Skunk cabbage
You first catch a sniff of mild skunk in the wind and then see, low to the ground, bright yellow flowers rising from the muck.
Hard to avoid comparisons with pudenda with the curvy covering that coddles the studded lingam. Continue reading
Periodic Table
It comes as no surprise that some American Indians distrust approaches endorsed by science.
The most recent brouhaha occurred over blood samples used to study the Havasupai. Continue reading
An illuminating article discusses Indian sovereignty and gambling at the White Mountain Apache Tribe, and defines sovereignty as equal to the entities of the federal government, individual states and tribes.
The article from this week’s Economist (a British publication) does a fine job of deconstructing sovereignty yet views tribes through a paternalistic lens, demonstrating that mainstream news still suffers Indian peoples as incompetent. Continue reading
We had a rousing discussion about what determines health—and illness—at a gathering this week, and we talked about Indian health issues.
The buzz phrase today: Social Determinants of Health.
That refers to the panoply of items, issues, attributes, variables or factors that influence and affect health. By social, folks are talking about poverty and geography, rather than genetics. Continue reading
When I lived in Georgia a fellow academic cautioned me about planning anything on Wednesday evening. Some folks go to church, he said.
And when I lived in Teheran, we went to the American School Monday through Thursday, and on Saturday. We observed the Muslim holy day on Friday and the Christian holiday on Sunday.
So when I was invited to a meeting in Washington DC in June, I had to decline. One of my relatives in Rapid City had already invited me for a visit, and I’ve been looking forward to catching up and learning more about that side of my family. Continue reading
Truth is we didn’t know what to expect.
But we found out what happens when heavy metal meets classical sensibilities.
Magic. Continue reading
Even smart scholars sometimes make the mistake of assuming the masses are stupid.
During election fever, media critics in particular view publics as empty slates ready to be inscribed with persuasive messages.
For example, pundits wring their hands over negative ads and their effectiveness. For some reason, we figure the ads must be effective over some poor slob willing to believe the media twaddle. Continue reading
Prof. Linda Martin Alcoff wrote a stunning editorial in Sunday’s New York Times about critical race theory, claiming that folks in Arizona have confiscated “books and other materials” in a bid to “oversee what can be taught” in schools.
Critical race theory tackles the topic of race as a social construct, and is central to a curriculum in, for example, ethnic studies.
The issue isn’t about whether “race” exists from a scientific perspective (we are all the same race) but rather, what does race mean socially? Economically? Politically? Continue reading
Kurt Cobain
Seems that Courtney Love objected to the Muppets’ rendition of a Nirvana song.
The teapot tempest brewed in the circles of MTV and social media attenders: but you have to look hard to find the brouhaha if you have a day job. Continue reading
Amalie Noether
Amalie Noether’s theorem revolutionized mathematics, according to a story by Natalie Angier this week in The New York Times.
Angier writes that Noether, a mathematician who fled Germany during the 1930s and landed a position at Bryn Mawr College, was so brilliant that her professors at the University of Gottingen begged the administration to create a job for her—unheard of–for a woman. Continue reading
Cynthia (Ištá Tȟó Tȟó) Coleman Emery's Blog 