Author: Organikos

Kahneman Fest

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Portrait of Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow, and winner of the 2002 Nobel prize in economic science. New York, NY, April 17 2012.

Click the image above to go to the interview, in Der Spiegel, in which our intellectual superhero finally explains why familiarity feels so good:

Of course, there are other mechanisms of advertising that also act on the subconscious. But the main effect is simply that a name we see in a shop looks familiar — because, when it looks familiar, it looks good. There is a very good evolutionary explanation for that: If I encounter something many times, and it hasn’t eaten me yet, then I’m safe. Familiarity is a safety signal. That’s why we like what we know.

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Fish-Eater’s Dilemma

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Click the image above to go to the story in Dot Earth:

Talk about timing. As American and European fisheries officials met this week in Brussels to talk about, among other things, the problem of illegal and unregulated fishing, Chinese boats were illegally in the Mediterranean, making a mockery of efforts to manage the bluefin tuna fishing season.

Stories In The Service Of Science Education

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Andrew Revkin’s contributions to the New York Times, via Dot Earth, make a subscription to their website worthwhile; add in video with Daniel Kahneman addressing the National Academy of Sciences, and the value skyrockets.  68 minutes and 51 seconds later, you will know more about what you do not know; and likely appreciate the way that knowledge reached you.

We have pointed to evidence of this scholar’s general awesomeness, also to his 2011 book and to an event quite some time ago all without any video demonstration of his combined intellectual and communication capacities.  Click the image below to go to Revkin’s coverage, which includes the video of a surprisingly accessible lecture.

Environmental Photography Award

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Thanks to The Guardian‘s coverage of and link to the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) which

has a history of working in environmental management dating back to 1895. In the succeeding decades, engineers, scientists and other professionals came together to combine their expertise across a broad range of environmental disciplines. The present day Institution was formed in 1987 when the Institution of Public Health Engineers merged with the Institution of Water Engineers and Scientists and the Institute of Water Pollution Control to form the Institution of Water and Environmental Management.The Institution was granted a Royal Charter in 1995 and was proud to celebrate its centenary in the same year.

We will investigate further.  For now our attention is brought by The Guardian to CIWEM’s annual awards for great environmental photography.  There is an Under 21 category which we hope some of our more youthful collective members (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4  come to mind) might considering an entry to…

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Velichappadu – Mediator between dieties and devotees

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The Velichappadu or Komaram (oracle, or revealer of light) is an integral part of the rural life of Kerala. The Malayalam word Velichappadu literally means “the one who throws light on any problems”. Believed to be a representation of the deity in a temple, oracles often belong to a particular family. Dressed in red and adorned with heavy ritual ornaments and garlands, they often carry heavy hooked swords. The deity is believed to speak as the Velichappadu dances, delivering the frenzied forecasts. There are both male and female Velichappadus.

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The 2012 Iscol Environmental Lecture

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The David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future at Cornell University hosts (click to the left):

Peter Matthiessen takes us on a journey to Arctic Alaska, where climate change is the new reality. In this fragile ecosystem, potentially severe negative effects of large-scale fossil fuel development—especially offshore prospecting and drilling—are already taking their toll on the Arctic sea ice and permafrost, on Arctic wildlife, and on indigenous peoples such as the coastal Inupiat and the Gwich’in Dene (“caribou people”).

Chenille Plant (Acalypha hispida)

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The chenille plant is a tropical flowering shrub naturalized in plenty in the Western Ghats of India. This tender perennials grows to a height of 8-10 ft and the soft hanging flowers resemble both the fabric chenille and the tail of a cat; hence it is also known as red hot cat’s tail. This ornamental flower is found in high range homes and spice gardens, made popular by its feathery long flower.

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Really, IKEA?

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We have mentioned on more than one occasion when an otherwise admired company does something worthy of outrage.  Our site is not dedicated to outrage, but when it is called for, we encourage it.  Click the banner above to go to the story in The Guardian; following the quote below, click the image after the jump to go to the original, incriminating evidence about the ecological crime Ikea is accused of committing through one of its subsidiaries:

Protect the Forest, Sweden, a nature conservation organisation, has documented that Ikea, through Swedwood, clear-cut areas of old-growth forest containing 200-600 year-old trees in the northwest of Karelia, near the Finnish border, a process that is having deep ramifications on the invaluable forest ecosystems.

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Thiruvathira Kali, Traditional Dance of Kerala

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Since La Paz Group started working in Kerala last year, we have been in learning mode, especially with regard to cultural traditions. Dance is an essential part of Kerala’s cultural fabric. Thiruvathira kali is one of the typical dance forms here. This is a female group dance made up of simple, elegant steps. In  ancient times, women performed this dance in their homes during festivals and functions, giving it the Malayalam name aka Kaikottikali: aka-inside + kaikottikali-play claping hands. Lore has it that Thiruvathira Kali is remembering Lord Siva taking Parvathi as his wife. The group of women dress in typical Kerala style — mundu and neriyathu and the hair in a bun, adorned with jasmine garlands — and perform this dance during festival seasons. Kaikottikkali spreads the message of joy and also illustrates the emotions of a married woman towards her beloved and of the unmarried woman longing for one. Continue reading →

Hampi Conservation

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In advance of Amie’s visit to Hampi in a few weeks, at which time we hope to hear more on this story, for now a few images and words from The Guardian:

Half a million pilgrims and tourists come to Hampi’s 2,000 temples and ancient stones each year. Conservationists want the site in Karnataka state restored to its medieval glory – but the price is the eviction of those who live in its old bazaar

Low-Impact Voluntourism

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Guest Author: Denzel Johnson

Tourism is a big industry. In some countries it’s their largest.  A fair amount of people who travel come from developed regions and visit less developed countries with the aim to help. No one can fault another person for wanting their travels to have a positive impact, but what happens when voluntourism causes more harm than good?

This question led me to form an opinion about what type of tourism is acceptable. I began with the premise that travel has positive implications on the traveller and used myself as an example. Having graduated from High School last summer, I set off to travel and explore the Americas. In England, that is referred to as a Gap Year, wherein a student takes the year off between High School and College (University) and in this year can travel, work or do nothing. My situation is a little different because I am travelling on a scholarship from the Royal Geographic Society but the benefits are the same. Continue reading →

Jasmine flower

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Being native to tropical and subtropical regions, the many species of jasmine are either deciduous, evergreen, erect or climbing shrubs commonly found in India’s Western Ghats. It is widely cultivated throughout the world for its fragrant character.  Continue reading →

Nature’s Other Side

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Click the image above to go to an article, not for the faint of heart, about why encounters with real, wild nature are more valuable than those most of us have, which are increasingly sanitized, gentle and unreal:

…Ecologically speaking, this sanctified nature is not nearly enough. “We live more and more in an enchanted illusion of what nature is, which I think is counterproductive to conservation,” says the Cornell University biologist Harry Greene. It’s the back half of that statement—counterproductive to conservation—that contains surprises… Continue reading →

Whale Wonders

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Click the UCP banner above to see more on this new book:

“Preternaturally hardened whale dung” is not the first image that comes to mind when we think of perfume, otherwise a symbol of glamour and allure. But the key ingredient that makes the sophisticated scent linger on the skin is precisely this bizarre digestive by-product—ambergris. Despite being one of the world’s most expensive substances (its value is nearly that of gold and has at times in history been triple it), ambergris is also one of the world’s least known. But with this unusual and highly alluring book, Christopher Kemp promises to change that by uncovering the unique history of ambergris. Continue reading →

Nurturing Nature

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Dog domestication may have given anatomically modern humans an advantage over Neandertals. Studies of modern-day hunters suggest that dogs help people hunt more efficiently and ensure a more plentiful food supply. Here, a Mayangna hunter in Nicaragua works with his dogs to pursue an agouti (a rabbit-sized rodent) in a hollow trunk. The best dogs sometimes help these indigenous hunters bring in more than 50 kilograms of meat per month. Photo, Menuka Scetbon-Didi.

(Click the image above to go to the story in Scientific American):

One of the classic conundrums in paleoanthropology is why Neandertals went extinct while modern humans survived in the same habitat at the same time. Continue reading →

A Road Less Traveled

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Guest Author: Denzel Johnson

The positive thinker regards life as an adventure where the rewards are in the risks and the pleasure in responding to the challenge.

A card printed with that quote has sat in my wallet since setting off last year for my journey through Latin America. I convinced myself that my philosophy as a traveller should somehow reflect these words and the card was meant to encourage me to step off the beaten track and venture where others wouldn’t consider a destination.

Having recently just spent a good portion of my gap year in solo travel through South America, I not only found myself on my own but always more positively challenged because there was no one else I could rely on. Continue reading →

Road To Rio

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The power of convergence and collaboration

• Sustainability optimists speak of an era of convergence – a coming together of new technologies and new business models to create a 21st century economy
• In the below video, sustainability pioneers explain the power of having common goals and a shared, collaborative vision

(click the banner below to go to the video)

A Very Tough Call

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Click the headline above to go to the story below:

A western Indian state has declared war on animal poaching, allowing forest guards to shoot hunters on sight to curb attacks on tigers, elephants and other wildlife. Continue reading →