gregladen | March 20, 2010What rights should be afforded non-human animals, to which animals, under what circumstances, and why? What are the criteria for such decisions? What should those who disagree with the status quo do?
In my view, some rights should be given to some animals, depending on circumstances. I believe the criteria for this decision are more arbitrary than one might think, but a phylogenetic (anthrocentric) model is arguably useful for some, but not all decisions. Individuals involved in the discussion often inappropriately characterize the positions of others at the expense of reaching some kind…
gregladen | March 19, 2010When stupid belief systems collide:
Amnesty International is calling on Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to stop the execution of a Lebanese man sentenced to death for "sorcery."
In a statement released Thursday, the international rights group condemned the verdict and demanded the immediate release of Ali Hussain Sibat, former host of a popular call-in show that aired on Sheherazade, a Beirut based satellite TV channel.
Source, more.
gregladen | March 19, 2010This is it: The fate of health care reform will be decided in the next 48 hours.
It could come down to a vote or two. And that means that right now, every last message to Congress makes a difference.
It's an all-hands-on-deck moment. Even if you've already called and written your representative, it's time to send one last message. If you haven't yet weighed in, now's the time. And please send this on to friends, neighbors, colleagues, former roommates, and anyone who cares about health care reform.
A compiled petition with your individual comment will be presented to your representative.…
gregladen | March 19, 2010Jessica Palmer (of bioephemera) has an entry at Collective Imagination Blog about the role of "small talk" in maintaining good health. Check it out.
gregladen | March 18, 2010The Lese of the Ituri Forest raise food in gardens, and they exchange various things for wild animal meat hunted by the Efe (Pygmy) foragers with whom they live in close economic and social association. But the Lese also hunt and gather, to varying degrees, with some individuals never doing it, others often engaged in the process, and among those who are, some degree of speciality. One Lese man I knew hunted only elephants, another mainly fished, and one of the men I most often worked with trapped small forest antelopes using snares. I will call him Marque.
As part of my research I "…
gregladen | March 18, 2010We shared this planet for fifty years. We lived through cold below freezing, and we lived through heat and mosquitoes. We saw Mexico together. He gave me rides on his motorcycle and let me drive his Jeep when I was far too young. He let me know that Bob Dylan is just a poet and not a singer and wondered why people spend good money on records and tapes when FM radio is just fine and free.
Click to continue reading "Hey, Dad"
gregladen | March 18, 2010I'm writing some things that are more unruly than usual. I'm also sleeping 12 hours a day for very good medical reasons. Rumors that I am addicted to Hulu are completely incorrect, although I did enjoy watching the maiden voyage of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea last night.
You must watch this at some time. It is in black and white (I think the second season may have gone to color). The "enemy" is a Sino-Russian mix where some individuals have Lenin hair/beards and others look like the bad guy in Manchurian Candidate. We are learning to fear this unnamed enemy which has certain…
gregladen | March 17, 2010I recently posted an appeal for help for Minnesota's Camp Quest, and one commenter noted that atheists should not have summer camps. Others have chimed in with reasons why that commenter was wrong. Here, I'd like to tell a simple story of one girl's experience and why it may have been better for her to attend an atheist summer camp than the camp she did actually attend. This story was told to me by a good friend who's name I've slightly altered.
~~~
I'll call her Diane. When Diane was about 11 years old, she went off to summer camp for the first time. On the first day of camp, when…
gregladen | March 17, 2010The Four Field Anthropology Blog Carnival, Four Stone Heath, is up at the blog Ad Hominin. Here.
The next Four Stone Hearth will be hosted by Moi.
gregladen | March 17, 2010It is my understanding that Camp Quest of Minnesota is seeking volunteers and other assistance. This is your chance to do what you've always wanted to do!!!!!! Click here for the Camp Quest web site.
gregladen | March 17, 2010A couple of unrelated technology things.
First Item: the iPhone vs. "non-Apple smartphone" contrast just got a little more interesting, with Tim Bray joining Google with his main job being to promote Android. He has an inaugural essay here which is very much wroth a read.
The most interesting thing about the essay that is overt is the comparison between the iPhone platform and the Android platform with respect to "freedom." The most interesting thing that is not overt or obvious is that Tim Bray's name does not appear anywhere on the page. That is a style and formatting goof, but a very…
gregladen | March 17, 2010There's almost no on answering the Collective Imagination Question today, so this is your chance! Click here.
And while you are over there, have a look at my latest post on Japanese Ring Tone Therapy.
gregladen | March 16, 2010The following is from a classified US intelligence document regarding Wikileaks:
(S//NF) Wikileaks.org, a publicly accessible Internet Web site, represents a potential force
protection, counterintelligence, operational security (OPSEC), and information security
(INFOSEC) threat to the US Army. The intentional or unintentional leaking and posting of US
Army sensitive or classified information to Wikileaks.org could result in increased threats to
DoD personnel, equipment, facilities, or installations. The leakage of sensitive and classified
DoD information also calls attention to the insider…
gregladen | March 16, 2010I knew a guy who who was a highly placed person at Harvard College, and had gone to the College for his undergraduate education. I'll call him "Dean." Prior to his attending Harvard, he had already become a major fan of Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau, of course, went to Harvard. So when Dean was accepted to Harvard, being a major Thoreau fan, he endeavored to find out what room in the Freshmen Halls (at Harvard, "Hall" = "Dorm" for Freshmen, "House" = "Dorm" for Sophomores and beyond), was Thoreau's. I am not sure what records or resources he used to try to figure this out, but he managed…
gregladen | March 16, 2010I am avoiding commenting on the recent paper "Science blogs and public engagement with science: practices, challenges, and opportunities" by Inna Kouper (here). Bora has made extensive comments on the paper that I recommend (here) and as usual, Bora has done an excellent job linking to all the other stuff on the blogosphere about it.
The reason I avoided commenting on the paper is that I didn't like it a whole lot, but did not want to get into a huge blog fight about it. I have mixed feelings about the communications field as it is, and I'm not sure sometimes if what I'm looking at is…
gregladen | March 16, 2010I just heard from Richard Greenberg (NASA) that National Geographic's Naked Science show will be talking about Alien Life on April 1st. (There is room for a joke or two about the date, I suppose!) Part of the show will involve Richard talking about Europa.
You may remember the Europa-Richard Green connection (and all the politics and controversy, and interesting science connected with that) from this review of Richard's excellent book.
gregladen | March 16, 2010... and other matters related to dust ups on the blogosphere. At Quiche Moraine.