society
clock | October 20, 2006An oldie (March 28, 2005) but goodie, bound to stir up the comment section (why do I post controversial stuff on Fridays when the traffic starts coming down?)
WHAT SHOULD WE CALL THEM?
First, who is "them"? Second, why should they be "called"? Third, who are "we"? Fourth, why "should" we call them anything? Finally, "what" is the appropriate name? These are all interconnected questions, dealing with the current US political environment, and the notion of "framing".
In his book Moral Politics (MP) and later, more explicitely, in "Don't Think Of An Elephant" (DTOAE), George Lakoff…
clock | October 18, 2006This week's Ask a ScienceBlogger question is:
A reader asks: Is severely regulating your diet for a month each year, as Muslims do during Ramadan, good for you?
There is no way I can get out of this one! As far as I know, I am the only one here who actually did research on fasting! Mind you, it's been about 5 years since I last delved deep into the literature on the effects of fasting and feeding on various body functions, mainly body temperature and circadian rhythms, but I can try to pull something out of my heels now.
I'll try to somehow systematize this, by breaking the problem down…
clock | October 14, 2006Composting May Be Alternative In Wake Of Horse Slaughter Bill:
The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, making its way from the U.S. House to the Senate, could leave thousands of horses with no final resting ground. Composting may be an environmentally friendly option that fits in the 'circle of life' frame of mind and may be less emotional, two area researchers said.
clock | October 3, 2006These three are best read together, one right after another: Amanda, Dave and Pam.
clock | September 30, 2006Kip Hawley is an idiotKip Hawley is an idiotKip Hawley is an idiotKip Hawley is an idiotKip Hawley is an idiotKip Hawley is an idiotKip Hawley is an idiotKip Hawley is an idiotKip Hawley is an idiotKip Hawley is an idiot
...Just sayin'....
clock | September 25, 2006This is an old pet-peeve of mine. Some things are not sad and saying they are just makes one curl in fetal position and cry instead of taking action.
clock | September 19, 2006Why, whenever a society is going down the tubes and the people start feeling insecure, the Middle-Eastern beat starts dominating the popular music?
See hip-hop in the States today. Compare to turbo-folk in Serbia in the 1990s.
clock | September 10, 2006Nice review of a new biography of I.F.Stone:
Stone gives journalists a hero to honor:
Heroes are dangerous. We all know that.
Choose the wrong one and people can die. If a lot of people choose the wrong one, a lot of people can die.
But then every now and then, you can see a hero so perfect for a particular time, place and milieu that hero worship seems almost ordained.
I.F. Stone's time, it seems, has come around again 17 years after his death. In an "information era" of corporate journalism, startling wartime press conformity and acquiescence, a pack press with a summer camp mentality and…
clock | September 1, 2006There has been a lot of commentary online about the Inside Higher Ed article about an UCLA primate researcher who quit his research due to being terrorised by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), and the follow up article about the steps UCLA and other Universities are taking to ensure the safety of their faculty and staff:
The announcement by Abrams follows an upswing in activities in which UCLA professors who work with animals have been targets. In June, the Animal Liberation Front took credit for trying to put a Molotov cocktail on the doorstep of Lynn Fairbanks, a researcher who does…
clock | September 1, 2006Interesting economics take on the discovery that tobacco companies have been upping nicotine in cigarettes: as a parasitic lock-in business model:
A product is designed with a feature which intentionally locks customers into that product, through making it difficult to switch (for cost reasons, by ingraining habits, or by actual chemical or mental addiction). In the cases of, say, printer cartridges or razor blades, the original products (the printer or razor) require frequent refills/replacement parts. In the case of cigarette addiction, the initial use of the product (the cigarettes)…
clock | August 31, 2006It appears that the Norwegian police found the stolen Munch's "Scream" and "Madonna".
clock | August 25, 2006
From January 15, 2006, another good book....
From Chris Mooney, a book suggestion, that I immediatelly followed. You know I have written a number of times on sexual politics, from the historical non-existence of "traditional" marriage to femiphobia as a psychological root of wingnuttery. Thus, of course I clicked on the link and ordered the book immediatelly. Who knows, once I read it I may write a post on it, too.
The book is How The Pro-choice Movement Saved America by Cristina Page. Here are a couple of excerpts from the editorial reviews:
The abortion issue is a cover for a…
clock | August 25, 2006Read this great post by Amanda (who's really been on the roll lately): Weddings and fear
clock | August 25, 2006 You probably know that I am quite interested in the history, current state, evolution and future of the institution of marriage, mainly because it is an important indicator of societal attitudes towards sex and towards gender-relations, which is the key to understanding political ideology. Between May 29, 2005 and February 23, 2006 I frequently mentioned Stephanie Coontz and particularly her latest book - Marriage, A History, e.g., in New History Of Marriage, Stephanie Coontz On Marriage, Op-Ed on the 'End of Marriage', Don't Know Much About History.... and What 'traditional' marriage?.…
clock | August 25, 2006It is great when you write a blog post about somebody, then that somebody shows up in the comments and clarifies his position thus starting an interesting conversation (both in the comments and via e-mail), then you realize that his book-signing tour is bringing that somebody to your town, so you go there and meet that somebody in person and have a great conversation, which inspires you to write yet another blog post - the one under the fold....
It's too late and I am too tired to write a long post on this, but I know I won't have time tomorrow. All dirty, scrungly and unshaven after a day…
clock | August 24, 2006First reviewed on June 18, 2005:
Guns, Germs and Steel is an excellent book. Collapse is better.
When "Guns, Germs and Steel" first came out, I was fortunate to take part in a graduate seminar that was built around it. Along with reading a chapter each week, we also read a number of additional readings, some of which were technical papers.
Careful reading of "Guns, Germs and Steel" reveals that, contrary to some opinion, it is not a work of "environmental determinism". Much of history is microhistory. There is also quite a lot of history studying how quirks and idiosincrasies of important…
clock | August 21, 2006This is not a real review - I never got to writing it - but it is about a book I mention quite often in my blog posts and think is one of the most insightful about the conservative mindset. Written originally on October 21, 2004:
Whenever a big black SUV with a "W" bumper sticker passes me on I-40 going 90mph in the work zone, my first thought is: "What is this guy compensating for?"
While I argued strongly before that Nurturant Parent model is not feminine, and is only seens as such by people adhering to the Strict Father model to begin with, I have always felt that the childrearing process…
clock | August 16, 2006Have you heard about the stupid German study that uses evo-psych Just-So-Stories about, supposedly, women losing interest in sex shortly after marriage?
I wanted to dissect it when it first came out but Real Life and time-constraints prevented me. In the meantime, Dr.Petra, Shakespeare's Sister, Amanda and Echidne ably debunked and destroyed the study and the media reporting on it, so I don't have to do anything but link to them.