Musical Musing

FC Kahuna, Hayling.  Machine Says Yes (2002).

I just discovered this song last week and am in love with it:

Greyhound Racing Outlawed in New Hampshire

UPDATE: check out GREY2KUSA for more information and ways to help greyhounds.

Good news from New Hampshire on the Animal Welfare front:

"Governor John Lynch has signed into law House Bill 630, a humane proposal to outlaw greyhound racing in New Hampshire. New Hampshire now joins a majority of states where greyhound racing is illegal.

"This is a victory for everyone in the state who cares about animals. It sends a clear message that we will not tolerate cruelty, regardless of whether the perpetrator is an individual or a profit-driven industry.

"Greyhound racing is cruel and inhumane. At New Hampshire racetracks thousands of dogs endured lives of terrible confinement and many suffered serious injuries. According to state records, nearly 1,200 greyhounds were injured in New Hampshire since 2005, including dogs that suffered broken legs, paralysis, and head trauma."

My favorite framework for thinking about policy issues is to define the interests at stake and then weigh them.  The best policy minimizes harm to all of the competing interests while advancing the benefit.  In this case, we would weigh the interests of (1) animal welfare against (2) entertainment.  Thus, while it's true that greyhound racing isn't as cruel as other animal exploitations like industrial farming practices, it is weighed against a very arbitrary benefit and some animals are inevitably injured, euthanized, or sold to research labs during their careers.  There are countless ways to entertain ourselves, but only so many types of food to eat.  Similarly arbitrary forms of animal exploitation include circuses and  cosmetic testing on animals.

My dog's not a greyhound, but she is a chocolate lab and hound mutt mix (and adorable):

Lines Drawn in Battle Between Free Will and Determinism

NPR has a philosophically fascinating special series called "Inside the Criminal Brain."  The whole series is worth a look, but I want to focus on a specific case:

"When the police arrived at Bradley Waldroup's trailer home in the mountains of Tennessee, they found a war zone. There was blood on the walls, blood on the carpet, blood on the truck outside, even blood on the Bible that Waldroup had been reading before all hell broke loose.

"Assistant District Attorney Drew Robinson says that on Oct. 16, 2006, Waldroup was waiting for his estranged wife to arrive with their four kids for the weekend. He had been drinking, and when his wife said she was leaving with her friend, Leslie Bradshaw, they began to fight. Soon, Waldroup had shot Bradshaw eight times and sliced her head open with a sharp object. When Waldroup was finished with her, he chased after his wife, Penny, with a machete, chopping off her finger and cutting her over and over."

So what makes this gruesome murder a front line in the battle between free will and determinism?  Join me below the fold...

Mad (16th Century Royal) Props to South Dakota

 As a Vermillion (South Dakota) native, I can't help but pass this front page story from NPR along:

"Since its opening in 1973, the National Music Museum has become one of the first places people think of when they come across a rare instrument. Its latest acquisition — a 400-year-old Amati Brothers violin, made to order for King Henry IV of France — is one example. Violin expert Claire Givens, who has lent her expertise as an appraiser to The Antiques Road Show, brokered the deal that brought the instrument to Vermillion.   

Governator Saves Chickens

It may not be as bad ass as going back in time to save (or destroy) the human race, but Gov. Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law today that would require all eggs imported into California to conform to Proposition 2 standards by 2015.

 

The Meaning of Heroic

Can we stop calling it heroic when people battle for their own survival?  My sympathies go out to this woman, but struggling to save oneself from E. coli is hardly worthy of the "heroic" title.  Unless we want to drain the word of all meaning at least.

Sorry, but taking an outdoor cat is probably a crime.

I'm working on some research over the summer about lost and abandoned pets, so this video from Slate's "Dear Prudence" advice column was particularly on-point.  While I agree with Prudence's advice to take the cat, the advice is illegal.  The cat is not abandoned unless the neighbor intended to abandon the cat -- a fact compatible with but not suggested by the original question.  Thus, taking the cat would probably subject the taker to civil and criminal liability.  And Prudence would probably be found to be aiding and abetting the crime of theft.

You're Not Thinking Hard Enough: ISS!

International Space Station Supply Ship Fails to Dock.  It's not a terribly interesting story, but holy fuck, we actually have an international space station floating in orbit above our heads!  That's bad ass.  If the thought doesn't amaze you, then you're not thinking hard enough.

Going Vegan, Temptation

This hot dog looks soooo delicious... I might have to become omnivorous once more just to try it:

Vuvuzelas: Annoying AND Deadly?

Anyone watching the World Cup, or reading news about the World Cup, is aware of the Vuvuzela craze.  Most people aren't aware, however, that playing a Vuvuzela is also lethal.