Arizona Illustrated 1102: Bass, Toads, Plants & Philosophy

This week on Arizona Illustrated…bass player Ed Friedland on perfecting the art of being no one; the Humane Society of Southern Arizona is helping keep dogs and Sonoran Desert Toads safe from each other; we begin a new series on invasive desert plants and Hannah Kim on the philosophy of fiction.

Bass Whisperer – The Art of Being No One
Ed Friedland is a bass player, author of numerous bass books, an educator, a former long-time columnist for Bass Player magazine, and a long-time industry influencer as “The Bass Whisperer.” From 2015 through 2023, Ed toured and recorded with 90s Country music favorites The Mavericks. He can still be found playing jazz in Tucson’s own Century Room.

Sonoran Desert Toad Awareness Training
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona holds a training program for dog owners to train their dogs to avoid possible future contact with the Sonoran Desert Toad, also known as the Colorado River Toad. What may seem like an average amphibian can be deadly for dogs. The same glands that produce the toad’s poison also produce an extremely powerful psychedelic, known as DMT. We watched a training session led by Animal Experts Inc. to learn more.

Invasive Desert Plants – African Sumac
The Sonoran Desert has thousands of native plants that are desirable in our environment, but other species can thrive here as well, making them invasive and undesirable. The African Sumac (Rhus lancea) is one of them. This evergreen can take over large areas, competing with native trees and other plants for limited water resources.

Philosophy of Fiction
Fictional storytelling is an important and pervasive part of how human cultures transmit knowledge and values across generations. But there are many philosophical questions that arise from this human act of fiction-making. For instance, what does it mean for a work of fiction — that is, a made-up story — to say something about what’s true? Hannah H. Kim, a professor of Philosophy at the University of Arizona, thinks that by examining questions like this, it might help us navigate our current media landscape rife with misinformation, bots, and propaganda. And in so doing, also teach us something about what it means to live a good life. Tweet