The Tale of the Plagiarizing Principal

James Caudill

Once upon a time, there was a principal. His name was James Caudill. He was principal at a very old school with an illustrious reputation, Naperville Central High.

Then graduation time came along. Mr. Caudill needed to give a speech. But he had other things to do and no time to write a speech. Then he had a great idea. He remembered that the high school kept an archive of graduation speeches from years past. (By the way, full disclosure – I am an alumnus of Naperville Central. I spoke at my graduation in 2000 and the school asked for a copy of my speech.)  So Mr. Caudill found a speech that he liked, one written by a former student. He decided to use it.

When graduation came along, Mr. Caudill delivered that stolen speech. Someone in the assembled crowd of students, parents, and teachers thought the words sounded oddly familiar. She thought, “Hey, that’s my speech!” She was a teacher at Central now but a few years back, she had been a student at Central.

Mr. Caudill was caught in a brazen act of plagiarism. Now he is no longer principal at Naperville Central. The school district, Naperville Community Unit School District 203 decided to “reassign” him. I hear he now works in 203’s administrative office.

But a little research on the internet revealed an interesting twist to the story. As an employee of a public school district in Illinois, Mr. Caudill’s salary is a matter of public record. His current salary is approximately $138,000. On the other hand, Mr. Wiesbrook, his successor as principal at Central, earns about $114,000 a year.

The moral of the story? Cheaters never prosper – except in Naperville.

Dawah Behind Bars

Check out this article from Newsweek about a guard at Guantanamo Bay who struck an unlikely friendship with a Moroccan Muslim inmate. It really shows how Allah can choose to guide whomever He wills.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/190357/page/1

Harvard Researcher agrees with Pope on condoms in Africa

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=15445%20.

Harvard Researcher agrees with Pope on condoms in Africa
Comments: 15

Senior Harvard AIDS Prevention Researcher Dr. Edward Green
Related articles:

* Surprise: Study Finds Condoms Don’t Work
* Pope Benedict XVI – Biography
* Pope tells why he chose the name of “Benedict XVI”
* Some statistical info about Pope Benedict XVI

Cambridge, Mass., Mar 21, 2009 / 10:11 am (CNA).- Pope Benedict’s recent brief remark against condoms has caused an uproar in the press, but several prominent scientists dedicated to preventing AIDS are defending the Pope, saying he was correct in his analysis. In an interview with CNA, Dr. Edward Green explained that although condoms should work, in theory, they may be “exacerbating the problem” in Africa.

Benedict XVI’s Tuesday comments on condoms were made as part of his explanation of the Church’s two prong approach to fighting AIDS. At one point in his response the Pontiff stressed that AIDS cannot be overcome by advertising slogans and distributing condoms and argued that they “worsen the problem.” The media responded with an avalanche of over 4,000 articles on the subject, calling Benedict a “threat to public health,” and saying that the Catholic Church should “enter the 21st century.”

Senior Harvard Research Scientist for AIDS Prevention, Dr. Edward Green, who is the author of five books, including “Rethinking AIDS Prevention: Learning from Successes in Developing Countries” discussed his support for Pope Benedict XVI’s comments with CNA.

According to Dr. Green, science is finding that the media is actually on the wrong side of the issue. In fact, Green says that not only do condoms not work, but that they may be “exacerbating the problem” in Africa.

“Theoretically, condoms ought to work,” he explained to CNA, “and theoretically, some condom use ought to be better than no condom use, but that’s theoretically.”

Condom proponents often cite the lack of condom education as the main culprit for higher AIDS rates in Africa but Green disagrees.

After spending 25 years promoting condoms for family planning purposes in Africa, he insists that he’s quite familiar with condom promotion. Yet, he claims that “anyone who worked in family planning knew that if you needed to prevent a pregnancy, say the woman will die, you don’t recommend a condom.”

Green recalls that when the AIDS epidemic hit Africa, the “Industry” began using AIDS as a “dual purpose” marketing strategy to get more funding for condom distribution. This, he claims, effectively took “something that was a 2nd or 3rd grade device for avoiding unwanted pregnancies” and turned it into the “best weapon we [had] against AIDS.”

The accepted wisdom in the scientific community, explained Green, is that condoms lower the HIV infection rate, but after numerous studies, researchers have found the opposite to be true. “We just cannot find an association between more condom use and lower HIV reduction rates” in Africa. [There seems to be a typo here. It should say "lower HIV infection rates."]

Dr. Green found that part of the elusive reason is a phenomenon known as risk compensation or behavioral disinhibition.

“[Risk compensation] is the idea that if somebody is using a certain technology to reduce risk, a phenomenon actually occurs where people are willing to take on greater risk.” The idea can be related to someone that puts on sun block and is willing to stay out in the sun longer because they have added protection. In this case, however, the greater risk is sexual. Because people are willing take on more risk, they may “disproportionally erase” the benefits of condom use, Green said.

Another factor that contributes to ineffective condom use in Africa, is the phenomenon where condoms may be effective on an “individual level,” but not on a “population level.” Green’s research found that “condoms have been effective” in HIV concentrated areas where high risk activities are already being conducted, such as brothels in countries like Thailand.

Claiming to be a liberal himself, Green asserts that promoting Western “liberal ideology” where, “most Africans are conservative when it comes to sexual behavior,” is quite offensive to them. Citing his new book, “Indigenous Theories and Contagious Disease,” Green described Africans as “very religious by global standards” who are offended by “trucks going around where people are dancing to ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’, tossing out condoms to teenagers and the children of the village.”

Green also noted that there is an ideology called “harm reduction” that is being pushed by many organizations trying to prevent AIDS. The ideology believes that “you can’t change the underlying behavior, that you can’t get people to be faithful, especially Africans,” the HIV specialist explained.

One country, Uganda, recognized these issues and said, “Listen, if you have multiple sex partners, you are going to get AIDS.” What worked in Uganda, a country that has seen a decline by as much as 2/3 in AIDS infections, was that officials realized that even aside from religious and cultural reasons, “no one likes condoms.” Instead of waiting for “American and European advisors to arrive,” Ugandan officials reacted and developed a program that fit their culture; their main message being “stick to one partner or love faithfully.”

However, in 2004, Uganda’s AIDS infection rates began to increase once again, due to an influx of condoms and Western “advice”, Green recalled. Western donors also came to Uganda and said behavioral change doesn’t work and that, “most infections nowadays are among married people.” Green said these claims are “misleading,” pointing out that “married people always have lower HIV infection rates than single or divorced people of the same age group.”

Green’s new book, “AIDS and Ideology,” to be completed in the next few months, will describe the industry in Africa that is “drawing billions of dollars a year promoting condoms, testing, drugs, and treatment of AIDS” and is clearly resistant to the idea that behavioral change is the solution.

Yet the two countries that have the highest infection rate of AIDS in the world, Botswana and Swaziland, have recently launched campaigns to promote fidelity and monogamy, the Harvard researcher said. These countries “have learned the hard way” about the failure of condoms in preventing AIDS, he said, noting that “Botswana has probably had more condom promotion” than any other county on a per capita basis. Green said he had no problem “having condoms as a backup to fidelity-based programs.”

According to Green, the Catholic Church should continue to “do what it is already doing,” avoid “arguing about the diameter of viruses” and cite scientific evidence in connection with scripture and moral theology.

Twitter and My Mom

No matter how I try to explain Twitter to my mom, I can’t get her to see why anyone would be interested in it.

What if Uhud were made of gold?

Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Apostle said, “If I had gold equal to the mountain of Uhud, it
would not please me that it should remain with me for more than three
days, except an amount which I would keep for repaying debts.”
Bukhari :: Book 3 :: Volume 41 :: Hadith 574

Let’s turn this into a math problem, we can approximate the shape of the mountain, figure out its volume, use its density to calculate its mass and then use the current price of gold to determine the value of a hypothetical Uhud-sized pile of gold.

Height of Mt Uhud = 142 m (see Wikipedia) = 14200 cm = 1.42 x 10^4 cm [Yes, I'm going to do this in metric. If you have a problem with that, tough luck.]

Density ~ 2.7 g/cm^3  (average density of continental crust)

Based on pictures of Uhud and what I know about mountains, I am going to assume it is a broad flat cone with a radius equal to its height, r=h = 1.42 x 10^4 cm

Vcone = 1/3 (pi *r^2*h)

if r = h, then

V= 1/3 (pi*h^3)

D = 2.7 g/cm ^3 = M/V

M = D*V

M = (2.7 g/cm^3) *(1/3)(pi)(1.42 x 10^4 cm)^3

= (2.7/3) (pi) (1.42)^3 (10^12)

= 8.27 x 10^12 g

24K (pure) Gold = $907.21 USD per ounce (as of 3/11/09)

$ 907.21 x 1 oz/ 31.1 g = $29.17 per g

$29.17 per g * 8.27 x 10 ^12 g =

over 241 trillion dollars!

Split up equally across the population of the world (6.76 billion – Wikipedia again), it could provide every man, woman, and child in the world with over $35,000 USD. Of course that would cause ruinous global inflation and I’m sure a host of other problems, but it is interesting to think about.

PSA

Will people please stop leaving comments in languages other than English?!?!  It’s very annoying. If you would like to leave me a message in another language, that’s fine, but please translate it for me.

Song Analysis U2’s “City of Blinding Lights”

This is my 100th post on WordPress. I thought about writing on a number of topics but decided it would be best to do a song analysis. I realized that I have not yet analyzed a U2 song on this blog and I felt that it was time to do so. Enjoy!

The more you see the less you know
The less you find out as you go
I knew much more then than I do now

[I think he's talking about having your senses overwhelmed. Sometimes you can see so much that it's more than your brain can process. The line about knowing more in the past is interesting. My chemistry teacher, an ex-lawyer, told me that when he took the bar he felt he knew more that day than any other day in his life. I also feel that there were times in my life when my brain was in better shape.]

Neon heart dayglo eyes
A city lit by fireflies
They’re advertising in the skies
For people like us

[This stanza is filled with images. Dayglo is a brand name of fluorescent pigments. The image of "a city lit by fireflies" is quite striking. I don't get the bit about advertising in the skies. The image I see in my mind is of a plane skywriting, "Hey you, come here."]

And I miss you when you’re not around
I’m getting ready to leave the ground….

Ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh

[I picture Bono in a plane thinking of his wife as he's about to take off.]

Oh you look so beautiful tonight
In the city of blinding lights

Don’t look before you laugh
Look ugly in a photograph
Flash bulbs purple irises
The camera can’t see

[Where is this "city of blinding lights?" Is it a specific city? Could it be Paris, once known as the "City of Lights?" Could it be New York, famous for its bright skyline? Or could it be any city?

He's talking about being yourself without being self-conscious. He says it's okay to giggle without checking to see who might be looking. And it's all right to look a little goofy in a picture. One does not always have to look polished and perfect.]

I’ve seen you walk unafraid
I’ve seen you in the clothes you made
Can you see the beauty inside of me?
What happened to the beauty I had inside of me?

[He talks about what makes his partner so beautiful to him. He talks about her courage. He talks about the clothes she made. I think there is some symbolism here. Maybe the clothes she made are her achievements in life that he remembers when he sees her. He wants to know if she sees beauty in him.]

And I miss you when you’re not around
I’m getting ready to leave the ground

Ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh

Oh you look so beautiful tonight
In the city of blinding lights

Time… time
Won’t leave me as I am
But time won’t take the boy out of this man

[Time does not leave anyone alone. Time changes everyone and everything. However, we can still hang on to who we are. If there is something beautiful about our character, we can hold on to that forever.]

Oh you look so beautiful tonight
Oh you look so beautiful tonight
Oh you look so beautiful tonight
In the city of blinding lights

The more you know the less you feel
Some pray for others steal
Blessings are not just for the ones who kneel… luckily

[I don't know if I agree with the sentiment that as one comes to know more, one feels less. There is a Hadith that says that only scholars truly fear God. That suggests to me that one can know more and feel more. Yet I have seen people who have grown in knowledge and become jaded or cynical about the world.

It is true that some pray and others steal. Prayer shows that one acknowledges one's own humble position before God. One seeks an answer or a solution from God. Stealing shows impatience and a dissatisfaction with God's will.

The last line is pretty profound. He's saying that God sends blessings down for everybody, regardless of their faith or lack thereof. Bono really likes the word "kneel." If you've paid attention to the lyrics of U2, you've seen that word a lot. One example is in "Mysterious Ways", "If you want to kiss the sky/ You better learn how to kneel." Bono is saying that we should be grateful that God has always blessed us, even when we lost faith in Him.]

Commentary on Surah Al Tin

Commentary on Surah Al Tin (Chapter 95, The Fig)

This blog serves many purposes. It encourages me to write. It allows me to comment on the news of the day. It lets me delve into the meanings of songs. But one of the most important things that I have attempted to do with this blog is to explain the beliefs and practices of Muslims in hopes that people who frequent my site will better understand the religion of over one billion citizens of the world. Also, this is my 99^th post, so prepare yourself for the epic century post coming soon, Inshallah (God willing).

Surah Al Tin (pronounced “theen”) is considered to be one of the first of the Meccan surahs.

1. By the Fig and the Olive,

Here Allah (Subhana wa ta’ala) swears by two symbolic items – the Fig and the Olive. The strongest opinion is that this refers to Jesus or Prophet Isa (alaihis salaam, peace be upon him) as he is known by Muslims. In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 24, one finds a reference to Isa (A), the Mount of Olives (a site in Jerusalem), and the fig all in the same chapter. “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? . . . Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.” (Matthew 24:3-32, Online NIV)

There is another passage in Matthew in which Jesus (A) curses a fig tree that bears no fruit (Matthew 21:18).

Another explanation for the mention of the fig is that it is an allusion to Buddha. The tree under which Buddha supposedly received enlightenment was a fig tree. I find this explanation strange because to my knowledge there is no other place in the Quran where Allah makes any mention of Buddha or Buddhism. Also, the first generation of believers would have had no familiarity with Buddha.

A third explanation for the reference to the fig and olive is that these are both cultivated fruits. If we follow this line of thought then the cultivation of a fruit tree can be seen as parallel to the cultivation of the soul. When one cultivates a tree, one often props up the plant to make sure it grows straight, similarly, one must guard one’s soul to keep it on the straight path.

2. And the Mount of Sinai,

The reference here is much clearer than in the last ayah. There is universal agreement that this is an allusion to Moses or Prophet Musa (A). It was on Mount Sinai that Prophet Musa (A) received the Taurat (Torah) from Allah. The five books of the Torah served as the basis for the first five books of what Jews and Christians call The Old Testament. According to Muslim belief, the original content of these scriptures was distorted and changed by the religious scholars of Judaism and Christianity. One of the most notable aspects of the Taurat is the Decalogue or Ten Commandments. The Decalogue tells people to worship one God and to avoid major sins like adultery and murder. These principles are the common heritage of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

3. And this City of Security

Since this surah was revealed in Mecca, the City that Allah is referring to is Mecca. Prophet Muhammad (salla allahu alaihi wa salaam) called Mecca home and it was also the city where Prophet Ibrahim (A) and Ismail (A) settled their families and built the Kaaba. Mecca was the site of the annual Hajj, before and after the time of Muhammad (S). Throughout Islamic history, Muslims from many different lands congregated in Mecca for the Hajj. With a few exceptions in a long history, Mecca has always been a safe and secure place for Muslims to convene.

Because of its association with the annual pilgrimage of Islam, Mecca has become synonymous with any large centralized gathering place. In English, if one refers to “a mecca for tourists,” one means a place where many tourists come together. The experience of visiting Mecca is something highly prized and sought after among Muslims.

4. We have indeed created man in the best of molds.

The word used at the end of this ayah, taqwim, or mold, has several closely associated meanings. It can mean symmetry, form, nature, or constitution. So one could substitute any one of these words in place of mold, for example, “We have indeed created man in the best of symmetries.” Clearly much of the beauty of the human form lies in its symmetry. If one imagines an axis cutting through a human body running down the forehead, through the nose and bisecting the chest, the body is wonderfully symmetrical.

Also, some commentators believe this ayah refers to the mother’s womb. The womb is, in a way, the mold we are all born from. And despite advances in medical technology, we still cannot replicate the balance and efficiency of the womb.

But this ayah goes beyond the physical form of man and extends to his or her soul as well. Islamic theology teaches that Allah creates people with a good nature. Muslims do not believe that humanity is innately evil. Each person has an innate sense of right and wrong that can be perfected or corrupted by his or her parents. The society one is born into can also affect one’s soul for good or for ill.

5. Then do We abase him to the lowest of the low.

To be abased means to be brought down or to be humiliated. One can look at this ayah in the context of the worldly life or the Hereafter. One could say that Allah abases wrongdoers in life. Addiction presents a modern example. When someone is addicted to meth, it takes over one’s life. One becomes a slave to the drug. Every waking moment is spent obsessing over how to get the next high.

One could also look at this ayah in the context of the Hereafter. The lowest low a person can experience is the fire of Hell. When one remembers that Adam (A) was created in Heaven, one can see the tragic fall of man from the heights of Heaven to the depths of Hell.

6. Except such as believe and do righteous deeds for they shall have a reward unfailing.

Not everyone will be brought down to the lowest of the low. Those who believe and do righteous deeds or good works will be saved from this punishment. Note that it is not “believe or do righteous deeds,” but “believe and do righteous deeds.” Islam does not create an artificial barrier between faith and action. Faith should inspire action and action should support faith. To believe in Islam means more than agreeing to a set of statements. It means actively showing your belief through actions. A strong Hadith (Prophetic Tradition) says, “”No man is a true believer unless he wants for his brother that which he wants for himself” (Bukhari 1:12). And Allah promises to reward people who believe and do good.

7. Then what can, after this, contradict thee, as to the Judgment (to come)?

Abdullah Yusuf Ali gives a marvelous succinct explanation of this ayah that goes as follows:

“. . .when it is clearly shown to you that Allah created man true and pure, that He guides him, and that those who rebel and break His law will be punished and brought down in the Hereafter, who can doubt this, or contradict the Prophet when he gives warning?”

When one looks at the creation of man with a sincere heart, one is bound to come to the conclusion that all this was not created by accident. Instead, man is endowed with an eternal soul and will be accountable in the court of Allah for all his or her actions.

8. Is not Allah the wisest of Judges?

The English really fails to capture the beauty of the original Arabic here. The Arabic calls Allah “ahkamul hakimeen.” The Arabic words for “wise” and “judge” come from the same root. It is similar to where Allah describes himself as “arhamur rahimeen,” which means the “Most Merciful of the Merciful.” One could translate the ayah as “Does Allah not have the best judgment of all Judges?” Here the word “judgment” has a kind of double meaning, referring to both the verdict given by a judge and the mental process that allows the judge to make that verdict.

When one thinks about the characteristics that would make someone an ideal judge, i.e, knowledge of the law, understanding of human nature, impartiality, and familiarity with evidence, one can see that Allah is the best of judges. Not only does Allah know the law, He is the author of the law of Sharia. Not only does Allah understand human nature, He created human nature. Allah is perfectly impartial. He is not swayed by wealth, class, race, gender, or any other characteristic of a person other than his or her character. And Allah is Al Shaheed, The Witness. He has witnessed every action since the beginning of time. No one can possibly be as well acquainted with any evidence as Allah is with every piece of evidence.

Since we know that Allah is the wisest of all Judges, we should look carefully at our character and our deeds. We should strive to follow the commandments of Allah and to perfect our flawed characters.

(Translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Special thanks go to my Halaqa crew.)