-
Afternoon Inquisition 02.11.09
First, let me apologize that the article I’m referencing for today’s inquisition was featured on Oprah.com (though I found it on CNN). However, I will personally vouch for the validity of the topic, at least in the business world. The article, entitled The Price of Saying No at Work, describes the lifestyle choice each person makes when drawing boundaries at work,…
Read More » -
Afternoon Inquisition 01.28.09
Do you boycott TV or film that features an actor whose personal or political beliefs you find offensive? Thanks to AJS, for sending in a link to this article about Nancy Cartwright, voice of Bart Simpson. Cartwright is not only a Scientologist, but actually robocalls people in the Hollywood area about Scientology events, where she evidently performs the “auditsâ€. She…
Read More » -
Afternoon Inquisition 01.21.09
Today’s AI comes courtesy of Catherine, who submitted this very interesting question via the contact form: Do you ever feel like an “outsider†to the skeptical community on a specific topic? Like Catherine, I agree with the skeptics on most issues, but sometimes I have a different point of view. Of course, that’s what’s great about science – it’s a…
Read More » -
Afternoon Inquisition 01.07.09
I’m stealing today’s AI from John Brockman who poses The Edge Annual Question each year. The question for 2009 is: What will change everything? A few suggestions posed in the article The Big Question include climate change, studies showing that animals have emotions and feel pain, a general sense of trepidation (currently affecting the economy, for example), and the emergence…
Read More » -
Afternoon Inquisition 12.31.08
I’ve always found New Year’s to be an arbitrary “holiday”. For all practical purposes, it’s just another day, with no special attribute that makes it objectively superior for turning over a new leaf. I suppose it’s a good excuse to drink, but those aren’t hard to find on even the most ordinary day. Humans’ love of round numbers has been…
Read More » -
Afternoon Inquisition 12.24.08
In this era of political correctness, many find it safest to say “Happy Holidays” as opposed to “Merry Christmas”. But most of the components of the holiday are rooted in pagan rituals, and Christmas has become so commercialized that most of the traditions have little to do with the birth of Jesus. Even Richard Dawkins has a Chrismas tree and…
Read More » -
Afternoon Inquisition 12.17.08
Last week, during the AI about the cognitive and emotional abilities of animals, we talked about Alex, the African Grey Parrot that Dr. Irene Pepperberg worked with for 30 years in an attempt to demonstrate that science currently undervalues the abilities of the avian brain. I just read Dr. Pepperberg’s book, Alex & Me, and it’s an interesting read, from…
Read More » -
Afternoon Inquisition 12.10.08
Having always had a pet in my life (that’s my pup to the right), I’ve often wondered about the cognitive and emotional abilities of animals. The prevailing wisdom has been that most of the anthropomorphic characteristics we see in our pets are projection. But my dog seems to love me, or at least be affectionate. And she understands that certain…
Read More »
