Why We Need Wolves
The debate about wolves is picking up again, due to the ill-advised decision of the Obama administration to delist wolves from the Endangered Species Act throughout the northern Rockies of the United...
View ArticleThe Pristine Myth
I recently read an interesting article entitled Top Predator on the Plains: Wolf, Bear or Human, written by Michelle Berry, a Masters student in Environmental Studies at Stanford University. You can...
View ArticleObama and the Moral Voice of Public Policy
President Barack Obamas performance during the first presidential debate with Mitt Romney has been widely panned. Much of this criticism circulates around contrasts between style and substance. Mitt...
View ArticleAldo Leopold and Green Fire
I watched Green Fire for the second time last week. It is a documentary film about the life and work of Aldo Leopold. The film was produced by the Aldo Leopold Foundation, an educational non-profit...
View ArticleObama Gets His Groove Back
Barack Obama did well in last nights debate with Mitt Romney. He recaptured the energy, focus and steel needed to expose the fabrications of republican policies and Romneys record. If you have any...
View ArticleEthical Hunting?
Last week WBURs On Point broadcast a show entitled Ethical Hunting. The host, Tom Ashbrook, spent the majority of his time interviewing Lily Raff McCaulo and Steven Rinella. McCaulo recently published...
View ArticleWolf Awareness Week 2012
Today begins the annual Wolf Awareness Week to commemorate the return of wolves to their natural landscapes across North America. This week of celebration, education and advocacy was started by...
View ArticleOutdoor Cats
I was recently asked to attend a conference on Outdoor Cats, and to say something about ethics and policy with respect to their management. Cats can be managed? Seriously, the issue is important...
View ArticleElection Reflections
Listening to the post election analysis of Obamas second win of the White House, I have been struct by several recurring themes. The first is the importance of exercising ones right to vote, perhaps...
View ArticleThanksgiving for Wolves?
Norway recently entered into negotiations with Sweden to claim a population of Swedish wolves as their own. This is to protect the interests of Norwegian wolves, right? Not at all. Norway wants to...
View ArticleHow to Tell if Your Cat Is Trying to Kill You
In preparation for a presentation on ethics, public policy and outdoor cats, I came across this hilarious interpretation of cat behaviours, drawn by Matthew Inman. To see the whole thing, visit...
View ArticleWildlife Services Should Come Clean with An Ethics Review
Last night I returned home from The Outdoor Cat conference in Los Angeles, something I mentioned in a previous post. By now I must have attended and spoken at hundreds of academic and advocacy oriented...
View ArticleNewtown Shooting
A short note of heartfelt condolences for all the families and friends of those who died in Newtown, CT. This is a desperate tragedy that will forever change the lives of the victims, their loved...
View ArticleThe Outdoor Cat: A New Beginning?
Early this month I attended The Outdoor Cat: Science and Policy from a Global Perspective. Held in Los Angeles, CA from 3-5 December 2012, the conference was organized by the Humane Society of the...
View ArticleHoliday Season 2012
Practical Ethics wishes you all a happy and peaceful holiday. Posts will resume in early January. Cheers! Image: Solstice in Maine, 2002, Robert F. Bukaty, AP.
View ArticleReverence for Life
This January I have been trying to spend as much time outdoors as I can. When I cannot get away to one of the larger and wilder places in MA, there are several woods nearby that are perfect for a few...
View ArticleServices
I have added a new Services section, accessible from the top menu, describing my approach to ethics consulting. If you have questions or would like a quote, please use the contact page to write me.
View ArticleGun Control
President Barack Obama laid out his recommendations for the regulation of firearms on Wednesday. Based on a white paper crafted by Vice-President Joe Biden entitled Now Is The Time, Obama held a news...
View ArticleWolves and George Monbiot
The ever marvellous George Monbiot blogs for The Guardian on the environment and social justice. Unlike many in the environmental justice community, he has no difficulty defending the moral standing...
View ArticleWolves of New England
Christopher Benfey is Mellon Professor of English at Mount Holyoke, and a frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books. In the January issue he has a lyric essay about The Lost Wolves of New...
View ArticleBlizzard of 2013
Nemo looks to be a potentially record setting blizzard that is hitting the Northeast as I write. Governor Patrick has ordered everyone but emergency services and plows off all state roads. And the wind...
View ArticleThe Outdoor Cat: Consensus Statement
In December I wrote about The Outdoor Cat conference, where I and others gathered to consider the ecological, social and ethical dimensions of outdoor cats, their well being, and their impact on...
View ArticleProtecting Cats and Birds
Jennifer Scarlett is a DVM and Co-President of the San Francisco SPCA. She wrote an interesting article entitled “Birds and Outdoor Cats: Protecting Both” for the Huffington Post. Allow me to...
View ArticleCoexisting with Coyotes
The Friends of the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge recently sponsored a talk on coyotes by John Maguranis, the MA representative of Project Coyote. A former Animal Care Specialist in the US...
View ArticleUpgrades
I am taking a short break from postings while I work on cleaning up some code and bring upgrades to the site. The first of these is a list of recent comments. You can find that in the right-hand...
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