SHOULD WE SAVE ‘ENDANGERED’ CULTURES? “According to a trio of academics, the answer is ‘yes.’ Moreover, the team recently published evidence that shows seven different isolated tribes in South America to be critically endangered.”

Isn’t preserving them as human lab rats to be studied the ultimate form of what blogger Val Prieto once dubbed “omnipotent tourist syndrome,” when their health and standard of living could be raised a thousand fold?

(Via Maggie’s Farm, who believes we should stick to Star Trek’s “prime directive,” which the captain of both Enterprises invariably seemed to find a reason to violate each week.)