Beatles 3000

This is a hilarious look at what will be known of the Beatles in the year 3000. Also makes a good parallel to a lot of assumptions made in anthropology when reconstructing the past.

What I think of zoos

A while ago, when I was in crazy dissertating/teaching land and thus neglecting the poor little blog, Michelle had some great posts about zoos and their goals. She asked me what I thought of this, and I wanted to take time to think of an answer and do some more reading before writing a well-crafted and thought out post.

I am never going to find that time. So here is my off the cuff answer: I am skeptical of the ability of zoos to meet their goals of educating visitors to care about conservation of wild animals and to genetically maintain populations for later reintroduction. For the education part, I have a suspicion that sometimes zoos teach people animals belong in captivity for the visitors' enjoyment. I suspect this due to the number of people I have seen at zoos demanding the attention of an animal, or complaining when the animals are not in good view. I also suspect this after being in various national parks with people viewing wild animals, and hearing the people complain that the animals are too far away or not easy to see. I was at one park and heard a woman demand her money back because she did not see a monkey. She did not seem to understand that the animals were wild, and not on display for her enjoyment. So, that is a concern of mine regarding zoos.

As for the preservation of species on the chance they can be reintroduced, I am again skeptical. I am not sure what benefit animals of a species gain by being maintained in captivity when there is no habitat for them to go back to. Also, I have not yet been convinced of the success of any reintroduction program. Many times the animals are reintroduced into a habitat that still has the same problems that led to the endangerment of the animals in the first place.

So there you are. I am skeptical. But I understand that all my evidence is personal and anecdotal, and I would like to see more research into reintroduction programs (I know of some mom and pop operations that reintroduce ex-pets on a small scale, but do not follow up) and into how zoo visits affect people's views of animals and conservation. This research could definitely help convince me one way or the other, and also help us decide where to best put our resources for conservation and preservation of species.

From 52 to 48 with Love

OK, eventually those of us who supported Obama will have to stop celebrating, and all of us will have to figure out how to get along. One thing about politics lately that bothers me, is that so many people prefer to not talk about it, rather than disagree. Disagreement is fine, people! I disagree all over the place with people I love and respect. It is no big thing. Just stay civil and don't degenerate to name-calling. I feel like this idea that disagreement is bad is really harming my students. More and more my students are unwilling to debate, which I think impairs their intellectual development. They don't know how to choose sides of an issue and support arguments. That is no good!

So, in the spirit of coming together, I give you a link to From 52 to 48 With Love.

Les Misbarack

For my musical loving friends...

I AM a champion (plus cute baby animals)

Hey! I survived the 5k! I did have to walk for a tiny little bit, but I think I finished in about 45 minutes. I forgot a watch so I tried to pay attention to the race clock, but addition, remembering numbers, and paying attention are not really any of my main talents. Anyway, my chip time (they give you this little chip to put on your shoe that records the official time) was 38:54, but that is pretty not possible. I did run the first mile in about 12:30, which is super fast for me, so I slowed down after that. My youngest brother and his wife ran the race too, and I was happy there were more experienced runners there with me, although they left me in the dust pretty quickly.

It was a Halloween themed race so there were costumes, and the highlight for me was that I beat two clowns. Ha! Take that, clowns. I also pulled ahead of a camel at the last minute. I was impressed by the camel, though, as it was two people under a sheet and I don't know how they stayed together AND how the back hump didn't fall and die, since I am pretty sure she could only see the ground and nothing in front of her. It was fun, and I am probably going to register for an 8k in March to keep me running through the winter.

Cute baby animals:
If you enjoy cute baby animals, you will enjoy this blog.

I was pointed to it due to these tiny baby gorillas!

OK, I'm off to either clean my desk or make up some activities to teach my students about the endocrine system and blood.

McCain and Healthcare

If you are at all concerned about the state of healthcare in this country, read this awesome post by Sarahlynn.

Good readin'

Sarahlynn has up two great posts about the presidential candidates and their stands on disability issues. Read them here and here.