I want to try this

What do you think?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hairport_lisbon/2762418657/in/set-72157604787269381/

Works in Progress #1

I wanted to work through some of the projects that I am working on so that I can better articulate it to people that ask. I thought, well what better place to do that than here to share it with the masses. So if you are not interested in the work of a bio-cultural anthropologist then feel free to skip this post.

Evaluating the Weight-loss surgery Model

I have become very interested in the concept of weight-loss surgery particularly from the secondary health implications that it can have on an individual. After doing some preliminary research it is apparent that there are many more social implications alive here that I did not recognize in the beginning. One aspect of our (me and my research partner) research will be looking out the biological stresses and complications posed by these surgeries. Examples of this would include the effects of rapid weight loss, vitamin deficiencies, and things like osteoporosis or osteopenia as a result. Another aspect of the project is going to be looking at the individual on the basis of their identity and power struggles within society as they go through the transition of loosing weight. These could be things that either complicate their progress or cause them to regain the weight they loose. Things we have noted so far is not being able to handle the new attention they receive from loosing weight, power struggles with significant others since they are no longer repressed socially due to their weight, and on the other end of the spectrum the strong empowerment that some individuals feel by having a sense of control over their lives. There are a number of issues that fall into this group, but it is fascinating. Another aspect of the research looks at the model of intervention by the clinic. Looking at the authoritative position of the surgeon, access to knowledge by the patient, and the power struggle that resides between physician and his support staff and between physician and his patient. The model that has been alluded to here is one of a deviant model where the patient is seen as a social deviant and is repressed through the workings of the weight loss procedures. Again, very interesting. Last, my research partner and I are hoping to design and implement some new methodology through the use of new technology. There is no reason that anthropology should not be capitalizing on the technology that is out there and we feel that we have the knowledge base to at least attempt this. The use of blogs, twitter, and bookmarking applications that will allow for real time communication, support, and dissemination of knowledge between physician, support staff, and patients that will allow for support and confirmation on a number of issues without having a face-to-face interaction which can be problematic for these individuals.

It is our goal through doing this project to understand the weight-loss issue through the lens of weight-loss surgery in hopes of building a list of best practices and more socially sensitive methodology. To understand the position of both the patient and physician and the problems they encounter working with each other and amongst themselves. Hopefully, we will be able to offer some suggestions to help with adherence and compliance to such a procedure and regimen.


So that is project one, more to come.

News In Paleontology

Paleontologists Discover Skeleton Of Nature’s First Sexual Predator

Hilarious! I love Onion News!

A Spring Miracle

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2393/2217286668_7574a51e5c.jpg?v=0

As many of you have noticed, especially if you follow my tweets, the past couple of weeks have been crazy busy. With the middle of the semester upon me the stress of book reviews, reports, research, and mid-term exams have been weighing heavy on my mind. This is in addition to me trying to figure out where to uproot the family and move us to for a Ph.D. program. As you know the first attempt to find a suitable Ph.D program was less than successful it has begun.

So mid-terms. I have been presented with the midterm of all mid-terms this semester. I am used to being busy. I am used to writing an exorbitant amount in a short amount of time. I am used to conceptualizing and condensing vast amounts of material. This one topped the cake. This mid-term is designed to help us follow the history of anthropology from it's conception to present. This is to be accomplished through the identification and chronological ordering of all paradigms, identification and contribution of all major theorists since the 1600's, identification and significance of major anthropological terms, and the summary of at least four major theorists of our choosing. If this doesn't seem like a lot of material....well you would be mistaken. Let me just say that I have personally written over 20 single spaced pages at this point and only find myself about half way done....at the most. On top of this I have spent upwards of at least 30 hours working on gathering and conceptualizing information in order to present concise and precise information on the progression of theoretical paradigms throughout the history of anthropology.

This mid-term has consumed my every thought and hour for the past three weeks. I have been skipping class and choosing to not read for other courses in order to get this mid-term completed by this Wednesday. Then the miracle. After consulting with numerous other colleagues of mine (fellow graduate students) we employed a graduate spokesperson to petition for an extension of our deadline....and it worked. This never works. We have been working our asses off and now we have an extra week to complete the exam. I can now put the extra time into this assignment that will allow for a more cohesive presentation of the material, let me employee my table of contents, and produce a document that I will be able to reference in the future. A miracle. MIRACLE.

I just can't believe it worked. I also can't believe some of the products that I have seen coming from other students. The amount of pages that this professor is going to have to read is remarkable. I have to say that I finally feel that I am really learning the material through the process, but having to write so much and so often is leaving me jaded and uninterested. I hope that I can just push through and get this shit done.

On another note, I sat in on a support group for individuals that have gone through weight-loss surgery (mostly Lap-band) and gathered so much material that I am ecstatic. There are so many issues and so many social implications to this new social construct that it will provide for very interesting research, possibly for years to come. It was an amazing experience and made me happy to be an anthropologist again, despite of the mid-term.

Doctoral Program Visit #1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24785917@N03/2980051095/

Ok........to say the least my first doctoral program visit did not go well. Maybe that isn't fair. It didn't go as planned, we will go with that.

The plan was to visit campus and get a feel of the workings of the campus and the student life type of things. I also wanted to be able to visit the department and take a look around to see what kind of resources were available and how well the graduate students interacted with the professors. I had set up meetings with three professors that I wanted to work with (two of them more than the other) as well as plan to attend a guest lecture and meet with some graduate students to get their opinions. So that is what I had planned.

What happened was a little different. I did get a good feel for the campus. I got a good feel for the department. I got to talk to a couple of graduate students (one of which graduated from my alma mater) and see most of the department resources. And the guest lecture, Dr. Bob Brain, was an amazing hypothesis of increasing predation allowing for increased encephalization. But that is where it all stopped. When I first got on campus the one professor that I kind of wanted to meet with yet don't care to study with, canceled cause he had broken a tooth. Ok, no big deal. Well the day went on and my first meeting didn't show up. I started to get upset at this point. I spent time hanging out in the department talking to other students and other professors. Ok, so killed two hours of time just walking around and waiting for my final meeting. And after waiting and hour after my meeting was supposed to start, I considered my self defeated and went home.

So, things did not go as planned, but I did learn a lot. There is also the fact that I did have to explain my interests, thoughts, theories, and etc. over and over again which really helped me to clarify how and what to say during these interviews. I also got a good feel for the department which is one of the more important aspects that I needed to see. But, I had planned to also be back on campus on Friday only to find out that the department was going to be closed. Despite the fact that people encouraged me to go ahead and visit despite the fact that it was the end of finals week, no one mentioned that the department was going to be closed. So, I am out of town for an additional day, unnecessarily, because someone neglected to inform me that the department wasn't going to be open.

Ok, just wanted to put this all here so people could read it and I wouldn't have to go through it over and over again. Also, this will allow me to look back and see how poorly school #1 did on the basis of respect and interest in students.

The Landlord

The Landlord from Will Ferrell

Sorry. Don't want to be one of those bloggers who only posts videos. But this is f'n hilarious!!

Damn Humans!

Procrastination

Every time I find myself in a bind for time I end up wanting to add things to my list. It isn't so much as of wanting to procrastinate consciously, but some unconscious mechanism that is trying to sabotage my sanity and make things as difficult as possible. The good thing is I am realizing this now before it does too much more damage.

Like today for instance. I got a TON of sleep. With my constraints on time and the amount of work I have to do I probably should not have slept at all. Then, this morning, while printing out my paper to proof and writing my theory dissertation (a.k.a. mid-term take-home exam) I decided that I would like to redesign my blog page, find new people on twitter, find some great new material to post on, and look into all things techy. Luckily....I didn't. Instead I am writing it all down here so that I can procrastinate for a couple of minutes and then move on.


Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35752108@N00/118277922/

The paper I have written is an in-depth review of Sean B. Carroll's Endless Forms Most Beautiful. I will post a review of it in the upcoming days. It is a popular work that covers the paradigms of evolutionary thought and our current working paradigm of evo devo. While the concept might seem a bit abstract to some, the writing is very enjoyable and tangible. The arguments proposed within the book provide a framework that makes the "evolution in schools" and "creationism" argument obsolete and even a bit ridiculous. So, it is a great read for anyone that wants to have a better understanding on the current work of evolutionary research and our movement in evo devo. I will post more about that soon.

Ok, enough for now, back to work!!!

Not sleepy...can't study

Every time that I think that my life isn't going to get any busier...it does. I have been out of my mind. I mean the, I am gonna freak out in a way that I don't even want the dogs to see, kind of freak out mega-session.

I am technically on "Spring Break" this week. The quotes are a strong hint on how I feel about that. I have so much assigned tests, readings, and grants that I am going out of my head. And yet I can't seem to focus...or get sleepy at beneficial times. I guess my recent study schedule has thrown my sleep schedule out of whack...I am tired right after lunch and then not again till 3 or 4 in the morning.

Anywho, I have this research project that I am trying to get off the ground, and if it pans out I will finally get to go to Africa. I have been asked to assist in a program evaluation in Uganda. I know I have written on this before, but this should give some more info. I will be working on evaluating the effectiveness of and HIV/AIDS education and mentoring program for school children. The program is based out of Kampala, Uganda and will be through a private clinic organization that has established this program. I have already started trying to write up grants and etc. for funding, and then the project component will begin. I will be in Uganda for 8 weeks, will spend the next year analyzing the data, will return again for a month for follow up....and then who knows. I am really looking forward to it but am a little overwhelmed as well. I am not sure yet, but there is a very good possibility that we have bitten off more than we can chew.

Other than that, I have gotten my first grad school assignment that made me want to vomit. I really did get nauseous. A take home exam consisting of 2 front and back pages. And the topic......History and Theory of Anthropology. Estimated hours to compete: 30. Weeks to complete: 2. Estimated Pages for completion: 30.
Yes, I want to "break-a-leg" just to get out of writing what could be deemed a very detailed dissertation.

Enough about that. I spent a great day with the wife and doggies today, my brother came to visit this weekend, and I got to blow off some steam with some colleagues. I needed all of that to prepare me for having to buckle down and pull a 70 hour week of.....just studying.

I am sure I will be writing more in order to procrastinate further.

My favortie Animal

Humans. Homo sapien sapiens. anatomy. biology. physiology. habits. behaviors. sociality. culture.

Humans are the most complex animal. The most interesting specimen to study. Things are never simple, things are never straight forward, there is an exception to every rule. That is why I am an anthropologist.

Reflection has become sort of a past time or hobby for me at the moment. While I have found my personal identity, I am still looking for my academic or professional identity. This leads me to be very critical. Not saying that this is a bad thing at all. I am being trained to be critical for god-sake. But is it too much?

Humans are such interesting animals. And by far my favorite animal. With nothing about being a human being simple, or even tangible for a lot of people. No two humans are alike. No two humans will have the same upbringing, same experiences, same inerpretatoins, same world-view, same understanding, same death. Each of us is unique. Each of us is a product of our experience in life.

Political Economy, Environmental injustice, Economics, Structural violence, symbolic violence, oppression, power relations, empowerment, stigmatization, stereotypes, racism, life. We are a product of everything we know, everything we learn, everything we take for granted, and everything we don't understand. We are products, or are we people? What is it to be human?

Adaptability, predictability, acclimation, enculturation, identity, culture, society, change, variation, symmetry, phenotype, genotype, evo-devo, biology, anatomy, cultural compotantancy, knowledge. What do we know? What is it that we are missing? Are we forever in this dynamic state of self study and reflection? Can we really ever understand us and understand what it means to understand?

We are by far my favorite animal. Until I understand my favorite animal; I will always be a student!

My amazing opportunity

So, I have been given an amazing opportunity and after much deliberation.....I have decided to go through with it.

I have been asked to help in the evaluation of an HIV prevention/education program in Uganda. There is a physician that works here in the U.S. that got in contact with a colleague of mine and she asked me to be a part of the team. Our tasks will be to evaluate the HIV mentoring program that has been established in Uganda and provide feedback and suggestions. There are 87 schools involved in this project and over 57,000 students. While this target population and health issue is outside my major field of focus, it is an amazing experience and will really help my career (it took me a while to realize that).

We have a lot of obsticales to still overcome and a LOT of work to do before we head over, but I am excited. I will update you more as I know more, and find more time to write.

YAY!!!!!