Monday, January 17, 2005
Tina, you fat lard! Get some ham!
Wow. A rare weekend off of work for me. Not much went on, however. So I am at a weird place when it comes to blogging. I have a huge urge to blog about evolution, as my church is doing a seven week series of sermons on it, and they are doing a poor job presenting the arguments. But I may wait until I am at home and can look at the notes I took (I'll do this one tomorrow). Also, I want to blog about Willy Wonka some more, but I am afraid that this blog has taken a turn for the worse lately, being mostly concerned with superficial topics. So, being afraid to be too entertainment minded, and hesitant to comment off the cuff on philosophical matters, I am left to wonder what to write. So, like all struggling journalists (as if blogging was journalism...) and stand-up comedians (as if my blog is ever funny...), I will turn to current events. Namely, a fire at the zoo.
I guess a heater malfunctioned and set fire to a barn at the zoo. The animals that died were sandhill cranes and rare African deer called water bucks. The Omaha Zoo had the largest herd of these water bucks in North America, but not now. At least some of the deer that were saved by the fire fighters were pregnant, so there is hope to rebuild the herd again.
There are a few interesting aspects to the whole "fire at the zoo" topic, so I will use this as mental calisthenics to get back into the blogging mode. It will be lame, but I need to get back into the habit of writing before any good posts will come.
1) The notion of a zoo in the first place. As much as I love the zoo, and love to see all of the animals, is a zoo a good thing or bad thing? The animals are caged and taken from their habitats. I sort of waiver back and forth on this, but I usually conclude that they are okay. The people who work at the zoo are true animal lovers, and so that makes me feel a lot better. The animals get medical treatment, food, and protection from poachers. And the zoo keepers are very good about trying to make the environment enjoyable for the animals. The gorilla complex, for example, is designed with many timed released containers hidden in the trees and walls. These containers are filled with food, and the gorillas have to forage. This is done so that they feel more at home, and so they are using their natural skills. So, I guess zoos are good.
2) The notion of fire fighters saving animals. Fire fighting is a dangerous profession. The fire fighters can never plan for every danger that can arise in the situation. Luckily, no one was hurt fighting the zoo fire, but as all fire fighters will tell you, things can go sour very quickly on even a seemingly routine call. So this begs the question, would you risk your life and the lives of your friends (as fire fighters) for animals? It is easy to say yes, because so many of us are kind hearted, but I wonder what one would really do? When a human risks their own life to save another human, it makes the news and they are called heroes. This is because many humans probably would just stand and watch rather than risk death. So what then when it is an animal, not a human? This time of year, the news often shows deer, dogs, and horses that fall through ice, and in rare occasions people mobilize to save them. I think it is great that animals are treated with such high regard by rescuers, and I would like to think that I would do whatever I could in those situations.
3) How folks look at animals. I suppose your answer to number two would be dependent on how you look at animals. Do you see them as out evolutionary cousins? As our soulful co-inhabitants on Earth? As reincarnations? As dumb beasts? As resource created for our use? The phrase is often heard "it's just an animal." In the freezing winters in Iowa, there are those who leave their pet cats and dogs in the cold (left to die or suffer) because they view even their family pets as "just animals." A fire fighter may save the animals from a sense of duty (vocation) rather than the philosophical reasons, but I am pretty sure that how they view animals influences their decision making in such a situation.
4) Fire fighter vs. tiger. What if instead of deer, it was the tiger house? How in the world do they move these animals to safety? How do you save a beast that is fierce, powerful, confused, and scared? A local radio show told a story about an elderly lady who was sleeping (under the aid of a sleeping pill) whose neighbor's home started on fire. The fire spread to her home while she slept, and the fire fighters burst in to check to see if anyone was in danger. When they saw her, they made a plan to get her to safety. She woke up as they rushed towards her, and she was confused. She though that she was being burglarized. She kicked, hit, cursed, and bit the fire fighters. Imagine what a tiger would do!
5) Pregnant deer. As I mentioned, a few of the deer that were rescued were pregnant. In nature, incidents of extreme stress can cause an animal to spontaneously abort their young. Rabbits do this in times of famine or disease (presumably to conserve resources), and also when subjected to a lot of stress (say, a persistent predator). As humans, the word "abortion" conjures controversy and strong feelings. We use the term "miscarriage" to soften an abortion that was unintentional (or natural). But in nature, these things (abortions) happen. In animal populations, nature has provided a way to eliminate a stressor on the herd (birth of young at a bad time). In human populations, such a notion seems barbaric to many (the abortion of young to benefit a person/group). It is interesting to realize the ability of humans to moralize, and how separate we are from the animal kingdom. The cognitive abilities that make us human can also bring complexities and confusion.
Okay, well I'm done. I blogged, so I am back on track. Tomorrow I will be back in old school form, talking about evolution. Just to clarify in advance, I am not disappointed that my pastor is talking about evolution, and I am not even upset that he is drawing the conclusions that he is... I love the debate (both sides have small groups of nut-jobs with flawed arguments). But I am disappointed at the poor presentation, and the poor research that has been done. All too often people walk away from church and apply the minister's words as "gospel" (so to speak). The onus is on ministers then to give only good and accurate information; this includes having well-informed opinions. So more on that tomorrow. For most of you, it will be boring, but if you know me, you know that this quest for truth and fair assessment of data and faith is a big deal.
Horns up!
I guess a heater malfunctioned and set fire to a barn at the zoo. The animals that died were sandhill cranes and rare African deer called water bucks. The Omaha Zoo had the largest herd of these water bucks in North America, but not now. At least some of the deer that were saved by the fire fighters were pregnant, so there is hope to rebuild the herd again.
There are a few interesting aspects to the whole "fire at the zoo" topic, so I will use this as mental calisthenics to get back into the blogging mode. It will be lame, but I need to get back into the habit of writing before any good posts will come.
1) The notion of a zoo in the first place. As much as I love the zoo, and love to see all of the animals, is a zoo a good thing or bad thing? The animals are caged and taken from their habitats. I sort of waiver back and forth on this, but I usually conclude that they are okay. The people who work at the zoo are true animal lovers, and so that makes me feel a lot better. The animals get medical treatment, food, and protection from poachers. And the zoo keepers are very good about trying to make the environment enjoyable for the animals. The gorilla complex, for example, is designed with many timed released containers hidden in the trees and walls. These containers are filled with food, and the gorillas have to forage. This is done so that they feel more at home, and so they are using their natural skills. So, I guess zoos are good.
2) The notion of fire fighters saving animals. Fire fighting is a dangerous profession. The fire fighters can never plan for every danger that can arise in the situation. Luckily, no one was hurt fighting the zoo fire, but as all fire fighters will tell you, things can go sour very quickly on even a seemingly routine call. So this begs the question, would you risk your life and the lives of your friends (as fire fighters) for animals? It is easy to say yes, because so many of us are kind hearted, but I wonder what one would really do? When a human risks their own life to save another human, it makes the news and they are called heroes. This is because many humans probably would just stand and watch rather than risk death. So what then when it is an animal, not a human? This time of year, the news often shows deer, dogs, and horses that fall through ice, and in rare occasions people mobilize to save them. I think it is great that animals are treated with such high regard by rescuers, and I would like to think that I would do whatever I could in those situations.
3) How folks look at animals. I suppose your answer to number two would be dependent on how you look at animals. Do you see them as out evolutionary cousins? As our soulful co-inhabitants on Earth? As reincarnations? As dumb beasts? As resource created for our use? The phrase is often heard "it's just an animal." In the freezing winters in Iowa, there are those who leave their pet cats and dogs in the cold (left to die or suffer) because they view even their family pets as "just animals." A fire fighter may save the animals from a sense of duty (vocation) rather than the philosophical reasons, but I am pretty sure that how they view animals influences their decision making in such a situation.
4) Fire fighter vs. tiger. What if instead of deer, it was the tiger house? How in the world do they move these animals to safety? How do you save a beast that is fierce, powerful, confused, and scared? A local radio show told a story about an elderly lady who was sleeping (under the aid of a sleeping pill) whose neighbor's home started on fire. The fire spread to her home while she slept, and the fire fighters burst in to check to see if anyone was in danger. When they saw her, they made a plan to get her to safety. She woke up as they rushed towards her, and she was confused. She though that she was being burglarized. She kicked, hit, cursed, and bit the fire fighters. Imagine what a tiger would do!
5) Pregnant deer. As I mentioned, a few of the deer that were rescued were pregnant. In nature, incidents of extreme stress can cause an animal to spontaneously abort their young. Rabbits do this in times of famine or disease (presumably to conserve resources), and also when subjected to a lot of stress (say, a persistent predator). As humans, the word "abortion" conjures controversy and strong feelings. We use the term "miscarriage" to soften an abortion that was unintentional (or natural). But in nature, these things (abortions) happen. In animal populations, nature has provided a way to eliminate a stressor on the herd (birth of young at a bad time). In human populations, such a notion seems barbaric to many (the abortion of young to benefit a person/group). It is interesting to realize the ability of humans to moralize, and how separate we are from the animal kingdom. The cognitive abilities that make us human can also bring complexities and confusion.
Okay, well I'm done. I blogged, so I am back on track. Tomorrow I will be back in old school form, talking about evolution. Just to clarify in advance, I am not disappointed that my pastor is talking about evolution, and I am not even upset that he is drawing the conclusions that he is... I love the debate (both sides have small groups of nut-jobs with flawed arguments). But I am disappointed at the poor presentation, and the poor research that has been done. All too often people walk away from church and apply the minister's words as "gospel" (so to speak). The onus is on ministers then to give only good and accurate information; this includes having well-informed opinions. So more on that tomorrow. For most of you, it will be boring, but if you know me, you know that this quest for truth and fair assessment of data and faith is a big deal.
Horns up!
Comments:
Post a Comment