As a follow-up to that comment, I took a look at several biblical commentaries and discovered the following (thanks to my alma mater for access to its theology collection):

• Many scholars seem to agree that Pilate spoke Latin as his primary language and Jesus spoke Aramaic as his primary language.
• Many scholars also seem to agree that Greek was the language of commerce of the time and, as such, was perhaps known on a secondary basis by many people.
• Some scholars think it is likely that both men might have known Greek well enough to carry on the conversation alleged in the New Testament.
• Some scholars think it is unlikely that Jesus spoke Greek at all.

I respect the work of academics and historians. In fact, I find it amazing that they are able to extrapolate what they do from seemingly endless facts, even when some of those facts seem to disagree with one another.

I can't help wondering about the difference between likelihoods and actualities. For example, though many biblical scholars seem willing to say that it is likely that Jesus and Pilate could converse in Greek, the majority do not seem willing to say that they are certain this occurred.

I'm reminded of an afterword in Joseph Ellis' American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson. Ellis speculated in his afterword that, based on his extensive knowlede of Jefferson's life and works - Jefferson's character (his habits of being, his manner of thinking) would most likely have prevented him from having slept with his slave Sally Hemings and thereby it was most unlikely that he could have fathered her children.

The Web site of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation reports the following:

"...the Thomas Jefferson Foundation formed a research committee consisting of nine members of the foundation staff, including four with Ph.D.s. In January 2000, the committee reported its finding that the weight of all known evidence - from the DNA study, original documents, written and oral historical accounts, and statistical data - indicated a high probability that Thomas Jefferson was the father of Eston Hemings, and that he was perhaps the father of all six of Sally Hemings' children listed in Monticello records - Harriet (born 1795; died in infancy); Beverly (born 1798); an unnamed daughter (born 1799; died in infancy); Harriet (born 1801); Madison (born 1805); and Eston (born 1808).

"Since then, a committee commissioned by the Thomas Jefferson Heritage Society, after reviewing essentially the same material, reached different conclusions, namely that Sally Hemings was only a minor figure in Thomas Jefferson's life and that it is very unlikely he fathered any of her children. This committee also suggested in its report, issued in April 2001, that Jefferson's younger brother Randolph (1755-1815) was more likely the father of at least some of Sally Hemings' children."

Ellis is certainly a respected academician, as are many of the biblical scholars who have commented on what languages Jesus may or may not have spoken - but they are almost always working on speculation which is frequently contradicted by one or another of their peers - as evidenced by the Jefferson case noted above.

This is not to say that academics are wrong or that there is some flaw in their thinking - just that some of their conclusions are best guesses - nothing more. And guesses are not enough to establish the accuracy of a point.

I'm not sure that issues such as what languages Jesus spoke will ever be capable of being proven as fact. At least not in the way that one can prove whether it is raining or not. I have to admit, though, I would refer something more than speculation.

---- 1. the parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific word or passage, usually influencing its meaning or effect: You have misinterpreted my remark because you took it out of context.”

• isnt it funny how one little statement can be taken so out of its own context and be made to look and drive home another completely irrelevant point?
• isnt it funny how people take things the wrong way, when the don't actually analyse the WHOLE thing that was stated? they jump to the words that catch their attention straight away...
• isnt it funny how certain people automatically assume things are always relevant to them... when they arent? when they forget to read the whole context of the article.. and automatically assume something, when the real story behind the statement, and the real meaning is dependant on the actual context of the article... why is that?

people automatically jump straight to conclusions without getting the whole story... everyone does it, i know i do sometimes... and it does indeed tend to piss other people off... wouldn't it be a much better idea to take in all the facts, then make a judgement after?

but we are all human, and our stubborness always gets the better of us... we always think that these things are always negative or focused on us, when they aren't... its so simple to just be open and take it all in, take a breath, and make a informative opinion based on rational judgements, but in practicality, it will never happen...

but the thing is... we shuldn't jus accept that fact and keep doing it... it is up to us to be the better person, and try to improve ourselves, gradually... (it doesn't need to be immediate) because if we do try, and we do see the whole truth of the matter, maybe we might end up swallowing our own words, we might end up changing our first impression, we might advance ourselves towards accepting people for who they are...

------------------------------------

Dont make me listen to the stupid broken record again

The needle's skippin and repeatin' never reaching the end

You know you're bitchin and complainin like you got it so tough

We're sick of all your cryin will you ever shut up

So keep bleeding your fake blood till no one even sees it

If thats the best you can make up, at least act like you mean it

Give up the grudge, (shut your fuckin' mouth) / (better shut your mouth)

Why you gotta judge everbody but yourself

Take a look around you,

there aint nobody home…

I may be a loser but at least i'm not alone..

Counterargument  <http://www.unc.edu>

One way to strengthen your argument and show that you have a deep understanding of the issue you are discussing is to anticipate and address counterarguments or objections. By considering what someone who disagrees with your position might have to say about your argument, you show that you have thought things through, and you dispose of some of the reasons your audience might have for not accepting your argument

You can generate counterarguments by asking yourself how someone who disagrees with you might respond to each of the points you've made or your position as a whole.

Once you have thought up some counterarguments, consider how you will respond to them—will you concede that your opponent has a point but explain why your audience should nonetheless accept your argument? Will you reject the counterargument and explain why it is mistaken? Either way, you will want to leave your reader with a sense that your argument is stronger than opposing arguments.

When you are summarizing opposing arguments, be charitable. Present each argument fairly and objectively, rather than trying to make it look foolish. You want to show that you have seriously considered the many sides of the issue and that you are not simply attacking or caricaturing your opponents.

It is usually better to consider one or two serious counterarguments in some depth, rather than to give a long but superficial list of many different counterarguments and replies.

Be sure that your reply is consistent with your original argument. If considering a counterargument changes your position, you will need to go back and revise your original argument accordingly.

The Conclusion

Particularly as you have already said in the introduction which side you are going to take, many students are often unsure what to write in the conclusion. The conclusion is a very important part of the essay because it sums up the thesis and the evidence in favour of it, leaving your reader with a clear picture as to the position you have taken and why. It is not advisable at this stage to start introducing new ideas that have not already been raised in the body of the essay. It is also unwise to use your conclusion as a kind of ‘now here’s what I think’ section. By doing so, you are likely to give the impression that anybody can think whatever they want. While this is in principle true, remember that your purpose is not just to tell your reader what you think, but to persuade them that what you think is in fact a tenable and valid position that they might also wish to adopt, or at least acknowledge. It is thus rather counterproductive at this stage to suggest that neither side is better than the other.

Common features of a conclusion to an argumentative essay are:

Synthesis of the Argument: In the conclusion you should restate and summarise briefly the main points of your argument. Try to show the reader how the points you made and the evidence and examples you used fit together to prove your argument.

Restatement of Thesis: Restate and stress the importance of your original thesis statement as the entire essay has been spent arguing and supporting this point. Some writers feel that restating the thesis verbatim is an effective rhetorical device, while others believe it is better to rephrase it.

Concluding Statements: This section signals the end of the essay and leaves a final impression on the reader. Below are some suggested approaches to writing concluding statements:

• Discuss the future of the subject at issue. This can emphasise the importance of your essay. It may also help the reader to apply the new information or see things more globally.
• Give your reader something to think about, perhaps a way to use your essay in the "real" world.
• Refer back to your introductory statements in order to "frame" your paper and bring the reader full circle.

1. Steam is good for oven spring but if you don't remove it from the oven then your loaves take longer to cook and don't crisp up. I now remove the tray with water after 15 minutes and this has improved the loaves no-end.
2. It's possible to overdo water in the oven. I'm not sure that it's necessary to spray the sides of the oven as well as the water-in-the-tin trick, and certainly spraying the bread too much stops it from cooking. I wonder if the potential improvement from spraying after 5 and 10 minutes is outweighed by keeping opening the oven door and losing heat.
3. How long you leave the poolish for doesn't seem to make too much difference. I've left it from between 3.5 hours to 10 hours with no visible difference in the bread. This goes against what I've read elsewhere so maybe I'm doing something wrong. The poolish is certainly an improvement from using yeast directly so it seems using one is more important than the time you leave it for.
4. Leaving the loaf to cool properly before putting it into a bag stops the crust from losing its crisp-ness. I leave mine overnight before covering after the first slicing and this seems to be the ideal trade-off between the bread staling quickly and the bread going soft.

The recipe has been updated to take into account the above.

1) I definitely have Tourrette's....or something very similar to it....but usually only after about 9pm.

2) I am fully capable of making a fool out of myself, but tend to do so in very small groups. Trying to decide whether or not extending my foolishness to a larger audience is a good or bad thing.

3) I need to be a better student this year. This includes actually reading books and doing assignments (even though they don't count for anything other than cementing understanding)

4) My room mate this year is pretty chill. Not at all creepy, weird, quirky like last year's room mate. I swear, if I ever have to see a magic trick again, I might punch a pregnant woman...no joke

5) Current room mate makes funny sounds when he's asleep. Something between talking and grunting. It's fun to try to decipher what it might be.

In other news: classes should be tolerable. Once labs and recitations start up, I may completely retract that statement, but we'll see. Catch you on the flip side!

Oh ps: i do plan to write more...you know....when I have time.

PPS: SPORE COMES OUT THIS WEEKEND AND I CANT WAIT

More conclusions after the jump...

2. The biggest and littlest of big-and-little partnerships is starting to take off for Portsmouth. On the subject of which, it was a bit harsh to take Peter Crouch's goal away from him. Jermain Defoe's sublime chip might have already crossed the line, but I am not convinced the officials would have awarded the goal with Crouch's follow-up.

3. Shame on Robin Van Persie for ruining Penalty Miss Saturday. Stewart Downing, Yakubu and Jason Roberts, you are a credit to the Premier League.

4. After their disastrous start to the season so far, Spurs will be absolutely delighted to take a point away from Stamford Bridge. That, combined with the end of the transfer window, might help Juande Ramos to get back on track.

5. Newcastle had better get their act together and be working on getting some players through the door today because they are in danger of letting a good start turn into the usual farce.

6. On a similar theme, Joey Barton should not have been on a football pitch. Even putting aside the arguments about whether he should have been sacked, that was not a player in the right frame of mind to be making a comeback. I suspect we have not seen the last of Barton in trouble.

7. Stoke were desperately unlucky. They deserved a point from their game with Middlesbrough after fighting back to 1-1 with 10 men, but things don't always go your way in the Premier League.

8. Shaun Wright Phillips is back to being one of the biggest fish in a smaller pond and doing what he does best. He must be wishing he had never left Man City.

9. Aston Villa v Liverpool was the dullest game of the season (I hope - don't want to sit through too many that are worse than that!).

10. Hull had better develop a Premier League sense of bouncebackability because 0-5 defeats at home to Wigan are not good for morale.

When the meanings are not stated clearly in the context of the text, they may be implied - that is, suggested or hinted at.  When meanings are implied, you may infer them.

Inference is just a big word that means a conclusion or judgement.  If you infer that something has happened, you do not see, hear, feel, smell, or taste the actual event. But from what you know, it makes sense to think that it has happened. You make inferences everyday. Most of the time you do so without thinking about it. Suppose you are sitting in your car stopped at a red signal light. You hear screeching tires, then a loud crash and breaking glass. You see nothing, but you infer that there has been a car accident. We all know the sounds of screeching tires and a crash. We know that these sounds almost always mean a car accident.  But there could be some other reason, and therefore another explanation, for the sounds. Perhaps it was not an accident involving two moving vehicles.  Maybe an angry driver rammed a parked car. Or maybe someone played the sound of a car crash from a recording. Making inferences means choosing the most likely explanation from the facts at hand, but this doesn’t mean the choice made is correct.

When the meaning is not implied by the general sense of its context, it may be implied by examples. For instance,

Those who enjoy belonging to clubs, going to parties, and inviting friends often to their homes for dinner are gregarious.

You may infer the meaning of gregarious by answering the question "What word or words describe people who belong to clubs, go to parties a lot, and often invite friends over to their homes for dinner?"  What do you infer as the meaning of the word gregarious.

If you are thinking social or something like: "people who enjoy the company of others", you correctly inferred the meaning of gregarious

When a sentence contains an example, it is sometimes possible to infer the general meaning of the verse without inferring the exact meaning of the sentence. For instance,

When we invite the Paulsons for dinner, they never invite us to their home for a meal; however, when we have the Browns to dinner, they always reciprocate.

In reading this sentence some will infer that the Browns are more desirable dinner guests than the Paulsons without inferring the exact meaning of reciprocate. Others conclude that the Browns differ from the Paulsons in that they do something in return when they are invited for dinner; these conclude correctly that reciprocate means "to do something in return.”

When I study scripture, I infer we should partake the Lord's Supper each Sunday – others may not draw the same conclusion, and I must respect this and not play God, as if every inference I make is always 100% on the money.

In drawing conclusions (making inferences), you are really getting at the ultimate meaning of things - what is important, why it is important, how one event influences another, how one happening leads to another. Simply getting the facts in reading is not enough - you must think about what those facts mean to you. 

That day my sister happened to be looking for a "mini screw driver", of course I had no idea why or where it was. I remember we were searching for it for awhile. And eventually, we gave up looking. No one knew where it was. And so, at the end of the day I found myself sitting back in my comfortable chair reading. I was swept away with the adventures of Frodo Baggins and his companions, in the first installment: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Eventually I put down the book for a second, for I had approached a word I didn't know. So I reached out for a pen so I could write it down and look it up later. It was then, when I was looking for a pen, that I had found it. I had found the mini screw driver!

Within that moment the skies gleamed with heavenly clouds. A revelation had hit me. While my sister may be leaving, in search of new interests and a wider world, we would still be bound by the ties that bind. The ties that would hold everything together, family. 

 Forevermore, bound by the ties that bind.

Just one problem appeared, but it can do lots of damage: when we changed to batteries to the new&charged ones, we realized that the robot is not working like it is supposed to anymore :(

We'll live and see how it all goes tomorrow! :)

First off, let me say that I am still not convinced the iPhone will ever rival the BlackBerry in terms of sheer productivity. The lack of a physical, wide-layout QWERTY keyboard gives it a natural disadvantage in this department - no matter how clever a touch keyboard is designed, it simply cannot match the tactile response of physical keys.

However, I will say this. On day one I found typing to be a slow and arduous process, preferable only to, say, masturbating with sandpaper. Now, a week later, I'm up to about twenty words a minute. I'm writing this post on the iPhone, and have gotten to the point where I may actually choose it to write short emails with if it's more convenient to hand than my laptop.

Certainly it's gotten much easier, and I seem to be improving daily (a three-hour argument by text message didn't hurt my progress - don't ask), so maybe there's something to that whole "try it for a week" thing.

The inclusion of a popular, centralized, third-party application store makes a huge difference in overall phone functionality. All I have to do is open up iTunes to find a wide variety of apps that expand greatly upon the phone's functionality. Granted, about 90% of the programs on athe App Store are crap, but it only took a few gems to reach the point where I pull my phone out for just about everything. Which may or may not be a good thing.

All things considered, I can now count myself a fan of the iPhone, which is a pretty significant turnaround for me.

This change in attitude was mostly due to... well, a change in attitude.  Once I stopped trying to force my iPhone to behave like a BlackBerry (something it's never going to be able to do), I started to adjust the way I used my phone.  And that has made all the difference.

For instance, while I no longer use AIM nearly as much (this will hopefully change in September if apps get push notifications), I use SMS a lot more.  I showed my hardcore AIM contacts how to send me SMS messages by AIMing my phone number, so I still keep in touch with them just fine.  In fact, all things considered, using SMS is a lot better experience than using AIM on the whole.  I pay a few more a month for unlimited SMS messages, and I'm good to go.

I no longer write lengthy email responses since I'm still not up to speed on the keyboard, but I make much better use of the fully-synced IMAP capabilities of the iPhone.  I used to have to organize my messages when I got back to the office (my BlackBerry couldn't send messages to folders like I can on the iPhone).  Now I have a little extra time to send lengthier email follow ups to my shorter iPhone-composed replies, if necessary.

I've ranted about battery life, but I've adjusted thusly: since I no longer have to carry a separate phone and iPod in my briefcase, I've got an extra slot in my bag to stick one of these backup batteries for the iPhone.  If my iPhone battery gets low, I snap it on and toss it back in my bag, and it charges while I'm not using it.  I don't actually have to leave that thing on there while I talk, because it charges the iPhone while it's on, so once my battery is charged up enough, I can take it back off and go about my day.  It's no more expensive than carrying an extra BB battery around, and I don't have to take off the backing or restart my phone to use it.

I don't use Google Maps as much as I used to - the Google Maps application on the BlackBerry offered more information about business hours, etc than the iPhone does - but I do use Yelp and Urbanspoon to find that stuff instead.

All things considered, I honestly do think I get more functionality out of my iPhone, despite my gripes.  I cannot stress enough, however, that this is due to the way I use my mobile - if you're the kind of user who wants to be able to type out lengthy emails, or do a lot of networking via BlackBerry Messenger, you may want to stick with your BB.  The new Bold is destined to solve a lot of the gripes people had about BB screen quality, media applications, etc.

I still hold to my conviction, however, that the iPhone is seriously lacking in some features, and in a way that boggles the mind.  The lack of MMS (on a camera phone, no less), video capability, copy & paste, etc. is unforgiveable.  There are rumors, of course, that some of this stuff is to be fixed, but several of those rumors have been around since the first iPhone was released, too, and since they haven't added these capabilities with the release of the 3G I have my doubts about their intentions to.

Reference: 1216119245

Edit | 15th July 2008 at 11:54 BST by Nikki Ambler. Permalink.

Our client is seeking a Facility Engineer (Electrical) to provide general engineering support as appropriate; advice and technical engineering guidance on engineering standards, applicable legislation and company processes and procedures. Provide an engineering interface with operations, service providers, design authorities, project personnel and other stakeholders.

Location

Aldermaston

Salary

Competitive salary dependent on qualifications and experience

Job Responsibilities

As a member of the Engineering Site Support Services, for compliance with Security Quality Environment Safety and Health requirements.

Commensurate with the Facility Engineer appointment, professionally accountable for risks and liabilities and own engineering judgement.

Take a lead with engineering activities within agreed areas of responsibilities.

Provide a safe, economic and effective engineering support service to the customer.

Apply appropriate engineering principles, best practice and know-how in the provision of engineering services and professional advice.

Work within the configuration control system and supporting the production and safe retention of necessary records and quality documentation.

Implement maintenance demonstrations.

Implement stakeholder and emergency services familiarisation programme.

Identify technical problems, evaluate options and formulate solutions to achieve satisfactory conclusions.

Contribute, as required, to business cases and option studies and to the design, installation, commissioning and handover of modifications and to new-build and decommissioning projects.

Ensure that risks associated with engineering activities are assessed and that appropriate checks, controls and precautions are taken.

Review, as required, engineering, methods, defects, maintenance faults, non-conformance and problem areas. Use evidence from the reviews to improve effectiveness, reliability, maintainability and economy, leading to continuous improvement.

Effectively monitor and implement, as required, the satisfactory resolution of improvement actions.

Effectively communicate management and technical issues at presentations, in meetings and by written media.

Establish and maintain effective and respectful working relationships with colleagues, customers and other interfacing persons.

Provide project engineering support for Low Level Waste Sludge Cementation plant installation.

Contact ERS on +44 (0) 1454 203 460 or submit a CV to cv@energyrs.co.uk to register your interest or apply for this position.

If I thought seeing Joan Baez perform in the Bascarsija in Sarajevo was a beautiful and fitting way to end what has been the most exciting month of my life, then that can only be topped by last night's news that Radovan Karadzic was arrested in Belgrade after 13 years on the run.

On June 25, I packed up the little bit of my belongings that hadn't made the return trip to Ohio with my dad, and left Washington, DC on a flight bound for Vienna, Austria. After sitting in the only Starbucks in the city of Vienna (in the C-gate waiting area of Vienna International Airport) for several hours, I boarded a plane for Sarajevo, and what was to become the kind of trip that people talk about, but rarely experience for themselves.

In the three weeks I spent in Bosnia and Hercegovina, I made friends more quickly than I have ever been able to: all of whom have made a permanent mark on my life; a few of whom have changed entirely the way I think about friendships.

It's trite, I realize, and probably doesn't need to be said at all, but my life has changed. What I thought made up the person I am, the person I was, isn't as important anymore. I am not going to say that I've shirked all material desires or even that my time in Bosnia has made me reconsider dropping out of grad school, because both of those statements would be lies. I am still very much the same person I was a month ago, with similar desires and similar mindsets. But some organic, chemical, inherent part of my makeup has remolded itself. I feel a certain amount of distance towards people who weren't there with me, and I have a feeling that that is not something that's going to go away easily, or if at all.

I had a nice solid sob-fest on the flight from Vienna to London a week ago, facing the window and trying not to let the German couple next to me see that I was actually shaking uncontrollably. I didn't cry because I was sad to leave, even though I was. And I didn't cry because I think Bosnia is in a terrible state and will never have the same air of tolerance it did 20 years ago, even though I do. I didn't cry because I will miss the people I met and the friends I made, even though I will, quite tremendously. I cried more because it was like a door was being shut behind me, and padlocked so tightly that nothing I can ever do will allow me to open it again.

I won't ever totally forget the way the sun looked when it set over the Sana River in Sanski Most. And I definitely won't forget the way the cobblestones felt as I walked over them in the Bascarsija in Sarajevo. Or how hideously ugly the yellow paint of the Sarajevo Holiday Inn was. And nothing can take away the memory of the sun setting over the burial ground at Potacari, where I saw 305 men buried in one afternoon. But those memories have already dulled, and it's been less than a week since I left.

I have almost a thousand photographs from my time in Bosnia. Many of them are snapshots of my friends, evidence on our faces of a shared experience entirely indescribable to anyone who wasn't there. Most of the photos are of Bosnia, itself. The mountains, the rivers, the cemeteries, the buildings, the provincial way the entire country looks that is so beautiful and somehow, at the same time, so sad. A photograph can reveal quite a bit, and for the people I share my pictures with, who have never been to Bosnia, and who will most likely never go, my photos will probably say much more than I can with words. But they will still never know what cevapi tastes like when it's homemade and hot, or what potato pite tastes like after it's gone a little cold. They will never know how cold the Sana River feels, or how lonely the evening call to prayer can make a person feel. They will never choke on a clump of Turkish coffee grounds when they get to the last sip of coffee or spend an afternoon writing in the courtyard of a 500 year-old mosque.

If I'm honest with myself, and typically, I am, then I'll say that we didn't accomplish much in Bosnia. We spent five days interning with wonderfully altruistic people. We worked our asses off trying to find funding for Vahidin. We played soccer with children at an orphanage who had never seen digital cameras before. But we didn't change anything, and the people we did interact with will go back to their lives. What we may have done, in our short stay, was leave an impression. Whether it was Edin developing a crush on Tina in Sanski Most, or Omer trying not to choke on the details of his father's imprisonment, or Miki giving York a ring from his brother with the request that York never forget him. I'm more proud of the listening we did than of any of the action we did.

Ultimately, the Bosnians we interacted with are not going to remember what we accomplished at the Sanski Most municipality or whether or not we successfully translated any of Krajina Tear's pamphlets. Hopefully, they remember playing Never Have I Ever on the river bank after midnight, or the trip out to the waterfall before our last dinner. Hopefully, the kids at the orphanage, who might forget what color our hair was or what our names were, will remember that we taught them Quack Diddly Oh So and that we played it with them for two hours straight. And if they remember that much, then I am happy.

With Karadzic arrested just days after I left Bosnia, there is nothing I wish more than that I could be in Sarajevo this afternoon. He was responsible for the the siege of Sarajevo, the 1,001-day long siege, the longest siege in modern military history, and finally, he has been arrested in Belgrade and is being extradited to The Hague. I would love nothing more than to sit at the sebilj and watch Sarajevans come down from their hillside homes and celebrate, because I can't imagine there being any other response. Relief, perhaps, but hopefully celebration.

I hope in Potacari, our hostess is sitting in her front yard with her daughter and her garden and is smiling at the knowledge that the man who orchestrated the murder of her husband and three sons is now going to be tried for his crimes.

I came to Scotland because it was impossible to think that life had been continuing outside of Bosnia. I came to Scotland to see Lis, to finally meet an internet icon, but also to catch my breath before opening the door back into reality. For me, the world has not been moving for the past month. I haven't read the news coming out of the US since I left on June 25. I haven't been concerned with anything outside of Bosnia and Hercegovina; and how could I be concerned with the US presidential election or what congress has been up to or how much the cost of gas has risen? I was looking at death and destruction and corruption and poverty.

I'm leaving Europe tonight at 10:15 (though technically, I'll be in Dublin until 10:00 am tomorrow). I'm landing at JFK tomorrow at 1:30 pm. I'll have cell phone service for the first time in a month. I'll be able to call my mom without worrying about how much it's costing Sam's international phone. I'll be able to use the American dollar bills that have been patiently sitting in my wallet. I'll be able to speak to people without being self conscious of the fact that my accent points me out as a foreigner.

But I'll also be returning to a world that I have been cut off from, that I have cut off, for the past month. I'll be returning to people who might ask me about my trip and who might expect a concise answer or at least a coherent story. I can't guarantee that anything I can say about Bosnia will be concise or coherent. I can't guarantee that anyone will want to hear anything I have to say. And I can't guarantee that I will want to say anything about Bosnia at all.

I'm bursting with stories, so much so that it's been a chore for me to not talk about it while I've been in Glasgow. When Lis introduced me to Fafa in Edinburgh and she asked what I'd been doing in Bosnia, the closest thing I could think of to an answer was that I'd been doing human rights work there. And that it was corrupt, but thankfully stable. It was a pathetically lame response, but the only thing I could think of to say. I have yet to get my mind around what I've been doing for the past month.

And I have yet to prepare myself for what returning to the outside world will do to me.

When I was 5 years old teachers were upset because I already knew all what they were trying to teach me, leading me to a state of mind where school became useless. By the time I turned 13 evaluations decided my intelligence crossed the border of a 20 year old man and if well developed, I'd eventually become a brilliant and succesful man. None of this facts took in consideration the social implications of such case.

I'm always alone, ever since I can recall. Always floating across my head from one point to another and over-analizing every single thing that may aware my interests. While gathering tremendous ammounts of knowledge by reading nearly anything written that may cross my path (including signs and even while driving) I'm usually forced to keep most of these facts I know to myself. Reason why? Not everybody (if not nobody) seems to be interested in Edison, Einstein or psicologic dissorders.

"Do it yourself" taught by mother, and even father sometimes; I barely look for support (never meaning I wouldn't do much better with or even need it most of the times) in others, usually excusing this behavior with an attitude of "if you don't do it for yourself, no one else will do it for you", like a man once told me "you gotta do what you gotta do... 'cause nobody else's gonna do it for you". Concequences? Lack of social touch, social skills and most mostly-accepted-by-society points of view.

All in all, I will not lie, I am thankful and very aware of most of my skills and talents. Wether towards visual arts or music or even written words. I know I'm an avid speaker (when publically speaking, not one-on-one) and absolutely guided-by-thought man (a dissagreable reason of pride). But don't think this has no toll on me.

Day after day I've jumped closer to the conclusion that I am in fact, a dying breed. Although my outside is the same of any human being, inside I am something completely different. Something your regular human being sometimes is uncapable to understand. Thus bringing me to a destination where neither I understand those surrounding me nor they can understand me.

Conclusions you come to of me routinely incorrect
I don’t know who you’re talking to with such fucking disrespect

This shit’s making me crazy
The way you nullify what’s in my head
You say one thing do another
And argue that’s not what you did
Your way’s making me mental
How you filter as skewed interpret
I swear you won’t be happy til
I am bound in a straight jacket

Talking with you’s like talking to a sive that can’t hear me
You fight me tooth and nail to disavow what’s happening

Your resistance to a mirror I feel screaming from your body
One day I’ll introduce myself and you’ll see you’ve not yet met me

This shit’s making me crazy
The way you nullify what’s in my head
You say one thing do another
And argue that’s not what you did
Your way’s making me mental
How you filter as skewed interpret
I swear you won’t be happy til
I am bound in a straight jacket

Grand dissonance
The strings of my puppet are cut
The end of an era
Your discrediting’s lost my consent

46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

I garnered some insight from the podcasts I have been listening to lately, and while they can be very convicting, they also spark some good thought. One topic that really struck my interest was that of listening. It's not that I have ignored this aspect of myself, but I certainly have done little to strengthen myself in this area. I realize I am not a very strong verbal communicator, and some of my recent self analysis has been in regard to that. I would like to improve in this area, and I think it is critical that I do improve.

I came across today's verse and thought that it represents where I am and where I need to go. Where I am because my verbal communication is like that of a child, not very strong, always interrupting others, and jumping to conclusions before I hear the complete thought. Where I want to go because I need to stop listen and ask questions. I formulate opinions and conclusions based on what I hear without asking questions; I don't even think to ask questions. I need to analyze what I hear, but I also need to question for additional information and then listen to the information, just as Jesus in this verse.

Vocabulary

argument: A set of statements in which one follows logically as a conclusion from the others.

assumption: Something taken for granted or accepted as true without proof; a supposition.

conclusion: A judgment or decision reached after deliberation.

hypothesis: A tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation.

inference: The act or process of deriving logical conclusions from premises known or assumed to be true.

 ***  *  ***         ***  *  ***         ***  *  ***         ***  *  ***         ***  *  ***

Lists are useful.  When you have a decision to make, a great place to start is by making a list.  Then again, lists contain only a limited amount of information.  For example, a list of materials is not sufficient for performing an experiment—you also need the procedure. 

Likewise, a list of critical thinking traits, though useful, will only take you so far (see the list of ten traits in the June 17, 2008 post, ‘How to Study: Notes on Critical Thinking II’  http://wepoplaski.wordpress.com/2008/06/17/how-to-study-notes-on-critical-thinking-ii/ ). Understanding how the traits of that list fit together is more useful than simply enumerating them.

You can consider these three traits from that list to be analogous to a chemical reaction in a crucible:

(2) understanding the differences among hypotheses, assumptions, and conclusions,

(4) being a careful listener of other people’s ideas, and

(6) distinguishing between valid and invalid inferences, suspending judgment in the absence of sufficient evidence.

These three items are where the work gets done; it is how you acquire understanding.  To see how the analogy of a chemical reaction works, consider the following.

Trait 2 is the crucible of your thinking process.  Hypotheses, assumptions and conclusions are the elements that compose the vessel containing the argument.  If you can identify these elements, you can set the arguments up for combustion (i.e., you are in a position to analyze the arguments). 

(Dr. Paul’s website, CriticalThinking.org, describes the differences between assumptions and inferences:

http://www.criticalthinking.org/articles/ct-distinguishing-inferencs.cfm )

Trait 4 corresponds to identifying and placing the reactants into the crucible; this is the process of bringing arguments to your attention. We can define 'being a careful listener' broadly to include all media and contexts---whether it involves reading an author’s text, watching a video, or listening to a friend’s problem.  A careful listener is an attentive listener.

(NC State University describes attentive listening at this webpage:

http://www.chass.ncsu.edu/ccstm/SCMH/morelisten.html )

Trait 6 is the reaction process; you determine the validity of the argument’s inferences. It is here that you question the reliability and bias of your sources (e.g., Do they have an ‘axe to grind’?  Do they have a vested interest?), as well as check the reasonableness of assumptions.  You then evaluate the argument’s validity and attempt to fit it in with your previous knowledge and past experiences. 

(These websites give more information about inferences and evaluating hypotheses:

http://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/403.htm

http://www.criticalreading.com/inference_process.htm 

http://www.speroforum.com/wiki/default.aspx/SperoWiki/CompetingHypothesisAnalysis.html )

The remaining seven traits play important and necessary supporting roles to the critical thinking process. You can think of them as the factors that must be controlled to have a successful reaction.

If you are willing to walk into any discussion..circumstance or situation with a healthy open mind the conclusions can be endless.

Most of the time I approach conversations with my mind already made up. No matter what the other person says (unless they line up with what is already in my mind) you can pretty much guarantee I am already onto the defense. I am working on changing this and today I saw it in action.

My mind is open...options are endless...and I have made the choice to keep my approach to things positive. Be Well.