History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

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Stephen White Takes on the Mormons
If your mind is open, learn about Mormonism...
Hatchet job on the Mormon church
Out of context
Revealing information about the Mormons in this work of fiction

Higher Authority
Stephen White
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451185110

Book Description

Dr. Alan Gregory's fiancée, attorney Lauren Crowder, is thrown into a maelstrom of violence when a sexual harassment case embroils the nation's most powerful leaders, a killer strikes-and a trail of deadly secrets shows no signs of ending.

Dr. Alan Gregory's fianceé, attorney Lauren Crowder, is thrown into a maelstrom of violence as a case of sexual harassment strikes a devastating chord among the nation's most powerful leaders. But this legal time bomb explodes when crucial evidence disappears-and a killer strikes.

"Stephen White writes thrillers of the first order." (Nelson DeMille)

"White keeps on getting better. (Denver Post)

Customer Reviews:

Stephen White Takes on the Mormons.......2007-09-06

This is the third installment of the Alan Gregory series. This book takes on Mormanism, it's laws and restrictions. For an Alan Gregory novel, he is suprisingly a minor character in this book. The main focus is Lauren and her sister, who is filing a sexual harrassment suit against a female member of the Morman church. While the book drags at times, it is still a good read and addition to the series.

If your mind is open, learn about Mormonism..........2007-08-10

Higher Authority was mesmerizing - it's a good story with ultimately likable characters, but the research done by White that led to a realistic portrayal of the knee-jerk reaction of the Mormon Church to any perceived assault upon it, was scary. Read it as just a darn good read with a plot that will keep the pages turning. Read it for the interesting locales - especially if you have some knowledge of Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. What stays with you long after the read though, is what you learn about the Mormons and the power they hold in Utah. I agree with some of the reviews that Mormons, themselves, mean well, and most firmly believe they are Christians. I would be afraid of any religion, though, that would warn me not to dig too deeply into the church's doctrines - as not being "faith promoting". What do they have to hide? You'll find some of the answers to that in White's book. I like the openness of most Christian churches who encourage you to explore, question and openly discuss. Stephen, it took courage to take on this subject! You managed to give us a lot of information, and, at the same time weave a story that kept us going. You can't ask more from a book than that!

Hatchet job on the Mormon church.......2007-07-06

Two things struck me about this book. First, that it had a remarkably thin, pointless plot. I had trouble caring about any of the characters. Which convinced me that I am correct about the second point -- that the narrative was nothing more than a container for an attack on the Mormon church. I'm not a Mormon and have a lot of trouble with what the LDS church believes. But if you're going to write a book attacking a religion, why waste everyone's time with a wimpy story line upon which to hang your attacks? In my view, this was nothing more than The Da Vinci Code approach, but unleashed on Mormons.

Out of context.......2007-06-14

I am waiting for my book, so have not read it yet. However, after having seen the quotes on the Part 1 page, I already know that Stephen White takes things WAY out of context. On this page he quotes Dallin H. Oaks saying "Criticism is particulary objectionable when it is directed toward church authoriies....it does not matter that the criticism is true. When seeing just that it does sound really bad, which I'm sure was his intention. This quote was taken from a talk given in Feb. 1987. In it he said that the criticism he is refering to is not the kind defined as "the act of passing judgment as to the merits of anything". The criticism directed toward issues is usually constructive and is inherent in free agency. Mr. Oaks was speaking of faultfinding and backbiting church leaders. He went on to say that we should take our complaints to the proper person. Go directly to the church leader, or even to those who can deal directly with them and air your grievance there. That is the place for ANY grievance to be aired, in private where the issue can be worked out, not in public where it is destructive. He wasn't saying you can never critize the leadership of the LDS church, rather that you should do so in private, like you should with any other grievance that you have. He also quoted Ezra Taft Benson saying "those who would take prophets out of politics would take God out of government". When this was said he was speaking to members who questioned whether being a church leader (of any church) should hold a position in government. I am very interested to see what he does with the rest of the book when even on the first page he is taking things so far out of context.

Revealing information about the Mormons in this work of fiction.......2005-07-23

I couldn't put this book down. I was definitely hooked on the information on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Readers must realize that any church has corrupt people in it. Hierarchical, authoritarian churches are more susceptible to abuse of power through doctrine control than less structured churches, just as governments and ritualistic organizations such as the Masons are. But Stephen White does not imply that most Mormons are corrupted or unwholesome.

I was fascinated by the character of John Harley because he could sympathize with the positive aspects of the Mormons. Actually, he had personal weaknesses of habit which led him away from the church more than his questioning its beliefs.

I thought the plot was excellent and the characters well-developed.

If you have no interest in the power of institutions over people or religion in general, you may not like this book. But did you read "The Da Vinci Code?" Both books are works of fiction based on some fact. There is probably a great deal more fact in "Higher Authority."

Collaborative Learning: Higher Education, Interdependence, and the Authority of Knowledge

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Neuroscience supports many of Brufee's claims
CL under the Aegis of Nonfoundational Social Constructionism
A non-book on nonfoundationalism

Collaborative Learning: Higher Education, Interdependence, and the Authority of Knowledge
Kenneth A. Bruffee
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0801859743

Book Description

In COLLABORATIVE LEARNING, Kenneth Bruffee advocates a far-reaching change in the relations we assume between college and university professors and their students, between the learned and the learning. He argues that the nature and source of the authority of college and university professors is the central issue in college and university education in our time, and that if college and university professors continue to teach exclusively in the stand-up-and-tell-'em way, their students will miss the opportunity to learn mature, effective interdependence--and this, Bruffee maintains, is the most important lesson we should expect students to learn.

The book makes three related points. First, we should begin thinking about colleges and universities, and they should begin thinking about themselves, not as stores of information but as institutions of reacculturation. Second, we should think of college and university professors not as purveyors of information but as agents of cultural change who foster reacculturation by marshaling interdependence among student pers. And third, colleges and universities should revise longstanding assumptions about the nature and authority of knowledge and about classroom authority. To accomplish this, the author maintains, both college students and their professors must learn collaboratively.

Describing the practical value of the activities encouraged by a collaborative approach--students working in consensus groups and research teams, tutoring peers, and helping each other with editing and revision--Bruffee concludes that, in the short run, collaborative learning helps students learn better--more thoroughly, more deeply, more efficiently--than learning alone. In the long run, collaborative learning is the best possible preparation for the real world, as students look beyond the authority of teachers, practice the craft of interdependence, and construct knowledge in the very way that academic disciplines and the professions do. With no loss of respect for the value of expertise, students learn to depend on one another, rather than depending exclusively on the authority of experts and teachers.

In the second edition of this widely respected work, the argument is sharply focused on the need to change college and university education top to bottom, and the need to understand knowledge differently in order to accomplish that change. Several chapters, including that on collaborative learning and computers, have been throughly revised, and three new chapters have been added: on differences between collaborative learning and cooperative learning; on literary study and teaching literature; and on postgraduate education.

From COLLABORATIVE LEARNING, second edition:

ON THE CURRICULUM: Behind every public debate about college curriculum today lie comfortably unchallenged traditional assumptions. When we become fully aware of how deeply and irremediably these traditional assumptions have been challenged by twentieth-century thought, we see that a potentially more serious, and perhaps more rancorous and divisive, educational debate lies in wait for us.

ON THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE: Remember the time Aunty Molly sat on the Thanksgiving turkey? Tell such a story at a family party and family members follow the story easily and get the point, because they are all members of the same small knowledge community. They know the people and the situation thoroughly, and they understand the family's private references.

But try to tell the same story to neighbors or colleagues. For them to follow the story and get the point, you have to explain a lot of obscure details about family events and personalities that they're not familiar with. That is, when a smaller community sets out to integrate itsuelf into a larger one, the level of discourse has to change. The story changes and even its meaning changes as it becomes a constituting narrative of a larger and more complex community.

The main purpose of college or university education is to help older adolescents and adults renegotiate their membership in that encompassing common culture. The foundational knowledge that shapes us as children sooner or later circumscribes our lives. We never entirely outgrow the local, foundational knowledge communities into which we are born. But for most people, the need to cope to one degree or another with the diversity and complexity of human life beyond the local and familiar does outgrow knowledge that is familiar and (locally) foundational.

ON POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION: The problem is not that graduate professors do not know what they need to know. The problem is that most of them have learned what they know entirely under the traditional social conditions of academic alienation and aggression. Indeed, the problem is that mmbers of current graduate faculties were selected into the profession in part because they evidenced those traits. As a result, their fine education and superb reputations as scholars and critics may in some cased actually subvert their ability to understand knowledge as a social construct, learinng as an adult social process, and teaching as a role of leadership among adults.

Customer Reviews:

Neuroscience supports many of Brufee's claims.......2006-12-07

I read this book for a doctoral course on collaborative learning. I argued with it throughout the course and in the process, came around to Bruffee's way of thinking--that learning is indeed a social process.

Shortly after this course, I had a major life change that refocused my program away from corporate learning and toward brain-based learning. From all the cognitive psychology and neuroscience courses and reading, the consensus is that external and environmental factors strongly influence the function of the brain--to the cellular level and very possibly the intercellular, genetic level.

Keep in mind that Bruffee is an English professor and as such, is not trained as much in a quantitative empirical as an analytical qualitative tradition. Therefore, criticism based on anectdotal vs. empirical evidence doesn't hold much weight. He has thoroughly analyzed and logically argued his thesis, in accordance with rhetorical traditions. The introductory chapters that explain how he came to adopt the views he did are very telling. Recall, that he didn't work in isolation, but in conjunction with other scholars/academicians who applied scholarly traditions to their research.

Educators, in my opinion, would do well to learn more about the brain and how it functions related to learning. Yes, we can essentially brainwash students to comply with existing wisdom or we can encourage them to think critically in the course of exposure to the "wisdom of the ages" for the purpose of applying relevant knowledge to their own lives.

Almost intuitively, Bruffee echos many lessons learned from empirical study of the brain through careful observation. In other words, there is more than one way to peel a potato and Brufee convincingly argues for one way--a collaborative one in which the boundaries of knowledge groups are negotiated--to do it.

The subtraction of a star was due to the lack of "smoothness" in which he states his case. He does, at times, come across as rather preachy and pedantic, rather than warmly convincing. Therefore, I subtracted a "style" point but not for substance or validity of his arguments.

CL under the Aegis of Nonfoundational Social Constructionism.......2001-07-29

Although I don't agree with the nonfoundationalist point of view, there is much to ponder and learn from Bruffee. If one delves into WHY they don't agree with his thesis, they'll probably come away from the exercise with a far better understanding about their position vis-a-vis education-perhaps they'll even develop their own philosophy of education.

However, believers beware: if you agree with the concepts outlined by Bruffee and the nonfoundationalist camp, check the other side of the coin (cognitive, essentialist, traditionalist) before committing.

A non-book on nonfoundationalism.......2001-03-03

A faculty symposium (Jan 2001) was given Ken Bruffee's book to read as the text for the symposium's subject of "interactivity" in distance education.

I'm afraid the book failed to convince. The moderator, Dr. Steve Eskow, of the Pangaea Network -- and the one who chose the text for the symposium -- admitted that the work needed "severe editing".

Others criticised its evangelical tone and referred to the "blessed St. Ken." Many were put off by the book's tone: Ken starts in his preface by referring to students as incapable of interacting with each other as human beings, and then goes on to put down his readers in the first sentence of the first chapter -- he was achieving wisdom while the rest of us were going through puberty, thereby neatly alluding to our sexual inadequacy in the face of his own whatever. Whatever.

Bruffee has a distinct agenda - he wants to restructure higher education and "reacculturate" students. Some wondered at the political undercurrent of the work, but I reckon the thrust is religious rather than political. St. Ken has Seen the Light, and all those who flock to him will be Saved from Darkness.

Never mind that the book's argument is entirely anecdotal; if one truly believes in nonfoundational social constructivism then the lack of hard facts doesn't matter: Ken is Right! Everyone else in Education is Wrong (and heading straight to Hell).

Hey Ho.

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A Higher Place of Authority by Kenneth Copeland on Audio CD

Manufacturer: Kenneth Copeland Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: 1575625059

Product Description

God created you to rule. In this shaking new series by Kenneth Copeland, youll learn exactly how to release the authority that is inside of you the same way God does. Youll learn how you can think, speak and act with authority. And as you use this authority, your lifeyour circumstances, your family, your finances and your futurewill change.

Writing with Authority: Students' Roles as Writers in Cross-National Perspective (Studies in Writing and Rhetoric)

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Writing with Authority: Students' Roles as Writers in Cross-National Perspective (Studies in Writing and Rhetoric)
David Foster
Manufacturer: Southern Illinois University Press
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0809327074

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Writing with Authority: Students’ Roles as Writers in Cross-National Perspective offers a comparison of student writers in two university cultures—one German and one American—as the students learn to connect their writing to academic content. David Foster demonstrates the effectiveness of using cross-cultural comparisons to assess differences in literacy activities and suggests teaching approaches that will help American students better develop their roles as writers in knowledge-based communities. He proposes that American universities make stronger efforts to nurture the autonomy of American undergraduates as learner-writers and to create apprenticeship experiences that more closely reflect the realities of working in the academic community.

This comparative analysis identifies crucial differences in the ways German and American students learn to become academic writers, emphasizing two significant issues: the importance of self-directed, long-term planning and goal setting in developing knowledge-based projects and the impact of time structures on students’ writing practices. Foster suggests that students learn to write as knowledge makers, using cumulative, recursive task development as reflexive writing practices. He argues for the full integration of extended, self-managed, knowledge-based writing tasks into the American undergraduate curriculum from the onset of college study.

A cross-national perspective offers important insights into the conditions that influence novice writers, Foster says, including secondary preparations and transitions to postsecondary study. Foster proposes that students be challenged to write transformatively—to master new forms of authorship and authority based on self-directed planning, researching, and writing in specific academic communities. The text also addresses contested issues of power relations in students’ roles as academic writers and their perception of personal authority and freedom as writers.

A course model incorporates significant, self-directed writing projects to help students build sustainable roles as transformative writers, outlines “change goals” to help teachers develop curricular structures that support cumulative writing projects across the undergraduate curriculum, and shows how teachers can develop self-directed writing projects in a variety of program environments.

The Lord's University: Freedom and Authority at Byu

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The Brigham Young Seminary
When Hamsters go bad...
Terrible
Culture in the Making
I couldn't put it down

The Lord's University: Freedom and Authority at Byu
Bryan Waterman , and Brian Kagel
Manufacturer: Signature Books
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Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

The Brigham Young Seminary.......2007-01-22

Two BYU alumni, Bryan Waterman and Brian Kagel, have written an interesting summary of controversial firings at BYU in the 1990s. While only Mormons, BYU alumni, or those with an interest in religious universities' battle with academic freedom will read this journalistic narrative, it is nonetheless an important expose of the way the Mormon church operates.

Cecilia Konchar Farr (now at St. Catherine's College in the Twin Cities), David Knowlton (independent writer), and Gail Turley Houston (Univerity of New Mexico) were fired under murky circumstances while the authors were students at BYU, and their unhappiness at the way these firings were organized and carried out prompted them to use the resources at their command to tell the professors' side of the story. They do so convincingly, and the reader gets a scary glimpse of the way the churchmen in Salt Lake City run the university.

Also of interest is the way the BYU administration forced out Brian Evenson (now a successful novelist and on faculty at Brown) of the English department. Professor Steven Epperson and David P. Wright's (now Dept. Chair of Near Eastern Studies at Brandeis) mistreatment also gets a cogent explanation. Waterman and Kagel also give a brief history of feminism at BYU and a careful account of the September Six excommunications in the Mormon church. The book is well written, well documented, and even handed in its treatment of these unhappy events at BYU. The book is too long and repetitive--many characters have their full names mentioned dozens of times in the stories, and some of the main characters are briefly introduced in several chapters. On the flip side, these writers wanted to "state for the record" both sides of the firings so the reader can make her/his own conclusion regarding their fairness.

The unavoidable conclusion is that BYU cannot be considered, at least in the present climate, a true center of higher learning. The General Authorities in Salt Lake City have the final say in what can and cannot be taught or published at BYU, and you risk being fired if you cross them. What is really puzzling after reading this book is why any of the professors mentioned would take a job at such an institution. Perhaps many LDS teachers at the school long to stay in Utah for family, social, or other reasons.

For these professors and others who feel oppressed in their classrooms and writings, why do they stay loyal to the church directed by such leaders? The idea that the church is off course and that being a crusader will somehow be to your benefit is ill advised--they hold all the power, and you will lose every time. Waiting for them to excommunicate or fire you besmirches your name and stains your dignity. Why not leave the church and publicly give your reasons? It will do more to further your quest to encourage independent thinking, and you won't be part of an organization that tramples free thought and objective truth.

BYU, these authors suggest, exists to shield students in their intellectually malleable years from truth in science, critical thinking, and scholarly debate. It will keep the church membership strong, so goes the reasoning. If a university exists that will punish you for declaring humans evolved from lower primates and that there was no universal flood, then it doesn't deserve the title of "university".

When Hamsters go bad..........2006-05-12

Interesting...

Well. There are two or three ways I could tentatively address Waterman's major preemptive issues here. And I think we can agree that he has a lot of them; some of which could widely be interpreted as being mildly juxtaposed. As are many. Let me open my remarks by presenting some initial thoughts regarding his primary approach:

Approaching the subject matter somewhat selectively, basing my treatise, in part, on a series of lectures given by me at the council on Quantum Higher Fractals at M.I.T. and Cambridge, and also speaking as a NASA theoretical physicist and working with just the raw data, taking into account his historical point of view (post WW II/Cold War) - I personally think that Waterman's whole book was likely meant to be rather a precursor Nietzscheistick reference to how Krechner's [elusive though none too widely used] Theorem is sometimes a good filler idiom when no other tack really - or at least readily, comes to mind. The manner in which Waterman hierarchically quantifies most of his earlier solutions? in relation to Chopra's treatise on the quantum mechanical body is nevertheless acceptable. This is no myth. Most of the Mensa colleagues I have come across (with assistance on my part) could generally see this. The "BYU" couplet [or as is more precisely used, word - noting of course, that most (65 to 85%) autistic genius is generally arrived at by hammering home this very principal] was rather, I think, a Jungian parody on how sometimes, in most Gordian test cases, as the subject approaches nil, the subconscious mind tends towards experiences of childhood (or adulthood) behavior, during which time the renal cropping of the id fuses natally, or rather, the "boomerang effect" comes close to what most experts agree is the process most often times recognized as the catalyst of choice during certain post-operative future tentative salmon angioplasties - normally. This naturally being the standardized subjunctive issue in most broad-based test cases. See Ethics in Government Psychological Operations Act, Title VI, P. L. 95-521, 92 Stat. 1952, as amended).

Now, on the other hand, after reading Waterman's book yet a third time, I am ruthlessly reminded of a story a former associate in the NSA confidentially shared with me several nerve-wracking weeks after the free world was assaulted with the "We will bury you" speech by the late Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev [I had occasion to lunch with the late Premier Khrushchev twice...a phobic yet unreasonable man]. Allow me to briefly elaborate...

One sunny afternoon around 2:00pm, Khu-Chin Wa, the much loved shiny violet humming-bird was chatting with her friend, a 320 lb. wharf rat known in the area as "Froggy" and his brother Petrov - a 30 foot Australian crocodile recently out on prison work-release. When suddenly and without warning, Khu-Chin Wa noticed that Brian was standing nearby behind a telephone pole, drooling and staring lucidly. Realizing the jig was up and that, at this point, her protective coloring was totally useless, Khu-Chin Wa jumped off a nearby cliff, soon succumbing to quickly dying of fatally self-inflicted fall wounds. At which point Froggy, knowing the police would be arriving soon, and stricken with what the voice inside of his head told him was a bewilderingly complex onslaught of uncontrolled dementia, bit himself and then commenced to put the crocodile in a sloppily executed, yet deadly strangle-hold as Brian stood motionless nearby, smiling quietly to himself.

These [categorically speaking] are just some of my initial thoughts regarding Waterman's primarily more selective issues.

? Darba, Why Do Anacondas Cry?, 1969, ibid.

Terrible.......2005-05-30

This is the biggest piece of bull I have heard in a long time! Why do people want to waste their time reading this crap? If you are looking for the truth, why on earth would you read a book that does nothing, but try to tear down and demean someone or something. This is obvious garbage. If you want to know about something, go to the actual source, don't go to someone who has a vendetta or whose only point is to tear down something. Truth builds you up and edifies you, it doesn't take the time to demean others and strive to prove them wrong.

Culture in the Making.......2002-08-22

This is a very interesting book, with great insight into the making of contemporary Mormon culture. Of particular interest is the influence of Earnest Wilkinson during th 60s and early 70s (and later Presidents) in creating much of what we think of when think of modern BYU, such as "anti-feminism," the standards and honor code, air-brushing out things that "we just don't like," etc. When you consider the preponderance of BYU graduates out there in the world of the LDS church serving in leadership capacities, it is clear that BYU shapes the church.

This book deals with several controversial issues, is probably a little one-sided, but overall a very interesting read. I recommend it highly!

I couldn't put it down.......2000-07-11

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, or Mormons) sustain their prophets as the literal representatives of God on earth. Since the board of trustees for Brigham Young University (BYU) is composed of the First Presidency of the LDS Church and the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, it follows as a natural corollary for many Mormons that BYU, is literally the Lord's university. Thus the title for the book, and the strange story of the suppression of academic freedom in an institution supposedly directed by men who speak personally with the premier intelligence of the universe.

The authors wrote the book largely from personal experience and are sometimes characters in the story they tell. As a younger man Waterman wrote for the "Student Review," a banned independent newspaper that catered to BYU's more independent minds. Kagel wrote for BYU's official "Daily Universe." Their book is of the highest quality in its presentation and research, and the documentation is simply amazing, all the more so since they were denied "access to accounts from administrators and board members."

The book is divided into two parts. Part one is background information for those not familiar with Mormonism, and helps to present the context in which later controversies developed. Chapter 1 describes Mormonism's historical development of schools and seminaries, not so much out of commitment to the truth, but from a practical need to forge a civilization in the wilderness and to maintain control over members.

Chapter 2 is a history of Feminism at BYU. I found this chapter particularly interesting because I still remember the massive political opposition the LDS Church mounted against the equal rights amendment and title IV. I recall the fiery speeches warning of the evils of women working outside the home, using birth control, etc. Waterman and Kagel describe these teachings of the LDS Church in historical context to bring greater understanding to the environment in which BYU later terminated feminist professors and how teachings of the LDS Church promote gender-based discrimination in the work place.

Chapter 3 is a brief history of BYU's student newspaper, and how the administration has gradually forced its way into the position of censor. A key theme throughout the book is the Church's heavy-handed aversion to any form of criticism.

Chapter 4 describes the evolution of BYU's honor code. Begun as a true student honor code, it was quickly appropriated by the administration and morphed into a tool for controlling unwanted behavior and thoughts. Today the honor code consists mostly of a dress code and prohibitions against doing anything that would embarrass the LDS Church. There are some interesting stories here, like the BYU coed who was refused admission to the testing center during finals because she was wearing jeans (a violation of the honor code at the time). It was winter and she was wearing a long coat, so she went to bathroom, removed her pants, buttoned up her coat, and was promptly admitted to the testing area.

Part two describes specific controversies in greater detail. Chapter 5 discusses BYU's statement on academic freedom and their policy of discouraging teachers from participating in certain symposia. For example, "[f]ollowing the 1992 Sunstone Symposium, Scott Abbott was warned by his stake president, BYU religion professor Keith Perkins, that his analysis of BYU and academic freedom showed 'potential for apostasy." [p. 264]. Perkins was told to apologize to Mormon apostle Packer for the sin of critiquing the Mormon leader's ideas.

Chapter 6 describes the firing of Cecilia Konchar Farr and David Knowlton. It's fascinating to read of the unethical behavior of BYU's administration as they fabricated their case against these teachers and forced them out of the university. The book is a tribute to those individuals who's professional reputations were tarnish by an administration that lied about their worth as intellectuals in their headlong rush to purge the university of teachers who did not follow the administration's party line on how to think, and what to say.

Chapter 7 touches slightly on a covert committee that spies on church members and keeps tabs of their public statements regarding the church. It also describes briefly the excommunication of historian Michael Quinn and others for uncovering and publishing information to which the General Authorities objected. In other parts of the book they describe the firing of David P. Write, an assistant professor of Near Easter studies, for privately admitting that the Book of Mormon is not literal history. Steve Epperson was fired for spending time on Sunday supporting a non-profit music conservatory for children instead of going to his Church meetings. Chapter 8 describes the firing of Gail Turley Houston and Brian Evenson. Brian is the son of William Evenson, a professor of Physics from whom I took theoretical mechanics while at BYU.

The book ends by documenting the influence of right-wing organizations on the thinking and behavior of BYU's administration and the leadership of the LDS Church. I was unaware of how deep some of the connections go. After reading this chapter much of the propaganda to which I was exposed growing up in the LDS Church made a lot more sense. It was particularly interesting to see these influences in Dallin Oaks, who was BYU's president when I attended. [Oaks, who is now a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, was in my ward during the first summer semester after I got married. On one occasion I had the chance to introduce myself to him after a Sunday-school class we attended. These experiences make accounts of his behavior even more intriguing.]

Book Description

Power and Identity in the Creative Writing Classroom remaps theories and practices for teaching creative writing at university and college level. This collection critiques well-established approaches for teaching creative writing in all genres and builds a comprehensive and adaptable pedagogy based on issues of authority, power, and identity. A long-needed reflection, this book shapes creative writing pedagogy for the 21st century.

Defining Literary Criticism: Scholarship, Authority and the Possession of Literary Knowledge, 1880-2002

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Defining Literary Criticism: Scholarship, Authority and the Possession of Literary Knowledge, 1880-2002
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Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
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ASIN: 1403946795
Release Date: 2006-02-16

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Outlining the controversies that have surrounded the academic discipline of English Literature since its institutionalization in the late nineteenth century, this important book draws on a range of archival sources. It addresses issues that are central to the identity of academic English - how the subject came into existence, and what makes it a specialist discipline of knowledge - in a manner that illuminates many of the crises that have affected the development of modern English studies. Atherton also addresses contemporary arguments about the teaching of literary criticism, including an examination of the reforms to A-Level literature.

The Teacher's Body: Embodiment, Authority, and Identity in the Academy

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The Teacher's Body: Embodiment, Authority, and Identity in the Academy

Manufacturer: State University of New York Press
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ASIN: 0791457664

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A rich and honest conversation about professors' lives and the absurdity of trying to separate the personal from the professional.

Academic Power: Patterns of Authority in Seven National Systems of Higher Education (Praeger Special Studies in Comparative Education)

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Academic Power: Patterns of Authority in Seven National Systems of Higher Education (Praeger Special Studies in Comparative Education)
John H. Van de Graaff
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
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