Thing 24...

Greetings from Haifa, Israel!
Yes, it is true; I am in northern Israel visiting my daughter who is studying for a term at Haifa University. What a great opportunity for seeing how others live. I have been to Akko (the oldest port in the Middle East), the Mane-Katz Art Museum, the Mount of the Beatitudes on the Sea of Galilee, Tiberius, Nof Ginnosar, and Zippora National Park. I have seen tour buses full of tourists and locals catering to locals as well as the occasional tourist. We drove past a mini-demonstration a few "blocks" from our hotel, presumably for or against the summit taking place in Indianapolis with the leaders of Palestine, Israel and the US. [Not much impact for it didn't make the local news... well, as far as we know... :-) ]

Cross-cultural experiences are truly unique opportunities! They leave us a little bit more humble and grateful. They are good for the spirit but not necessarily so for the pocketbook. :-) They broaden our horizons, our outlook on life, our vision of things important. They allow us time for reflection as well as teaching us about the past and the present. Perhaps even giving us a glimpse into the future. Cross-cultural experiences, however short, can also well inform our teaching content and maybe our teaching methods as well. I saw how adults help their children and how amazed children are at little things. Young adults can be completely overwhelmed ("blown over" or "overcome with awe") at things that we older adults take for granted! We must always provide opportunities for these things to happen.

The time here is now 11pm (3pm in St. Paul) and since we leave to come home tomorrow, I need to close. I look forward to my daughter's return from Haifa on 1 Jan 2008 and will feel a bit sad leaving her now. But study abroad cannot be equaled anywhere else and I am very happy she has had this wonderful experience. I would not have guessed even 10 months ago that I would be here now! Sweet dreams to you all and as I process our trip, I will share more reflections.

David

thing 10

A quick note to emphasize the importance of copyright and the "damndableness" of needing it. As an amateur who writes music and poetry, I often think about royalty fees and how I could make all this money if I could only sell some of what I write. If I spend a lot of time writing something, I would hope that someone would compensate me for the time spent. The practice of copyright allows for the just recompense on such creative output and ensures that this creative output will continue. On the other hand, when musicians get together to "jam," it doesn't seem to matter who's ideas are used for the improvisation. It is also true that when the community gathers, the community is engaged in the creation and is entertained by that product as well. What is good for the community is also what is good for the individual. No individual is above the good of the community. In some churches, prayer is made on behalf of "the common good." It is where all begins and where meaning is true. It seems to me that the "common good" is in some ways in direct opposition to individual rights; and that if the society moves away from community it will fall apart. People used to sit on the steps of their houses and talk to those who walk by. Today people are so absorbed by the music on their iPods that there is little communication. And so which is better? In today's world the realist understands that one person won't change society by individual actions. So protecting the creative output of individuals is one way to also protect the creativity of the community. Today is December 27th; I thought this had been posted last month but apparently distractions ruled. Isn't that a librarian's real task... to be interrupted?

question for all - MILI folk

Hey, is anyone bothering to read my posts? Shouldn't we be commenting on what we're posting?

Things 5,6,7 ...

Gee, reading through all the cool stuff teachers get to try almost makes me wish I was a teacher again. ok ... well, not really. but there are some great innovations that I wish I had had access to when I was a student. It seems to me that the RPC would work just as well in graduate school as in high school. Don't you wish you had had it as you struggled with those 10 to 25 page papers? I've been in graduate school twice, so believe me when I say that it would have been wonderful to be able to have such a resource. sigh... I think the internet arrived 35 years too late... Those 5 procedures: Question, Gather, Conclude, Communicate and Evaluate really help gather thoughts together and the time line heps the organizing and gathering of information. I was thinking of sending the url to my college student children (Central graduates -- 2005 & 2007) because I think it will help them in their papers as well. So what do you think? Am I off base here or not?

I constructed a web site for one of my classes at MCTC. It was about the intentional community to which I belong. Crossroads Community began with prayer and driving around the Frogtown neighborhood in 1990 after my wife and a few others came back from a short-term mission trip to Haiti. Being a hippie from South Dakota, I was always interested in community living and the idea resonated with me (even though I wasn't on that trip.) If I can find the files for the web site I will reestablish them and provide the link.