http://practicalethics.net/blog Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:21:10 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Hello, As the summer ends, many of your are completing your final course requirements. It might be an internship, a thesis or dissertation, or some other kind of project. And as the prospect of finishing your education gets closer and closer, you will begin to worry more and more about finding ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/student-space-summers-end-by-william-lynn/ Question: What computer should I buy? Choosing the right computer platform is a personal and institutional decision. The machine and its software has to work for you, as well as integrate into the network of hardware and software applications of your department and institution. I cannot tell you what is ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/student-space-computers-by-william-lynn/ A short note to say that as of this Fall, I am joining Williams College as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies. Williams is a terrific liberal arts college located in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts. I could not be happier with this wonderful opportunity. I hope you will ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/williams-college-by-william-lynn/ From July 17 to July 23, 2008, I took part in a six-day “Whole Thinking Retreat” sponsored by the Center for Whole Communities at Knoll Farm in Fayston, Vermont. The twenty-plus participants and facilitators were a multi-racial group of environmental leaders from across the country trying to move beyond ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/coming-home-from-knoll-farm-by-steve-chase/ I am both honoured and pleased to introduce Lori Marino as a new columnist to Ethos. cheers, Bill ~ Lori Marino is a senior lecturer in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology at Emory University and a faculty affiliate of the Living Links Center for the Advanced Study of Ape and Human Evolution in ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/lori-marino-by-william-lynn/ Lisa Brown recently shared some excellent advice on planning and writing a research project. Many of the readers of this blog are spending the summer writing their research project, thesis or dissertation. One way of implementing her advice is to form a writing support group. Here are a few suggestions ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/student-space-writing-support-groups-by-william-lynn/ One of Ethos' best known editorialists is Marc Bekoff. Marc has been an important part of Ethos from the start, sharing advice as well as content as we found our niche in the virtual Kosmos. Marc's contributions as an academic and advocate are unsurpassed and deeply admirable. Its time I ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/marc-bekoff-by-william-lynn/ Marc Bekoff is a prolific writer and speaker in cognitive ethology and behavioural ecology. In a recent editorial to the Daily Camera, he makes an analogy between the carbon and compassion footprints of humanity. Compassion is the key for bettering animal and human lives. People all over the globe are ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/compassion-footprint-by-marc-bekoff/ As I suggested in a previous post, having to choose between a life of public service and financial success is part of the ethos of our culture. Harvard students too are feeling the pull of doing good or doing well. You can read about it here: Big Paycheck or Service? ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/doing-good-or-doing-well-by-karin-lauria/ The Spanish parliament's decision to extend certain political rights to great apes is sparking a renewed debated about the meaning of a mixed community of people, animals and nature. You can read more about the decision at Reuters. cheers, Bill http://practicalethics.net/blog/spain-to-extends-rights-to-apes/ Dear Ethos readers: I thought this issue addressed an interesting nexus between ethics, science, culture, and public policy, so I wanted to share it with you. I welcome your thoughts and comments. Best - Jared Milrad Our Common Concern.com ----- Sometimes it seems that blood drives are everywhere -- at school, work, you name ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/want-to-donate-blood-if-youre-gay-think-again-by-jared-milrad/ Last week I participated in a live broadcast that focused on the ethics and politics of killing some animals for the benefit of others. For example, should we kill sea lions to save salmon, coyotes to protect sheep, wolves to safeguard cattle, or cats to preserve song-birds? These are the ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/playing-god-by-william-lynn/ One of my greatest pleasures on Ethos is introducing new columnists to our readers. Today I want to welcome Jared Milrad. Jared was born in New York City and raised both in New York and central New Jersey. Vegan since the age of 14, Jared has been intensely interested ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/jared-milrad/ June 22, 2008 In "The dumbing down of voters" (Op-ed, June 15) Rick Shenkman attributes Americans' political ignorance to television and the collapse of labor unions. I think there is a deeper problem: The United States tends to raise employees, not citizens. Our culture emphasizes so-called practical skills, while we thumb our ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/a-populace-of-employees-not-citizens-by-karin-lauria/ News is breaking today that Des Moines County sheriffs in Iowa shot about 10-16 pigs who presumably had escaped a factory farm, swam through a massive flood, and found safety atop sandbag levees. County officials feared that the pigs would cut the levees with their hooves or root there. I am ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/the-pigs-and-the-flood-by-jared-milrad/ Donovan's younger brother was 13 when he was diagnosed with HIV. He did all he could to save his little brother, even working in HIV/AIDS prevention and supporting his single mom. Yet, after the teenager's condition deteriorated and forced him to quit school, he lost his health insurance and died ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/the-human-face-of-hivaids-in-america/ Have you ever paged (or surfed) through the New York Times and noticed the variety of news stories involving animals? Once you start to notice, it is hard to stop. Indeed, there are moments when I think I could build a career commenting on just these stories! For instance, over ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/animal-times-by-william-lynn/ Wendy Lochner is Senior Executive Editor for Religion, Philosophy and Animal Studies at Columbia University Press (CUP). Last week she posted a blog reflecting on animal ethics and social change, as well as her intentions to foster interdisciplinary work on human-animal relations. We recently received permission from Ms Lochner to ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/why-animal-studies-now-by-wendy-lochner/ Henry Fair's photographs of degraded yet beautiful landscapes are on view at MassMoca. Fair's New Horizons in Landscape is part of the Badlands exhibit curated by Denise Markonish. Visit www.massmoca.org for more information. You can view more of Henry's work at Muse (the Practical Ethics gallery). http://practicalethics.net/blog/henry-fair-at-massmoca/ A couple of days ago, Brian Greene of string theory fame contributed an op-ed for the New York Times called “Put a Little Science in Your Life.” The subtext is overflowing with opportunities for interpretation about ethics, the place of humans in the universe, the nature of reality, theories of knowledge, ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/brian-greene-put-a-little-science-in-your-life-by-karin-lauria/ WHAT is human-animal studies (HAS)? This is a question that scholars continue to debate, without much consensus. In my mind, HAS is an interdisciplinary perspective that examines the relationships between humans and other animals. More specifically, it is (ideally) a perspective that values the experiences and intrinsic worth of both ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/who-what-where-when-why-human-animal-studies-lisa-brown/ I’ve said this before: industrialized animal farming involves the interlocking oppression of both humans and animals (and the environment). Congrats to the New York Times for pointing this out in today’s editorial section: The Worst Way of Farming Photo: Courtesy Wikimedia Commons. http://practicalethics.net/blog/ny-times-the-worst-way-of-farming-by-karin-lauria-2/ Question: Are there ways to plan and write a research paper so that I'm not so stressed all the time? Planning, writing and researching an academic project can be overwhelming. But there are ways to prepare for a large paper without succumbing to down-to-the-wire anxiety that is common among students. Below ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/student-space-planning-writing-and-completing-a-research-project-lisa-brown/ Last fall, I graduated from Boston University School of Theology with a master’s of theological studies. I was recently honored to have been chosen as the salutatorian of the class of 2008. Below, I share with you an annotated version of the speech I gave at the school’s commencement ceremony ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/martin-luther-kings-beloved-community-a-salutatory-speech-by-karin-lauria-2/ Question: Are there tips for managing email when in college or university? The email accounts provided by colleges and universities are for your use while you are in school. This is the official address to which most professors and the school will send email. You can recognize this email address ... http://practicalethics.net/blog/student-space-email-by-william-lynn/