retrospectacle
Posts by this author
December 1, 2006
So, some Dutch psychologists have released the results of a study that indicates living in urban areas raises the risk of suffering from bulimia, but not anorexia.
They found women in cities were five times more likely to have the binge-and-purge illness than those who live in villages and hamlets…
December 1, 2006
Move over Judas Priest! Make way for HateBeak!
HateBeak is a ParrotMetal band with, you guessed it!, a African Grey as the lead "vocalist."
From HATEBEAK's site:
Face-crushing guitars, head-pounding drums, bass so low you'll vacate your bowels, and vocals so scorching, so extreme they simply can'…
November 30, 2006
Instead of firing US officials who speak their mind regarding US foreign policy, why not listen?
A senior State Department analyst, Kendall Myers, made several informal statements in an academic forum that might cost him his job. What were the oh-so-offensive quotes?
The Times quoted Myers, a…
November 29, 2006
I absolutely loved Aronofsky's work. Not that there's so much of it, only "Pi" and "Requiem for a Dream" plus some student works. But I've heard mixed things about his most recent movie "The Fountain."
So: Have you seen it? And, if so, what did you think?
I'm trying to decide if/when to go see it,…
November 29, 2006
According to CNN, the guards who roughed up a Florida teenager at a military-style bootcamp, who later died, will be charged in his death. This incident, which took place around Pensacola, was a huge scandal for Florida which resulted in the resignation of Florida's top law officer and the end of…
November 28, 2006
What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The Midland
"You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you…
November 28, 2006
Thanks to Mustafa Mond, FCD for bringing this to my attention. The notorious peace wreath (reported on below) which was garnering a $25/day fine from the owner's homeowner association will stay put. According to the committee chairman, who was backpedaling so fast that it made it hard to hear him,…
November 28, 2006
Had to smoosh it down to fit. Click View image to enlarge it!
November 27, 2006
November is Native American History Month, and while walking down the corridors of the UM Hospital this morning, I spied a flier with some disturbing statistics. I had known that Native Americans suffered a large disparity in health, as compared to the rest of America, but check this out:
-…
November 27, 2006
No? Me either. But the owner is getting fined $25/day until they take it down. Some hogwash about hating troops and loving the Debil.
Its sad when peace and tolerance have become un-American.
November 27, 2006
You've all heard the old adage "Money can't buy happiness." But honestly, money can buy a Ferrari, and when was the last time you saw someone in a Ferrari who wasn't smiling? Now, I'm surely not saying that money is everything. Its not by a long shot. However, we live in a material world, and we…
November 24, 2006
African Grey Parrots are so loved, they've even been honored with stamps in many countries! The stamp on the upper left was a 3 cent stamp issued in Cuba in 1967, one of 15 in a collection of birds in the Havana Zoo. The lower right stamp is from Sierra Leone in Africa, issued in 1999. It was also…
November 24, 2006
This recent discovery actually makes a lot of sense: errant stem cells are often the cause of cancers and tumors, and therefore should be better targeted with chemotherapy. Stem cells are the precursors to all tissues, good and bad, and many cancers could be considered the result of stem cells'…
November 23, 2006
A reader (hat tip Bob Abu!) sent me this staggeringly good article written by long-time political journalist Seymour Hersh, appearing in the New Yorker, entitled "The Next Act." Specifically, it addresses whether the recently humbled Bush Administration is now more likely, or less likely, to invade…
November 23, 2006
In case you can't make it to the grocery store, or all the turkeys are sold out, just take a peek into your own backyard.
There's a lot of wild turkeys just walking around. And they all look delicious.
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 22, 2006
Well, I'm not. But I am a B-List blogger, which might get me into some parties on the east side of Detroit.
Kineda's blog has a cute little app that measures your Technorati status to tell you what 'list' you'd be on.
What is a B-List Blogger defined as?
The High Authority Group [B-List Bloggers…
November 22, 2006
Its on my wishlist.
Too bad there's not a Flying Spaghetti Monster one, praise pasta.
November 22, 2006
In an effort to "encourage discussion" on race-based scholarships, a student group called the Boston University College Republicans (BUCR) has instituted a controversial $250 "Caucasian Achievement and Recognition Scholarship". Applicants must be at least 25% Caucasian, have a 3.2 GPA, and submit…
November 21, 2006
For those friends and relatives who read my blog and are wondering about Xmas or birthday ideas, why just cast thine eyes to my sidebar to note that I have added some links to my Amazon Wishlist, the Alex Foundation, and serotonin jewelry. Not that I expect or deserve anything other than coal, but…
November 21, 2006
By now, much of academia has heard about the goings-on at MIT. Susumu Tonegawa, head of the prestigious Picowar Institute at MIT and Nobel Laureate, is stepping down from his position following a university review which found he "behaved inappropriately when he tried to discourage a young female…
November 21, 2006
How did I ever miss Steven Pinker getting wasted with Dr. Steve Steve?
C'mon people, you're suppost to tell me about these things!
Should I include a question for him regarding his favorite brew? I KNOW I'm going to have to ask him about his membership in the esteemed Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club…
November 21, 2006
Some fantastic morning reading from a USA Today opinion article entitled '"When Religion Loses Its Credibility," critiques the current religious stance on homosexuality---and wonders, what if religion is yet again proven wrong? This was written by a well-spoken, pro-science Baptist Minister (yes,…
November 20, 2006
Today has been an exciting day for me! First of all, although Steven Pinker had to decline my invitation to speak at UM (during the Neuroscience Spring Symposium), he did agree to do an interview here on Retrospectacle. So, similar to the Q's and A's I posted for review for Irene Pepperberg, I will…
November 20, 2006
According to a study of dog owners, people who own vicious and dangerous dogs, like pit bulls, have significantly more criminal convictions than the owners of tamer breeds. A vicious dog was defined as a breed that, without provocation, has killed or seriously injured a person, killed a dog, or was…
November 18, 2006
Knock knock.
Who's there?
T-Rex.
T-Rex who?
T-Rex has just eaten everything on the Ark, and you're next punk. (Caution, a little profanity. You can take it, right? :D )
November 17, 2006
This news is of ill portent to UM, and right before the big Ohio State game?? Bo Schembechler, a former head coach here, is a legend to UM football. He used to be a OSU assistant coach, and dying today just seems like a really bad sign. I mean, if you believed in that kinda thing.
Michigan coaching…
November 17, 2006
The wild bird trade, which is where exotic birds are trapped in their natural habitats and shipped away for pets, has devastated many types of parrot species. Thankfully this practice is now illegal in much of the world, however many parrot species have the unfortunate luck as to live in countries…
November 17, 2006
This is just plain heart-breaking. Even these Inuit seem sad to kill these poor belugas.
About 200 beluga were first spotted in early August by hunters in the Husky Lakes area south of Tuktoyaktuk, a string of saltwater inlets north of the Arctic Circle that are linked to the ocean through a 300-…
November 17, 2006
These stories are true, however names and a few details have been changed to hide the identity of parties involved.
Anecdote #1:
Let's just say a college professor and science-blogger, we'll call him Dr. Bob, assigns a term paper on ecology to his class. The semester is winding to a close, and…
November 16, 2006
I'm about to send these questions out to Dr. Pepperberg (hopefully for next week's Grey Matters), and wanted some feedback. Also, please suggest questions if you have some!
Q. Initially your research background was not in comparative cognition and language. How did you become interested in this…