metaphortunate son

Some book reviews that have lately crossed my line of sight.

Andrea Ringer. Circus World: Roustabouts, Animals, and the Work of Putting on the Big Show:

Ringer is not interested in the perceived glitz and glamour of big top spectacles. Rather, she presents the golden age circus as a site of working-class labor, where both humans and beasts toiled from day till night under the near-constant gaze of thrill-seeking visitors.
....
_Circus World _is the sort of book that will captivate (and, in some cases, horrify) a great many readers. It's a
must-read for anyone interested in the history of the modern circus; the same is true for historians of animal entertainment and industry. Gender studies scholars will appreciate Ringer's fresh insights into the ways circuses amplified colonial and patriarchal notions of race, gender, and family. Plus, the book's short length and bite-sized
chapters make it ideal for classroom use. Above all, _Circus World _succeeds as a work of labor history, one that takes nontraditional work and nontraditional workers seriously.

Dominic Pettman. Telling The Bees: An interspecies Monologue. Possibly a bit twee/poncey?

Weary of the insistent demands and disappointments of online life in the early 2020s, Dominic Pettman turned to a very old practice: Rather than commenting on current events by posting for his followers on social media, he would tell the bees instead. The record of this experiment is _Telling the Bees: An Interspecies Monologue_ (2024). "Indeed, this time-honored activity--practiced in villages all over Europe, for centuries--seems much healthier to me than confessing things to the digital ether, the anonymous world via social media," he writes early in the journal (p. 2).
....
In Pettman's case, as a resident of New York City, he doesn't have much access to actual, in-the-flesh bees. The apartment co-op won't let him have a hive on the roof, for one thing. At the start he makes do by talking to "wild" bees he encounters on his walks in Central Park, but as the seasons change and the threats of COVID-19 force
ever smaller spaces of interaction, Pettman conjures and speaks to virtual bee--"the memory of bees," as he calls it, prompting a wry rejoinder from a waggish colleague: "These bees ... Are they in the room with us now?" (p. xi).
Readers seeking a journal of material human entanglement with physical bees will not find that here. Pettman's virtual bees are much more akin to the "virtual animal totem" [.]

This one does involve actual encounters with the beasts in question, it would appear: Leslie Patten. Ghostwalker: Tracking a Mountain Lion's Soul through Science and Story.

Patten then combats history and myth with a series of case and site studies in Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, and California, and interviews with mountain lion experts of every stripe--from trackers, hunters, and houndsmen (people who hunt with dogs) to wildlife biologists and conservation management specialists. Along
the way, Patten nimbly debunks so many myths about cougars--that they are isolate, cold-blooded killers who need to be managed to keep them from pets, livestock, and small children and that legal hunts are an effective way to manage and stabilize populations.

Hedgehogs in fact are ambiguously situated: Laura McLauchlan. Hedgehogs, Killing, and Kindness: The Contradictions of Care in Conservation Practice.

In the UK, hedgehog conservation is both necessary and supported by the public: Population numbers are in steady decline, while the animals themselves occupy a fond place in the British consciousness. The second section details her fieldwork in New Zealand at pest-control initiatives, including outreach events and community pest-control groups, conservation initiative Zealandia (a completely fenced ecosanctuary in Wellington dedicated to restoring
native flora and fauna), and her own "guerrilla" care for local hedgehogs. In New Zealand, hedgehogs are thriving despite their status as an invasive species, provoking widespread public animosity.

Recent spam email for a conference with initials which did not immediately decode for me:

ICGO is a boutique-style event that emphasizes depth and interaction. Modest in scale but rich in content, the conference’s intimate setting fosters close communication and meaningful dialogue. It encourages one-on-one and small-group discussions that often lead to lasting collaborations.

But then we discover

This esteemed gathering offers an exceptional opportunity for obstetricians, gynecologists, researchers, clinicians, and healthcare professionals to connect, share insights, and advance the field together.

The conference is in

Athens, a city that blends ancient heritage with modern innovation, providing an inspiring backdrop for intellectual exchange. Its vibrant culture and Mediterranean charm will undoubtedly enrich your conference experience.

There is, apparently, a International Conference on Gynaecology and Obstetrics which holds ALOT of conferences in exotic places. I have managed to track down the details for a past occasion and discover - SURPRISE!!!! -

Travel
Due to limited budget resources, we regret to inform you that the conference is unable to sponsor or cover travel expenses for any participant, including speakers. We encourage speakers to make their own travel arrangements and plan accordingly.
Important Note
Please note that this conference is organized independently without sponsorship or support from any external organizations. The registration fees are primarily used to cover the cost of amenities and services provided to our registered members, including meals, snacks, sessions, networking opportunities, and other event-related activities.

We are pleased to offer honorariums to our esteemed keynote and invited speakers. To qualify for an honorarium, speakers must secure a minimum of 5 paid registrations or group paid registrations from their students, colleagues, or peers. The amount of the honorarium will be determined based on the number of registrations obtained. We encourage our speakers to actively promote the conference within their networks to ensure a rewarding experience for all.

Wotta racket, eh?

Last week's bread held out pretty well, though unfortunately not quite long enough to extend to frittata for Friday night supper.

Instead I made the somewhat ersatz 'Thai fried rice' with saucisson sec.

Saturday breakfast rolls: Tassajarra method, 50:50% wholemeal/white spelt, Rayner organic barley malt extract, and dried blueberries ('apple juice infused' WTF): turned out quite nicely.

Today's lunch: stifado of diced lamb shoulder, served with Greek spinach rice and gingery healthy-grilled baby courgettes and red bell pepper (teriyaki sauce rather than tamari).