re Plutarch's manners

You mustn't take Plutarch too seriously, Amemeba. I don't.

He does like to sport with his fellow sock puppets, me and Grapho, but that's just what AnnaS would describe as "male bonding".

In any case, Plutarch is never disrespectful to anyone who is not a sock puppet, unless they are disrespectful to him first.

That is something Capfka might wish to take into consideration in the future. As an aside to Capfka, Plutarch seldom gives anyone more than one warning.

re Koko

It seems it is more than just Koko who has learned ASL, Amemeba, as you can see:

Extract:

Dr. Chalcraft's presentation, "Sign Modulations of Cross-Fostered Chimpanzees and Gorillas," demonstrated that both chimpanzees and gorillas (Koko) who have been taught American Sign Language (ASL) modulate their sign to change the meaning or emphasis in a manner similar to human signers:

The part of the study involving chimpanzees was performed by Dr. Chalcraft as part of her Ph.D. dissertation before coming to the Gorilla Foundation.

For more, pls go to:
http://www.koko.org/world/journal.phtml

re Rico

Your characterization of Rico's skills as simply "dog-like" misses the entire point of the particular skill which has generated so much excitement and interest in the scientific community, Amemeba, namely, the cognitive skill known as "fast mapping".

I don't claim to be an expert on this subject, but those who are experts seem to be divided into 2 camps:

Those who are convinced that Rico exhibits cognitive skills equalivent to a human toddler; and

Those who remain unconvinced and would like to see further studies.

None of the experts quoted in the many newspaper reports I have read are as dismissive of the evidence supporting Rico's "fast mapping" abilities as you seem to be, Amemeba.

I'm sure Dr. Bloom, the psychology professor at Yale University who wrote a commentary on the Rico study for Science magazine would be interested in knowing what science you are relying on in concluding that his evidence for Rico's human toddler-like abilities "sucks".

Extract from USA Today report of June 10th:

"The researchers think Rico figures out the words by using a strategy called "fast mapping" that lets him quickly figure out that a new word goes with a new object. "We know children can do this -- if they hear a word just once, in the course of a conversation, they can remember what it means weeks, even months, later," said Paul Bloom, a psychology professor at Yale University who wrote a commentary for Science about the study. Children typically pick up the technique at age 2, he said."

You have always been respectful of me, Amemeba, so I thought I would return the courtesy by returning, on this one occasion, to make this reply.

While I will not be returning any time soon, Amemeba, I can't speak for Plutarch. He was more than a little put off by Capfka and he might return to give Capfka a chance to show what stuff he is really made of - in a battle of wits befitting gentlemen, I hasten to add, not with the crudeness which marked Capfka's earlier outburst.