A Christian Case for Farmed Animal Welfare

It is now common to blame Christianity for broader society’s general inattention to the needs and comfort of animals in general, and farmed animals in particular. This critique of Christianity claims that certain biblical themes and biblical passages form the foundation for an anti- animal position that Christianity has imposed on Christians and on wider Western society. This article concedes that Christianity has often been used to justify exploitation of animals, but argues that it is a mistake to consider Christianity inevitably opposed to concern for animals. After reviewing the views of critics such as Lynn White Jr., Peter Singer, and Tom Regan, the article demonstrates the complexity of interpreting biblical passages and the possibility of readings that affirm the importance of treating animals well. It shows that Christians have indeed been advocates animals, notably in relation to the first legislation against animal cruelty in the early nineteenth century and the formation of the RSPCA. Finally, it proposes a constructive framework for a Christian ethics of farmed animal welfare that could provide the basis for Christian action to reduce consumption of animals and shift to higher welfare sources.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/12/1116/pd

Toward archaeological predictive modeling in the Bosutswe region of Botswana: Utilizing multispectral satellite imagery to conceptualize ancient landscapes

Geospatial technologies such as GIS, remote sensing, and GNSS are transforming landscape archaeology, particularly in research areas that are hard to access due to geographical size, environmental challenges, lack of infrastructure, and/or political instability. In the following article, we explore the potential of high-resolution, multispectral satellite imagery for building a predictive model of the settlement pattern of the Iron Age polity of Bosutswe (700-1650 CE) in Botswana. While the case study lies in Africa, the problems that Africanists experience extend far beyond the continent. With limited funding, poor access to survey regions, and countless others, predictive modelling has the potential to identify more robust archaeological landscapes. Using ArcGIS 10.6, ENVI 5.4, and WorldView 2 and 3 imagery, we catalog 22 prospective archaeological sites within a 5 km radius of Bosutswe (100 sq. km ), demonstrating the potential for image classification to identify sites difficult to locate in a traditional pedestrian survey. The discovery of these new, often small sites has implications for past environmental utilization and for regional sociopolitical dynamics. We describe our test excavation at one new site, Letlalolanoga, to demonstrate how it may contribute towards a growing body of literature that favors heterarchical power relations within African complex societies

Review of Remote Sensing Methods to Map Coffee Production Systems

The coffee sector is working towards sector-wide commitments for sustainable production. Yet, knowledge of where coffee is cultivated and its environmental impact remains limited, in part due to the challenges of mapping coffee using satellite remote sensing. We recognize the urgency to capitalize on recent technological advances to improve remote sensing methods and generate more accurate, reliable, and scalable approaches to coffee mapping. In this study, we provide a systematic review of satellite-based approaches to mapping coffee extent, which produced 43 articles in the peer-reviewed and gray literature. We outline key considerations for employing effective approaches, focused on the need to balance data affordability and quality, classification complexity and accuracy, and generalizability and site-specificity. We discuss research opportunities for improved approaches by leveraging the recent expansion of diverse satellite sensors and constellations, optical/Synthetic Aperture Radar data fusion approaches, and advances in cloud computing and deep learning algorithms. We highlight the need for differentiating between production systems and the need for research in important coffee-growing geographies. By reviewing the range of techniques successfully used to map coffee extent, we provide technical recommendations and future directions to enable accurate and scalable coffee maps

Supervisory Roles within Systems of Practice

This chapter updates the model systems approach to supervision (SAS), created by the author, in light of recent empirical studies on supervision and the competency‐based movement in professional psychology. The heuristics of the model are also presented. The SAS model was designed to provide a visual roadmap for supervisors to intentionally and strategically consider the numerous factors that could impinge on their teaching and learning. The components of the model are part of a dynamic process in which they interrelate and mutually influence one another. The chapter describes the seven dimensions of SAS and makes reference to the research that substantiates their inclusion in the model. It describes the SAS model as a comprehensive model of supervision that emphasizes the importance of social roles, relational practice, and contextual factors that influence the supervisory process.https://aura.antioch.edu/facchapters/1017/thumbnail.jp