Not, that’s not some sort of euphamism - there is evidence to suggest that you can induce rats to laugh through tickling, and that they find this to be a pleasant experience.
I wonder if this could be used as a reward in behavioural studies? The usual approach is to get them all sugared-up on cocoa pops…
Over at sneedleflipsockTheBlog there is a fantastically extensive roundup of reactions to the major course revamps currently being undertaken by Melbourne University. They run the gamut from newspaper editorial to undergrad blog, but all provide an interesting insight into the public perception of this rather profound shift in Australian tertiary education.
I’d like to talk about the accompanying and truely bizarre dreamlarge campaign, but that’ll have to wait for another day.
I find avocado slicers creepy. They remind me of the leucatome, a surgical implement used to perform lobtomies; a retractable loop of wire is inserted into the brain, typically through the eye socket, and twisted — rendering all your psychiatric problems a thing of the past!
(RH picture from Nobel Foundation).
Elsewhere: Tenuously related but awesome - The Neurophilosopher: An illustrated history of trepanation
This as the University of Melbourne announces that revenues from international students now make up $192 million of it’s $1.28 billion consolidated income.
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They arrived to find their room-mates, if they had one, and their neighbours were also from overseas. They went to orientation sessions designed exclusively for foreigners.
As a result, they bonded with other student migrants, and were cut off from the local community.