarch Slaves. I probably would have been fine had I not also read the book Alice in Wonderland multiple times when I was a little older. That sealed my fate. Be sure you miss the new movie coming out, folks, even if it does star the most handsome man in the world, Johnny Depp (I happen to love Johnny Depp, even if I am not his wife --  lol) – You know the movie I'm talking about, “Alice in Wonderland” coming out in a few short weeks, in 3D, no less!!! Wow 3D in 3D Land; now that is a feat. If you do watch the movie, be careful; it might just turn YOU into a Monarch Slave.

OK, so I am being facetious, but some people will put anything on the Internet to keep that “fear within” alive and well. There is no doubt that some nasty mind control has happened in the past and continues to happen to this day, but let's get real about it and do our research so that we can know what's what. The thing is that, perhaps, some of these people are so controlled by their own fear and outside sources that they do not know reality from fiction. But then, we can say this about every single living being on this planet. We all construct reality. This is just another example of how everything you read is biased in some way. How do we get a more rational view of topics as complex as mind control, as was discussed in the articles above? We have to read, read widely and wisely, analyze, interpret, and factor in who is writing the article, who they are associated with, what their ideologies are, and why are they writing it -- and then reconstruct it so that it makes sense. Of course, the reconstruction or the picture that we paint from these investigations is always tentative and changing because everything they are based on is changing. We must stay smart to stay ahead of the game, anticipate changes and comprehend Joe's critical immanence, a topic for another day. This is the heart of the bricolage and hermeneutical analysis.

Just as a reminder, critical evaluation applies to anything I write as well. I am biased and just as uninformed as the next guy. I have my own reality -- just like you do. I have never hidden that. I am biased toward Joe's work; I have been ever since reading the first article he so generously provided me to read. And the second article had me locked in and I literally could not sleep for two nights (and I even TOLD him so, lol, on his web site), cuz, here is the man with the exact answers I had been looking for all of my life. Answers I was evolving toward, but could never clarify them in my own FIDURODian-constructed consciousness. Joe did all of the work for us. All we have to do is read his work and the magic takes place. It should also be noted (and it has been, quite vehemently, in fact) that I am biased in how I choose to interpret Joe's work. We are still being told it is a free world, afterall.

A Lesson in Monarch Butterfly Mind Control: Is There a Greater Lesson Here?
If you do the activities in this lesson that follows and read some of the entries (such as the one cited above) you may want to “deprogram” yourself afterwards. There are many paths to deprogramming and we each must take our own. One of my Master Teachers -- and, Yes, silly, I DO have people in my life who I call my Master Teachers because they have so much more knowledge than I do! These Master Teachers have graciously volunteered their time to help me further my learning and education as I complete my dissertation.  Anyway, one of my Master Teachers has taught me a great acronym for fear that I never forget. FEAR = FALSE ENERGY APPEARING REAL. When you have fully convinced yourself of that, then nothing can hurt you. Of course, it is a lifetime feat to do this (and for many of us a multiple lifetime feat – check the statistics: How many people believe in reincarnation? It's A LOT!!). We just have to keep working on it. You can start by reading these two blogs, which I recommend before researching certain aspects of the Monarch butterfly, since some of the FIDURODians who write some of these articles attempt to program your mind with fear. (Review FIDUROD here.)

Conquering F-E-A-R Before the Mission Begins: Part 1 June 8, 2009  

Conquering F-E-A-R Before the Mission Begins: Part 2 June 9, 2009 

Also, don’t forget this great song to help alleviate your fears. As you can see, little Connie Talbot has no fears of the Monarch butterfly! And why should she?

Three Little Birds – Connie Talbot

 

This is a great classroom activity or an activity you can do and discuss with your friends, if you are not a student (we are ALL learners, researchers, and teachers!!!) First, research the history of mind control. Where did it all begin? Some people claim that we brought RUSSIA to America. What do you think?

Next, find at least three articles about the mind control that is purportedly going on today, or has occurred recently, such as the Monarch Butterfly Mind Control Program. You also may find it helpful to view some videos on the topic, which you can find by clicking on the Google video tab or by going to You Tube and searching. You can launch from the articles provided above if you wish, or start a new search.  Try to find a variety of articles: citizen, victim, government, psychological perspective, etc. Analyze the articles and try to classify them. Are the authors providing useful information or simply indoctrinating? Is the information they are conveying understandable or nonsensical jumble? Are they devised to instill fear or alleviate fear and why? What clues do you have that support your analysis? You will find different motivations behind the mind control articles. Some of them are sincerely trying to inform and warn us, some of them purposely attempt to obfuscate, confuse, and misinform, some of them are written primarily to instill fear.

Spend at least a month (a few hours a week) on this project and let it go where it takes you, incorporating many subjects along the way: investigate the history, science, phenomenological evidence (such as personal accounts), political, economic, cultural, religious, etc. aspects – and pull in some mathematics, too. Go where you are led with this research that is, there are many different directions one might take. If you are particularly interested in an aspect -- for example, symbolism, esoteric aspects, spirituality, the science behind mind control, the psychology, how children are being affected, the laws that protect us from such activities (manmade and/or cosmic), etc. -- then do more extensive research on those. A great web site for science is www.scirus.net and this is a good time to learn about the DEEP WEB. (Research it!). A great example of a web site emanating from deep web research is www.thememoryhole.com. You will need to do a search on the site, either with their search function or their drop down menu. This is typical for deep web research. You find a site and then you have to search on that site and it is amazing what can turn up, Note: If you have Norton or some other virus software and a message comes up saying the site is unsafe, just ignore it. The site is safe! I have used it a lot of times. I think something is going here with Norton Internet Security  – maybe someone is “sleeping on the job.” There are many more great sites for information. Let’s find them and share them.

Each day, summarize your thoughts in a journal and discuss your findings with others, either in an asynchronous online setting or a classroom setting or with friends. If you have them be sure you consult with your Master Teachers, because they will be your guides through this very complex, winding, diabolical experience. Do not hesitate to consult them, ever. I did, and one of my Master Teachers gave me a lot more information about all of this, along with reassurance -- and he told me, “Carry on, Love” which just happens to be a great rock song! The lyrics have some fantastic clues, too which we might keep in mind as we "carry on" with our research!!!

Carry On - Manowar



If your teachers are really good, they will turn it into a treasure hunt and you will have SO MUCH  FUN doing this!

You will find your way out of this twisted, diabolical mess, much in the way Joe explains with his critical hermeneutics. You will want to review this on pages 245-252 in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. The goal is to get inside the hermeneutic circle and spin for awhile, as you look for ways out (a solution or multiple solutions) that lead to alleviating any suffering people may experience either as a result of this horrible, evil stuff or as a way to improve the world for people somehow – make the world a better place – in spite of this evil crap.

Conclusion of the Assignment
Let’s Discuss! Did you find an answer to what monarch butterflies, the Wizard of Oz, and Alice in Wonderland have in common? What do you think? What was the most valuable thing you learned by doing this assignment? Were you able to rise above the False Energy of Fear? Do you feel you need deprogramming? What would help you or others who partake in this sort of research? What advice would you give? What are some new skills you learned as you did this assignment? Did you find some answers or is it much like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez sing the song that awakened me this morning – the answers are “blowin’ in the wind?” Where do we go from here?

Blowin’ in the Wind – Bob Dylan and Joan Baez

 

ALTERNATIVE ASSIGNMENT
Not all students will want to tackle the above assignment and some may have differing learning needs and abilities, or they may be younger students. A great alternative assignment is to have them compare and contrast the orange and blue monarch butterflies and to learn about the “butterfly effect.” They may want to create a presentation, display, artwork, music, poetry – encourage them to use multiple means of communicating what they learn. Let them research freely, record each day what they have learned in their journals (ALL students should keep learning journals with writing, pictures, notes, etc.!). Pose some questions for them such as: Which Monarch butterfly do you like the best, the orange and black monarch or the blue monarch? What are the differences (besides color) between these two butterflies? Where do they live? Describe their habitat (flora and fauna).

Why do so many people love butterflies? What do butterflies represent? Does this meaning span across different cultures? What is the life cycle of the butterfly? Are the Monarch butterflies endangered? Use an improvisational teaching technique in which students go in the directions they are most interested in, and ask them probing questions so that their learning spirals upward and spans multiple disciplines.

Final Music for the Day

Winds Carry My Words - Kevin Dardis



I can hear the wind outside,blowing.
I can hear the wind outside, calling me -
"I'm going her way."
Visions assault my eyes - dreams coming true.
Reunions and arms to fold -
Wind winning me back to you.

I'm lying here. I'm trying to stay strong.
But the wind outside, keeps calling to me -
Now's my chance, to set my words free.
To expose my thoughts, to the cruelty,
Of the wind outside, of the antipathy.
Visions assault my eyes, dreams coming true.

I'm going outside, I'm going outside.
Wind carry my words, wind carry my love,
Wind carry my hope, wind carry my words.

BYE for now! I have some boring prep work to do before I start my GREAT DISSERTATION!!! (Using Joe's bricolage!!!)

Vanessa

Tomorrow: We shall continue with the Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt and more ways we can get to the other side of that Mersey (Mercy) River.

Photo Credits: Click on the photos, they will "take you there."

OMG! This morning it was “It’s a Hard Day’s Night” by the Beatles. Too funny. I have a Master Teacher who awakens me almost every morning with a song, which only means one thing – it’s the song for my daily blog. Well, usually the song means more than one thing and this time is probably no different. This particular Master Teacher is SO FUNNY! I know why he chose this song today. It’s because yesterday (In my blog) I complained about awakening once again in dreary 3D FIDUROD Land. The reason I complain sometimes is  because I am beginning to feel like my so-called dream life is my happy, joyful life and my “real” life is  somewhat of a nightmare (you will have to read my blogs for the past week to know what a horrible nightmare it’s been lately). You know, some cultures believe that what we Westerners have convinced ourselves is “real” life is really dream life whereas dream life is real life and it is very sacred. I really see why, now. Suddenly, when my Master Teacher sent me this song, it makes such complete sense to me (I had never seen it in this light before): “It’s Been a Hard Day's Night.” So, my teacher is making a joke because he knows it can be hard work here, but he also knows that I am totally committed to being here and doing this work and that I can see the humor in it all and laugh about it no matter how difficult things become.

It’s been a Hard Day’s Night - Beatles

 

"I’ve been Working Like A Dog": Can You Solve the Puzzles?

Oh, my. I keep being “reminded” about Joe’s dogs. You know, the puzzle from the last few days. If you notice, in the above song the lyrics mention “working like a dog.” Well, the puzzle that came from Joe’s book relates to what he named his three dogs:  Celtic, Ozzy, and Ali. I am being prompted to give some clues to this puzzle. First, Joe was very funny and he loved words and their multiple meanings and interpretations, so you can figure that he gave some thought to choosing these names for his dogs since they were going to be his “best friends” for a few years. Isn’t that what so many, many people say: “Dogs are man’s best friends.” So, I am thinking maybe he chose names that matched the personality of his dogs….I don’t know.  I do know there are more puzzles that go with this, and maybe even four puzzles altogether, but I haven’t figured them all out yet.

Here is the second puzzle (children might like this one, but I have been having fun with it, too):

Teacher Joe had three dogs.  Their names were CELTIC, OZZY, and ALI. See how many words you can make using only the letters in his dogs’ names. Try making sentences with some of the words or writing a story. Draw a picture to go with the words and/or story.

Here is the third puzzle for you: Which book and on what page did Joe write about these dogs?

Back to the Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise Treasure Hunt: The Beautiful Mersey Beat

Did you read yesterday’s blog? It was very, very interesting how the Merseyside was the center of a special, blessed, and magical form of rock music. When I looked at some of the bands and artists from Merseyside, it was clear that most of my very favorite music of the era was that great Mersey Beat. In fact, the song called “Ferry Cross the Mersey” by the Pacemakers was a favorite and I had not heard in absolute ages until it was presented by my Master Teachers for this treasure hunt. I remember as a young teen of about 15 years of age, I was a passenger with a friend and we decided to take the shortcut route to the capital city. The shortcut involved taking a ferry across the Willamette River and we thought it was so cool when the song “Ferry Cross the Mersey” started playing on the car radio as we were driving on our way to the Ferry. Even back then, my Master Teachers were working with me – if only I had realized it and had not been so “cognitively handcuffed,” as Joe put it in his book.



I want to research this whole Mersey Beat music scene much more. I think there is so much we can learn about the way these musicians were able to rise up out of what the author referred to as the “blackwaters.” That is a huge feat and with the way our world is today where much of the world’s population seems to be living in similar “blackwaters” we must research all possibilities for creating rising phoenixes in multiple places around the world. Yes, I will definitely be doing more research on this very amazing historical event. One of the most critical elements of Joe’s theory is that we choose those interpretations in relation to our “clues” during our treasure hunts that will alleviate human suffering. This is exactly what gets us out of the hermeneutic circle, as I had demonstrated with The NEW Quest for the Golden Keys Treasure Hunt and the analysis of “The House of the Rising Sun.”

How better to alleviate human suffering, as was Joe's mission, than if we can learn what was so magical and powerful during the era of 1958-1964 that led to such beautiful music, dancing, and happy celebrations on the Merseyside? I do thank my Master Teachers from the bottom of my heart for giving me the clue, “Ferry Cross the Mersey” by the Pacemakers that ultimately led me to this information. A special thank you also goes to Bill and Virginia Harry for making so much information available on their website, Mersey Beat and for their work toward the "Mersey Beat Village" that will put Liverpool back on the Music Map where it rightly belongs! And while I will be researching this some more, Joe’s theory calls for multiple perspectives and interpretations so that we have many options and choices when it comes to making the world better and alleviating suffering. This is necessary in a world that has so many problems and so much suffering everywhere – so, I will continue on with that endeavor in my blog on Monday. Tomorrow: A Public Service Outreach Announcement (PSOA).

Signs of Love, Love, Love, Love

Well, I am going to end this early today. My emotions are running away from me. As he does nearly every morning, when my Master Teacher parted from our meeting this morning, he gave me one last song for the day, which is his way of making a music request for the last song in my blog for the day. I just now looked it up on You Tube…it is so sweet and so appropriate. I hope there is someone in your life you might share this tender love song with. As I stated in a previous blog, our mission is LOVE and therefore, we hope that there will be many other people who will find these love songs which I post throughout my blogs helpful in moving their own love life to a much higher and meaningful level. Don’t denigrate LOVE, please. It is the worst thing you can do for yourself, your loved ones, and for the future of this planet. Review the blog I wrote, Past the Point of No Return: Money Can’t Buy You Love and what Joe had said about love and other good virtues. Read Paulo Freire’s work and, most importantly, put it into practice -- LOVE is the most powerful action you can possibly take.

With Love,
Vanessa

You Are Always In My Heart – Tony Randazzo

The reason I bring this up is because the same is true for you – and everyone else who is attending this earth school. We all have people around us every day who we love and who love us...we just need to remember that and be more proactive in demonstrating our love and acknowledgement. We must escape those “cognitive handcuffs” and the “ball and chains” I discussed back on December 24 in relation to the “poor boy” who did not know whether he really wanted to return to “The House of the Rising Sun” because it was so bad there and he knew he was gonna have some reckoning to do. If you wish, you can review that here. It was quite important and relates to our new treasure hunt as well. We really need to be set free, but no one is going to do it FOR us, if you know what I mean.

So....I promised to review the CLUES and WISHES for this latest and greatest treasure hunt, and while I am at it, I will provide hints for the FIDURODian LIES since they have such a role in these treasure hunts and one of the clues I was given yesterday takes us in that direction. But, one step at a time. We just never know where these things will take us.

Your Homework Assignment
Amazingly, yesterday morning I was given another clue: Page 73 in Knowledge and Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. OMG!! On page 73 there is a MOVIE Easter egg and it is significant. Wow the media moguls should be happy that Joe used MOVIE and MUSIC Easter eggs to promote their work! Anyway, I am surprised I noticed it. I do not like television or movies and so the MOVIE Easter eggs are going to be difficult for me to identify – but I noticed this one. So, what is the MOVIE Easter egg on page 73 and how does it tie into what Joe discusses in this section and how does it tie into the treasure hunt? Also, on that page I happen to have written a a note to see page 87 for some reason. What is on page 87 that relates to all of this? I will analyze this later, but I will give you a hint: think key codes. You may want to review The New Quest for the Golden Key Treasure Hunt cuz it talks all about key codes.

SUMMARY OF THE CLUES
The title of the treasure hunt, The Deep Blue Mariner Reaps the Soul Surprise is a clue which I have already analyzed to a degree (and you can go back and review those blogs for more information). The deep blue mariner is either someone who navigates a ship (or a ferry or a spaceship), or he is the man walking down the dusty road as we learned yesterday, or he is Columbus and we have to figure out and correct all of the lies that were perpetuated by the Imperialists (that could make Columbus feel deeply blue), or maybe it’s not a man at all, but rather a decked out steel blue Mercury Mariner (in which I am the “soul surprise,” lol)....OR MAYBE it’s ALL of these or NONE of these....time will tell. What do you think? Who is the Deep Blue Mariner? What is the “Soul Surprise?” With all honesty, I do not know yet. I never plan these excursions, but just hold someone’s hand who I cannot see and go where the winds blow me, so to speak. It is a rather improvisational style that Joe emphasizes is an important way to approach learning, research, and education. And it is such great fun! I can’t wait to apply it to my dissertation!

Ferry Cross the Mersey
We shall start here with the song about the Ferry crossing the Mersey. What is the significance of crossing the Mersey (Mercy?) River? Is the deep blue mariner the guy who’s taking us across the river? Are we taking a ferry because the bridge is blocked by those “FIDURODian trolls?” (Joe said that in one of his books somewhere – your job is to find where). I LIKE the idea of this IRISH Ferry taking me across the Mersey (mercy) that's shown in the picture, beings that I am of Irish descent and perhaps my kinfolk would provide a great trip across.

We had as a clue, the song, “Ferry Cross the Mersey” by Gerry and the Pacemakers from 1965 and also from 1992. I suspect these dates are significant. I always LOVED this song, too. There is also a movie and I sure wish I could see this particular move, but I guess it's not availabe. I did a little research on this. A lot of people think it is saying Ferry Across the Mersey, but that is not the case. The mariner is ordering the ferry to cross the Mersey. It’s more like, “Ferry, cross the Mersey!” It was like an order to take us to “the Merseyside.” And what is the Merseyside? I learned that the Mersey is a river in Liverpool around an area that is really well known for its contribution to ROCK MUSIC which was later dubbed “BEAT” to differentiate this music. If it had not been for all of the musicians in the area around Liverpool and the Mersey River – from the Merseyside, the United States would have dominated the rock music scene. That could have been a bad scene.

Here’s a great and very fascinating history of the music from the Mersey area during the early 60s, which came to be called The Mersey Beat. (after the newspaper that was developed to report all the happenin's). There were a LOT of Artists and Bands, so this was no small endeavor. And not only that, they rose somewhat like the RISING PHOENIX. In reading about the history of the area, it had been pretty much left behind after the Manchester Ship Canal was built, causing trade to bypass Liverpool. It is interesting to note that this author, Barry Hill, claims that the Beatles success may have actually contributed to the diminishing of this local music scene. It's a complex and interesting story, so you will have to read the account at The Mersey Beat. (and note that there are several pages to this article). With the new canal, however, Liverpool had become a “blackwater” (What is a blackwater? What are some advantages to being a blackwater?). How did this give the musicians there an advantage? The author states the following:

In previous decades, there was no real awareness of ‘teenagers’ (a term which only emerged in the 1950s).In Liverpool, for instance, youngsters were mini-replicas of their parents....Suddenly, there was an awareness of being young, and young people wanted their own styles and their own music....On the Merseyside, ‘Mersey Beat’ was their voice. It was a paper for them, crammed with photos and information about their own groups....The newspapers, television, theatres and radios were all run by people of a different genration who had no idea what youngsters wanted. For decades they had manipulated and controlled them (see the scene with George Harrison and Kenneth Haid in ‘A Hard Days Night;)...(Hill, 2002)

This is INTERESTING!! They had a cool club there called The Blue Angel. The photo is Bill Kinsley, a member of The Mersey Beat taken at the door of the Blue Angel. Mersey Beat was a newspaper that was published during the era of 1958-1964 when Liverpool came to be known as “The Rockin’ City” and bands began referring to their music as “beat” (after The Mersey Beats Newspaper) instead of Rock ‘n Roll in order to differentiate themselves. Note that they were already active before the Beatles came along.

What Can We Learn from The Mersey Beat?
Questions to ponder (you can find the answers at The Mersey Beat):

Which artists most influenced the birth of the Mersey Beat? (the music, not the newspaper).

What happened to some of these artists and how did it affect their future music?

How did the media moguls kill this music, which they referred to as “the devil’s music?”

What were the names of some of these media moguls?

Why do you think the media called it the devil’s music and why would they want to destroy it?

How does this relate to our current treasure hunt? Or does it?

Have I been led astray? (I really don't think my teachers would ever do that to me -- I keep FAITH and TRUST at the forefront at all times).

To conclude for today:
 
What existed [the music, the dance, the magic] on the banks of the Mersey between 1957 and 1964 was exciting, energetic and unique, a magical time when an entire city danced to the music of youth. (Barry Hill, 2002).  

       Let’s Do It Again! Dance, BABY, Dance!!! 

BEAT IT!!! – Michael Jackson

Lyrics

                ALL OVER THE WORLD!!!

Rockin’ All Over the World – Status Quo (It’s a NEW Status Quo)

Lyrics

More tomorrow....Vanessa
Photo Credits: Click on the photos: They will "take you there."

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

More Clues!

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?

Promise Coming Down that Dusty Road



Image courtesy of Guardian