Well, I’ll Be a Monkey’s Uncle!

A chimpanzee named Tommy could be the first nonhuman person recognized by law if the Boston-based Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) gets their way. This group wants Tommy released from a small, dank, cement cage in a cavernous dark shed in Gloversville, N.Y. where he now is kept and I do too. Animals today have some protection from abuse and thus cannot be beaten or deprived of food, shelter or medical care, but they are still legally considered property. Tommy now has a lawyer and trust fund and his advocates want him transferred to the North American Private Sanctuary Alliance in Wauchula, Fla. Founded in 1993, the 120-acre facility houses 45 great apes, many of them former research animals, or maybe in the near future, persons depending on your point of view. I keep thinking of the chimpanzee in the news a while back that was raised by a family of humans but turned on them causing great bodily harm. The sanctuary might be a better place for Tommy, person or not, and the persons of the human variety he will come in contact with.

New York statutory and common law do not limit legal personhood to Homo sapiens (aka humans) and have already conferred legal personhood status on non-human domestic animals who are the beneficiaries of trusts and courts also have routinely extended rights to non-human entities such as corporations. The most important cognitive ability is autonomy, according to NhRP, and Tommy has it along with humans and other great apes. This along with other traits constitutes what makes a person, or in this case, a chimpanzee, a person.

All I can think is, “Wow, maybe I could be a monkey’s uncle aunt!”

Car Hacking through Networked Car Computers

Quite a few blogs back I wrote about how our privacy can be hacked by wireless electric meters, but I didn’t even consider the possibility of car hacking. But apparently car hacking can be done.  May it never be as common as carjacking but it shares some characteristics. The driver isn't in control of their own vehicle and the consequences could be deadly. Car cyberattacks where cars are controlled remotely and made to accelerate wildly or brake suddenly are possible, just not proven, yet. The engine control unit, the ECU, in your car controls the engine power, transmission, and brakes and mechanics plug in with a laptop to diagnose problems. Remote diagnostics go over a cellular network like OnStar. These can make your car vulnerable. A couple of Spanish engineers have created a device ($25) with a $1 chip that breaks encryption so users can write to the memory of a car’s ECU in order to get more horsepower out of a car or get it to burn less fuel. Until as recently as five years ago cars ECU systems have gone unencrypted. Computers are a big part of lots things I take for granted and now I have one more to think about. Could my car be used as a drone?

Discarded DNA

An artist, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, collected detritus from the streets of New York City and with the DNA from the items reconstructed the owner’s faces. Her sculptures used genetic markers for eye color, hair color, racial ancestry, and facial structure. The predictions provided by the discarded DNA were not enough to cause the sculpture to closely resemble the original owners of the DNA but they did make me wonder about genetic surveillance and consent. The artist just assumed there were no laws governing abandoned DNA materials in public places, like ashtrays and public trash receptacles, and even the city streets. The U.S. does have a patch work of genetic privacy laws, but none written to address the testing of abandoned DNA. Interesting, I think. Dewey-Hagborg argued that her project doesn't infringe on the privacy of the DNA donors because they are unlikely to be recognized from the sculptures. If nothing else, this might make some think twice about being litter bugs.

How to Eat a Cupcake, with Frosting in Every Bite!

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, leftover day at this house and probably plenty of others, and I want to share something I learned (and am thankful for also) at our Thanksgiving meal yesterday, how to eat a cupcake with frosting in every bite. I guess it’s a good thing there’s a cupcake leftover for the photo. I must give credit to one of our dinner guests, Ashley, for this ingenious cupcake eating method and let her know that her technique has taken off like wildfire, well maybe not exactly wildfire but taken off nevertheless, among my grandchildren, several of whom will (like me) never eat a cupcake the old way again. The steps are pretty simple. First look over the entire tray of cupcakes for the one with the most frosting, if you are a frosting fanatic or an adequate amount of frosting if you are not. Next, after choosing the cupcake, peel the cupcake paper off and discard. Then tear or cut the bottom half of the cake off and place it on top of the frosting to create a lovely little cupcake sandwich with the delectable frosting in the middle. After that all that’s left is to open wide to enjoy that first frosting filled bite and repeat until you have enjoyed eating all of your cupcake, yep, with frosting in every bite.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s a good day to count your blessings, I am counting mine, and thinking how important it is not to take them for granted. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families from me and mine!
-Jo

Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving

Twas the night before Thanksgiving, when all through the house,

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The turkey was thawing in the fridge with care,

For the next day’s feast and all who’d be there.

The potatoes were peeled, in the fridge, in a pot,

While they wait to be boiled, mashed, and served hot.

With Poppa away, and I in my bed,

Thanksgiving’s menu kept cycling through my head.

When out in the front room came a bark from our pup,

I sprang from my bed to see what was up.

Down the dark hallway to the window to peek,

I pulled back the drape to see what made the dog speak.

Clouds hid the moon, grey fog shrouded the night,

Fallen leaf clutter camouflaged the dog’s fright.

I remembered once marshmallows dotted the leaves like snow,

The marshmallow gun Christmas, a few years ago.

Grandkids, cousins, uncles, aunts, all had fun,

Hiding all around in hopes of ambushing someone.

Thinking of the early start for cooking I would need,

I let go the drape, back to bed to proceed.

The holiday season tomorrow would begin,

With family, friends, all loved ones stopping by and dropping in.

I bowed my head to give my thanks for all of it in advance,

Knowing this quiet moment might be my only chance.

And as dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.

Came a thought of marshmallows for the sweet potato soufflé,

That’s what I’d forgotten and would need the next day!

Then I thought of future blessings and remembered the past,

And my Mom’s sweet potatoes, no marshmallows, yet eaten just as fast.

So I slipped back into my bed, by now I was yawning,

And wondering what new memories would begin with Thanksgiving’s dawning. 

I’m Thankful

Two more busy days until Thanksgiving and then the holidays will really be upon us. To me it feels like the rush has begun early like Black Friday coming a day early this year. So before I start peeling the potatoes I’m taking some time to reflect on the things I am thankful for, including the potatoes and the rest of the things that nourish our families physically, not just on turkey day, but all year long. I am also thankful for grandchildren because they create their own special niches in the hearts of their grandparents. Ours are growing up and I marvel at the way they impact this world and how well they have made it their own. Somehow they are managing to navigate through the same stages as their parents, yet in much more interesting and, unlike their parents (my adult children), less exasperating ways. It’s interesting to watch their parents now too and how everything that comes around goes around again. Though I once warned that they would deserve to have kids that were just like them and I meant put them through the things that made me want to pull my hair out, I am thankful to see that their kids, my grandkids, are growing up resilient with the best of their parents’ character reflected in their personalities. I am thankful.