tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.comments2023-04-08T06:06:13.055-07:00Notes from the PensAya Katzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07830585801297506770noreply@blogger.comBlogger2043125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-27254265220231836822022-07-18T20:10:50.190-07:002022-07-18T20:10:50.190-07:00I think Bow would agree. :)I think Bow would agree. :)Aya Katzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830585801297506770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-49929661815601025882022-07-18T20:04:48.278-07:002022-07-18T20:04:48.278-07:00This is a very interesting discussion. I think gen...This is a very interesting discussion. I think gender difference are healthy and a good thing. If some people want to be more gender neutral that is fine, but I do not think they she dictates everyone has to do this.Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11147781152448695481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-20163228257996988412022-07-01T08:40:19.222-07:002022-07-01T08:40:19.222-07:00Hi, Edieal. Thank you for leaving this comment. Wh...Hi, Edieal. Thank you for leaving this comment. What was your mother's name? Aya Katzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830585801297506770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-32403740277615212542022-07-01T08:03:03.220-07:002022-07-01T08:03:03.220-07:00Dear Aya, my name is Edieal Pinker. My mother is a...Dear Aya, my name is Edieal Pinker. My mother is an old friend of your later father and would like to contact you. Please drop me an email so I can make the connection. epinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10108546248545434609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-85097301795912785152021-01-31T18:42:39.103-08:002021-01-31T18:42:39.103-08:00Bow is not a baby, anymore. He is an adult. He beh...Bow is not a baby, anymore. He is an adult. He behaves like an adult son, who is affectionate, but does not expect the same level of care as an infant. Aya Katzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830585801297506770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-91165743127556544072021-01-29T07:57:58.346-08:002021-01-29T07:57:58.346-08:00Since Bow is an adult male chimp now does he still...Since Bow is an adult male chimp now does he still want love and affection from you like when he was a baby?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02908386483665014588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-67459887065757726422021-01-27T16:48:50.500-08:002021-01-27T16:48:50.500-08:00Yes, it has become very cruel to anyone who does n...Yes, it has become very cruel to anyone who does not already have all the companions he can want living with him in his own enclosure. I wonder how long this new world order can last. It does seem that something has to give.Aya Katzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830585801297506770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-73562017775980535162021-01-27T13:27:56.894-08:002021-01-27T13:27:56.894-08:00I am not overly social, but I find how cruel and c...I am not overly social, but I find how cruel and callous people became in 2020 about not socializing. Single people are told by people in relationships and families they can socialize and date on apps. I have heard single people told they should not met anyone in person until the pandemic is over, but how long will that be? Even if people are in relationships, some people used to use social groups as a way to have an outlet. Now everyone is expected to stay home, stay single, and just Zoom for companionship. Or get cabin fever in their relationship and family, and just use online friends and groups for interaction. I wish Bow could have a companion that could come and meet him. There is something deprivation about a world that does not let this happened, but I woke up at three in the morning feeling like I could not breath in a mask. I had a dream about that. But hey, that is kind of the metaphor I have for the ways things are going. I want to be positive, but I really do not like these trends.Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11147781152448695481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-61229646319578119182018-12-31T06:45:30.122-08:002018-12-31T06:45:30.122-08:00Yes, I think we are gaining viewership for the liv...Yes, I think we are gaining viewership for the livestreams as well, Julia. And when we are honest and are not to afraid to say something controversial, I think that is when our influence grows. I feel very lucky to be able to have you as a co-host on the livestreams. I look forward to a very productive year!Aya Katzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830585801297506770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-91880099422418695582018-12-31T06:06:17.717-08:002018-12-31T06:06:17.717-08:00I am glad you are getting so many subscribers. I j...I am glad you are getting so many subscribers. I just wish some of the subscribers would take more of an interest in the livestreams, but our viewership is growing, and sometimes on videos we thought were not our best ones, turned out to be more popular.Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11147781152448695481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-87477494951801778742018-10-10T13:25:25.286-07:002018-10-10T13:25:25.286-07:00Thanks, Amy. I am a bit frustrated, too, but hopef...Thanks, Amy. I am a bit frustrated, too, but hopefully I will have my 1000 subscribers in time for Christmas.I still wonder why this measure of success is so important to YouTube. You would think views and minutes watched would cover all the bases.Aya Katzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830585801297506770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-17340611597774080962018-10-10T03:18:05.633-07:002018-10-10T03:18:05.633-07:00This frustrates me knowing that only a few months ...This frustrates me knowing that only a few months later you now have 926 subscribers. How silly. Meanwhile, 'monkeyboo' has over 2 million...as his owner smokes up his earnings. I am pretty sure it's mostly children who make up a big percentage of the subscribers. Sometimes I wish I had the naivete of a child still.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14771835715069125324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-32588417173934051222018-08-28T19:38:11.924-07:002018-08-28T19:38:11.924-07:00Thanks, Amy Lynn. It is encouraging to have back a...Thanks, Amy Lynn. It is encouraging to have back and forth conversations online with someone who feels free to say what she thinks, but who is also open minded enough to reevaluate based on more evidence. Aya Katzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830585801297506770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-29848486844499573952018-08-28T08:41:32.039-07:002018-08-28T08:41:32.039-07:00I loved reading this. I am glad your mother is doi...I loved reading this. I am glad your mother is doing okay. And trust me...the world isn't the best place right now, and as your friend stated above; a lot of people are only concerned about what they can get from others, and only care about themselves. I think with all of the technologoly now a days, good authentic relationships are hard to come by in any form. I have become a bit of a hermit myself...but I also have become kind of afraid of people. I wish I knew you better, so I could come visit you and Bow sometime. You seem like a very good person. And I would love to learn many of the things you know. I hope you all have a wonderful day. I'll read some of your other entries, and look forward to future ones as well.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14771835715069125324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-43221270292627119582018-08-20T14:02:53.331-07:002018-08-20T14:02:53.331-07:00Thanks, Julia. I do sometimes wonder how badly fru...Thanks, Julia. I do sometimes wonder how badly frustrated I would be if I did have one of those academic positions that I long for. I am grateful for the life I have. There is a lot of peace and calm and quiet, there is Bow, and there is my writing and my art and my books. I am lucky to have a grown daughter in college still so close to home and in constant communication. In one sense, I have everything I have ever wanted to have. But being human, I still long for more! I wish I had linguists to share ideas with, and students to teach, and an academic context for both my scientific research and my literary contributions. But I have not forgotten that I have so much to be grateful for!Aya Katzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830585801297506770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-22831822868089297832018-08-19T14:17:39.983-07:002018-08-19T14:17:39.983-07:00I know you want to get back to the academic world,...I know you want to get back to the academic world, but sometimes I feel like the life you have with Bow is better than what is on the outside. I suppose in the academic world things are not always tense and more logical, but if I had the money and means to keep more to myself I probably would. I enjoy intereacting with the world, but there is just something very hard edged about California life. My friend and I were talking about this. She has had bad experiences over the last few years hiring people to do things like cleaning her house, or repairing things. People seem more interested in just making a few bucks than having a good relationships with someone paying them. I do not know if maybe it is something about the California fast paced lifestyle, but common courtesy just feels to be lacking here. It is something I feel a lot. People are generally polite, but I feel there is a lot of only caring about yourself, while pretending to be part of a great social movement that cares about others. As for PETA, a lot of vegans do not like them. Unnatural vegan just did a video about how ridicolous PETA is. They would not promote the impossible burger because this company had to test an ingredient on rats, but it was something the FDA requires for a certain safety clearance so they can sell their products. This is why I like to eat vegan, but do not really identify with any of the animal rights groups. I honestly do not really have a problem with people eating meat either, I just do not want to eat it myself. But the PETA people and the hardcore animal rights groups think everyone will be kinder and better when they are militant about everything. I do not think this makes people kinder and better, it is kind of the opposite actually. It goes back to how today everyone pretends to be empathetic and kind, but in reality, some of these people only care about themselves.Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11147781152448695481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-22145484364747024582018-08-17T13:16:17.140-07:002018-08-17T13:16:17.140-07:00Thanks, Kathy. It was a big relief to me to find t...Thanks, Kathy. It was a big relief to me to find that my mother was doing well. <br />The problem with the moles working for PETA is actually created by government legislation and interference. Once chimpanzees are listed as endangered in the United States -- as if they ever were wild here -- then anyone can complain about a "take", as if we took them from the wild. It is the law and the agency called US Fish & Wildlife that enable the brazen behavior of PETA.<br /><br />At one point, I was planning to raise Bow trilingual, with Chinese the third language. But we lost the Chinese speaking volunteers who would have made that possible.<br /><br />I have no intention of trying to teach Bow a language out of context, with "la plume de ma tante" kind of contrived phrases for the purpose of instruction. Bow only wants to use language to communicate. It is because of this that testing him "objectively" to the satisfaction of the scientific community is next to impossible.<br /><br />Every language is easy when we learn them as a baby or toddler or very small child. Every language is nearly impossible to learn to native speaker standards once we are an adult. My children's book Ping & the Snirkelly People details how language is learned and what bilinguals may know that monolinguals don't.<br /><br />Looking forward to seeing you and everyone else at the next Creative Writers' Meeting! Aya Katzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830585801297506770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-73621878958673926992018-08-17T10:34:29.322-07:002018-08-17T10:34:29.322-07:00I am glad to hear your mother is ok too, Aya. Tha...I am glad to hear your mother is ok too, Aya. That must have created a lot of stress for you. And really glad to hear that Bow has a new friend and you have a new sitter that you can trust. I had no idea that people were sending out "moles" to spy on people who kept chimpanzees. That seems very underhanded. <br />I also find it fascinating that not only does Bow have language, he has 2 languages in which he can 'talk'. I have never tried to learn it, but Hebrew looks like a very difficult language to learn. I'm sure if I were a child trying to learn it, I'd have a different perspective on that though. Very impressive that Bow knows it! Would you ever try to teach him another language, such as Spanish?<br />Regardless, I'm glad you're not completely isolated anymore, especially with our writer's club getting ready to start up again. Nikkis Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04900207220789667368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-30600177626377698782018-08-16T13:04:09.608-07:002018-08-16T13:04:09.608-07:00That's my understanding of it as well.That's my understanding of it as well.Liberius Prattling Sizzlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15123296012344973649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-78096971077235247962018-08-16T12:43:45.354-07:002018-08-16T12:43:45.354-07:00Thanks, Kelly. Bow is usually a pretty good spelle...Thanks, Kelly. Bow is usually a pretty good speller, but I think that his errors actually speak to his understanding of the phonemic principle, because they show he has not simply memorized how to spell words.Aya Katzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830585801297506770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-337004834721253382018-08-16T09:19:29.067-07:002018-08-16T09:19:29.067-07:00I'm glad your mother is ok. I enjoyed seeing ...I'm glad your mother is ok. I enjoyed seeing the pictures from your visit with her. I'm also glad the new sitter is working out, and that Bow is taking well to her. Other than that, this blog post about language is really fascinating. I love that Bow spelled "Peed" as "Pid". It reminds me of how my daughter spells words that she's just trying to sound out.Liberius Prattling Sizzlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15123296012344973649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-78889954844108640192018-07-24T11:21:12.082-07:002018-07-24T11:21:12.082-07:00This was an informative post, Aya. I hope more peo...This was an informative post, Aya. I hope more people read it.Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11147781152448695481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-86558324327868466822018-07-21T07:18:54.574-07:002018-07-21T07:18:54.574-07:00Hi, Kathy. Thanks for sharing your perspective and...Hi, Kathy. Thanks for sharing your perspective and also for alerting me to the fact that you left a comment. Blogger has stopped sending me notices about pending comments.<br /><br />It really is a conflict between a laissez faire libertarian outlook and our love of nature. I have learned a lot about milkweed and Monarchs in the past few years, precisely because I am a nature lover. My perspective is that we may actually be domesticating -- and therefore altering -- both the milkweed and the monarchs by "helping" them. It's true that it is Man that has altered their environment, but isn't Man just a part of nature? When we like something, we help it to survive. But by doing so, we also make it dependent on our help. When we shield a plant or animal from normal selective pressure -- from ourselves but also from others -- we eventually make it domesticated. Julia and I discussed this on our last livestream. Ultimately conservation and agriculture are not that different. Both involve a centralized control of ecological niches. Aya Katzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830585801297506770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-21196790342781057022018-07-19T13:18:10.819-07:002018-07-19T13:18:10.819-07:00Hi Aya, interesting perspective on the Milkweed an...Hi Aya, interesting perspective on the Milkweed and Monarch butterflies! The article by Agrawal was interesting and your sharing it a while back did cause me to stop & ask, "why the Monarch then, if they are not a significant pollinator"? <br />It's really a great question - as we discussed - they're a very pretty butterfly that everyone can identify and their migration story is fascinating. Maybe it's also because they're being used as the proverbial, "canary in the coal mine" species, to exemplify the current climate problems and loss of habitat for a lot of insects, plants, etc. too. <br />While I agree with you that we are now 'favoring' one plant over others, the milkweed didn't 'naturally' succumb to natural selection - man has been killing it to plant the very monocultures (corn fields, almond orchards, etc.) that are responsible for the decline of many of our insects, other than the Monarch. <br />And, to add insult to injury, man has introduced many non-native species (plant & bird) to our environment here in the U.S. which will eliminate / reduce our native plants, thereby impacting our native insects, birds, etc. For example, the non-native Japanese honeysuckle and the non-native kudzu and smother and kill man native plants that our native insects have evolved with. It's an interesting story and a complicated solution. I'm not sure how we should be approaching it - my Libertarian views meet my environmentalist views. Nikkis Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04900207220789667368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-39200179672622022442018-06-07T08:06:07.350-07:002018-06-07T08:06:07.350-07:00Thanks, Kathy. Very proud of Sword! And yes, Bow e...Thanks, Kathy. Very proud of Sword! And yes, Bow enjoys the heat. This was my first encounter with turtles in love, though I have seen them digging nests before. I've never seen the babies, either. That would be quite a sight. I bet your rabbits never inform on the Great Horned Owl, as mine do not on the fox I am sure is there, but have never seen.Aya Katzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830585801297506770noreply@blogger.com