I love reinforcements, and so do you. If you didn’t, than they would not be a reinforcer. Some of my reinforcements are food, water and money. I do behaviors in hopes that I get one of those things. I get up and go to the sink to get water. I work, so I can get money to buy food and
Read moreSix years ago I was taking an Australian wildlife class in Queensland, Australia. I stayed late after a laboratory session and was walking back to my apartment alone. The sun had set and the only light was coming off the metallic buildings. I had trained myself to look down at the ground for the chance of spotting unique or dangerous
Read moreMy cats have the worst breath, but I love them unconditionally. They make me laugh every day with their inquisitive minds and obnoxious behaviors (such as jumping over my bird and sprinting through my legs tripping me as I walk.) Even though these behaviors exist, I still have to fight the urge not to walk over and wake them from
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Every time there is an international tragedy, there is an outpouring of global support. While it’s sad that it takes such disastrous events to make us feel like one world instead of many countries, it is simultaneously heartwarming to see the lengths that people will go to in order to help those in need, regardless of location. But what happens
Read moreI share my home with two cats, both grey with black stripes or ‘tabby’. Julian is a long and lean skinny cat who walks seductively. The other, is a not-so-long-and-lean-skinny cat who always looks surprised. Princeton has very large eyes for his head, a short nose, tiny ears and is round as a globe. The vet refers to him as
Read moreKnowledge is power and one of my favorite forms of knowledge is vocabulary. When I took a field course in Costa Rica for three weeks, studying rainforest animals, I committed to memory three terms that I use often when talking about animals and pets. In college, I was also taught that one of the best ways to not only remember,
Read moreCrikey! I was infatuated by Steve Irwin, the crocodile hunter, while I was growing up. The way he could highlight an animal and change our negative perception was remarkable. During a summer vacation in elementary school, my family was lucky enough to go camping at my aunt and uncle’s camp site. It was located in the remote Arrowhead camping grounds
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Many economists and politicians speculate about the merits of free trade and fair trade. Although both approaches are focused on a comprehensive plan for commercial activity, they are founded by very different perspectives. Free trade is focused on breaking down barriers between countries and removing preferential policies that favor specific countries or industries. Free traders believe that a business should
Read moreby Lisa Barrett What kind of parental care did you or do you enjoy? Food, shelter, college tuition? How does this compare to parental care in non-human animals? First of all, most animals do not receive any parental care at all. In other words, most animal parents do not invest in feeding, incubating, or defending their young after they are
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What is a Citizen Naturalist? Citizen naturalists are people concerned about the environment who choose to become involved to help on both a local and national level. Anyone can be a citizen naturalist. You just have to have a passion for nature and an interest in helping your community. These can be simple tasks like cleaning up water sources, educating
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