Hello all,
I admire the work CFI does and am a regular listener to Point of Inquiry, and figured I should get around to registering.   

Currently I live in far Northern California.  Yes, I know—I wish I could say this area isn’t as flakey as it is commonly portrayed, but, unfortunately, it is.  It is not wildly religious, but there is still plenty to keep me at a low boil . 

I am an anthropologist/archaeologist, so the things I tend to zero in on tend to be along those lines (ancient aliens, “Wisdom of the Ancients”, that sort of thing, and more immediately dangerous nonsense like race).  Recently, and in large part because of where I live, I’ve become interested in the companies that manufacture alternative medicines and organic products (who they are, labour conditions, standards, etc.).  I hope to be able to pick some brains here. 

All the best

Apx.

Welcome! I live in the Ca Bay Area, and we have a lot of flakes here too!

Welcome.  I live in Southern California and the one thing I envy about the Bay area and Northern California is that you have many more flakes than we have here. 

If you’re looking for information on crackpot alternative medicine, check out our two Mac - Macgyver and McKenzie, and Asanta.  They are three of our resident experts on that.

Occam

I would hope most of his flakes fall from the sky. Most of our local flakes are walking around on the ground… luckily, we have corralled most of them into Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and Berkeley!

I’ve become interested in the companies that manufacture alternative medicines and organic products…

Ahhhhh yes, snake oil in fancy packaging with nice scientific sounding terminology and (As usual) the “The claims made for this product have not been evaluated by the FDA” at the bottom in extremely fine print.

If you have a problem with this crap, you’ll find yourself in good company here!

Cool, Apxeo. I enjoy anthropology as well, although I happen to believe that race plays a major role when it comes to our species—not that different from, say, the species of a dog and all its different breeds. Hope you stick around.

Except that it took careful breeding of dogs and weeding out all who didn’t fit the breeder’s parameters.  Most of us humans are mutts and becoming more-so with each succeeding generation. 

Occam

Welcome Apxeo.  Glad to have you here.

Asanta, what’s wrong with Berkeley?  Someone said I’d probably like it there because the more educated and intellectually minded are in that area.

Thanks all
I used to live in Sonoma County, so I know the Bay Area and environs well. I am up in the Emerald Triangle now.  I think the New Agey stuff is worse here than further south—probably because the flakiness is compounded by continual access to pot. 

@George.  There is definitely human variation, but I don’t think race really is a useful tool for analyzing that.  Human variation, like that of any animal, is best thought of in terms of biological populations (not the same thing as race) and local adaptations.

As far as alternative medicine goes, I am more interested in finding out about the business and production end of things.  I know it’s a multi-billion dollar industry (stress industry) , but I’d like more data.  I think this is a line of argument that many alt. med. consumers would find disturbing given the naturalistic ideologies that underpin a lot of alt. med.

“Bilogical populations with local adaptations,” I like that. 

Welcome to the boards. I too reside in the SF Bay Area.

Occam. - 05 June 2012 12:28 PM

Except that it took careful breeding of dogs and weeding out all who didn’t fit the breeder’s parameters.  Most of us humans are mutts and becoming more-so with each succeeding generation.

Not me! I’m a pure bred mongrel.

Take care,

Derek