Vegans misrepresented in Monday's Îturkey' column

Jason Baran's piece was clearly biased so far as to misrepresent vegans and even the facts regarding the animal "harvesting" industry (Monday, "Tom Turkey has a friend: Moby fights for fowl rights"). Jason begins his position with the statement, "Turkeys ÷ like other fowl, cattle and chimps ÷ shouldn't be granted the same, or even similar, rights as man" because they don't have cognitive skill. This statement bears no fact at all. They do possess some basic cognitive function. [Read article]

Whether it is due to the absence of required high school courses or the lack of personal interest in how the world works, a large majority of UA students do not understand basic economic principles. And out of all the academic programs at this university that should require lower-level economic courses, the political science department does not.

This is particularly worrisome because many of these students will leave with bachelor of arts degrees in their pockets and enter our civics, law, business and information-based arenas. Graduates in political science may at some point make a decision that will affect you, and that choice might not reflect a proficient understanding of economics. [Read article]

Last week, Tucson hosted the 2002 Sex Worker Arts Festival. The events ranged from academic lectures like "Sex Slaves and the Truth About Trafficking," hosted on the UA campus, to workshops such as "Fisting: Pleasuring Your Partner With Your Hands," which included a live demonstration and was hosted, not surprisingly, off campus.

Juliana Piccillo, co-director of the festival, told the Arizona Daily Star that the festival was "educational (and) community building," to promote acceptance because "sex workers are marginalized." [Read article]