KISSING A LOT OF FROGS

I was utterly heartbroken to learn that Prince William’s and Kate Middleton’s romance had ended after four years and that millions of people throughout the world are disappointed because another extravagant royal wedding like that of Prince Charles and Princess Diana will not be happening soon. I was taken by the related quotation of a Londoner that “…before you meet the right person you have to kiss a lot of frogs.” So the world will have to wait while British princes are kissing other frogs in the hope they will find “the right person.”

I don’t subscribe to this piece of current froggy pop wisdom. Nancy and were married in our very early twenties and are now in our 58th year of bliss, discord, and growing up together. Growing up together means many conversations–some heated, few of which took place locked in each other’s arms in post passion embraces. We’ve learned loads from each other that way since we have both kept and still keep a steady pace of personal development. As some say, marriage is the ultimate conversation; we buy that in several ways.

We both had prenuptial dates, but none would qualify as today’s version of “frog-kissing.” My experience with frogs has been to listen to them croak, dissect one in Biology 101, eat frog legs, and do a show-and-tell about tadpoles for our granddaughters. Only the first and last yielded any significant satisfaction. Three of our granddaughters are fascinated with frogs; the fourth is too young yet. I do hope they won’t kiss any, unlikely though in today’s free-style “culture.”

Yes, I know I'm not "with it" currently, but I've always liked being a snarky odd-ball diversifier.

PEACE AND HARMONY IN 2007 AND BEYOND: PART 3

THE SECOND PATHWAY

The second refers to a double “I” term, INTELLECTUAL INTEGRITY, a term coined by Taussig. First, let’s consider just the word “integrity” that has meanings of honesty and moral uprightness and also wholeness and soundness. We think about people of integrity in these ways.

When we add the word “intellectual,” we move into the realm of ideas and human development. That is, new information is being added regularly, with the result that the mindsets of people who keep up is changed in two ways - by new ways of thinking or perceiving the real world and also by perhaps deleting some ideas that no longer fit a new wholeness. As knowledge grows, so this flood of information affects our viewpoints about perceptions of the natural processes (the world of science), philosophy and religion, and perhaps also our values. Immersion in the understanding of distant centuries needs to give way to worldviews that fit the 21st century. Only then can we deal with current reality, e.g., the perceptions that come from quantum physics, molecular biology, current cosmology, and recently discovered religious writings, e.g., the Nag Hammadi manuscripts.

My own orientations are to finding viable ways of adjusting theology to such scientific advances, so I tend to feel strongly that continuing modifications of our worldviews are necessary. In some religious orientations, however, the world of science is sadly excluded and demeaned, and no adjustments to these changing viewpoints take place.

Taussig briefly mentions progressive congregations that include discussions of science, and other theologically oriented writers have indicated the need for this emphasis, e.g., Borg and Spong. Florida features technology as a key to attracting talent, thereby speaking to this issue in his context. The one of the Troika writers who does the best is Wilbur who has biochemistry roots.

Conversely, religious groups that ignore such advances become less and less relevant in the perceptions of intellectuals, the result being that such religious groups lose the vigor that Florida features.

THE THIRD PATHWAY

The last of the “I” words is INTEGRATION. Inherent in much of the above is the concept of breadth of thinking. Acceptance of diverse ideas, often in the context of being able to balance opposing ideas and integrating differing personal life styles are critical, all of which are opposite to exclusivity mindsets. The epitome of writers in this vein is Wilbur whose every thinking and every programmatic thrust includes the word “Integral” – his book title cited above, his Integral Institute, Integral University, Integral Life Practice and more. The breadth of his integration goes far beyond that of any other author because he has devoted his life to studying world religions, diverse philosophies, diverse life styles, and many cultures and the acceptance of all without any attempt to dominate. This mindset is the peak attainment of human beings, a transformative pattern that could lead to peace and harmony between many viewpoints. Read Wilbur and be prepared to immerse yourself in integrative thinking and have your mind stretched, strengthened, and changed. Ken Wilbur is the personification of integration.

Whether we like it or not, we are being forced into thinking more about integrating diversity everywhere. There is no way to avoid the trends engulfing us: a diaspora of Muslims and refugees from less developed countries spreading across the developed countries; trends of many people throughout the world for more freedom in eating, dressing, socializing, and entertainment styles; and more sophisticated technology, convenience of communication, and depth of intellectual thinking.

We are being required to balance differing - even opposing - ideas, accept cultural differences and life styles, and become considerate of and conversant on other religions and philosophies.

A VISION FOR 2007 AND BEYOND

To read these three authors would be a way to start thinking in these ways or, if you’ve read their earlier works, these three books would extend your understanding of their messages and themes. More importantly, if you adopt some of them and weave the commonalities of their thoughts into your own thinking, you will go a long way into greater inclusivity, intellectual integrity, and integration in your thoughts, actions, and maturation. And you will be able to function much better in places where work as it is changing around us whether it is in the neighborhood in which you live, the places you work, the places you worship, and with your avocational-interest friends.

THIS POWERFUL TROIKA OF “I” CONCEPTS CAN PULL THE CHARIOT OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT FORWARD AND YIELD A PROMISING, OPTIMISTIC, HOPEFUL LOOK INTO THE FUTURE. THE FOCUS IS ON DIVERSITY, BALANCES, AND INTEGRATIONS.

PICTURE IN YOUR MIND’S EYE A TROIKA, A HUGE SLEIGH, BEING PULLED ACROSS THE SKY BY THREE WHITE STALLIONS AND LOADED WITH ALL KINDS PEOPLE ENJOYING AN EXHILARATING RIDE TOGETHER. AND YOU HAPPILY IN THE MIDDLE OF ABOUT 200 HAPPY DIVERSE PEOPLE! THIS IS A VISION FOR 2007 AND BEYOND

PEACE AND HARMONY IN 2007 AND BEYOND: PART 2

THE FIRST PATHWAY

Common concepts appear among the writings of the three authors previously cited, and my goal is to summarize these for you, a formidable task, to put it mildly. My intention, however, is not to do the impossible – to tell their stories in a few words – but to tantalize you to study their works. More importantly, my hope is to point toward new directions for human thought that are essential and vital if human societies are to find bases to join forces in working toward a productive prognosis rather than the destructive future that seems all too likely to befall all of us if we continue on our present course.

No single concept has permeated world history so frequently and decisively as “I’m right, you’re wrong,” the ultimate statement of EXCLUSIVITY. This proclamation has caused many attempts for a few people to dominate a group, society, company, country or culture. (I’m living now in a microcosm of community warfare – the reason I’ve not posted anything for over three months.) During world conquest, untold cases of genocide, and many-fold more cases of suffering, destruction, and this waste has permeated history. This human tendency has been so significant that it even constitutes one of the most effective methods of human population control, a chilling thought. An example of the scope of such travesties, only one of countless possibilities, is a century in which the greatest numbers of people were killed by warfare than any other century. Estimates are that 300 million people were killed, half of them non-combatant women and children. Perspective comes from comparing this number to the recently achieved population of the United States – the same nine-digit number. Many, many more were injured, raped, and psychologically scarred permanently.

If people want to believe that human beings are getting better and better, it would be comforting if this was a long-past century, but the stark fact is it was the 20th century; and to make matters worse, the 21st has not started any better. The word, EXCLUSIVITY, haunts us. A person, country or culture may even proclaim that it is commanded by God to eliminate inferior people and, as conquerors, to enlarge their own wealth, territory, and power. Painfully clear, however, is that the getting power only leads to passion for more.

The opposite word is found in one wording or another in our troika authors’ books is INCLUSIVITY, the first of our three “I” words. One the surprising features of vigorously growing cities and regions cited by Florida is inclusive of bohemian, gays and lesbians, and artists because this population style is one of the magnets that attracts creative people. He even refers to PROACTIVELY INCLUSIVE efforts by economic development organizations.

Taussig also lists inclusive environments as found typically in the progressive churches he visited and studied to the extent that quotations of more than one holy writ may be used in worship services, multi-faith discussions are common, and sessions on scientific topics may be a part of their programs.

Wilbur inclusively recognizes and actively incorporates leaders from all world religions into his organizations and activities.

If a cursory comparison of the number of progressive churches listed in Taussig’s 1000 is made with Florida’s list of American high-creativity, economically strong cities, a correlation begins to appear. Although this correlation needs more study to be conclusive, the likelihood of this hypothesis being valid is high enough to warrant testing; we can at least begin thinking along those lines since they could be quite significant. That is, if religious groups are going to minister in the most highly productive cities, if creative people are going to be attracted to cities, churches, and jobs, all parts of our society will likely need to also address the style issues of tolerance, talent, and technology. And let it be clearly understood; these people will do much to set the pace and direction for America’s future. We need more of them and will want them to be in this country rather than running off elsewhere in the world, the latter concept being Florida’s important idea.

Similarly, we will need to attract these people with another pathway discussed in my next posting.

PEACE AND HARMONY IN 2007 AND BEYOND: PART 1

A TROIKA AND THREE I’S

“Troika” is a Russian word with two pregnant meanings. The oldest is both real and mythological and refers to a means of transportation – typically a multi-passenger sleigh drawn by three strong horses. Thus it refers to a winter activity, and the image is of a cold, cold Russian day, passengers bundled in fur-lined parkas and heavy coats, and three powerful horses galloping across the snow.

The second is newer, less exhilarating, and unpleasant. The Soviet Union used triumvirates, NKVD troikas, to mete out extrajudicial punishments of anti-Soviet elements beginning in 1918 but more particularly in trials during the Great Purge. (Consult Wikipedia and “troika” for more.) Nothing that follows has this negative meaning! The number “three” was said to be the minimum for voting and decision-making.

However, I do invoke a triumvirate of people who have differing specializations, three writers of recent books. Those differences lead, surprisingly, to convergent meanings and are therefore worth our attention. That troika-style convergence is what I want you to realize.

Finally, I will conclude with a new troika – one vital for charting paths into the future – and the above title refers to A FUTURE-ORIENTED TROIKA THAT CAN LEAD US TO PEACE AND HARMONY in our conflict-ridden world.

THE AUTHORS AND THEIR BOOKS

The first is another in the well-known series by Richard Florida, this one titled THE FLIGHT OF THE CREATIVE CLASS: THE NEW GLOBAL COMPETITION FOR TALENT (HarperCollins, New York, 2005, 326 p.). His book is catalogued in three areas, all relating to the United States: intellectual capital, creative ability, and technological innovations. Florida discusses the features that typify cities and regions that draw creative talent so magnetically that economic growth results far more effectively than other places. Post-materialistic attitudes of yearning for job satisfaction, intellectual development, and personal sense of worth become the factors that drive choices of the most talented about where and how to live – anywhere in the world. One feature of these high growth areas is a surprise to many people. He encapsulates the importance of the features found in vigorous regions in his three “T’s:” Technology, Tolerance, and Talent.

The second is Hal Taussig’s, A NEW PLACE TO LIVE: PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY AT THE GRASS ROOTS (Polebridge Press, Santa Rosa, CA, 2006, 203 p.) He is a less recognized author of three previous books who is a theologian, minister, and lecturer and writes from a scholarly devotion to a developing movement in the United States. From traveling nationwide and a year of researching, he found, describes, and lists a growing number of these progressive churches (His incomplete list is of 1,000 spread among most mainline denominations including Roman Catholic ones and independent churches.) He characterizes this group with a clear set of features that belie the diversity of their origins.

The third is by a prolific writer for the past 25 years, Ken Wilbur: INTEGRAL SPIRITUALITY: A STARTLING NEW ROLE FOR RELIGION IN THE MDOERN AND POSTMODERN WORLD (Integral Books, Boston, 2006, 313 p.) His beginnings were in biochemistry, but he soon turned to philosophy, publishing his first and important book, The Spectrum of Consciousness, in his mid-twenties. It was followed by more than twenty volumes. His 2006 volume summaries and extends his concepts that are based on an extraordinary knowledge of world religions, an ability to integrate the world of science and theology, and a grasp of philosophy, all applied to the present and also projected into the future with its need for a practical perception of spirituality and a pragmatic philosophy of hope, broadly applied.

In summary, this is the Troika of authors, one a theologian, another studying economic development, and the third a philosopher. In my next two postings, it is the “I” words that will be discussed, each of which leads to a pathway for human progress. We will find valuable similarities in their thinking, findings, and conclusions.

THE BIG BANG THEORY: THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE 2006 NOBEL AWARD IN PHYSICS.

The work of George F. Smoot and John C. Mather and their team members established that perfect black-body radiation and minute variations of matter – aggregations of particles – necessary for the development of solar bodies both existed as early as about 389,000 years after the Big Bang. Those findings provide still more credence that the Big Bang should be “the accepted theory of cosmology.” Included, of course, is the knowledge that the cosmos is many billions of years old.

The theological significance of this degree of certainty means that the Big Bang Theory is now so well established that every science-literate person will accept it and have little if any need for a master-manager God of the kind in the teachings of current conservative theology. Conversely, only people who are science-illiterate can believe the numerous creation narratives of the cultures in the world because they are, at best, statements of the historical perspectives of very inadequate knowledge bases. To that extent the constructs of God and how God functions now – and has functioned for a long time in the past – must be changed. The implications are several and huge.

First, the belief that God is in complete control of everything all the time has to be changed to an understanding that God does not exert that level of control. God must be considered to relate to natural processes by standing back from them – transcending them – has self-limited divine control over them. Second, if God is as loving and compassionate as modern theology has evolved into believing, then it must be understood that God does not control everything that happens to each of us, that we cannot pray for special treatment that violates natural processes. Third, we cannot hold God responsible for all the poverty, suffering, and ignorance found among millions of earthlings and that we are responsible for correcting such massive problems. These are the essence concepts of the Transcendence Theology I have written about in this blog, and their applications shake the foundations of Christendom and all the religions of the world that specialize in making us so comfortable and complacent.

Are these honored scientists now content with their findings and the leap of information they have provided? No, they are moving on. They want even “more precise measurements that will reveal the parameters of the universe,” to quote Dr. Smoot’s statement in his interview immediately after he was notified of the Nobel award.

If you want to sense the feelings of these two scientists within hours after being awakened from their sleep by their calls from Stockholm, go to:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2006/index.html

It is exhilarating to sense what they are talking about as they discuss their decades of patient and precise work, the need for close cooperation with NASA, and their vision for future studies.

THE QUEST FOR REALITY IS AN UNENDING SEARCH FOR KNOWLEDGE AND ITS BENEFITS, A HUMAN DRIVE RELIGIONS OFTEN SEEM UNABLE TO ASSIMILATE.

RNAi: ARE THESE MOLECULES REALLY SO PROMISING?

RNAi: ARE THESE MOLECULES REALLY SO PROMISING?

RNAi molecules may lead to much new knowledge of gene function, but therapeutic applications seem less promising.

History is full of new discoveries, many of which, at the time, seem to open doors that offer panaceas for unlimited benefits. These advances, as well as the more mundane decisions which we all have to make, need to be analyzed in three stages. First is the elation of wondrous possibilities that excite us and make us want to embrace the possibilities fully and immediately. Second, however, comes the time of contemplating the downsides, risks, and limitations. Third comes the time of melding these two so that we get a balanced decision.

RNAi, in my first posting about it, was slanted to the first of these three steps – the exhilarating joy of a new discovery and the credit due the
discoverers now being honored. Let’s look at the second stage. Controlling genes can be conceived in two ways. First is the possibility that the gene (DNA) in a particular chromosome of all the cells in a human body can be blocked or destroyed. It follows then that a new and better gene could be inserted to replace the bad gene. This effect on DNA is not the case with RNAi uses, as far as we know now, because neither the original gene is significantly affected nor is the insertion of another gene simple when a defective one is still acting. Why?

The current explanation for the function of RNAi molecules is that they block the expression products from a given gene. That is, from the gene’s DNA, a messenger RNA molecule is produced and moves from the nucleus into the cytoplasm where it is used on ribosomes to control the assembling of amino acids in the proper sequence for a specific protein. RNAi intercepts the messenger RNA, binds to it, and inactivates or destroys it. The DNA is not affected by the RNAi
molecules.

RNAi molecules are exciting for two reasons. First, they can be used for research on what a particular gene does functionally. In this, RNAi is a powerful, highly useful tool and holds great promise. The other function is that RNAi molecules can cure or alleviate diseases. Here the promise is more limited. Suppose, for example, that a cancer oncogene has been triggered and lead to the
formation of a tumor. Then an RNAi molecule is used to suppress the gene. Since it is unaffected by the RNAi molecule, the gene has continued generating its messenger RNA during RNAi treatment. As soon as RNAi therapy is stopped, this
continuing supply of messenger RNA resumes, and its damaging function resumes. Therefore, you can see that treatment of the oncogene may need to be continued on a permanent long-term basis. This regimen may sound like a great idea to a
pharmaceutical company, but is a nightmare for patients and third-party payers since RNAi molecules will likely to be expensive to produce and market.

So let’s not get too carried away by the advent of cures for all the disease processes and congenital defects we can list. Rather, let’s realize in the third stage of considering RNAi, that another treatment leading to permanent blocking will be required. That will not likely be RNAi, as we now know it.

RNAi: THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE 2006 NOBEL AWARD IN MEDICINE

Blocking individual genes on demand: that is the meaning of this year’s Nobel Prize to Drs. Andrew Z. Fire and Craig C. Mello. Just imagine being able to choose a particular gene and block its expression – genes for cancers, degenerative diseases (Parkinson’s and Huntington’s), inherited anomalies (like cystic fibrous), and infections (like influenza and HIV) and so forth. Initially reported only eight years ago from studies done on the lowly roundworm, Caenorabditis elegans, these molecules are designed to operate not on the DNA-coded gene itself but on the messenger RNAs they produce – to destroy or inactivate the message. The result is that a given protein is not produced, and the gene is functionally silenced. This mechanism explains the strange results years earlier on petunia pigmentation when a double-stranded RNA was inserted into its cells and, instead of producing deeper color, caused less and variegated pigmentation. Basic, new human-genetics understanding was discovered from research on petunias and a roundworm!

This wonderful new tool for research is leading to important studies of gene action and opening possibilities for many new therapeutics. The importance of the discovery is indicated by the rapidity of the methods being adopted for wide-spread research and development, the short time from discovery to the award, and the honored scientists being younger than usual.

WHAT IS SO INTERESTING FROM APPLIED THEOLOGY VIEWPOINTS?

First, many religious people feel that humans are so very different from other forms of life because God created humans in the image of God. Scientists have no difficulty in thinking about basic similarities between petunia, roundworm, and human cells; much of their research is based on such a mind set. Creationists, in whatever form they present themselves, have to swallow hard over such ideas and are pushed to change their concepts of God. Thinking in terms of evolution keeps getting stronger and more useful with each new scientific discovery.

Second, we have a lot of Americans who disdain science, choosing instead religious faith in God being in control of every thing and every one all the time – every miniscule aspect of life processes, for example. Carried to its extreme and coupled with the presumed approach of the Battle of Armageddon and the second coming of Christ, there aren’t incentives to think far into the future, be proactive about environmental problems and global warming, and work hard to conquer diseases. This anti-science bias puts science and theology in unnecessary opposition.

Third, this negative attitude toward science has been imposed on numerous policies of the Bush administration. The result is a series of off-the-wall decisions being imposed on the American public and promoted in international politics in an effort to pander to radical fundamentalists. (For a short treatment of this subject, see Jimmy Carter’s, OUR ENDANGERED VALUES; for a more in-depth study, see Kevin Phillips’, AMERICAN THEOCRACY.)

Clearly, we need to get much more comfortable with modifying our theological positions to make them realistic in terms of the intellectual advances that keep coming from human endeavors. If that means changing and re-interpreting Biblical passages, so be it. Similarly Muslim terrorists will some day have to admit that Western civilization dominates the world intellectually and that their hope to change that established position is beyond their weak powers.

FAILURE TO CHANGE IS FAILURE TO LIVE WITH REALITY.

CIVILITY AND CIVIL SOCIETIES

This broad subject is integral to the concept of democracy. It is taken for granted by most Americans, but incivility often shows up in groups, workplaces, and nations. Therefore, from time to time, reconsiderations of it are necessary.
Simply stated, civility is politeness, according to my Oxford Modern English Dictionary. Much has been written on the subject, often along the line of respect for other people. Doing a search on amazon.com turns up numerous recent books of the subject, as well as an older one, “George Washington’s RULES OF CIVILITY AND BEHAVIOUR IN COMPANY AND CONVERSATION,” re-issued in 1989. Apparently the nascent American democracy needed such discussions, and they are still needed today. Several websites also are to be found by doing a search for “civil society,” for example, www.civilsoc.org which reaches international applications and “civility, for example, www.civilityassociates.com which is a workplace-oriented firm that promises: “We help you create a positive environment through sincerity, respect and optimism.”
When I was working with universities in all East European countries from 1986-2000, we frequently had to explore the civil-society concept that had been missing there for fifty years.
When these concepts are lacking, the atmosphere becomes strained and stressful, and community and cooperation are painfully absent. I know because I’m immersed in one right now.

Tammy Faye Messner and Hyper-Immanence Theology

My postings of the past few days have referenced a theological construct that is a balance between immanence and transcendence theological concepts. If you want an encapsulated example of the dark side of Immanence Theology, the recent statement of Mrs. Messner provides it in the qoutation attributed to her:
"I take him shopping with me. I say, 'OK, Jesus, help me find a bargain.'"
The basis for her comment is that Jesus is in control of everyone and everything all the time. This concept is carried to an illogical extreme by her "prayer." I disdain this USING of Jesus and such a simplistic god construct. Her statement is an example of the "HYPER-IMMANENCE SYNDROME," far off-balance from any broader understanding of a god-construct that even begins to approximate reality.
You will remember Mrs. Messner as the former wife of tele-evangelist, Jim Bakker. She is now making her own career as a popular singer and as a fundamentalist minister and author.

ATHEISM AND TRANSCENDENCE THEOLOGY: I

I’ve been reading “Atheism” blogs, several of which reported on blogger visits to churches, Bible studies, and prayer meetings. I, too, find most of these unrewarding and sometimes just plain aggravating even though I’m a Christian. This snarkiness has been a part of my mentality long before the term “snark” existed, a trait easy for a research scientist to develop when testing all kinds of ideas and “facts.”
I’m a retired Professor, of Biology no less. During my decades of professing, I wrestled with the dichotomy that hit my fundamentalist upbringing when I studied under Indiana University’s and University of Chicago’s evolution-oriented biology faculties. I did not, however, elect to make the choice most students did – and still do – to toss out one and start championing the other. What the blogger laments focused on is that they always found about the same ideas and beliefs – which they disdained – coming from narrow-minded people, the kind who currently dominate Christendom, what some religious scholars call theism believers. I’m an “a-theism” Christian. That makes for big-time differences from between theism and atheism and has numerous far-reaching implications.
Transcendence Theology was the key in my decision to merge evolution and religion.
This transcendence idea has been around for a very long time, but it’s been almost totally ignored in Christendom during the last several centuries. Succinctly put, this concept includes the idea that God stands apart from – transcends – natural processes which then run on autopilot – on the inherent features programmed into their DNA, RNA, and proteins, speaking from a molecular-biology viewpoint.
Such thinking is in stark contrast to the “God-controls everything and everybody all the time and doesn’t delegate much if any responsibility. This simplicity appeals to a lot of people who find great relief in the “comfort, control, and certainty” of all that. Tele-evangelists are incredibly adept at promoting this, so good in fact that their send-money pitches are wildly successful. This theology retards the development that ought to be taking place in every life, largely ignores the intellectual progress taking place in the world, and is a retreat into the ancient fundamental beliefs of long-past centuries.
It’s important to realize that all concepts of God are human constructs – despite claims that they are “revealed truth” straight from God – and that they all fall short of being adequate. Although these visit-around atheists wrote largely about encountering this one dominating construct, there have been and currently are others.
SO, SPEAKING TO ATHEISTS, I ASK YOU TO CONSIDER WHICH CONSTRUCT IT IS THAT YOU DISBELIEVE?
The merger construct I referred to above is diagrammatically shown in the Venn diagram I posted August 14. It is a dualistic, bipolar, paradoxical construct. “Immanence Theology” is the form of theism now so dominant, in contrast to the belief in “The Transcendent” that has been so important for me to consider as “opposite” to immanence.
I’m looking forward to hearing your comments and questions, the snarkier, the better.

A Bipolar God Construct

 

David and Goliath Warfare or RTK and BTU Cooperation

You know the David and Goliath story. Goliath represented a country that wanted to expand and was resorting to aggression to do it. The upstart David stood in the way and was defending his turf. Kill and destroy was the technique being used. We love the story of the little guy who won the battle, became a King, and spent much of his life and his kingdom’s resources fighting the Philistines.
America needs to develop methods of producing more energy. BTU is the symbol for Peabody Energy Corporation, the Goliath, that has 8,300 employees. For the six months ending on 30 June 2006, its revenues increased 20% to $2.63 billion, and net income increased 93% to $283.7 million. It is primarily a coal-mining company with modest diversifications. Rentech Development Corporation (RTK) is like David in comparison; it has a few more than a hundred employees and operates at a loss. It is an interesting company, however, because its expertise is in transforming underutilized hydrocarbon resources such as “coal…and biomass into alternative fuels and clean chemicals while providing clean energy solutions.” Specifically, it is “…one of the world's leading developers of Fischer-Tropsch coal-to-liquids and gas-to-liquids technologies.” It is a chemical engineering company applying reactions known for many decades to current needs. BTU could have acquired RTK using hostile takeover warfare and not even sneeze at the cost. Management was smarter, and the two companies agreed to cooperate in developing multiple production facilities to produce diesel fuel from coal at numerous small plants close to BTU mines.
Do we have warfare-type strategies being used today? We certainly do – terrorist organizations like El Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah. They are very small “companies” fighting against the mega-goliaths of the entire developed world. Am I suggesting that they will win the battle like David did? The odds make that an impossible scenario.
What I am indicating by this analogy is that business R&D and modern thinking don’t operate by mass-destruction warfare. Hostile takeovers do take place, but does any investor damage companies by killing the employees and their families and destroying vast assets? Terrorists need to wake up to the realization that they are engaging in ridiculously primitive methods in a modern world, that rational people and civilized nations will oppose that approach, and that their “enemy” has vast resources and a strong resolve to win. What a pity, however, that massive human suffering and infrastructure devastation have to take place.
As an investor, I bought into BTU when I saw that management had vision enough to pursue an important diversification and added RTK to my watch list. Did I spend $10,000 to buy 200 shares of BTU? No, I started by purchasing call options on 700 shares at much lower cost. More purchases of options and of stock may follow, but that is enough for now since we’re in a becalmed stock market, typical of the second year of the four-year presidential cycle. October will likely give us favorable winds.
INTEGRATION AND COOPERATION WIN IN A MODERN WORLD, A STRATEGY BOTH AMERICAN POLITICAL AND TERRORIST LEADERS NEED TO ADOPT.

Abstinence-only, Abortion, and Science Policies of the Bush Administration

Twenty-five years ago, the power of Rightist, Fundamentalist religious groups became evident in the actions of our Federal government. Notably, the Adolescent Family Life Act was passed by the Congress. It was designed to provide large amounts of funding to promote chastity education in our schools, religiously conservative churches, and elsewhere. Programming began to teach public-school children to oppose abortions and the rely on abstinence-only sex practices. In addition, businesses were formed to promote such attitudes, e.g., Sex Respect and Teen-Aid, and became robust and profitable.
In 1996, the Congress appropriated funds approximating $135 million/year for abstinence-only sex education. In FY 2005, The Congress put $170 million more into such education, and states were copying programs and imposing regulations on teaching content and practices. More than $1 billion of federal assistance has been spent on abstinence-only programs.
Let’s face reality! Abstinence-only is inadequate to cope with the basic forces in human beings. Adolescent women who pledged abstinence until marriage in public meetings with their fathers standing beside them are failing a significant number of times to keep their vows, have pre-marital sex, and become pregnant. Additionally, starkly clear data show sex drives cannot be controlled in even more solemn rituals by devout men who pledge life-long celibacy in their vows for priesthood in the Catholic Church. Massive numbers of priests are failing to uphold these pledges to religious purity through celibacy. The Catholic Church has been damaged morally and financially weakened by thousands of legal fees and cash settlements and by negative media coverage as a result.
What are the forces that make sexual abstinence so difficult? We humans inherently have two relevant forces embedded in our basic constitutions. The first is the archetypal imperative for procreation – to be parents, an urge more prominent in women – and females of all species. One example is that we need to watch out for a mother’s passionate protection of her offspring! The second is a pair of comparatively small molecules, steroid hormones far more potent than most people appreciate; realistic living demands recognition of their power to dominate human behavior. In males, the hormone is testosterone; in females, it is estrogen. Listen to the lament lyrics of Country Music regarding lonely lovers bereft of their departed loves and note the media accounts of males outraged when their female mates jilt them to appreciate the sex-drive strength in males. Athletes are now using testosterone to bulk up their psychology, body sizes, and performances – harder to detect because these are naturally occurring substances; for example, this year’s Tour de France winner, Floyd Landis, had high testosterone levels during the race on the first sample tested, according to reports today.
Where does the current Bush administration stand on women’s rights in general? A clear synopsis is given by Kevin Phillips in his provocative and highly documented book, The American Theocracy; see especially pages 365-375. The most shocking are his two reports from 2002. First, in an international conference in Bangkok, a U.S. abstinence policy initiative was rejected by a 32-1 vote. The second was at a UN Special Session on Children where the U.S. failed to gain passage of its abstinence-only initiative, although it was supported by Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and the Vatican; world opinion noted the partial overlap with Islamic countries and militants. Phillips details other areas of a pervading “soft” Bush position on issues pertaining to women. It is a sad and disappointing report. The Bush administration had taken domestic policy positions and attempted to extend them into international policies, and many nations rejected them.
One of the other striking cases is the Bush stance on abortion especially when coupled with abstinence-only, a vicious pairing. The Religious Right is adamantly opposed to abortion, the thrust being “right to life” for the fetus. The flip side of the coin is consideration for mothers who are boxed into completing an unwanted pregnancy to have an unwanted child. The life-long impacts on the mother may alter and limit her entire life. Pregnant mothers also deserve respect.
Where have these influences come from? Jimmy Carter makes it very clear in his book, Our Endangered Values. He states, as do Phillips and numerous other writers of recently issued books, that the source is the Religious Right, spearheaded particularly by the policies of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), that are dominating Bush policies. In his Chapter 9, Carter recounts how he and others abhorred their denomination’s position on women’s rights so much that he, his church, and many other congregations separated themselves from the SBC in protest.
This orientation is what is meant by Phillips’ terminology “The American Theocracy.” Ending this unfortunate experiment in church-state commingling is needed as soon as possible! To do so may mean loss of control of the Congress and the White House by Republicans in the 2006 and 2008 elections. The factors that could allow a continuation of these policies would be the lack of new and different Republican leadership, continuing apathy of many voters, and lack of charismatic Democrat candidates who have been missing for years. Clearly, voters need to be saying and voting their minds for a new overarching direction that will lead to new strength in our democracy and renewed respect for American foreign policy throughout the world.
It is painful to see U.S. positions on women’s rights so closely aligned to the religions of premodern societies. What is the reason for this unfortunate congruity? It is that the concepts of the radically fundamentalist Right are largely premodern, too: disdain for women’s rights, anti-science positions, penchants for warfare rather than diplomacy, and too little feeling for how efficient it is to be compassionate to millions of people living in poverty, ignorance, and suffering. All of these positions have shown up regularly in policies of the Bush administration.
Let’s hope, work, and vote for different policies in the years ahead!

Daylily in Red

A few minutes of meditation will lift your spirit.

Daylily in Magenta

Have a beautiful day!

Noah's Ark and Transcendence Theology

Anne Provoost’s book, IN THE SHADOW OF THE ARK, is a different look at the Ark story. It makes fascinating reading.
Noah’s production crew is portrayed as a big bunch of rag-tag ne’er-do-wells who knew more about camels than ships; they were lead by Noah who was sick and his three sons who also knew a lot about camels; the exception is the youngest who was very good at “falling in love” with the best of the beautiful women who came along. Their work and workers were disorganized, and their hastily thrown up boom town failed to provide even the essentials of sanitation and clean water. To make the scene worse, droves of animals came in from the desert to get food and water. Workers’ motivations for coming, slaving, and staying were curiosity, current support for their families, and hope of getting on the ship if a huge storm ever did come.

Enter the expert, a man who had built ships for fishing in far off swampy places, had a beautiful daughter, Re Jana, disguised as a boy but who knew how to take care of every physical need of Noah’s three sons, and an invalid wife. They had trekked for days over the desert to flee impending disaster. He applied for a job, was immediately identified as a shipbuilding “expert,” and was convinced, against his better judgment, to stay and set everything right. This he did in three ways: first, with design and production changes based on his knowledge of fishing boats one-tenth the size of the Ark, second, by reorganizing everything, and, third, by adding a modicum of esprit de corps. He was convinced that he and his family would be rewarded by places on the Ark when, if ever, The Flood came.

Author Provoost has crafted an engaging novel that conveys the complexity and impossibility of it all. The end turns out exceedingly well - for those who made it on board who included the stowaway, Re Jana. What the author does so very well, however, is to focus on the people left behind, a part of the story omitted in scripture and missing from the thoughts of most people after they read the Biblical account.

It is possible to make too much of the Noah’s Ark story. The result can be that we are led to believe in a ghoulish God engaged in GENOCIDE, that all people killed in natural calamities were vile, and that their early deaths will result in better human races. The platform for this kind of over-reach results from coupling literal interpretations of scripture with Hyperimmanence Theology. Let’s deal with these two issues separately.

First, consider the question of whether The Flood really happened and can be taken literally. Joseph Campbell, that extraordinary scholar of mythology, tells us that every culture has a flood story. They vary in details but relate to the destruction caused by copious rains in the context of only the limited “world” a primitive mind could know. Furthermore, since there is unlikely to be enough water in the earthly system to cover the whole globe several miles deep, the Ark story is impossible and unreal. It is a myth, so there never was an associated genocide and no great improvement of human behavior resulted from killing so many people!

Second, the primitive/premodern mind believes that God controls everything and every event in every life. This micromanagement concept is what I call a religious Hyper-Immanence Syndrome, meaning that one or a few foundational ideas have all kinds of fallouts. This idea provides almost unlimited consolation – what I refer to in my book as the comfort, control, and certainty needed by people who want to avoid facing the reality of the human condition; these people want someone to be in charge of everything, and the only true source that powerful is God.

This is a highly useful idea but is about as self-centered and narcissistic as we can get! A better construct is needed. One additional feature needed is a stiff dose of Transcendence Theology, the belief that God is not micromanaging everything; that God neither exists for nor is primarily oriented to providing us with comfort; and that “certainty” about the hereafter as conceived in religions is really quite uncertain. Put another way, God stands back from natural processes, observing but not acting, while many events and processes proceed according their inherent mechanisms. Within the transcendence concept, God can be and often is referred to as “The Transcendent” in some circles, although not of course in Fundamentalism that continues to perpetuate a premodern, largely immanent-God theology. The Godview I present in my book, BRAINS, RELIGIONS AND REALITY is a theological construct called “Integrative Theology,” a multifaceted God orientation requiring all the facets to be held in balance – integrated, that is. It, too, is inadequate but is a step or two closer to reality.
In summary, Anne Provoost has spun a good yarn that, first, vividly imagines just how complex the Ark-building drama could have been and, second, plays on our fascinations with death and dying, just rewards, and meaning. However, the untimely and unjust drowning of the “left behind” when the Ark rose on the flood waters cannot be taken any more literally than the deaths of the murdered in your favorite mystery stories.

Noah’s story is a myth that illustrates how primitive minds dealt with natural tragedies. Myths always should and usually do probe the ultimate mysteries that all people ponder.

The author includes good questions in a Reader’s Guide to facilitate discussions. I am sure you will enjoy reading her book, as did I.

CITATION for REALITY

To the Episcopal Church: Its College of Cardinals recently elected Katharine Jefferts Schori to be its Presiding Bishop. Bishop Schori is an extraordinary person, every bit appropriate by achievements and qualifications, but she is a woman. What church denomination has elected a woman to its highest position and thereby defied one of religion's centuries-old and most deeply ingrained prejudices?

Bishop Schori served in Oregon and has been the Bishop for four years of the Diocese of Nevada where she has noted for taking clear positions on casino-renowned Las Vegas and marriage-mill Reno. To function effienctly in a sparsely populated state, she flew herself from place to place. She is also science-literate, holds a Ph.D. degree in Marine Sciences from Stanford University, and therefore understands science and the mind of the rigorous researcher. Such clergy are in short supply, and their influences in religious settings are certainly needed.

The courage of the Episcopal Church is further exemplified by this audacious act so soon after having survived the controversy of electing a gay bishop.

What has been demonstrated so dramatically and clearly is the principle of inclusivity in a religious context when the centuries-old concept of exclusivity has permeated world religions and caused suffering and pain at incredible levels for centuries. We need so desperately to become inclusive in our acceptance of the diversities of people and cultures.

Prostate Cancer Vaccines

The ultimate treatment for prostate cancer may be a cancer vaccine. In a previous blog, I suggested that one may be available soon and that it would be designed to kill malignant prostate cells even if they had metasticized to some site distant from the prostate. The company that seems closest to having an early version is the Dendreon Corporation, in Seattle that is developing PROVENGE that has been in Stage-3 clinical trials for about two years. These numerous trials were significant enough that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recognized the merits of PROVENGE to stimulate a patient’s own immune system to attack the malignant cells. Here is a quotation from the first part of an announcement, one of several significant ones:

SEATTLE, WA, November 7, 2005 – Dendreon Corporation (Nasdaq: DNDN) today announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track review status to PROVENGE® (sipuleucel-T) for its proposed use in the treatment of asymptomatic men with metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer.
The FDA determined that PROVENGE meets the criteria for Fast Track designation in that PROVENGE shows the potential to improve survival in the intended patient population of men with asymptomatic, metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer. The potential of PROVENGE to provide a survival benefit was based on results from the primary Phase 3 efficacy study, D9901, and supporting data from D9902A, which were recently discussed with the FDA in a pre-BLA meeting.

These specific trials demonstrated improved life expectancy for late-stage victims who had largely exhausted their treatment options, e.g., the malignant cells were no longer controlled by hormones and had penetrated to other regions of the patients’ bodies. Fast Track Status is vital to rapid introduction of a new product to clinical practice because sections of the biologic licensing application (BLA) will be reviewed by FDA as soon as ready, and therefore FDA inquires and requests for more data can be made without waiting for a formal complete application. The most recent announcement:

SEATTLE, WA, June 29, 2006 – Dendreon Corporation (Nasdaq: DNDN) today announced the publication of the results of its pivotal Phase 3 study (D9901) of PROVENGE® (sipuleucel-T) in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The article highlights the significant survival benefit and favorable safety profile of PROVENGE, the Company's investigational active cellular immunotherapy, in men with advanced androgen-independent prostate cancer. The Company plans to submit a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) later this year to obtain approval to market PROVENGE.

Thus Dendreon now expects to submit the formal, complete application by the end of 2006, the hope being that approval for at least certain groups of patients might be forthcoming in 2007.

The procedure calls for three treatments as the total program of therapy. Side effects should be mild since a natural process is being stimulated in contrast to chemotherapy which typically introduces about three toxic compounds in a “cocktail” designed to disrupt processes like cell division throughout the body with the result that numerous vital functions are stopped throughout the body with a syndrome of detrimental effects, e.g., stopping red cell formation and inducing anemia, disrupting the gastrointestinal tract causing nausea, and weight loss.

The cost of the procedure is still undetermined and may be very high. Consider the cost to Medicare and third-party insurers when one million American men are thought to have prostate cancer - or even to more modestly address only numbers such as over 200,000 new cases that are diagnosed annually or 30,000 men who die of this form of cancer every year. If the cost is $25,000, total cost for treating 100,000 men is $2.5 billon, and much higher costs being rumored. Production costs, R&D, clinical-trial and marketing expenses are all costs that Dendreon must recover to stay financially sound, be rewarded for its risks, and be able to fund development of other immunologically valuable products now in its “pipeline.”

On the flip side of the coin, what are the current costs for prostate-cancer treatments? A few days ago, I spent $400 for a one-month supply of estrogen patches (Vivelle.dot 16/week) and the companion medication Avodart at $2.50/capsule four times/day=$10/day, another $300/month. This is by no means to total monthly cost for this therapy which can run six to eight months. The cost of a quality surgical prostatectomy, the state-of-the-art procedure being nerve-sparing, robotic-assisted, minimally invasive surgery using the DaVinci Surgical System produced by Intuitive Surgical, Inc. is a very substantial amount, as is any major surgical procedure.

This brief overview gives you a small window on the when, how, and costs of cancer vaccine development. No matter which therapeutic approach is chosen, the cost for the number of patients needing treatment is in the billions of dollars/year.

For more on Dendreon’s vaccine, see www.dendreon.com.

Evans Roth

Prostate Cancer Management

“Management" is increasingly the way to think about dealing with prostate cancer. The idea that cut (surgery), burn (radiation) and poison (chemo) methods "cure" is less true than many victims think. All guys treated these ways will be monitoring their condition for the rest of their lives. Why? Because there is always the real chance that a recurrence will take place to say nothing about whether these three treatments were as successful as hoped. Recurrences can be treated by management methods, and furthermore, the original diagnosis can be handled in the same way. I know because I've been doing exactly that for nine years.
The methods used are some form of hormone inhibition, the basis being that prostate cancer - different than most cancers - is hormone mediated. Hit the hormone right, and the tumor is zapped. The earliest method was to inhibit testosterone directly. The technique being used is subdermal injections that last for months, currently three to four months, after which the implant has to be renewed. After getting the testosterone really zeroed, the inhibition is stopped, and the PSA value watched at regular - perhaps four-month - intervals. As the value rises, the treatment is re-initiated, after numerous months, perhaps a year or two. Hence the terminology is "intermittent hormone Inhibition.” More recently, overwhelming testosterone with estrogen is being used. I'm on that now, and I prefer this advance.
Now I'm not suggesting that there are no side effects. Once, a guy is diagnosed with prostate cancer, he is going to live with some form of such effects no matter what method is used. The cut and burn methods all too often, for example, leave permanent scar-tissue build up and some degree of impaired bladder control, colon irritation, or sex dysfunction. Zapping testosterone has such effects too, so it isn't the perfect choice, though it has the advantage that its side effects are temporary - not permanent as is often the case with the other methods. 
Hormone inhibition can become ineffective is some cases after a while, and so other methods of treating hormone-refractory prostate cancer is another stage of the management art. The perfect choice is still in development, and its arrival time on the clinical treatment scene is uncertain - hopefully only a couple years. A prostate-cancer vaccine that would hit cancer cells - whether in the prostate or metastatically located elsewhere - is the promised idealized method. Such vaccines may need to be genetically tailored to each victim's genome, an increasingly understood concept for most all drug therapies - cancer and others.
The basic problem that any newly diagnosed guy faces is which way to go. For most, the "choice" is made with little or none of his participation. That is, the physician who makes the definitive diagnosis - doing such things as a biopsy of the prostate and assigning a Gleason Score - is very likely committed to one of the methods of treatment. A surgeon diagnosed me, and I told him I did not want surgery at that time and wanted another opinion. Nine years ago that was a difficult decision - not so now. Progress has been made in alternative treatments. The patient needs to get second opinions and look into choices that are appropriate to his particular case.
The progress of prostate cancer, if diagnosed early, is usually slow enough for such considerations even if they take weeks.
Clearly a viable alternative exists to cut, burn, and poison, and the side effects from intermittent hormone inhibition are milder and more reversible compared to those sometimes encountered from other methods.
Evans Roth June 28, 2006

This is really more of a journal....

This is really more of a journal....

Read your lament with great interest! You are one of millions who are unhappy this way. Before you start another church, however, be sure you have a theological view that is coherent with the principles you outlined wanting. See my website, www.realiving.org where I have commentary that may help you and a list of recommended books that present a progressive theology relevant to today and its needs to integrate outlooks into a unified Godview and worldview.

Evans Roth
Knoxville, TN