Author Archives: Carol

In Praise of Al-Jazeera

I remember some time ago, sitting in our living room in Bogor, Indonesia, and turning on the TV to watch our first news broadcast from Al-Jazeera.  We were skeptical beforehand, anticipating news coverage with a serious pro-Arab bias.  It was … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on In Praise of Al-Jazeera

American Football—Some Pro’s and Con’s

What a topic of ambivalence.  This ambivalence is captured in the tongue in cheek commentary of American ‘humor columnist’ Dave Barry.  Capturing the absurdity of this year’s events, he concludes, “…repelled by the drainage ditch that our political system has … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on American Football—Some Pro’s and Con’s

On Swiddens, Swiddeners and the Passions of Those who Study Them

I stop in the midst of writing an academic treatise on swidden agriculture globally. The paper is full of rationality and reason, carefully constructed sentences, the making of valid statements, supported by believable evidence. Yet, bubbling beneath this rational superficiality … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on On Swiddens, Swiddeners and the Passions of Those who Study Them

Oregon and the Death Penalty

I woke early this morning in my mother’s household in Portland, Oregon.  I quietly made a pot of coffee, fed the cat, and padded out into the cool November rain to get the morning paper for my mother, who reads … Continue reading

Posted in ethics, politics | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Oregon and the Death Penalty

Time for Protest—Again

The guitarist and songwriter, Makana, sang his wonderful protest song, We are the Many, at a gathering of APEC in Honolulu on Saturday night.  He sang it, and was allowed to sing it, for 45 minutes, to a group of … Continue reading

Posted in politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Time for Protest—Again

On the Coming of Winter

On October 28, 2011, Etna, New York had its first snowfall of the coming winter, with some of the snow remaining on the ground for a day or two in the higher elevations.  By 30 October, the temperature had dropped … Continue reading

Posted in seasons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on On the Coming of Winter

On War and its After effects

My friend, Beth, recently learned that one could lend a Kindle book for two weeks to a friend. She wanted to figure out how to do it, so, having several books she thought I’d like, she kindly selected me as … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments Off on On War and its After effects

On Population and Perplexity

I am perplexed. I’ve spent the day in meeting rooms with interesting, intelligent, motivated people in Airlie Center, a lovely resort an hour or so out of Washington, DC, in the Virginia countryside. We were concerned about and trying to … Continue reading

Posted in deforestation, gender, population, REDD+ | 1 Comment

Am I Engaged in Biosociality?

I was initially drawn to Cornelia Guell’s  recent article entitled “Candi(e)d Action:  Biosocialities of Turkish Berliners Living with Diabetes” ( Medical Anthropology Quarterly (25(3):377-394, 2011), by the focus on Turks—I grew up in Turkey—but I soon found myself enmeshed in … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Am I Engaged in Biosociality?

On the Passing of Summer

The last couple of mornings the temperatures have been in the low 40s (F), and I began to realize that the warmth of summer was nearly over.  The reality of seasonality struck me again—after my many years in the tropics.  … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on On the Passing of Summer