Jeremy B. Yoder: web log

Powell endorses Obama, defends Muslim Americans

2008-10-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell officially endorsed Barack Obama for President on Meet the Press this morning. But, incredibly, that's not the most important thing he had to say in the interview. Referring to the Republican whisper campaign that claims Obama is a crypto-Muslim, Powell said (around 4:38 in the embedded video below):

Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, "What if he is?" Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be President? Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop this suggestion, "He's a Muslim, and he might be associated with terrorism." This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

Powell puts his finger on the ugly nature of the Muslim Obama rumors, which has bothered me basically from the first time I heard it, but hasn't been much discussed in any major media outlet: why should it make a difference if Barack Obama is Muslim? As long as he's an American citizen, his religion shouldn't matter in a run for the Presidency. On the Media only picked it up last week - though once they did, they dissect the issue with the acumen you'd expect. More even then the endorsement, which is a big deal, I hope Powell's MTP appearance starts a conversation about this.

I had a great weekend

2008-10-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

Turns out Glacier National Park is spectacular even when it rains all day.

The anti-rumor

2008-10-06T06:17:00.000-07:00

You won't hear it from the mainstream media, but Barack Obama is a really nice guy. Best part is, it's true.

Joshua tree genetics suggest coevolutionary divergence

2008-10-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

The latest results from the Pellmyr Lab's ongoing study of Joshua tree and its pollinators are online as part of the new October issue of Evolution. It's the cover article, no less. The study, whose lead author is Chris Smith (now on the faculty at Willamette University) compares patterns in the population genetics of Joshua trees and the moths that pollinate them, and shows that although the moths have become two separate species, the trees may not have followed suit [PDF].

Evolution cover
Photo by Chris Smith.

As I've probably written about before, Joshua trees are exclusively pollinated by yucca moths. Female yucca moths carry pollen between Joshua tree flowers in special mouthparts. When she arrives at a new flower, the female moth lays her eggs inside it, then deliberately applies pollen to the flower's receptive surface. When the fertilized flower develops into a fruit, the moth eggs hatch, and the larvae eat some of the seeds inside the fruit.

Among the yuccas, Joshua trees are unique because they're pollinated by two species of moths, which are each other's closest evolutionary relative. One species is found in the eastern part of Joshua tree's range, the other in the west. Joshua trees from the east and west have differently-shaped flowers [PDF], which is consistent with the hypothesis that coevolution between moths and trees has driven both toward an evolutionary split.

"Western" Joshua trees at Joshua Tree
National Park. Photo by me.

The new study goes deeper to look at genetic relationships between different populations of the moths and the trees, and what it finds isn't as tidy as the earlier work might suggest: While Joshua trees' morphology corresponds nicely to the split in the pollinators, the patterns visible in their chloroplast DNA does not. In some populations, trees look "eastern," but have chloroplast DNA more closely related to "western" populations. This suggests that, although the moths have become separate species, they're still moving between the two kinds of Joshua tree frequently enough that the trees haven't quite split. Why do the two tree types look different, then? One possibility is coevolution with the two moth species, which might exert selection the trees in different ways.

There's still a lot of work to do before we fully understand what's going on here. Will Godsoe, the other doctoral student in our lab, is doing some intensive niche modeling to see how much environmental differences might be contributing to the patterns we see here. My own dissertation will look at whether the same incongruities turn up in nuclear DNA, which can have a different evolutionary history than that in the chloroplast.

References

W. Godsoe, J.B. Yoder, C.I. Smith, O. Pellmyr (2008). Coevolution and Divergence in the Joshua Tree/Yucca Moth Mutualism The American Naturalist, 171 (6), 816-23 DOI: 10.1086/587757

C.I. Smith, W.K.W. Godsoe, S. Tank, J.B. Yoder, O. Pellmyr (2008). Distinguishing coevolution from covicariance in an obligate pollination mutualism: asynchronous divergence in Joshua tree and its pollinators. Evolution, 62 (10), 2676-87 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2008.00500.x

The best Maureen Dowd columns

2008-09-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

... are not written by Maureen Dowd. Today, she has Aaron Sorkin guest-write a fictional meeting between Barack Obama and Jed Bartlett, the president from Sorkin's excellent TV series "The West Wing." I guess there's pretty strong demographic overlap between Obama supporters and "West Wing" fans, both of which categories include me.

Summer Vacation

2008-08-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

I'm back from time with the family in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, plus an afternoon at the New England Aquarium and a weekend visiting an old high school buddy in Chicago. It was good, at least until the flight home, which was canceled. (I got home only a day late, but my luggage still hasn't caught up.) Highlights: climbing Dorr Mountain, whale (and bird) watching, visiting the Field Museum and the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Much bio-geeking, but nothing work-related. Although it turns out that the Field Museum has a fishbowl genetics lab in the middle of one exhibit, where you can watch actual scientists do basically what I do all day. Kinda creepy. Anyway, time for photos:

Photo by Jeremy B. Yoder.

Snow in June

2008-06-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

2008.06.10 - snow in June
Originally uploaded by Jeremy B. Yoder.

Science 2.0

2008-06-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

Back in March, Science ran a Perspectives piece in which computer scientist Ben Shneiderman suggested that the wealth of new data on human interactions provided by the Internet (Facebook, Amazon.com customer records, &c.) would require a new approach to science, which he called "Science 2.0" [subscription]:

... the Science 2.0 challenges cannot be studied adequately in laboratory conditions because controlled experiments do not capture the rich context of Web 2.0 collaboration, where the interaction among variables undermines the validity of reductionist methods (7). Moreover, in Science 2.0 the mix of people and technology means that data must be collected in real settings ... Amazon and Netflix became commercial successes in part because of their frequent evaluations of incremental changes to their Web site design as they monitored user activity and purchases.

Science 2.0 sounded, to me, a lot like what ecologists and evolutionary biologists often do - hypothesis testing based on observations, manipulations of whole natural systems in the field, and the clever use of "natural experiments" sensu Diamond [subscription]. I said as much in a post shortly after Shneiderman's article ran, and also wrote a brief letter to Science.

And now it turns out they've published it! My letter, along with a response from Shneiderman, is in the 6 June issue [subscription]. You can read it in PDF format here. In very short form, I say:

... what Shneiderman calls Science 1.0 has always included methods beyond simple controlled experiments, such as inference from observation of integrated natural systems and the careful use of "natural experiments" (1) to test and eliminate competing hypotheses.

Shneiderman's response concedes the point on natural experiments, but says he was actually talking about manipulative experiments conducted on large online social networks

Amazon and NetFlix designers conduct many studies to improve their user interfaces by making changes in a fraction of accounts to measure how user behaviors change. Their goal is to improve business practices, but similar interventional studies on a massive scale could develop better understanding of human collaboration in the designed (as opposed to natural) world ...

That still sounds to me like ecological experimentation, but with people's Facebook accounts instead of (to pick an organism at random) yucca moths. Maybe I'm just not getting it, but I don't see anything in Shneiderman's description that qualifies as a new kind of science.

References
Shneiderman B. 2008. Science 2.0. Science 319:1349-50.

Diamond J. 2001. Dammed experiments! Science 294:1847-8.

Yoder, JB, and B Shneiderman. 2008. Science 2.0: Not So New? Science 320:1290-1.

Guilt is good

2008-05-22T22:29:00.001-07:00

Slate's Ron Rosenbaum makes the case that liberal guilt is no cause for shame - and calls out "moralistic" conservatism on its weird disdain for guilt:

Shouldn't conservatives feel guilty about slavery and racism and the consequences thereof, or must they disdain such feelings, however moral, because they are associated with liberals? Do they choose their moral priorities because of their popularity among others? That doesn't seem like a conservative way of thinking about moral values. It sounds like a form of relativism. It's the kind of thinking that treats values as a brand identity. Guilt over racism is not part of the conservative brand identity. The more shame if that be the case.

Mennonites = Obama-friendly

2008-05-14T21:52:00.001-07:00

... If they're young and college-educated, anyway. The Chicago Tribune has a pretty good piece on the political leanings of Goshen College students, which mainly focuses on increasing Mennonite willingness to participate in politics at all, but also addresses Goshenites' preference for Barack Obama.

I think there's an actual trend here. In the last primaries in states with historical Mennonite population centers, Indiana and Pennsylvania, Obama lost everywhere but big cities -- and the Mennonite-heavy counties. Seriously. Check out the county-by-county results for Indiana, and Pennsylvania - both Elkhart County, Indiana (home to Goshen College) and good ol' Lancaster County are in the Obama column.

Vengeance and the role of the state

2008-05-01T09:54:00.001-07:00

The New Yorker has a great essay by Jared Diamond on the role of revenge in tribal societies. It's more story-telling than the sort of rigorous comparative anthropology on display in Guns, Germs, and Steel, but it's fascinating.

First Joshua tree article online

2008-04-23T10:20:00.001-07:00

The first publication from the Pellmyr Lab's study of Joshua trees and their pollinators, in which we demonstrate significant, potentially coevolved, morphological differences in Joshua trees pollinated by different species of yucca moths, is now online at the American Naturalist's website. My understanding is that it'll be in the print edition this June.

Godsoe W, JB Yoder, CI Smith, and O Pellmyr. 2008. Coevolution and Divergence in the Joshua Tree/Yucca Moth Mutualism. The American Naturalist 171.

Another slack weekend

2008-04-17T07:40:00.001-07:00

After blowing the last two weekends in an undistinguished collegiate cycling career, I'm now off to the EVO-WIBO biology conference in Port Townsend, Washington. It's a smallish, regional conference, but the Pacific Northwest includes some great biology departments (UBC, anyone?). And, if I go out a day early, there's supposed to be good birding in the vicinity.

And more testing

2008-04-16T23:31:00.001-07:00

Does the Blog It application handle embedded images?

Testing ...

2008-04-16T15:16:00.001-07:00

So I just found a post on Wired.com about Blog It, a Facebook application that lets you compose posts, then send them to multiple locations (i.e. separate blogs, your Facebook news feed) from one unified interface. Naturally, I've installed it.

Publication

2007-12-16T20:49:00.000-08:00

CV update: my first paper on the Joshua tree-yucca moth mutualism, which documents phenotype matching between Joshua tree and its two pollinator species, is accepted at The American Naturalist, pending revision.

Viva Al

2007-10-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

Gore Shares Peace Prize for Climate Change Work - New York Times

"I don't think there is another system that is more consistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ."

2007-08-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

Colorado Christian University has apparently fired a teacher for undermining the school's commitment to capitalism. The title quote is from the university's president, although he does concede that "a belief in free enterprise is not linked to salvation."

Apparently CCU adheres to the Gospel of Supply-Side Jesus.

MCUSA - audacious or just nervous?

2007-08-01T15:37:00.000-07:00

Over on Franconia Mennonite Conference's website, my old friend Steve Kriss has just posted his thoughts about San Jose 2007 and the future of the Mennonite Church in the US. He comes across as a lot less positive than I felt about things, but I'd say he makes a good case for it. His chief worries are (1) US Mennonites are, on the whole, aging; (2) MCUSA isn't doing enough to tap into the diverse communities of immigrants and others who are drawn to Anabaptism; and (3)
young adult leadership is still not being adequately cultivated for the next generation.

Minimalist summer cooking

2007-07-22T22:45:00.000-07:00

2007.07.22 - stuffed tomatoes
Originally uploaded by Jeremy B. Yoder.

The New York Times food column has a great list of 101 Simple Meals for summer. Not so much recipes as lists of things that go well together, it's a great starting place for a lot of good, simple food. So far I've tried and enjoyed #4 (white beans and shrimp) and #88 (stuffed tomatoes), but this list could keep me going till classes start again!

New bike!

2007-07-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

2007.07.19 - the new bike
Originally uploaded by Jeremy B. Yoder.

And in due time, I've come to a decision for how best to replace the dearly departed Schwinn (stolen in San Jose, you'll recall): it's a Trek Pilot 1.0, an entry-level road bike with some nice improvements over the old Schwinn. It's a good bit lighter, for instance - and not just because it's not wearing 30 pounds of camping gear and clothing! Took it for the inaugural ride this afternoon, and it's as nimble as it is pretty.

First fruits from the garden

2007-07-10T22:35:00.000-07:00

2007.07.09 - first fruits
Originally uploaded by Jeremy B. Yoder.

When I got back from San Jose this Sunday, I found out that, thanks to friends who kept it watered, my garden was working overtime while I was away. Or, you know, right on schedule. So far I've gotten almost a quart of (shelled) peas, plus the squash and tomato you see pictured. Haven't figured out what to do with all the peas, but the squash was excellent in a cold salad from Simply in Season: julienned squash with fresh basil (that's growing nicely, too) and Parmesan cheese in a dressing of olive oil and red wine vinegar. Summer rocks!

Living the call after convention

2007-07-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

San Jose 2007 is over. We had a rousing closing worship service last night, and I slept in this morning, then met Dave Landis for a final sushi lunch before he headed off to the airport. My flight back to Portland (where I'll reconnect with my car to drive home) is tomorrow morning, so I have some space now to decompress and think about the week.

I really want to try and take what I've seen and heard here at convention and put it to use once I get home, and things I'd like to suggest to folks back at Landisville, too. Here's a handful:

Need a quilt? A quilt made at San Jose out of fabrics from around the world is being auctioned off on eBay right now. Proceeds will benefit the capitol campaign at First Mennonite Church of San Francisco, which will be used to purchase the building occupied by the San Francisco Mennonite Voluntary Service unit. First Mennonite holds this MVS unit as such a central priority for their mission that they're working to buy the MVS house before they buy themselves a permanent meeting space. Bidding closes at 3:00 pm on Monday, 9 June; it's currently up to $2760.

God's love has no borders. Especially after watching the documentary Fuerza, I'm convinced that one of the best ways Mennonites can put peace into practice right now is to work for just immigration policy, and reach out to immigrants already here, regardless of their legal status.

An easy first step is to write to Congress; one of the most saddening things I've heard on this subject is that Senators and Representatives report receiving 300 hateful, anti-immigrant letters for every one letter calling for justice and mercy. The House and Senate websites have the necessary contact information. Resources for letter writing are at the MCUSA and MCC websites. If you've written before, write again.

Over the longer term, welcoming immigrants takes work. One of my table-mates at the Delegate Assembly was a pastor at a congregation with both Anglo and Hispanic members, and he told us that it's taken - and still takes - lots of thinking about the specific details of bilingual worship and deliberate inclusion to bring the two groups together. One way to start the process, which I'm going to try in this next year, is to learn Spanish.

Health care access. Expect to hear soon from the Executive Board about the health care access initiative we approved this week. The program development process is going to ultimately hinge on individual congregations' input and support.

Young adult involvement. As the statement I posted earlier probably makes more than clear, there's a lot going on here. What may be equally obvious is that it's not necessarily well defined where things are going. Are we looking at the eventual development of a Young Adult Caucus or similar sub-group at conference or within the Delegate Assembly? Will we just continue focusing on intentionally reaching out to young adults and involving them in leadership processes? I have to say, I've personally felt very supported by Landisville, and I've deeply appreciated the chance to act as a delegate this week. Again, the BikeMovement documentary will be coming in September - have a look and join the conversation.

It's over!

2007-07-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

And it actually ended a bit ahead of schedule. Delegate Assembly, that is. I haven't got time for a in-depth wrap-up (maybe tomorrow), but here are the critical results: the Health Care Access resolution passed with 93% support; a resolution asking the Executive Board to develop a process for deliberate thought about MCUSA's relationship to the United States identity as a superpower and a nation passed with 85% support. The statement I posted earlier was received very positively.

Young adult statement

2007-07-06T12:42:00.001-07:00

In the afternoon session today, Roxy Allen and I are going to co-present a statement on behalf of young adults in the Mennonite Church. It grows out of a lot of conversation, most visibly through last year's BikeMovement events, but also at gatherings here at San Jose and at Charlotte back in 2005, and at a variety of other formal and informal venues. I was privileged to help develop the statement as a synthesis of all that conversation, but it's only one resource available if you're interested in what MCUSA's young adults are thinking and doing. In September, BikeMovement will be sending every MCUSA member congregation a DVD documentary of their experiences along with a study guide, and the project is also chronicled in an issue of the Mennonite Mission Network series Missio Dei. Without further ado, here's the statement:

Young adults have been called the future of the church. We come before you today to say that the future has already begun.

We come from varied walks of life. Some of us went to Mennonite colleges, some of us did not. Some of us are connected to our home congregations, and others are finding it hard to connect to any congregation. We have built relationships that transcend geography. We are using the new medium of the Internet – including sites like the Young Anabaptist Radicals blog and the Anabaptist Network on Facebook – as forums for conversation, debate, and community. We are seekers in our faith and full of complex questions.

We have experienced a shift in the way the church listens for our voices. We have been offered space to converse with the church community. A clear example of this is the number of Young Adult delegates sitting on the floor today. As one young delegate said, “As soon as I open my mouth, the attention of the table is on what I have to say.” Space has been given here at San Jose for conversations with Executive Leadership. BikeMovement created opportunity for conversations with congregations and with conference leadership. Our request for space for our voices has been heard, and we thank you for hearing us.

Many of you have been participants in these conversations and have heard for yourself our questions and comments. The nature of our diversity does not lend itself to a unified voice. Many of the young adults participating in these conversations come from the context of a middle class, white, and Mennonite college-educated perspective. We lament the fact that it has been difficult to represent the true diversity of young people within the Mennonite church. In light of this acknowledgment, these are some of the themes we have heard:

1. We are thankful for the leadership we have been given and want more ways to get involved in the church, both in local congregations and at broader organizational levels.
2. We are grateful for the opportunities we have had to learn from the global Anabaptist movement and desire to share these experiences and relationships with those who have not had this privilege.
3. Social justice and a visible, active witness for peace are integral to our faith.
4. We desire the church community to be a place where we can grapple with complex questions, realities, and issues without preconceived outcomes.
5. We desire an attitude of openness and hospitality across age, race, gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.
6. We struggle with the tension between opportunities that take us outside our local congregations and our desire for continued connection and relationship with the church.
7. We seek community that deliberately includes those on the margins of the traditional Mennonite culture.
8. We want a church that practices its beliefs with consistency and integrity.

In response to our conversations, we challenge you, our delegates and your representative congregations, to:

Continue to walk with us and mentor us as we work through questions that may be uncomfortable for you. They are often uncomfortable for us. Let's learn together.

Continue to encourage us to take leadership roles; many of us yearn to be involved, but lack the courage to call ourselves forward. Help us recognize and utilize our God-given gifts and talents.

Let us use our skills and perspectives to help the church call our peers into fellowship.

In the listening that we have done, we acknowledge that young adults do not have a unified vision for the future of the church; this is a testament to the current state of the church. We sense that the Mennonite Church currently does not have a shared theological vision as many individuals, congregations, conferences, and organizations have varied definitions our shared Mennonite identity.

So we leave with you these questions: How do we live, worship, and continue to cultivate this community of believers in the midst of, or even in spite of, these differences? What shared practices will keep us in relationship with each other as we walk forward as a complex and ever-changing church community?