Author Archives: hlanthorn

coastal communities recording pirates, informing countries

“in the 18 months since the London-based Environment Justice Foundation (EJF) raised the £50,000 needed to buy and equip a small seven-metre community surveillance boat for villages in the Sherbro river area of Sierra Leone, local fishers have filmed and identified 10 international trawlers working illegally in their protected waters and have made 252 separateContinueContinue reading “coastal communities recording pirates, informing countries”

i am not sure that means what you think it means (II): there’s a good chance the question has not been begged because no one begged it

begging the question ≠ raising the question the folks at this site discuss the dangers and prevalence of ‘BTQ abuse.’ they note: Beg the question does not mean “to raise the question.” (e.g. “It begs the question, why is he so dumb?”) This is a common error of usage made by those who mistake the word “question” inContinueContinue reading “i am not sure that means what you think it means (II): there’s a good chance the question has not been begged because no one begged it”

P4P, habits, context, process

Mark Nichter and Prascilla Magrath (hereafter, M&N) have a nice new paper on pay-for-performance (P4P), stating that “understanding the processes by which P4P targets are reached demands a reorientation… towards an understanding of motivation as a component within a complex adaptive social system.” (Complex systems are so hot right now!) the paper is worth reading inContinueContinue reading “P4P, habits, context, process”

‘party over’ for somali pirates

first of all, i don’t think i fully understood that the somali pirates were partying. however, “the empty whiskey bottles and overturned, sand-filled skiffs littering this once-bustling shoreline (of Hobyo) are signs that the heydey of Somali piracy might be over. most of the prostitutes are gone and the luxury cars repossessed. pirates while awayContinueContinue reading “‘party over’ for somali pirates”

fresh fruit, folk flu, confessions, cold season, & conclusions

the main gist here is that it is not fun to have an illness with no name, no clear prognosis, and, insofar as someone thinks it is necessary, no clear, commensurate-to-symptoms treatment plan. the need to restate this grew out of recent discussions around malaria diagnosis and treatment of malaria and the broader range of illnessesContinueContinue reading “fresh fruit, folk flu, confessions, cold season, & conclusions”

continued declines in piracy but bolder in West Africa

a more complete review is here. “outside of Somalia, most of the piracy is basically robbing the crew of their valuables and any portable items of worth from the ship (that will fit into the pirates’ small boat).” “some of the pirates on the west coast of Africa (mainly the Gulf of Guinea) have becomeContinueContinue reading “continued declines in piracy but bolder in West Africa”