Latest Blog Posts

Emily Dickinson is my favorite poet and my favorite poem by her is 1212:

A word is dead

When it is said,

Some say.

I say it just

Begins to live

That day.

Even though we humans like to use our written and spoken language as evidence of our superior brain-power, like all animal displays words that have one meaning in one context may have a completely different meaning in another. This podcast considers one word commonly used in behavior whose new meaning may, literally, come back to bite us.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 5:56 — 5.5MB)

Between Two Worlds II

After I did last week’s podcast, I kept thinking about  animals who live between two worlds, either by their own choice or those imposed on them by humans.  When I did that, I came up with other examples and the feeling that there were even more. In fact, by the time I finished recording this, I had to wonder whether this might be becoming the norm instead of the exception in the human-companion animal world.

Lest you cat-folks think you’re spared from a lot of temptations that dog-folks must face in this regard, don’t be too sure. The day after I recorded this podcast there was an article in my local paper about cat agility, complete with a picture of a cat leaping over a hurdle and, naturally, a caption that mentioned her time running the course. Who knows? Maybe there will be Mouse-Catching Olympics one day, too.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:54 — 7.3MB)

Rescue: Lasting Salvation or Quick Fix?

In spite of my vow to limit my exposure to what now passes as news reporting for my mental health, it’s impossible to escape the rescue culture that is deeply entrenched in our society. The devastating earthquake in Haiti has yet again brought this to the forefront, both in its best and worst forms. Even so, come March 1^st when this commentary will be published, it’s possible that our interest in the subject will have waned. By then stories of animal-rescuing efforts may grab the attention of what little media remains on the scene. Or perhaps some new human and/or animal disaster somewhere else will occur and the media will turn all eyes there.

It turns out that a new earthquake, this one in Chile, has already diverted what little attention was being focused on Haiti somewhere else and so the rescue cycle begins again. To explore what all this may mean relative to animals click here.

Between Two Worlds

Because nature isn’t linear, it’s only natural to expect there to be individuals and species which don’t quite fit into the little boxes we humans create for them. When these animals occur in the wild, their ability to span two worlds is a source of amazement to us. Who can deny what such individuals and species reveal about the fantastic potential inherent in even the lowest of life-forms? And who could can deny their appeal to us novelty-loving humans?

When such creatures so evolve to survive in their environments is one thing. But when animals wind up trapped between their worlds and ours simply to suit our purposes, well, that’s something else entirely.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:19 — 6.7MB)

Driving Down the Rabbit Hole

One of the many things I enjoy about working with animals is that their behavior is so understandable. This isn’t to say there aren’t any surprises. There are many. But once you understand the basics, there’s a certain logic and elegance that underlies it. Because even we humans who say we don’t feel superior to other animal species inevitably act as if we are, dealing with incomprehensible human behavior serves as a good  reminder where we fit in in the overall scheme of things.

Following the episode described in this podcast, I’m sure we’re nowhere as high up in system as we like to think.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:17 — 6.7MB)

Getting the Big Picture

Something else about the gift magazine that serves as the jumping off point for this podcast: the issue I received was 2 years old!  There was something about getting a brand new copy of a 2-year-old magazine for my waiting room that struck me as incredibly funny. I mean, what better place for an old magazine than in a waiting room?

This caused me to imagine a creative publisher (an unusual state in and of itself) pondering what to do with that stack of perfectly good, but old magazines in the corner. He—I’m sure it’s a he because this is definitely a publication aimed at males—ponders more lucrative markets for old magazines than the local recycling center. His mind drifts toward places where he routinely sees old magazines. Immediately the waiting room of the local medical clinic pops into his mind. Probably not a good match. But then he has a eureka! moment.

And as a result of this, or some other quirk of fate, I wind up with the crisp new copy of a 2-year-old magazine that served as a catalyst for this podcast. Sort of cosmic in its own way.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:26 — 5.9MB)

Of Colors and Genes

This podcast was the result of spending—or wasting as the case may be—weeks trying to select new colors for my website redesign, only to get blindsided by a quirk of computer and human perception. On the other hand, the collapse of my naive belief that, given the same color code, computer systems would display a website of the exact color I wanted later struck me as similar to the way genes and their results are often perceived. People or animals who have Gene A will have or will get Condition B.

Would that colors and genes were both so simple!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:30 — 6.0MB)

Wolves in Our Parlors, Dogs in Our Minds

Novelist Marcel Proust said that “…every reader is, while he is reading, the reader of his own self.” The same can be said of writers who, whether they want to or not, often tell the reader much more about themselves than the subject about which they write. Such was my experience reading The Wolf in the Parlor by Jon Franklin (Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2009).

To read more, click here.

Those Little Things that Mean a Lot

Remember the childhood rhyme “For Want of a Nail”?

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

For want of a horse the rider was lost.

For want of a rider the battle was lost.

For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Ignoring the fact that this rhyme doesn’t rhyme, the point those who introduced us to this little ditty wanted to make is that ignoring things that superficially appear to be insignificant can have grave consequences down the line. No doubt the reason this non rhyme has endured so long is because it’s still true today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:39 — 6.1MB)

When Exact Isn’t Good Enough

I’m writing this at a time that some of you may have never experienced. It’s not in the wee hours of the morning or in some exotic time zone. I’m writing this at approximately 10:40 a.m.  Not exactly 10:38 or 10:41 as your digital clock, watch, computer, or iPhone might tell you. I’m writing this at some time roughly around 10:40, give or take a few minutes. This deliciously uncertain state is courtesy of the analog wall clock in my office. If I looked at the digital clock on my computer or the one in the bedroom, each would tell me exactly what time it is. Or, rather, exactly what time each of them thinks it is. And, more likely than not, the two won’t agree. And I for one wouldn’t bet the ranch that either of them is correct given I take a reading from my battery powered analog watch or clock to reset them when the power goes out and the “right” time when I start this process with the digital clock on the oven will be the wrong time by the time I reach the digital clock in the bedroom. To compensate for this I guess, sometimes right, sometimes wrong. So unlike my analog clock which is always in the right time ballpark, my digital clocks are either totally right or completely wrong.

Digital systems in computers and in  yes/no, positive/negative, normal/abnormal thought patterns are the subject of this week’s podcast. Like the little girl with the little curl right in the middle of her forehead, when used in environments where only such either/or options exist, they’re very, very good. But when we try to apply them to areas where multiple alternatives or shades of grey may exist, well, they can be pretty doggone horrid.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:13 — 6.6MB)