Category: Uncategorized
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The Bug in Human Behavior
We still think tribally. Team sports? Mostly small bands competing with other small bands, replaying competitions for prized territory. We do mock battles for fun. Our ancestral hominids emerged as hunter-gatherers in competition with each other and other animal life. The biological imprint of that lifestyle still colors our behavior. We remained hunter-gatherers for over… Read more
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Mapping Behavior to Environment
About 1.5 million years ago, a large group of chimps were separated by a growing Congo river. The south side of the river had more abundant food sources than the north. The chimps on the abundant side are known today as bonobos, and they’re very mellow. The women run things. They’re neighborly, sharing territory with… Read more
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Columbus Day 2016
We all have basic needs. Clean air, clean water, clean food, clothing, shelter, safety, security, good health and a healthy social environment. We all have wants. Social environments become toxic when we permit the wants of some to interfere with the needs of others. 524 years ago, a group of people from Europe crossed the… Read more
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The Inner and Outward Gaze
Ever seen those delightful Russian matryoshka dolls, the ones where each doll opens to reveal another, smaller but identical doll, which opens to reveal yet another smaller, identical doll, and down it goes to a doll the size of a peanut? Likewise, the films Inception and the Matrix portray realities within realities within realities, scrambling… Read more
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The Roots of Social Conformity
Life on earth has spread from the same DNA base as far back as we can see, from the simple single-celled extremophiles lurking in undersea volcanic vents. There’s a lot of change from that point to us, but along the way life repeatedly encounters similar patterns and relationships. Our genes are shaped by these patterns.… Read more
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Profit-driven Prisons: Path to Prison Labor?
[One of series written for UnitedRepublic.org in 2012. Original article.] Every year public companies must file what’s called a 10k report with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). This is a summary of the firm’s financial performance. There are stiff penalties for lying to the SEC, and investors aren’t too thrilled with less than the truth… Read more
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Why We Fight
[One of a series written for UnitedRepublic.org in 2012. Original article.] “The gross national product includes air pollution and advertising for cigarettes, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors, and jails for the people who break them. The gross national product includes the destruction of the redwoods… Read more
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Three Bright Lights
Last night the sky over Washington, DC was unusually clear, so we had a spectacular view of three planets low in the pre-dawn east. Venus, Jupiter and Mars were all pointed toward the coming sunrise. It reminded me of one of the early geometry puzzles I sorted through while learning astronomy. Venus orbits closer to… Read more
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Why Parents Shouldn’t Be Able to Refuse Medical Treatment for an Ill Child
[One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] Legally, refusal to provide or access medical care for children can be termed medical neglect. According to the latest available national statistics, documented child abuse and neglect in 2011 affected more than 675,000 children, or nearly 1 in a 100 kids. On average,… Read more
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High School Swimming Lessons
[One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013. Published version here.] In school districts with sufficient budgets and facilities, high school students can choose from beginning, intermediate and advanced swimming courses, often modeled on the American Red Cross’s Learn-to-Swim program. Some schools also offer competitive swimming. Knowing how to swim well… Read more