Tag: sociology
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that wiley evolution!
I posted Debi’s and my newborn photos a while back and asked people to vote for who they thought Toren looked the most like. Turns out, 2/3 of those who voted (pretty small sample, people) chose me (I’m parent #2). Now I find out that Toren looking like me is probably an evolutionary adaptation. Here’s…
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The cost of a baby
One of the ideas I talk about every semester in my Introduction to Sociology classes is the declining birth rate in developed countries. There are several factors that help explain the low birth rates, but one of them is the cost of children. In agricultural communities, children can be a net positive for parents –…
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Namesake Photos
One of my former students sent Toren a very thoughtful gift – Capital: Volume I (1st US edition to boot). Capital (or Das Kapital) is perhaps Karl Marx’s most famous work. Thus, the gift is Toren’s first book by his namesake. Ever since the book arrived I’ve wanted to do a photoshoot with Toren and…
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What would life be like if alternative medicine ran the hospitals?
(Props to Mike N. for sending this!)
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big government vs. little government
For all you fans of reducing government out there, maybe you should reconsider. This NYTimes article gives a good illustration of situations when small government doesn’t make sense. For years the government has allowed private companies to provide student loans at virtually no risk to the companies as the government insures the loans and provides…
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science is amazing!!!
Here’s a great NYTimes article this morning summarizing some recent genetic research on the origins of humans in Africa. We’ve known for quite some time that humans originated in Africa, but the current studies trace human ancestry to the southwest corner of Africa, something that had not been done before. That’s pretty cool. But even…
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breathing earth
A student found this site and showed it to me the other day: http://www.breathingearth.net/ Spend a few minutes perusing it. Disturbing.
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letter to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times
I caught this story a couple of days ago about a wealthy chiropractor trying to change Florida legislation on childhood vaccines. I was so annoyed by it that I wrote a letter to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times. They called yesterday to let me know they were going to publish it. Found it…
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age vs. cohort in voting behavior
I’m preparing a lecture for one of my classes in which we are discussing Robert Putnam’s book Bowling Alone. In the 2nd chapter on political participation he claims, “The distinction between intracohort and intercohort change is crucial to understanding what’s been happening to turnout in America over the last thirty years. Very little of the…
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Today’s Sunday School lesson is on “open-mindedness”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69TOuqaqXI