For those of you who don't live in the United States, you should know that we actually have 2 species of coyote in this country: The Western Coyote and the Eastern Coyote. (Wiley Coyote from Looney Toons is a Western Coyote). 

Coyotes of both kinds have always been with us here. They have roamed this land since the days that Native American tribes wandered the trails. But... apparently Eastern Coyotes are causing a new problem for the modern world.

The Western Coyote is the one…

Continue

   An article on bees and complex problem solving caught my attention today:  http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2010/10/bees-solve-complex-problems-faster-than-supercomputers.html It's one of several I've come across recently about animal intelligence and problem solving. The bees were able to solve an issue supercomputers have trouble with, and also recognize human…

Continue

I wasgetting my daily dose of the Huffington Post when I came across this article about a two headed cow being born. Apparently the baby was born on January 2 of this year. The mother cow has basically rejected her calf so they have to bottle feed it. I don't know about you but that's one creepy looking calf.…

Continue

I've not covered this topic as yet, so what a better time to do so than now?



I've covered death, afterlife, evolution, space, existentialism, gods, demons, medicine et al., but haven't really touched on soul. And there's a reason for it, it's a difficult topic to cover with any sense of authority because it's a grey area, one where there is… Continue

So this week has been rough. Monday I took Buddy into the vet clinic to see what was wrong with him, and on Wednesday morning he died...Nothing makes you rethink your whole life like losing a loved one. I wish there was a heaven to see your old friends and family and pets, but then why would I cherish life? Well after 12 years of being my best friend, Buddy passed away July 14th, 2010 in the morning from "Immune Mediated Anemia" which means his own immune system has been killing his red-blood… Continue

Definitely not the religious books- not me.



So then why do I have compassion? Why is it that the majority of the people around me are compassionate also? Why is it that we rally behind our gay brothers and sisters who are in the minority when most religious books want them dead?



If the basis of our morality is the opinion of the majority, then, as pointed out in another blog post just before this one, wasn't Hitler correct in murdering the Jews? The US and the rest of the… Continue

Finally, the verdict comes out after about 8 hours of waiting.

Dan DeLong, the teacher that was suspended for assigning an optional article dealing with homosexuality in the animal kingdom, has his job back. The entire meeting that decided this was held behind closed doors while a reported 200 people stood outside in support of him.



I read the article that he assigned as optional material and there were some mildly graphic descriptions (if you call mentioning an ejaculation… Continue

If animals do not sin, then why is it considered sin when humans engage in these same behaviors? To say humans are somehow superior to animals is to commit the sin of pride.

If animals do sin, then they should be visited by the wrath of god and subject to proselytizing, and all dogs really do go to…

Continue

While often thought of as a "Children's Story", this is far from it. Loaded with contradictions to what we have been told about God, this story raises some interesting questions.



Warning – this view might disturb some readers, but please read the full article to understand to context of the points being made before jumping to conclusion.



The well known story of Noah's Ark is often listed as a favorite, and often considered as… Continue