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  • Name: Nathan Rein
  • Location: Phoenixville, PA, USA
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  • Web: nathanrein.com
  • Bio: Father, husband, teacher, historian, theorist of religion, cat owner, web addict.
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Thought Update: Stay tuned...the ability to blog on Amplify should...
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Fresh - OK, a little stale - delivery from the dept. of WTF?
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Fresh - OK, a little stale - delivery from the dept. of WTF?
commented on S Gosselin's clip
Should teachers "friend" students

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Vodou ancestor veneration and Haiti’s post-earthquake mass graves

Some Vodou practitioners fear that the huge mass graves which now hold the corpses of many unidentified earthquake victims will disrupt traditional relationships with the dead. This piece is by Cathy Lynn Grossman. Seen on the Twitter stream of Religion Newswriters of America.

Amplify’d from www.usatoday.com
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Mass graves may have lasting spiritual impact in Haiti
For survivors of the earthquake in Haiti, one horror may linger a lifetime: Many will never know for certain if — or where — their loved ones are buried in the mass graves around Port-au-Prince.

For Haitians in particular, the mass graves are wrenching. Richman says Haitians place significant emphasis on dying with dignity and holding a funeral, a process that can take nine days. Relationships with the dead last forever; survivors believe their ancestors visit them in their dreams and give them guidance.

If the dead are not respected, Haiti’s voodoo culture believes, the spirits of the dead can return to trouble the living — as zombies. Some have suggested that mass graves are disrespectful and would trouble the spirits of Haiti’s dead. “It is not in our culture to bury people in such a fashion,” voodoo leader Max Beauvoir protested to Haiti’s president, according to The Associated Press.

Read more at www.usatoday.com
 

Dana-Farber researchers find that supporting terminal patients’ spiritual needs improves end-of-life outcomes

I guess this isn’t all that surprising, but it’s interesting that they’ve been able to come up with some solid documentation. At first I thought they were saying that pastoral care actually helps medical outcomes, but it doesn’t. It just means people feel better as they’re dying, which, obivously, is also significant.

Amplify’d from www.dana-farber.org
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Logo

December 15, 2009
Medical team’s support of terminally ill cancer patients’ spiritual needs reduces aggressive care, improves well-being at end of life

In a new study of terminally ill cancer patients, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found support of patients’ spiritual needs by the medical team is associated with greater use of hospice, less aggressive care and greater quality of life near death.

“Our findings suggest that spiritual care from the medical system has important ramifications for patients at the end of life, including helping them transition to comfort-focused care and improving their well-being near death,” said Balboni.

“Furthermore, they highlight the need to educate medical caregivers in being attentive to the frequent role of religion and spirituality in patients’ coping with advanced illness and importance of integrating pastoral care into multidisciplinary medical teams.”

Read more at www.dana-farber.org
 

Matt Tabibi on the real meaning of the bailout

According to Rolling Stone, the government measures surrounding the bailout amount not to a kind of creeping socialism, as critics on the right seem to claim, but more like a sweeping takeover of the government by so-called “financial bureaucrats” — an in-group made up of the richest of the rich, who by now control all the money, the regulatory agencies, the Treasury and the Fed. Anyhow, it’s definitely bad news.

Amplify’d from www.rollingstone.com

The Big Takeover

The global economic crisis isn’t about money - it’s about power. How Wall Street insiders are using the bailout to stage a revolution

MATT TAIBBI
no empire can survive being rendered a permanent laughingstock, which is what happened as of a few weeks ago, when the buffoons who have been running things in this country finally went one step too far. It happened when Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was forced to admit that he was once again going to have to stuff billions of taxpayer dollars into a dying insurance giant called AIG, itself a profound symbol of our national decline — a corporation that got rich insuring the concrete and steel of American industry in the country’s heyday, only to destroy itself chasing phantom fortunes at the Wall Street card tables, like a dissolute nobleman gambling away the family estate in the waning days of the British Empire.
In the final three months of last year, the company lost more than $27 million every hour.Read more at www.rollingstone.com
 

For safety-conscious New Yorkers: CraneWatch b.v0.8

Amplify’d from www.unlimited-solutions.com
CraneWatch.com If you spot something, say something! beta v0.8

Why CraneWatch?

A series of crane-related construction accidents ” including one on Sept. 4 at 600 West 42nd Street - has left New York City residents, workers and visitors scared and skeptical of the safety of many of the construction sites they pass every day on the streets of Manhattan. Revelations about unanswered 311 complaints, safety violations and the lack of adequate inspection and permitting has contributed to a need for timely information about crane safety.

That’s why we, as concerned New Yorkers, have developed CraneWatch, an impartial, non-governmental Web site dedicated to monitoring the safety of New York City cranes and construction sites.
Getting information about a crane is easy on CraneWatch.com - just click the markers on the interactive map to see a summary, or click on the crane’s address to see detailed information about it, including names and contact information for the site owner and construction manager.See more at www.unlimited-solutions.com
 

An interactive social mashup site where New Yorkers can research construction sites in their neighborhoods, find current information on safety violations, report street-level observations, and submit news and photos. Very intelligent use of social web technology.

When we shop at chain stores, we save money — but what do we lose?

Amplify’d from zenhabits.net
Is Our Addiction to Saving Money Destroying the Real America?

Every time we make a decision to give our patronage to a Target or Wal-Mart instead of a family-owned grocery store, we may save money…but what do we lose? When we fill up at a Shell or Texaco, we’re missing out on the family-owned gas station that still pumps the gas for you, cleans your windows and checks the air in your tires. When we stay at a Best Western, we’re missing out on the kindness and genuine good will of the smaller, independent motels.

I don’t want to see the magic of the family-owned America disappear. I don’t want to see highway after highway of Taco Bell, KFC and McDonald’s signs. I don’t want every hotel room to look like every other hotel room. Life is about experiencing the differences and the riches that make us all so unique. And if I have to pay a dime extra for a can of green beans or a gallon of gas, well, maybe that’s well worth the price.

See more at zenhabits.net
 

This is one of those classic dilemmas. As the economy tightens up and chain stores take over, it gets harder and harder to support the kinds of businesses we all would rather have in our communities. How much of a premium would you pay to help keep locally-owned businesses alive?

Flickr pool: “Great Diagrams in Anthropology, Linguistics, and Social Theory”

Amplify’d from www.flickr.com
Great Diagrams in Anthropology, Linguistics, & Social Theory

Alfred Gell - The Triple Analogy / Articulatory Landscapes of the Umeda [large version] by runningafterantelope From runningafterantelo…

From runningafterantelo…

Positioning a 'self' and a stance - (Schiffrin 2006), page 211 by runningafterantelope From runningafterantelo…

Frames of 'self' and 'other' in narrative by runningafterantelope From runningafterantelo…

What we knew - (Schiffrin 2006), fig. 6.6 by runningafterantelope From runningafterantelo…

Speech Functions - (Schiffrin 2006) by runningafterantelope From runningafterantelo…

Reframing experience in the story world - (Schiffrin 2006) by runningafterantelope From runningafterantelo…

Biological evolution (branching) and Cultural evolution (reticulate) by runningafterantelope From runningafterantelo…

The Far Side - Anthropologists! (1984) by runningafterantelope From runningafterantelo…

Greg Urban (1992) - A Discourse-Centered Approach to Culture by runningafterantelope From runningafterantelo…

Foucault Flakes by runningafterantelope From runningafterantelo…

A Model of 'Face-Work' Based on Goffman's Hypothesis by runningafterantelope From runningafterantelo…

See more at www.flickr.com
 

A bunch of scanned (I assume) classic diagrams of anthropological and social-scientific concepts.

A sofa that turns into a bunk-bed

Amplify’d from www.psfk.com

Planning a lot of sleepovers? Share a microscopic studio apartment and want to somehow pack in two beds and a couch? Just want one of the coolest pieces of furniture ever? Then feast your eyes on the Doc sofa bed. Bon Bon, based out of the UK has created seating that’s more Transformer than furniture. Hiding underneath the disguise of an everyday couch is a fully featured bunk bed including protective railings and a ladder. Very elegant design that pops up in seconds.

See more at www.psfk.com
 

Group scheduling made easier: WhenIsGood.com

Amplify’d from whenisgood.net
When is Good

An easy way to find out when everyone is free for your next meeting or event.

Click the grid for all the times that are good for you - you get a link to email to your invitees.
They see your proposed times and click on when they are free.
You visit your results page and see when everyone can do.

No sign-up form. No password to choose. No fuss at all.

See more at whenisgood.net
 

Tool for group scheduling. Go to their site, look at a calendar, click on the times that work for you, and it’ll generate a link that you can send to your people. They visit the page and indicate when they’re free. Then you see the results. No registration required.

The language you speak affects your personality

Amplify’d from www.reuters.com
Switching languages can also switch personality: study

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - People who are bicultural and speak two languages may unconsciously change their personality when they switch languages, according to a U.S. study.

Researchers David Luna from Baruch College and Torsten Ringberg and Laura A. Peracchio from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee studied groups of Hispanic women, all of whom were bilingual, but with varying degrees of cultural identification.

“Language can be a cue that activates different culture-specific frames,” the researchers said in a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

The researchers said the women classified themselves as more assertive when they spoke Spanish than when they spoke English.

“In the Spanish-language sessions, informants perceived females as more self-sufficient and extroverted,” they said.

See more at www.reuters.com
 

A study of bilingual women suggests that when you switch from speaking one language to another, your personality and your perceptions change as well. I’ve experienced this myself switching between German and English.

Premium peanut butter for the peanut butter connoisseur

Amplify’d from www.pbloco.com
P.B.Loco
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There’s More To Life Than Crunchy or Creamy

Welcome. Your friends here at P.B.Loco are crazy about peanut butter. You too? Check out all the fun flavors of our premium gourmet peanut butter. We’d love to see you at one of our cafés. Click here to find a P.B.Loco café or P.B.Loco stocking store near you. You can enjoy one of P.B.Loco’s yummy sandwich creations and more at any of our cafés.
 
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See more at www.pbloco.com
 

“Adult” peanut butters, with flavorings ranging from caramel, mocha, and banana to curry and tomato. Intriguing.