Exercising in the park

I was out at a city park today to play some racquetball.  While taking a break, I noticed four guys playing handball nearby.  They were playing a hard-fought game.    But wait a minute!  What is that tobacco-y smell?  Why, it's tobacco!  Two of the handball players were smoking cigarettes (the coffin nails were actually in…

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Methods of settling disputes: war or sex?

We all know about war:  male-dominated animal species -- from humans to bighorn sheep -- settle their disputes with combat.  But bonobos -- a matriarchal primate species  -- settle their disputes with sex.  Of course, humans sometimes do this too -- it's called make-up sex -- but bonobos use it for…

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It’s the voting system, stupid

Scientists studying honeybees have learned a lot about how a swarm decides where to locate its hive.  The decision is critical, because a wrong decision can leave the hive exposed to deadly winter weather; therefore, bees need an effective voting system that reliably and efficiently yields their optimal hive location. …

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Less really IS more (Or how to not live in fear)

In my day-to-day life, the people I encounter (friends, neighbors, co-workers, students) all generally seem to be good; they want the best for themselves and the world they live in, they do not wish to do harm, and they are concerned about global warming, the wars, and biological threats. They want to be happy, and they want the people around them to be happy. Many of them are actively engaged with projects and endeavors that benefit others; they are motivated by a sincere desire to change the world in which they live.

I started thinking about this the day after attending a performance by a troupe called “Bench Press Burlesque.”  Four of the members of the group take yoga classes with me and I wanted to support them. I had seen them perform previously and was delighted with the wit, intelligence, and cutting-edge weirdness with which they deal with current issues and culture. Their most recent production, “Bad Jokes and Tight Ropes” did not fail to deliver, in my opinion. Perhaps I am a bit prejudiced (I know them and I love them!) but I was again tickled and pleased to see them as they took on President Bush, Technology, Corporate Environmental Rape, Bad Parenting, Gender Mis-identification, and the Catholic Church in their unique, campy, low-budget, sexy and freaky style. There was a decent performance of a West African dance that had the audience clapping and stomping, a puppet show on Sex Education and musical interludes by the house band …

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New survey explores who is blogging, how and why.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project survey on blogging, published July 19, 2006 contains lots of good data on who all of those bloggers are.  The survey contains lots of statistics, charts and commentary.  Here's the summary. The Pew Internet Project blogger survey finds that the American blogosphere is…

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