Fall Break !!

Yippee!! .

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Near Eastern Fun
Our summer NSF-REU program studies Early Bronze Age remains from southern Jordan, and as part of program we have them read The Epic of Gilgamesh. While listening to Harry Shearer this summer I heard a new song by the group They Might Be Giants called "The Mesopotamians" and sent it around to all the students. Yorke & Morag just posted the video for the song at their blog, and I've blatantly stolen it for any REU-ers that might be checking in.

You gotta love a song that uses Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal and Gilgamesh in its lyrics. Here ya go:

They Might Be Giants - The Mesopotamians

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Blown Away

Today is a seriously windy, albeit bright sunshiny day. Kinda cool, in a Wizard of Oz sort of way. Hel-lo tornado watches tonight I'll bet. Might have to herd the cats down to the basement...always a fun activity (not).

UPDATE 10:30 PM – Wiley saved the day!! I fell asleep about 5:30, just dead -- about 9 pm Wiley jumped into bed and was absolutely relentless about waking me up. I got up assuming his food dish was empty and he was near starvation (!), when I heard the sirens start. Turned on the TV to find Jaime’s Crush Mike Hoffman the weatherman telling us about two big waves of storms coming through.. So, I opened the basement door – down went the boys, even Maz. Apparently the rain was coming down at 3” per hour, which Jaime’s Crush tells us is pretty exceptional. Thanks to Wiley my hero, I moved the car into the garage before the hail came. I wonder what they sense ?

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Silbury Hill
Here's a post from Archao News about Silbury Hill. Other than meeting Jane Goodall and visiting Aspinall's gorillas, Avebury/Silbury Hill was my favorite trip while teaching in our London Program in 2004.

Coast presenter Neil Oliver will explore the interior of the largest man-made mound in Europe in a one-off documentary for BBC4. In Lion Television's Silbury Hill, the archaeologist will team up with social anthropologist and Castaway presenter Mary-Ann Ochota in his attempt to find out why Silbury Hill was built and to uncover the story of the people who helped build it.

Oh Please!

Apparently James Watson (yes, of Nobel Prize double-helix fame) has trumped his previous dumb statement about a woman having the right to abort a fetus if she finds out it's homosexual -- a comment equally offensive to pro-choice & anti-abortion supporters alike! Now he's talking about his concerns for the continent of Africa due to the lower levels of intelligence in blacks. To quote: "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - whereas all the testing says not really." Apparently he's been reading too much Vince Sarich...

Black People 'Less Intelligent' Scientist Claims
By Helen Nugent
17 October 2007, Times Online

Colbert '08

Last night Stephen Colbert announced that he's running for President of the United States, in South Carolina. On both the Republican and Democratic tickets. Here's a link that talks about the validity of that approach. Could be fun, 'specially if they have a debate...

Candidate Colbert
By Jacques Steinberg, NYT
October 17, 2007

Skull-o-rama

Fall is coming, many of the trees around town are lookin' pretty colorful. Was I out enjoying them on this sunny day?? No! I was working on the Bab edh-Dhra' collection (I can hear Jamie saying "oh cry me a river, would ya!!") First Meredith and I spent some time trying to make sense of Mike Finnegan's field notes (I have no qualms about using his full name...add this to the list of things he screwed up with this collection!)

Then Matt and I put together skulls. Normally my skills in this arena are non-existent, but today I was in 'the zone.' Matt's savant-like skills must have been washing over me while in his presence (tho' I should point out that he got bupkis put together in comparison to my uber-skull reconstruction output. Now, if I can have another 827 days like today, I might catch up to him...)

Wooo Hoooo !!

Apple's New Operating System, Leopard, To Go On Sale Oct. 26
Associated Press, IHT

Get ready Vista to get blown out of the water!! Yeah Mac (and, it's about time Steve Jobs!!)

Obviously this post is for the 'enlightened'-- PC users need not read (and weep).

OMG !!

Tonight the NBC Nightly News had a story about an alarming new trend -- kids texting while driving. "How STUPID do you have to be ??!" I thought to myself, when one of the kids commented that probably 75% of students do this regularly. Here's the video segment:


Driving under the influence of a keyboard
By Janet Shamlian, NBC News Correspondent
Monday, October 15, 2007

And second, in the interest of "fair and balanced" reporting...here's a post about a UK judge calling some of Gore's statements into question:

Al Gore’s Inconvenient Judgment
Lewis Smith
October 11, 2007, The Times

PS -- my dad made me do this...:-)

PPS -- this is a picture of Justice Burton, the man who made the judgment... does "Mr. Bean" come to mind for anyone else?? A Monty Python Christmas Special?? (sorry)

PPPS -- check out the previous Times story that occurred on October 3, telling how this came to a head because a lorry driver sued to have the film monitored.

New Additions

I've added a few things to the sidebar -- Alicia has begun a new blog about her time in Bangladesh, worth checking out. And there's now a new "Anthro Fun" section with several websites that deal specifically with anthropology-related issues. The first one - Skull-a-Day - is just for fun, tho' admittedly quite inventive at times. 'Archaeo News' has a nice list of recent discoveries, and 'Bonobo Handshake' is a journal of a woman studying our near-neighbors at a Bonobo reserve. 'Savage Minds' has an interesting discussion of the recent controversy over anthropologists working with the military in Iraq.

If there are others I should add to this list, just let me know.

NY Times Op/Ed

Yorke/Morag mentioned a recent Op/Ed in the New York Times this weekend by Stephen Colbert. I'm posting it here - VERY very funny.

A Mock Columnist, Amok
By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: October 14, 2007, NYT
I called Stephen Colbert with a dare: if he thought it was so easy to be a Times Op-Ed pundit, he should try it. He came right over. I had staged a coup d’moi.

Is it just me?

Does something sound a bit amiss in this story, or am I being too jaded?

Israel Struck a Nuclear Project in Syria, Analysts Say
By DAVID E. SANGER and MARK MAZZETTI
Published: October 14, 2007, NYT

Bushism of the Day

"More than two decades later, it is hard to imagine the Revolutionary War coming out any other way."—Martinsburg, W.Va., July 4, 2007

see video (quote is at 5:59)

Ouch

1 and 6. Really, is that soooooo bad??? There are still several more games. I mean, what are the odds that Duke will win?? (actually, I'm not putting any money on it...)

Jodi Foster, Get Ready

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This is pretty cool. Paul Allen (co-founder of Microsoft) has funded a large SETI project to search for extraterrestrial signals. They expect to find life by 2025. Let's hope it's not for another 465 days 20 hours and 21 mintues or the aliens are doomed!

My guess is that they'll pick up radio signals from the Battlestar. Let's hope they don't find Cylons close behind!! (yes, I'm a geek. I think the daily skeleton action figures pretty much cemented that fact already)

Skies to be Swept for Alien Life
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7041183.stm

Nobel Prize

I joked after Gore's movie won the Emmy and Oscar, "what's next? A Tony??" (see Sept 16th "Emmys" post) The answer -- "no, a Nobel Peace Prize!!"

Tho' as Matt points out -- "yeah, but he's no George W. Bush!"

(in case it's too small to tell, the picture to the right is Bush holding a closet full of skeletons closed. No implied message...)

Antibacterial Overload

This is a pretty interesting article.

Eat Crap: Why Americans Should Ingest More Excrement
By Kent Sepkowitz
(http://slate.com/id/2175569)

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday to two of my favorite Canadians: Morag K. and Paul K. (no relation ;-)

I hope your respective spouses treated you well today, and lots of cake and icecream were involved. I would sing for you...but your birthday will be happier if I don't.

Enjoy!

End of Ramadan

Happy ‘Id al-Fitr!

Hope there are lots of good Ramadan treats on your plate this evening.

Environmentalist ??

Here's a lesson in being sure you understand what you're signing when putting your name to a petition. Juliette H. sent this along. The video is only 3 minutes long, but makes its point clearly.

Beware of Dihydrogen Monoxide:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi3erdgVVTw

Bushism of the Day

"I got a lot of Ph.D.-types and smart people around me who come into the Oval Office and say, 'Mr. President, here's what's on my mind.' And I listen carefully to their advice. But having gathered the device, I decide, you know, I say, 'This is what we're going to do.' "
—Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007

BTW

I changed the access for leaving comments. You no longer have to register. Hopefully that'll help those of you who send me emails in response to postings. Some of those responses have been very funny, this way you can 'share the wealth.'

Life in the Bubble

Yesterday I was working in the lab with several student assistants - they were siding bones, I was engaged in my most favorite (not!) job as a professor, grading. We were listening to the radio and they were teaching me who was singing, who was cool, who was an American Idol winner, etc. because all the songs sounded the same to me (I'm NOT getting old, I'm not!!)

Somehow we got on the topic of campus security, and I learned some interesting things. Good to know that can still happen after 15 years here.
Apparently the students feel very safe on campus, so safe in fact that most do not lock their dorm doors except during pep rallys and home games. And most (if not all) feel perfectly safe leaving their computer sitting out on the table at any of the eateries and/or study spots around campus without locking 'em up. They said they'd go off to dinner, leaving their computers 'n stuff sitting on a table in the library without the slightest bit of concern. Apparently the belief is that only bikes get stolen here on campus. Pretty nice if true, but it makes me wonder how many people have items ripped off within the first 6 months of graduation, once they leave the Notre Dame bubble...

Colbert on NPR

Really fun interview with Stephen Colbert today on "Fresh Aire" with Terri Gross. Worth a listen.

Colbert did a reading from his new book (out today) titled: "I Am America (and So Can You!)" Laughed out loud several times. Sounds like the audio version might be the way to go, since his reading definitely adds a dimension.

Bushism of the Day

"You know, when you give a man more money in his pocket—in this case, a woman more money in her pocket to expand a business, it—they build new buildings. And when somebody builds a new building somebody has got to come and build the building. And when the building expanded it prevented additional opportunities for people to work."—Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007

Video: http://mfile.akamai.com/5913/wmv/whitehouse.download.akamai.com/5913/2007/10/20071003-3.v.asx

Bad Hair Day

Today is another hot one! 88 again. Relative humidity was higher than the temperature I think. Antarctica is looking better and better (even if I do end up pecked to death by a flock of rabid penguins as Mike predicts...)

The weather is supposed to break tonight, which in the Midwest usually means big honkin' storms. Wiley is scared of thunder, so i have a feeling I'll have a hairy lug on my lap much of the evening (eat your heart out Yorke).

Good Ole Summertime

Not sure what's up, but we hit a record high again today of 88°F. Even the cats wouldn't go out back when offered. They stopped the Chicago Marathon halfway thru as a result, apparently ~300 athletes collapsed and one died.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=3700239

Guess the Creationists Were Right

Apparently a new gorge opened up practically overnight in Texas (of course). Scientists have kept it closed for study, but this week it is opening up for public tours. Sounds pretty cool. And I have a feeling the creationists will have a field day with it...

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gfH_OnFxjUZJ2icy8tMb0sOMaK8AD8S3B7782

Well Whattya Know ??!

Yeah, Maurice Crum!!

Job Opportunity

The Smithsonian put out a list of several new positions in Anthropology, including "Human-Environment Interaction, Globalization, North American ethnology, and endangered languages." More information can be found at USAJOBS.gov. This information is currently an "advance announcement", there should be an official listing at the Anthro department's website later in the fall http://www.nmnh.si.edu/anthro/). If interested, just drop me a message or leave a comment and I'll send you their email with details.

MAC

The subject line is not a reference to the world's greatest computer. Rather, it stands for the Midwest Archaeological Conference, hosted by Mark here at ND. The group came over to the lab for a chunk of the evening, followed by a swanky reception. The students working in the lab had a nice chance to talk with Jane Buikstra and Della Cooke among others. Great turnout, Mark put together a successful gathering.

Bought and Paid For !!

I turned in all my paperwork (and money) for the Antarctica trip. It's official now. I have to admit, I'm uber-excited...but at the same time a wee bit nervous. Being a "tightwad" (as my father likes to say) makes this one of the bigger checks I've ever written. Fortunately, the fact that going to Antarctica ranks #2 on the list of "Things I Want to Do in Life", I'd say it is well worth it!! If only there were a grant for this ;-)

Woooo hooooo, I'm going to Antarctica!!!!

Faux pas??

I had a definite blond-moment tonight. I thought I was having dinner out with Michael D. this evening, so pulled up in front of his house to pick him up. Fortunately, he happened to look out the window and saw me...came out to tell me I was off by 24 hours, we were on for tomorrow.

But as good fortune would have it, Doug was cooking up some stir fry and I was invited in. Dinner was fantastic! I can't believe they eat like that every night. Like going to a quality restaurant. I think I might just pull up in front of their house more often and sit. Maybe they'll take me in like a stray... Mmmmm mmmmm good!

All Done!!!!

The day has finally come. WE FINISHED NUMBERING ALL THE BAB EDH-DHRA' BONES!!!! Twenty-three student assistants and four years later, the last bone was numbered today...by the "new kid" in the lab. So, to Collin, Erica, LeTania, Matt, Matt, Julie, Lindsay, Katie, Shannon, Alicia, Grace, Mary Elizabeth, Melissa, Lesley, Tommy, Hillary, Anne, Stephanie, Pat, Becky, Tyler, Chelsea and Diana -- many many thanks!!

Here's the "event", captured on film for posterity ;-)


And here's a little trip down memory lane:

Battlestar Galactica is for Smarties

Morag made the terrible mistake of emailing today saying she'd recently read an article in the NY Times stating that 'Battlestar Galactica" is for intellectuals, but she couldn't bring herself to send it to me. Well, clearly she forgot I'm a trained forensic scientist -- I put my super-sleuthing skills to work, here's the clip she wouldn't share. Buwah ha ha ha ha!

Science fiction is one thing: ''Battlestar Galactica'' has intellectual cachet.

''The humans are pagan polytheists and the robots are monotheists, whose divine jihad is against the humans (even though the former know that the latter created them),'' Anthony Gottlieb, the author of ''The Dream of Reason: A History of Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance,'' explained off the top of his Blackberry from an airport baggage claim. ''There's a curious mix of high-tech and superstition and scriptural fundamentalism (which interestingly suggests that religion is ineradicable, as today's theorists of secularism are increasingly saying).''

Those of us who are fans already knew this, nice for it to be recognized in the newspaper of records ;-)

O'Reilly vs. Burma

Here's an interesting post by Harry Shearer. I am BY NO MEANS a fan of Bill O'Reilly, but Shearer has a point here:

Screw Burma, Let's Talk About O'Reilly
Posted September 28, 2007 | 06:08 PM (EST)

Maybe I'm getting soft, but the notion that people halfway around the world are braving lifetime prison terms and possibly death for daring to peacefully protest against a brutally despotic government speaks to me. The notion that folks in Burma are trying everything -- email, cellphone, e-pigeon -- to evade the regime's attempts to close the country down to outside observation makes me want to pay attention. So why is it, given a story of people fighting for freedom against a fearsome military junta, that cable news far preferred this week to discuss the burning question: Is Bill O'Reilly really a racist? One can't be surprised that the subject might obsess Mr. O'Reilly. He, like media figures from Limbaugh to Stern, has figured out that, whatever the putative subject matter of the day, what his audience really cares about is the Great Him. What stuns me is the desire of everyone from Keith Olbermann (whom I like and admire) to Rick Sanchez (_______), and their management superiors, to devote hour after hour to the discussion of O'Reilly's comments on how little difference there was between a "black-owned restaurant" and an Italian restaurant in the suburbs. This is not a "slow news week". The Dems have tanked on Iran (which, to be fair, has gotten plenty of coverage), the president has tacked on climate change, and Burma is either experiencing the birth pangs of a new era or another crushing of its spirit. In the presence of the latter story, I'd be trash-canning the O'Reilly chatter soonest.

UPDATE: At least one commenter has opined that the Burma freeze-out on US cable news is because of the non-existence of video from the scene. That's easy to say if you're watching US cable news, because they're not showing any. But Al Jazeera English and BBC World have managed to get video--probably via cellphone--out of Rangoon.

Happy Birthday

As an anthropologist, let me just say: Happy Birthday to you, you live in a zoo, you smell like a monk-ey, and you look like one too!

Today my niece Allison is one decade old. May it be the first of many, many more!! And Miss Katie hits the big 2-1 today...something tells me we won't be seeing her at work this afternoon ;-)

Today would have been my Grandmother's 94th birthday. It seems a nice day to remember a life well-lived.

Yippity Doo-dah !!

Finished my NSF final report for the previous grant. That thing has been hanging around my neck like a lead weight. No fun, all busy work, but DONE, DONE, DONE. And while on a roll, I even wrote a long interim report for the summer that just passed. That was actually kinda fun, because it was a nice reminder that we got alot done, and the students have REALLY followed-thru, with several presentation submissions and grants received (and a few more pending). It's almost like we're starting to figure out how to do this thing... Or at least Jaime is ;-)